The Threefold Law

& how *not to hex

I often hear spiritual folks talk about hexing their ex or covering their landlord in a curse for reparation. Cue Taylor Swift’s “Karma is a bitch”.

I’m all for justice and people getting what’s due but it’s important we have informed consent about sending negative vibes.

A quintessential part of Magick practice is the threefold law. Basically that whatever energy we put out into the world will be returned to us threefold - for better or for worse. 

So if you’re hexing your ex, you’re creating space for the intensity of that negative energy to return to you three times over. Ouch.

What I do instead is say something like, "may what you give be returned three times over". I am simply stating a cosmic fact (perhaps - ahem - speeding along the process) but I am not getting my energy entwined with theirs through anger. A friend of mine says something similar, "I hope you have as good of a day as you are". Depending on the person, it is a threat or an invitation. 

• Just to make it extra clear, the threefold law isn’t applicable to trauma. Not all of our experiences are karma and trauma isn’t a punishment for past actions. Trauma shouldn’t happen to anyone and any spirituality that correlates trauma as punishment isn’t it. Steer clear.

Quite simply, it's the concept of cause and effect. When crafting a spell, any competent magic worker is going to stop and think about the end results of the working. If the possible ramifications of one's actions will likely be negative, that may make us stop to say, "Hey, maybe I better rethink this a bit."

Although the Law of Three sounds prohibitive, many Wiccans, and other Pagans, see it instead as a useful standard to live by. It allows one to set boundaries for oneself by saying, "Am I prepared to accept the consequences–be they good or bad–for my deeds, both magical and mundane?"

As to why the number three–well, why not? Three is known as a magical number. And really, when it comes to paybacks, the idea of "three times revisited" is fairly ambiguous. If you whack someone in the nose, does it mean you'll get your own nose punched three times? No, but it could mean you'll show up at work, your boss will have heard about you bopping someone's schnoz, and now you're fired because your employer won't tolerate brawlers–certainly this is a fate which could be, to some, considered "three times worse" than getting hit in the nose.

Some use a different interpretation of the Law of Three, but still maintain that it prevents irresponsible behavior. One of the most sensible interpretations of the Rule of Three is one that states, quite simply, that your actions effect you on three separate levels: physical, emotional, and spiritual. This means that before you act, you need to consider how your deeds will impact your body, your mind and your soul. Not a bad way to look at things, really.

For an ethical magick practitioner, sending curses is nonsensical because you are inviting that negative energy back to you three times over. We send mini-curses all the time when we wish ill of the person who cut us off in traffic, or invite misfortune to our ex-lover for how they wronged us. These mini-curses are "off the cuff" with cosmic consequences. 

Magick also isn't just love and light either - people still cut witches off in traffic. Exes treat us badly and landlords take more than they need. We also just don't have to attach your energetic signature to it or have the hex coming back to you. Since our words are spells (as in - spelling), and spells have our energy attached to them, be conscious of the words you say - to both yourself and other people.

The most effective magick if you want someone to feel the sting isn’t a curse. The most effective magick if you want someone to feel the sting is to BLESS EVERYONE AROUND THEM. This way, you’re not only protecting YOUR energy from being entangled, you’re also inviting all those blessings back three times over AND you can rest well knowing the person who wronged you is turning around in circles trying to figure out how everyone is moving onward and upward except for them.

The best revenge is massive success - Frank Sinatra

All this to say, take magick seriously. Be intentional in word and thought. Expect the best and prepare for the worst. Don’t bother getting your energy tied up in someone else’s negativity - trust that the threefold law works for them too. It does. Every time.

If your energy has been entangled (accidentally) through these “off the cuff” curses, you can use this soul tie removal meditation to release what doesn’t belong to you and what no longer serves you.

If you know someone who would benefit from Sanctuary posts, there’s many ways to pass along the good vibes!