Which Is The Best Way To Learn An Art?, Solitary Vs Temple Vs Tutelage Options

Being a solitary practicioner and reading up on the book, "The practice of the magickal diary" has opened my eyes to just how observant and objective one is supposed to be in practice, my journal saw only a line or two each day until recently hardly the hourly notes Crowley devoted himself to and it all, of course, lacks the subtle reminder a mentor or guardian is able to comment on.

Obvious that its easy to trip and not notice you've fallen when practicing alone. The path, ones ego takes on all manner of shape and guise in its attempt to escape reconditioning, without a tutor holes can become chasoms filled with echoes of a deluded sence of self reassurance. A certain receptive faculty can be found missing in the general scheme of things, marked by an air of arrogance in most... myself included .lol.

That being said, no one knows your self quite like yourself and trueisms, inward revelations, contemplated on ones own won't find contamination of opinion enough to see them berated into dogma in order to conform to a particular schools stream of thought. The solitary path lends to a more shamanic approach in that way I guess.

So... as each has many pros and cons to learn from, which do you consider to be the best guide on the path to adepthood or self mastery in general? What's your opinion on each? As people have chosen either or they've obviously discriminated in regards to what suits them and hence should hold an opinion of its others.

Applies to all systems, feel free to move mods.

Sorry about my writing, like to mess with words and meaning .lol.)

Peace
.M.

I think it depends entirely on how your brain works as to which is the 'better' way to learn. Humans learn in different ways, and have different learning styles, which dictate how we best understand and retain information. Simple things like whether we learn best with visual or aural cues, by reading or writing a paper or physically doing something. There's lots of study into learning styles and how best to teach people. But we also have different capacities for learning alone, in a group, or in a one-on-one situation. I agree with Mchawi in that many people who frequent online forums tend to be those who learn best on their own, and also tend to be those who learn best through a written or discussion medium. So we as a group will probably show a bias towards the solitary path being the 'best' way to learn. But that's not necessarily representative of what actually IS the best way. Because it depends on who you are and how your brain is wired. There isn't one single way that is best for everyone, only what is best for us personally, or for us as a demographic of like-minded people.

For me personally, I learn best solitary. I agree with most of what Kath said in her breakdown of the pros and cons of each path mentioned, but with one addition. I don't think that as a solitary practitioner we necessarily have to reinvent the wheel each time. If we were learning in relative isolation then yes. But with the advent of the internet and published books, most solitary practitioners do a lot of research and learn from a lot of different sources, and so often have access to a wider range of teachings and opinions than someone who learns within a single group or from a single mentor (or even deity or their HGA). So personally I feel that we rarely have to reinvent the wheel unless we avoid reading or referencing sources external to ourselves, or unless we are attempting something that is not documented elsewhere.

I would be more inclined to say that rather than having to reinvent the wheel, a well-read solitary practitioner who wants to pull a cart actually has the ability to chose between a half a dozen different wheel and axle styles. While those who work within a group or with a mentor may only have access to one or two styles. Of course, not everyone is capable of finding the information they need on their own, and some people who are spoiled for choice are incapable of making a decision about which to use, but for those of us who work best under those conditions it's a clear winner, so to speak.

But no, I don't believe that there IS a "best guide on the path to adepthood or self mastery in general." Because humans can't all be generalised into the same learning-styles category, and I think you'll always get a significant proportion of people who struggle no matter which path is chosen.

Other than V.D's comment its a given that most online would, as Rae said, vouch for the solitary route. The downside to a solitary practice ends up being a lack in a proper sence of self scrutiny, reading up on the notes of Frater VIO in 'The practice of the magical diary' I seriously doubt that many solitary practicioners have for example mastered the astral realm in said A.A grade deeming them fit for the next... as W.E Butler says, in a temple you may even be set back a grade... the thought wouldn't likely cross the mind of someone burning the path on their own. Think I may even have put the book down to gather my nerves thinking of that possibility.

In referance to Raes comment, that we're all individuals... being scientifically minded ones spiritual awareness or level of advancement in any form of practice can be evaluated, gauged, in which case taking the above to mind, although without having scrutinized other forms of tuition, a self made "adept" or practicioner, when compared to say someone who has been taught is (in my humble opionion) less than likely to make the bar... I think its Pat.Z who talks of tutors who could or can literally introduce one to subtle forces level by level while teaching, this in his debate on the effectiveness of initiation at some level that Regardie didn't think was nessary, basically saying that he couldn't have had a well trained hierophant to have argued the point... and, subtly, that the New Zealand branch of the G.D had excelled where others had failed noted by their rewrite or paching up of certain initiatory ceremonies. Waffle. There's no real way to debate the point I guess thread is more one for opinion, intresting all the same.