On the Ethics of Magickal Workings~~~Important Please Read!~~~

 Dear Ms. Q,

“What are the ethics of magickal workings?”

Recently from one of my blog inquiries I received this question:

“I don’t want to insult anyone but I have a strong belief in GOD and I wonder does this in take away my belief in him /my soul? That is where I’m torn. Do everything work together? Is this understandable? I pray daily and I have have a war prayer book helping me through the pain of it all.i pray for him, myself and our kids. I am reading my bible more. I have no interest of ever doing anything dark. All I want is love, happiness and healing. Even the other women I just want her to release this man that completes my family and move on.”

 I get this type question quite frequently, especially from those who feel and fear that they may be going down a slippery slope and turning away from God, Jesus and Mother Mary.   

 The type of workings that I do is not Wicca, not really Voodoo, but folk magick, some people call it Hoodoo, root work or Conjure, in doing this type of work there is no religious associations except that the prayers from the Bible are very effective in petitioning for help.  

In essence the type of work that I do is neutral, or grey, the only considerations are what is in your heart.  

In the workings of Ifa the main law is that you have the right to be happy, at peace and surrounded with love, now this love does not have to come from a person but just a general feeling of contentment.   The use of Folk magic is to assist in gaining the same thing, that desire of happiness.

It does not follow the Law of Three as in Wicca, and although I do mention the concept of the Karmic path that one must follow, that is to emphasize that before you do something, you need to consider if it is the right thing.

The concept of "harm none" and “The Law of Three”, when it comes to magic is a recent emergence that developed in the modern religion of Wicca (since the 1960’s at least), and has very little to do with real traditional witchcraft or magical practice.   

Mrs. Harcourt of my Granny’s group,  was English and was from a traditional witchcraft group or coven when she lived in England, but they did Not have the Law of three, when she heard about it in her old age, she gave a derisive snort and said to me “What about those so called Christians that pray to God to ‘smite down’ homosexuals?  Where’s the ‘law of three’ in that?”   

 She told me that traditional witchcraft didn’t have that, but it was believed that to do something for the betterment of one’s life and to bind a harmful person to justice was correct and proper.  That is why she was attracted to my Grandmother’s group of ladies.

This "witches' rede" isn't adhered to within the tradition of  folk magic or Hoodoo. Hoodoo aka Conjure is instead based on African-American traditions, folk magic traditions from Europe and that are the result of a melding of original African magical practices, European folk magical practices  and a Christian understanding of a just and yet vengeful God.

More people are familiar with this law of three so when they come across folk magick and wonder if will it back lash on them, so they are naturally concerned about doing workings in it, it’s perfectly understandable.  

It is a shock to them that hoodoo does not have a concept similar to the Three-fold Law, it is a shock to them that the idea that the Universe, or Deity is not going to strike you down with lightening the minute you do something that does not fit their idea of rainbows, fluffy bunnies butterflies and Unicorn farts, it is simply shocking if not down-right unethical.

To these people hoodoo, folk magick, conjure work is nothing more than flat-out dark magick and nothing could be further from the truth.

Anyone working with the system of Folk magick, and this is both conjurers and rootworkers, as well as the private person,  are mature enough to figure things out on their own as to what would be the best way to deal with things  without an infantile system of reward and punishment, one important fact that many critic’s scream and almost pull their hair out is the fact of folk magick, hoodoo or conjures' lack of the concept of karma is missing.

Well bottom line Folks,  folk magick/conjure/ hoodoo is magick pure and simple.  It is not a religion,  it is a system of “magick”, and  Not just any magick, but one that is ultimately pragmatic.

Pragmatism is a strong part of many magical traditions and hoodoo/folk magick/conjure exemplifies this. What purpose is there for magick if not to be utilized to help right wrongs, to help find a person happiness, to bring about a nurturing relationship, or financial success?

Anyone working this type of magic including The rootworkers are deeply spiritual persons, but  they are persons who are not so far up in the clouds, not so high and mighty that they forget where their feet are and what they are doing.

This applies even to very young people who maybe starting out doing folk magick who think they can do this for fun or out of spite or a mis-placed sense of revenge.   It is never for fun, it is never for spite, and/or  revenge.   They forget that if something is done wrong it will spill over,  here’s an example of doing something wrong and it is not an urban legend either:  

You go and gas up at a gas station because your gas tank is near empty, just as you are about to put the nozzle into the tank your fancy cell phone rings, well just as you click to answer it and you start to gas up, you forget that you are releasing a flammable vapor, end result----BOOM!!!!

No wonder a lot of gas stations have those signs “hang up your cell phones while gassing up”, even if they improve the cell phones or the gas nozzles the possibility of BOOM is still there.   That is why I always will caution folks with some of the more dangerous products.  

But also you have to give serious consideration to any magickal working, in anything be it love or revenge.

So what am I saying?   Am I saying that folk magick/hoodoo is a "do whatever you want" type of a system?  No I’m not.  What people fail to understand is that folk magick has an inherent doctrine of ethics that should not and cannot be overlooked.

When you go to a conjurer or root doctor, an ethical conjurer works with divination methods in order to see all sides of the problem and the implications and consequences of any magick that they decide to throw into the mix. Now this is done with a very clear understanding that they are answerable to higher power, whatever you want to name that Higher Power.

The concept is very clear if you cannot justify your actions in a logical and objective manner then you have no right doing what you plan on doing. It is for this reason that ethical conjurers turn to divination, I myself will do a one card reading for guidance.

Folk magick, Hoodoo and conjure accept the fact that spiritual and magical power is not only able to, but should be used in order to help bring things about like justice, love, fortune, peace and success. It is the right of a person, man or woman or family, to be happy and prosperous and free from fear.   

 However it does not mean that you have the right to steal from your neighbor, BUT it does mean that if that person is stalking you, abusing you, stealing from you, harming your family or children, well then you have the right to send that person straight to prison.

In the end this does Not take away your belief in God, Jesus, Mother Mary or the Angels and Saints, this magical working calls upon their aid, and helps focus your energy to a happy conclusion, and it does work together as a common whole.

As I said in a reply to a query about feeling conflicted or torn about doing this work and you think you may be going against God and harming your soul, I can assure you that workings to bring about peace, love and to insure protection of you and your loved ones is not going against God.

In Matthew 7:7 it says (depending upon which bible translation) "Ask, and it shall be given you: seek, and ye shall find: knock, and it shall be opened to you."

Matthew 7:8

For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

Psalm 34:4

I sought the LORD, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears.

Psalm 37:4

Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart.

In their own way in the Bible, it is saying that God helps those who help themselves, what is being done is to augment, and focus your prayers.

Even my Granny use to say to me "When you have turned the other cheek and they still keep slapping you, it's time to get tough, because you've run out of cheeks to slap."

My own Mother (God Bless her) use to say "The most dangerous place to be is between a Mother and her family" and if you are a parent, you have a family and no one should come between that to cause harm and unhappiness.

Blessings to you, Ms. Q