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Principles of Wiccan Belief |
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Just as any religion has a system of beliefs,
Wiccans believe in certain ideologies as well. |
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The Witches' Rede |
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Although Wiccans do not have an official religious text, many witches live by a set of beliefs that are in many ways not unlike the beliefs of other religions. Because we are a peaceful people, contrary to popular belief most witches will not use magick to hurt another creature not only because it is wrong but because we pay for it in the end as well (explained below). As a means of reminding ourselves of this belief we have the Witches' Rede, also known commonly as the Wiccan Reed, and it above all is a way of helping keep us in check. Many people decide to "dabble" in witchcraft because they feel the things they will eventually learn can be used to hurt another in some way, to make others feel the pain that they've inflicted on the practitioner, and frankly, these are all the wrong reasons. Wicca is not about finding retribution. It is about finding a spiritual connection with the earth and with ourselves. There is no broom riding, snapping of fingers, or wriggling of noses here- though I do know witches who sometimes wish we could do those things.
The Witches' Rede is an important addition to anyone's Book of Shadows and I tend to look at it as a contract, not in a negative way, but in the sense that not following its phrase of greatest importance can do more harm than good. At the end of the Rede are the words: |
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If it harms none, do what thou will! |
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It's a perfect segue into the next topic because it is so important, not only to those of us who may be the targets of bad magick, but also to the person planning on working it. The phrase "you only get out of something what you're willing to put into it" comes to mind, and so the Rede helps remind us of this. Any spell you ever spin should be cast with the good of all in mind and heart.
If you haven't read the Witches' Rede, you can do so here. |
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The Karmic Law of Return |
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The witches' rede isn't the only guideline by which to judge your witchery, however. In Wicca it is common belief that what goes around comes around, and whether its magick, potions, or your everyday life, the actions you take will be reflected back to you in some form, whether good or bad. For this reason alone common sense tells us it's a bad idea to cast any spell that we wouldn't want cast upon us, but as a companion to the Rede we Wiccans also call upon the Karmic Law of Return (sometimes called the Law of Return or Karmic Law) to emphasize the effects that our positive or negative works can have on us as individuals. The basic belief is: |
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Whatever you do, good or bad, will come back to you in time. |
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There are those who believe in a number system- that these deeds will return three times, five, seven. The question is, though, are numbers really important? In my opinion, magick serves two fundamental purposes:
1. To strengthen the bond between the practitioner
and the All.
2. To help bring about some sort of positive life
change.
We all have a sense of right and wrong. My personal feeling is that if your magick is anything but ethical you can either cast the spell and pay for it later or do what you would want someone else to do in your situation- find a new spell. If the possible outcomes of your spell are contrary to either of the two fundamentals listed above, it's not worth the risk. You could just end up causing more heartache and hard work for yourself, and you'll get a black mark on your karma chart.
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back to Crystal Twilight |
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forward to the next principles |
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