The witches and the magic

bespangeled said:
But after Willow did her first spell, her spells became increasingly selfish. From 'my will be done' to using magic to close a curtain, she had no respect for the forces that we consider magic. So even if the intent is pure - decorating a room - that doesn't make using magic safe.
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OK, but again, where do we draw the line? When precisely is using magic selfish? So decorating a room is selfish? OK, what about floating a rose? Or a pencil? What about Buffy's resurrection? Enjoining spell? Potentials' activation? The mind walk spell in "The Weight of The World"? 'Cause, you know, messing with Tara's memory and My will be done! - that's obvious, low hanging fruit. I'm trying to come up with some universal rule - when is it OK to use magic? I mean, if I don't know, knowing the script and all, then how should Willow know?

You mention using magic to achieve ends which can be otherwise achieved. Correct me if I'm wrong but according to this rule Willow should refrain from helping Buffy in "The Weight of The World" and "Villains" and just leave her with the medics, right? That does not seem OK to me.
 
EVIL UU said:
OK, but again, where do we draw the line? When precisely is using magic selfish? So decorating a room is selfish? OK, what about floating a rose? Or a pencil? What about Buffy's resurrection? Enjoining spell? Potentials' activation? The mind walk spell in "The Weight of The World"? 'Cause, you know, messing with Tara's memory and My will be done! - that's obvious, low hanging fruit. I'm trying to come up with some universal rule - when is it OK to use magic? I mean, if I don't know, knowing the script and all, then how should Willow know?

You mention using magic to achieve ends which can be otherwise achieved. Correct me if I'm wrong but according to this rule Willow should refrain from helping Buffy in "The Weight of The World" and "Villains" and just leave her with the medics, right? That does not seem OK to me.
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I'm not gonna go for individual answers - but here's some links and a few quotes about magic in the B-verse


http://www.atpobtvs.com/magic.html
http://stormwreath.livejournal.com/100036.html


This is the ultimate power; the mystical flows of energy that lie behind all things. It's sometimes referred to on the show as Gaia or the Earth. Limitless in scope, these energy sources promise equally unlimited power to those who can tap into them. From 'Grave':

WILLOW: Wow... It's incredible. I mean, really... genuinely wow. I am so JUICED...Giles... It's like... No mortal person has ever had this much power. Ever. I actually feel it surging through every cell of my body... Every molecule... Like I'm connected to everything... It feels like... I can feel...everyone.

There is not one single source of cosmic power but several - each linked to a specific aspect of the universe. Which one you draw on can have a significant effect.

GILES: The gift I was given by the coven was the true essence of Magic. Which comes, in all its purity, from the Earth itself. Willow's magic came from a place of rage and power.


So rage, power , laziness, and selfishness are the big no-nos. Killing a deer and using it's blood to raise the dead is way dark. Using magic to decorate a room is lazy and it really powers Willow's essential lack of growth. Saving lives - that is good. Those lives can be human, animal or plant.

 
"This is the ultimate power; the mystical flows of energy that lie behind all things." The Force? how many midichlorians did it take to turn Willow into Darth Willow?
 
I'm not sure if I want to get into this, but here's something that I just thought of:

You can tell when Willow's starting to get addicted in season 6 at the resurrection spell. Not only is it very selfish but it also breaks the moral rules of Wicca. Willow kills a FAWN for the spell, which totally violates the Wiccan policy of 'harm none'. By doing some research, I found that there are no TRULY Wiccan spells that involve sacrificing any animals. (Or people for that matter) I think this point is made in the comics already, but I'll repeat it: By resurrecting Buffy, Willow sentenced Tara to her death. It's a vicious cycle that demonstrates the consequences of using dark magic for selfish deeds. So yes, I do believe that there is a light magic and a dark magic. (Once again with the fawn!)
 
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