Sacred Texts  Index  Previous  Next 

sacred-texts |  Web | Powered by Google


Internet Book of Shadows, (Various Authors), [1999], at sacred-texts.com


 
 
           Date: 10-May-89 22:29
           From: Warren Stott
           Subj: Ethics in Magick
 
 
 
           A local group recently sponsored a  seminar on the ethics of magick. I
           was unable  to attend  but  heard the  tapes of  the session.  Several
           people on this  echo were present and  had thoughtful things to say as
           did the  others in attendance.   I would  like to address  a few ideas
           that came up there and, of course, are  significant to all people that
           work magick.
 
           The  question  of  hexing came  up.  A  rousing  chorus ensued  saying
           essentially  that many folks  there felt their own ethical  model does
           not allow hexing. Initially, I put myself in that group as well.  I am
           not a  bad person, I  do not  intentionally hurt people.   After  some
           thought, though, I asked myself this question.
 
           If there  is a conceivable ethical situation  where I might sucker    
           punch someone, why would there not be such a time to zap them with    
           the same magnitude of magick?
 
           If  I punch someone when  they have no known  defense against me, I am
           opening  the  serious potential to harm them. My  punch might not hurt
           them at all, it might surprise them more than hurt them, it might hurt
           them enough that they get the message I was sending, or it might blind
           or  even kill them. I would  not know until after the  fact. If I felt
           justified in punching them, I would probably do it. If they turned and
           destroyed  me, I  would  have  to  question my  judgement  afterwards.
           Likewise if I blinded them.
 
           Acceptance of the karmic debt was raised as part of this justification
           cycle. By going ahead and hitting them, I tacitly or implicitly accept
           the debt.  Personal destruction or  harming the other  guy, it  is the
           same, I accept the debt by my action.
 
           Now where is the ethical question here?
 
           I have  often done things, things  as simple as saying  something in a
           certain way, that I immediately want to retract. If I hit this fellow,
           I probably  would want to take it back afterward. Is it ethical to act
           in a  fashion that given a  little thought you would  realize you will
           regret later?
 
           Magick works  in the same  way. Presuming the  ability to  control the
           magickal  zap to  the  relative intensity  of  the sucker  punch,  the
           results are just as unknown. So you accept the karmic debt, so you zap
           away.
 
           "Do what ye will" as long  as you accept the debt makes it  ethical? I
           don't think  so, I think  it is in  fact unethical to  hit or  zap the
           person. But I  might do it anyway. It is not really so much a question
           of ethics as it is a question of responsibility.
 
 
 
 
 
                          Last amended June 11, 1989  --  Page NEXTRECORD 
 
 
                                                                              415
 
           No doubt Ollie North thinks that it is unethical to break the law. But
           he  did. No doubt  Jim Wright takes  the ethics of  public office very
           seriously,  but he is now in deep  refritos over an ethical dilemma of
           his own making.
 
           Shit Happens.  (For those of  you with  new babies, Doo  Doo Happens.)
           Ethics is a  model of what we would like in  the ideal.  That ideal we
           measure ourselves against. We can parade case examples all day to test
           this  conclusion but it is still unethical  to harm another. But we do
           it, both physically and magickly.
 
           So,   ethical  hexing,   there   is  no   such   thing.  I   caste   a
           hurt-you-this-much zap  on the intended, I have acted unethically. "An
           ye  harm none."  No disclaimer  or release  for special  situations is
           given or implied. She will see me break this, karma will see  that the
           ripples in  the pool come back  to me. All  together, She will  see me
           take responsibility, ethics be damned.
 
           One more  time, the chorus swells  and this time  I am sure that  I am
           part of that group. There is no ethical justification for hexing. Just
           don't piss me  off though, I might  be willing to  take responsibility
           for my actions.
 
           Bambi died for us, kicking and screaming in torment!
 
           -Warren-
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                          Last amended June 11, 1989  --  Page NEXTRECORD 
 
 
                                                                              416
 


Next: Candle Magic