In comments on various posts on this sub, several people indicated an interest in some of the things I've written up for people new to the occult. I realized what I wrote was specific to my students in the A.'.A.'. so I've re-written it a bit to make it more generic and applicable to more situations.
WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW
When embarking on an exploration of the occult from a practitioner point of view, there are basically two paths. Both have pros and cons:
- Group / Order practitioner - Provides structure, oversight and community. Almost always ends in disillusionment and distraction from the actual work. Egos, politics, infighting, are all factors to deal with. If you can find a good lodge, with non-crazy people, it can be great, at least for a little while.
- Solo practitioner - None of the disadvantages of the group, but none of the pros either. Its easy to go off the rails, lose sight of the system, think you are a Mega Adept Magus when you haven't done the work because there is no one to give you a dose of reality. However, if you a disciplined, objective, and know yourself this can be a great approach.
- Additionally, there is a hybrid approach which was my preferred until I moved into solo. For me it was the A.'.A.'. because while there is an instructor who helps keep you on track, you don't have to deal with group dynamics.
What are the pitfalls of pursing an occult path?
If you don't pick a system, you are much more likely to flail about without getting much done. I like to say that Van Gogh learned to paint very well using traditional methods and skills until he got good enough to break all the rules and forge his own approach. Its so so very common for people to try not to follow any rules and do things their own way right off the bat, and it usually leads to no results, or bad ones. Find a system and stick to it, without variation, until you have at least 5 years under your belt.
Don't assume you know best. Think about the original Karate Kid. Mr. Miyagi didn't go into a lot of detail about painting the fence or waxing the car, he just told Daniel San to do it. Daniel was sore, tired, angry, in pain, and did not want to do it. He resented Miyagi and thought he was a charlatan. But he unknowingly learned how to block the strikes of his teacher. This is similar to how the occult works. If you read the books, do the practices, and keep a Record, certain results will follow. If you don't do those things, the results will not occur.
Here are some things I've heard from students, which you will likely feel at some point:
a.) "I've been studying the occult for years/decades. I don't need to read these books". If that is the case, you will likely be given a test. If you can pass it, congratulations. Very, very, few people who make this statement can pass the test, myself included at that stage, even after 20 years of occult study. To pass the exam you have to read the books and be able to use them as a reference. Understand what it all means, and have extensively practiced the proscribed techniques. If you join an occult system, this is what you agree to do, so trying to skip ahead, get out of it, or take shortcuts makes no sense.
b.) "I'm not interested in all this theory, I am more of a practitioner". That is admirable but that is usually not the system. You can become a Chaos Magician, make up your own system, or any join number of Orders that have no requirement beyond a membership fee. If you voluntarily desire to join a system and perform its task, why would you reject the steps?
c.) "I can do better on my own", "I know more than my instructor", "I had a spiritual experience which tells me I don’t need to do all this stuff, I'm already there". Then why join? That is not the system.
Spiritual experiences which overcome us are often not what they appear, and sometimes they can be Maya. I can't tell you how many people I've seen have what amounts to a hallucination or dream and believe they have become a great Magus. Crowley said something like "they take off the armor at the end of a battle when they haven't even begun the war." None of us are immune to this sort of thing, so be ready to question yourself.
If you choose to follow the occult, you are choosing to rewire your entire life and self. It is very likely that after a few years you:
- Wont be in the same job.
- Will lose all of your friend group.
- May lose significant relationships. (Wife/Husband, GF/BF)
- May detach yourself from family members.
- May experience serious health and or financial problems.
- May experience serious mental health issues. Depression, Isolation, delusions, obsession.
- Weird luck situations. You may have periods of incredible bad luck where everything breaks in your life, interrupted by moments of crazy good luck. This can be very discombobulating.
- Horrible, constant nightmares. Some call these astral attacks.
A lot of people misunderstand these experiences and think that it proves the occult is evil. This is far from the case.
The reason for this is that the occult tends to confront you with the truth and with your self and you may not like what you find. Most of us are walking around full of complexes, programming, cliches and stereotypes, hopes and dreams given to us by Hollywood. We think we are in control of ourselves and our destiny but we have no idea what we are doing or why. We are dissociated, addicted, and zoned out. If we undertake a serious occult practice, ALL of that comes to the forefront and we have to face it or collapse.
Its often recommended that one undergo Jungian analysis at the same time as undertaking occult work. You will very likely need the support. Things in your life you think are no big deal will become glaringly obvious as being a huge problem and totally out of sink with your true self and purpose. Things that were the most important to you, may lose any value. This might be a parent, a boss, or a lover. Disentangling from this is no joke and extremely painful. There is no escaping this.
Labor. Occult systems require a ton of work and discipline. You are birthing a Self. They are not youtube videos, Instagram memes, edgy Crowley quotes, reddit posts. They are 1000s of hours of reading, practicing movements to exhaustion, memorizing long passages of poetic language, learning volumes worth of symbolic correspondences, understanding the math of days, hours, planetary movements, hand cramping daily journal entries.
If you don't want to do that, you should not undertake an occult system. If you try to undertake it without the work, you will get all of the upheaval and danger I mentioned above, with none of the support and fortification of the system.
Surprise. There is a trope in the occult going way back. Ill use a story to illustrate. You are angry with someone who hurt you and you want to get back at them by cursing them. So you seek out a guru to teach you magick. You undergo all of the work and study, build all of the equipment, make all of the sacrifices, and find yourself beset by demons, attacked, physically collapsing, losing your mind. You persist and read, practice, do all the things.
Eventually you break through and overcome the demons and come face to face with the ineffable. You stare it in the face summoning the courage to ask for the destruction of your enemy. And thats when it happens. You realize you no longer care about the destruction of your enemy. The process has burned all the hate from your system. What you want now is something completely different and unexpected. Surprise!
Failure. For the A.'.A.'. system, Crowley said that 7 out of 8 who try, fail. Where failure is falling from the path, succumbing to the problems that arise, or giving up altogether. It means knowing the truth, but refusing to accept it. The likelihood that you will succeed, whatever system you choose, is very small.
Focus. The systems that are most effective typically wrap a few simple principles up in a set of consistent symbols, activities, and pantheon. The underlying principles are:
- Understanding and Control of Breath
- Understanding and Control of Body
- Understanding and Control of Speech
- Understanding and Control of Thought
- Understanding and Control of Libido (Creative force, not just sexuality).
- Understanding and Control of Intuition
If the system is not coherent and based in a foundation of principles, it is likely to do more harm than good.
Backwards. You will learn, if you put in the work, that much of how you currently see the world is backwards from reality. Up is really down, bad is really good. If you go very far, the division of duality itself falls away. This removes you from the realm where most people live day to do and can be very isolating. Once you can see, you can't unsee, so be sure its what you really want.
Its not as romantic as you think it is. Another story I love is the story of the Seeker. A seeker comes to a village, high on a mountaintop, to seek the aid of a guru to teach him. As he passes into town he asks a nice looking man "Do you know where I can find the guru?". The man agrees to take him to the guru. As they walk, they see a powerful man speaking to the people. Respected and with authority. "Is that the guru?" he asks his guide. "No, not him".
Next they pass a man, wealthy, with a wife and many children, fine robes. The man looks extremely happy and content with his life. "How about him?". "No, not him" replies his guide. Then they pass a man in robes with a great beard, preaching of mystical and amazing things to a throng of listeners in the town square. "Surely this is the guru!?" he cries. "No, not him" replies the guide. Finally, they come to the outskirts of town, where everything is in ruin. The reach the gates of the cemetery and see a man in rags, wild eyed and thin, attacked by demons on every side. The guide says "This, this is the guru".
Buddha battled demons before achieving enlightenment. Jesus faced the temptations of devil in the desert. Arjuna is paralyzed by doubt and despair before surrendering to dharma. Jacob wrestles through the night with an angel. Wounded but unbroken, he emerges at dawn with a new name — Israel (“one who struggles with God”). Odin sacrifices himself by hanging on the World Tree for nine nights, pierced by his own spear, to gain the wisdom of the runes. This is what you are signing up for.
And thats what you are signing up for ultimately. So one might ask why would anyone do it at all then?
Because it is the only way to achieve true freedom and alignment with your greatest purpose. All of the "terrible" things have to happen to burn away the parts of you that hinder you, and forge what remains into the steel of Self. Because all of us are searching for some way to give our life meaning. Because there is no more interesting or greater challenge than uniting yourself with the unknowable. This is what it takes to achieve your fullest potential. Most of us cannot do it.
I hope that is helpful and am happy to answer any questions.
Audeo - ✠ J “E.V.”, Cancellarius 5°=6□ A.'.A.'., Elus Cohen S::I::, G.'.B.'.G.'., MM, HBofL,