"Steal This Book of Shadows"

"Steal This Book of Shadows" ver 2.0
(What's Really Happening in the Mind of a Wizard)
An Occult Tutorial
by Azzerac
~PAGES~
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Page 35
Spellcasting #2
"Finding YOUR Way!"

(Brought To You By,...)

This needs to be restated:
"Stand for Something, or you'll fall for anything"!

Too many practitioners glom-on to the "New Big Thing", and learn a little before the Arcane equivalent of Attention Deficit Disorder strings them along to the Next "New Big Thing". Most of these "N-B-T"s are nothing more than bullshit, flash in the pan scams with cool-sounding names. "Cosmic Footbaths", Egyptian Shamanism" & "Polaroid Aura Photography" top my list. They sting words together, and hook the foolish & weak. Don't get strung along!

The only way to know which path is right for you is by First Knowing Yourself!! (Sensing a Theme Yet?)

By now, I've beat self-examination & exploration into your heads: You don't need to hear it again. If you do, go re-read it.

Ready? Good!

Now, look around at all the many & varied techniques out there. From the "Hard-Core Thelema Fans" (Crowley), through the The "High Magic" workers (Judaeo-christian Mysticism & Demonology), through Gardner's "Wicca", Witchcraft, Druidism, Pseudo-Shamanism, Australian Dream-Time Workings (There is a difference), Tibetan Mysticism (Bon), Occult Sciences (This Book), Chi-kung (Tai-Chi), and on, and on, and on! These are but a small sampling of what's out there. Each one has a lot to offer. Each one has it's strong & weak points. How can one possibly choose which one to "Marry Themselves To", to the exclusion of all the rest?!? They're all so attractive.

Simple: Don't!

Each & every one has one thing in common: They've specialized. If there was anything I've learned in this life, it's that "Specialization is for Insects" (~Robert A. Heinlein). Your job, now, becomes to sift through all these differing techniques, alone, and find the aspects that work with & for you. I didn't say it would be easy. The trick is this: You need to be okay with the technique & it's inferences, and (Most of All), who it depends upon for it's source.

I think you can guess by now that my tendencies are far from the christian dogma! It doesn't & will never "Jibe Well With Me". This excludes me from taking on "High Magic". It's judaeo-christian overtones make my skin crawl with rebellion. I can continue to butt my head against the wall or I can simply look elsewhere. As well, you will need to look through the dogma, sift through the superstition, and glean the compatible truths from the incompatible assertions. There are many ideologies that demand fealty to a specific deity, simply to use their writing style.

Then again, there are several styles so interwoven with dogmatic dependencies as to have to throw the whole thing out at once!

How do you know which from what?

Self Knowledge!

What do you accept, and what don't you? You may notice I didn't say "What CAN you accept?", didn't you? You are the final arbitrator. It's not for you to redefine your self & will. It's for you to find the things that are acceptable. I refuse to bow to "Gods". I walk alone. I don't ask for Help, but develop relationships with them, as equals . "Never work with a god you couldn't have a beer with" (~Carmin). You need to look at each, and get a feel from them. Some will leave you cold. Others will capture your imagination. The truth of this is that no-one has a pre-packaged system that works for everyone. They're lucky if they can come up with one that even works for themselves!

Wait! It Get's Worse!

We have several layers of "Self" to examine! First there's Your Mind: Comprised of "Emotional" & "Logical" correlations. You look at something, and judge automatically. BTW: It's okay to judge! The part that most people over look from that bible-quote is the ending: "...By Your Own Standards". (You do have good ethical standards, don't you? See Page 7!) We do it every second, and rarely examine these choices. They should be examined; consider it "Extra-Credit Homework"! When you find something that does jibe well with you, consciously examine what it is about it. Be Honest.

Next: Race Memory & Genealogy!
Just about every American Pagan thinks they're part "Native American". Most that claim it can throw down a Percentage Value to authenticate their claim. No matter how white they look, they still sport all the garb & iconoclastic gear. Besides looking silly while playing Dress-Up, has a single one of them examined they're ancestry before trying to strike-up a connection to Coyote or Raven? They seem to think that their grand-sires were married & supportive with their grand-mater's. How many do you really think were? Imagine standing there, bold as brass, before Crow, as the long-running product of Rape? Do you really think he'll accept you with open arms?

None of that matters if you really connect well with that part. I don't mean "Think It's Cool", but Seriously "Connect". Playing Dress-up is nice: There are Parties & Holidays for that sort of thing. What I'm talking about is true connection, on a genetic level.

How do you tell? I can but give an example:...

One day, I moved to a strange town, and on a weekend evening, tuned-in to a college radio station. The music was like nothing I'd ever heard before. Though those around me begged me to turn the station, I refused. It rang like a bell in my soul. Others around me would liken it to a goose being tortured to the beat of a cheap drum. One said they got motion-sick just listening to it. Another said the language was like baby talk to them. It was Irish music, and I'd never heard it before! If I'd changed the station, I'd never have know. There is some aspect of my culture written in my DNA, and I'm sure there is, in some way, for you. The fact that this sung to my soul, and rattled my world, was nothing compared to a special warmth, rage, and passion that it opened up in me.

That is what it's like, genetically. That is one thing you may expect. It's like waking-up, in a whole new way.

Another: The Akasha.
Until now, I've been calling it "The Collective Unconscious", but it's really the same thing. That pervading, unconscious group-mind, and (to some) Group-Soul. From what I've found exploring it, I can see how one would view it like that. It's as good a word as any, for now. There are certain traditions that excel in efficacy with their acceptance by the Akasha. Others are wan from their original strength, by simply negative public image. Even worse, there are certain paths that incur negative Karma (Akashic Back-Lash), merely by there techniques. Anything that demands the death of a creature is one of those ear-marked "no-no's".

The experiments today are two-fold:

First: Look around & ask yourself what traditional aspects you are drawn to. Expose yourself to as many as possible. Seek your own ancestry, and explore those elements, in particular. Not simply one side, either. You could be as surprised as me, by something as eerie as a sudden love for rain-sticks, polka music, or sand painting.

Secondly: Examine the things that revolt you, and ask yourself why. Find which levels they disagree with. Half of knowing self is knowing what you're not! Know your weaknesses as well as your strengths.

~Next Time: The power of Words!~