Left-Hand vs. Right-Hand

In the present occult community it seems that those classified as "left-handers" get a bad rap.  It should be noted that the distinctions of "left-hand path" and "right-hand path" depend largely on interpretation.  The terms originate from Tantra and were brought to the West by Madame Blavatsky.  In its original sense, the left-hand path connotes the breaking of societal taboos as a part of spiritual practice; things like sex in ritual or drinking alcohol.  The right-hand path refers to spiritual practices that conform to society's standards and generally keep with established doctrine.

In the current community the two seem to be divided into a kind of "black magic" and "white magic."  The left-handers are seen as lacking morals, using magic for selfish or malicious ends, and are usually seen as stereotypical "satanists."  The right-handers are the "love and light" types that are perhaps viewed most often as the stereotypical New Agers.  I happen to think that this dichotomy only serves to divide people that could be working together.

My personal view is that the left-hand path is more about utilizing personal power and emotional release whereas the right-hand path is more about devotion to higher powers and the petitioning of those powers.  It is much more complex than simple "good vs. evil."  I don't see the left-hand path as being necessarily evil at all and there are many right-handers that are guilty of some pretty bad behavior.  I think that left and right are just two different ways of accomplishing what is essentially the same thing, like the original meaning of the left and right-hand paths in Tantra.  It could even be said that both are necessary to form a complete practice.

The overall point that I'm trying to get at is that there's no need for a "vs." at all.  Magical practice doesn't have any intrinsic morality; it's the person practicing that determines whether a path is "good" or "evil."  I don't think that the divisiveness that can erupt in magical communities over this is something to be stamped out just because of ideological differences.  If we take the time we can often learn from people that see things in a different way than we do.

Left-Hand Path and Right-Hand Path