The Law of Return

Last Updated on December 18, 2017 by Coven of the Goddess

Also known as the Law of Three, The Law of Attraction, Universal Law, Natural Law of Cause and Effect and The Great Work. What is so secret about ‘The Secret’? Do the teachers of today know something that the sages of history didn’t? Are the foundational teachings of our magickal traditions being corrupted for the masses with slick marketing OR are the technological advancements of television, film and the internet helping to bring the ancient science of ‘there is no spoon’ into the human society at large?

The Law of Attraction and Witchcraft

When you’re that successful, things have a momentum, and at a certain point you can’t really tell whether you have created the momentum or it’s creating you.

Annie Lennox

The Law of Attraction is more commonly known to we Witches as the Law of Return or the Law of Three. It is a very simple universal law that cannot be altered. Simply stated, that which we put out to the Universe will return to us threefold. There are other schools of thought on this and I have read other viewpoints such as the Law of Seven, which is related to the Seven Hermetic Principles and is a theory based on geometry and human placement in regard to the planets, Sun, Moon and stars. There are many other advanced theories that are trying to scientifically PROVE the existence of the Law of Return and I encourage you to read as much of this information as your brain can handle. You may find yourself on a path to discovery which has been overlooked. As Witches, we can observe the Law of Return in simple spell casting. We couple our intent with energy and through the act of spell casting, we create a tiny version of what it is we are seeking. The Universe sends it back to us bigger than we sent it out. It works. We have all seen it work and we are often filled with that thrill when it does…whether it is our first spell or our thousandth. Witchcraft is a very simple philosophy. But it often feels daunting because of all the things we must know and learn…herbs and oils and tools, circle casting, gods and goddesses, the elements, tarot, runes, i ching, spells, rituals, and on and on. But, at its core Witchcraft is nothing more than the power of the mind to create new realities. All the trappings of The Craft are but mere tools to help us change our headspace, in order to access the ancient knowledge passed down through millennia.

Many new age teachings would have us think that this power is about acquiring stuff. While acquiring stuff is cool and all, it is not the end all, be all of our existence on this planet. What should count the most is our experience and how we get from point A to point B on our path. Did we travel our path with love and compassion and create good for those we touched, or did we lay waste and ruin to everything we touched? These are questions of a philosophical nature and should always be taken into consideration when we are talking about the power to create. The Rede sums this up well when it asks us to ‘Do as thou wilt, and harm none’. We should always remember that in ‘none’ we should include ourselves. Benjamin Franklin observed this in his morning and evening meditations…Upon rising each day, he asked himself “What Good Shall I Do This Day?” Before he went to bed he asked “What Good Have I Done This Day?”

Each of us has the intrinsic power to create with our minds. We are the center of our own Universe, and our Universe is one of our own creation. We create our life and the things and people in it. Through this power we have the ability to affect those around us, though we cannot create their Universe for them. They create their Universe and they choose the experiences that intersect with their own Universe that they wish to participate in…whether consciously or subconsciously. And this is at the core of the proper use of the Law of Return. We must train our minds, the subconscious as well as the conscious mind, in order to access this great Universal Law and to properly apply it in our own creation.

Every one of us is constantly shaping our future reality with each thought and feeling we entertain, because the Universal Law of Attraction is working all the time. The only problem is that we sometimes attract things we don’t want. Though we may consciously try to attract a particular thing or experience, our powerful subconscious mind may be operating from a different set of desires, beliefs, and choices.

Through magick, we can communicate directly with the subconscious mind. Why? Because magick aligns the subconscious mind with our conscious choices by communicating in a language the subconscious can understand – the language of ritual and symbol. Once the conscious and subconscious are on the same wavelength, we can intentionally shape our reality in whatever way we choose.

Keep in mind that you should not set out to sit in your living and think your whole life into being. You must act, in accordance with your aims, in order to bring about the creation you desire. Perhaps someday, you can master the talents of Mrs. Weasley’s magic knitting needles. But, for the time being you must learn the skill of knitting…by actually engaging in the act of knitting.

It is believed by many great occultists, philosophers and teachers that as we train our subconscious mind we are also changing our DNA structure. That through the act of learning how to access Universal Law, that we are awakening areas in our brain matter that have lain dormant for untold lengths of time of human existence. As we re-awaken these abilities in our minds, we are paving the way for the future generations of our lineage to evolve to a higher state of consciousness. It is possible that in 300 years from now, if humanity survives the coming devastations of our planet, that our minds will have developed abilities that we cannot even dream of at this point in our evolution. And so, by improving our abilities now we are creating a better future for humanity and our own return through reincarnation. It is also believed that past civilizations on this planet have understood and have been able to utilize these abilities, but that much of the training has been lost to disasters…both natural and manmade. Edgar Cayce and others of his time wrote much about the lost city of Atlantis and even the ancient Greeks believed in the existence of Atlantis and it’s lost knowledge to the sea. It is rumored that many of the ancient texts and artifacts of Atlantis were carried away to Egypt and other parts of the world for safe keeping by ship and air vessels of the Atlantean society before its final destruction. lf we ever find them, I expect we will be in awe in regard to their advanced abilities.

The following principles of hermeticism, can be traced back to teachings of the ancient Egyptians and are the basis of many scientific theories and what we know of today as Physics.

Seven Hermetic Principles

• The Principle of Mentalism

The ALL is MIND; the Universe is Mental.

• The Principle of Correspondence

As above, so below; as below, so above.

• The Principle of Vibration

Nothing rests; everything moves; everything vibrates.

• The Principle Polarity

Everything is Dual; everything has poles; everything has its pair of opposites; like and unlike are the same; opposites are identical in nature, but different in degree; extremes meet; all truths are but half-truths; all paradoxes may be reconciled.

• The Principle of Rhythm

Everything flows, out and in; everything has its tides; all things rise and fall; the pendulum-swing manifests in everything; the measure of the swing to the right is the measure of the swing to the left; rhythm compensates.

• The Principle of Cause and Effect

Every Cause has its Effect; every Effect has its Cause; everything happens according to Law; Chance is but a name for Law not recognized; there are many planes of causation, but nothing escapes the Law.

• The Principle of Gender

Gender is in everything; everything has its Masculine and Feminine Principles; Gender manifests on all planes.

Source: The Kybalion by The Three Initiates

Here is an interesting article I found that describes these principles in more detail in regard to their scientific nature:

The Kybalion – The seven Principles of Hermetic Law

Author: Joel McClain

What are the “secrets” to OBE (Out of Body Experience), or to healing or to mind-over-matter, or for that matter, to free energy? What is the relationship between them, and how can they be realized? The answers are contained in the KYBALION, the secret book of Hermetic philosophy. The book, handed down by Hermes, the architect of the Great Pyramid, is based upon seven laws. These laws are gradually being adopted into modern science, although they were once ridiculed and scorned.

The essence of Hermetic Law is that it describes interrelationships of matter and energy in twelve dimensions, whereas modern science limits itself to three. Because it is beyond the physical dimensions that “miracles” occur, Hermetic Law must be understood and accepted before one can “see” the higher planes of existance. lVlodern science can use the Hermetic Laws as stepping-stones to move from 3-D theory to Walter Russell’s resonance based “Wave of Creation”.

The Kybalion is also the basis for Hebrew law, and the Star of David demonstrates the “sacred geometry” of the pyramind, of PHI, as well as the second Hermetic Law.

Hermes, or Thoth, and others throughout the millenia have been able to internally envision the higher dimensional realities. If you will read “Flatland”, you will understand why it is not possible to define the higher dimensions in a 3-D context. Each person must internalize the concepts individually, and the Hermetic Laws are designed to help you to do this. During the time of Hermes, the “chosen” were allowed to study and meditate these principles. Not all “graduated”. Until you can cast aside the view that physical is all or most of reality, you will not move out of the physical plane.

This is the “Third Eye”, or “mind’s eye”, which can “see” beyond the physical. It is an ability borne of patience, meditation and balance within oneself. It cannot be found if the goals of the individual are selfish, because selfish goals are 3-D, which defeat the purpose of the quest. lust as there are degrees of learning anything, there are degrees of third eye vision. It is a lifetime, or many lifetimes of study and perseverence.

You cannot read a book, any book, and become an adept. Some have learned a tiny bit, then written volumes, misleading others. Some have experimented with electromagnetic machinery to “induce” OBE and other higher states. They, too, miss the “big picture”, and create imbalances within their physical being by doing this. No, the only road is the original trek through oneself to understanding. However, if you would wish to “see” auras, to heal by balancing auric energy, to explore worlds and galaxies through OBE, to manipulate matter via mental energy, to levitate, and a host of other “miracles”, then you will take this path.

Even if you would want to create “free” energy, which 3-D science defines as impossible, the Hermetic Law will help you to “see” the effects of resonance in the inter-dimensional context. It is through this that your “free” energy will come.

Here then are the Hermetic Laws, with my comments outside of the double quotation marks.

1. The ALL is mind..The universe is mental

Acceptance of a Universal Mind is the first law because, without it, the following laws are meaningless. It is in accessing, or communion with this eternal, infinite mind that all is possible.

2. As above, so below; as below, so above

This is the symbology of the Star of David. It expands the first law so that we can accept that OUR minds are WITHIN, not separate from the Universal. By looking within, we see without.

3. Nothing rests; everything moves; everything vibrates.

This law is now the basis for particle physics. It also defines the basis of john Keely’s work. It is within this law that resonance is applied to change matter by changing energy. It is why healers often chant, and why Joshua marched his army around Jericho. It is through the application of this law in a balanced (resonant) state that ZPE (Zero Point Energy) is produced.

4. Everything is Dual; everything has poles; everything has a pair of opposites…

This is also now a tenet of modern physics, with ongoing research to find matching subatomic particles for every known particle. However, modern science misses the point. Duality in all of nature implies that there is an Eternal Balance, or yin-yang, and that this is the state to which we should attempt to bring our minds. In so doing, we are able to move beyond the physical planes.

5. Everything flows, out and in; everything has tides; all things rise and fall…rhythm compensates.

Building upon the first four laws, this law contains the key to using the natural rhythmic flows via MENTAL energy to control matter. Or, using resonance, to control the flow of etheric energies, either by mind or by machine. Nikola Tesla, Walter Russell, and Les Brown all demonstrated the effectiveness of this principle.

6. Every Cause has its Effect; every Effect has its Cause.

There are no “anomalies”, just principles which either have not been discovered, or which only work in 3-D. Hermes envisioned 12-D when he created this law, while we still struggle to define 4-D. We CAN move ahead, if we choose to do so.

7. Gender is everything…and manifests on all planes

This is the pinnacle of pyramidic law, the existence and equality of gender in duality. In 3-D we equate gender with sex, and miss the essence of its meaning. Gender is REQUIRED on all planes, including 3-D, for creation and regeneration. We all have both a male and female side to our nature and our spirituality. Neither is superior but exist to complete each other. It is through the acceptance of this last principle that we “give birth” to the spirit on higher planes of existence.

Lastly, a warning: “The lips of wisdom are closed, except to the ears of Understanding”.

I can’t add a thing to this last statement, nor would I even try.

Going back in time – Brief nuggets of wisdom from teachers of the past

I am no longer cursed by poverty because I took possession of my own mind, and that mind has yielded me every material thing I want, and much more than I need. But this power of mind is a universal one, available to the humblest person as it is to the greatest.

Andrew Carnegie

 

Imagination is everything. It is the preview of life’s coming attractions.

Albert Einstein

 

The present is theirs; The future, for which I work, is mine.

Nikola Tesla

After 2 years of arduous work, that nearly killed his spirit and his body, Nikola Tesla deciphered the puzzle he had desperately been trying to solve. He was trying to prove wrong, his professor who claimed that harnessing AC (alternating current) was impossible. One day, he was walking in the park, talking with a friend, and he glanced up at the sun. He was struck with a vision, of a circle around the sun. And the circle around the sun had magnets and he saw electricity flowing. And his friend watched in quiet amazement as Tesla stopped in mid-sentence and began drawing a diagram in the dirt. This diagram was the electrical-generator motor, and the same design he saw in a circle around the sun is powering your lightbulbs, refrigerator, and television today. His vision was the basis of his invention of electromagnetism, which in theory is actually the Law of Attraction made manifest in the physical world. Think of yourself as the electromagnet, pulling toward you all the energy you need to create. Then wham! Electricity…the power to make it all happen! More amazing Mr. Tesla:

Before I put a sketch on paper, the whole idea is worked out mentally. In my mind I change the construction, make improvements, and even operate the device. Without ever having drawn a sketch I can give the measurements of all parts to workmen, and when completed all these parts will fit, just as certainly as though I had made the actual drawings. It is immaterial to me whether I run my machine in my mind or test it in my shop. The inventions I have conceived in this way have always worked. In thirty years there has not been a single exception. My first electric motor, the vacuum wireless light, my turbine engine and many other devices have all been developed in exactly this way.

Nikola Tesla

 

Dion Fortune defined magick as “the art of causing changes to take place in consciousness in accordance with will,” but magick is not dependent on will alone. The unique value of magick is that it can bypass conscious will to communicate directly with the subconscious mind. Sometimes it is simply a matter of attuning oneself to other-dimensional, uplifting realities.

Dion Fortune

She also gave us, with great clarity, a defense against psychic attack…from her book Psychic Self-Defense, first published in 1930:

It is a well-known cosmic law that everything moves in circles, and whatever forces we send out, and whatever thought-forms we extrude from our auras, unless absorbed by the object to which they are directed, will return to us in due course. One of the most effective, and also one of the most widely practiced methods of occult defense is to refuse to react to an attack, neither accepting nor neutralizing the forces projected against one, and thus turning them back on their sender. We must never overlook the fact that a so-called occult attack may be evil thought-forms returning home to roost.

 

Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal; nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude.

Thomas Jefferson

 

Enlighten the people, generally, and tyranny and oppressions of body and mind will vanish like spirits at the dawn of day.

Thomas Jefferson

 

Show me what a man does with his free time and I will tell you accurately whether he will be a success or failure in life.

Benjamin Franklin

 

Don’t anticipate trouble, or worry about what may never happen. Stay in the sunlight.

Benjamin Franklin

 

Energy and persistence alter all things.

Benjamin Franklin

 

Things were created rather in the minds of angels, than in Nature, I.e. angels had all things clear in their minds and thoughts before they got a real existence. Words by Augustine Blessed cited by H.P. Blavatskaya In her book The Secret Doctrines

In her book Isis Unveiled, she commented on healing energies with the following statement… Everything lives and perishes through magnetism; one thing affects another one, even at great distances, and its “congenitals” may be influenced to health and disease by the power of this sympathy, at any time, and notwithstanding the intervening space.

Madame H.P. Blavatsky

 

Da Vinci believed that the proportions of the human body were magical and the Da Vinci Man represented man (the microcosm) created in the image of God (the macrocosm).

Leonardo said it best:

The outstretched arms and legs of a man form a square and a circle: the square symbolizes the solid physical world and the circle the spiritual and eternal. Man bridges the gap between these two worlds.

Leonardo Da Vinci, The Magical Proportions of Man

 

Plato’s First Law of Affinity – that “likes tend toward likes” (likes attract). This theory of “like attracts like” is the underlying principle of sympathetic magic and even the use of correspondences in magic. For example, in sympathetic magic one would ritually act out the desired results in order to bring about those results; the classic example being how hunters in certain tribal cultures will enact a successful hunt in dance prior to the hunt. When using correspondences, one would use objects (herbs, stones, etc.) and colors associated with the desired goal as a means of attracting similar energies. For example, in a love spell the colors red and pink might be used in conjunction with rose oil and rose quartz because all of these are associated with love.

Plato

In what later became known as the Socratic Method of Argument, he used his considerable, rhetorical skills to force people to think through the logical consequences of their thoughts and behaviors. In his time this idea was known as the Socratic Law of Causality – today we call it the Law of Cause and Effect. We accept it as a part of our way of looking at the world, but in Socrates’ day it was a remarkable idea and hotly debated. It was even one of the reasons that Socrates was put to death.

The Law of Cause and Effect says that everything happens for a reason. For every effect in your life, there is a cause, or series of specific, measurable, definable, identifiable causes. This law says that if there is anything you want in life, an effect that you desire, you can find someone else that has achieved the same result or effect, and that by doing the same things that they have done over and over you can eventually enjoy the same results and rewards.

Socrates

That that which is Above is like that which is Below and that which is Below is like that which is Above, to accomplish the Miracle of Unity. ~The Emerald Tablet

Hermes Trismegistus

 

Hua Hu Ching Verse 62:

Do you wish to attain pure Tao’? Then you must understand and integrate within yourself the three main energies of the universe. The first is the earth energy. Centered in the belly, it expresses itself as sexuality. Those who cultivate and master the physical energy attain partial purity. The second is the heaven energy. Centered in the mind, it expresses itself as knowledge and wisdom. Those whose minds merge with the Universal Mind also attain partial purity. The third is the harmonized energy. Centered in the heart, it expresses itself as spiritual insight. Those who develop spiritual insight also attain partial purity. Only when you achieve all three-mastery of the physical energy, universal mindedness, and spiritual insight – and express them in a virtuous integral life, can you attain pure Tao.

Lao Tzu, 604-5l7 BC

All that we are is the result of what we have thought. The mind is everything. What we think we become.
All that we are is the result of what we have thought.

Buddha 562-483 B.C.

Magickal and Religious Traditions and The Law

Once upon a time, a teacher was required for the wisdom of ancient knowledge to be passed along. Many traditions had stringent and very difficult requirements before candidates were allowed to become students. Many tests were given to illuminate the true desire and also the potential stumbling blocks of the candidate. The idea was that if the mind had been overly influenced in poor thinking, that the candidate would not be able to embrace the teachings…or worse, would use the teachings for some dark and dread purpose. (Remember Master Yoda’s disapproval of Obi Wan taking young Annikin as a pupil because of his inability to pass certain tests of illumination, and Annikin’s subsequent departure from the Jedi teachings to the Dark Side.) In more contemporary occult traditions such as some of the splinter groups of the older Masonic traditions and the Order of the Golden Dawn, there is a requirement for at least a year of successful psychotherapy before a candidate is granted initiation into an order. But, if we commit to a regimen of training, are willing to shed our old beliefs and develop a disciplined mind we can do this work without benefit of psychiatric intervention. Though it is advisable to seek a teacher of some sort to keep you on the path of your initiation and training. We can get to where we are going from right where we are!

 

Ancient Egyptians

It is said that almost all of today’s secret societies, whose practices involve ceremonial magick can trace their roots back to the teachings of the ancient egyptian culture. Masons, Rosicrucians, Thelemites, etc. and they all utilize the teachings of natural law or universal law as part of their foundational training.

Ancient Greeks

Socrates, Plato, Paracelsus, Pythagoras and many of the other great teachers of ancient Greece embraced the idea of the All One theory and used philosophy, mathematics, geometry and the sciences of the times to try and express in terms that mere mortals could understand.

Buddhism

In Buddhism, only intentional actions are karmic “acts of will”. The ‘Law of Karma’ refers to “cause and effect”, but Karma literally means “action” – often indicating intent or cause. Accompanying this usually is a separate tenet called Vipaka, meaning result or effect. The re-action or effect can itself also influence an action, and in this way, the chain of causation continues ad infinitum. When Buddhists talk about karma, they are normally referring to karma/action that is ‘tainted’ with ignorance – karma that continues to ensure that the being remains in the everlasting cycle of samsara (cyclic existence).

Christianity and The Church

Christ himself knew the secret. He was thought to have been trained by the Essenes, mystics who were well versed in the ancient teachings of The Great Work. It was his desire to share that knowledge with the masses. But, the powers that be, who were also well versed in these teachings may have feared their loss of power if the masses gained access to this knowledge. Christ was killed for his teachings and later The Church took up his name in their own efforts to stamp out this knowledge among the people. The power of The Church of Rome to this very day is testament to it’s working knowledge of Universal Law.

The Knights Templar

These warriors were charged with secreting away the knowledge of The Great Work until such time that the human race could understand it’s power. They were ordered to be killed and utterly wiped out by The Church in order to keep the knowledge hidden.

Masonic Orders

The Masons are the rumored inheritors of the work of the Knights Templar. Through their own rituals, the Great Work has been preserved…but, unfortunately many modern Masons do not understand the power of their own teachings and rituals. There are still many Masonic Orders engaging in the preservation of the ancient teachings.

The Rosicrucians A fascinating secret society, Christian Mystics of the l7th centryy, the Rosicrucians have also worked to preserve the Great Work through complex ritual and ceremonial magick based in alchemy, mathematics and healing of the sick. They are still in existence today.

Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn

This modern-day Order developed its own traditions of ritual and ceremonial magick from earlier Masonic teachings and a heavy dose of heroin tinged teachings of the great Aleister Crowley. Too much to be said about Golden Dawn to be printed here.

Builders of the Adytum Paul Foster Case was the founder of B.O.T.A. He was the previous Head Praemonstrator of the Order of the Golden Dawn but broke ranks after a falling out with the organization. He believed that the teachings of the Golden Dawn were absolutely right but so completely buried under the heavy laden structure of Ceremonial Magick, that no modern person could properly utilize the teachings. So he set about by founding the B.O.T.A and distilling the teachings down into a lifetime of material organized into lesson plans that Initiates could study on their own without a physical human teacher. The first seven lessons are specific to the training and discipline of your subconscious mind and the development of proper practice of The Great Work. The remaining lessons are centered around the Tarot and the Qabalah as tools to assist in understanding The Great Work.

The Law and Your Mind

Return to center, breathe and focus your attention. A lot easier than it sounds! Meditation is perhaps the best way to help us improve our thought patterns, but is not always easy. Find a meditation program that works for you and practice it daily! The more adept you become at quieting your mind through meditation, the easier you will find it to focus your attention on the life you want, instead of the life you don’t.

Music and sound are great transformers of the brain waves. The ancient Greeks knew the power of music; certain forms of music were banned because of their beats and rhythms and the effects it had on the human body. Thomas Jefferson used the power of music to write the Declaration of Independence; he would play his violin to get inspiration and mental organization. Einstein came up with the theory of relativity while playing the classics on his violin. “Music was the driving force…” behind his intuition. We have all heard how classical music can you help you improve your test taking abilities. Chanting is the tool of music used by priests and shamans throughout time to affect change in the subconscious mind.

Intent and action Every intention which does not assert itself by deeds is vain intention, and the speech which expresses it is idle speech. It is action which proves life and establishes will. Hence it is said in the sacred and symbolical books that men will be judged, not according to their thoughts and their ideas, but according to their works. We must act in order to be… Eliphas Levy (Alphonse Louis Constant)

Mental practice and discipline will assist you greatly in your efforts toward manifestation. But one must always follow their mental practice with action that is in line with the desired goal. lf you follow a strict discipline of meditation that focuses your mind toward the desired aim, and never engage in any action to help achieve the goal, it simply will not be realized. It will always be a lovely meditation to help you fill your day.

Find practices of meditation, chanting, sound and ritual to invoke the spark in your subconscious mind that allows the proper use of the Law of Return.

Fun Stuff- Movies, The Law of Return and other Magick Principals

The Matrix

When Morpheus has Neo in the jump training program and is getting him ready to jump for the first time, he says to Neo ‘free your mind’. This is the essence of The Law. Free your mind from the old beliefs you have been given and which have held you back from your true destiny. True destiny is the life you want to live and so YOU must create through your beliefs and your actions.

Lord of the Rings

I wish it need not have happened in my time’, said Frodo. ‘So do I, said Gandalf, ‘and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us.’ ~The Lord of the Rings, Book I, Chapter 2.
Frodo, as ring bearer, becomes acutely aware of the knowledge that the ring has power over all it comes in contact with. He realizes that while he is also under its power, that he alone has the power to resist its evil and to bear the ring to its own end. Frodo always longed for an adventure of his own, as his Uncle Bilbo’s stories had such an effect on him. He did not know that his longing for adventure would bring him something so dark and undesirable. Once he understood his destiny, he knew he must fulfill it to its end conclusion. Remember to conclude your desires/ destinies, so they are not left hanging out there to be replayed, over and over again!

Harry Potter

Our good friend Harry is surrounded by the Law of Return. At times, it seems that he is swept away by external circumstances…things he has no control over. But, he always returns to the understanding that he cannot just stand still and wait for things to happen to him. He learns to prepare himself for what is to come. He takes his education into his own hands and shares his knowledge with others. This is much like Coven work. You do your research. You practice your knowledge. You find what works and what doesn’t and you use these things to go forward in your life. And you shine your light in the world by sharing your knowledge with others.

Star Wars

Try not! Do or do not. There is no try. Master Yoda
I love this teaching. It tells us that we must ‘just do it!’ And keep doing it until we get it right. Yoda says this to young Luke during his training, while trying to extricate the downed X-Wing from the swamp using the power of his mind. When Luke complains that he is ‘trying’, the quote above is Yoda’s response. We can complain that we are trying and choose to give up, or we can keep going and give rise to our desires.

Look for the Law of Return and many other magickal teachings in all of your favorite movies. These are but the most famous examples, but I assure you that this message is well understood by those in the film industry and they have filled the movie screens with this message using what Joseph Campbell talks about in terms of the hero’s journey. The hero, known in our own tradition of the Tarot as The Fool, is about to enter his own adventure and awaken to the knowledge of the Law of Return on his journey. The hero’s journey as described by Joseph Campbell in ‘The Hero With A Thousand Faces’ explains an initiatory sequence. The opening stage includes: the call to adventure, meeting the mentor, and the threshold passage. Once into the adventure, the challenges involve: finding allies and guides, facing ordeals, resisting temptations, braving enemies, enduring the dark night of the soul, surviving the supreme ordeal, and winning the elixir (the boon). The concluding steps are: the return threshold passage, resurrection, celebration, accepting a role of service (sharing the elixir), and, finally, merging two worlds. There are thousands of examples of the hero and his journey and the Law of Return in movies and books easily available to you. Make it part of your own research and let the magick of the movies invade your mind when this message is present!

The Crucial Element of Belief

When we go forth with a spell, a plan, a desire it is of the utmost of importance that we BELIEVE that what we are putting forth to the Universe will be answered and delivered to us…just as we have asked. Without that sensation of absolute knowing, we cannot manifest our true desires. If we put forth our wish, and then follow it with ‘gee, I hope I will be able to make this happen’ or ‘I wonder if the Goddess will grant me my desire’ we are sure to fail in our objective. We cannot doubt. We cannot wonder. We must KNOW that our aim is true and our efforts will bring our reward. Why should we go to all the trouble of putting together spellwork and then not believe that we can achieve our goal?

In addition, when things do not go the way we had hoped we cannot let this stop us from our goal. This is our opportunity to learn and to keep trying until we get it right. The more positive light we shine on our so-called failures, the more opportunities we will be given to continue forward in our objective. Our only real failure is in giving up. It is perfectly alright to stop and re-evaluate our situation and our plans and to revise them as necessary. But, if we stick to the original goal and pursue it with passion and integrity we find that which we are seeking is right in front of us.

Conclusion

The material I have presented here for you is my interpretation of just a tiny fraction of the amount of material available on this subject. I can only urge you to use this material as a starting point for your own research. If you do, I believe you will find such a vast storehouse of knowledge which will only prove to you that the Law of Return does exist and that we are part of that great power! Engage in The Great Work and you will find a greatly satisfied life that you will never regret having lived.

I leave you with this piece of prose, which I always find to be noble and comforting to my soul. I feel it speaks beautifully about how to employ the mechanics of the Law of Return. Enjoy!

Desiderata
Go placidly amid the noise and haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible without surrender
be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
and listen to others,
even the dull and the ignorant;
they too have their story.
Avoid loud and aggressive persons,
they are vexations to the spirit.
If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain and bitter;
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.
Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs;
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals;
and everywhere life is full of heroism.
Be yourself.
Especially, do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love;
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment
it is as perennial as the grass.
Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.
Beyond a wholesome discipline,
be gentle with yourself.
You are a child of the universe,
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.
Therefore be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive Him to be,
and whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul.
With all it’s sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful.
Strive to be happy.
Max Ehrmann, Desiderata, Copyright 1952.