Wicca, Ethics, and Morality

I think I have started this article a dozen times or more.  It will be more than just one article and it really does include a broader scope than just Wicca in its content. In part, I must admit it is inspired by my favorite actor of the moment, Anson Mount, and some of his interviews on playing Cullen Bohanen on Hell On Wheels and moral development, ethics and redemption being more of a universal and psychological issue than purely religious in nature. It is also inspired by the potential of a new round of seeker classes at the house. As much as I want to focus on the more universal aspects of morals and ethics I am going to attempt to limit this article to just dealing with Wicca and the teaching of ethics and morals.

It is widely acknowledged that Wicca does not have a hard and fast code of ethics for its followers be they clergy or layperson. More often than not, we as clergy and teachers teach ethics from a standpoint of what you can and shouldn't do with the power that you are about to learn how to use. That we work and live in perfect love and perfect trust and honor the Wiccan Rede of "An it harm none, do as thou will." I begin to wonder if we as clergy and teachers are confusing ethics with expectations of moral development.

Wicca is centered on the beliefs that we are interconnected to the world around us. We also can achieve self actualization through understanding those connections and working in harmony with them. Through the traditional text of the Charge of the Goddess, we teach that we are to live in perfect love and perfect trust and to harm none.

It is my belief that we have to somewhere have a baseline understanding of what harming none constitutes. I know too many clergy and laypeople who choose those two guidelines as an excuse to be sexual predators, improperly use finances, and ignore the emotional and physical boundaries of others. Because we acknowledge that we do not exist in a vacuum, I believe that means we have a greater responsibility to promote basic human rights, compassion and a non-oppressive environment. If we expect other professionals to have bodies that govern their code of ethics, why aren't we demanding it from ourselves?

I hear too often that expecting Wiccan clergy to hold to a formalized ethical code is like herding cats. I also hear the same thing about expecting a more formalized curriculum and standards for moral development for students and potential clergy. I think we are selling ourselves and our students short by not expecting more from each other and them.  I also do not think we will ever be taken seriously as theologians and philosophers until we do start having higher standards of what we are teaching and how we are living our beliefs.

I do agree with the thinkers of my generation like Mount, that ideals of ethics, morals, and redemption (self actualization) are universal in their nature. I think that we Wiccans in particular need to start taking more accountability for our own actions and how we are interacting with others and impacting the world around us. As the chant goes, "she changes everything she touches and everything she touches changes."