Good Afternoon My Witchy Readers,
Those of you that follow me on social media will be familiar with today's discussion. But there are a couple of thousand readers of my blog on a monthly basis that do not follow me on social media and I find this topic important enough to try to touch as many readers as possible. As always, please feel free to share any of my posts or discussions with others, if you'd like.
In the past few weeks, in the news, have been various news stories that have outraged many people. One such story is of a rapist in California that attacked an unconscious woman and even though he was caught in the act and so his guilt was not in question, the judge sentenced him to a lenient six months, suspended after three months. Understandably a matter for public outrage.
There have also been those politicians who are against gun control, in the wake of the Orlando nightclub shooting, those who are proud to be hate filled, racist, misogynistic people who simply want to segregate, isolate and stop any immigrants from entering the country. Those that fear any that look different, have different lifestyles, different opinions, . . . . who are different.
All of this has built up and has culminated in some in the Pagan Magickal community to start publicly calling for mass hexes and curses to be sent to those who have offended them. And, most surprisingly, or maybe not, so many people have jumped on the band wagon to endorse this concept. I have seen so many that easily, without thought as to future consequences have said "Sure, sounds good! let's conduct a mass hexing!" Some have even said it sounds like fun!!!
I am a witch who has practiced for over thirty years, and I think, in some small way, that that history of my practice gives me an insight that might evade many newer to the path. I remember when, 30 some odd years ago, I was part of a coven and we had been approached by the local newspaper, for an interview. We agreed to be interviewed, no names were used, pictures of us from behind only, no faces were shown. I even remember, before the reporter came to the door, of putting masking tape over our name on the paper box on our front step, so the reporter would't know our last name.
Why the secrecy? Because back then, and this was before personal computers, social media and tweeting (which I do believe has given people a false sense of power and protection) we were afraid. Afraid of the reaction of our neighbors, our community, of losing our jobs, losing family, friends. Just to name a few fears. And these fears were real. As Wicca and witchcraft became more common in our culture, slowly step by step, witches and Pagans that have been published authors, witches like me that have gone into our local community college to teach the history and the truth about our path, have slowly changed mass perceptions that we are evil, harmful and vengeful. We have worked to change the historical legend and lore of the evil witch, as poisoner, evil spell caster, of child killer, as succubus who was a rapist of sleeping men. There are so many historical, horrible untrue rumors and lies about us. And many people still believe these to be true even in this day and age.
But, the laws of our country, the United States of America, protect us and allow us to practice, to worship as we choose. But that freedom has been taken for granted by many today. Many new witches and Pagans have the mistaken belief that the freedoms we now enjoy cannot be taken from us. Well, the truth is, people still lose their jobs because they are witches. It might not be the reason your boss gives you, but it still happens. People are still discriminated against for being a witch or Wiccan or Pagan.
But many witches, Pagans and magickal people over the past 50 years have worked tirelessly, writing books, conducting workshops and going into the non magickal community to try to dispel the rumors ad lies. Unfortunately, with the availability of many free websites, so many are going there to get their magickal knowledge. In a word, so many websites about the magickal world are garbage. Anyone can start a website or a blog and tout their interpretation of the magickal, and they are simply regurgitating the same garbage they read on yet another website. I once wrote a discussion on something magickal on this blog, a few years ago, and one young witch commenting on social media with another young witch said " I don't get her. Just where does she get her information anyways?" Of course, this was not meant to be complimentary, but no matter.
Let me answer that question now. Where do I get my magickal information? Well, when I started over 30 years ago, I was lucky. I had only available, the very best Wiccan and magickal authors. Their works still grace my bookshelves to this day. I glance over and I see the works of Gerald Gardner, Doreen Valiente, Dr. Leo Louis Martello, Raymond Buckland, Stewart and Janet Farrar, Vivienne Crowley, Patricia Crowthers, Starhawk, Margot Adler, Raven Grimassi, Laurie Cabot, Scott Cunningham to just name the authors on the first few shelves of my magickal bookshelf.
These individuals have worked tirelessly and still do so today, those that are still with us, to help teach others about our ways. To dispel rumors and lies and explain to people we do good. We try to help others, we work magick to bring good changes into our lives and to send out love and positive energy to affect the world around us in a positive way. But those in the magickal community that have learned exclusively from Internet sources, and teachers who have had little training in the Craft of the Wise, but who teach and run covens for their own personal gain and to build their own sense of power, have in truth learned very little of our ways. We do not do magick to put us on a pedestal, to give us a false sense of power and prestige.
Now, having set the foundation for my talk, let us get to the meat of the issue. Those in our magickal community that have called for mass hexing, or curses to be sent to those who they disagree with or who have offended them, are simply either forgetting the science behind witchcraft or have never known it. The magickal concept "What you send out, returns to you." Is not a "Wiccan" "White witch" concept, by any means. It is a Universal law that is not bound by religion or belief. It works like gravity. Whether you believe it or not. And sending out harmful energies, any energies, will simply return to you. By the way, they will not affect the intended target. And let me explain a little more about this.
Magick has been around since the dawn of time. It isn't new, by any means. There is Karma, but that is governed by God/Goddess, not us. Frankly, if a pissed off witch or Pagan could effectively mess with someone by casting a curse or hex upon them, well . . . think about it for a moment. Understanding human nature and all it's foibles, well, people would be falling down all over the place! If magick worked that way. Like the end of the last Harry Potter movie, with spells being slammed at everyone, and flashes of light exploding parts of the stone castles, and killing people and wreaking havoc everywhere, leaving everything in ruins. Um, people, that is Hollywood! A good story, but simply fiction.
Magick does not work that way! Though, there are some witches, that simply do not understand magick and how it works. They do not understand how to get personal power from magickal workings. How to work with a Goddess or God to make needed change in their lives. If they did they would never call for a mass hexing, simply because they would know it is not necessary. If there is injustice in the world, something wrong that you would like attended to, we light a candle and work magick with our Goddess, asking Her to help us in our needs and desires.
But, I assure you, something will, indeed, come out of these misguided individuals calling for a mass hexing. That will be the reinstating the rumors, lies, the fears and mis-beliefs that witches really do do evil, and cause harm. That we are vengeful and that we cast spells on others. The above magickal masters have worked for decades to try to eliminate this nonsense, and in one fell swoop, it can all be ruined. Simply because some silly women that do not know enough about magick to understand this will not work, yet they call themselves witches so lay people in the non magickal world, who wouldn't know the difference, thinks they really are able to do this. Then those who have always feared us and believed the worse can now point fingers and say "See! We were right! They are evil and do harmful spells against others!" Sadly, in one sense, they would be right.
At least one of the above magickal masters has come out on Social Media and has spoken against this hex casting nonsense and I can only hope others will also do so. The more reputable, credible and authentic magickal people to come out and speak against this attack on the magickal community's credibility and reputation, then perhaps the young, newer ones on this path may think twice about what they are planning. Hopefully they will realize that they have still more to learn and that it is an emotionally immature witch or Pagan who falls into this mistaken course of action, and only themselves will be harmed in the end.
'Throughout the world, it has been many a year since Witches have been burned. Yet misuse of the power may raise the persecutions once again. So never break the laws, however much you may be tempted, nor ever consent to their being broken. And if you know they are being broken, then you must work strongly against it."
"In order to bring the ways of Light and Love and Life to the peoples of the Earth, our secrets are slowly becoming secrets no more, and it is good that this is so -- for the age of shadow and secrecy is passing. Yet the sharing of our ways is always to be guided by wisdom and by love. Let our rites and our mysteries be kept sacred. Let no one defile our worship or our heritage. For the defilement of our ways is an honor loss to self and for the Craft."
-- The above two paragraphs in quotes, is copied directly from The New Wiccan Book of the Law" by Lady Galadriel
This discussion has taken me several days to compose and has been very difficult for me, as the topic is very upsetting and disappointing, to me as a High Priestess and a daughter of the Goddess. I can only hope the sense and reason in my words will touch those who are mistakenly thinking of doing harmful magicks, and instead that they will get a hold of some of the written works by the magickal masters I mentioned and learn the true Craft of the Wise and set aside the Internet sites that only feed the self importance, self entitlement and power seeking of those who do not know of our ways. Seek a true teacher. Someone who will not feed a naive desire to strike out at those who disagree with us, but who teaches that the only law of magick is love.
For truthfully, for those that know magick, they know that is the only law. Love
Peace and Happiness, Ms. Faith
© 2010-2016 Faith M. McCann. Portions of this blog posting may include materials from my book “Enchantments School for the Magickal Arts First Year Magickal Studies.” For more information, see www.enchantmentsschool.com or go to the title of tonight's discussion and click, it will link you to my school's website. Please note that the copying and/or further distribution of this work without express written permission is prohibited.
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