[Help] How important are emotions/emotional intelligence to the Occult?

[Jarvis]

Hey folks, I'm a beginner when it comes to occult stuff, I've mostly just been reading haven't done any actual practice yet.

One thing that concerns me is I am autistic and have really bad alexithymia (I am unable to identify my emotions) and also have low emotional IQ. Because of this emotional disconnect I don't have the greatest sense of self... I don't know myself very well.
And it's not (to my knowledge) from trauma. I was just born this way, as long as I can remember, with alexithymia. It's not rare in folks with autism either.

Another impact I feel because I am not in touch with my emotions is that my life or very being is shallow. I feel I have no depth, and that along with being emotionally stunted I am spiritually stunted. Like it's not just emotional intelligence I am lacking. I think that's why occult draws me in, I want to know myself better, and become more, have a deeper meaning.

I'm wondering if you guys have any advice for me, and if I should stay away from certain paths in the occult due to my issues. The specific practice that I have found most interesting to me so far is Thelema.

 

[FireBorn]

First, welcome to the forum (make sure you make an introduction post). Second, I am also Neurodivergent (ADHD). From the ND perspective, it can absolutely be a superpower in the occult space, depending on how your ND manifests.

I know a couple other practitioners who are autistic. Obviously there are differences, but it isn't the barrier you might be afraid it is. And it shouldn't be.

I would say for starters that most of the literature you will read is written by Neurotypicals for Neurotypicals (a lot of occult literature assumes a certain kind of cognition, emotional language, and introspective style that may not fit cleanly). If you are good with that, easy peasy for you.

Just keep that in your mind as you navigate from here, it may matter more depending on how your autism manifests for you. In other words, it might be a small thing, it might not.

Dont be afraid to try different methods. Just because one method, or system doesn't work for you, dont look at it as YOU failure. It's just data. Try a different system or method.

Some pick it up fast, some do not. It isn't a race. It is not a race. It is not a race. lol

Go, read about Thelema. Check it out. If it resonates, keep going. There are lots of systems, lots of flavors. It really depends. We live in such an amazing time in history where we can actually choose for ourselves amongst many systems. Our forefathers did not always have that choice. So yeah, check em all out. Resonance is what you are looking for. Not popular, not trendy, resonance.

Good luck!!

 

[Ziran]

I'm wondering if you guys have any advice for me, and if I should stay away from certain paths in the occult due to my issues. The specific practice that I have found most interesting to me so far is Thelema.

Keep going with Thelema. If it goes well, try to register this sensation of "most interesting to you so far" as a guide post leading towards your own specific path of self-inquiry. When you notice that sensation in the future, you'll have good reason to inquire further.

 

[Eliyel]

Hey, welcome! Also autistic with alexithymia here, so hopefully I can help out a bit. It will probably be a hurdle, but how big of one will depend on what you're trying to learn, and I've found a few areas where that kind of emotional dullness can be helpful. I'm still a far cry from an empath of any kind, for example, but that relative disconnectedness has made it easier to learn to protect myself from external influence around spirits. There are many different areas of practice when it comes to magic, and people will differ in what they pick up naturally.

Meditation with a focus on body observation has been my best friend in learning to identify and shape my own will. It's still tough to tune in on the spot, but with a bit of time and focus I've gotten better at putting together how I feel about things based on physical signs in my body like a racing pulse, chest tightness, lightheadedness, etc. I'd highly recommend putting time toward that if staying objective and practicing self-control is something you're concerned about. When it comes to figuring out my thoughts on different things, I've also found it helpful to replace the "How do I feel about this?" question in a lot of practices with "Do I think this is pragmatic/correct, and what are my reasons for that?"

For something else that might ease your worries a bit, I've become a pretty firm believer that a great deal of how most people experience emotion is a result of chemicals and hormones in the brain and body to facilitate short-term survival, and not something that's innately spiritual. Exploring altered states of consciousness through meditation has been a major focus of mine, and my main guiding force in my studies. What I've found in those deep meditative states is that my emotions become even more dulled than they are in my day to day life. Past the point of me not being able to identify them, they just aren't even really there at all. Everything sort of dissipates into a perpetual muted pleasantness, and it's something I naturally perceive as completely serene and innate to my being, like peeling away all of the extra noise to just experience my true thoughts. So if your aim is to know yourself better and understand your own deeper meaning, I think you're definitely on the right track.

The only real warning I'd give is to start with the inner work first. It's not exciting, but it's important to have a strong foundation. Take things slowly and patiently, get good at meditation, and get to know yourself and what you want before you start reaching out to anything that might want to change your course.

 

[Jarvis]

Hey, welcome! Also autistic with alexithymia here, so hopefully I can help out a bit. It will probably be a hurdle, but how big of one will depend on what you're trying to learn, and I've found a few areas where that kind of emotional dullness can be helpful. I'm still a far cry from an empath of any kind, for example, but that relative disconnectedness has made it easier to learn to protect myself from external influence around spirits. There are many different areas of practice when it comes to magic, and people will differ in what they pick up naturally.

Meditation with a focus on body observation has been my best friend in learning to identify and shape my own will. It's still tough to tune in on the spot, but with a bit of time and focus I've gotten better at putting together how I feel about things based on physical signs in my body like a racing pulse, chest tightness, lightheadedness, etc. I'd highly recommend putting time toward that if staying objective and practicing self-control is something you're concerned about. When it comes to figuring out my thoughts on different things, I've also found it helpful to replace the "How do I feel about this?" question in a lot of practices with "Do I think this is pragmatic/correct, and what are my reasons for that?"

For something else that might ease your worries a bit, I've become a pretty firm believer that a great deal of how most people experience emotion is a result of chemicals and hormones in the brain and body to facilitate short-term survival, and not something that's innately spiritual. Exploring altered states of consciousness through meditation has been a major focus of mine, and my main guiding force in my studies. What I've found in those deep meditative states is that my emotions become even more dulled than they are in my day to day life. Past the point of me not being able to identify them, they just aren't even really there at all. Everything sort of dissipates into a perpetual muted pleasantness, and it's something I naturally perceive as completely serene and innate to my being, like peeling away all of the extra noise to just experience my true thoughts. So if your aim is to know yourself better and understand your own deeper meaning, I think you're definitely on the right track.

The only real warning I'd give is to start with the inner work first. It's not exciting, but it's important to have a strong foundation. Take things slowly and patiently, get good at meditation, and get to know yourself and what you want before you start reaching out to anything that might want to change your course.

Thank you much, this was really insightful and helpful I will heed your advice