Wicca and Faith Magick
I think something that some magical practitioners that dismiss and belittle Wicca don't consider is that the aspect of Wicca that many don't like (The rule of three) might be the faith's greatest strength. Wiccans believe that whatever you do, good or bad, comes back to you three times over. Now, I know there are many magical practitioners who don't believe in the rule of three and that is their provocative. There are practitioners who see the injustice in the world and for this reason they cannot bring themselves to even believe in a form of karma. There is some loose scientific basis for belief in Karma, such as the law of conservation in physics. And Newton's Third law of motion. "For every action there is an equal but opposite reaction." The golden rule "Do unto others as you'd have done unto you." exists in some form in most faiths but Wicca is one of the few to believe that positive and negative actions can have a trifold effect. Now, here's the power a lot of people don't realize. Similar to the notion of the Tulpa or more precisely Egregore there is a concept called Faith Magick where the belief that something is true is strong enough to make a thing manifest. This is part of why and how people who believe themselves to be werewolves (people with Lycanthropy) often produce physical manifestations as if they truly are a werewolf. The line is so blurred that the term to mean being a werewolf and believing one is a werewolf are one and the same. Faith magick accounts for why (for some people) prayer seems to work, or blessed water. Sometimes the belief is enough to will a manifestation of form or action. And I, myself, have witnessed the "Rule of Three" not merely work on Wiccans but also manifest on those who have done wrong to specific Wiccans or done good by them as well. Whether consciously or unconsciously, some Wiccans appear to be projecting their faith and using Faith Magick to make the rule of three manifest on those they interaction with, even if it's someone who may not necessarily even believe in the rule of three or think that they deserve any reward or consequence. I am not necessarily saying that the rule of three is true but sometimes a belief in something can be strong enough to influence a person, their environment, and even those they interact with. Those who unconsciously wield Faith Magick (in any faith) may be more powerful than any actual Hex or curse (which are usually forbidden by Wiccans because of the Wiccan Rede. "And it harm none, do as thou wilt.") It's an interesting phenomenon that should be observed. Which is strongest? The manifestation caused by faith or the de-manifestation caused by the lack of faith? I actually suspect it's not an even match up and that perhaps some (not necessarily all) Wiccans can passively project the rule of three on those who interact with them, for better or worse. And remember, Sage won't protect against Karma.