Cursing is still debated in magickal communities. Most of the debate comes from the ethics of witches casting a curse and why, and also how a magickal practitioner should deal with trouble makers in life. Many Wiccans adhere to the "Threefold Law," meaning that whatever one casts a spell for; that it will come back in force times three in their lives. Other neopagans, whom are not Wiccans, also disagree with casting curses for their own reasons. Many believe that banishment is a more positive alternative than casting a curse on an enemy or troublemaker. Everyone is entitled to their beliefs and choice in personal practice. I wrote this essay to explain my own point of view about this controversial subject.
I personally feel that curses are a valuable asset to a witch's magickal arsenal. If they weren't useful, or served no purpose, curses wouldn't exist in the first place. Curses can bring a trouble maker to their knees, and help slip up criminals getting away with serious crimes. Curses can also be used to punish someone for a serious wrongdoing where there is psychological, emotional, or physical trauma occuring. Curses are helpful to an individual when legal recourse is not available or the legal system cannot help. In fact, I feel that curses were most likely created and used when the law either failed an individual, or failed to protect them. Judicial systems are hardly perfect systems, and often many wrongs slip through the cracks of technicalities, lack of evidence, or conspiracy.
I do not believe in the Threefold Return Law, mainly because if known existence were that efficient, nobody would be doing anything wrong in the first place. Another problem I have with the Threefold Return Law, is that it's highly inappropriate to assume that some bad things happen in your life happen because of one sour spell. It could have happened because of coincidence, or mundane consequences. I also don't believe in Karma because I don't believe in blaming oneself one hundred percent of the time when bad things happen in one's life. Sometimes, we are to blame. Many other times, we aren't.
For newbie witches, a self-punishing attitude can be debilitating towards learning magick. Isn't learning magick hard enough without having to interpret a spell working, even more than that, if it's biting you in the ass? There is too much guesswork and assumptions involved in trying to decipher the many things that happen in reality as "backfiring spells." Witches wouldn't need spells for justice or banishment if wrongdoings went punished by the Universe in the first place.
Why is saying "it will come back times three" harmful for newbie witches? Simply because, if new and potential witches honestly believe that any spell they do will come back to haunt them, they will never cast a spell in the first place. It'll be easier to sit and read about magick than actually doing it. Then, when they do go and cast a spell for some sort of personal emergency, they will be too inexperienced to do it right. During the spell, they will subconsciously fear that any self-centered spell will come back to haunt them, or any curse or banishment will do the same. When something goes wrong, they'll call it the "threefold law" and tell all their friends; instead of taking lack of experience and personal fears into consideration. Magick is in the mind - if you expect that it will come back, most likely it will.
What about the ethics of cursing? Is a curse really necessary - more than that, is it inhumane punishment to wrongdoers? Shouldn't we "send the white light" to them in hopes of healing their psychosis or criminal intent?
As far as sending the proverbial white light to criminals - I have two things wrong with it. Firstly, sending the "white light" to people whom don't appreciate honesty and respect is a waste of energy that could go to more deserving people. Secondly, if they were truly open to the "white light," they would already be a conduit of it through their actions. They wouldn't have broken the law or tried to ruin your life in the first place, had they wanted to be a better person. I find it hypocritical that witches refuse to do spells for honest, hardworking newbies that ask for them, but yet "send the white light" to criminals and destructive people.
"But what about banishing that person? Doesn't that make more sense to merely send them away than to try to destroy them?" I can find this to be a viable alternative, so long as it's not a way to avoid the issue you are dealing with them. Besides, banishing these days only sends the problem to someone else's doorstep, instead of ridding the problem in the first place. Banishing someone back before the Middle Ages meant death - people could not survive without each other, and sending someone away on their own was a certain sentence of death alone in the middle of nowhere or murder by other peoples whom might not welcome outsiders. Way back then - a banishment would destroy someone. These days, it won't. The problem won't go away entirely, it'll just find a new haven to flourish. It won't be you dealing with them, but some other unsuspecting victim.
The only question left to be answered is how to curse, and why. There's many reasons someone could curse another person, but they are too many to list here. When asked the question "when is it okay" to curse someone, I tell them if you have suffered grievously over someone else's purposeful negligence or deliberate actions, then do what you have to do. Some people limit cursing only to illegal activities, however, there are more ways than illegal actions to purposefully harm another individual. Just because an activity isn't illegal, it doesn't make it harmless. Manevolent, vicious and unnecessary gossip; purposeful breaking up of marriage or partnerships; and psychic vampirism are good reasons to curse someone.
"But what if you caused the problem in the first place? Shouldn't you take responsibility?" This is the most common excuse of getting out of cursing someone I've heard. Yes, you should take responsibility if you directly created the situation with full knowledge. However, you also shouldn't have to be responsible for someone else's deciet, manipulation, or coersion. Opportunity is not an excuse to be destructive in someone else's life. Predatory psychic vampires and criminals should never be taken lightly, nor should anyone sit down and bemoan "how did I cause this?" That's what they want - they want the victim to blame themselves instead of being responsible for their own destructiveness. Instead of sitting around bemoaning the problem, do something about it - go to the authorities if it's illegal, and/or curse the person who created such problems.
Gauging the severity of the curse should be equal to the harm you have been inflicted with, plus more if the circumstances fit the need. Depending upon what was done to you, and the psychological trauma you have experienced and will continue to deal with, a curse should be a justifiable measurement of that. Use your reasonable faculties, as with any other spell. I didn't write this essay to endorse cursing "here," "there," or "everywhere." I wrote this essay because I feel curses should be treated as any other kind of spell - with forethought and respect to their use. Cursing is just as valuable and valid as any other kind of spell.
Here are some links to good sites with information on curses:
The Mystica - Article on Curses
Spells and Magic - Curses and Black Magick
New Spells - Revenge Spells
Lucky Mojo - Black Magick Spells