--Editorial by Three Blade Jaguar

The onset of war has sent me, along with many other spirit-seekers in the Delaware Valley, scrambling to figure out where I stand on the United States’ posture in the world. Neither as a citizen nor as a magician can I do anything in this crisis, for myself or my country or the world, if I can’t decide what should be done.

One of the depressing things about maturity is that I realize (a) how many mistakes I’ve made in my life, and (b) that I’m going to keep on making some. If this is true in an individual’s life, it’s all the truer in the foreign affairs of a large nation.

IF the U.S.A. pursues any sort of foreign policy at all – THEN we must “meddle with other countries.” IF we avoid having a foreign policy — THEN we are “turning our back on the world.”

IF we support people who share our values — THEN we are “imposing Western ways.” IF we support people who don’t share our values — THEN we are “putting bad guys in power.” IF we deal with existing authoritarian governments — THEN we’re “supporting government oppression.” IF we deal with factions out of power — THEN we’re “destabilizing native political systems.”

IF we get involved in countries that have something worthwhile to offer us — THEN we’re “motivated by greed.” IF we get involved in countries that are of no conceiv-able value to us — THEN we “had no business there in the first place.”

IF we trade with these countries — THEN we’re “exploiting their people for profit.” IF we refuse to trade with these countries — THEN we are “imposing cruel sanctions that hurt the people.” IF we sell only food and medicine to their tyrants — THEN they will resell them to buy arms for further tyranny.

IF we sell only food and medicine, directly to the people – THEN tyrants will just seize the food and medicine and proceed as above.

IF we help to arm turbulent societies — THEN we are “responsible for the violence,” that may be turned against us. IF we don’t help to arm turbulent societies — THEN others will arm them and we will have less control over the violence, that may be turned against us.

IF we fight — THEN we risk the death of innocents and we inspire anger. Which only leads to more violence. IF we don’t fight — THEN we risk the death of innocents and we inspire contempt. Which only leads to more violence.

Nothing is easier to criticize than a foreign policy; nothing is harder to formulate.

In the tradition I practise, the essence of the Craft lies in the exercise of your own trained Will. The first and hardest step is to figure out what your Will truly consists of. That challenge writ large now faces the United States and American citizens. It is not enough in magic merely to say, “Oh, not this, not that, not something else....” Magical effectiveness depends on determin-ing what you Will do, Will have, Will be; and also in Willing to live with the conse-quences, live with your mistakes, live with the price you must pay to get what you asked for.

Only now can you act.

—Three Blade Jaguar

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