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TWV Presents... Articles/Essays From Pagans [Show all] Views: 9,898,854 November 22nd. 2009 ... Caveat Mentor, or Watch That First Step! Rethinking Pagan Discrimination Ten Dumb Reasons To Join A Coven Interview With Openly Pagan Elected Official, Jessica Orsini Creating My Book of Shadows Intolerance: A Curable Disease Loving Spiritual Diversity Good Vibrations November 15th. 2009 ... Recovering From a Bad Coven Experience You Are Not A Tool The Dangers of Virtual Reality and Magickal Life: A True Story Diary of a High Priestess When Religious Intolerance Destroys Friendship Thinking With Your Heart Beauty in Death In that Moment: “Understanding Born From Sorrow” Raining Down A Different Kind of Peace November 8th. 2009 ... Why Many of Us Will Never Be Christian (No Matter How Hard We Try) Making Your Life Magical Soul Connection: The Means to Finding Your Life Purpose How I Met My Soul Mate. Twice Perfect Love and Perfect Trust: Thoughts on Love and Loving Love and the Use Of Magick Spiritual Transformation Follow the Yellowbrick Road: Sometimes Staying on the Path Takes a Miracle! The Path: A Spiritual Chautauqua November 1st. 2009 ... My Magic Doesn't Work! (Because It Sometimes Doesn't) Avoiding the Pitfalls of Paganism The Breath and Faking It Coming Out Of The "Broom Closet" Profound Fruit Loops Magick and Science I Want To Live A While Longer "Me Time" October 25th. 2009 ... Janet Farrar and Gavin Bone Touring East Coast USA for Samhain Lemon Magic My Black Kitty Autumnland: Pagan Path and Paradise The Modern Coven: Importance of Documentation Crossroads Rite (Version 11) Perceptions of Life The Challenge of Acceptance The Circle of Life October 18th. 2009 ... Honoring Our Elders, Leaders and Teachers Space Clearing: A Fresh Look at a Classic Tradition Group or Solitary: Which Is Best For You? Which Witch is Which? The Importance of Scientific Terminology. Soap Making 101 How I Maintain My Spiritual Practice in a War Zone To Be or Not To Be – In Pagan Business "Fusion" Magick October 11th. 2009 ... Italy, Clavicles and Witchcraft The Fairies of Samhain Horns of Gold, Horns of Red: The God as a Sacred Focus The Veil as Seen Through the Eyes of a Witch Owl Mythology, Folklore, and Magical Interpretation A Celtic "Young Goodman Brown" October 4th. 2009 ... What Should I Put In My Book of Shadows? How Do You Draw Your Pentagram? Your Book Of Shadows How I Became a Wiccan Five-Point Witches’ Self-Healing Plan The Responsiblity of Elders of Pagan Paths My Curse Thoughts on Death Dinosaurs and Druidry September 27th. 2009 ... When I Was A Christian Wiccan Shamanism: Seeing in the Dark Dream Invasion: What It Is and How to Stop it The Warrior Archetype and the Reemergence of the Goddess Twittermancy and Open Sourcery Past Life, Present Mission The Burning Times: May We Never Forget Ophiuchus, the 13th Constellation: A Call for Change Changes: Facing Them and Making Them September 20th. 2009 ... How I Found My Craft Name (and Tips on Finding Yours!) Life Without End: Death From A Pagan Perspective Creating Your Reality My Road To Wicca Officiating At A Crossing Over Ceremony NOTE: For a complete list of articles related to this chapter... Visit the Main Index FOR this section.

Article Specs Article ID: 6293 VoxAcct: 208939 Section: words Age Group: Adult Days Up: 2,396 Times Read: 9,078 Mark Twain on 'The Witches' Rede' Author: Mike Nichols Posted: May 4th. 2003 Times Viewed: 9,078 It hardly seems possible that it has been almost 100 years since Mark Twain sat down and dictated his thoughts about The Witches' Rede, leaving to posterity what is surely the most clear-headed explanation ever attempted of this critical and central tenet of modern Witchcraft. Okay, that really didn't happen. But it might as well have. Because it was sometime around 1904 or 1905 that Mark Twain composed a short story called "The War Prayer". It's not easy to be sure just when it was written because Twain's publisher rejected it, saying that it was too controversial. It was based, in part, on Twain's opposition to the Philippine-American War of 1899-1902. Twain agreed with his publisher's assessment, commenting that it would probably have to wait until after his death before it could be published. As with the comet, Twain proved to be prophetic. "The War Prayer" didn't see the light of day until its first printing in 1923. Yet this deceptively simple short story is far more profound than a mere anti-war rant. Indeed, it is an exploration of one of the most basic guidelines for ethical human behavior. Modern Witches refer to this same idea as "The Witches' Rede", and tend to couch it in archaic English: "An it harm none, do what thou wilt," thus rendering it nearly unintelligible to all but the initiated. Reading the antiquated "An" as the more contemporary word "If", the Rede translates into the modern idiom as something like "If you harm no one, then you can do what you want." Every Wicca 101 instructor ever born has spent a considerable amount of time schooling newbies on all the ramifications of this simple phrase. The first thing they will usually point out is that "harming no one" may be harder than it sounds, since "no one" includes oneself! And the second thing they will mention is that even the most "positive" of magical spells may carry a hidden payload that is detrimental to *someone*. Thus, one has to be careful to scrutinize each new spell for possible hidden agendas. And if a harmful effect is found, then, by the law of the Witches' Rede, that spell should not be worked. It is to this second point that Mark Twain addressed himself in his brilliant essay, "The War Prayer". Naturally, he doesn't speak of Witches casting spells. Instead (and rather delightfully, considering the subject), his setting is a prayer service in a Christian church, on the eve of a great war. As the minister delivers an impassioned plea for God's aid in granting a military victory, the service is disrupted by an aged stranger who enters, claiming to be a messenger from God. He says that he has been commissioned to put into words both the spoken, and the unspoken, portions of the congregation's prayer! Then, in words that would do credit to any Coven elder, he explains, "If you would beseech a blessing upon yourself, beware! lest without intent you invoke a curse upon your neighbor at the same time. If you pray for the blessing of rain on your crop which needs it, by that act you are possibly praying for a curse on some neighbor's crop which may not need rain and can be injured by it." This is the very essence of "An it harm none". From there, he goes on to explain what the congregation is *really* praying for when they implore God for a military victory. Controversial? Unfortunately. Timely? Never more so. But don't take my word for it. Head to your local library and check it out for yourself. Or, if you're near your computer, just fire up your browser and point it to "www.warprayer.org". It only takes a few minutes to read, but you will be the richer for it. True, Mark Twain may not have been a Witch, but he certainly would have understood, and agreed with, the Withces' Rede. And I know of more than one Book of Shadows that includes a special page of honor for "The War Prayer". Mike Nichols Monday, May 5th., 2003 EMAIL: mikenichols@sprintmail.com WEB: A must bookmark: For a more complete Mike Nichols experience, visit his wonderful Website: The Witches' Sabbats ABOUT... Mike Nichols Location: Kansas City, Missouri Author's Profile: To learn more about Mike Nichols - Click HERE Other Articles: Mike Nichols has posted 3 additional articles- View them? Other Listings: To view ALL of my listings: Click HERE Email Mike Nichols... (Yes! I have opted to receive invites to Pagan events, groups, and commercial sales) To send a private message to Mike Nichols ... 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