"Black" and "White" Magic

So...... I have seen a lot of comments and questions in discussion, chat, and blogs on several sites pertaining to "black" and "white" magic. I have seen newbies ask whether they should avoid books because they contain "black magic" and seen members refer to themselves and "white witches."

Black magic does not exist, neither does white. Nor does green, or blue, or any other color you can imagine. Magic is magic. It's really that simple. I understand that some people utilize these terms to seperate what they consider harmful magic from benign magic. However, I do not believe the two can be seperated. All magic has the potentiality for harm.

Now, I know that some will say, "But it's your intent that really matters." However, any spell or magic can cause unintentional harm. Say you cast a spell to help a friend escape an abusive relationship, and then the abuser is killed in a car wreck, was your spell white or black?? Or maybe somewhere in between??

In addition, "harm" or "bad" are subjective. Completely subjective. What one person considers "bad" may be a wonderful thing for another person. So, who decides which consequences are "good" and which are "bad" and thus what magic is "black" and what magic is "white" ??? Without drawing clear lines with dogma, this task is impossible.

Some of you will say, "But there are books on Black and White Magic!" And I hope these people will realize that the title of a book is a marketing tool. "Black Magic" books are written and marketed inorder to appeal to a particular audience, as are "White Magic" books. In addition, in my opinion, you should never avoid a book or a topic because it makes you uneasy or frightens you. The only way to fight fear is with knowledge.

There is no "black magic." There is no "white magic." I wonder how everyone else feels??

Tags: black, green, magic, white, witch

0 members like this

Next Post >

Add a Comment

You need to be a member of RealPagan- Paganism for the Real World to add comments!

Join RealPagan- Paganism for the Real World

Comment by Guinevere on November 15, 2010 at 14:19: LOL... I had to read a few times over to get it. My brain has been turned on "french" for the past few weeks.

I see what you mean for the Green Witchcraft/Earth Magic, it makes total sense.

For the positive/negative energies, it's like 2 sides of the same coin if I understand correctly. A thunderstorm can be a blessing when rain is needed but also devastating when lightning strikes and lights wildfires.

So like in your example of the abusive person getting in the car wreck, you would just say that it was magic plain and simple. You did not necessarily mean to harm that person but that might have been the only possible outcome in order for your friend to be safe. But it doesn't make the magic black or white or grey or fluorescent pink.

I think I get it now :D

Thanks for the post and answer. And I do agree that "green" is a great marketing tool but for the most part, I think that it's a positive one if it can get people on the "taking care of the the Earth" band wagon :)

Blessed Be

Comment by Strata on November 14, 2010 at 21:42: Green Witchcraft is a *bit* of an exception, but only because the title is used in a different way. It i not used to describe a outcome or an intent of magic, but the type of magic used. In that is it primarily Earth magic. The title Green Magic is used in the same way that Green Energy is. It is used to denote "natural." Whereas "Black" and "White" are used to denote the outcome or intent of magic, i.e. negative or positive. Green Witchcraft can be both, just as ALL magic can be both. Is it a simply a craft label or a marketing tool? I would say both. It can be used validly to define a type of practice, absolutely. And it is also a clever marketing tool in a society were "Green" has become a buzz word. If you are interested in "Green Witchcraft," I suggest you also check out Earth Magic.

As far as negative and positive energies. I don't think there are acutally "agressive" or "protective" energies you draw on. I use the same energy for all magic, despite the intent. If these energies did exist, intent would be less important because these energies would inherently fulfill a predetermined purpose. There would be no unintended consequences if, for example, "possitive" energy could be drawn on to affect a possitive outcome. Does that make sense?

Comment by Guinevere on November 14, 2010 at 17:19: Merry Meet Strata,

I understand what you are saying. Magic is magic, plain and simple.

I think that people use "labels" to explain the type of energy used in the work they do (negative, violent, agressive = black vs positive, healing, protective = white). That's the image I would get if someone told me they practiced "white" or "black" magic.

The reason I'm posting is that I wonder what you think of "Green Witchcraft". I've been reading a bit about it and it does connect very much with me. There's a lot of work with plants and herbs and the natural environment. Do you think it is a label to help people understand a bit about how you practice your Craft or is it just a marketing ploy?

Blessed Be