On Karma

There is this idea about karma that has crept up in the last half a decade or so in the pagan community. The idea is that karma is some kind of sentient being that preys on people, no matter their actions, simply because of a series of unfortunate events. Karma does not work like that. Our actions (or inaction) does incur karmic debt, but first, let's take a look at how karma works.

At its most simple, karma is cause and effect. If one does "a", then "b" is the consequence. Spiritually speaking, we see people every day who do sketchy things and don't seem to ever get caught. There's a reason for this, a couple, actually. First, as people, we want to trust that everyone is going to do the right thing. Everyone is not. Second, those people who are not willing to do the right thing always seek out the first group.

When that happens, those sketchy people manipulate those around them into getting what they want and by making each person feel a little paranoid and foolish, so as to not alert anyone else. This behavior can go on for years, literally. This behavior can also rack up a lot of karmic debt. If karma is cause and effect, then sometimes it takes a lot of cause to finally create the effect. The above is a prime example.

Years of half-truths and a pattern of people coming and going in their lives is a big indicator. Eventually, a person comes along who notices the pattern. It is always the same: small inconveniences or needs that suddenly lead to larger tragedies, which always lead to "life-changing emergencies" that, months later, were just really some kind of terrible scare and everything is actually fine. Rinse and repeat.

Well, that pattern happens over and over again until someone notices it. Usually, I am that person. (Go figure, right?) When I was a wee baby witch, I despised being that person. Nobody wants to be the one to ring the warning bell. Nobody wants to be the one to point out all of the little inconsistencies. No one wants to be the one rocking the boat. That boat rocking usually turns into some pretty negative stuff, but eventually, those karmic scales come into balance. Often times, that rebalancing is subtle. Publically, no one 'believes' you, but they all start backing away and privately, some will even support you.

Then, there are those times when the karmic scales tip completely over and everything spills out onto the ground in the most glorious manner. It is a good feeling to watch this happen, honestly. No, I never enjoy the bad fortune of another, however, sometimes the 'karmic whip' leaves one quite battered.

We, as witches, are the instruments of karma. (Whether or not we want to be.) Modern practices would lead us to believe that the Wiccan Rede and the Three-Fold Law prohibit us from being those karmic instruments, but I would have to disagree. Here's why:

The Rede does not prohibit us from protecting ourselves and others from harm.

The idea of doing no harm does not make us pacifists. The idea that we can not and should not expose those who would harm others, in effect, clips our wings. Our grandmothers knew their power and non-witches were afraid of it. 

The Three-Fold Law does not prevent us from doing the right thing because 'karma'.

It clearly states, 'three times bad and three times good'. Blowing the whistle on the bad stuff, if you are sure and have proof, is good, even if it doesn't, necessarily, feel like it at the time. 

The above stated, if you don't follow those two tenets, then you know you are an instrument of karma and you understand why.

Karma isn't some kind of punishment or some kind of sentient creature following you around waiting for you to make a mistake. Karma is more like a cumulative aspect of cause and effect. One dishonest act may not be noticed and, indeed, it may embolden you to do another, but eventually, the dishonesty catches up and the scales balance out. Sometimes it is a minor inconvenience. Other times it is a major ordeal.

In the end. do not be afraid to do the right thing, no matter the apparent cost. You could be saving someone else a headache and a world of hurt.

Blessings,

River

Witchcraft on a Budget

Imagine this:  You’re tooling around online and you see a really cool spell meme that includes a list of ingredients. Those ingredients include some kind of special Peruvian salt, 13 perfect jasmine flowers, a single rose quartz, and a Lemurian crystal. Some of those things you have never heard of and the other things you don’t have the money to buy. Do you wait to perform the spell when you have access to those things? Do you never do the spell? Do you substitute?

The reality most of us live is one of frugality, much like our witch grandmothers. We are conditioned through advertising that we should have a whole different set of tools for Craft than for living. This is a load of bull shit in most cases. For those of us practicing low magic, the tools do not matter as much as they do for those practicing high magic. People wanting us to buy expensive and unnecessary things want us to believe that it matters.

Things like salt. It is not ‘more spiritual’ to use pink salt or some rare and expensive imported salt. Cheap iodized (or not!) table salt will do. I tend to use my specialty salts and salt mixes in my kitchen craft. Again, this isn’t because it’s ‘more spiritual’. It’s just because that’s what I cook with. If I am using salt to smudge and throwing it on the floor before I vacuum, I am definitely using cheap table salt. It gathers dust and negativity as good or better than large rock salt.

Things like pepper. There is no need to buy special peppercorns for magic. Coarse ground store brand pepper is just as good magically as it is in your smashed potatoes. The same goes for cayenne.

You can also use cinnamon or cinnamon bark, Italian seasoning (which I will get to later), garlic salt or garlic powder, turmeric, and pumpkin pie or apple pie spice straight from your kitchen cupboard. Olive oil, vinegar, and cornstarch also need not be bought separately.

Which brings me to something that will give most people an “Aha! Moment”. Italian seasoning, cajun seasoning, poultry seasoning, all of these mixtures are things that my mother and grandmother always had on hand. (My grandmother also kept bricks of chewing tobacco for poultices.)

Italian seasoning is a mixture of basil, thyme, rosemary, marjoram, and oregano. A basic Cajun seasoning is a mixture of garlic, onion, black pepper, and cayenne. As well, poultry seasoning is sage, thyme, nutmeg, black pepper, rosemary, and marjoram. So, what do each of those mixes do magically?  Let’s see:

Italian Seasoning:

Basil: Protection, cleansing, love, luck, fidelity, wealth

Thyme: Wealth, good fortune, purification, love, courage, sleep

Rosemary: Protection, purification, love, clarity, lust, healing, cleansing

Marjoram: Love money, happiness, protection, health

Oregano: Protection, happiness, luck, marriage, prophetic dreams

Just opening up your spaghetti seasoning, you could use it to anoint a candle for wealth, fortune, love, health, and protection.

Cajun Seasoning:

Garlic: Protection, healing, favorable weather, courage or exorcism

Onion: Protection, purification, exorcism, and healing

Black Pepper: Banishing, exorcism, and protection from evil

Cayenne: Repelling negativity, cleansing, and purification

So, a sprinkling of that generic cajun seasoning on my doorstep is excellent at giving protection and banishing bad juju? Looks like it.

Poultry Seasoning

Sage: Wisdom, immortality, protection and to alleviate sorrow

Nutmeg: Health, money, fidelity, love, luck, and clairvoyance

(I didn’t see the need to relist the other herbs already listed.) So, from the looks of it, generic poultry seasoning can be used for health and protection as well.

I use these three mixes because most people who cook have them in their kitchen and they are easily attainable and relatively cheap.  They can be bought from a large chain store for less than $1. You know, the one with the blue sign and yellow star thingy in its logo.

It should be noted that you can also use these in your recipes with the same effects.  Another thing witches on a budget can do is take their used eggshells and crush them and make cascarilla powder with them. There’s no need to buy it if you use it.

Candles, which seem to be a big deal on a budget, can be bought at the Dollar Tree (or a similar store). Some of my favorites to use, if I need a longer burning candle, are white emergency candles that are 6/$1. White candles substitute for every color. Also, if you need black candles, the best time to get those are at Halloween. The ones they sell at that time are, typically, solid black, where many of the cheaper black candles you get year around have a white core. (If the white core doesn’t bother you, then you don’t need to worry about it. It bothers me, but I’m a weirdo.) If you are more into quick candle magic or spells, birthday candles are the best thing ever.

As well, places like the Dollar Tree sell smooth river rocks by the bag. Those can be used to create earth elemental altars or they can be used to create divination sets, like runes.

Witching on a budget is much easier than expected. A fire pit can substitute a cauldron for fire magic. A crock pot can substitute a cauldron for kitchen craft. A coffee grinder can be a substitute for a mortar and pestle. The idea that we must have a whole other set of everything dedicated to Craft is unnecessary. It’s also more fun to work with what you have to see what you can do with it.