This is the Witches Weekly topic for discussion from March 11. I'm a bit behind with these, but it was a subject I wanted to explore, so here goes.

How do you feel about the subject of curses? Is it possible to curse someone? How often do you think it happens? What would make you believe that someone was working magic against you, and how would you handle the situation?

We've all heard stories of the crazy "gypsy" lady down the street who was feared for the unintelligible curses she threw at those who crossed her. Maybe your Italian grandmother was the one who knew how to remove the malocchio, or evil eye, and was the one everyone in the neighborhood came to for help. These women brought their folk magick with them when they emigrated from the Old World and curses were certainly something they took very seriously. Most likely steeped in Roman Catholic trappings, what they were practicing was magick nonetheless.

I think it is possible to curse someone, just as much as I believe that it is possible to direct one's will through magick to bring about any other type of change. But to purposefully curse someone is the antithesis of what the Wiccan Rede teaches us: An' ye harm none, do what ye will. Wicca is not a practice or religion that imposes many directives, but this is the one rule that all ethical witches adhere to with great respect. To place a curse on someone violates the most fundamental ethical guidance by which we live.

Coincidentally, two recent discussions at Street Prophets touched on the subject of curses.

In a diary about whether there was a Wiccan equivalent to embarrassing religious leaders, a la Pat Robertson, one of my favorite pagan posters, Morgan, brought up Kevin Carlyon, of whom I've never heard but who apparently is quite notorious with the media. One of his latest acts of note is to threaten to curse 20,000 concert-goers near Loch Ness because he fears that the band's dance grooves will scare off Nessie and ruin a ritual to help childless couples. You can read the entire thread here: Embarrassing religious (so-called) leaders. Everyone essentially agreed that Kevin's curse was a bad idea and felt that he was giving all pagans a bad name through his high-profile antics. (Sound familiar? This is how how our Christian pals feel about Pat.)

The other discussion centered around an NPR interview with a 9/11 widow and her comments about accused terrorist Zacarias Moussaoui, who is currently standing trial. Although the diary was about the soul and soullessness and subjects of redemption and forgiveness, Morgan (again) made a comment that I found particularly noteworthy and I wrote it down as a reminder to myself:

...when I catch myself starting to wish ill on someone, I try to change it to something more like, "May they learn the lessons they need to learn in the manner that benefits the greater good."

If that means they need to suffer to feel they've paid for their crimes, so be it. If they get off "easy," so be it. Whatever serves the greatest good in the long run.

Sometimes, though, I just shoot out a wish for karma to catch up to them before they can do any more harm ;-).

This reminds me that we must be careful with our thoughts and our words because they have power and we must be ever mindful of the effects they can have in the world. No one wants to be responsible for an accidental curse!

One of the lessons that Christopher Penczak covers in his Witchcraft I class (and its companion book, The Inner Temple of Witchcraft) is The Art of Defense. In this chapter of the book he says:

A psychic or magical attack is the perception of an energy or entity that intends you harm on a physical or spiritual level. People perceive it many different ways, but harmful intent is the common factor.

Usually such energy is unintentional, but there are some people with malicious intent, particularly when they are upset. Anger, fear, and frustration can charge words and thoughts with power. It is a form of instant magick, but since most people do not believe in magick, or even in the power of thought and word, they do not believe that they are doing anything wrong.

Next there is a malicious intent with people who actually know and understand that magick is real, but do not care.

Harmful energy can manifest as bad dreams or visions, sudden pain, losing many important objects when you are not prone to losing things, or having accidents when you are not accident prone. Some curses manifest as sudden, random sickness when you were perfectly healthy without other factors such as stress, depression, or exposure to the illness. Any kind of "bad luck" is often attributed to a curse.

While there are protection charms that are very powerful and spiritual guardians you can enlist as protectors, one of the simplest ways to deflect harmful energy you feel is being directed at you is the banishing pentagram. This is often referred to in the context of the Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram.

You should finish by drawing a clockwise (deosil) circle around the pentacle pictured above to complete the pentagram.

A banishing pentagram is a pentagram that you draw starting in the lower left point and moving clockwise. The energy of drawing this pentagram banishes all harmful energy and seals the space around you, protecting you like a shield.

I've never specifically felt that I was the object of a curse, but there have been times when I've felt very uncomfortable from the energy I received from someone, either directly as in conversation or just from being in that person's presence. I try to remember this banishing pentagram to use to protect myself in situations like that.

If you are interested in magickal protection and the art of defense, I encourage you to read Christopher's work, both in the reference I mention above and in his book The Witch's Shield: Protection Magick and Psychic Self-Defense.

Thank you to Witches Weekly for the Q&A.

Posted by Angela-Eloise at 4:57 PM