Wicca

The Threefold Law

Also commonly known as the Law of Three, this is a fundamental Wiccan principle governing behaviour towards others.

The following is a modern English version:

Always mind the Threefold Law,
Three times your acts return to you.
This lesson you must learn,
You shall get what you earn!

By "Threefold," it is meant that good deeds and bad deeds are repaid to the sender in three's. Do a good deed and get three good deeds back as a reward. Do a bad deed and get three bad deed back as punishment.

A popular expression of this Law is at the end of The Wicca Credo, and it says:

Mind the Threefold Law you must,
Three times bad and three times good.

The entire Wicca Credo is found here.

While some may think The Threefold Law is the same as Karma, in fact it is quite different. In Karma, an action generates an equal reaction that can help determine destiny in this life or a future life. However, in The Threefold law, one action generates three reactions that are realised in this life.

Note that many Wiccans mistakenly refer to The Threefold Law as The Law of Return, which is actually the Traditional Witchcraft understanding of Cause & Effect which is entirely different than in Wicca.

Pagan Religions