AboutDawn Blake Expertise I am able to answer most questions about Pagan religions and magic. I am particularly experienced in the areas of Hearth Magic and Kitchen Witchery, including magical cooking and gardening and Hellenismos including liturgy and mythology. I specialize in matters relating to Pagan children and family. I am also well-versed in Western European spirituality including Wicca and Druidry.
I am unable to answer specific theological, historical or liturgical questions related to African Synchretic Spirituality (Santeria, Voodun, Umbanda, etc.) or Heathenry (Asatru, Odinism, etc.)
Experience I have been a Pagan for nearly 20 years and a Hellenic Pagan for 10. I am currently the organizer for an all-path Pagan children's group, the founder and one of several organizers of the local Pagan meetup group and I maintain a regional website and newsletter for local Pagans as well as a website and newsletter for Hearth Witches. I have over 5 years experience planning and executing public Pagan events, particularly public rituals and family events. I have two teenage children of my own whom I have raised in the Hellenic tradition.
Organizations The Sacred Hearth Circle
Motor City Pagans
The Detroit Metro Area Meetup Group
Wild Ones
Michigan Pagan Chamber of Commerce
Expert: Dawn Blake Date: 6/14/2008 Subject: Do your actions truly effect what happens in life?
Question In asking a Wiccan about the belief that "if it harms none, do as you will," her response included the statement, "If you're generous to the world, it will be much more generous with you. But if you seek to harm others, the universe will be more cruel with you."
In regards to that statement, I know we like to believe this, and we can certainly see that people who get caught stealing go to jail or people who are friendly tend to have a lot of friends. However, this isn't always the case. I often see people who care for others and the world, and yet, they still struggle their whole lives. Then, there are people who are selfish and care very little for those around them, and they live a wonderful life. How does this fit into the belief that whatever you do will come back to you in many folds?
Answer I think a more accurate way of putting this is "Like attracts like". "If it harms none, do as you will" is a misquote. It's really "An it harm none, do as you Will." and some associate this with "Do as you Will shall be the whole of the Law" from Thelema. If that association stands, then it really means, follow your own path and don't hurt anybody. The Thelema version assumes that if everyone sticks to their own path nobody will get into anyone else's way and the Wiccan version could be taken to mean that as well, rather than a command, a statement of fact or belief.
Anyway, not harming anyone really has nothing to do with receiving blessings from the Universe. There is nothing in it to say that good things will happen if you follow it and bad things if you don't. The Law of Attraction, however, says that what you put out will return to you. This doesn't just mean that if you're good to other people people you will be good to you, it means that you have to have it in your heart and put it into action. If you are always willing to lend a helping hand, drive the carpool, show up with a gift to every occasion and always return what you borrow then other people will take more care to treat you the same way. Not everyone, because the next law is that the world is full of assholes and reciprocity went out of fashion 100 years ago. But the law of attraction is more complicated than that.
I have a friend who will always be there to help out, but she complains the whole time. Nobody really wants her there because she makes everybody else miserable, even though she's helping. So, people don't necessarily want to help her- even though she's always willing to help others- because nobody wants to listen to her latest gripe.
I know another person who is constantly attracting overbearing, abusive, chauvenistic, overprotective men. It drives her nuts and she so envies other people who have supportive, confident men who don't throw fits when they go out without them. But she's been on a mission to find her superman, her knight in shining armor to come take care of her and take all of her worries away since she was a teenager. She wants to be taken care of, so she attracts men who want someone they can take care of and dominate. Women who are confident in their ability to take care of themselves attract men who admire strong women and expect them to be independant.
Those people you think have a wonderful life are probably people you don't know very well. And those who struggle... well why not? Struggling isn't a bad thing. it's life, it gives you something to do. And the law of attraction isn't just about action, it's about attitude. You will attract those people and situations to you that your attitude and actions warrant and sometimes attitude is stronger than action. A person who is constantly complaining is going to attract people who enjoy complaining, because they feed off each other. Likewise people who aren't confident attract other people who aren't confident. That's how you get an abusive spouse. The spouse isn't confident and reacts by trying to control the other spouse who isn't confident enough to put a stop to it. So when you see people who seem to be selfish getting all these rewards, remember that it's all about attitude. Confident people attract confident people and in the business world it's all in who you know. And trust me, they struggle as much as anyone. They just look at it differently.
Unfortunately, some people are born into wealth and privelege and get to lead seemingly simple lives, but if they don't have the attitude of their predicessors, they rarely find themselves in happy lives. Likewise, those who are poor can be perfectly happy if they decide to be.
Returning to the idea of Will, most people don't know what their Will is. They aren't confident and open enough to discover it and if you don't find it, chances are, you're not going to find peace.
