Magick and Ethics

People who are interested in in witchcraft, naturally ask about magick. At first, they are tentative, but you can see that gleam in their eyes when finally broaching that particular subject. Sometimes I think these folks have a vision of the arcane workshop, dusty grimoires and lots of mumbo jumbo. A smaller number of them think that we have some secret that will turn them into Elizabeth Montgomery or one of the four chicks in The Craft. Amazing how Hollywood has influenced the idea of magick. The simple fact is that the basis for the most powerful magick is right upstairs in our own noggin - rooted in the power of visualization and directed energy. Sure the props help. But I have seen these incredible step-by-step spell recipes on-line and in books. For the beginner, unless there is a whole lot of raw energy to work with, most spells fizzle. And the new practitioner is left with the, "Aw, this whole thing is a fraud I did everything the recipe told me to" mentalilty. They don't understand that the basis for the power of the magick is within themselves - not in the ritual gear. 

Ok, lest I receive lots of complaints from people, let me do a bit more explaining. 

I use ritual gear. Lots of it. But I don't HAVE to use anything. Ritual gear helps me find a focus and a centering. My tools are imbued with power from previous workings and from blessings bestowed by my personal deities. The energies of the elements are powerful allies when working a spell. The plants I use are chosen with care and are in accordance with folk tradition. So, it seems now that I am contradicting myself and my previous statements. (Here's the big but) BUT, all of these things are important because I have a deeper understanding of the powers they represent, the correspondences with which my tools are aligned, and the resulting connections which translate and tap into the power of my subconscience mind. They help put me into a receptive state where I can see more clearly my alignment with the universe, the god and goddess - the spirit of life in which we are one small part. For a beginner to follow a spell - 1) get a pink candle 2) rub it with _______, 3) light the candle everyday at sunset and chant  "ah - wah - bah - nee - a" 4) repeat until candle is a 2 1/4" stub.....yadda, yadda, yadda. Well, anyone can follow the steps. But it is the focus - the intention - that is important. Without some training (even self-training) in visualization and concentration, the spell is bound to fail. And therein is my concern about such sites and such books. Dabblers and newbies think that in order to be a witch, they must perform magick and that these stereotypical spell recipes are the key. They have little or no understanding of the deeper connections. 

For example - we had a friend, a beginning Pagan, who wanted to see, scientifically, if magick were real - because he just wasn't sure that he bought into it. So he did some of these recipe spells and when they all failed his conclusion was that magick didn't work and didn't exist. Well, duh, of course it didn't work for him. Magick is in the mind of the beholder!
 

Magick Isn't Everything Ya' Know!

Everything doesn't have to revolve around magick. Working on the mundane level is at least if not more important than working on the magickal level. 

A few years back I received a phone call by a woman who had found our phone number in Circle Network News. Apparently she had been calling around to folks listed in the book. (I wonder how many folks she actually talked to since we were in the O's! But I digress.) She was asking for our group, and all groups she contacted, to do magick against Pat Robertson and Pat Buchanan (who were, at the time running for President). While I had to agree with her that we witchy and Pagan folk would probably be in for a bad time of it should they be elected, I couldn't agree to the magickal end of it. 

She was frustrated by my lack of a positive response to her proposal. I had some ethical concerns about doing magick against these people. Sure, I didn't agree with their agenda - but was that a reason to do magick against them? She certainly thought it was acceptable. I asked her why she wasn't calling around asking folks to do positive rituals for their chosen candidates (as opposed to doing negative on their opponents). She hadn't thought of that. I went on to explain to her that I thought it was much better to work positive magick for someone I thought worthy, than to spend my time and energy on someone I didn't care for in the first place. 

I then asked her what she was doing besides calling people. Had she gone out to get Pagans registered to vote? Had she volunteered for a candidate's campaign? No, she hadn't thought of any of these things. I asked her if she were doing anything on the mundane level (besides calling people and putting in negative magickal requests) to help these candidates get beaten in the polls. Nope. Nada. Nyet. 

After we hung up, I wondered if she was moving right on to the next name in the book requesting nasty magick. I hope not, but I'll never know. Trying to unite people was a great idea, but she had the magick completely backwards. 
 

Beware the Dark Side of the Force, Luke!

Recently, a young woman just learning about the craft came to me to ask about putting a binding spell on friends' father who was abusive. I told her no. Why? One, she is a very young witch with almost no experience and two, I don't think that bindings are useful in the long run - you can't keep binding people all of the time. I suggested that she send energy to her friend - energy for healing and mainly for the courage, strength and the support that it will take to get out of this situation. (I am also a firm believer in "illumination magick" where the energies and actions, be they good or bad, become very evident to anyone involved with that person.) About my young friend, I feel grateful that she felt comfortable to come and talk to me. I know that she will do what is right on both the magickal and mundane levels.

I take the idea of Threefold Return very seriously, as well as the Wiccan Rede. The Rede in particular, can't just be followed when it is convenient. I have seen witches who go on and on about the Rede and then ignore it whenever they feel like it (rationalization included!). It is easier to channel negative thoughts and feelings than the positive ones - especially when a situation becomes personal.  I think that it is important to step back, take a deep breath, and then really think through what it is you hope to accomplish before undertaking any kind of magickal steps. Also important is figuring out what else to do on the mundane level to further your goals.  For the Rede to mean something, it has to be practiced. No one likes a hypocrite. 
 
 

So whenever you think of someone that you would like to just "go away" - why not do a spell that involves making something happen that is good for the person and makes them want to leave of their own free will? Sending someone good energy - even someone you don't like -can cause your own attitude to change. 

And isn't that the most powerful magick of all? 
   
 
 

The Karmic Law of Threefold Return
whatever you send out will be returned to you threefold 


The Wiccan Rede
Do what thou wilt, and ye harm none.
(There are many variations of this, but you get the gist of it.
Look for a whole separate essay on this one too!) 

Back up to where you came from!

This essay was last updated on April 18, 1999.