The Mirror to One’s Soul

You find yourself standing in front of a beautiful antique oval looking glass. What do you see? Go beyond your physical appearance to look within. Do you see someone with which you are comfortable? Is the person standing there looking back at you a person admirable traits, or is that person less than what you would like to see?

If all you see is positive, be careful. All that exists is in balance whether we are aware of it or not. Light is born of darkness. It has been said that there is never good without bad. If bad did not exist, how would we know good? Is it not so that in order to know good, one must be able to have bad with which to compare.

If we look in the mirror with an objective eye, being honest with ourselves, we will see many things that are both bad and good. We will see many things that are productive and not productive. We will see aspects of ourselves that are unfinished; works in progress not yet complete. We will see incredible successes. We will see failures. We will see some things which may have not failed, but could have been better. We will see many things because all living beings are extremely complex.

It has been said that a good way to approach looking at people is to look at them as work in progress. It is productive to have a destination and be clear as to what it is, after reaching it, to then see the next end point. A wise man once said, "He who aims at nothing is sure to hit it. One always hits where one is aiming. The trick is that where we are aiming and where we THINK we are aiming are all too often two different points." The way to know beyond doubt what the original aim was is to look at where the shot actually landed. That is judging life based on results. This method is often harsh but always fair.

We have been given great power and authority over that power. What we must remember is that with authority always comes responsibility. It is vital that we keep a balance between authority and responsibility. It is not good to take all the responsibility and no authority. At that point, you will find yourself trying to fix everything and trying to please everyone. You will ultimately end up hurt. At the same time, if we take all the authority and no responsibility, disaster results. Hitler made a very powerful demonstration of that concept. He gave the people in his command the authority to pull the lever to the gas chambers, killing millions. He told them that they would not be responsible, that he would take the responsibility. History tells us the catastrophic results.

There is a power to which we all have access. This power is available to everyone. This is the Source of all magick. The power is not "black" or "white." There is not black magick or white magick. The color is found in the heart of the person using the power. The power itself is simply there. The power is as beautiful as one can imagine, and….. it can also kill you.

Before we can talk about the aspects of ritual, spells, or magick, we must first talk of ethics. Ethics is defined as, "A set of principles of right conduct. b. A theory or a system of moral values. " In Wicca, we often throw this word, "ethics" around. What we are talking of here is the principles that govern the use of the Universal Power of Magick. The Wiccan Rede, "An it harm none, do what thou wilt" is the beginning of the just ethics of the Craft. Some other things to consider when discussing Craft ethics are the Three Fold Law, Revenge, and the attempt to force one’s will upon another against their will or without their knowledge. Let us take a closer look at these things.

We have addressed the Three Fold Law and Revenge in pages dedicated to those subjects. To go to them, click on the text above.

It would be time well spent to discuss the topic of forcing one’s will upon another. There is a word that comes to mind here. The word is "manipulation." For this discussion, we will define manipulation as the act of getting someone to do what you want them to do because YOU want them to do it.

Perhaps the most frequent request I get from the uninformed person when they first find out that I work with magick is, "can you make me a love spell?". I also get requests for spells that are intended to get other people to do things without their knowledge. If one operates in the magickal world with these motives behind them, disastrous return can be assured!

Another word that comes to mind here to compare to the word "manipulation" is the word "enrollment." In this discussion, the word enrollment means, getting someone to do what you want them to do because THEY want to do it. One aspect of good leadership is the ability to enroll people in a cause.

I consider love spells or "calling a mate" spells to be rather risky. They can be done ethically correct, however, I feel it is important that the person working with the spell has a great deal of experience. Magick is not something that one can learn from watching some actor or actress play a Witch in a movie. Hollywood has little in common with Witchcraft. A good ethical example of when to do a love spell is between two partners in a committed relationship. A good love spell can make the love between them grow stronger. In this type of magick, it is paramountaly important that this be the will and request of ALL individuals involved. I have heard of cases when a person who is going through an unwanted, on their part, divorce has asked about a spell to cause their spouse to fall in love with them again. In all cases, it was have declined. It is not our place to judge whether or not the love should be rekindled. In these cases, they offered counseling, but never a love spell. At times, a healing spell for the hurt individual is a good idea as long as you have their permission.

My usual response to the person that asks me about a spell to call a mate is as follows: There is a Universal law that says that we attract to us that which we are. For this reason, I feel that the best way to attract Mr. or Mrs. "Right" into your life is to become all of the things that you are seeking in Mr. or Mrs. "Right." I usually ask the individual to write a list of all of the qualities they are looking for in the mate. I do this because it is also very important to be as specific as possible when working with magick. We then ask the individual if there is anything on that list that they are not willing to be. If there is, I tell them to scratch that thing off the list. I then write a ritual that will aid the person to become that which they aspire to be for the good of all concerned. The really wonderful thing is that when they do become all the things on the list, most often, the people that they were looking to attract almost seem to fall out of the sky!

Here is a word or two on healing magick. The most important thing to consider in healing work is to have the person’s permission! Many people are being served in a particular way by the ailment that they seek to have healed! Often, there is a lesson in it for them that they have not yet learned. To prejudge the situation as needing to be corrected might not be the best thing for that person. It is always a good idea to ask the person if they are okay with you working with them in that manner.

The bottom line is this: Don’t ever do any type of magickal work without permission! Think before you act. This is common sense. If you have any concerns crop up or even the smallest of doubt, the rule of thumb is don’t do it! Remember that in all things we do it comes back to us! Realize that you are responsible for your actions.

One more thing, if you are lucky enough to have a teacher in the Craft and you are in the beginning stages of your walk, if you have to think about whether or not to ask, then you should ask.