Greetings Colleagues!
I find that this discussion is somewhat stimulating and one that has raged for
millenia ...<pause> yes, millenia! I have battled on both sides of the coin and, frankly, have determined that both sides (and the vast blur inbetween) have poignant points. Mr. Curi, I respect your position having, more often than naught, touted the Traditionalist point of view until blue in the face. Thank you for your viewpoint and input. You can lead a horse to water, but you cannot make him drink... At the same time I will turn the tables on you. The cliche still applies. Vagrant Dreamer was trying to moderate what appears to be a fairly inflexible view...and for all the right reasons. Actually, you both are saying things that marry quite nicely...especially when you look at the underlying principle(s). Let me take a moment to reiterate my thorough 'disgust' at the modern Newage systems. The application of the Newage paradigms are woefully inaccurate when applied to the practice of 'Magic' and, in some respects, I'm glad that they will scuttle many a boat in the pursuit of 'Magic'...not because I dislike competition but rather am loathe to clean up after those half-baked with Newage goodness. Gakk! I will back up Vagrants request that you tone down the dogma and refrain from pointing fingers crying 'armchair magician'...it is totally counterproductive to the issues at hand. You are allowed your opinions but not to the detriment of others. Keep your own counsel! LOL! I've been called everything from a flake to a dogmatist to a fraud and back again. Our opinions tend to leak out when we feel strongly about something...and I'm STILL learning to hold back from ranting (OK...not that much *grin*).
I've worked a number of medieval/Rennaisance systems in the past with great success. Not once did I avail myself of going to a Christian church to obtain materials. Not once. There wasn't a concept of Christianity when my forbearers practiced their Arts. Evocation was old even then...so we know that Christ or even Jehovah was not necessary to bring about the desired result(s). Our concepts of divinity are
old ... and it is in this that we find the wherewithal to practice Theurgia. Reconstructuralist systems can be a thing of Beauty but they don't necessarily corner the Magic market. There are other roads to take to our journey, some faster than others...each of us traveling according to their own speed. The big message here is that what kind of journey do we have and that we achieve our goals. Mr. Curi, you have established for yourself a workable method(s) for success. Thank you for pointing out what helped you achieve that success! Vagrant Dreamer, Thank you for showing us that the world is a diverse place and one may find their way with ingenuity and application. The rest, I fear, has disintegrated into Posturing. You are both Scholars and I never met any Scholars who agreed on everything. We should respect that, those of us who are abit more inflexible or set in our paths, and not devolve the subject at hand.
That being said, I return the thread to its original line with a warning to all...Dogmatism, though heartfelt, cannot be the order of the day. We are a
DISCUSSION Forum and to deviate merely makes me longwinded and threatens Administrative action (and who needs that?)
Play nicely Gentlemen so I needn't have to be any more of an a**hole than normal! *grin* (IMG:
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