{"id":938,"date":"2017-11-10T10:21:07","date_gmt":"2017-11-10T18:21:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/tempest\/?p=938"},"modified":"2017-11-14T08:01:37","modified_gmt":"2017-11-14T16:01:37","slug":"friendly-fire-witchcraft","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tempest\/2017\/11\/friendly-fire-witchcraft.html","title":{"rendered":"Friendly Fire & Witchcraft"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

\"friendlyn-banner\"If given the option of making crappy tasting cookies that take only\u00a020 minutes to make, and making the world\u2019s most amazing-tasting cookies that take two hours (and you have all the of ingredients for both) \u2013 what would you choose?<\/p>\n

What is the better investment of your time and energy?\u00a0 Which makes you feel better in the end?\u00a0 The amazing-tasting cookies right?\u00a0 Yet so many folks are more likely to choose poorly and make crappy cookies instead.\u00a0 Because they\u2019re faster and take less time.\u00a0 You could reason: \u201cI just wanted something sugary to eat \u2013 it didn\u2019t really matter how it tasted. I was hungry!\u201d<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s add another layer to it \u2013 let\u2019s say you were making those cookies for an event that involved peers, coworkers, or family.\u00a0 Which cookies are you going to make then? Probably the latter, because you want to make something people will enjoy, and may impress folks too.\u00a0 You don\u2019t want to be known as the infamous person who made the crappy cookies. No, you\u2019d probably prefer to be appreciated for good work instead.<\/p>\n

Yes, folks, once again it\u2019s time to equate Witchcraft with cookies<\/a>.\u00a0<\/strong> And we\u2019re continuing along with the communication and energy themes of the last two posts:\u00a0Spell of Communication<\/a> and Talking With Hekate<\/a>\u00a0\u2013 if you haven\u2019t read those, click on them for later reading!<\/em><\/p>\n

Now let\u2019s switch out our cookie metaphor for something more witchy.<\/p>\n

If given the option between acting out (magically, verbally, or otherwise) against someone you know in your microcosm that will make you feel instantly vindicated \u2013 and doing a prolonged working to cause significant change against a larger defined \u201cenemy\u201d or creates a greater good that is harder to define in the macrocosm \u2013 what would you choose?<\/p>\n

Most folks would like to think they would choose the latter, but often lend their energy instead to the former.\u00a0 It\u2019s easier to lash out against friends, familiar faces, and people who may be otherwise inside our circle, but are designated as other. Why? Because it\u2019s immediate gratification, despite the damage it causes. It may seem easy to get away with \u2013 especially with folks who know you right? They\u2019ll probably forgive you right? But when you release that kind of energy in relatively close quarters, it\u2019s essentially friendly fire.<\/p>\n

Google defines friendly fire as \u201cweapon fire coming from one\u2019s own side, especially fire that causes accidental injury or death to one\u2019s own forces.\u201d\u00a0 \u00a0<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Don\u2019t care for the weapons comparison?\u00a0 Imagine saying you\u2019re going to do a controlled burn outside, but end up instead setting an explosive fire in a small closed fireplace with the doors locked because you\u2019re pissed at someone in the room.\u00a0 Everyone present gets suffocated by the smoke, and while you may have enjoyed setting the fire \u2013 your supposed goal is not accomplished.\u00a0 Plus you\u2019re angry because now you can\u2019t breathe like you could before. Doesn\u2019t matter if you were \u201cjust kidding\u201d \u2013 which is always a bullshit excuse to avoid saying \u201cI\u2019m sorry, I screwed up.\u201d\u00a0 Sure sounds rather stupid when put that way, doesn\u2019t it?\"friendlyfire\"<\/p>\n

Most of the witch wars and other crap I see doesn\u2019t come from people who\u00a0are complete strangers. \u00a0No, rather they\u2019re often quite familiar, or fairly adjacent in some way thanks to Kevin Bacon<\/a>. Perhaps it\u2019s an example of familiarity breeding contempt.\u00a0 Or big Witch in a small cauldron \u2013 someone needing to feel powerful or recognized to counteract their own insecurities. Whether it\u2019s dissing other traditions and paths in a game of better than\/less than, or personal attacks from integrity to body and age, it\u2019s amazing how much\u00a0energy some people put into their efforts.\u00a0 Or nit-picking something to death because it doesn\u2019t exactly fit you, though it certainly works for others \u2013 it serves little functional purpose. It\u2019s like everything is magnified to the microscopic level and the bigger picture is obliterated.\u00a0It\u2019s a display of exaggerated aggression, about as satisfying as crappy cookies.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s such a waste of energy when there are bigger fish to fry.\u00a0 There is not one way to see, work, or worship deities, nor is there one way to do ritual, magick, or divination.\u00a0 Education in the craft takes a variety of forms, and the people who follow this path are amazingly diverse in background and belief. Of course we\u2019re not going to all get along.\u00a0 We are not going to agree on everything, and I\u2019m not saying we should.\u00a0 Heck, one of my favorite regular local events is a monthly occult drinking night: booze + debating and discussing esoteric things is a lot of fun.\u00a0 But the root of that is sharing ideas, not shutting other people down, bullying, or arguing.<\/p>\n

As Witches, we have our hands on the threads \u2013 we are weaving the past, present, and future.\u00a0 If we get too caught up in the thread \u2013 knotting it needlessly or trying to cut adjacent threads, it screws up the pattern.\u00a0 It\u2019s a challenge to balance detail with the overall image.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s the overall image? It\u2019s the Tapestry of Life.\u00a0 It is all of our beginnings and endings. It\u2019s what we do to create beauty in the face of destruction, to reconnect ourselves with this planet, with each other, with the universe.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s easier to do that when we\u2019re not playing with friendly fire \u2013 when we unite instead to focus our attention towards the bigger idea.\u00a0 Or if antagonism suits you better<\/strong>, to join together against a larger common enemy. Who or what is the common enemy? It\u2019s ignorance, hate, and lack of compassion. That there is only one solution, one way, or a superior anything.<\/p>\n

To be exceedingly clear, I\u2019m NOT saying don\u2019t hex, curse, or bind.\u00a0 <\/a>If you have been reading this blog for longer than a hot minute, you will know I\u2019m not against \u201cbaneful magick\u201d<\/a> \u2013 I\u2019m a fan.\u00a0 Nor is this about worrying about what other people think.<\/p>\n

Rather, I\u2019m saying to consider using your time and energy to make it count, where it counts most.\u00a0 It\u2019s better for you, it\u2019s better for the bigger picture. And it follows my three rules.\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n

Be a smart Witch \u2013 and most importantly, be an effective Witch.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

If given the option between acting out (magically, verbally, or otherwise) against someone you know in your microcosm that will make you feel instantly vindicated – and doing a prolonged working to cause significant change against a larger defined “enemy” or creates a greater good that is harder to define in the macrocosm – what would you choose?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2676,"featured_media":949,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15,12],"tags":[182,201,179,389,156,388,194,387,7,4],"class_list":["post-938","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-metaphysics","category-modernpractice","tag-binding","tag-cookies","tag-cursing","tag-dont-be-a-dick","tag-ethics","tag-friendly-fire","tag-hexing","tag-morality","tag-witch","tag-witchcraft"],"yoast_head":"\nFriendly Fire & Witchcraft<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"If given the option between acting out (magically, verbally, or otherwise) against someone you know in your microcosm that will make you feel instantly vindicated - 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