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6 Minutes of Witchcraft: Rethinking the Threefold Law

6 Minutes of Witchcraft: Rethinking the Threefold Law

Last updated on: July 23, 2019 at 6:17 am by Laura Tempest Zakroff

6 Minutes of Witchcraft: Rethinking the Threefold Law 2019-07-23T06:17:23-08:00 Laura Tempest Zakroff

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The following is something I’ve been chomping at the bit to share with y’all, but I knew I had to get some of the UK posts cleared out first. (And there’s still more of those to come.)

I know, I know, how many times we can talk about the “Threefold Law” right? But yet, this is a whole new way of looking at the lore of it – that makes it applicable in more meaningful ways that can help anyone wit their path. AND there’s so much more I want to talk about than what I can cover in just a little video. So below is the video, notes directly from the video, and then a few more thoughts.

First, here’s the video:

Next, the video notes:
Behold my extreme dorkness because I am so excited to share with you my theory on the threefold law. There is SO MUCH more I’m going to go into detail about in my next book, but I wanted to at least introduce the concept because I think it’s rather revolutionary and game-changing in how we should look at our paths, especially when we keep in mind that the FULL rede is a collection of lore, wisdom, and general advice. It is not a set of rules, but rather guidelines about how to get more out of your practice. So from that perspective, and stepping away from concepts that were affixed to it in the 80’s and 90’s, we get an entirely new way of thinking about it – that has nothing to do with “karma” or punishment, but rather direction. I didn’t even begin to delve into the magical/mystical math behind it!

– At around 3:40, I MEANT to say “the answer is no”, not “the question is no.” Oops. Over-excited Witch is over-excited.

– Rede of the Wiccae on amazon & correction: the team behind this book is associated with The Witch’s Almanac, but the book is currently distributed through Red Wheel/Weiser

– But THIS book you can get directly from TWA: Keepers of the Flame (more about Lady Gwen and other traditions)

– Page 18 in Buckland’s Blue Book there is a section called “Retribution” and he specifically says “threefold retribution” and also says if you do good/evil it will come back to you three times. But he also says “of course, it is not a literal threefold return.” You put a whole lot of looking at retribution and also bring in the word return, and there you go – it’s natural that they get linked.

– John J. Coughlin’s research into where the Threefold Law of Return came from (that points largely to Buckland), which I was thrilled to come across when doing my own research following my hunch – and I don’t even think I touched on it in this particular recording, though I did it the earlier dry-runs. Derp.

– Amber K kindly confirmed the 8-line version I read here is one she crafted. She shared with me an earlier version that I’m researching the source – the line difference is: “Lest in thy self-defense it be, Ever mind the Rule of Three.” I have some more theories about this, but I’ll do the research before I share them. Witchcraft research is best research!And my thanks to Mat Auryn and Robert Mathiesen for helping to point the way to Amber’s version of the Rede.

But wait, there’s more….

Three together – at the Victoria Albert Museum

Additional Thoughts
I can’t stress enough, there is so much more to dive into here and I think it can profoundly affect how folks look at their practice. It means looking at our paths in a proactive manner vs. only a reactive one. If we are looking beyond just solving the current problem, gazing into the future, we can shift our mentality and allow for more compassion as well. We are able to see and weave the threads more effectively.

I meant (in the video) to also connect “mind, body, spirit” with the three ways our actions affect ourselves – three times bad, three times good. It’s not multiplying our actions, but rather understanding that not only does every action have possible negative/positive effects/consequences, but they’re happening on MULTIPLE levels. Applicable through the threefold soul/spirit concept – we should be considering our whole selves in the equation.

So not only is taking the full perspective of past/present/future being addressed here, but a more wholistic approach to looking at ourselves and our environment – as we practice our path. Definitely makes a LOT more sense than a system of retribution when you examine the entire rede as a set of folkloric guidelines.

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