The hypocrisy of the wannabes

Photo from here

Ever since I found myself involved in the occult universe I realized that, besides the obvious fact it dealt with things considered out of the ordinary by the vast majority, it was very different from any other environment I had frequented beforehand. Despite the fact occultists engage other levels of reality, something that would grant them a greater perspective over the world at large, at least in theory, for the most part they remain as human as any other person and often show their flaws of character just like another, in some cases even more so. 

I felt disappointed by this at first because the image I had constructed in my mind about magicians in general was totally different. It's not that they had no flaws but that they undergo a constant work to correct them, thus cancelling out any imperfection of their mundane self with the aim of clearing the path for their Higher Self to manifest more easily. I was wrong!

This does not mean my view of magicians was centered upon them engaging solely into mystical work. On the contrary, I saw them as being more perfected vectors for generating change in the material realm. But in my view those changes would be generated by a heightened awareness those individuals would have on the world around, something that would allow them to generate the changes much faster and with greater ease. I was wrong!

I have no idea what others who started out on this path might have experienced, at least not in their personal intimacy. From what I've come across so far there are people who, while having undergone diligent work consisting of daily practice sessions, have noticed a certain degree of increase in their awareness. Although they didn't become omniscient over time, they noticed it was becoming easier for them to understand certain aspects of the world around that had eluded them beforehand. The same applies for their inner world. This resulted in them gaining at least a tiny amount of wisdom, something that proved highly useful for them in the long run. Not only were they able to comprehend the mechanics of reality better, even to a degree, but they also became less involved in the hustle and bustle of everyday life generated by the ongoing interactions between people who are solely operating based on their "lower mind" and who constantly create all sorts of difficulties for themselves and for others.

Seeing that many in the occult universe are no different from... muggles, I stopped being disappointed because of my findings destroyed my expectations and instead I became more and more amused by this state of affairs. Besides the fact this realization made it harder for me to come across people who's examples I could follow, I did come across many who kept feeding my emerging appetite for entertainment. In time I noticed two... currents emerging.

1. The holier-than-thou is the stereotypical occultist who poses as a righteous, often all-knowing figure. They are or more correctly, want to be considered, the creme de la creme of the occult universe - experts and whatnot. Often they are responsible for trend-setting in the occult, calling the shots, developing "philosophical currents" and so on. They are looked up by many and they use this energy to feed their ego, something that in time has made them embrace the Vice of Tiphareth more or less. Despite that, they sometimes draw attention to certain subjects and address their moral and ethical undertones, but whereas this might seem as in invitation to others to debate their views, such public displays of righteousness merely represent a one-sided jet of opinions and anyone who dares to veer away from their opinions is likely to get scolded. Very often such theatrically orchestrated public displays of righteousness become outright shows of tar and feathering.

They use their apparent influence over the many to make pompous statements about this, that and the other without fear of being criticized, often as an indirect means of proclaiming their authority. Naturally, their statements are highly welcomed by those who take great pleasure in riding their weewees, the latter welcoming every apparently outstanding statement with great cheer. If, heavens forbid, someone dares to contradict such elevated beings, let alone criticize them, those weewee riders take no respite when it comes to chastising and ridiculing that person. Every now and then the "godhead figure" themselves take a few minutes of their precious time to scold some pour soul just for kicks, as a means to entertain their weewee riding followers into giving them more attention.

2. The overnight academic is, at least in theory, the bookwormy type who, upon reading apparently many books of an occult nature, begins to lecture people about the correctness of their statements, most often demanding that those people would mention the sources they had used for making certain occult related statements. Despite the fact very few of people in the occult universe, if any, have a certified diploma in some kind of occult related academic specialization, the posers in question will go to great lengths to come across as someone with a vast scholastic background. Based on that imaginary scholastic background, they see themselves as being some kind of superior authority with respect to defining whatever concepts are up for debate and, through more or less subtle means, try to push their views across.

I think it's safe to say the underlying reason for people in both categories to act as such is money, this also being the common denominator between the two. It is quite simple. You pose as someone you're not to draw attention. The more attention you get, the more important you must be. The more important you must be, the more knowledgeable and experienced you must be ergo, your shit is valuable: books. classes, services, and so on. 

I for one see nothing wrong with making money off of the occult because it has great business potential like any other area of life. But just like any other area of life it is the potential of making that business become a cut-throat one in which people often go to great lengths to come out on top and if that means using subversive means, so be it. 

I could name a third one, credit seekers, but this also seems to fit into both aforementioned categories. However, there are some who, while not having enough juju in them to make it into either of the two, do want to stand out in some way and they do that by insisting people give them credit for almost every minute thing they say with respect to the occult. Often they too demand people reveal whatever sources they might use as a backup for statements and will frown upon those who say it was the result of their own experimentation. 

In general, the term UPG (unverified personal gnosis) is heavily frowned upon in the occult, most often by those mentioned above. But how can progress occur without experimentation? How can new territories be discovered and explored without experimentation? Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying any idiot who tells people to cut their penis lengthwise using a rusty razor blade on a Tuesday and leave it to bleed until Friday at sunrise because sexy naked Elven women will manifest out of thin air and have sex with them is something worthy of following. What I am saying is that, while relying on whatever material found in already existing sources, the person makes use of those methods to bring improvement to them and the overall system. A simple example would be the invention of the Pentagram Rituals that rely on elements already available: Levi, Jewish prayer, Christian gospel, Hermetic teachings, etc.

Now, it would be hypocritical of me to speak of others without speaking of myself as well, wouldn't it? For starters I think I haven't made it clear enough I am uncultured when it comes to both school related subjects and with respect to occult related topics. Besides getting a diploma for graduating high school, like millions out there each year worldwide, I am a college dropout. I am largely unfamiliar with the philosophical concepts that are part of the Western occult corpus. Don't ask me about Neo-Platonism and Hermeticism and so on because I wouldn't know. Moreover, I know very little about who wrote what grimoire and stuff like that. 

What I did was to simply start LBRP-ing without knowing if it was taking me somewhere or what that somewhere would be. For some reason I came across the right people who's knowledge and experience have helped me gain a better understanding of the overall magical act, how it works and how it manifests into the physical realm. Probably for the same reason I began taking on certain practices that in time have boosted my magical abilities that also allowed me to come across certain methods that are apart from the usual occult techniques. In turn, those methods allowed me to bend my-self closer to the perfection I desired for myself. I found those methods do not apply solely to myself but for others as well and upon lengthy experimentation, I ended up taking the concept to new heights. 

At various moments along the way I came across several hints in old sources that what I was doing was not something made up by me, but probably something that was imparted to the world little by little although I think very few really understood it. Truth be told, while I can explain the process in a nutshell, I cannot reveal its essence in a single phrase. Or I could, but it's likely the other party would not understand and not because they'd be stupid, but because they would need to know certain things about certain things and all those things are complex and kinda complicated. As a matter of fact, the latest development in my personal work is up for sale and, through some kind of synchronicity, I came to realize it has much in common with certain old Sabian talisman making techniques. The difference is the method I brought forth in the form of my Overcoming Natal Retrogrades does not rely on talismans per se, although the concept is very similar and it applies for both retrograde planets and those in direct motion in the natal chart, as the "class" details.

At any rate, I do not consider myself a magician because, sticking to my initial view, I have not undergone any specialized training that usually turns ordinary people into magicians. Aside from my daily practice in which I'm free to wing it as I please but through which I've been somewhat guided in certain ways and doing what I've been doing on myself, I have not gained access to any sophisticated techniques someone who's being trained inside a serious magical order is bound to come across if they follow through with their work. What I've succeeded in doing was merely by applying the free magical information Scott is putting out there for the world while thinking outside the box as Birch encourages people to do. And that's it. 

I still consider myself an idiot with respect to pretty much everything I cannot understand and although I refer to myself as being a genius within some closed circles, I'm merely doing it whenever I happen to do something that I wouldn't have considered myself capable of doing in the first place. One such example is co-writing Asteria alongside Señor Shaman. Another would be that, and I've said it before, although I'm a nobody, there are a few highly experienced magicians who not only interact with me in the form of a simple message exchange, but they also accept whatever I have to say to them. This does not mean they agree with my views entirely, but that instead of being scolded or removed from their universe, I receive necessary explanations that would correct whatever flaws my views might have contained. And although I could be wrong, I'm quite positive the people in question realized I really do know what I'm doing and wtf I'm talking about, despite my views not being entirely correct. 

I also make it harder for people to pay me for my services, as outrageous as it might seem. But yea, despite charging low prices, I also tell people there's a chance any spell and ritual will fail and I don't care who says otherwise. Since it is hard for me to tell them every reason in one go and on top of that offer some decent explanation as well, I wrote this article to which I point people who ask me why I'm saying such things. If they accept this and still want to benefit from my services, fine. If not, they are free to look up others. Which reminds me...

I recently received an email from someone asking me to send "an angel" to them because of a certain situation they were in. I explained they would have to pay first. They said they do not trust me so they cannot pay me up front because they already had several experiences with people they paid and who did not performed the task. First of all, I am certain there are frauds in this business and I am certain they will charge people and not do anything in return. In many cases the prices are obscene. But second of all, it might very well be that whoever that person contacted for occult services told them "sure, I will solve the problem for you in no time" and take their money without even blinking. Based on what the person was complaining of, I find it highly improbable that a few rituals would do the trick, let alone just one. I would've told them that had they accepted to pay me, but before they paid me, so that they'd know what the odds were at least largely. The reason behind that is they would've paid me for me having to spend energy in their favor, but it seems pointless to me to spend energy that would bring little to no desired result without telling the person what's likely to happen beforehand given the distinct situation.

So those people could have very well performed a certain ritual on the person and cashed in, but the person felt no improvement because their problem has a small probability of being solved by even the most advanced magical system. Since the person had little to no idea how magick works in general and given the fact they are likely to be somewhat desperate, it seems logical to assume they expected instant results. But unfortunately it does not work that way, otherwise everyone rubbing one out over a sigil would eventually end up being rich, there would be considerable less cases of fatal diseases worldwide, and so on.

But whereas I too offer such magical services, I want to educate people into knowing what they should expect at first even if they will not follow through on their initial offer. That way it is likely some of them will get burned while seeking some kind of magical services elsewhere and hopefully, they will understand why I had told them those things in the beginning. I too learned certain things in life the hard way even when I was taught differently beforehand so I can't blame them. But this way they will hopefully begin to seek people who take their time into telling them what they should expect based on their demands and the magical possibilities available, instead of wasting their money on the first loudmouth they come across, even if that loudmouth happens to be me! Fortunately for me (and them), I left social media behind more than an year ago and, although I had to return for a brief period recently, this decision is final. So there's less chance of people running into this loudmouth.

Oh, one last thing! I think it's safe to say I shared whatever magical information I came across freely to people without asking for any credit in return. I would only ask for credit for the stuff I brought forth in the form of added value, such as The Magick of Astrorelationships. Although it needs a complete make-over with respect to formatting (twas my first one and I had 0 Word skills) and its word count doesn't qualify it as being book worthy in the eyes of El Maximo Exponente de la Magia for instance, it does bring forth a new concept in the occult. If I remember correctly I've been promised my name would be mentioned with respect to other stuff I've come up with along the way, but so far I don't think that's happened yet and I don't really care about that anyway.

Finally, I imagine this article will not reach too many people although I hope it will raise some eyebrows along the way. This is also the intent behind my Magical Words book, a book I had to retire from publishing for a while and make some changes to it because it was apparently too obnoxious and it would've made certain grown men cry. Not that I care about that, but I decided to follow the wise counsel I received. So in the event you're wondering why the articles about it are not showing up on the blog, know I will publish them right after I publish the reviewed version of the book which will be less toxic to some, yet still obnoxious in general. This shouldn't take too long, but right now I'm caught up in at least a couple major projects...

And yea, I too have many flaws of character yet I do not try to hide them. They're simply part of that perfection I'm reaching towards and I'm making use of them to my benefit. So although I wouldn't expect others to cut the crap and be real, not that I care either way, I do find it necessary to speak about this so that others who have begun walking their occult path for a short while would know of the current state of affairs in this universe.

Hate on, dum-dums!

The Great Gazoo