Why do most modern Wiccans still believe in the 3fold law?!?

Question

It's obvious it doesn't apply in the real world. If it did criminals would be always be caught and charities wouldn't need to annoy me in the street for yet more donation.

So does it only apply to wiccans then?

Are you so arrogant as to believe that any good you do will be rewarded 3 times when a non-wiccans is lucky to get any reward (does this make altruism impossible for a wiccan)?

Are you so self-loathing as to want triple punishment for your bad deeds when non-wiccans escape even a single punishment.

Do you hold this law to enforce some kind of morality upon yourself or is it simply out of blind sheepish following?

The 3fold law is simply a magical castration.

Discuss...

Answer 1

I agree. It sounds like superstition. I do believe in a place for ethics, especially where it concerns raising and directing more power than the average person in society, but attempting to quantify it by saying exactly this much bad karma will be coming after you is just silly. I think power is a responsibility, but creating a boogey-man to get you for being 'bad' is juvenile in and of itself. Being mature enough to understand  actions could potentially have repercussions should be the point, not holding a Threat of Divine Retribution over people's heads like Middle Eastern faiths do. Most of the time people get away with mistreating others, taking what they want, and abusing other people's trusts. When have social bullies like that even had three times as much negativity return to them? Smells like a fluffy fairy tale to me. Life is mean and fairness is a fiction afforded by gangs. I know plenty of energy workers who hold other people's grudges and feel justified in abusing others if they have their homie's consent. Life is about the Law of the Jungle. Threefold Karma is a lie people tell themselves. The people who espouse it must need it or they would shred all their neighbors themselves. Just like when some Christians say we need the death penalty or everyone would commit felonies on each other. People like that are the first to commit such acts. So, you pretty much need to be a sociopath already to believe in such fiction societal constraints.

Answer 2

Youth, the "3 Fold Law" is a 'Caution of Consequence'...and would

seem to be an implicit "reflection" of the Hindu Concept of Karma (and

its Laws).

It is true that some would seem to take it a bit too literally, but then

again...there is such a thing as "Fast Karma" and another such as

"Slow Karma".  

Karma is a simple word...but it is a Very Complex Subject.  

Answer 3

I was not aware that "most" Wiccans did.

The tradition of which I am a member never even mentioned the "rule of three" until after the internet age and then only in the form of "we do not believe in the rule of three."

As above, so below....do we see rules of three below? NO.

Even the Law of Return merely means that the chances of good things happening are increased when "good" is done, which is common sense.

And it's not a magical whatsits...it refers to the real world, bub.

Answer 4

Thank you for your most clueless wisdom.  My day is better now.

Answer 5

It's pretty much like the Beatles sang...

"And in the end

the love you take

is equal to the love

you make......"

Answer 6

Self loathing? Arrogant? It appears that you know very little of true Wiccan beliefs. Really, if you are so close minded and biased, why ask us a question at all?

Answer 7

Saying something doesn't apply in the real-world because it doesn't apply to everyone is like saying there are no rich people because most people in the world are poor. Being poor doesn't, ipso facto, exclude anyone from being rich, and someone abiding by, and being held to, what they consider an ancient form of moral code doesn't mean it can't apply to them and not to others.

A better example might be to think of the U.S. Constitution. A small group of people actually made up that document, but its laws don't apply to anyone outside of the boundaries of this country. Does that mean that the Constitution is invalid because it is not universal (and it isn't universal?) Its applicable in the situation, and to the people, to which it's applicable; trying to try someone in Paraguay according to the Constitution doesn't work, although they can be extradited to the U.S. and thus brought within the boundaries of applicability.

The 3 fold law is really a carrot/stick approach, and if you look at it in historical context, giving people 3x back what they give, either good or bad, is a pretty good incentive to do good things. Its true that the 3x negativity can be very overwhelming, especially if a situation requires a black working (it does happen), but there is nothing that says every Wicca has to abide by it. One can just as easily believe in a 1:1 correspondence between one's actions and one's consequences, but since Wicca is as much about developing power and responsibility as it is about delegating blame, a 3x consequence is not all that unusual. 3x was also numerologically significant since it represented a summation of different aspects (triple goddes, sacred family) and we all know that repetition of a thing (in this case a number) creates power and energy. If you want to emphasize a sacred number in your religion, adding it to your morality code is a good way to go about it.

Answer 8

More appropriately, I would say the "law of return" - I believe that actions have consequences. I believe that what energy you send out, you get back, either in this life or a future incarnation.  As far as the magnitude of return?  Be it even, threefold, or tenfold - I believe that is up to the Gods to decide on a case by case basis.  I also believe that the law of return applies to *everyone* - Wiccan and non-Wiccan alike.

Quite honestly, if I agreed with "blind sheepish following" then I wouldn't be a Wiccan.  I prefer to think for myself, to question, and to learn all I can, to make my own decisions.  I also prefer to accept the responsibility for my own actions, and the consequences of them, rather than giving the credit for all that I do to some self-proclaimed one and only "God almighty" or an invisible "evil being" as if they control me.  

These were the family values I was raised with long before dedicating myself to Wicca.  The Wiccan Rede and the "3fold Law" or "Law of Return" are just simple moral reminders as I continue on my journey.  Lets be honest - none of us are perfect and we are all capable of making mistakes, no matter how ethical we are, so any tool that helps us "think before we act" (especially in the heat of the moment) and avoid such mistakes isn't a bad thing, in my opinion.

http://wicca.timerift.net/three.shtml

Answer 9

Wow,  Someone has rubbed you the wrong way today.  One of the hardest rules I find hard to follow is "Love thy neighbor as thy self." Jesus repeated that thousands and thousands of times.  Perhaps today you should be gentle to yourself then this 3 fold rule wont seem so far fetched.   I hope your day goes better and Many Blessings

Answer 10

Yes you're right, I think the 3fold law is more a metaphor than a real law. But I still believe that if you do something, that thing will have consequences.  

Answer 11

I was taught that the three-fold law was actually Hindi and/or Far Eastern in its orgins, therefore, it does not apply to Wiccans.  Same with Karma.  However, most Wiccans take what they feel applies to them, and discards the rest.  

I don't.  I believe you get what you give out, good or bad.  Simple.  Done.  I do agree with what you say about punishing yourself -- that is a Christian belief -- the need to be punished, not Wiccan or Pagan.

Answer 12

it's not to be taken literally. If i give you a black eye it doesn't meet someone will give me 3 black eyes.

it;s pretty much what come around goes around.   i've experienced that first hand.

Answer 13

You missed the boat on that one didn't you.  3 fold and 3 times are two different things.  The 3 fold law applies in the spirit world, and manifests itself into the real world.  And it applies whether you want it to or not.  And my dear, it applies to EVERYONE, not just the magic world.  It is mentioned all the way through the old and new testaments of the bible.  But is the theme of the book of Job.

Answer 14

Not all Wiccans take it as EXACTLY threefold. It's just another way of describing karma, and yes, I do follow it. Just because you're not seeing the positive or negative effects of something amplified doesn't mean they are not there. Karmatic law doesn't just work physically. It can create mental changes, too.

And, no. It doesn't just apply to Wiccans. Wiccans believe that, even if you don't believe in karma, it will still have an effect on your life.