The Faery Gate

Pagan Moon's answer to "Dear Abby."  Here we welcome questions for advice that anyone may come upon on their spiritual quest.  Lady True will answer, to the best of her ability, based on her training as a priestess for the past two years, education in psychology and at least seven years experience working in human services.

The information is solely the opinion of Lady True and does not involve legal or medical advice.  While research is done to inform the questioner, it should not replace the information of a licensed practioner.

Please email Lady True at True@paganmoon.com with your questions.

Before I start with the questions this month I want to direct everyone to the Sound Off page in order to read a reply to the previous issue’s subject titled, "Can one be a Christian Witch."

Dear Lady True,

What text/resources would you suggest for someone that is just starting to research the Wiccan religion?

Thanks,

Just Beginning

Greetings Just Beginning,

I would like to suggest a few different books for you to investigate to see what feels the most right to you.  You can find most of these books in your local bookstore.  I would like to add that one needs to remember that Wicca is a constantly growing and evolving religion with many branches.  There are really no hard and fast rules and what “rules” exist, will vary from coven to coven and branch to branch.  Keep that in mind and explore all things, especially those that feel right to you, be open and you will be all set to embark on an exciting journey.

1.     Wicca: A guide for the Solitary Practitioner by Scott Cunningham.

2.    The Complete Book of Witchcraft by Raymond Buckland.

3.    A Witches Bible by Janet and Stewart Farrar.

4.    To Ride a Silver Broomstick by Silver Ravenwolf.

5.    Drawing Down the Moon:  Witches, Druids, Goddess-Worshippers, and other Pagans in America today by Margot Adler.

6.    The Holy Book of Women’s Mysteries:  Feminist Witchcraft, Goddess Rituals, Spellcasting, and other womanly arts by Zsuzanna Budapest.

Hello Lady True,

I am concerned about something. My religion is Wiccan and I love it. My older sister is also a Wiccan. But lately she has been experimenting with Black magic and magic that can harm others and do evil things. I don't feel right with her doing this; I think it's wrong to mix evil and harmful magic with Wicca (good magic). Can you tell me if this is gonna come back to her some way. I know her sending out bad magick will come back to her times three, but what I'm trying to ask you is she is a wiccan but also messes with the dark side (which wiccans DON'T go there), and I was wondering if something bad might happen to her for mixing these and betraying her religion. I always have this bad feeling and no nothing good is gonna come of what she is doing. Because wiccans believe in god and a goddess, and not the devil, but she also messes around with satanic and demonic stuff. please try to tell if something bad will happen  and how I can persuade her to stop!

Sorry so long, thank you so much,

Ashlee

Greetings Ashlee,

To start, I want to reinforce that magic just a tool.  The intent of the person is what makes magic “evil” or not.  White and black magic are useful terms but they can cause people to become confused as to which magic is acceptable to use and which is not.  It is the individual and their intent, which makes magic negative or “evil”. 

You will find that there are not many “rules” to Wicca.  If you were to put 3 Wiccans in a room together and asked them what being Wicca meant to them you would get at least 4 different opinions. However, the primary tenets of Wicca are understood to be, “Harm none and do what thy will”(which is phrased many different ways and it appears to be dependent on the tradition in which the Wiccan is affiliated) and the Threefold rule.

There is no overall governing body to Wicca, although if someone is part of a Coven they may very well be asked to leave that group if they do something that goes against that groups’ beliefs and traditions.  The protecting feature in Wicca is the Threefold rule.  If your sister is Wiccan then she is aware that what she causes to happen will return to her threefold.  This goes for both good and bad energies.  If she is using magic to harm others then there is a good chance that she will be affected, at least, on a karmic level.  Your general bad feelings are probably accurate, however I am not sure what you can do, aside from sitting down and talking to your sister.  Tell her how you feel and that you are concerned for her well-being.  If that does not work and she still is engaging in potentially dangerous behavior you might want to consider talking with your parents or another trusted adult.

There are some Wiccans that do believe in the Christian God and have deified other players in the Christian belief system (i.e. the Devil, the Virgin Mary and Jesus Christ).  Mary often fills the role of Goddess to the Christian God in that belief structure.  I do not know who your sister honors as her deities (or deity) however if she is dabbling with “satanic” magic chances are it won’t work if she does not believe in the devil (because it will weaken her intent during the magical working).  If she does believe in the devil it is possible the magic is indeed working to harm another (if that is the intent of her working).  However it still stands that it will come back to her threefold.  Typically Wiccans do not access satanic magic although they might work with demons (not necessarily Christian magic) and that type of magic is, once again, bad or good depending on the intent of the user.  PLEASE note;if the use of that type of magic can be arguedto be beneficialthen it must be completely understood thatit isa very dangerous type of magic and best left to someone with ~many~ years of experience!  Demons are very dangerous to work with and often have their own intentions, which are usually completely different from the worker’s.

Anotherpossibility is that your sister does not understand the nature of the Wiccan religion and is just looking for her own path. Experimentation is normal for someone in this stage, and it may be hard to remember that.  As close as you and your sister may be, your paths may be different.

  Generally someone who is using magic to harm others is someone you want to stay away from.  Eventually you may feel bad “vibes” from the person.  I would suggest that you do not do any magical workings with your sister until she moves away from her current trend of potentially harmful workings.   As far as Wiccans not venturing into “dark” magic, that is not necessarily an accurate statement.  What it comes down to is good intentions verses harmful intentions.   If you keep this in mind rather than the typical references to black and white magic you might find a better understanding of the Wiccan religion and perhaps even your own sister.  However you are correct that, due to the Wiccan Rede and the Threefold Law, Wiccans generally stay away from harmful magic.  As painful as this might be to hear, I would let your sister find her own path and recognize that she needs to learn by her own mistakes.  If people are actually being harmed by her magic you might seek intervention from a local High Priest or High Priestess.  If she is using harmful magic and still claiming she is Wiccan then she will find herself having to abide by Wiccan rules.

In closing I would like to include a quote for all those just starting on their journeys and even those already well on their path:

"When you come to the edge of all the light you know and are about to step off into the darkness of the unknown, awakening is knowing one of two things will happen;

There will be something solid to stand on or you will be taught to fly."

Author Anonymous by request.

Many Blessings,

Lady True