So you've been talking with other witches or doing research into the craft and came across the term Left-Handed Path. Now if you are more conservatively raised or are just coming into the craft or simply looking out of curiosity hearing this phrase may insight hesitation or negative thought processes. For some, it may even make them think of the Devil's Lore. This is not the case. The following information is a personal view of the Left-Handed Practices standpoint. The left-handed paths practitioner gives to the elements of their craft for example as a death witch the spirits feed off of my experiences, energy, and sometimes my soul itself (this is why you take care of yourself). Now don't get me wrong the left-handed path practitioner is primarily a witch helping her self but a left-hand witch can and will help other people. They will cast for money, power, status, and arcane knowledge They are more likely to work with Spirits (this is an umbrella term for the dead, Deities Demons, etc) that will grant them this. This in no way makes this path type bad especially if it is a good person whos has been through traumatic experience trying to help themselves and make themselves better while still helping others. The left-handed path helps the practitioner to cope, face, and eventually get over traumas, mental health issues, and a lot of the things that most people would put on a back burner or take medication to get rid of or forget. That is another reason left-handed practitioners are frowned upon because they rely on themselves this does not make you in any way selfish. (disclaimer medication can help and in some severe cases is needed always consult a health care professional before removing or taking any medications during shadow work). There are few left-handed path practitioners that willfully go out of their way
to harm other people, but they won’t hesitate if you hurt them or someone close to them or otherwise prevent them from achieving what they set their minds to do. It's left-handed and assumed selfish because you HAVE TO PERFORM SHADOW WORK and maintain your mind, body, and soul. Literally you have to take care of your self and this can mean manifesting what you need to get
where you need to be mentally emotionally and physically. You can not maintain a healthy connection to the elements of the craft if you are not healthy, of sound mind, or have any parts of yourself that can hinder your progress in the craft or to helping others. They will literally start feeding off of your soul, at least in death magic that's how it works. You’re forced to address the issues and face the problems that are causing the need for shadow work to make yourself healthy and better. People do not actually look into it or do proper research and read or hear Shadow and automatically think Black magic. This is not the case. Through black magic can require the practitioner to perform shadow work, shadow work itself is not in fact black or dark in nature. Any path be it light, dark, left, or right can require the practitioner to perform shadow work to advance their abilities or connections as well as remove blockages that are emotionally or mentally hindering them from helping themselves or others. That's the part that makes people believe left-handed paths are selfish and dark. The thought that a practitioner can be sure of themselves and confident in what they are doing whether or not it is for themselves or others is a terrifying thing for many people. Especially if that practitioner has been through something similar and can give empathetic advice. Shadow work gives this power, the power of knowing yourself, the power of being honest with yourself, the power to be able to know the darkest hidden cruelest selfish thing about you, to the practitioner and many who have come across such practitioners have been terrified and even very intimidated by them. They used their craft to make themselves healthy and whole. Now, this is not to say that there are not Left-Handed practitioners that use the craft for strictly personal reasons or darker intentions, They do exist that does not mean that all left handed practitioners are bad people.
For more on Shadow Work check out Abelia's blog here https://www.thelunargrove.com/post/shadow-work