Witches around the world are planning a mass casting of spells on Trump

[politicat]

125. There's a difference between a harming spell and a binding spell.

A binding asks the universe to prevent the target from committing harm to others. It's basically asking for whichever power is listening to enforce the law or the rede. It's not asking for harm to befall the target, it's requesting the target's worst intentions be frustrated.

It's no different from asking for protection or praying for someone who is causing harm to experience change.

Also, not everyone who is pagan ascribes to that interpretation. For polytheists, it's theologically difficult (and potentially risky) to address a power with a request that violates that power's sphere of influence. Service to Janus, for example, (of thresholds, entries and transitions) should only be practiced in time of war or conflict, and Janus service was generally a binding, with the intention to keep the enemy beyond the gates. (Of course, given Roman politics, the Janus temple was usually open 24/7/365.) In times of peace, the service should instead go to Securitas, the goddess of security, and to Portunes (locks and keys) and Minerva, in her aspect of bearer of the keys. Acknowledging Fortuna never hurts. Even the supposed "curse tablets" are more along the lines of requesting the cthionic powers to restore justice. (Most curse tablets were probably written by people who had been wronged and had no other recourse than the gods.)

There's a lot of Christian-cultural and (for lack of better term) PR influences in those versions of Wicca that steer hard towards a theological and public purity. There are a lot of reasons for that, from cultural history to current events to the fact that there are very few even second generation practitioners, so the vast majority of practitioners have come from a guilt/shame monotheism. But theology is a complex, intricate subject, and interpretation is not for amateurs or those who want 5 easy shortcuts to higher power. It's not like other faiths don't have internal disagreements about doctrine, dogma and practice, too.