Neutral, White, or Black Magic?

[magus]

Hey everyone

So, Today I was talking to a friend and we came to the discussion of magic and the different forms. I said that magic was neutral, though it can be used for good and bad it is still just magic. My friend said that magic IS neutral until it is used one way or the other. If it is used for good it is then white or "good" magic, and the other way around for black or "bad" magic. I was just wondering what your guys' views were on the subject. And who do ya'll agree with?

Thanks for readin,
Magus

[DancingWillowTree]

Magick is magick...no color needed. -Willow!!

[_Kaimira_]

magic is nor black or white, magic is in the heart of the witch.

[Greek_Male_Witch]

Your friend is right, magic is neutral, but it takes a color when we use it for purposes, grey magic is something that harms someone and help us, black magic is something that harms someone at our will, and white magic is something that makes our lifes better without harming anyone...

[Shinitenshi]

I think of it more like magic has no color and if it did it would be grey. While I don't agree with harming people I do believe in yin and yang. You can't have something good without something bad. I don't believe in absolutes, I don't believe that you can have absolute good or absolute evil.

I have heard people call magic "white magic" and "black magic" and if that's how they want to define their magic then that is their right.

[Greek_Male_Witch]

So Shinitenshi you say that if I cast a harmful spell toward you, how would you call it? black magic is the right term, see magic has no color for real, but we put colors in our thoughts so we can separate the different actions. thats my thought of course, I'm fascinated though at how many different views there are out there....

[xhesive]

Positive/negative, Good/evil, white/black...these are all just labels based on human concepts. A person's intent can be bad or good depending on what modern society deems appropriate. So yeah a person's intent can change but the tool itself is just a tool. Like a hammer, you can build a house with it or bash someone's head in. It doesn't change the fact that it's still just a hammer. Same as magic. It is what it is.

[Shinitenshi]

So Shinitenshi you say that if I cast a harmful spell toward you, how would you call it? black magic is the right term, see magic has no color for real, but we put colors in our thoughts so we can separate the different actions. thats my thought of course, I'm fascinated though at how many different views there are out there....

I just don't look at it as a color, but I understand when people do. Like someone else said it's the intent behind the magic that defines it. If you cast a spell towards me that is intended to hurt me, to me it's still magic, it's just magic with an ill intent.

[magus]

Interesting comments, thanks for the feedback. Though I would have to agree with what Shinitenshi said.

[Adder]

It could best probably be the intent of the mage, and I say that because in my experience its hard to know the extent of the change caused through magick. Sometimes the outcome seems black when the intent was neutral... as such I think neutral magick only exists as uncontrolled magick which rarely turns out white on its own accord (think proverbial lightning bolt).

[_Kaimira_]

i think the engeries we use in our spells is good or bad. the engeries we use in our experiences makes us stronger and how we deal with magic in whole new light.

[TheArtOfLife]

well.. I try to avoid spells where there need to be animals killed, that is just not right for me.. and I'm not used on killing things..
my kind of doing spells are different than the ones most people talk about.. most times they are about one subject, but I put limits on my spells, to make it more effective on one point and also to avoid going it somewhere what could harm someone else. most times I try to use magic to help people, to give them a way to guide them to the better.
but sometimes you have to harm something else, well than it's just like that. You can try to be the innocent, but sometimes you can't. I guess it just depends on the situation and there is nothing to tell if it's neutral or white or black.
Sometimes you want to do white magic, but it turns out gray, or sometimes even black.. I guess it's just the intention you give it before you do the spell in most times.

[Shinitenshi]

well.. I try to avoid spells where there need to be animals killed, that is just not right for me.. and I'm not used on killing things..
my kind of doing spells are different than the ones most people talk about.. most times they are about one subject, but I put limits on my spells, to make it more effective on one point and also to avoid going it somewhere what could harm someone else. most times I try to use magic to help people, to give them a way to guide them to the better.
but sometimes you have to harm something else, well than it's just like that. You can try to be the innocent, but sometimes you can't. I guess it just depends on the situation and there is nothing to tell if it's neutral or white or black.
Sometimes you want to do white magic, but it turns out gray, or sometimes even black.. I guess it's just the intention you give it before you do the spell in most times.

Where are you coming across spells asking for animal sacrifices? I have been a practicing witch for almost 20 years and have never seen a spell asking for an animal sacrifice. No true Witchcraft or Wiccan spell would ever ask you to harm another living creature like that.

[Queen Battlezone]

I've not seen that either

[Melindrose]

Magic is neutral it is how it is used that makes it good or bad. An example of this is say you wanted to create fire, the creation of fire is neither good or bad; if the created fire is used to cause arson, or burn some one then it is bad. However, if the fire is used to create heat to keep people from freezing and, or illuminate a space such as with a candle then it's good.