Monstrous
Witches Brew => Pagan Living => Topic started by: Mr. Kreepy on December 19, 2008, 01:57:15 AM
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After hearing an extremely ignorant person mention this law, I decided to do some research on it.
It's a Wiccan teaching stating that, basically, whatever energy you put into the world, positive or negative, will be returned threefold. This assigns a literal reward to positive actions and a consequence to negative ones, as opposed to the abstract, personal conflicts associated with moral and immoral actions and the practical, real-life consequences of living a good life implied by the Wiccan Rede which states "An it harm none, do what ye will".
Indeed, this has led to some conflict even within the religion of Wicca, as most see the Threefold Law as an unnecessary and entirely unfounded over-elaboration on the Rede.While both are based on moralistic abstractions and assumptions of objectivity on what is and isn't "moral", the Threefold Law is basically a real-world Heaven and Hell punishment/reward system for Wiccans.
Now, this got me thinking...As far as I know, Wicca is the only system of magick that uses this approach. There are so many different systems of magick and all of them are essentially just different approaches to focusing psychic energy, as any experienced follower of Psi will tell you. Because of the inherent limitations of following a confined system of belief, wouldn't it make sense that, in theory, only those who believe that the Threefold Law actually works would be effected by it?
As someone who has no need for silly little limitations on what I'm capable of, I quite respect Aleister Crowley's teaching of "Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law", which means that one should not succumb to weaknesses on the path of attaining one's will. It stands to reason that moralistic constraints only apply if one chooses to limit themselves with them.
I am a student and seeker of knowledge concerning Psi, and I have always followed a practice of essentially paying up-front. That is, paying the price of my actions beforehand through the sacrifice of willpower, strength, and energy that is required to make what I want happen. Since I have payed the price of my actions before the act is committed, would I still be held accountable under the Threefold Law for doing something that some people consider morally reprehensible?
What are your thoughts?
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Maybe the Universe doesnt think you paid enough? And through what I read in this post, you dont really care for the threefold law, so if you dont believe it, would it apply to you? I dont know for sure, but something tells me that it does....
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I have heard of this time and again and from talking to witchcraft practitioners, I got the impression that it applied to all types but this is not by any means my area of expertise
If that is the case, I got a whole lot of good things coming back my way...still waiting :?
Good topic
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Maybe the Universe doesnt think you paid enough? And through what I read in this post, you dont really care for the threefold law, so if you dont believe it, would it apply to you? I dont know for sure, but something tells me that it does....
If I may ask, why are you so convinced that the Law applies to someone who refuses to acknowledge its existence and validity? You forget that in the practice of magick a practicioner can only manifest that which they believe in.
I have heard of this time and again and from talking to witchcraft practitioners, I got the impression that it applied to all types but this is not by any means my area of expertise
As far as I know, Wicca is the only path of magick that contains this concept, and most serious practicioners of Wicca actually dispute the validity of the Threefold Law. Chaos magick, Thelema, Voudoun, Native American medicine work, and hundreds of other forms of magick both modern and traditional lack this concept.
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Simply cause I believe that there is the Law, whether you are ready to acknowledge it or not. It just IS.....
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As far as I know, Wicca is the only path of magick that contains this concept, and most serious practicioners of Wicca actually dispute the validity of the Threefold Law. Chaos magick, Thelema, Voudoun, Native American medicine work, and hundreds of other forms of magick both modern and traditional lack this concept.
You may be correct
Maybe they were all wiccan :?, I know a few that are, but the rest I did not ask
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Simply cause I believe that there is the Law, whether you are ready to acknowledge it or not. It just IS.....
So you acknowledge that it's your personal belief?
You may be correct
Maybe they were all wiccan :?, I know a few that are, but the rest I did not ask
Yes, magick is a very wide and diverse topic, with hundreds of different approaches. It's likely that the people you talked to were Wiccan.
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One of them is a real close friend and I know they are wiccan
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Simply cause I believe that there is the Law, whether you are ready to acknowledge it or not. It just IS.....
Belief without general proof of some sort is not enough to convince others of your views.
This is the first time I've heard of this but I am generally sure that it is false. I hold the belief that everything is within the world and nothing can be truly added or subtracted, just recycled in a neverending circle. This principle is already applied to many things in the world like matter or water. Why shouldn't it be applied here as well? (Yes, I know that if you want to get TECHNICAL this doesn't apply to everything ex. cut down a tree and you don't plant another. I mean basic things and general speaking here).
The closest thing to this law seems to be the belief in karma and it even doesn't believe in more gratitiude/punishment that what was inflicted. It believes in equal.
In the end, I don't really see it as believable or realistic.
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But I dont have the need to convince the others, that is why its called belief in the first place, and not fact. And I never said it was MY belief. The Law I see it is slightly different, and its more like what Jordyn said, than the Law of Three.....
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After hearing an extremely ignorant person mention this law, I decided to do some research on it.
It's a Wiccan teaching stating that, basically, whatever energy you put into the world, positive or negative, will be returned threefold. This assigns a literal reward to positive actions and a consequence to negative ones, as opposed to the abstract, personal conflicts associated with moral and immoral actions and the practical, real-life consequences of living a good life implied by the Wiccan Rede which states "An it harm none, do what ye will".
Indeed, this has led to some conflict even within the religion of Wicca, as most see the Threefold Law as an unnecessary and entirely unfounded over-elaboration on the Rede.While both are based on moralistic abstractions and assumptions of objectivity on what is and isn't "moral", the Threefold Law is basically a real-world Heaven and Hell punishment/reward system for Wiccans.
Now, this got me thinking...As far as I know, Wicca is the only system of magick that uses this approach. There are so many different systems of magick and all of them are essentially just different approaches to focusing psychic energy, as any experienced follower of Psi will tell you. Because of the inherent limitations of following a confined system of belief, wouldn't it make sense that, in theory, only those who believe that the Threefold Law actually works would be effected by it?
As someone who has no need for silly little limitations on what I'm capable of, I quite respect Aleister Crowley's teaching of "Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law", which means that one should not succumb to weaknesses on the path of attaining one's will. It stands to reason that moralistic constraints only apply if one chooses to limit themselves with them.
I am a student and seeker of knowledge concerning Psi, and I have always followed a practice of essentially paying up-front. That is, paying the price of my actions beforehand through the sacrifice of willpower, strength, and energy that is required to make what I want happen. Since I have payed the price of my actions before the act is committed, would I still be held accountable under the Threefold Law for doing something that some people consider morally reprehensible?
What are your thoughts?
It isn't talking about Karma, it's talking about cause and effect, if you drop a pebble in a pond, it will cause ripples. If you piss someone off, they will get mad at you, cause and effect.
Also, just because Christians said the world was flat, didn't MAKE it flat, so no matter how much you refuse to acknowledge that your actions have consequences, that will come back to you, doesn't change the fact that they exist.
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But I dont have the need to convince the others, that is why its called belief in the first place, and not fact. And I never said it was MY belief. The Law I see it is slightly different, and its more like what Jordyn said, than the Law of Three.....
That is true. If you are in a discussion though, it usually will just end up in circles of "I agree"/"I disagree" unless evidence and information are brought into the mix. That's all I was trying to say. This is going to become an argument fast otherwise (not between me or anybody, because I don't really feel passionately about the issue, just as a whole).
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I would think the pay-out would be equal to what the overall goal is, not three times as much. I can only see the threefold applying to those that follow it. Why? Because the human mind is such that if you believe enough in some sort of retribution for the actions you have taken, it will happen in your eyes because you are more likely to see it.
For example: This stupid person I know of thought a friend of mine cursed her with zits. She worried about it so much, that the next morning she had a zit and thought my friend (and indirectly me) caused it to happen, when in fact it was more or less just her lack of hygiene. She really believed that she was cursed, and when the time came for that "curse" to be fufilled, she "saw" what she thought she would see. (There was no curse involved)
In conclusion, if you believe you're gonna get hit threefold for something bad or something good, you're more than likely going to be looking for that bad or good, and can say, "Damn, I lost my job. I shouldn't have cast that zit spell on that biznitch..." or, "OH, I found $20 on the sidewalk! Must be because of that spell I cast on so-and-so to help him/her get some money! Lalala..."
I could be wrong, but that's what it seems to me.
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It isn't talking about Karma, it's talking about cause and effect, if you drop a pebble in a pond, it will cause ripples. If you piss someone off, they will get mad at you, cause and effect.
Also, just because Christians said the world was flat, didn't MAKE it flat, so no matter how much you refuse to acknowledge that your actions have consequences, that will come back to you, doesn't change the fact that they exist.
But all of this is based on the assumption that the natural effect of the actions coming back threefold. That's a huge leap of faith, and it's just not logical to take an assumption like that for granted.
Your comparison between the earth being thought of as flat and the supposed actuality of the Threefold Law is just further making assumptions and huge leaps in logic.
I would think the pay-out would be equal to what the overall goal is, not three times as much. I can only see the threefold applying to those that follow it. Why? Because the human mind is such that if you believe enough in some sort of retribution for the actions you have taken, it will happen in your eyes because you are more likely to see it.
That's exactly what I was thinking. Good to see we're on the same page Dae.
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I don't know about psi, but i sent a dog in a video game to retrieve some ammo. he ran off and brought back 3 giant mutated crocodiles w/ Freddie Kruger hands.
I was level 5. Upon realizing this, i tried to run....... i ran into a mine i placed there and it activated due to the angry demon crocs chasing me.. i died and it looked like they were corpse humping me.
<:smurf
Oh and btw? my dog died somewhere along the time i crapped my shorts
http://fallout.wikia.com/wiki/Deathclaw
Three fold law for sending a dog out for some ammo instead of doing it yourself? i don't wanna know.
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That is uniquely enough a perfect example. This law has to do with living your life, not only magick or any other form of manipulating mana.
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A perfect example? Yeah, right :roll:
Raz, a video game has nothing to do with this topic in any way, shape, or form.
See, sure there are sometimes real life consequences to actions, but you don't need superstitious juju hocus-pocus gobbledygook to regulate that s**t. And really, the truth is that very rarely do people pay for irresponsible or "bad" actions. Anyone who says differently is a childish idealist trying to hide from the true savagery of life. The great thing is that most people who kill innocent people and rape babies and kick puppies and all that other s**t NEVER pay for it. Why should they? Morals are a human construct. The universe doesn't give a rip what we do. To think that there are any consequences outside of direct legal and interpersonal ones for human actions is putting the human race on some kind of ridiculous pedastal.
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I see, do you realize why you feel that way? Because you are completely disconnected from the god-head. What others call Allah, Mother Nature, God and so forth.
There is no heaven or hell, there is simply what we create, in ourselves, and in our world. You are so disconnected that you can not see the rest of the world, only your own sphere of negative and self centered energy.
_That_ is the threefold law. You will never move on, you will never evolve with your future lives, you will eternally remain lost and alone wandering this realm, no mater how many lives you will be reincarnated in, you still remain mundane. Tormented for many lives by your ignorant, selfish, ever accumulating energies.
You are not worthy of even pity, for it is all the consequenecs of your own actions. It is a horror beyond my imagining, to be completely _alone_
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Alone? Ignorant? Selfish? HA! Before making character assumptions like that how about you get to know me first?
For your information I live a very fulfilling life and I'm quite happy with it.
You also state that I'm disconnected from some sort of "Godhead". What makes YOU so all-knowing that YOUR belief applies to me? That's social solipsism dear, and its the hallmark of someone both limited AND insecure in their perception of reality.
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I know this because I have seen it a million times. Try going outside and simply sitting for up to fifteen minutes each day in an area with lots of plant life for seven days in a row. It can be in your back yard, a forest, or in a park.
By doing this you will slowly be reforming your connection with the energies of the rest of the world, who knows, you might even discover that you have strong mana and can manipulate the outer world.
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You will never move on, you will never evolve with your future lives, you will eternally remain lost and alone wandering this realm, no mater how many lives you will be reincarnated in, you still remain mundane
What do you mean by the word ''mundane'' exactly, as it was employed in the specific context of the above quotation? Thanks.
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I know this because I have seen it a million times. Try going outside and simply sitting for up to fifteen minutes each day in an area with lots of plant life for seven days in a row. It can be in your back yard, a forest, or in a park.
By doing this you will slowly be reforming your connection with the energies of the rest of the world, who knows, you might even discover that you have strong mana and can manipulate the outer world.
You assume that I DON'T do this. For your information I spend quite a bit of time outside. Not as much in this weather, due to the snow and rain constantly.
I like to go to a local park and just sit down, sip some tea, and meditate for hours on end. It's calm there and helps me sort out my thoughts. Yet, despite plopping my ass amongst the vegetation I still don't have super nifty magical powers like you. What am I doing wrong? :roll:
What do you mean by the word ''mundane'' exactly, as it was employed in the specific context of the above quotation? Thanks.
Are you seriously trying to make sense of anything she said? You'd have better luck talking with an acid freak burn-out. At least they would have an excuse for being totally stark slavering buggo.
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Are you seriously trying to make sense of anything she said? You'd have better luck talking with an acid freak burn-out. At least they would have an excuse for being totally stark slavering buggo.
I just thought that I'd try to unravel the fundamental meanings that might underlie the concepts and descriptions that she mentioned in her stinging condemnation of your refusal to acknowledge the existence of a higher authority that might hold you accountable for your cynicism. It wouldn't hurt me to take a stab at attempting to decipher and uncode the basic tenets of her belief system. Unfortunately ,the apparent reluctance that she has thus far demonstrated when it comes to answering the question that I put to her, is a rather discouraging sign for my efforts to delve deep into the core of the spiritual world view that appears to regulate important aspects of her existence.
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I meant someone who is so disconnected with the mana, energy, all around them that they do not have even the slightest inkling of the outer world.
A mother who knows her child is stealing a cookie behind her back is more connected than Kreepy.
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Blind faith, baseless assumptions, general arrogance, etc.
Are you quite finished yet, my dear fitsune?
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Let's get back to the topic of the Threefold Law.
Thanks!
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The Threefold Law doesnt apply to a non-wiccan.
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What you have to understand about the Threefold Law, is that it is NOT a Law in the crime and punishment sense, but in the Metaphysics sense, a scientific Law. It exists, not only in Wicca, and not only in magic, but in the whole of the universe. That the net of the positive and negative energy you send out, even through physical/nonmagical actions, will someday come back to haunt you approximately threefold. Wicca includes it because Wicca is very developed and encompassing, Wicca is a path, a field, all in it's own. Other magical studies may not talk about it, and may not deal with it, but they still have it, and there are kinds of magic specifically for dealing with it.
Kreepy > I would tell you to watch yourself: you're not invincible, and you aren't omnipotent. If you aren't careful, one day, what you send out is going to come back, and you may be thinking "oh, the worst it can do is kill me", but it can do worse to you. You don't want to underestimate the Threefold law, you want to learn to live with it.
and PS: The "and it harm none, do what thou wilt" thing though, that is a Wiccan religious rule, not a law.
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What you have to understand about the Threefold Law, is that it is NOT a Law in the crime and punishment sense, but in the Metaphysics sense, a scientific Law. It exists, not only in Wicca, and not only in magic, but in the whole of the universe. That the net of the positive and negative energy you send out, even through physical/nonmagical actions, will someday come back to haunt you approximately threefold. Wicca includes it because Wicca is very developed and encompassing, Wicca is a path, a field, all in it's own. Other magical studies may not talk about it, and may not deal with it, but they still have it, and there are kinds of magic specifically for dealing with it.
Kreepy > I would tell you to watch yourself: you're not invincible, and you aren't omnipotent. If you aren't careful, one day, what you send out is going to come back, and you may be thinking "oh, the worst it can do is kill me", but it can do worse to you. You don't want to underestimate the Threefold law, you want to learn to live with it.
and PS: The "and it harm none, do what thou wilt" thing though, that is a Wiccan religious rule, not a law.
at the risk of being inflammatory, does the warning of watch yourself JUST apply to Kreep or the mass population of mankind?
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What you have to understand about the Threefold Law, is that it is NOT a Law in the crime and punishment sense, but in the Metaphysics sense, a scientific Law. It exists, not only in Wicca, and not only in magic, but in the whole of the universe.
Alright, well...
I hate to be like this, but if you're going to make a statement like that, then I've got one thing to say to you...
PROVE IT.
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The only problem I see with the Law of Three is the question, "Why do bad things happen to good people?" The Law of Three does not explain this. If someone would care to explain, it'd be nice.
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What you have to understand about the Threefold Law, is that it is NOT a Law in the crime and punishment sense, but in the Metaphysics sense, a scientific Law. It exists, not only in Wicca, and not only in magic, but in the whole of the universe.
Alright, well...
I hate to be like this, but if you're going to make a statement like that, then I've got one thing to say to you...
PROVE IT.
Why? Why should we prove anything to anyone? If you don't like our beliefs, then go somewhere else.
Thank you SherlawkDragon, you summed up my thoughts nicely, I was having trouble expressing myself.
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Why? Why should we prove anything to anyone? If you don't like our beliefs, then go somewhere else.
Oh no, you misunderstand me, dear Fitsune. Beliefs are perfectly hunky-dory. However, to state a personal belief is a scientific Law.
is absolutely idiotic. There is no evidence whatsoever, even in non-scientific circles, that the Law of Three actually exists.
Thank you SherlawkDragon, you summed up my thoughts nicely, I was having trouble expressing myself.
That seems to be a recurring issue with you. Might I suggest refraining from speaking unless you have sorted your thoughts clearly beforehand?
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It would be interesting to look at this principle with the idea of me murdering and eating a human baby.
I mean according to the threefold law that would be pretty bad.
Would the same three fold law apply to a tiger that did the same thing?
What are the mechanics of this law?
I ask that to any one who feels they have an understanding of this principle.
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Humans have departed from our natural station in life and in the process of obtaining the freedom which came with it we became subject to rules which those creatures that remained in their station in life are not bound by. . .
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ok what about cats and dogs?
In fact all animals that have left thier natural station.
Does it apply to them too?
Also at what point of evolution are you fixing the term natural station?
Slime, developing a backbone, crawling out of slime, new methods of reproduction, self reflection, language?
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Humans have departed from our natural station in life and in the process of obtaining the freedom which came with it we became subject to rules which those creatures that remained in their station in life are not bound by. . .
ok what about cats and dogs?
In fact all animals that have left thier natural station.
Does it apply to them too?
Also at what point of evolution are you fixing the term natural station?
Slime, developing a backbone, crawling out of slime, new methods of reproduction, self reflection, language?
I believe she means when we decided to build houses and monoxide churning vehicles. or maybe when we decided that hunting with stone spears was more efficient than getting mauled by an angry mammoth.......
Back to seven:
Hmm? how do you suggest we were able to reach the point where we were able to "leave" our natural station? huh? Wasn't it because good ole' mother earth gave our species so many kicks in the gonads that we turned out like this? Old lady gaia killed off (well we did, but thats more proof that karma/the three fold law does not operate like a mirror) homo erectus and the Neanderthals. why didn't we die? Cause homo sapiens bred like rabbits.
We did not come from knuckle dragging apes as generally believed. In fact, knuckle walking is far more efficient energy wise, in terms of travel. We came form a species that walked around carrying crap(tools) in our hands.
Well....... earlier than most think anyway.
But back to my point. Nature designed us like this. aggressive, intelligent(yes i could argue with this, but that would be counter productive). and cunning.
the best designed predators we were not. but we were very resourceful.
Speak about magic laws all you want, but the fact is. Karma was not and will not be kind to those who think being pacifistic bark chewing nature lovers, who believe that turing back into a monkey is a good idea!
We are what we are. how about instead of believing that we as a society species are flawed when it comes to survival. and start getting their thinking caps on so we can solve the problems we're tackling today!
I for one accept that species die out. But that doesn't mean we should stop trying to prevent ours from being vulnerable to the feeces the jolly green giant throws at us!
I don't think Any nature goddess will be able to end global warming anyway. We need smarts, not prayers.
Note; i am sleep deprived, around 3 days worth. pleas point out the many holes in my logic, and or spelling and i will get around to fixing those eventually. (thius mmeans you KREepy.)
Now off to bed!!!!! :)zzz
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Alright, alright. You're exempt from my horrible and petty habit of being a grammar nazi just this once, because, well...
That post was beautiful, Raz. Absolutely beautiful. Bravo!
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sheesh, I was just answering the question, no need to go about biting my head off. . .
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I think I'll just throw in my two cents into this rather contentious discussion at this juncture.
7VII7 mentioned that the Threefol law only applies to species that have left their ''natural station'' behind as he termed it. However, Raziel in a rather erudite counter-post, noted quite accurately that in order for any species to reach a higher level of existence, it has to be utterly ruthless when it comes to eliminating the competition that poses a threat to its own future survival. Thus, if the Threefold law existed, it would effectively prevent any species from evolving into a more advanced state.
The way I see it, the Threefold law if it indeed does even exist to begin with, only applies to those who belief in its validity and have moreover, regretted some of their own actions as being harmful or immoral, even if these actions in question, have been of immense benefit in the long run. Since such a tendency to consider one's wellfare to be secondary to the wellbeing and success of others is clearly a self-destructive trend of thinking in the long run, these individuals might be sowing the seeds of their own destruction, be it a concious or unconcious act, out of some misplaced sense of guilt. This is probably the most likely manner in which the so-called Threefol law might manifest itself. Hence, the Threefold law is entirely the creation of one's conscience.
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Why the hell didn't i post something that Intelligent? :doh:
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Why the hell didn't i post something that Intelligent? :doh:
Here here!
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Not here. Up there! :banplea:
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Hahaha, oh Raz, man, where do ya get that funny thingies? *<:)
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define a person's soul.
where does it come from, what gives us sentience?
the three fold law as wiccans dramatize it is hooey but i do believe in energy, manipulating it and when it's given form it can become, tangible.
as for why bad things happen to good people, who says they're good, they may seem to demonstrate society's epitome of goodness but who knows what lurks in their thoughts and heart?
as for why it affects some and not others, back to their life...like attracts like and i firmly believe that a non believer fails to generate what's necessary to manifest these experiences in their life...if they have no right or wrong as it's being discussed on a cosmic level, then why should the cosmic judgment affect them?
there's nothing to balance it with unless Abraham's Adonai is indeed the reality, then it's His business to judge not ours, my business is to have faith and listen to Him...so religion is irrelevant, could Osiris judge a non egyptian, do persians go to a greek hell? etc...
if your a bad person, bad things will be drawn around you, if your a good person denying your bad things those bad things are still drawn to the denied Id. (stigmata for a more christian comparison.) but if you're a good soul regardless of what's vexing you, then it can't be very vexing?
life like faith is all about perception from one's "bubble" and their ability to shape and form it, energy charges animation regardless of religious or spiritual belief...the brain itself generates energy(neurons firing) to sustain us...my question is where does that energy come from and why does our ability resonate at a higher function than Darwin's primate distant cousins?
until then it's subject to perception through a person's eyes based on their experiences, science has proven there's energy out there and it can be utilized, but no one knows where it comes from.
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Most magickal systems use the three-fold law. Not just Wicca. In essence it is a way of keeping practitioners from using magick for nefarious purposes since most people are more keen to keep themselves from any negative impact. It works on the premise of like energy attracting like energy. So suffering consequences prior to sending out the energy does not exempt the person from the resulting negative energy. The law does not say that the return energy will be instant or even come soon after just that the energy you send out will find it's way back to the sender. For most Wiccans the law extends beyond magick into everyday life. That being said, magick isn't something to dabble in & can have very serious repercussions.
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First of all, humans never left their natural habitat, like so many other creatures we find or make our own.
The beaver, the hermit crab, and so many others.
Secondly, animals do not give off negative energy, when they kill, it is out of survival. Only humans, and a very few others, have the luxury to be able to -decide- if they -want- to eat a cow for dinner. An animal as oldbill used as an example doesn't, it's either eat that defenseless babe, or starve and let your own babe become an orphan and get eaten in turn. That animal isn't being vicious or sadistic, it is simply trying to survive. It wishes the babe no harm.
-That- is the Three Fold Law, when we are aware that our actions have consequences, but we choose those actions anyway.
Mr. Kreepy's edit: We can have a heated debate without resorting to insults that don't serve to further the discussion. Consider this a warning.
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Most magickal systems use the three-fold law. Not just Wicca.
Please tell me where the Law of Three exists in Vodoun, Chaos magic, Enochian magic, Native American medicine work, the Odinic rune arts, or any of the various other hundreds upon hundreds of magickal systems that are used all over the world.
Secondly, animals do not give off negative energy, when they kill, it is out of survival. Only humans, and a very few others, have the luxury to be able to -decide- if they -want- to eat a cow for dinner. An animal as oldbill used as an example doesn't, it's either eat that defenseless babe, or starve and let your own babe become an orphan and get eaten in turn. That animal isn't being vicious or sadistic, it is simply trying to survive. It wishes the babe no harm.
So if I were to eat an infant simply because I was hungry and it was the closest edible thing I could find, would you consider that an "evil" action? It would be nothing personal, and my intention would be the satiation of my own hunger and not any desire to cause pain to the child. It would be an entirely impersonal, amoral action. Would you still consider that an "evil" thing?
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First, I said MOST not all. Secondly, it may not be the exact letter for letter 3 fold law but many systems & religions do believe that like energy attracts like energy. So, if you are sending positive energy it positive energy will be attracted to you.
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Secondly, it may not be the exact letter for letter 3 fold law but many systems & religions do believe that like energy attracts like energy
While that may true with certain cultures, it is not the case with others. For instance, the Jivaro Indians of South American belief that by slaying a tribal enemy and shrinking his head, they can claim the power of his soul for their own benefit. While there is some possibility of the dead man's soul seeking vegeance against his killers, there is even greater danger in taking mercy upon one's ancestral foes, since doing just that will infuriate a warrior's ancestors who will rain down devastation upon those who refuse to take the lives that they are entitled to. By obeying tribal taboos and taking a head, a Jivaro Indian ensures that good fortune will befall him and his tribe. In this particular case, what you would describe as an act that is simpy brimming with ''negative energy'', seems designed to attract it's starkly opposing quality, which is ''positive energy''.
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I know it isnt the case with all religions or cultures which is why I said MANY and not ALL. The other info was intresting, thanks for adding it.
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You mind giving evidence that it exists anywhere at all outside of Wicca or related belief systems?
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Prayer (which is a form of like energy attracting like energy), believing that if you do good things good things will come to you, karma, reincarnation in some faiths.
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Prayer is getting on your knees and grovelling before a superior so that you can get what you want. Dogs do the same thing, and it has nothing to do with "positive" or "negative" energy.
The Golden Rule only holds up until human nature kicks in and people take advantage of that undeserved kindness. Furthermore, people are generally only kind because they want to benefit and get something in return. Last time I checked, doing good with the expectation of reciprocation isn't selflessness. It's covering your ass. Because of that, it has nothing to do with "positive" energy, since the positive is only given out of purely selfish desires.
Karma is the same as above. Nothing to do with "positive" or "negative". It's just covering your own ass.
As for reincarnation (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reincarnation)...There is no set, singular belief about that, so I hardly think it can even be mentioned here.
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The Three Fold Law is an interpretation, same with Karma, and any other "idea" that trys to explain the naturual balanced chaotic way things are. The universe is a large place, that much is obvious, but there is a flow or a equilibrium. For example, the natural laws say that there is always a reaction to a action. A ball of hydrogen will most likely due to its makeup catch fire and burn anything around it. Including what started the flame. It holds true in everything wether it be scientifical or ethereal. Nature is what I like to call, Chaotic Neutral. It has a balance and will weigh things out in it's own time.