What Do You Think The Purpose Of Magick Is? Options

I guess I came to Magick trying to find Gnosis, enlightenment, as well as daily peace and meaning. I have practiced and studied several spiritual paths, and found this one to be quite right for me. However, have been having doubts lately as to whether these goals can be attained through the Western Mystical Tradition. I am wondering if anyone practicing Thelema or Golden Dawn or any other Western Mystical path has attained anything akin to samadhi, or enlightenment, or if it's all just a sham.

I acknowledge that using these rituals and overall philosophy can induce brain change. I know my brain has changed since I started. Yet what is the end result? I read books by Crowley and Regardie, yet what was the result of their Work?

I just wanted to know what other people think. Does anybody else have any thoughts?

It's no problem to reach the pinnacle, or enlightenment, of one's critical reasoning and deductive skills. Unfortunately, solely relying on the intellectual prowess that one develops overtime carries a risk of "going vulcan," because everything gets so damn easy to analyze and overanalyze. All parts of oneself are important to development. Unless this is established, one simply develops an insane amount of mindpower without the soul to use it: thus, they become "disenchanted" without their sense of soul. There are a million ways to use your head, but only two to use your heart: To thine own self be true, or to thine own self be false.

You know you have reached microcosmic enlightenment and empowerment when you carry an expansive deductive skill AND have a good sense of wonder, freshness, and enchantment in one's heart. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wandwizard.gif)

At least, that's what my goal is.

This post has been edited by Xenomancer: Jun 16 2007, 07:23 AM