ETHICAL WITCHCRAFT

The truth is, everyone will have a different opinion on the ethics of witchcraft. At the end of the day, you have to be comfortable with your craft, respectful of others, and mindful of your own actions.

Closed vs open practices

Almost every culture around the globe has its own beliefs and ritual-based practices. With social media, globalization, and increased travel, it is more important than ever to be respectful of other people’s beliefs and practices. Closed practices are those into which one must be born, initiated, or formally invited, and rituals and spells will usually be kept secret. Open practices are those that anyone can participate in. Knowing where your spells or practices come from can be tricky—often, they can be found in multiple countries and cultures, in both open and closed practices, so finding one definite origin can be difficult. Cross- referencing and simply looking up spells and practices online is recommended, or respectfully researching by any means you have available.

Ethical language

You may have heard the terms “black and white magick”—this terminology is to be avoided as it can be traced back to the racist beliefs that African/POC-originating practices are inherently evil. We must remember that in times gone by, magick was often used as a tool by oppressed people, who could not rely on help from other people or the law. Healing and hexing, blessing and baneful, positive and negative … there is a plethora of alternative terms that can be used instead.

The consequences of spellwork

One of the most important factors in witchcraft is understanding the consequences of your work. You should carefully think through all possible consequences of practicing baneful or malicious magick, and be mindful of your actions. If you are comfortable with curses and hexes, there surely is a time and place for them, especially in cases of protection or justice-related matters, but when angry or hurt, we may want to curse immediately, without thinking rationally. Involving other people, and especially directing harm or forcing your emotions on others, can backfire if not very thoroughly thought through. A good rule of thumb is the age-old saying, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”

DK