To Sleep, Perchance to Dream

"To sleep—perchance to dream. Ay, there's the rub! For in that sleep of death what dreams may come, when we have shuffled off this mortal coil, Must give us pause—there's the respect that makes calamity of so long life. "  Hamlet - Act III, Scene I
     Anyone that has spent any amount of time as a Pagan/Wiccan knows that there is an innate kindness to the power of nature, the God and Goddess, and the Wiccan Rede.  Following the credo of "Do what ye will and harm none" isn't as easy as it sounds. Most people never give a second thought to the things they unleash and bind in the daily workings of their craft. 

     One of the very first things I learned about spellcasting early on was the ability to view the wielding of the natural energies in perspective.  I learned and understood several things:

(1) Surrounded by the energy of light, darkness is weak. 
(2) Shadow can only exist in the presence of light.
(3) The smallest of light can pierce the thickest of darkness.
(4) Even the faintest light can disperse an abundance of darkness.
(5) One candle among many mirrors exponentially multiplies the light, but darkness among mirrors remains exactly the same strength. 
(6) People don't possess power - they learn to wield the power of the natural energies.

When I was in the military we would frequently train in "blackout" conditions - meaning absolutely NO light of any kind was permitted.  To illustrate the danger of light in a combat situation, our Commander would have a soldier posted a mile and a half away smoking a cigarette.  In the dark of night, we could see the "cherry" on the end of the cigarette very clearly everytime he inhaled.  Benevolence operates on the same principle.

     Karma doesn't have respect for the status of humans - it operates equitably among us all. What one releases will come back, in abundance, whether it be positive or negative.  It is dangerous to cast a spell on another Wiccan.  In doing so, we turn nature's energies against itself.  One of the most common misconceptions about spellcasting is that the one doing the casting is "powerful."  As Einstein demonstrated, power can neither be created nor destroyed. The person learns to focus the natural energies, but as far as possessing the energies, that's a myth - and it's a myth that most self-serving practitioners do not want you to understand.  Fear is only powerful in perception, not reality. Fear is a motivator. Fear can only control you if you let it.  It's an emotional response.  If you go to a haunted house, you expect to experience fear, yet the reality is that when you exit you will be physically unscathed - the danger isn't REAL - if it were, you wouldn't go in the first place, unless of course you really did have a deathwish.

     The one type of spellcasting you can do to protect yourself from a malevolent practitioner is called a reflective binding. In essence, it's a spell that reinforces Karma - at lightspeed.  The basic premise is that when a person does good they will reap the benefits of Karma. When they cast to harm, the repercussions are swift and magnified.  This spell is based on a natural law as well, one that goes back many millenia.  While the "normal" return is "3" - the reflective binding invokes the law of "3 times 3." In this way, the person casting a spell of harm is actually focusing that negativity against themself.  As long as they don't try to hurt others, there is no negative Karmic consequence.  It leaves the individual to be responsible personally for what they reap based upon their own actions.

     When dealing with practitioners who are "less" than honorable in their respect for Karmic return, it is best to leave them to suffer by their own hand rather than to direct negative energies or direct bindings their way.  If your heart and conscience are clear, and you live by the Wiccan Rede, or for that matter, the "Golden Rule" then your light will always dissipate the dark energies that may approach you.  One cannot hide the natural energy of a benevolent heart, or the purity of goodness that eminates from the soul of one so inclined to "do what ye will and harm none."  Light will always be exponentially more powerful than darkness.  There always remains a balance - nature. The majority of space is filled with darkness, yet the lights that pierce the darkness are easily seen, sufficiently illuminating, and readily abundant.  With magnifying glass in hand, we can focus the energy of the sun into a burning beam that can set the leaves ablaze.  When is the last time anyone took a magnifying glass and did the same with darkness? Why do we sometimes fail to understand that we as benevolent practitioners are the magnifying glass in the light of spiritual energy?