I would suppose that he has endurance but that is something that would have to be rigorously tested under controlled conditions in order for the results to have any validity. But that is a task for another time since we seem to have wandered considerably off topic!

It seems to me that having knowledge and the ability to use it confers a responsibility to use it wisely and for the benefit of society of which one is a part. That said, if I am aware of a crime that does not fall under our current justice system am I justified in using whatever means at my disposal to bring the criminal to some sort of justice?
Is it justified to use magick to force a criminal to turn himself in since that interferes with his free will?

I think it is.

There is plenty of evidence that the ancient practitioners were well versed in both sides of magick. This fact gets glossed over by moderns, who for whatever reason, don't want to be connected to it. I've always taken the position that if you have carefully considered the consequences and are willing to accept them, then do what you feel you have to do whether it is voicing an unpopular opinion, standing up for an ideal or casting a spell some people might not approve of. A lot of people don't like that and I've caught plenty of hell because it but I don't know any other way to be.

My mother, bless her, always allowed me to have my say. I ended up doing what I was told but she didn't want or expect me to keep quiet if I had a problem with it. The rest of the extended family, however, expected me to sit down, shut up and do what I was told. As soon as I grew out of the "cute, little blonde girl" stage and hit adolescence, the fertilizer hit the fan and Mom and I caught all sorts of hell on a regular basis. So I can be sweet. I can be reasonable. I can be as civil as the next person but there is a point past which I won't be pushed. And that is when other people get a surprise. 

I prefer the "step out of the way and help them go head first into a brick wall" approach myself. Which most people are entirely willing to cooperate with once you stand up to them and refuse to be bullied. Anger makes you stupid.

I had to take myself in hand.  There are only so many bodies you can hide on 14 acres....

Yes. It is. 

Congratulations, you figured out what they're trying to tell you in all the books, but they make you read between the lines to actually get it.

Energy work, manipulation, magic of any kind is all about intent. It cannot do anything on it's own - it has to have your will behind it - whether that be good, ill, or neutral.

DarkLord_Kodiak wrote on Feb 22^nd, 2007 at 7:21pm:


while i totally agree there can be no good without evil and vise versa....

it all depends on the heart of the witch.  some people view what others do as evil but to the "evil doers" it may not seem evil at all.

i practice the full spectrum of witchcraft and its quite ironic that my good deeds go unnoticed while my bad deeds seem to be brought up and questioned all the time....

It takes some folks a long time to learn that lesson, and some never do.

Balance comes over the whole spectrum, not always just the little piece you can see at one moment in time, and we all contribute to a shared reality where our individual perspectives cross and meet. This is where the fulcrums and balances are adjusted, and actions crossing realities are made. One ought to remember to step lightly and softly when events cause many realities to coincide, as all repercussions will be magnified to the same degree. This also applies to joint or communal actions.

For instance, lets say a "coven" of folks decides to take magical action toward someone or several someones. Gee whiz, the action had the effect those folks wanted, but it caused a negative result (negative in this case defined as directly harmful) to the target, whether desired that way or not. The returning "wave" of that energy will return that effect to ALL the participants in equal degree to their participation. That can cause a cascading reaction if the original casters decide this effect is "retaliation" from the original target, and become a vicious cycle of destructiveness. Often, only a complete "disconnect" from the group and all magical activities for a time is the only solution to the cycle.


Once again, I offer only my own opinion and conclusions from past experiences and observation.


Black Rose

This Topic was moved here from The Dark Side [move by] Penthesilea.