Can I wrack you with a rolled-up newspaper

There appears to be a discussion brewing on the blogosphere about whether or not it is proper to drop an "evolution" bomb on people who are annoy you...or endangering you...or are endangering others.

Now, I have weighed in on this issue before, and just want to remind everyone of my own personal opinion---which may or may not be the opinion of my lineage depending upon on how you define lineage.

My answer is simple annoyance---leave them alone; endangerment---send in the flaming butterflies.

For the person who does not understand that last part: one of the people in a lodge that I used to belong to designed a binding spell using butterfly imagery to bind someone who was endangering others (think possible criminal violence). The binding had an end clause that stated more or less that the binding would stop when the person evolved into a higher lifeform.

Now, the debate that brewing is orbiting around the fact that none of us are enlightened enourgh to be making this type of decision. There is only one small problem with adapting that stance---magicians and witches are hunted down like rabid dogs by people who believe that they know what the Messiah would do.

I have dealt with lots of people, and read about a ton more people, who believe that they know how the rest of us should be living our lives. They are the radical branches of their religions. And the problem with them is that they believe that it is ok to cause anyone not living up to their strict standards harm; it is ok to harrass them, cause them to lose jobs, imprison them, even stone them to death---all in the name of religion.

The difference between them and those of us who send in flaming butterflies is that they will only accept one result (one that says they are absolutely right) and we play the lottery.

It is the lottery of spiritual evolution. We do not know what the higher states of spiritual evolution looks like. Even if you think you know the Messiah, and what he/she/it would do, there is a chance you are wrong. Those of us who drop evolution bombs on people are taking a big chance---we may not like what spiritual evolution actually looks like.

And if that is true, then the punishment will fit the crime.