The Ancient Celts, the Druids, etc did not believe that punishment would follow you even after death. They practiced their religion without the guilt and worry of the three-fold law, although they understood cause and effect to a certain extent. They understood responsibility, honor, and consequences, and were prepared to take them if their actions required it. Wiccans, depending on the belief system, believe in any number of things, one of them being karma and another the Threefold-Law.

First, I need to quote from Ed Fitch out of his book, A Grimoire of Shadows ISBN 1-56718-659-9

"The law of cause and effect is rooted in the akasha principle, and thus is not affected by time or space. This immutable law works everywhere in the most obvious to the most extremely subtle manner.

Every deed of ours either proceeds from a cause or is followed by a result, whether in the blinking of an eye or in two thousand years. An ancient saying of the Craft is "the good you do, shall be returned to thee... three times over. " This is derived from Karma.

The balancing out of cause and effect may take place from moment to moment, day to day, year to year, or over a number of your incarnations. The significance of karma is very deep indeed, a subject that deserves thought and additional study."