“Ethical Guidelines
“One of your main responsibilities as a pagan (and a human being) is to know where your own moral compass sits. We don’t have eternal damnation like some faiths, and, because of this, we often have a stronger sense of what is ethical or moral, but it is based on our own beliefs and values. This means that instead of trying to do, or not do, something because a book said not to or because we fear punishment, we do it because it is what is right for a given situation. It is accepted by most Witches, pagans, and Wiccans that you do not do spells on someone without their consent. Doing so may cause the spell to 'bounce back,' especially if they are shielded or magically protected.
“Ethics of Different Types of Spell Work – Healing
“It may seem harmless, but you shouldn’t do a healing spell, or even pray, for someone who doesn’t want it. It is not our place to judge the path of another. Unless you are talking about your own child, you are trying to impact someone’s free will if you try to make them heal when they don’t want to or aren’t ready to.
“Let’s say you have a loved one who is sick, not just a cold, but terminally ill. They ask you to pray for them. This is your green light to cast a healing spell, this is, after all, how many of us pray. So, you gather your candles, light your incense, and focus healing energy on their photo or a lock of hair, effectively sending them the healing of the universe. The next day, you find out they have crossed the veil (died). What went wrong?
“Nothing went wrong. Sometimes death is the ultimate healer. This is not to say that everyone who you try to heal will die. In fact, for most people this won’t ever happen. But, the Universe/Gods/Goddess used your intent to heal this person. This illustrates a good point, magic always works, but not always as you intended. Do not let this keep you from sending healing energy to someone, just get their permission first.”
