in any partnership. (See the next chapter for more on the worship of the Goddess and the God, the way that the cycle of the Moon operates in our lives and the way that Witches utilize that cycle in their workings.)
MAGIC
Witches believe in and practise Magic. This is not the ‘magic’ of stage conjuring but a very real force which can be used to make changes in our lives and in the lives of those around us. It has been said that Magic is ‘the ability to make change by force of will’ and this is a very good working definition.
Healing is one of the forms of Magic for which Witches are most frequently asked. Many people who otherwise would say that they do not believe in the Craft will seek healing for themselves and their near and dear, whether for physical ills or for emotional support, perhaps after a bereavement.
Other kinds of Magic I find commonly requested include:
Any kind of Magical working needs a good deal of thought. One of the sayings of the Craft is ‘Be careful what you wish for’. In considering whether or not to work Magic you have to be aware of the potential outcomes of what you are asking. Seeking success in an interview may give you a job which you subsequently hate, asking for money may result in you inheriting it from a loved one. Love Magic is probably the most treacherous of all. Initially most people will argue that they do not care whether the desired one is attracted by Magic or not, but later they will find that knowing that someone only loves them because of a spell, not because of who they really are, can destroy self-confidence and self-esteem far more than not being able to gain the object of their desires in the first place.
When working Magic you have to be certain that you work the kind of spell which will cure the problem and not one which will make things worse in the long term. You also have to realize that sometimes events may seem to work against us, but perhaps the Goddess knows best. A very real example of this is the case of someone who set their heart on buying a particular car. When all the usual avenues of borrowing money to buy it did not work, they worked Magic to obtain the money. Within a couple of days their final loan request was granted and they were able to buy the car. A good result, you might think. However, shortly afterwards their circumstances changed, leaving them without work and making it much harder to repay the money they had borrowed. In addition, the tax and insurance on this particular model have since been increased and the value of the car has fallen, meaning that should they sell it there will not be enough money to repay the remainder of the amount they borrowed.
Magic is one of the things which, at first sight, makes Witchcraft different from many other faiths. However, we have more in common with other beliefs than many people realize and the use of Magic takes many forms. Is the power of prayer so very different from Magic? (Chapter 6, ‘Magic’, and Chapter 7, ‘Spellcraft and Herb Lore’, will tell you more about this fascinating and complex subject.)
THE LAW OF THREEFOLD RETURN
The Law of Threefold Return, often called the ‘Rule of Three’ states: ‘Whatever you do, be it good or ill, will be returned to you threefold.’ So if you perform benevolent Magic, good things will come your way, while if you perform negative Magic, bad things will happen to you. There is some debate between members of the Craft as to whether the Rule of Three is really a part of traditional Witchcraft or whether it has been added in recent years, perhaps in order to make people think carefully about the Magic they are about to perform. However, whether or not you feel that there is a historical basis for the Rule of Three, certainly there is no harm in giving careful thought to the justification and consequences of any Magic (or for that matter any non-Magical action) you are about to perform. If you are not prepared for your actions to be returned to you three times over, then perhaps you should be considering alternative actions.
In my experience, and the experience of many other Witches, any Magical action does have consequences for the person who performs it and the greater the Magic, the greater the consequences. Many believe that this is because the universe is finite and if you take from one place there will be a price to be paid in another.
DIVINATION
Divination is the ability to find out things which might otherwise be hidden, whether that be the past, present, future or the presence of water or precious metals or minerals. It can be practised with or without tools such as the tarot, crystal ball, runes, tea-leaves or dowsing rods. It is referred to by many names, including fortune-telling, psychic reading, dowsing, etc., although Witches will often use the somewhat older term of scrying. Nearly all Witches practise some form of divination. It is not a way of conjuring spirits who will answer questions, rather a way of accessing the inner mind.
As with healing Magic, divination is something which is frequently asked of Witches. People want to know not only what is going to happen, but also what is happening in the world around them. What they generally want is the ability to take charge of their lives and affect their ‘Fate’. Learning to scry is not, however, as simple as buying a deck of cards or pouch of runes and learning the meanings by heart. In order to be of use to the enquirer you need to be able to relate the meaning of what you see to the life of the person you are reading for. You will also need to be able to present options to them, so that they can alter their behaviour to take advantage of favourable circumstances or avoid potential problems. Much of what you see during a reading may relate to the personality of the person before you and this may involve highlighting some of their bad habits or traits, together with advising them on how to change these. In this way a reputable reader becomes much more like a counsellor, or the parent aspect of the definition we started out with. Unfortunately there are many less than reputable readers about and it is difficult to tell the difference without either personal experience or the recommendation of a friend whose judgement you trust.
The best known traditional forms of divination are: