What can your magick do for me?

[m1thr0s]

Ever get this annoying question? I find it annoying since the reality is that some us work very hard to insure that whatever systems we might come up with include as much of the whole human race as might be physically possible to accomodate. This is not an easy task. It means being willing to constantly ask yourself "how will this apply to everyone else?" Even knowing that in maybe 99.99% of all real instances "everybody else" probably doesn't give a shit one way or the next, still this question must be properly dealt with as a matter of form. It's a lot of hard work and not an easy task...

So I am at this real-life occult discussion group a couple of months ago comprised of a random assortment of individuals from a wide range of backgrounds and we get to talking about the I Ching and Magick and Alchemy and before you know it I am blabbing off about Mutational Alchemy, right? Somebody says hey you should give us all a little presentation so I figure ok...I'll give it a shot. In the midst of everything is this rather dull-witted twit who apparently imagines herself to be some sort of Linda Goodman soul-sister. I have listened to one of her presentations on astrology and nearly gagged on the amounts of self-assuming misinformation she spits out hand over fist, but try to tell myself "it takes all kinds" etc...

So right in the middle of things she starts asking a lot of really innane questions having nothing to do with anything, mostly trying to make herself look knowledgable at my expense and everything seems to be winding up to her really BIG question...yeah-yeah-but...what can this stuff actually do for me? I must be getting smarter as I get older because I let her have it with both barrels with such a cool, detached professionalism that it almost scared the crap out of me! It wasn't that big a deal really...I just made her starkly aware of the fact that occult knowledge is (and has always been) about advancing the human condition as a whole and that anyone who approaches it otherwise must necessarily be either an idiot or a fraud. I didn't need to go much further than that since either of us understood that she was a bit of both. She remained quiet for the rest of my presentation and also has not shown up at subsequent meetings, to my great satisfaction.

But selfishishness in itself does not bother me. Stupidity bothers me but motivated self-interest makes the world go round in my view and is not a bad thing in itself. So I thought it might be interesting to go over a few of the *biggies* and see how *my magick* might stack up... What follows is mainly my best guess at the correct answers with some things being more certain than others...

1. Can Mutational Alchemy make me happy?
A. Sure it can, so long as that happiness is rooted in strength. It is more likely to cause you to feel good about yourself by virtue of being a more effective individual than by virtue of being more socially accepted.

2. Can Mutational Alchemy make me successful?
A. Certainly, if by *successful* we mean better able to identify useful goals and achieve them. This discipline sharpens the mind and hones one's greater sense and appreciation for reality itself. It tends to transform people into *reality experts* and makes them a great deal more enthusiastic about reality in general.

3. Can Mutational Alchemy make me Healthy?
A. It can. Nearly all health professionals agree that being attuned to your own physical and mental well-being is the most potent medicine of all. Being actively involved in your own *spiritual* health on a regular basis is the single greatest deterrant against serious injury or illness.

4. Can Mutational Alchemy make me Rich?
A. Rich in Knowledge, rich in Prospects and rich in raw Intelligence, which may or may not translate into financial riches. Many times it does. Sometimes it does not, but when it does not you will find yourself not being especially concerned about it as you will already be invested in an even greater wealth.

5. Can Mutational Alchemy improve my Sex Life?
A. Theoretically, yes, although I'm afraid I am not the best possible example of this myself. Mutational Alchemy translates into a tantric technology that has the distinct capacity for increasing one's whole energy in quite remarkable ways. Given the right social circumstances this will ultimately culminate in a much more interesting sex life with all kinds of options available to its practitioners that many others are simply *dead* to.

I could go on, and perhaps I even should, but for right now I want to turn this most annoying question of all time to the rest of you and ask you point blank:

What can your magick do for me?

§ Note: Think of this as a kind of intellectual martial arts excercise to prepare you against future sneak-attacks. No one here has to justify their approach to anything at all...that's not what this topic is shooting for...

m1thr0s

[Seipiriz]

M1thros, supposing we as humanity have reached a state of ascension through discovering and conquering our triadical state, what do you think society would look like after this achievement??? Would you describe it as communism ???

[m1thr0s]

No, not Communism, more of an exalted Free Enterprise of some kind...

But this is a different topic...answer the question, dammit! lol...

m1thr0s

[Kain]

Ever get this annoying question? I find it annoying since the reality is that some us work very hard to insure that whatever systems we might come up with include as much of the whole human race as might be physically possible to accomodate. This is not an easy task. It means being willing to constantly ask yourself "how will this apply to everyone else?" Even knowing that in maybe 99.99% of all real instances "everybody else" probably doesn't give a shit one way or the next, still this question must be properly dealt with as a matter of form. It's a lot of hard work and not an easy task...I find it most annoying and get it exceptionally often! So often in fact I managed to grow the necessary mental and psychological defences to null it's effect on me...it is even more annoying when you are de facto working on your system while constantly asking yourself about "how will this apply to everyone else?" as you say...as it is the real difference I think between developping a technology from a personal system of esoteric practice.

I could go on, and perhaps I even should, but for right now I want to turn this most annoying question of all time to the rest of you and ask you point blank:

What can your magick do for me?

§ Note: Think of this as a kind of intellectual martial arts excercise to prepare you against future sneak-attacks. No one here has to justify their approach to anything at all...that's not what this topic is shooting for...

m1thr0sLol...your answers are great...here's mine:

The short answer which is based on the system's potency without taking notice of factors such as the time needed for someone to learn and align with the said system's properties in the first place, is anything. Of course, this begs clarification and a clearly defined way that links it with the here-and-now of temporal reality. In a sense, this is what I myself am slowly chipping at and working on...as the perception of what such a system can ultimately do is pretty much evident (at least to some of us, because if it were to all, people would not go around asking "what can your magick do for me?" and we wouldn't be discussing it in this thread...).

The idea is that working with "my magick" has the ability of steadily aligning one's immediate (and sorry) physical existance with the greater anatomical constitution, set of balances and overall system composing the Macrocosmic laws. It accounts for all the possible purposes and goals one might seek to serve through employing a system of magick purely oblivious to such higher laws, while, also, and at the same time, taking into account the resolution of the imbalances with those laws as well. In short, it is based squarely on Strength in all it's possible manifestations, and is not interested with improving the connection/link one has with one particular manifestation of it, but with it's very principle. Thus, it embraces self-motivated self-interest while taking into account both short and long term goals, in fact tracking/pursuing and eventually hoping to attain the very definition of Strength in Strength's own terms.

This system is not so different from developping and utilizing a set of technological assertions and findings. By working on these and by realizing their function, much that was extremely difficult or unatainable will be resolved and understood for what it is. And from this point onward, the further those principles are realized through one's practice, the more doors will open until none will remain closed.

I would go on with a set of stupid sub-questions and their immediate answer, but m1trhr0s has covered me completely with his set and has adequately answered most questions I often hear on this subject...

Kain

[omniprosopus]

I'm pretty sure my magick would make most people crazy.

Can't say that's a benefit but it's better than being a dolt.

-omni

[YellowJacket]

Well, in a natural disaster or time of emergency Magick is quite useful:

*Make a Sigil for food or water. For a rescue…
*The 6th sense is useful for obvious reasons.
*The ability to project emotions on a crowd is useful in case of a riot. Also helpful to frighten bullies and keep the group together.
*The ability to contact entities on a higher plane who can offer advice, or use a divination tool to get information indirectly.
*Telekinesis can probably be used to open locked doors.
*Pyrokinesis… sometimes you need to set stuff on fire.
*Telepathy can restore communication with others. Let's not forget mind control ;)
*Soft-invisibility, where you try to blend into the background and keep your mind quite… that's rather useful for sneaking around.

Yeah, being able to bend reality is rather practical during hard times. :D

[...]

I am no master like omni and yellowjacket...

but I prefer love-spells... sometime I throw in the occassional 'bucket-o-cash' spell, if I want to buy a coke or something...

[Radiant Star]

Q. Can Ceremonial Magick make me happy?
A. Yes, the knowledge that there is more to life than just a material existence and that we live on gives us hope. The help and reassurance we get from entities when all around us in the physical plane seem difficult or distant or unhelpful etc. is

Q. Can Ceremonial Magick make me successful?
A. Yes, ceremonial practices can open you up to aspects of yourself that you didn’t know were there, like your creative side for instance and once you recognize your gifts, you can choose to use them to make yourself successful.

Q. Can Ceremonial Magick make me Healthy?
A. I believe so; balancing your energies is an age old part of health management.

Q. Can Ceremonial Magick make me Rich?
A. The potential is there. Magick should open you up to your strengths and weaknesses, giving you the opportunity to develop your best parts and maybe use them in your working life, which could end up making you much better off financially.

Q. Can Ceremonial Magick improve my Sex Life?
A. I have no idea; I have not attempted to improve this area.

[Anibis]

"my" magick makes you fun at parties.... heh heh heh...
I never really get asked this, except once, when someone who was not really annoying at all asked 'what does all this do for you'. My answer was that it enables you to learn from anything. Beyond that, I tend to agree with the above peoples input, and would definitely add that it improves my sex life, simply on the grounds that all that maturing that happens enables one to be a generally better lover through increased patience, sensitivity, & poetic rhythm. I find magick helps me realistically approach whatever it is I am doing, and take to it as a continual learning process. Cheers;
-Ibisis-

[Luciftias]

What can your magick do for me?

Lab Alchemy, if successful, is supposed to lead to the Philosopher's Stone and the Elixir of Life - two names for the same thing emphasizing two well known uses: The transmutation of base metals into precious metals (especially lead into gold) and the radical increase in physical health and longevity. It is also sometimes said that ingestion of the Elixir causes an expansion of consciousness. For instance, that one is now able to see the contents of one's own (formerly) unconscious mind (sometimes described as manifesting in the form of halucinations) and that one no longer loses consciousness in sleep. Being able to handle those results is vital. Otherwise, insanity and/or death will be your reward rather than enlightenment and extreeme longevity.

If this is true, than the answers would be:

1. Can Lab Alchemy make me happy?
A. It depends on what you get happy about. If you're a Lover of Truth, than yes. If you prefer to remain blissfully ignorant, than certainly not - unless, I suppose, you are able to fluke your way to the stone and then use it entirely for gold making. Even then, to be transmuting lead into gold in your garage would cause any normal person to question what they've been taught about reality.

2. Can Lab Alchemy make me successful?
A. If we look at the track record of known alchemists, it can be gathered that while lab alchemy may cause you to burn brilliantly in worldly success for a short time, that it usually leads to ruin. Although perhaps we only hear about the ones who fail, which makes perfect sense.

3. Can Lab Alchemy make me Healthy?
A. Certainly it can. Ingestion of alchemical preparations can lead to greatly improved health, even (if the legends are true) to extreeme longevity. However, you do have to work with some dangerous materials, which puts you at risk of harm.

4. Can Lab Alchemy make me Rich?
A. Certainly it can, if you are successful. However, it is a very expensive undertaking, in terms of both time and money, and potentially health. The track record of known alchemists shows that many spent their entire lives, fortunes, bodies and families in the failed persuit of the philosopher's stone. If you are successful, you will get paid back all the time, money and health that you spent on it multiple times. If you lose your family in the process, chances are that the philosopher's stone won't get them back.

5. Can Lab Alchemy improve my Sex Life?
A. Not directly, as far as I know. See "Can Lab Alchemy make me Healthy?"

So... not very appealing as far as improving your life here in the flesh unless you succeed in acheiving the Great Work of confecting the Philosopher's Stone AND only if the legends about it's properties are true AND only if you are able to handle the results of ingesting the Elixir. Asside from complete success, there is also a deepening knowledge of the secrets and mysteries of nature and science. That is a worthy goal in itself - really it should be the primary goal. As you mentioned, m1thr0s, the question seems geared towards material gains.

Luciftias

[Naomi]

"What can your magick do for me?"

Oh yeah I used to get that alot. With evocation work everyone is after the gold, the powers, the fame. My whole game is the pursuit of the weird. I'm just an incredibly bored individual. Nothing in this world short of the bizarre can make me want to refrain from jumping off a cliff.

I sorta picked up on this "Just for the experience" personal pledge in regards to magic when I was a teenager. I used to have this savannah monitor named Sobek. I remember it was really cold and my mom goes "Well, why don't you put Sobek in your sleeping bag with you tonight to help you keep warm" and I go "Um, reptiles are cold-blooded." and she goes "Oh well, do it anyways. Just for the experience." So I did. :laugh: I love sleeping with lizards...they never move or snore or anything, but they have sharp claws.

Anyways growing up I formed most of my opinions on life from books - I never fit in with anyone really - just had a couple of best friends with I was 8--14.

A big part of my life was the mythology and fairy tales section of the library in Everett. Later I would move on to the science section, but my early years in the children's mythology/folk tales department caused me to form the following firm opinions:

1. Somewhere in the world, there are books of magic just waiting to be discovered by me. They would look old and tattered, and have spells inside. (I searched the Everett public library top to bottom to no avail)

2. Malevolent sorcerers are everywhere, and if you're a cute girl you're going to get caught by one. If this happens, do everything they say, or you'll get chopped up and put in a cauldron.

3. Never judge by appearances, or speak rudely to the old or crippled - they are probably fairies in disguise.

4. Fairies are everywhere, watching the choices you make.

5. Gods are stupid grownups.

6. You can make potions by throwing a bunch of different herbs in a plastic bucket and stirring it with a stick.

Currently, I have the following opinions:

1. Didn't their parents ever teach them evil sorceresses go around in disguise and curse people when they're in a foul mood? Why the hell is my order taking so long?!

2. The universe is definately an evil sorcerer and a bunch of dead girls.

3. Fairies are everywhere.

4. Gods are grownups. Avoid them mostly, except for your parents.

But usually my response to people is "Anything you want - magic can give you anything you want, but it's up to you to have the discipline and wisdom to access those gifts."

[BrotherM]

Noob: "What can your magick do for me?"

BrotherM: "Nothing, it's my magick, you want 'something', you go get your own magick"

<Kick_noob_squaw_in_the_nuts_smiley>

Noob: "Is it all in your head or does stuff really happen?"

BrotherM: "It's all in my head, here, give me some hair and a photo and I'll prove it"

I really love those questions

Bro-M

[Radiant Star]

Ha ha BrotherM :laugh:

Well, if they do it the way I do magick, then they can get into a fair amount of perplexing situations from time to time and even just a little trouble ; )

[MythMath]

BrotherM: "It's all in my head, here, give me some hair and a photo and I'll prove it"
Man, if I had a nickel for every time I've heard that... :p