Summer Guest Series: The Left Hand Path with Jenny The Elemental Valkyrie

The Left Hand Path (LHP)

What is The Left Hand Path, aka LHP? Do only “dark witches” follow the LHP? Can you work with LHP items and deities and still have “good karma”? Is the LHP all about worshipping demons? Being profane? Is the Left Hand Path “evil” or justice work? And why is it called “The Left Hand Path” anyway?!?!?

I will start with the why of the name. It actually has its roots in Eastern traditions, predominantly those of Hinduism and Buddhism, where the left hand is associated with impurity, physicality, and the mundane whereas the right hand is associated with purity, spirituality, and the divine. However, our modern usage of it in the pagan and occult traditions of the Westernized world comes from Madame Blavatsky, a 19th century occultist who founded the Theosophical Society, who used it to describe a spiritual path that emphasizes self-empowerment, individualism, and the rejection of conventional religious and societal norms.

This tends to be the antithesis of what many were raised with via Abrahamic traditions, or those who follow more New Age “love and light” only spiritual paths, thus creating much of the negative connotations that surround the LHP. There is more that goes into the naming but that is a solid, generalized overview that serves the purpose for my chat here.

Are You a Good Witch, or a Bad Witch?

Now, first and foremost, I do not believe in “dark” vs “light” witches. That is too reductionist, too simplistic, and does a disservice to every witch out there no matter what path they choose to follow. Frankly, if someone tries to align the spiritual practices of others in such a binary way, I highly recommend running the other way as it is an unbalanced view of spirituality, the world, and themselves. So no, it is not just “dark” witches that follow the LHP. And before you ask, no you do not have to be a Satan worshipper to follow the LHP, although you can be if you want to.

I am personally dedicated to The Morrigan, a deity that tends to be over simplified into simply a battle or war goddess and work mostly with the Norse deities/beings of all the groupings (Aesir, Vanir, Jotunn, Thurisar, Vattir, etc). Every last one of these deities beings are multifaceted, with both dark and light aspects, all of which are necessary for growth and change, they do not hold my hand but help me become self-empowered.

I also work with “dark” goddesses/gods such as Freya, Lilith, Hekate, Medusa, Loki, etc. And yes, I consider Freya a dark goddess. She is a goddess or battle, death, sexuality, and self-empowerment as much as one of beauty, love, and fertility. You can worship and/or study demons/daemons as well. I have more recently begun studying and learning more about the other Goetia outside of Lilith and incorporating that into my practice as well. I highly recommend practitioners at least become aware that many of these entities are multifaceted and were once called upon for both blessings and cursing.

Good Karma & Shades of Grey

The next question is the easiest, can you follow a LHP and work with the deities associated and still have “good karma”? I would hope by now the answer is obvious, but just in case it wasn’t, the answer is yes. Also, I highly encourage one to look up what karma really is and how it is used versus the current sage of it as it is specific to several Eastern traditions such as Hinduism and Buddhism. Now here is where I may differ in my LHP practice. I will need a moment to explain a little bit about it for you to understand why.

I consider myself to be a “grey” witch. I am not a witch who prefers to only work with “light” deities, aspects, spell workings, etc, nor only “dark” deities, aspects, curses, hexes, and other baneful magicks, etc. I work with both as needed, or as called. I work in the shades of grey and follow what some call a crooked path. I believe in the balance of the dualities, and really all aspects of my spiritual path, my deities and guides, the world, and myself. I personally find it weakens my practice and myself by denying any aspect.

As I am willing to sit with all of the energies I find I am more willing to be empathetic and understanding as I do not see the world as black and white only. However, I will also do what I believe is the right thing even if it is not the accepted norm. Thus, my practice of the left hand path and baneful magicks. I do create hexes and curses and use them in my practice where I feel it is appropriate. I create baneful products to provide those who have a need but do not wish to or have the time to create their own. This is where my belief that the LHP as justice work comes in.

Justice & Baneful Magicks

My baneful products for example range from the more mild reversal oil, which is a form of a curse in my view, to much stronger curses and hexes that could potentially cause harm to the recipient. Why do I say potentially? Because each curse I create for my own use and for my products, has an “out” clause, a loophole if you will. Should the target/recipient not deserve the curse, it flat out won’t work, ever, or if that target/recipient fixes the issue and makes true amends the curse is designed to come to an end. However, I also design the curses/hexes to stick with the target/recipient throughout their lifetimes until they do the work to correct the damage and make amends in whatever form is appropriate in that life cycle.

I see the LHP and baneful magicks as a form of justice, not to create undeserved pain or suffering, simply as a way to balance the scales. I cannot speak for other LHP practitioners but at least those I personally know and have conversed with see it similarly. For myself and my practice, it is not a left hand path, it may be a crooked one or a grey one, but not dark nor light, left nor right. It is simply a path, my path.