Sep 03 2008
Is Weather Magick Ethical?
Lesbian comic Suzanne Westenhoefer once told a joke about breaking the 700 Club by calling their 800 number. She said “Call them. Call them on your lunch break, before work. Call them and ask them to pray that it doesn’t rain on gay pride.” This made me think of some recent controversy on our Between the Worlds mailing list. Pagan events usually involve weather working to try to ensure decent weather for a successful event.
We have a wonderful member of our community that offers to do some gentle weather working during our event. Last year, this created a bit of a stir on our email list as some members called weather magick unethical and believed that we shouldn’t tamper with nature in this way. This lead to quite a debate on the correct way to do weather work or if we should even do it at all.
The way I see it, weather magick is applying the magician’s Will. As a Thelemite, this is perfectly ethical. I do believe that weather magick can be worked to provide the greatest benefit to all involved and I’ve only ever seen people perform it this way. The most common method I’ve seen is the idea of a weather “wedge” that gently pushes storms and bad weather to either side of the area being protected. It hardly creates droughts or hardships or other side effects. It was for this reason that I found myself quite surprised when some denounced it as unethical magickally.
Hmmm. If it was being done with the intention of harming someone in the short or long run (droughts, floods, etc) then I could see it as being unethical.
The oldest recordings of paganism show the weather being part of it. From Wicca to Native American religions, praying, giving sacrifices, performing ceremonies, etc have been used to bring rain, call on the sun, etc.
I’m not an expert in anyway as I have only studied paganism a little bit and have not practiced any of it, but I have studied many religions and all have similar beliefs. As long as you do no harm and your intention is not malicious, you are not being unethical.
~Kelly
http://www.30somethingandsearching.today.com/