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Shades of Grey: Part Four of the Energy and Perception Series

© J. Rebecca Cougill

In the movie Bicentennial Man, Robin Williams plays an android that has the capacity to think for himself beyond regular programming. He begins a journey to become more human. Along this journey, he falls in love. He finds out at one point that the woman he is in love with intends on marrying someone else. His reaction is a polite one. This generates from her a tirade about what it means to truly be human. I can't remember the exact wording, but in essence she tells him that sometimes you have to make mistakes just because they are there for the making. Sometimes by making a mistake even when you know better than to do what you're doing, you and others learn something they didn't know before. That is the point of this section of our series on energy working.

Shades of Grey, we have all heard the term. We all understand the idea that there are things in this world that are just black and white in nature and then others that fall somewhere in between. A common example would be the little white lie. We all know it's wrong to lie. But, we have to wonder isn't it more wrong to tell the complete and honest truth when you don't necessarily have to and you know it would hurt the other person deeply. It's much easier on all, to compliment something you might not necessarily like while suggesting something you like even less needs changing-- anything to lessen the blow to the other person. When that isn't an option then you just lie to keep from having to deal with what the truth would bring--Shades of Grey.

In the Magical world, we often find ourselves straddling this area without knowing what to do. It ties our hands and makes it impossible for us to make up our minds or move one way or the other. Why? Because like Robin Williams' character in the movie, we have been programmed to be congenial even when it hurts. One example of this kind of situation would be the use of Money spells. I have a friend who is in dire straits for money. She is pagan, but refuses to do any work to help herself. She understands that the Gods don't just hand you things. You have to meet them halfway. A magical working would effectively bring her to that meeting place. But, in her mind, if she were to do such a thing she would bring about the death of the last remaining Elder in her family. Shades of Grey... Which is worse, to work magick and risk hastening the impending death of one you love or allowing yourself and your children to suffer without the basic necessities you need to get through this life? Of course, no one wants to think they had a hand in someone's death. That the magick they preformed might have brought it about sooner instead of later. But, no one wants to see children spending a cold winter night bundled up in a house without electricity either.