Satanic Witchcraft and the Threefold Effect of Magic

The Threefold Effect for Magic Users

For those who are curious, here is a discussion on Satanic Magic and the Threefold Effect. Does the Law of Return affect Satanic Witches who use black magic?

Those who are familiar with Wicca and Pagan magics may be familiar with a saying that states: ” Eight words the Wiccan Rede fulfill: As Ye Harm None, Do What Ye Will”. This creed, written for the Wiccan path, first appeared in Wiccan practice in the 1970’s. It was created by  Wiccan author and leader, Gwen Tompson. It is called the Witches Creed.

This Threefold Effect Law suggests that what one puts out into the universe one receives back in threes. So a curse cast at someone else will come back to the caster threefold. This karmic rule enables the Wiccan community to regulate themselves in a moral way.

Gerald Gardner’s Threefold Effect

The earliest observation of this law is found in Gerald Gardner’s work, High Magics Aid : “Thou hast obeyed the Law. But mark well, when thou receivest good, so equally art bound to return good threefold.” (For this is the joke in witchcraft, the witch knows, though the initiate does not, that she will get three times what she gave, so she does not strike hard.)¹ This is also known and later popularized as the Law of Return, which is a rule imposed upon the practitioners of Wiccan magic.

Do Satanists Have a Rede?

However, Satanic Magic and Witchcraft does not have these laws. The closest we come to in regards to a rede for Satanists is found in the Satanic Bible, and the Eleven Satanic Statements. And with this statement it only suggests that the power of magic should be acknowledged.
7. Acknowledge the power of magic if you have employed it successfully to obtain your desires. If you deny the power of magic after having called upon it with success, you will lose all you have obtained.

Satanists are not neo-pagan or Wiccan, so why should these same moral laws apply to them in the use of magic? For example, in LaVeyan Satanic philosophy, LaVey suggests this same basic question of morality, by stating ‘When a man smites you on one cheek smash him on the other! ..Self Preservation is the highest law’ and the Satanic version of the golden rule, ‘do unto others as they have done unto you’.

LaVey rationalizes these laws instead of moralizing them. Satanism is an individual practice and because of this there are no standards that fit for all people. This serves to illustrate a basic point that I think is common among all Satanists – that we have the option to take offensive actions using magic either for defense or manipulation because it is a matter of expediency, not morality.

Magic that is cast has a specific purpose. It is sent in a specific direction and has a specific influence with a certain outcome. Magic does not bounce around or multiply and return to the sender. Magic has a source, and when magic is properly directed it has a destination and a purpose that is intended to achieve a beneficial result.

Some choose not to moralize this process and bypass all the stigma, worry, and fear that comes with religious neo-pagan magic. So to answer the Question: the only influence that the threefold law has in Satanism is that it should be recognized for what it is – a moral teaching that some witchcraft and neo-pagan cults use as a religious and social convention. Taking this into consideration it is easier to see why the moral teachings of some occult groups do not apply to the practice of magic as a whole.

Magic in General

Magic is magic in general, be it black or white. The purpose of naming it black or white is to differentiate from styles or schools of magic. Mostly, white magics are used to heal while black magics are meant to destroy. And while the use of black magic won’t create a three fold effect, or a law of return, it can affect a magic user in the long term.

Anything that exists in the physical world will eventually break down, die, or dissolve through the process of time. Anything that is composed of energy will eventually loose that energy through the natural process of entropy. This force of destruction is therefore, a natural process, and the black magician is the conductor of this energy.

The effect of black magic cast by an experienced magician is singular in focus without even a thought that it will return to them. All magic, in general, is cast, meaning that it is sent outward towards its target, not held within the magicians mind after the spell work is over. The idea of a threefold effect is to train a witch or magician to be morally responsible for their actions. I do not believe that Satanists need to have a rule or law to have their own personal moral or ethical beliefs.

The energy that is sent, should be singular in focus without even the thought that it will return. Wasting mental energies on thoughts of return will only complicate life and give skewed results. A spell is a process that is set into motion by the magician, facilitating the mental and physical breakdown of the victim. Thus, the magician is not the target of the energies, the victim is. For more information on black and white magic, visit this page: Black Magic, White Magic – What’s The Difference?

Satanic Considerations On Using Dark Magic

The only consideration on using these types of spells continually is that the magician or witch is exposing themselves to destructive forces for an extended period. This type of magic can easily make a person feel obsessive or out of control at some point. It will take a toll on your mind and spirit. This may or may not be your ultimate goal. Seeking balance, however will ensure that you can keep going without dealing with mental and emotional effects of using dark magics.

The best way to find balance is to take the time to ground and center yourself when you feel the need. In working with magical energies you will develop a sense of when things feel out of balance. Seeking to use meditation, grounding and centering rituals, and working with crystals or metals through meditation can help to recharge and focus your mind and spirit.

So as you can see, the Satanic Witch or Magician is not bound by a karmic law, but the use of destructive magics on a long term basis can have a personal consequence simply because of the destructive nature of dark magics.

References:
1. Gardner, Gerald (1949). High Magic’s Aid. Pentacle Enterprises. p. 188 [accessed 7/6/2017]

For more information on using Magic and Witchcraft in Satanism visit the Satanic Witchcraft page