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?

since i can remember ive been interested in the paranormal and occult, i remember when i was 3 making my own spellbook (although not practical) for no reason aside from the fact that i was infatuated with the subject. Its the element of mystery and thirst for more answers as more questions come up. I was also inspired when learning of evokation, the communication with a spirit would for me be a confirmation of my beliefs and inspire me to further expand my research on the subject.