Greetings from Damerious, this post is my opinion on the ethics and codes of wicca. If anyone is insulted please forgive me.
I believe and agree with the codes and guidelines and think anyone one who gets into wicca should follow them. I know every witch or wiccan has their own opinion on the codes and guidelines. I believe as a group if we are to be considered an official religion we should at least follow the 13 principles of wicca. As for the wiccan rede I believe that the one on self-defense is more appropriate to follow because sometimes one needs to defend themselves from harm and negative forces. However, I feel that even though you defend yourself you should always keep in mind that whatever you send out will come back to you threefold. So you are always responsible for your actions even if it is in self-defense. However, I am not sure if the consequences of your actions would be negative if the cause is self-defense. Blessed Be.