What I think can be considered 'success' in the magickal arts, because I think it's an interesting question - although I think it was directed more specifically at alexodeus - are 1. Control over one's thoughts and emotions, 2. The ability to quickly and efficiently manifest one's will (by quick I mean, within a moon cycle or less, depending on the objective) because let's face it if you can't actually do it, what've you accomplished? and 3. Living your life magickally.
The first I consider a mark of success in the occult not just magickally, but in the simple self-mastery aspect that I believe to be a part of the magician's path. The second is obvious, I think. By the third one I mean that to me there are dabblers, who do magick occaisionally perhaps to some good effect, but essentially isolate it to that moment, and don't really consider magick to be an integral part to their lives. They don't typically have the first quality mentioned. A successful magician, in my opinion, is one who is constantly aware, on some level, of the mystical significance of his life in some way. Whether you become very energy sensitive, and experience that energy as a part of your every day life, or you are empathic and always in tune with the subtle rhythms of emotion and intention around you - it's all basically the same thing to me, manifested in different ways. It's expanded awareness. If you can experience expanded awareness on command, but not constantly, I'd consider that a lesser success, but a stepping stone to that higher plateau.
I would say that my reasons for these three things also have to do with my own goals, though, as well, and really your success is going to depend on your expectations of what you want to accomplish with magick or the general occult sciences. If you set a goal, and reach it, then I think you're a successful magician (in the sense of someone who does magick, that is - reaching any goal I consider to be a manifestation of will, i.e., essentially magick by my definition of it).
QUOTE(bym @ Oct 11 2007, 01:33 AM)
I am of the opinion that not everyone can maintain an aptitude to most of the Magical Arts.
I might have been more specific with my original pronouncement of the possibility that everyone can become a proficient magician. But what bym's said here, whether on purpose or not, is more accurate I think.
Some people are good at a lot of things, and those people are often capable of using a wide variety of magickal techniques. Whether it's psychic ability of some sort, evocation, natural magick (folk type stuff), faith healing, energy work, etc., some people will be exceptional magicians capable of exercising a wide range of tools to manifest their will in different ways.
While I don't think everyone has the potential to become such a catch-all mage - for instance some people are just too rigid in their thinking to be really excellent chaotists; some people don't have the orderly mind for classical ritual magick - pretty much everyone has a talent, so pretty much everyone can do magick - I'd argue everyone. If you're not particularly intellectual, have a bad memory, etc., but you're, say, a long distance runner for track team, you might consider yourself a dumb jock who will never understand the complicated conjurations involved in some of the grimoire work, but you have the physical fortitude to run yourself into total exhaustion and through the intention to do so enter gnosis or altered consciousness and do an incredible amount of intuitive work from that level. Not everyone can do that and it's one of the easiest (mentally speaking) methods to achieve those states.
I believe that to a large degree, it's possible that your talent is your connection to magick. The way in which you express yourself in some fashion. Every talent is essentially a talent to channel one's will - whether that's artistically, for creation of something; physically, for the manifestation of the will to command the body; or spiritually, having a natural strength of faith to accomplish miraculous things. Everyone may be wired a little differently, but one thing everyone has in common is talent. It's like Bym was saying - when we blend together we work best, not everyone is necessarily equal in their abilities, and focusing on your strengths, and understanding your weaknesses, is good advice - but even if you are not intellectually or spiritually talented in some way, you can still be good at some kind of magick. Magick isn't something you have to 'know' how to tap into. It's throughout us, it is the Law by which we exist, it's a part of not just our nature, but all nature in creation.
Even animals and plants have purposes, things they do well, some natural acuity. As humans I believe we have perhaps more venues in which to focus that part of ourselves, but it's a natural aspect of all creation.
So I would say, discovering and nurturing your talents, will make open to you some form of magickal work. And I would argue that almost anything that can be done with one kind of magick, can be done with another, even if by proxy. And by that I mean that, for instance in the physically talented gnostic shaman example, once in that heightened state, experience will allow one to make alterations to their own energy and consciousness, in the long term, which may easily compensate for a natural 'lack'. I think that once the channel of creative energy is opened, and one talent mastered, it becomes easier to master other things. There is some kind of underlying key of mastery that has to be grasped experientially to be understood. And once it is understood, it only needs to be applied even intuitively, in order to have limitless potential. Because deep down beneath the manifestation of mind, body, and spirit, that's what we've got. Only the outer casing is really limited.
peace
This post has been edited by Vagrant Dreamer: Oct 11 2007, 02:02 AM
Requirements Needed To Have Success In Occult Arts, Aye
Alexodeus Requirements Needed To Have Success In Occult Arts Oct 9 2007, 11:48 AM
Oct 9 2007, 11:48 AM
