Magic Monday

[ecosophia]

It's getting on for midnight, so we can proceed with a new Magic Monday. Ask me anything about occultism and I'll do my best to answer it. Any question received by midnight Monday Eastern time will get an answer. (Any question received after then will not get an answer, and will likely just be deleted.) If you're in a hurry, or suspect you may be the 143,916th person to ask a question, please check out the very rough version 1.0 of The Magic Monday FAQ here. 

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I've also had quite a few people over the years ask me where they should buy my books, and here's the answer. Bookshop.org is an alternative online bookstore that supports local bookstores and authors, which a certain other gargantuan corporation doesn't, and I now have a shop there, which you can check out here. Please consider patronizing it if you'd like to purchase any of my books online. 

And don't forget to look up your Pangalactic New Age Soul Signature at CosmicOom.com.

With that said, have at it!

***This Magic Monday is now closed. See you next week!***

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

Talking with people I know who are into occultism, I’ve seen a weird pattern emerge in the past few months: a lot of people who claim to be into magic and the occult also claim to basically never read books and often lack anything approaching a full liberal arts education. This has struck me every time I’ve heard it as truly bizarre. I'm heavily informed by Dion Fortune, who writes in _The Training and Work of the Initiate_: "The good occult student should have a sound general knowledge of natural science, history, mathematics and philosophy," and goes on to explain that in order to successfully undertake esoteric studies one benefits from a good grounding in the exoteric. All of that said, I like to keep my snobbery closely in check and I value open-mindedness and flexibility. What’s your opinion on the degree of importance for aspiring occultists having or attaining a broad base of general knowledge?

[ecosophia]

It's absolutely essential. My essay "A Magical Education" (in the book of the same name) goes into this in some detail. An ignorant mage is an ineffective mage; because the powers of magic are subtle, they need to be aimed skillfully at their targets, and a good general education is essential to provide you with the background that makes that skill possible. I specifically recommend that students of magic study mythology, philosophy, and at least one natural science, as a good basic framework for their work. As for snobbery, just don't parade around that requirement; smile and nod when you encounter ignorant mages, and save your advice for those who ask for it, and you'll do fine.

[(Anonymous)]

Wait a minute... you mean I finally picked up on magic last year because I'd gotten the last bits of the foundation in place...
(Edison light bulb flickering on...)
R
Really?

[ecosophia]

Heh heh heh.

Ignorant Mage

[neptunesdolphins]

That seems to be how many Neo-Pagans are - they read a book or just work off other people's blogs. Then there are a few whole I label "snobs (replace b with t)" They discuss how they know better and how idiotic the others are to the point of calling them "fluffy bunnies."

I would agree that you need a broad range of knowledge to understand how things work.

[causticus]

The #1 problem is that the vast majority of people today who claim they are doing 'magic' get almost all of their knowledge and insight on spirituality and occultism from pop culture rather than from traditional sources and competent-experienced practitioners.