Hexes and Curses?

Recently, I’ve been receiving a disturbing increase in the amount of email requests for hexes, curses, and other such unwholesome material to be posted on my site. At first I was pretty furious and then extremely hurt that folks would even think of requesting such information from me. However, with a little help in suggestions from friends, some good intentions towards the community, and a lot of time to cool down, here is my response to all those who asked and would think of asking in the future. I'll be responding in two sections, one to the people requesting this material, and one for other public Witches who will face similar questions. I encourage you to read both parts, regardless of which section (if any) you may fit into.

To the Seekers:

Let’s first review what a "curse" or "hex" or similar material is... these are all categorized under "Bane". Much of the propaganda history of Witchcraft revolves around the theory of the Witches’ "evil eye" and the disruption of everything from crops to pregnancy to disease through magickal hexes. And while much of this is just paranoia on the part of a programmed society, I won’t deny that such uses of magick exists (and Goddess, I’d like to be able to but that’d be flat out lying to you).

There's a popular Pagan/Witch joke that goes: "If they want to burn you at the stake, it means you're doing it RIGHT!" For those of us who have been around for a bit, it's extremely humorous, but for teens and other people who aren't acquainted with our paths, it may indeed seem like the Heart of Paganism and Witchcraft is simply avoiding the flames or doing whatever we can to tick off the mainstream religions. Sorry, No. It's not. But I'm not sure all of them know that. (Hence, this page.) In the times popularly called the "Burning Times" or the "Inquisition" they may burn you at the stake for looking at a clergyman wrong, or insulting a powerful noble, or giving birth to a child with a birth defect, or being too beautiful, or being present when a pig died, or properly guessing when a big storm would strike, or any other number of such foolish things! All of which were ASSUMED to be hexes or curses on a person or community. In any case, if they do want to burn you at the stake for a curse, it's bad enough it's probably some invented hoopla garbage. No reason to go out and give them a Real reason to want to, nor are hexes and curses at the heart of Witchcraft.

Let us recap one of the greater principles of Witchcraft, the basic truth of Balance. No matter which Tradition you are from, there is some type of philosophical principle that energy of any type is returned to you. Wiccan’s use the Three-Fold Law from the Rede: "Mind the Threefold Law you should, Three times bad and three times good." (Or, I prefer Amber-K’s version of that section: "LEST IN THY SELF-DEFENSE IT BE, Ever mind the rule of three.") In plain English, whatever energy you put out is returned to you three times over. I personally think this to be an exaggeration (but to each his/her own) of the simplified law: equal and opposite reaction; whatever you put out returns to you equally good or bad, respectively. In either case, it can be clearly seen how messing with hexes or curses can be more than a precarious.

So why would people think of using magick for such destructive purposes then? Well, I’ve found it’s usually one of three reasons:

1) They don’t know about the inevitable recoil and consequences, and hence, don’t consider the aftermath. These are usually the youths that haven't learned the basics of magick yet, or haven't matured enough to develop a more long-term sight, or have chosen to be "reckless" and "dangerous" because it's kewl and so much less boring than being un-kewl. In any case, these are the people who are most susceptible to becoming #2's and #3's. Fortunately, they are also the people most susceptible to receiving the proper information and accepting guidance.

2) They know about the recoil effect but arrogantly believe themselves to be capable of withstanding any negative backfire. These are the poor souls who create an image of themselves as near-godhood. Perhaps indeed they can keep the returning energy at bay for a short while, but when the continue to put out negative energy, it will summarily build up. So let’s figure this out... a human is how strong? The Universe is how Powerful? You figure out which side will win. And if you are one of these individuals, I beg you to reconsider your opinion of yourself vs. the Universe.

3) Finally, and perhaps the most Tragic, are the people who know and simply Don’t Care what will become of them after. Unfortunately, there are many who give in to obsessions of Vengeance and Hatred, and are afflicted with the demands these "diseases" place on them. Their consciences are severely limited and they too often have "tunnel vision," not seeing the whole picture. Sad.

If you haven't had the chance to consider what may have led you to thinking about using a Curse or Hex, allow me to give you some things to think about. (For the most part I will be assuming you are a teenager, but age does not always accurately portray a person's comfort, intellect, or understanding. This I am fully aware of. So if you do happen to be older or younger, don't consider yourself lesser or greater, for surely, in something that you are lacking, so are you greater in what another is lacking. Balance.)

Everyone, at one point -- and sometimes more than one -- during their life, seeks to identify themselves. To become their own person, see themselves as free thinking, and distinct from the norm. The ways to achieve this necessary goal are limitless. Being that mainstream religion is, for the most part, a social standard and seen as a very limiting factor by teens, it is often the subject of the "rebellion." (I choose to put this word in quotes because I find it hard to condemn a person for questioning what they do not understand... instead I admire those who do so.) When a person reaches this stage of self-identity, they often go to seek out what is Not the norm. And any of us can agree that, while its popularity may be growing, Witchcraft is still extremely far from a common religion.

Unfortunately, along with questioning the beliefs of mainstream religions comes wanting to shrug off the moral teachings as well. And here is where the attraction of Curses and such comes in. What way to be more individual than behave contrary to 98% of society? Even if it means performing destructive acts and pretending not to see the pain it causes. Eventually, this seeker finds solace in themselves at the expense, pain, and despair of other people, and thoughts for such behavior vanish for the most part. But how much sweeter to win the internal victory without unwelcome cost to others!

What is the alternate to a Curse or Hex? Why a Blessing or Charm! I believe that people don't hurt others for no reason, they do it because it grants them some level of benefit or satisfaction. All the while not realizing that the same satisfaction can be gained by turning positive energy inwards, instead of negative energy outwards. It's a lot more fun "getting even" by out-performing your opponent the next time, than simply wasting energy on them because of the last time.

So instead of asking me and others for curses to hurt others, try asking for Charms to improve yourself. You'll get a lot more responses and a lot more of the respect you deserve for seeking understanding, and you'll learn to respect yourself. For that's what it's all about in the end. Respect for yourself.

To those Out of the Broom Closet:

I’m sure I’m not the only one who gets these requests. Open Witches of all areas come across questions like these and are forced to deal with them. Commonly, it is the younger generations who seek such information, and therefore, we have a tendency to want to treat them like the "silly kids" that they are. A small observation I hope others DO NOT fail to notice!

Perhaps it won’t get through to 3 out of 4 of them, but the ONE it does help to understand brings us, as a community, one step closer to killing the propaganda and absolute nonsense that still tags along just about every step. Simple clarification of the laws of Balance, as well as the psychological baggage that comes with the unproductive emotions of Vengeance and Hatred can work wonders.

*Pointedly resisting the urge to sing "I believe the Children are our Future...*

Also remember how you reacted when you were at a young age. If you use the "you’re too young to be playing with that kind of fire," you’ll only hit a brick wall will have effectively ostracized the youth. (That and you’ll be indirectly condoning the use of curses for the older generations, which is just as bad.) Try to stay away from "temper-trigger" words, phrases, and gestures like: Immature, Obnoxious, How Dare You!, You're Just A Kid, You Wouldn't Understand, *rolling eyes*, or simple *turning your back*. We can't expect them to understand if we stick road blocks in their faces and proceed to wound their pride with verbal knives.

Let’s take the time to show our future generations the love and respect they deserve, and have a hand in pointing them in the right direction.

Brightest Blessings,
~Markus