The working of magick, or indeed any undertaking that has the potential to effect other people, comes with certain responsibilities; ethical questions you must ask yourself before you begin. Is there any way what I am about to do could be construed as a negative act? Is there the potential to do harm to a person or other living thing by making my goal manifest? Even if you are working healing magick, you must, if at all possible, get the individual's permission first. To do otherwise -- even for a good cause -- is to interfere with their free will, and that, in itself, is negative.
Most people would not think that a simple prayer said in church could have the potential for harm. Prayers are supposed to be good. You're supposed to pray; at least that's what we were told in Sunday School (for those of us who went). But praying is, essentially, magick in its simplest form. A goal is given power by our thoughts and desires and offered up to a greater being to help carry it out to manifestation. What is this if not magick?
Pray to God to punish the thief who stole your car and you are working negative magick against another living being. Whether or not he deserves it is not for you to decide. You can say "But the decision to punish is ultimately left up to God...". Yes and no. You are giving away the decision to punish or not to punish, but with that you are also giving your wish to see that person punished. Wishes are powerful. With power comes the need for accountability. And if you believe, as we do, that Gods and Goddesses take on the aspects we give them (see What Is a God?), then the need to stop and think hard about what you are about to do is even greater.
Any magick that you send out has your psychic fingerprint on it. While it works to manifest, it gathers energy. What is not used manifests in a different form, positive or negative, depending on its origin, and is returned to you. Send out healing energies to someone who accepts your prayers and what can not be used by that person will return to you in another form. That form could be something as simple as a stranger giving you a flower, or paying your way through the toll booth, or something as long lasting as that raise you've been wanting. Work negative magick against someone and that returning form could be the loss of your job, damaged property, or just plain bad luck.
To that end, we Wiccans have the Rede: "An' it harm none, do what thou wilt." I do not know of any Wiccan who is not familiar with that phrase. In addition, all Wiccans -- and many who have never heard of Wicca -- believe in the Law of Three. Anyone who claims to be Wiccan, yet tells you it's okay to hex someone who really deserves it is lying about being Wiccan. A true Wiccan who has thought hard about her stolen car and what to do about it will not cast a spell against the thief for punishment; the Law of Three already takes care of him. Rather, she will work magick to either get her car back whole or to receive adequate compensation for the car so that she may buy a new one. Let the magick itself make the decision how the goal is to manifest.
I will now discuss just what the Laws are and how, by heeding them, they can help keep you on the straight and narrow path to good, positive magick.
The Wiccan rede is first and last
Into the Future, from the Past
The Wiccan Rede, I say again,
Equal goes for mice and men
Obey this Law and be free from guilt:
"An' it harm None, do what thou wilt."
"An' it harm none." An' is an archaic form of "if". Wilt, of course, is will. If it harms none, do what you will. Easier said than done, when you consider 'harm none' means not only another person or being, but yourself as well. Wiccans believe that everything in the universe is inextricably connected to everything else. To harm one is to ultimately harm all. Like the butterfly that flaps it wings in China thereby making it rain in New York, it is impossible to tell how your actions may effect the universe for future generations. Play it safe and think about the consequences before you act.
Ever mind the Rule of Three
Three times what you give Returns to thee
This lesson well must you learn
You only get what you doth earn.
Before any undertaking remember the Law of Three. Any energy you expend or intent you send out will return in kind to you threefold. Therefore, abide the Rede and send out only good and healing energies (or at the very worst, neutral) to ensure that only good will come back to you.
By Rule of Three and Wiccan Rede
Another's Free Will do not impede
'Harm none' is wisdom from the sage
Lest your own free will become encaged
Trying to force someone to do anything interferes with their free will and goes against the Wiccan Rede. This is especially true with magick, when the forces you are working with are as large as the universe -- and as unpredictable if used unwisely. Even healing magick, when cast without permission, can have negative effects if the target is unwilling to accept your help. The energy will ricochet off the unwilling recipient and return back to you threefold.
So what's wrong with three times the healing energy swimming around? This is a direct magickal backlash. I refer you to the section on Successful Magick wherein is mentioned some of the possible consequences for having wild magick lingering about. There's the difference: Unaccepted or undeserved magick, as well as poorly directed magick, results in backlash. Magick that's accepted or deserved works what it can, then the leftovers manifest in different ways to return to you, positively or negatively.
It's up to you to decide whether to work positive or negative magick. Nobody else can make the choice for you. Be a smart magickian. Think before you cast. The trouble you save could be your own.
The key to working magick is defined by three steps. Research, Preparation and Visualization. You can have all the necessary herbs, candles, incense, elements, pick the right moon phase, day, hour and deity-helper, but if you do not have a clear, concise image in your mind of what you want accomplished and how you're going to accomplish it, all those tools won't do you a lick of good. Without direction and a clear idea of how to get there, your magick will founder, confused, and either burn itself out and accomplish nothing, or more likely hang around the source (you!) and interfere with the energy flows in your area. This latter can result in magickal backlash that may manifest in several ways: you (and the people or animals that live with you) may feel listless and drained, on edge, short of temper, nervous, or develop headaches or other physical ailments.
If, in the days following your magickal working, you develop any of the above symptoms or experience anything else unusual or out-of-the-ordinary, the best thing you can do is a thorough house and aura cleansing (see The Book of Shadows for more information on how to do this). Of course, as the old adage says, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Prevent magical backlash by practicing visualization so that when the time for your magickal work comes, there will be no question as to whether your spell is going to go out and do its work or hang around the house and cause trouble.
The essence of Successful Visualization is in the way you visualize your goal. Again, pay attention to the three steps. Know what you want accomplished (research), know how you're going to make it happen (preparation), and then visualize. But don't visualize the getting there; that all should be worked out beforehand. Instead, visualize it done and accomplished.
Now, with that in mind, look around at the various places with positions open similar to the kind you're interested in. Examine them with a critical eye. Visit on Monday morning, Friday afternoon, Wednesday in the middle of the day. Are the employees pleasant and positive, or do they seem harried and rushed? Ask them what they like best and least about their job. Speak with the manager or owner. Is she open and willing to discuss the business, or is she too busy to see you? How are they all dressed? Comfortable business-casual? Jeans? Or is everyone required to wear shirt and tie or a uniform? Think about how you would feel dressing as they do every day for work. When you have 5 or 6 places picked out, take the next step.
I once interviewed with a man who actually came out and asked if I was married or had any children. Besides being an illegal question to ask in the United States, I was momentarily dumbfounded. The manager was not born in the U. S., so I thought that perhaps he wasn't aware of the laws regarding discriminatory questions. I informed him that was an illegal question, that he really had no right to ask it. He explained that his concern was that I would take personal phone calls during work time or not be available to work because of family matters. The whole conversation could have been avoided if I had thought ahead to what I would say if confronted with questions like this. I managed to avoid answering the question directly, so he did not have the information that could have been used to discriminate against me. My answer, eventually, was something along the lines of, "My personal life will not interfere with my job duties."