>If I might add it -- I hope you don't mind my explanation -- the Christian view is that the only 'good' power comes from God, not of our own efforts. Even if one performs spells which are 'good' and supposedly have "good effects," but the magic is not from God, then... well... the source of the power is still considered "not good." The question of whether one is being somewhat beguiled by a faulty concept comes into play.
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> So, here's a question that I've been wondering about, if I may. How does a Wiccan know that ANY spells actually *work*? What do they think when they don't?

WolfSpirit:

I'm not sure what you are explaining. One religion's view of another? I'm not very clear on the "faulty concept" statement, either. Logically, following any faith is a "faulty concept." Not that there's anything wrong with that. :)

Personally, I've believed that anything that is well-intentioned and/or has good results *is* good, whether with the involvment of a deity or not. The Wiccan law of "harm none, do what you want" is pretty much my Law, too.

How does anyone know that any *prayers* actually work? (The prayers that are asking for something, that is. Of course not all prayers are requests.) What do they think when they don't? The explanation that "Your request was not in God's plan" is what we are taught, and it's as satisfying an explanation as one can hope for. That is an interesting question, however---do Wiccans have a different explanation for when their spells are duds?

---Luba "magic 8 ball" Luft