I believe that each individual holds their own unique creation and is tethered to energies beyond our imagination. It is through duality that we find balance. Each one of us plays a large part in the balance between the two. I for one often practice far different from others that I know personally. I have an innate understanding what is right and wrong for me. However, that does not apply to anyone other than myself. I believe that Dark Magic is essential to the balance just as is Light. I am more prone to a Light practice. I for example do not believe in manifesting material possessions. While if your vibration Is high enough, you may get what you ask for but there always a price if you are not at a place in your life where these things resonate to your highest purpose at the moment. I always intend to manifest the most unapologetic authentic version of myself; so, that I may receive that which is what is meant to serve my highest purpose whatever that may be.
It really depends in the scenario you’ll find yourself in, I understand it’s only done when in the worst case situation in the past, media and different beliefs however have offered a different perspective with it and showed its done for entertainment of its practitioners. Once I actually did it without knowing what I did was actually black magick, it actually taught one of the bullies a lesson at school, it’s only now that I chose to keep control of my life force or magick did I tell myself to only use it if the situation’s really dire and no other solution mundane or other forms of magick can solve the issue
Great topic @jada1!!
Why would anyone want to change your mind on that? I hope we can use this space to promote unity in diversity. In other words, that there can be harmony and unity between individuals with different views.
Regarding dark magic, I feel that it’s important to make the distinction between a justice spell (e.g. a return to sender spell or a bounce-back mirror spell) where you don’t choose the punishment yourself; and a specific curse or psychic attack of sorts.
With the first case, there’s no drama. Maybe do a divination first (“Divine twice, cast once”) to make sure that’s the best course of action.
Regarding casting curses and hexes, I don’t encourage them but here’s some reading that may interest you:
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Utterly Wicked: Hexes, Curses, and Other Unsavory Notions by Dorothy Morrison
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Curses, Hexes & Crossing by S. Connolly
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Spellcraft, Hexcraft and Witchcraft by Anna Riva
I’m so glad you brought up this topic because it is a fascinating one. I don’t have a problem with other people practicing it and I’m interested in learning more about it, in an academic way. I don’t judge witches who do it. But you know the saying: when you seek revenge, dig two graves. I believe that. I also believe in protecting yourself and the ones you love, setting firm boundaries, and fighting back, when needed, so my banishing and protection spells can be pretty fierce! When I have been SO angry and felt SO helpless that I wanted to hex someone, I have increased my self care and sometimes also done beneficial spells for the person or the situation to just change that energy up. Everyone needs catharis every once in a while, though. I have written “I hate you” letters and drawn silly pictures and then burned them. I love harnessng that fire energy. You can use it for good or evil. Like you can build a fire to keep warm or burn down a house. I choose the former. Sometimes, in the process of getting all my feelings out on paper, is I come up with a new solution or something else constructive, or I feel I can let it go and refocus my energy on my own needs. For example, learning how to deal with conflicts effectively, which is what I’m trying to learn these days. Anyway, love the topic. Want to know all I can.
I don’t know if you’ and everyone else will find this Youtuber interesting yet I’ll still send and share it anyway, Scarlet Ravenswood discusses about, Hexing and Traditional Witchcraft in this YouTube video: Hexing & Traditional Witchcraft || Pagan Happy Hour Ep#28 - YouTube
Disclaimer: As always, I do not own the video link, this video is owned by Scarlet Ravenswood, not me nor do I earn any money from her too
Blessed Be,
Margaret
This is a wonderful discussion- thanks for opening it up, and for sharing your personal insights about magick, @jada1! 
My personal practice and beliefs have been influenced a lot by my time living at Buddhist temples 
. In my personal magickal and spiritual beliefs, I choose to never use Dark/Black Magick. This is because I strongly believe that what you give to the world, you will get back- whether that’s in this life or the next. I think that wishing harm onto others is just as harmful to the caster as to the person the spell is directed at- not always through a karmic hand, but rather that the caster willing chose violence, hatred, and/or fear over other options. It’s just my personal belief, but I think that harmful actions cause a cycle 
- a chain of action and re-action, curse and retirubtion, that is then very hard for those captured inside to break out of. 
Again, just personal belief- but I do not consider return to sender spells, cord-cutting, freezer spells, and most other kinds of defensive magick to be Black Magick. I see them as a kind of “grey area” of magick- if they do cause harm, it was caused by the original attacker and not the defendant. I don’t believe there is anything wrong in protecting yourself and your loved ones- in fact, I think this is a wonderful and important use of magick (albiet a use of magick that hopefully needs to be used only sparingly!)
It comes down to each individual witch to write their own code of ethics and draw their own lines. This is the beauty of magick, and I am very proud of all those who explored things and chose their witch code for themselves! 
It is always a delight to hear other’s opinions and see how everyone thinks of Black/Dark Magick in their practices.
Thanks again for opening up this discussion, Jada! 
Thank you 
Anger can be an excellent outlet. But use it wisely. Close all the doors and scream! Beat up a pillow. Take a sharp knife and kill a squash. all of these are great anger outlets.
Somethimes black needs to be fought by black.
Welcome to the Coven this is so true, we use black or protection after all
I too have used binding, freezer ,send back and mirror spells. Truth be told, I began studying witchcraft, because of a curse I felt from a neighbors mother they were islanders. The police would not help us, even After we bought a security system to record their actions. They destroyed our car, scratching it both sides among other things. Within a month of my first spell they were evicted. This was almost a 18 months ago. Good stuff. I use protection spells weekly.
Blessings,
Kathy
B.witch
Those sound like terrible neighbors. I’m glad you were able to get rid of them farily quickly. The perks of being a powerful Witch! 
Thanks for sharing your experience with protection spells, Kathy!
Great topic of conversation! And I am enjoying hearing everyone’s responses. I feel that I fall more in line with some of our coven family with using justice spells or inward facing spells (spells that would remove me from a situation or person vs making something happen to the person) as my first line of defense. I’m still fairly new to my practice but thankfully haven’t had a need to consider using dark magic or any justice spell. But as also stated, I won’t completely discount it depending on the situation. “never say never!” I’m more of a peace and live and let live kind of person so if I can change something that will remove ME instead of the person, I’d rather try that first. But my opinion of dark magic itself is neutral. Everything has a purpose. I don’t find it inherently evil or bad. It’s what you do with it.
Jada
& coven members
Thank you for this post ,I so appreciate the ideas that will help me discover where exactly we’re my ethics are. To each person their own and this is why I love witchcraft is because everybody is individual and there is no judgment.I like the idea of letting my anger out sometime because there is so much that I have pushed under the carpet. I do do more healing spells than anything and sometimes dark magic does deserve a little attention. I-Don’t like to cause any harm to people. Depending if someone deserves it!
I do feel like karma does come around the corner so just trying to figure out when and when not when is it my mysterious line that if someone crossed me I would retaliate. I do believe that there is no black magic and white magic I feel like magic is neutral I feel like we as people do magic on a regular basis they just don’t know that they’re doing magic.
If I need a justice spell I will not blink twice. If I need to do a freezer spell I will and have. as far as hexes go I haven’t done a hex but if I had to I would. As far as doing jinxes I wouldn’t mind doing that just to trip them up.
I also feel like talking about this subject makes me a lot more closer to my coven.
Anne thank you for the video.
Jada thanks
Blessed be!
Thank you! My views are just like yours. 
This is an excellent topic, I dont see black or white I view it all as Gray, I say this because there is a duality to EVERYTHING, ultimately what Im getting at is, white magic is not all inherently white nor is black magic entirely black, I do however believe in using your judgement in all you do, I see using magic as a means to nudge things in your favor be it baneful or not
If I’m going to define the type of system I’m into, it is Technomancy. Similar to Chaos Magick.
Why?
Because I incorporate into my system, different type of traditions using technology. In my practice, there’s no light or dark, just working with energy that is all around us and in us.
Now some practice is good to study about it first, for example, one system I used to work with is Demonolatry. In which it requires working with different types of energies, when it comes to connect with this ancient beings to seek some type of wisdom; sometimes not found on a book, you end up kicked by the butt really hard. Some of them are demanding or even dangerous, if the spellcaster doesn’t know what he/she/them are doing.
What this has to do with the subject at hand?
Well that studying and practice can help to understand to effectively work with what it’s called black magick, or left hand path.
There’s nothing wrong on learning on hexing and the likes, just always have in your mind this questions.
Does this person need to be hex?
Why?
In some case is good to know both sides of the coin.
Sometimes people asks to us to make some kind of a dark work, and when you realize of the situation, it can be fixed with the most and powerful spell of all, a good nice dialog between them. The drink is optional, but wine is good. 
My personal view on dark magic is similar to good and evil. It’s all opinion based and no one person can know the truth for another. One example, in my view, is the blood sacrifice of an animal, let’s say by a cat for example. Many would believe this act to be purely senseless death, however that animal in reality has been sacrificed in a way that will feed so many thousands of bacteria, which will eventually make its way up the food chain. That cat has hit the reset button on that energy, it hasn’t disappeared, and it’s not being evil, it’s just being. We all have our own interpretations of dark and light, but if we’re really honest with ourselves, we are able to see the nuance.
In Yoruba religion, the religion of palo; palo mayombe as it’s well known here where I am to be specific, is common, not the sacrifice of a cat, but of a chicken and other species. Because the blood has power connotation for certain Deities, specially it means life.
In my case I never harmed a animal in Demonolatry but gave drops of my own blood in a ceremony. Only poking my finger with a lancet and giving a few drop of my blood or add it to a candle. Not the same way of a palero, but with the same results. Is honoring a specific Deity, not that it has to be done all the time. In palo mayombe or paleros is a different take. I never participated but have people I know that practice this type of belief system.
I feel the exact same way!!