Do wiccans really believe in the three fold law?
22. Apr, 2010 
9 Comments
In Wiccan books and videos, it's members are always saying that they refrain from cursing or hexing because what they put out comes back to them three times more then what they put out. But in real life, all the wiccans I know (mostly young) are hell bent on cursing anyone that makes them mad. Is this just a juvinile stage in the life of a wiccan, or do all wiccans retaliate using black magic on anyone that makes them mad?
I would think that if they believed that, they’d be hexing eachother for big boobs or tight abs a lot more…
It’s okay to post your inquiry here, but the best place for accurate info is “Ask a Wiccan” on The Onion.
I certainly follow the three fold law. And in some cases, it really does take great restraint. There are lots of young people who want to become witches for the whole ‘mysterious’ aspect, or to rebel, but we are not all like that. The Wiccans you know are misguided.
Yes, we belive in th e threefold law. Those ‘wiccans’ you know are probably in it simply because they think they can hex people. This is simply a fad to them. They’ll probabaly move on to the next big thing in a couple of months.
Wiccans are people, just like any other, and some are more devout and conscientious about practicing their faith than others. In this they are no different from any other Religion, if all the people who called themselves Christians or Muslims genuinely followed the teachings of their faiths the world would be a much better place, the same is true for Wiccans.
Actually, Wicca isn’t even about spells. The people you are describing are living a fantasy, slapping the term “Wicca” onto something they haven’t studied much and they think will give them mad majickhal skillz. Eventually they grow up, and most often they stop calling themselves “Wiccan” altogether once they realize they can’t actually solve all of life’s problems with a candle and a bit of rosemary.
Some Wiccans believe in the Threefold law. Some don’t. I’m one that doesn’t. I believe we suffer the consequences of our actions, but I don’t think the universe magically increases everything threefold.
But neither of those reasons keep me from using “black magic.” First, I don’t believe a lot of that stuff works. You just don’t get large results for little effort. That’s not how the universe works. Second, magic emanates from you. If you want to send nasty stuff out first you yourself have to be exposed to it. Third, I think it’s generally wrong. For some reason these people think its OK to hurt someone with magic even though they would admit it’s not ethical to, say, hit annoying person with a baseball bat.
Harm is harm. I would only cause harm to someone (whether mundane or magic) when it was actually warranted, lesser options are exhausted, and it would actually accomplish something positive, rather than just making me feel better from a little vengeance.
Some do but many believe in the law of return which is similar to Newton’s third law. As Nightwind wrote it refers to the fact that our actions have consequences. However, the threefold law as well as the law of return apply not only to spells (which really aren’t Wiccan) but to all actions.
The people you’ve described certainly don’t represent Wiccans as a whole. Many of them likely lack self-esteem and cling to anything they think will give them power. A few of them may calm down and find meaning in the religion but most will discard the title once they figure out that performing spells they found on the internet isn’t getting them anywhere, and move on to something else. Until then, it’s usually best to just ignore them and know that serious Wiccans are WTFing them too.
I never went through a cursing and hexing stage of my Wicca.
But, Law of Return, not three-fold anything.
Well, not everyone has ever been accused of following the rules of their religion to the letter. Christians don’t follow the Ten Commandments or the Golden rule, so does that mean they’re not real Christians? No. All people of all religions are prone to human failings. We ARE Human!! It’s human nature to make mistakes…even when we are aware of them. Wiccans throwing curses and “hexes” is nothing terrible…and if they truly believe in this “Law of Three”, somehow their subconscious will find a way of returning whatever they put out to them.