An amazing amount of people here identify as Left-Hand path practitioners. So what does this mean?
The left hand was, and still is sometimes, considered an “unclean” part of the body. In Islamic countries, the left hand is not the hand you greet someone with or eat with, because that is the hand used to take care of toilet business. Lefties in Asia and the Middle East have to learn how to be right-handed because the left handedness is considered “odd”. In Ancient Rome, the left hand was sometimes used in idioms for masturbation, at the time a very shameful and “dirty” practice. So it’s a very negative stigma even today.
Traditionally, the right hand was seen as virtuous and clean. So the right hand was identified as good, opposed to the left. Essentially, as Christianity was seen as the “good religion”, the “other” religious became synonymous with evil, especially pagan or polytheistic belief systems. The became the paths of the left hand, even though many adhered to right hand beliefs and practices.
So why are the right hand paths becoming less popular? Modern societies can keep both hands clean all the time because we understand germs and soap now, and we can do more things with better outcomes… like no outbreaks. I think it’s the same with belief systems. Now that people have taken the time to sit down and understand why the systems attract people that traditional Christ failed, there is a revolution of freedom of religion. Understanding something will change our behaviors and curiosity to the point where it becomes gray. Why bother with what is “right” or “left” when both can be cleaned or dirtied according to what you do?
It’s tiring for a leftie to be in a world where their biologically dominate hand is “evil”. They have to learn the rules about hands. Now put them in a situation where they can clean the hand that has been condemned. It becomes what it really is; power over what can be done. They become comfortable… they can use what is natural. How evil it was to force the use of the right hand! Freedom has come!
This creates a large blur between the right and left. The modern world allows us to use both indiscriminately. We can have religious practices unique to us without discriminating what is “evil”.
Have you ever used the Star of David in ritual? It is not just a Jewish symbol; it’s also the symbol of the elements; the triangle that points up is male, and the downward pointing female. The elements can be shown alone as triangles, two with bars and two without. The star is the combination of all earthly elements to become the fifth. It’s a witchy symbol as well as a Jewish one. So is it evil or good? Both. It can be used to harm. But it’s not harmful by itself. Besides, who cares why it should be good?
The left-hand path gives us freedom to use what we have and know to change our life, even if it’s just the attitude it gives us. This includes the wisdom and gifts of the right-hand path. As long as it works, why should it matter? We’re free and that is what matters most.
So the next time you label yourself as LHP, Occultist, Mage, Witch, Satanist, Pagan, whatever you go by to describe yourself, it might be a good idea to ask; why that word? Why am I that? And does the other side have to do with it? Sometimes it is doubt that brings us closer to ourselves, and it should be treasured.
the word means “wise one,” and I aspire to wisdom above all. What methods I use are inconsequential compared to using the methods toward wise ends. Funny thing about wisdom, in its purest form, it has no regard whatever for right, wrong, good, or bad. Wisdom is balance, no matter what
