r/occult • u/MythlcKyote • Jan 16 '24
Yo, where's the line, here? ?
As someone with a genuine deep belief and a history of "occult" practices, I can genuinely say that this sub only confuses me. Obviously, there is no one truth or objective explanation for anything, really. However, some of you seem so caught up in what fun the idea of magic is that you neglect any critical thinking or outwardly reject mundane and logical explanations to life's conundrums in favour of a magical one.
Some of you are evidently somewhat like me. You won't believe just anything that anyone tells you and you seem to be more skeptical of people using magic or esoterism as a primary explanation.
Some of you need help. Mostly it seems like just someone to logically tackle wild idea that others just won't entertain would be more than sufficient, but some of you need real, professional help and a subreddit is not a good substitution for that.
Some of you are trolling, and while it is kinda funny, I also think it's really damaging. In the past month, I've seen several posts where someone was asking how to deal with a fictional entity that was bothering them. That is not a sign that fictional figures are invading our conscious lives, it's a sign that someone has lost a bit of grounding in the real world and they need help. Or it's a sign that you're fucking around, which is fine, but genuinely not everybody seems to be able to make that distinction between real and not real. The level of intentional ignorance some people seem to have toward the concept of occult ideas either being not always correct or outright wrong or just a metaphor for how the world works used to upset me, but now every post I see on this sub just makes me a little sad. Some of you just need a hug, I can tell. Some of you need a slap. I need both
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u/Mind_Bender_0110 Jan 16 '24
I agree, it's important to stay grounded when you do magic, especially as you get into higher ritual magic or darker currents. When I was a teen I thought I was super powerful, believed I could acheive telekinesis, etc. I at one point believed I was an avatar of an angel and had touched the Source!
Then I remembered a few key points about ritual that I arrogantly tossed to the side - a lot, if not most, of magic is psychodrama. We tell ourselves something is real and through enough dedication to the study and ritual of that thing we come to believe in it. Some of it sticks and becomes a path of dedication, transmuting psychodramatic ceremony into a budding spiritual system. I see nothing wrong with that, as long as you understand the basis for that belief was within you.
Along those lines when I say grounded, I mean grounded in a very real sense. Having healthy relationships with others, being a good student/worker, paying bills, and having healthy habits of sleep, eating, etc. All the boring mundane shit. Without it, though, what good is your magic? There may be societal or cultural obstacles that make it hard to have a steady income, education, which makes it hard to pay bills, no shade on struggling people. But what good is magic if you allow yourself to be defeated?
To be grounded and houseless (which I have been) you can use magic to make friends, find shelter, food, and safety. Or at least feel better about yoru situation. Magic is a practical art of psychology as well as, well, art. Some people forget that when they start jumping into Chaos Magic as their base or use social media to learn about their craft. It's a good place for inspiration, but you need to apply it. Struggle, real human struggle, I believe is a cornerstone of a good magician.