Studying the Occult, Your Reasons and Motivations... Options

Occasionally I wonder what got people into studying and practicing the occult, and what kept you motivated doing the rituals?

For me, I started up in my teens - early twenties reading about "new age" psychology of success for several years and read close to 200 books on the related subject from authors like Napoleon Hill, Herb Cohen, Brian Tracy, Anthony Robbins and the likes. My primary questions while studying those back then was,"what makes people different from each other, how do they think differently, why does the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer - how does their mind works, their characteristic, and habits."

My study and research on the subject educated me a thing or two about how our mind works. What is the subconscious, the uses of it, and how to use it productively.

When I came studying the occult, I found many things which in principles were very similar to what I've been reading in the past and it is simply reworded in different ways and metaphores using various "ancient" aids such as sigil, elemental weapon, herbs, dolls etc.

I found the same principles when I studied and practiced martial art. I learned a few types of the systems, extract it's essence - develop my own fighting system, and proven it in many spar and a few real streetfights that it is IMHO, as effective as a martial artist with a 20 years of fighting experience.

Roses by any other names will smell as sweet. In all cases above - everything seemed to use one core principles, one master key to unlock whatever doors we're trying to open - that is, if we can interpret and use these laws correctly for each of our unique challenges and endevours.

Some may call this cosmic laws, the water will always seek to flow downward and this simple fact seems indeed very simple - yet extremely complicated to fully grasp. The more I know about something, the more questions will arise, and the more I even acknowledge how much I do NOT know - how much more knowledge out there. Infinite. It's like trying to pour the all waters of the oceans into a one very small cup. What an extremely pea brains we have with a foolishly BIG human ego and we can never study and know everything in an even ten lifetimes.

Hunger for knowledge, intellectual and spiritual enlightment is my motivations in my studies and practices (and also means to fulfill my worldly needs, lusts and desires (IMG:style_emoticons/default/bigwink.gif) )

How about you?

It started during my pre-teens when I expierenced various paranormal phenomena which kept increasing. At around 15-16 I started to delve into the paranormal and experiment with a lot of stuff like automatic writing and learning to astral project at will and such. At this time I was anything but religious or spiritual, but the more I learned about ghosts and entities I noticed that there was a link.

Then I started to learn everything about the 5 major religions on this planet and a few smaller ones. At this time I was active with energy work in general according to practices from India combined with some new-age esoteric stuff. I started to do a lot of calling and working with entities but never needed any rituals. I started to study reiki intensively untill I reached the master degree. Started with Tarot and other divinatory means and basically grew from there.

However the new-age way is not my way so went looking for something that was more ment for me. I got involved with a cult group which I left quickly after 4 months. Still I didn't let them bother me and went to study the occult. For me it is difficult to perform certain rituals for enochian or goetia because...why would I when I can summon them just as easily and control them just as easily without ritualistic means. Still I do study the symbolism and psychological effects that rituals have, but esoterically they have no added use and thus I can say wholeheartedly that people make it more complex then should be. But that is their way of doing it so be it.

The reason I study anything energy/magick related is because I want to control my abilities more, develop them more, understand myself better and grow as a human being by having something decent to define myself by, a source of information presented in a way that it appeals to me. Seeing that everything in life basically tells you the same things except using different terminology and using different methods...well all you have to do is finding something that speaks to you. This can be various religions, life philosophies or science.

My occult studies began when I noticed that the vast majority of others’ explanations for reality were irrelevant for my experiences.

I learned how to regurgitate what was necessary for successfully passing academic exams – and I learned how to seem like I was raptly listening to supposedly sage advice from adults regarding what they insisted I am, and what they insisted my life’s purpose is – yet all the while I privately pursued magickal explanations for reality that were relevant for my experiences.

What motivates me for such studies, and for exercising my abilities via ritual work, is akin to what motivates me for studying health and exercising my bod via gym work:

I intensely enjoy the personal and interpersonal rewards that come from being in, and progressively refining, superb shape.