The Laws

Yes, there are laws in witchcraft. Not that “threefold” thing. That’s Wiccan, Wiccan only, and not even all of them. Some day I might even tackle how that happened, but this is not that day.

No, today I’m going to talk about those layers I mentioned. Y’know, layers. Like an onion.

Layering, much like onion, can give flavor and a little kick to your spellwork. It makes it yours, makes it unique, and covers more bases. Because as much as knowing what you want from it, and setting those intentions is absolutely necessary, layering just makes it that much better.

Unfortunately, because witchcraft, spellwork, and all kinds of magick in general, is largely self-taught, even the most practiced of practitioners will miss things in their studies. For instance, I’ve known many avowed Wiccans who had no idea who Aradia is supposed to have been, and never read about the roots of Wicca. Granted, it has changed a lot even just in my own lifetime, but it seems like now people just go straight to Llewellyn books or the latest Witchtok craze for their knowledge. Which is fine, you’ll make it, but if you want more, stay tuned.

The Laws I’m talking about here were first formulated only about a hundred years ago or so. I don’t remember who penned it first, but I came in contact with it through James Frazer’s The Golden Bough. Seems like this volume is out of vogue these days, and I can’t say I blame anyone for skipping it. But you’re missing some absolute gems. The Laws have been modified and added to over the years, so we’ve got a more comprehensive set of additional layers for our use.

I’m going to start here with one that’s likely the most obvious, and you’re probably more than adequately familiar with the concept. The Law of Similarity.

This is the basis for why most statues not only represent gods/goddesses, but are used as gods/goddesses in worship. Why symbols for peace represent peace. The color green is used for prosperity magic sometimes because, well, money is green, at least in the States. In a different time, prosperity magic would be represented by the color green because green is tied to healthy, fertile, living plants and a farmer’s prosperity was inevitably tied to the land and the fertility of it and his animals.

As this represents Mother Mary, She could actually be watching you, thanks to the Law of Similarity

A poppet looks like a person, so its used to represent a person. The more similar it is to the person, the more accurate the spell will find its intended target. This is why a picture or the date of birth or full name of the person is so useful when creating a poppet. Candles shaped like people, or like body parts, are similar to what you’re trying to enchant, so they represent that person or body part you’re trying to heal, curse, control, what-have-you.

So a thing becomes a thing. They are similar therefore you can substitute one for the other. Its just that simple. Laws don’t have to be complicated to work. When you know the laws though, and you know how to use them, they will only make your Work better.