People get so worked up, wondering if they have suffered from spiritual harm. Get downright paranoid about it. Lemme give you a basic guideline:
Has the event or experience in question made you into more of an asshole?
Because, really, that’s what spiritual degeneration amounts to. It is the process of becoming a self-centered asshole. It is the process by which you forget to relate to others with forgiveness, helpfulness, love and kindness.
The greatest spiritual power is the power to be an empathetic friend to all people. Life tries to rip that away from you. It tries to trick you into thinking that there is some road to happiness paved with shanking others in the gibbet, or stepping on people’s heads. That’s a road, alright, but not to happiness. And not to spiritual power, either.
Stay right with your fellow human beings. If you do that? Any god you aren’t right with isn’t worth being right with.
Words from Hermes: Spiritual Harm
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Magick From Scratch 
A peculiar and usefully timed reminder. Thanks Thenea, thanks Hermes.
Quite welcome. 😉
Once again I agree with Hermes.
Unrelatedly, I sometimes wonder about his opinion (if any) of FTD Florists.
Hah!
Well, if you are using a deity’s image to represent your business, you’d better work hard to live up to it.
Thank you – always comforting to hear such sane, thoughtful words. Having just come off reading a few threads where people were outright threatening spiritual harm or that the gods might punish one for speaking against another worshiper – this post is well-timed. I am more amazed at those who claim to do service of the gods making such threats IN THE deities names in the first place, let alone anyone having to worry if they’ve upset their patron.
That’s a shame that people are choosing to divide the already tiny community of worshippers with their cruelty.