How to Become a Witch (21 page)

“A liberal man will be enriched, and one who waters will himself be watered” (Judaism)

“What proceeds from you will return to you” (Confucianism)

“Whatever a man sows, that he will also reap” (Christianity)

“If a man sow poison, he cannot expect ambrosia” (Sikhism)

“You cannot gather what you do not sow; as you plant the tree, so it will grow”
(Hinduism)

If you act with honor and kindness, this is what you will receive from the universe. That’s simple enough. But Witches understand this somewhat differently from other traditions: we believe that what you send out returns magnified as much as three times. There is some universal force or structure that multiplies the energy you get back called the Law of Return, the Rule of Three, or the Threefold Law.

In northern New Mexico, there is a place called Echo Amphitheater, a great stone cliff with a giant semicircular scoop out of the side, created by wind and water. If you stand in front of it and call out, your voice echoes back to you again…and again…and again. It’s very much like the Threefold Law. The only difference is, at the amphitheater you get the results immediately and in the same medium you sent them (sound), whereas your karmic actions in life might return to you later on or in a different form.

So don’t expect to hand ten dollars to a homeless person and have an angel appear a moment later to give you thirty dollars. The return usually doesn’t happen that quickly and may not be in the same coin.

Although
sometimes
it works very fast and clearly. A covenmate of ours once was stuck in traffic and wanted to turn left but realized too late that the street was barricaded in that direction, so she turned on her right-turn signal and waited for a break in traffic. The driver behind her, who couldn’t see the barricade, honked furiously. Finally, our friend managed to slide into the right-hand lane and get clear. Through her rear-view mirror, she saw the angry honker make a whipping left turn—and squeal to a halt in front of the barricade, blocking three lanes of oncoming traffic…who all started honking at him.

Because your actions are magnified, you have the power to affect the world more than you know. A single act of kindness can spread and grow until many lives are changed—but an act of cruelty is also multiplied.

The wages of evil

Modern Witches get tired of seeing nasty, green-skinned, warty-nosed “witches” in fantasy movies. But the movie writers get one thing correct: the Law of Return. Invariably, the witch-villains experience that karmic backlash within ninety minutes of performing their evil deeds. In Oz, the Wicked Witch of the West gets melted by a bucket of water; Snow White’s queen/witch was made to dance in red-hot iron shoes (in the original fairy tale, not the Disney version); and Hansel and Gretel’s witch was shoved into the oven. Yep, the Law of Return works.
So why would any intelligent Witch do evil to others?

A Safety Valve for Magick

Sometimes you may work magick with all kinds of good intentions but wind up making a situation worse. This isn’t surprising; we are not omniscient and cannot see every outcome of our acts. Half the comedies (and many tragedies) in books and movies are based on this premise:

• Good-hearted people face a problem.
  
• People think of a scheme to fix everything.
  
• Unforeseen results make it worse.
  
• Good-hearted people scramble to repair the bigger problem, and so on.
  

Witches have a kind of safety valve that we attach to most magickal workings, just in case. After the intention has been stated, we add the phrase “With harm toward none and for the greatest good of all.” This essentially gives the gods (and our deep minds) permission to deactivate the spell if it would cause harm.

A Note About Love Spells Particularly

One question we are asked by new Witches is this: “So, how do I do a love spell and still be ethical?” This, at least, recognizes that there is an ethical question here: “How can I do a love spell without interfering with the other person’s true will, which would violate the Rede?” Indeed, a typical love spell (pink candles, rose essential oil, and a couplet that includes “and bring Johnny to me”)
would
violate the Rede, since you are asking the gods to override Johnny’s true will. Instead, hard as it may be, change the rhyme to say, “bring my true love to me.” This changes the spell to an ethical working, and you may discover that Christopher (or Marilyn) is truly your love.

The Golden Rule

We’ve all heard of the Golden Rule, which almost seems like the ultimate moral and ethical standard. Many faiths have versions of it:

“Do unto others as you would have them do unto you”
(Christianity)

“What is hurtful to yourself do not to your fellow man” (Judaism)

“Do unto all men as you would wish to have done unto you, and to reject
for others what you would reject for yourselves” (Islam)

“Hurt not others with that which pains yourself” (Buddhism)

“What you do not yourself desire, do not put before others” (Confucianism)

“Treat others as thou wouldst thyself be treated; do nothing to thy neighbor
which hereafter thou wouldst not have thy neighbor do to thee”
(Hinduism)

There’s nothing wrong with the spirit of these moral imperatives; they are designed to help you act with empathy toward others and treat them well. The only difficulty, from a Wiccan perspective, is that other people may not want, need, or object to the same things you do. Some people like juicy steaks; some like crunchy vegetables. Some people go bungee jumping; others would rather read a good book. Some people cover their skin with tattoos; others do not like sharp needles poked into them repeatedly. You can’t assume someone else’s needs, desires, or objections are the same as yours.

For Witches, the imperative is “do no harm,” not “do as you would have done to you.” What’s the difference? Well, treat other people as
they
want to be treated, not the way
you
want to be treated, but only up to the point, in your best judgment, where harm may be done. You are not obligated to assist anyone in something that seems risky or harmful, no matter how much they think they want it.

If You Do Wrong

Despite our best efforts, we all occasionally mess up. We act carelessly or let negative emotions control us, and someone gets hurt. What then? Do what any honest, responsible, ethical person would do: admit your mistake and do whatever you can to heal the situation. Witches take responsibility for our own actions—if we make a mess, we clean it up.

Occasionally the person (or group or animal or place) you harmed is out of your reach and you cannot remedy the situation directly. Then you can work magickally to mend whatever can be mended, sending positive energy for healing—not forcing it on the individual but making it available to their higher self for them to use in whatever way seems best.

As an additional way to balance the scales, find someone to stand in for your original victim and then do something positive for them. Maybe you were cruel to a dog long ago, and it has since passed on to the Summerland. You can’t help that animal except by sending good energies to its spirit self, but you feel the need to make up for what you did in some tangible way. Well, adopt a puppy from the nearest animal shelter, and give it a good home. If that’s not possible, volunteer at the shelter and help care for the homeless animals, or dog-sit for friends and give their animals lots of attention, affection, and good care.

Someday, in the afterlife or another incarnation, you may have a chance to meet face to face with the one you hurt; until then, do all you can to balance your mistake with love here and now.

In case it isn’t clear, Witches do not believe that simply apologizing is enough. It’s a start but must be followed by practical action to repair what was broken. Acts of contrition, like apologizing to God or saying prayers as penance, seem irrelevant to us. Guilt is also useless, unless, pathetically, it’s the only thing that will motivate you to take positive action. As the Hawaiians might say, if you steal a pig, don’t tell God you’re sorry while you enjoy roast pork. Give the pig back.

Witches without the Rede

Some who claim Witchcraft as their path (non-Wiccan Witches) do not choose to follow the Rede. We think of them as “Old Testament Witches”—if they feel they have been attacked, they will demand “an eye for an eye.” Some will not hesitate to do binding spells or active curses if they feel their enemies deserve it.

We wonder whether such magicians are aware of the Law of Return or have any idea that their negative magick will come home to them, grown into something bigger and more destructive than what they originally conjured. A few may believe that they can shield themselves against the Law, but that’s like trying to shield yourself against gravity. You can fly for a little while, but gravity is still waiting when the wind dies or your fuel tanks are empty.

The fact that we support Wiccan ethics will cause some of the Redeless Witches to dismiss us as “fluffy bunny” Pagans, obviously not dark, edgy, or fierce enough to join their club. If that’s the choice, we would rather be bunnies than hunters who repeatedly shoot themselves in the foot. That just doesn’t seem wise to us.

Or perhaps we are more like wolves, who behave more ethically than many humans and never get into magickal feuds or revenge trips.

Ethical Behavior and the Craft Community

How does the Craft community respond to unethical behavior? There are many Craft communities throughout several countries, all different. In some areas, local Witches are able to live and work in harmony almost all the time.

In others, conflicts may be settled by appealing to a council of elders, respected Craft leaders who will hear both sides of the dispute and make a decision according to the traditions of the Craft and common sense. Their work may lean toward mediation or toward arbitration. Not everyone may like the outcome, but it would certainly damage one’s reputation to participate in the process and then defy the decision of the elders.

In extreme cases, where an individual misbehaves badly and cannot be guided to a more positive path, they may be shunned by the local Craft community. Shunning is an ancient and powerful technique; it means that the person is totally ignored. No one in the Craft community will speak to them, do ritual with them, or invite them to sabbats or festivals; it is as if they no longer exist. They have to start over in a different community.

What about bringing in secular law enforcement—the police? The Ordains do say to keep Craft disputes within the Craft, but if there is a serious crime, most Witches would invite the police and courts to do their work. Once someone has seriously violated the Rede as well as the laws of the state, they can no longer expect the protection of the Craft community.

Witch ethics are not simple or easy to follow.
Simple
rules, codes, and laws often don’t work well for human communities, because people are inventive enough to get around the spirit of the law while they follow the written rules to the letter. Wiccan ethics require perceptiveness, knowledge, thought, and judgment—wisdom, perhaps. This is, after all, called the Craft of the Wise.

Where the wisdom of the individual is not enough, we look to the wisdom of our elders, our community, and our traditions. Beyond that, we look to the wisdom of the human species as expressed in teachings throughout many cultures and ages; we know that Witches do not have a monopoly on wisdom.

And always, we look to the wisdom of the Goddess and the Old Gods as expressed all around us, in nature—which is the embodied wisdom of the divine Spirit.

With guides and teachers such as these, we can hope to live well and ethically.

More Resources

An Ye Harm None: Magical Morality and Modern Ethics by
Shelley Rabinovitch and Meredith Macdonald (Citadel, 2004)

When, Why…If: An Ethics Workbook
by Robin Wood (Robin Wood Enterprises, 1997)

Chapter 8

When the Moon Is Full
Witchcraft and Magick

I
cast the circle, raise the cone,

Touching magick, wielding power,

And pour the wine when magick’s flown,

I am a Witch at every hour.

Magick has many definitions, including causing changes to happen in conformity with will, the art of changing consciousness at will, and using psychic energies to transform oneself and one’s environment. In each case, knowing your true will and applying energy to that goal is the basis of magick.

Witches have adopted the shamanic practices of our ancestors and the forms of ceremonial magick and its correspondences because they work. Witchcraft is a very
practical
practice—if something works, we use it again to achieve the same result. If it doesn’t work, we try something else. Not everything works the same for everyone.

Magick is a huge and complex subject that could take lifetimes to explore, and what follows is only a brief overview. For those who want to know more than can be included here, we have explored the subject more deeply in our books
True Magick
and
RitualCraft
.

The Uses Of Magick

One of the oddest things about magick is that few people seem to know what it’s for. In the movies and fantasy novels, magick is either a way to accomplish totally trivial tasks like washing dishes and changing costumes, or it’s used to curse people and battle hordes of malicious wizards and monsters.

No. Real magick is not a way to avoid doing chores, and very few people are attacked by sorcerous enemies or mythical beasts.

In fact, there are two great branches of the Art Magickal: thaumaturgy and theurgy. The first is sometimes called low magick or practical magick, and includes workings for health and healing, prosperity, safe travel, finding jobs, protecting your home, and such. While magick can help in all these areas, they can all be handled by mundane means as well. Sick? Get some rest and drink plenty of fluids. Your house doesn’t feel safe? Install a new lockset and deadbolt. Magick is not a replacement for commonsense measures; it’s a powerful booster.

The other branch of magick, theurgy, is not nearly as simple. This is magick for spiritual growth and self-transformation, what the alchemists called the Great Work—perfecting oneself. Theurgy helps you expand your consciousness, balance the elements within, illuminate your shadow, create the sacred marriage of your masculine and feminine principles, aspect the gods, and develop the whole and splendid potential of your humanity and your divine self.

This is magick’s best and highest purpose, and the tools of magick are uniquely suited to the task.

The Power behind Magick

Where does magick’s power come from? Fictional magick always seems to have a Ring of Power forged by dwarves under a mountain, or some invincible sword—a thing. But where would such an artifact get all that energy, that juice?

The power is not just in the thing. The power is all around us. We live in a sea of energy and can tap into it at any time. Think of all the forms of radiation invisibly sleeting through you right now. Think of the light and heat of the sun, the great movements of winds and tides, the constant pull of gravity, the momentum of planets in their orbits. Think of matter, which, at its core, is energy.

It is power that we can concentrate by simple means, like breathing or singing or playing drums. And then it can be sent to a goal by thoughts, images, words, and actions. Focused intention is the key to effective magick.

Most people swim in power—or flounder—without even knowing it. They dribble their power away in thoughtless words, unfocused whims, and mindless behaviors. And they accomplish little.

Witches know that every word has power—and so does every thought, emotion, and movement. Witches know how to make choices, to desire, to focus, and to achieve. That is magick.

Styles of Magick

Not every magician works in the same way, any more than every musician is a classical pianist. There are some broadly different approaches to magick, and if you pursue the art, chances are you will lean toward one of them. Briefly:

The Kitchen Witch
does practical magick concerned with daily life and often uses ordinary household tools to do simple spellwork. Her magick might be aimed at cooking healthful and tasty meals, protecting her home, or helping children fall asleep at bedtime.

The Nature Magician
works outdoors, using the energies of sun and wind and rain, working with animal allies or plant devas, using a stick or a rock as tools. His magick is often used to attune with nature and know the Goddess and the God as expressed in nature.

The Shamanic Magician works with nature but also ventures more deeply into the spirit realms through journeys, trancework, shapeshifting, and the like, to heal people and perform soul retrievals and other magick that requires a trance state. She has a few specialized tools such as drums and rattles.

The Simple Ritualist does ritual with a formal outline at particular times or seasons, with an array of specialized ritual tools and with the aim of celebration or self-transformation. This describes what most covens do.

The Ceremonial Magician takes ritual to a deeper and more complex level. He is known for his costumes, highly decorated ritual tools, use of symbolism and correspondences, and formal language, degrees, and titles, but more importantly, he is almost entirely focused on theurgy.

The Intrinsic, or Inner, Magician
works only with her mind and body, using will and imagination to manipulate energy. Because she requires no robes, altar, props, or tools, it looks more like simple chanting, yoga, or silent meditation than magick. It is powerful and transformative nonetheless.

Just reading these brief descriptions, you probably feel more attracted to one style or another. Experimentation and practice will reveal which style works best for you. Write your experiences in your Book of Shadows.

Spellcraft

A spell is generally defined as a word or phrase supposed to have magick power, such as a charm or incantation. To most Witches, it is any magickal operation and may or may not involve words. Simply imagining a desired outcome could almost be considered a spell; if you intentionally put additional energy into that image, it would definitely be one.

Amulet vs. talisman

Many people say that the difference between an amulet and a talisman is that an amulet is sacred or powerful because of what it is (a holey stone or a crystal, for instance), while a talisman is sacred or powerful because of what has been done with it (like inscribing a pentagram on an otherwise inert piece of silver). Others say that amulets are for protection, while talismans draw a particular planetary energy to the maker.

Spells always involve imagination, will, energy, and action, but the forms and materials are limitless. Spells can be constructed with images, symbolic actions, songs, chants, poems, prayers, affirmations, incense, candles, poppets (dolls that represent individuals—with their permission), cords, stones and crystals, potions, elixirs, drums or other instruments, wands, athames, tarot cards, fire, runestones, amulets, talismans, and a host of other witchy paraphernalia.

Herbs in witches’ potions

In the play
Macbeth
, the three crones add “eye of newt, and toe of frog, wool of bat, and tongue of dog” to their potion. Why would anyone boil up such unappetizing ingredients?

Long ago, most herbs had interesting folk names. “Eye of newt” was a common name for mustard seed, and “tongue of dog” was otherwise called hound’s-tongue; “toe of frog” could have meant bulbous buttercup leaves.

Healing herbs were used by the wise women and cunning men of the villages. This knowledge was known as
wortcunning
, meaning “plant knowledge.” Many modern Witches still study plant lore and use herbs.

Want to do a magickal spell? Okay, here’s your first one. Imagine something you need—nothing that could harm another, of course (besides, you don’t need your friend’s very cool sports car, you just want one like it). Let’s say you need some money and plan to use it for legitimate purposes, like paying your debts or saving toward a new home.

Take a deep breath. Say aloud, “Gods and goddesses of prosperity, I call upon you. Grant that financial wealth may flow to me,
X
thousand dollars or more; may it be with harm toward none and for the greatest good of all.” Now imagine the feeling you will have when the money arrives. Inhale deeply, and as the air flows into your lungs, pour energy into that image of a delighted and prosperous you, and make the image brighter and larger and more detailed. Inhale twice more, and charge the image again each time. Now send the image out into the world, and say, “So mote it be” (witchy for “So it must be”).

That’s a spell. Will it work? Yes. Could it be more powerful and effective in any way? Oh, yes! There are a hundred ways to make it stronger: preface it by giving a tithe to a good cause, do the spell on a Sunday at noon, raise more power by drumming, make and charge a talisman with a wealth bind-rune on it, light some golden candles, visualize and name specific deities such as Lakshmi and Fortuna...and much, much more.

Then act in accord: take practical action that will support the spell on the material plane. You’ve heard the joke about the person who pleads with God to let them win the lottery but forgets to buy a ticket? Well, do your money spell, but then act: ask for a pay raise from your boss, invest intelligently in a new business, rent out your spare bedroom—whatever your divination or intuition tells you might work.

Bellarmine jars