[Help] Courses vs books?

[dababy10]

Right so the question is, and let's forget about cost, would getting a course such as sorcery of hekate or strategic sorcery by Jason Miller be better in terms of progression as opposed to reading his books?

Or are there better courses? Or is it better to stick with books like watcher and miller and those kind of guys?

Basically wanting to know what the highest ROI resources would be (investment being time and effort, not money.)

 

[Taudefindi]

I think it depends on the type of person you are.

Regardless of which subject it is, to take a course(in general) usually is to get a bit deeper into something and to have someone (usually someone that knows more or has experienced more)help you by giving you the tips and answers you seek.It is mostly for those that do want a more serious approach and know they need more help(and thus it tends to cost more), while reading a book is cheaper but also demands more out of you since "you're on your own"(no matter how well detailed or "instructional" a book is, you're still on your own to understand it's content and make it yours(knowledge)).

So rather than seeking it by topics you should seek which type of learner you are and go with it.

 

[dababy10]

I think it depends on the type of person you are.

Regardless of which subject it is, to take a course(in general) usually is to get a bit deeper into something and to have someone (usually someone that knows more or has experienced more)help you by giving you the tips and answers you seek.It is mostly for those that do want a more serious approach and know they need more help(and thus it tends to cost more), while reading a book is cheaper but also demands more out of you since "you're on your own"(no matter how well detailed or "instructional" a book is, you're still on your own to understand it's content and make it yours(knowledge)).

So rather than seeking it by topics you should seek which type of learner you are and go with it.

I definitely learn best from courses, although some seem very specific, like using a system around Hekate as a beginner I'm thinking might be too specific to begin

 

[Faria]

I'm not a fan of books or courses as the foundation of a practice. Scraps of books are enough, or pick one book and ignore most of the rest. All the reputable courses are available to be viewed either in books or online, including the ridiculous Sorcery of Hecate which is hosted on this forum for you to explore. I would suggest instead to get a personal mentor who wants to see you succeed as a keystone of their own personal priorities. Failing that, get a partner. Courses you haven't heard of are very likely to be a total scam at best and a cult induction at worst; and the familiar ones are just people like us here sharing ideas. Yes those might be good to hear, but you don't need to get into this "I'm a student" mindset. If you assume and act as if you are inherently armed with divine power, that you are a great master finding your way, and that those people writing the books and teaching the courses are your peers and not your superiors, you will save yourself a lot of trouble. None of us got into this so we could take notes on pre-recorded podcast sessions and zoom calls.

 

[Taudefindi]

I'm not a fan of books or courses as the foundation of a practice.

But due to practicality, that is how most start off, searching mostly for curiosity and only later, after they get more serious in their learning, searching to fulfill the gaps in knowledge.

Practice will offer practical knowledge, but usually you only practice after you've learned the theory.Otherwise you're going blind and that can be more dangerous than just being "book-wise".

I would suggest instead to get a personal mentor who wants to see you succeed as a keystone of their own personal priorities.

Mentors can be a shot in the dark.

You can actually end up with someone that has the "know how" and the experience and is willing to pass it on to others, or you can get someone that only seeks to fool or make the minds of others.It's risky and even if it wasn't, not everyone has such a figure hanging around in their area.

And some mentors can demand payment from you, the kind of money that isn't available to many with the way the economy is going.

So what is a person to do?Await until someone like that appears?Time will pass either way, so why not start your own learning by yourself to see how far you can go?

 

[Faria]

Mentors can be a shot in the dark.

You can actually end up with someone that has the "know how" and the experience and is willing to pass it on to others, or you can get someone that only seeks to fool or make the minds of others.It's risky and even if it wasn't, not everyone has such a figure hanging around in their area.

And some mentors can demand payment from you, the kind of money that isn't available to many with the way the economy is going.

So what is a person to do?Await until someone like that appears?Time will pass either way, so why not start your own learning by yourself to see how far you can go?

This is why I say, "a mentor who wants to see you succeed as a keystone of their personal priorities." That excludes anyone offering to teach for pay. If they want to get paid, especially if it's an amount that you find hard to pay, they're not on your team, period. When your grandfather or someone who cares about you on a personal level shows you how to change a tire, he doesn't expect you to pony up $20 for his time. His emotional and psychological well-being depend on you doing well in life. It's a rare sort of relationship and the only kind of mentor I would recommend.

And yes, in the meantime, pick something and do that, see what it does for you. Some people squeeze a whole occult career out of New Avatar Power and nothing else. Maybe get the Book of 5000 Spells and cast a few. Walk some Necronomicon gates. Conjugate some Latin verbs until demons show up. A year spent doing things like that will almost certainly leave you in a more confident and experienced position than any class on the market.

 

[Taudefindi]

When your grandfather or someone who cares about you on a personal level shows you how to change a tire, he doesn't expect you to pony up $20 for his time.

Definitely not, but I think there is a big difference between teaching something small and simple and teaching something big and complex.
The kind of mentor you speak of is certainly the very rare kind, which makes them even harder to find.

 

[Fausto]

Right so the question is, and let's forget about cost, would getting a course such as sorcery of hekate or strategic sorcery by Jason Miller be better in terms of progression as opposed to reading his books?

Or are there better courses? Or is it better to stick with books like watcher and miller and those kind of guys?

Basically wanting to know what the highest ROI resources would be (investment being time and effort, not money.)

Post automatically merged: Wednesday at 12:28 AM

Sometimes a little book contains much more practical info than a curse...but there are exceptions.

Post automatically merged: Wednesday at 12:41 AM

Sorry: course

 

[reademandsweep]

I think it depends on your experience, learning style and discipline; and what exactly you want to learn. I prefer a mixture of both, I will study books first then take a course if the subject resonates with me or if I have more questions than answers.