Wiccan Ethics: Learning from Others

Today I wanted to write a little bit about Learning from Others as a Wiccan. By Learning from others, today, I mean specifically Learning from Other Religions or paths or practices that may be similar to Wicca or may be very different.

I mostly wanted to share a few things I've read recently that resonated with me and encourage you, dear reader, if you are wiccan, to open yourself up to learning other truths from other paths even if they are not your own. Open your mind up to the universe and all the beauty and knowledge it can share.

The first thing I wanted to share with you is something I learned very recently - the lesson came to me in a form of a blog post by Karen Maezen Miller, author of Momma Zen and the blog Cheerio Road. Miller is a Buddhist and a Mother of a daughter and so her posts are usually about Buddhism, mindful parenting, etc.
The lesson I recently learned from her is about the Buddhist concept of Attachment that she wrote about in a blog post called the Rose Colored Carpet:

"Although I'm bothered to do so, I thought I would revisit the briar patch of attachment. We are so attached to what we think attachment means. We are always attached to what we think things mean, to what we think things are, and that is the cause of all suffering...

The truth is never the phony thing we attach to.

This is how Buddha saw the truth. He saw it as it is. This is the way we all see it, and although we may not want to accept it, we will experience it just the same.

1. Life means suffering. Things change.
2. The origin of suffering is attachment. It hurts when things change.
3. The cessation of suffering is attainable. Accept that things change.
4. There is a way out of suffering. You can change yourself."

This actually brings me back to a time not so long ago when I was doing a tarot reading for my girlfriend. I pulled out the major arcana card Death. She became worried and it took a very long time for me to explain to her that Death simply means CHANGE. Change can be good or bad but if we are attached to what is changing, it can hurt and cause a lot of fear and worry. I think this is the real reason this card has the grim reaper on it and says Death - change can cause a good deal of fear and there are very few people that do not fear Death or the concept of death.

Accepting change and accepting Death in all his forms is a way of releasing attachment, releasing fear, living with the flow of the Universe. This is something Wiccans, I think, can certainly resound with.

The other thing that I've learned recently comes from my new studies in Reiki with the Witch School sister site Reiki School.
It is from my very first lesson about the 5 Reiki Principles


I. Just for today, do not anger
II. Just for today, do not worry
III.Honor your parents, teachers and elders
IV. Earn your living honestly
V. Show gratitude to every living thing


I am trying to take these one at a time, even though they seem very simple. Do not Anger and Do not Worry Today are the two that I struggle with in the now. I've added 2 new mantras in my daily meditation and grounding practices that I also find myself saying throughout the day.

"I acknowledge my worry/fear and I release this worry/fear because it is not beneficial to me."
"I acknowledge my anger and I release it as it is non-beneficial to me."

I use the worry one in the morning because it seems lately the first thing I think of in the morning are all the things that stress me out in my life - all the things I have to get done or something bad will happen. I say my mantra as I ground myself and release any non beneficial energies for the day and seal up my aura to protect myself from negativity. I have found that less and less do I wake up to a stress-filled mind.

The anger mantra I find myself using when I am about to speak in anger to someone - more recently my husband or my mother or grandmother. I saw the mantra and try to take a moment to understand their view point. He is doing this because he too is worried about our situation and he is doing the best he can even though his focus is scattered and therefore forgot/ignored/etc what I felt was important. She wants what is best for me even though her view of what is best does not resound with my own desires or will. She believes with all her heart her own faith and I need to respect that even if she does not respect mine.

I tend to say my mantras three times with deep breaths and seeking stillness in my mind. By the end I feel better and can continue on rationally.

I hope that you, dear reader, may have learned something new from this post, even if it is that I have a mildly scattered way of writing.

Love and Light,
HedgeWife