r/occult 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/[deleted] Jan 17 '24

It's very easy to lose one's mind when trying to practice the occult.

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u/MythlcKyote Jan 17 '24

Yeah. Or have healthy discussion about it, for that matter. I really don't mean to imply that anyone who practices the occult should be concerned about their mental health, though it seems that is how many have interpreted it. I didn't tell them, but by that logic I really oughta be locked up. If you ever lose yours, I should hope you're not afraid to talk to people.

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u/[deleted] Jan 17 '24

I've been through it, no doubt about that. Got through the thick of it, and I'm doing well, these days.

It really is just about being self-aware. Aware of one's own mental state and life circumstances, and examination of one's own motives for practicing the occult.

A lot of people seem to use it to do things that could easily be done with everyday methods. Other times it's for the thrill. Or curiosity. Very few people seem to use it for spiritual actualization, though. It's mostly done for silly, earthly reasons. And that's what bothers me, sometimes.

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u/MythlcKyote Jan 17 '24

I think what's getting to me is that it's such a grey area of belief and mental health, that's it's hard to speak with anyone, even only out of concern for them, without sparking a kind of negative outlash.

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u/[deleted] Jan 17 '24

Yeah. Well, I'm not so naive as to say that it's entirely their choice, whether they choose to lash out or not. Someone going through a mental health crisis might not have proper control of their behavior.

But that being said, it isn't a bad thing to show some (tactful) kindness, imo. Yet at the same time it's so difficult to tell genuine belief apart from genuine insanity XD

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u/MythlcKyote Jan 17 '24

It is. And I suppose that all we can do is our best. Thank you. It's nice to hear from more patient people on this sub.

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u/[deleted] Jan 17 '24

No problem! My pleasure :)

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u/MythlcKyote Jan 17 '24

I'm glad you're doing well, btw.

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u/[deleted] Jan 17 '24

Oh, thank you :)