On The Ethics Of Cursing

On The Ethics of Cursing

I somehow STILL see people curse shaming and I figured I’d put in my two cents on the matter. People act as if there is some sort of moral ambiguity in cursing, and while this may be true, I think it is still a bit more clear-cut than we give it credit for. If you’re a curse-shamer or are against anybody cursing for any reason, I invite you to read this massive post I churned out just for you. It’s not mean. I promise.

Cursing (as well as hexing and jinxing, but for now I’m lumping it all into curses for the sake of conversation) is a wide spectrum, but for now let’s make it two categories: mild and severe. Mild cursing is little stuff like “may your grocery bags rip open” and severe is stuff that is potentially life-affecting and what curse-shamers immediately jump to.

Mild curses are like a spray bottle full of water. The target is like a cat. If your cat keeps trying to sharpen its claws on the leg of your fancy couch, you’re going to spray it with the water. It’s not exactly pleasant for the cat, but it’s not harmful either. It’s just enough to throw off its groove in order to teach it a lesson. If it happens repeatedly, the cat might even learn that the couch is off limits for scratching.

What you would not do is shrug, “forgive and forget,” and ignore the behavior as the leg of your fancy couch slowly turns to cornmeal. If somebody is mean or rude to you, and talking won’t work (cats don’t speak English and humans are often unwilling to listen no matter the language) then what is there left to do? This is behavior that can not continue. Time to get the spray bottle.

“But what about severe curses? Certainly there is no ethical time to use that!” you cry. But wait! There’s more! :D

Severe cursing is more like a tranquilizer dart. It has one purpose: to take somebody out as quickly as possible. If you hit a cat with a tranquilizer dart for scratching the couch, then yes, you’re a douchebag (and shouldn’t own a cat… or tranquilizer darts.) But tranquilizer darts aren’t for domestic house pets. They’re for wild animals. Imagine for me now a tiger. It’s a carnivorous beast that could easily overpower you if it was hungry. It’s someone in your life who means DANGER. They could be an abuser, or a con artist, or someone who is bigoted to the point of violence. This person in your life is bad news, and often has the same immediate risk as a hungry tiger that’s taken up residence in your house. You don’t want to be the next meal, and this tiger needs to stop trying to eat you and your friends. The spray bottle won’t help you now. You need the tranquilizer dart.

At this point, I would actually argue cursing someone who is a danger to society is actually more ethically responsible than not doing so, especially if this person is an abuser who is likely to claim more victims. This is someone who needs to be stopped. You wouldn’t just let a tiger run amok and eat other people.

Time for the FAQ’s:

“But couldn’t you just take legal action?“

Maybe, sometimes. But legal action is very expensive and slow-moving. Many people can’t afford to do that. Not to mention, with cases of abuse and other crimes, the likelihood this person will be found guilty or serve jail time is slim. You may not have enough solid evidence to hold yourself up in court. Sometimes, the person wasn’t actually breaking the law but is still extremely shitty. If you CAN take someone to court definitely do, but a lot of the time it just isn’t an option.

“Just fight them!”

Haha, no thanks. I’m not interested in getting arrested for assault. Also I weigh 120lbs and couldn’t fight to save my life, and I don’t even have a physical disability. If you’re already at the point where you’re ready to punch someone out, then why are you even against cursing?

“What about karma/ the threefold law?”

First of all, not everybody who uses magic believes in the threefold law, so it’s not a solid argument. (If it were, then none of us would be doing magic at all because apparently we’re all going straight to hell.) But let’s say someone does believe in it. When you curse someone who really deserves it, you are acting as their karma. If you tranquilize a loose tiger, are you really doing something despicable that’s worthy of holy retribution? Certainly the tiger isn’t happy at all, but all the people he didn’t eat might be. When you are driven to curse someone, you are simply the agent of their karma. Everyone can stop with the threefold fear-mongering now.

“What if the person doesn’t deserve the curse?”

It is not your place to make that decision for someone else.

“I prefer to just forgive and forget, to protect myself and move on. I would never hurt someone intentionally no matter the reason!”

You don’t have to curse if you don’t want to. As of writing this, I have never actually cursed anyone (but believe me, I’ve considered it.) If that works for you, do it! However, there are other situations where “forgiving and forgetting” is not an option and action must be taken. YOU SHOULD NEVER FEEL OBLIGATED TO FORGIVE AN ABUSER, and I feel like a lot of curse-shaming tends to suggest people should. That’s very icky to me.

“Why can’t witchcraft just be pleasant and pretty again?”

You clearly have a fundamental misunderstanding of the origin of witchcraft. Witchcraft has never once in its history been portrayed as overall pleasant and happy. That’s incredibly new and still isn’t a mainstream idea. Cursing is here to stay, and it’s been a part of witchcraft much longer than you.

“I can’t think of a situation that would ever warrant cursing! How can they?”

Because they have a different life experience than you and have been through things you may have not. It’s nobody’s place to judge how someone deals with things.

“Wouldn’t they be a menace themselves if they just cursed everyone?”

Nobody is going around cursing literally everyone. But if they did, they would be a jerk. I’ll give you that. But that’s the fault of the individual, not cursing.

“We already have a bad enough reputation as witches without cursing!”

Correct. Which is exactly why we shouldn’t give a shit what non-witches think. They’re going to dislike witchcraft no matter what, right?

If anybody has further questions, my inbox is always open to discuss.

Introduction to Moon Magick Class Summary

Recently I attended a class at my local Metaphysical Shop, The IIISuns. It was all about the Moon, It’s phases, And how to incorporate them into your craft. 

Here’s what I learned 

The Instructor, “The LoonWitch” started of the class with telling us why the moon was so important. As we all know, The Moon controls the tides of the ocean, Right? Well the moon also has an impact on our body’s because we are also water. Like the tides, The moon pushes and pulls us. It can drastically effect our magic. 

She also emphasized that we should make the moon personal to us. It doesn’t have to be a feminine energy by default. It can be masculine, Or genderless.

Depending on which Phase of the Moon we are in, It “sheds light” or can “illuminate different things” or energys.  

[NOTE: Waxing means Expanding, or growing in illumination, And Waning would be decreasing in illumination) 

1. New Moon:  The New moon calls for a time of beginning,  fresh starts, optimism, hope and faith. It is when you would want to organize, And prepare your spells. 

2. Waxing Crescent: Manifestation,  Building, accomplishments, creativity, strength, growth and learning, positive transformation. As the Moon begins to illuminate, so does your spell. 

3. First Quarter: The time of light, and dark. Balance. Decision making, and inviting new positive energy. 

4. Waxing Gibbous. It’s about perfection. Getting things done, making room for positivity and attraction.  

5. Full Moon: This is when the moon is most powerful, It is fully illuminated. It’s a time of completion,  Abundance, harvest, and wish-fulfillment.

6. Waning Gibbous: is about reassessment, Letting go, clearing away, cleansing, releasing, undoing bindings, opening up, Making amends, and making space. 

7. Last Quarter: Banishment. As light leaves the moon it is also banishing, and letting go of bad habits, and negativity. 

8. Waning Crescent: Also called the “Justice” moon. It is about achievement,   Rest, Peace, deep wisdom, and completion. 

I was thinking about making a rainbow spread based on the pride flag colours, but Interrobang Tarot beat me to it! Not only that, it's part of a free e-book with seven queer inspired spreads! Go check it out

Out of curiosity... if not energy and intent, how do you think magic works?

I don’t know and I don’t really care to know. I just collect items and symbols and adjust as needed like I’m cooking to nudge things to a desired outcome. Sometimes spells tell me how to change them mid-spell. I’m agnostic, but a soft animist. I think we all live in carefully constructed realities that we may not even understand how we construct them. Our upbringing, our beliefs, or relationships with others all offer us different variables. Some of these are more vulnerable than others to change or be nudged. Then there are overarching structures to keep in mind like capitalism and racism and abelism and misogyny that we have little control over in large scale but can create spaces and little pockets where the pressure is less, where we can be just a bit more free, a bit more us. For some people, that’s enough to keep them safe or sane and I honor those space.

School Witchery

Magic resources for all my student witches out there! Remember, magic isn’t going to save your grades if you don’t also put the effort in. But it can certainly support you through your journey as a hardworking student <3

General tips and advice:

To the witches who are going back to school

Back to school witch tips / more!

Some things to do as a student witch

High school witch tips

Crystals to help with school

University/college witch tips

Tips for witches in college

Everything you need to know about being a college witch

College witchcraft

College witch tips

Dorm life:

Dorm room witch tips

Dorm witchery

Moving into a dorm: the witchy way

Kitchen witchcraft for the dorm

Green witchcraft for the dorm

Discreet dorm-friendly magic

Bedridden witch: discreet edition

Alternatives for college witches

Candle/incense alternatives: [X] [X] [X]

Flameless hearths and devotions

Studying:

Study candle spell

Study sachet

Spell for focus on homework

A candle spell for focus and self-discipline

Study, study spell

Stay strong and carry on study spell

Studying spell bottle

Back in focus spell bottle

How to study magically

Memory charm

Magic memory aid

Tests and exams:

Cramming for a test spell

A charm to help you succeed on exams

Good luck charm for exam taking

Using sigils on your tests (tip)

Sigils masterpost for finals week

SAT’s sigil

A spell for finals week

Final exam spell

Final exam pencil charm

Other spells:

Back to school success sachet

School success sachet spell

School charm bag

Help me succeed candle spell

Confidence/good luck spell bottle

Push of productivity spell jar

Spell to banish anxiety and get a good mark

Spells for back to school (masterpost)

Sigils for school, study and education (masterpost)

You may also like:

Magic to Replenish Energy 

Rejuvenating witchcraft 

Housewarming magic (dorm)

Sick witchery 

Periods suck. Witchcraft helps.

Mentally ill witchcraft: For your symptoms

Chronically ill witchcraft: For your symptoms

Drink Magic Masterpost 

Bath Magic Masterpost 

Bedridden witch series

Updated July of 2022, please inform me of broken links via askbox!

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