Why Scorcer, Witch, Magi? Options

We all have some reason for studying our craft what ever we call it. For some its to help others. For others its to help our selfs and still others its power. There are a host of other reasons. What is your reason? Has it changed? Has it stayed the same? Please put your thoughts and musings down and share them. We may learn something from others or learn something about our selfs.

We all have some reason for studying our craft what ever we call it. For some its to help others. For others its to help our selfs and still others its power. There are a host of other reasons. What is your reason? Has it changed? Has it stayed the same? Please put your thoughts and musings down and share them. We may learn something from others or learn something about our selfs.

What an interesting question...well to be perfectly honest I really dont know if I fit into any category, of all the crafts that are mentioned on this forum I guess I would come closest to a chaos sorcerer...however I dont necessarily follow the whole idea about gnosis, and I rarely switch paradigms, not because I cant, I just find that I can adapt my techniques to almost any situation and untill I find a situation that my expertise cant handle then Ill change...but if that doesnt happen then why ruin a good thing? lol, if I had to label myself I would have to say I am a "mind mage", mostly because nearly everyspell I cast, I cast while meditating in my mental/astral temple...also my personal success is based on my belief and trust that the spell will work..also when casting spells on others I tend to focus on their minds rather than them, perhaps Ill do a spell to help my friends get more self confidance so they can find a girl, or maybe Ill strike unwarented fear and confusion in people that pose a serious threat to the health of my loved ones or my self...I believe the mind is the gate way to how we percieve our reality, I think therefore I am is a quote that holds alot of weight in my magickal practices...Why did I choose this?

The main reason I started to practice magick was to change my self, after I was succesful doing this I ventured out on effecting others, I would have to admit my main motive is power, power over myself and my surroundings, now dont get me wrong; its not like I go zapping every idiot that crosses my path. I just see magick as another way of solving problems, I am actually a non violent person and will more than likely cast a spell to make my enemy my friend before I go trying to hurt them..and if worse comes to worse I am more than physically capable of handleing my problems with out the aid of magick. I see magick as a tool, but a very versatile one...it comes in all shapes and sizes but it pretty much does the same thing, which is make change. Now if you'll excuse me im off to go meditate (IMG:style_emoticons/default/victory.gif)

We all have some reason for studying our craft what ever we call it. For some its to help others. For others its to help our selfs and still others its power. There are a host of other reasons. What is your reason? Has it changed? Has it stayed the same? Please put your thoughts and musings down and share them. We may learn something from others or learn something about our selfs.

I'm a Sorceror and my reason is to advance myself the best I can before my physical death, and to make Aeonic changes for the better of mankind in this world. To open eyes of those who have been blinded by this world order, to bring the charm of the old days, influence science to open up to spirituality, etc...

We all have some reason for studying our craft what ever we call it. For some its to help others. For others its to help our selfs and still others its power. There are a host of other reasons. What is your reason? Has it changed? Has it stayed the same? Please put your thoughts and musings down and share them. We may learn something from others or learn something about our selfs.

Greetings Catsraven,

My initial reason for studying and practicing Magick was to discover and understand my own True Nature. I had determined to come to an understanding of "WHo I Truly Am" in a Philosophical, Magickal and Spiritual Sense, and through techniques used in Self-Discovery of my "True Will" to set about determining the course that I choose for my own life.

I learned that to Truly discover myself through Magick I had to take responsibility for my own Life, that meant to come to the understand that the major things which shape my behavior and personality came from within my own being. This knowledge of Self-Discovery gave me insight into the workings of my own Mind, and I learned that all my Thoughts, Words, and Actions made me Who and What I am.

One of the side benefits of Self-Discovery was Self-Control and Self-Direction. I learned that I did not have to be acted upon by external stimuli if I chose not to be a recipient of an adverse condition, I learned that in many instances I had the power to change circumstances, situations, and the very conditions that at one time I used to think controled me.

To me I describe Magick as defined as Aleister Crowley, and Dion Fortune defined it: "Magick is the Art and Science of Causing Change (In Consciousness) to Occur in Conformity With Will."

Respectfully,
Helel (Joseph)

We all have some reason for studying our craft what ever we call it. For some its to help others. For others its to help our selfs and still others its power. There are a host of other reasons. What is your reason? Has it changed? Has it stayed the same? Please put your thoughts and musings down and share them. We may learn something from others or learn something about our selfs.

Why not ?

Its out there, and for all appearances . . . its "real". Why not?
If it (the study and practice) offers even a small percentage of the value and experiences suggested . . . why not?

Its like the baby exploring its hand, waving it around to explore haptics and movement, sticking it in its mouth to explore taste,texture,form. Its there . . . its operant. Why not?

It doesn't matter all the cool, personal, altruistic, meglomeniac, or fantasmia reasons. . . the real reason to study and practice "this" is . . . why not ? (other then some form of hegemony . . . which sucks)

and so . . no, the basic reason (for me) hasn't change . . . simply ontologic . . . why not?

This post has been edited by palindroem: Dec 2 2006, 01:18 PM

Greetings to all. Thank you for your replies.

BloodArchon; I really hate labels but as humans we need a way to describe things. Many people use just the mind to cast. The props are not necessary but they can be fun at times.
You said to change your self. In what ways did you change?

DeathStalker; Advancing ones self is an excellent motive. Have you achieved what you set out to do? Or is it an ongoing process in which you will achieve once you die?

Joseph; Ones True Nature is an on going process. Nature can change in strange and wonderful ways. Sometimes frighting, always exciting.

palindroem; The experiences are what makes it most rewarding.

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/gleam.gif)

This post has been edited by catsraven: Dec 2 2006, 06:26 PM

I choose power. But not in all together greedy means. I want the power to see false people and to show the truth too the world to advance evolution .

My purpose has always been in one way or another the same. To understand myself, and then to take what I've found and use it to influence the world. When I truly understand myself then I will truly understand my life, the things in it, the people around me, and the ones I call friends, family, lover, etc. What I want to know, in its basic form, is "why". Why anything is, what the underlying force and reason of the seemingly random events cloaking our lives are, what they stand for, what they metaphorically mean to me, as a human, as a man, as a husband, a brother and a son. Why I am the way I am, what makes me thus, what explains the basic elements of the universe and basically, in all sense of the word, a general "Why?"

In essence, I choose my path based on what works for me. I have learned to use Twilight without being a sorcerer, and I learned at a very early age that I can manipulate the Astral to my benefit. I learned later that by invoking the names of spirits I could bargain with them to certain means, and how to summon, enchant, and bind spirits. I stepped into the field of necromancy long ago, only to find that it's a barrier one cannot step back across. I still fight with myself on a spiritual basis, given that I've technically and legally died, three times during my short life thus far. I have at once, understood everything and understood that I cannot understand everything, that's a foolish endeavor as everything always changes.

In a short sentence to summarize things: I've been many places and seen many things; but I have only surmised that the true field of human knowledge is at once unattainable and intrinsic to the human soul, and to go anywhere in a spiritual and literal sense we have to go nowhere - The seventh direction is the self. I am a Wizard, a Sorcerer, a Necromancer, a Witch, an Enchanter, and yet I am none of these things because none of these things are truly me. I am simply me, and I'll find my own way to describe things.

To throw that all back into one word: Discovery.

The quest for knowledge, is why I started.

You know, I gave this a good read once or twice, after thinking about my own reasons. But, I have to say I agree with Palindoem 100%. I mean, I've come up with lots of applications of magick in my life, but are they themselves the reasons I do it? Not really, because to date every application has just sort of 'occured' in life and then been evidently beneficial thereafter. Originally, I didn't really do magick to improve my life, I did it for power like any other teenager. Power to make myself known and stand out and be unique, etc.

But, when I first opened my mind to it, when I was a child, it was just curiosity. And, ever since, curiosity has been the reason. It's there, so why not? Explore it, see what it can do, what it means. I think the main reason most people don't explore it is because someone told them there was no such thing as magic and that it was foolish to think about it. So, they never try, never explore, never ask The Question, and so don't find it.

Does having an agenda after you have gotten some answers to that first question, count as a new 'reason' to practice and pursue magick? Or is that just justification to keep searching?

Having asked myself these questions, I find palindroem's reasons to be rather illuminating. Thanks.

Nowadays, I justify my curiosity by directing my questions at the nature of consciousness and human potential. I want to influence evolution in some way. Spriitually, scientifically, psychologically, whatever. I want to do what I can to further Global Ascension. Romantically, I imagine a distant future when every human on earth is aware of one another, and aware of the planet, and the universe, and we understand perfectly our role in everything. Like, waaay distant future. Anyway, I think if you pick an intention, devote yourself to it, and follow the path you find, through magick or whatever other means, you get there eventually, with diligence and faith. So, it's hard to say exactly what it is I want to do to further such a cause, but then, my goals were much simpler when I was new, so they may become more complex as I become old.

Originally, i used magick to empower myself, usually over others in some way. I grew up a little, got burned a few times, and settled on power for power's sake. Then I got restless and wasteful, and finally did magick to explore myself, which was more true to the real reason behind getting involved in the first place. I still do, largely, but lately I do magick to understand the connections in the world around me - for curiosity's sake, but in furtherance of an, I believe, just cause.

I have to say, though, that looking back on it, the time at which I had the most intense experiences for the first time was when I did magick to explore myself, just to know. Which makes it seem as though my magick was more in line with my 'true will' and so happened almost effortlessly, not that it's terribly difficult now. Perhaps staying true to a cause of pure curiosity will not only gain me a sort of renaissance from my teens, but perhaps offer perspective into the elusive state of 'no expectation' that can often be so difficult to hold perspective from. It seems that that state can only be pure curiosity, it's the only state in which we want to know because we don't know, we open our minds to receive an answer.

This was a longer post than I originally intended. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/blablabla.gif)

Peace

At first it was greed, egotism, inferiority, laziness, escape, fantasy, power, self indulgence, idealism and more; and the possibility of easily accomplishing the desires these produced.

Then it was greed, egotism, inferiority, laziness, escape, fantasy, power, self indulgence, idealism and more; and the ability to make a concentrated, purposeful, and actively conscious effort in confronting these undesirable aspects of myself, and seeking out and creatively dealing with the sources of these. This is an ongoing project.

Now i incorporate magick as a tool for increasing my perceptions of and ability to interact with the world around me. And a big part of this is to help people, especially children and young people, and especially those who have had difficult starts to life. Not in a way that they ever need to be, or actually do become conscious of it in a "real" sense, but i still utilise the concept of it with them for the purposes of enhancing their imaginations and creativity.

I think the biggest reason for me though is that although i can not say what it is like for all people, for myself i feel like it is fundamental and necessary for me to operate on this level mentally. It is in my nature to need to exercise those parts of my mind which are utilised in the practice of magick. Most of these energies are utilised in any truly creative act, and i find that the best works of fiction and films and paintings and art are the ones where you can really see that that "supra-imagination" was at work in their creation. For me though i think what im getting at though is that its necessary, i mean i feel like im incomplete or something, or that i cant really be happy or content if im not using that super creative energy in my everyday life. Not just for the purpose of making external art, but actually for playing an active part in creating "my" "life". For me life is magickal. Not in some aesthetic subjective way, but that it is a cold hard fact of life whether we choose or are able to see it or not. And its like i am kind of dead, or at least dying on the inside if i am not taking part in that.

My reason is personal growth and developement. When I think about reasons like trancendance, power, control, greed, health, prosperity what ever else I run into a lot of subjectivism. It could be said that all things are subjective. What are ideas? They're thoughts, opinions, people's beliefs. Even hard line science is believed to be fact simply because people believe in the logic, inductive, scientific processes and the technology we use. Yet its been shown that even what science thinks is fact can change. So what is the difference between trancendance and power? Or greed and personal wealth and prosperity? The ability heal and control over others? Maybe they're all just euphemisms for the same basic ideas.

I believe practicing magick for the perpose of personal growth and development encompasses all the basic reasons. I believe to grow and develope is to mature and gain wisdom and knowledge. Knowledge is power. Power is control. Control is influence over my self, others and my environment. Do I practice for "good" reasons; reasons to help others and myself? I'd like to think so. But I also know that I am not above using my personal growth and development in way to cause destruction or suffering, especially if I though destruction or and suffering were necessary.

BloodArchon; I really hate labels but as humans we need a way to describe things. Many people use just the mind to cast. The props are not necessary but they can be fun at times.
You said to change your self. In what ways did you change




Well besides more confidance Ive gotten a better idea why things happen the way they do and so I've adopted a more passive attitude. I know that if need be I can protect my selves and the ones I love so there's no need to act like a "badass", people who do that are usually wearing a mask to hide there own weakness. Also I learned a humbling lesson that I seem to continue to learn and that is how much I DONT know...to be honest I cant help but laugh when people say they "know it all" about a certain subject, because if thats true then theres really no point in living.... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/showoff.gif)

I can honestly say i've chosen Nocturnal Witchcraft, and the only honest reason is that something is pulling me in that direction. I dont really know why, but I will take a chance and see for myself.

I've always been drawn to the night, however, and i've spent many nights in the woods by myself, miles away from any civilization, just admiring the stars and running the paths. I've never felt more alive than in those moments, and they are the moments i look forward to. Hence, i suppose, why i'm so drawn to witchcraft (nature), and more specifically, the nocturnal side.

However, i do not know very much, so this may change, or perhaps just adapt, as time goes on and i learn more.

Opps I didn't answer the whole question.

So I explained why I practice/study magick but forgot to state a chosen path and what I've gained out of my practice.

My chosen path is that of my own life. I practice what I call "soul craft". That is any and all magickal models can fit into my paradigm of thinking and as I progress into my life I it practical to change my practices. What I've accomplished so far.. well thats simple - personal growth and development.

I have after many year finally found a lable that I like. I am a Chaoist. Now, the beauty of being a Chaoist, is that it means something different to every one of us.

I have explored many paths, but always was troubled by the concept of each path being the ultimate holder of wisdom. I found it incredibly hard to stick to one path, and was troubled by the act of dedicating myself, only to dedicate myself to a new path later...then I discovered Chaos. To a chaoist, all paths are open for exploration. Active exploration is highly encouraged, and the chaoist is free to construct their own system based on what they like from other paths, mixed with their own original ideas.

My reason for practicing is simple. I love the feeling of understanding. Everytime I get an inspiriation, or learn something about how the universe works, I get a high. Power comes with the knowledge, but so too does and increased level of responsibility. The power is nice to have at times, but ultimately, I do it for the knowledge.

Nice avatar, i do love the Salvatore stories about Drizzt.

I think in a way we all practice Chaos. I never study just one belief or religion. I choose to see what all peoples think. Chaos is a very real belief. The world changes and destroys and cleanses itself and we change and destroy. The only set paths are the ones we choose in the moment.