Wiccan Question: The Threefold Law

[Tenzin Chodron]

Because the Threefold Law is not explained in great detail, would it be un-Wiccan of someone to hold the belief that by "threefold" it means that actions and inactions produce three identifiable effects (in the Mind (or the "Astral") - the potential to repeat that behavior; in the Body (or "Consensus Reality"); and in the Other (effects beyond our powers of observation and deduction))?

Does this conflict with any major ideas regarding the Threefold Law?  

[Atma311]

The term "threefold", from what I understand, isn't mean to be taken literally as "Exactly 3 times the amount of good and bad you do will come back to you" as much as the principal behind it, which is "Be a responsible person and know that you will reap what you sow for better or worse. It may be 5 seconds from now or 5 lifetimes from now, but you WILL take responsibility for your actions at some point."

At least, that is how I understand it 3nodding  

[Nihilistic Seraph]

And technically speaking, I'm not sure it's possible for it to randomly maginfy by three, if we follow conservation of energy laws.

Do a Mind/Body/Spirit split, and it might work. Credit for the idea goes to Banu.  

[Starlock]

The three-degrees-of-effect model is something used by some authors in the Craft. I cannot remember anymore where I first read this interpretation of the Threefold Law. I think it was Buckland or Grimassi or some other relatively well-known author. I feel that this makes a good addition to the Threefold interpretation because it emphasizes how deeply the consequences of your actions can permeate. I don't feel like it's the exact multiplier that is important. Moreso it is the idea that actions have consequences and often those consequences are bigger and broader than you might at first imagine. People, in general, tend to underestimate consequences.

Also, the law of conservation of energy is applicable to energy, not to our minds. An event can happen to you, for instance, and you think about it three times longer than the event actually took. The longer you think about something, the more of an impact it is going to have on you.  

[Nihilistic Seraph]

True, but that depends a lot on the person, and whether or not they'd feel guilty at all. I think it's more plausible to say a uniform Body/Mind/Spirit split.  

[Miss Lune Soleil]

I've also heard the theory of it only applying to magic worked on other Witches/Wiccans. I think I read it in the Farrar's book. Working magic against/for a fellow Witch would have a return from three places: the God, the Goddess, and the Witch themself. The Gods would reward/punish you for working with/against a fellow Witch... and the Witch themself (asuming they knew about it of course) would do you a favour/get you back for what you did for/to them razz  

[The Bookwyrm]

The idea behind the Law of Threefold goes a way back... I remember discussing a system in a Celtic Civ class where the Celts believed that a person's actions, good or bane, were returned to them by three (three being a sacred number). It could be in this life, or they could pay for three life times; you got what you earned.

In terms of Wicca, it shouldn't be read literally; it's simply a warning that actions have reactions, not necessarily equal and opposite ones. I've always envisioned it as being more like a ripple effect: You're at the center of your actions, and they radiate out from you. The ripples get bigger the farther they travel, and they bounce back to you once they come into contact with anything in their path afer first affecting that person/place/animal/thing/what have you. It's a warning for people to think things through, and I appreciate the fact that it holds people accountable for their actions, as it's a trait that's sorely lacking in modern society.  

[Nihilistic Seraph]

Or at least tries to get them to pay more attention to what they do in the first place.  

[Tenzin Chodron]

These are some great replies! Thank you very much! biggrin