Decided to share the some of the old posts I made on Occultism while taking on a more rationale pov. Each post is separated in bold:
Armchair Magician Part 1
If there is ever a terminology amongst occult practitioners (at least on social media that is) that seems to consistently get a negative backlash, it is armchair magicians (along with New Age but that's already been discussed). Similar to the backlash against the New Age, the term armchair magician receives a comparable scowl through semantics, though we must first ask ourselves: what exactly is an armchair magician?
According to what appears to be the common understanding (or at least the one that gets passed around online) of an armchair magician, it is someone who intensely studies the occult, specifically arcane practices i.e magick but never utilizes them. The term armchair magician appears to be used by those who follow the traditional paths more often however its usage shares a similar problem with the New Age group mindset: lack of distinction. No where is it typically asked why someone may only be a student and not a practitioner of magick. It could be because they never had any intention of getting into the craft. Perhaps they lack the funds to do so. Or perhaps they are in a perpetual situation, one which they cannot control that prohibits them from doing sometimes even on pain of death. To put it bluntly, such a viewpoint is full of arrogance, however that arrogance isn't without its reasons.
Words gain their definition by their usage and so while it is possible that certain phrases may be loosely applied, for the sake of simplicity and more over practicality, it will not do to go for every definition. Instead we should take on the commonly accepted definition in a given frame and if there isn't one, we'll come up with it instead. That is not to other definitions which are hardly ever used aren't valid. Thus what is it then that the term Armchair magician is typically applied?
Armchair Magician Part 2
Imagine you enroll into Harvard Law School, passed the bar and all of a sudden you are labeled as an armchair lawyer (interesting bit of info: most of a lawyer's work is done outside of court which typically involves filing paperwork or referencing various cases and treaties). Does that sound off? Even though most of a licensed lawyer's work can be done in an armchair, browsing through Reddit it appears that this term has less to do with the situation most licensed lawyers find themselves in and moreover of non licensed "attorneys" who just read a law blog and then proclaim themselves as experts in the law. Of course there doesn't seem to be a distinction between someone who's gone to law school but never passed the bar versus someone who is self-taught. In a similar vein, armchair psychologists suffer from the same treatment. It seems as though a lack of an academic credential is what makes someone an armchair lawyer or psychologist rather than the fact most of their work can be done in a armchair. So then, how does this relate to armchair magicians?
Unlike with the previous examples above, magecraft does not appear to be academically inclined, that is to say going to a university that specializes in magecraft is irrelevant to whether the term armchair magician applies. Like the previous examples however, in the context by which the term armchair magician appears it seems to refer to a lack of experience and moreover of practical or hands on. Of course one could argue that this perspective is misguided and indeed, based on non ceremonial rites it is. Take any form of magecraft/witchcraft/sorcery that is mostly mental in origin. As it is mental in origin, you wouldn't have to move around. You could just sit in armchair. One such example is the creation of tulpas, servitors and other various thoughtforms. Thus, an armchair magician could in principle also include those who practice the craft if we include the mode by which their arts are conducted. And yet even this may seem off.
Is it the lack of practical experience that makes one an armchair magician? If that is the case, then only those who practice ceremonial magick would be automatically exempt from this label. Even then, if most of what spellcraft entails can be done in the mind, then this would conflict with the earlier assertion that an armchair magician is someone who only studies but does not practice. So what then? How about a supposed air of superiority? When examining the most vocal take on armchair whatever, a lot focus appears to center around what can be described as a no nothing know it all attitude. Imagine you are a certified lawyer (for the sake of example) and you see a bozo ranting about the law. Regardless of whether that bozo is correct or not even on a technicality, you'd probably see them as an armchair lawyer. Likewise, someone who doesn't follow the same or a compatible creed such as yourself would be deemed an armchair magician. Maybe what they know might be technically correct, but in practicality one could say they are lacking. Still, what seems to be the problem?
Armchair Magician Part 3
One of the most prevalent scenarios which is asked is is academic knowledge greater than practical knowledge? To use an example, take Krav Maga (or any martial arts for that matter). In theory if you have a thorough understanding of all the techniques used, you should be able to almost counter anything a practitioner of the arts throws at you without any practical experience. Likewise, since an armchair magician has the reputation of one who only studies (cognitive and emotional magick aside), by reviewing various treaties or theorems of magick, they should be able to counter almost any hostile spell thrown at them or at least have an understanding of how to do so etc. Of course, similar to the martial arts example used at the beginning of this post, just because you know how to perfectly counter doesn't mean you can. Practicing magick can be likened to working out a muscle. Sure, in terms of knowledge an armchair magician should in principle be full of such intellect and likewise someone who's researched all the relevant legal treaties they can should have the skills or at least the intelligence to be a lawyer but as such knowledge does not equate to practical experience.
Now the previous example when used in the context of armchair magicians tends to be side stepped due to an assumption that it is stating you don't have to do anything for magick to work. Furthermore it may appear as though with the exception of ceremonial magick which does require some moving around, all mages, witches and sorcerer's are armchair magicians. But, however, that only applies if we define their occupation by how it is carried out. Do we call psychologists armchair psychologists? Unless they're particularly bad at their job such as they aren't able to effectively utilize psychology for their patients, no. What about teachers? And just as it is with lawyers, so too it seems that armchair magicians aren't completely judged based on how they operate. What these examples entail is that what ultimately makes the negative connotation for the term armchair whatever has less to do with the mode of operation than it does with the general ineffectiveness of it.
Perhaps some of the backlash against armchair magicians is based on arrogance. Arrogance because it doesn't follow what they believe works. Arrogance due to a significant lack of success such as their craft is largely ineffective. Arrogance that results when a supposed amateur is able to single handedly dismantle all or a majority of preconceived notions of what does and doesn't work or why. Of course for that last category, if this was any other field we would call those sorts of folks entrepreneurs, innovators if you will. But when it comes to the occult, outside of Chaos Magick, experimentation is frowned upon. Then again, armchair magicians do have a reputation for what seems to be a decry of traditions. Regardless, it would seem as though the whole point of this label to facilitate an air of superiority, of who's "real" and who's not.
Theories - Experimentation Part 1
[This section deals with one of the more practical aspects of the occult, namely the mechanism for spellcraft. As such, there will be some hypothesizing involved]
Assuming that spells work, why do they? Are only spirits able to directly cast spell? If that's the case, then in principle no one living should be able to cast a hex (or any spell for that matter). Perhaps it's innate. Maybe, however why should we believe anybody can perform magick? Of the 2 major camps that address the question of whether anyone can perform magick, not too surprisingly the side that says everyone has potential drowns out the voice of psychic genetics. It's the ideal that nurture beats nature. Of course, popularity or lack thereof does not prove reality though it may serve as a baseline for why we presume as we do so. For the sake of this section, let's assume everyone is capable of performing magick. Does it necessarily follow then that everyone will be good at all manners of the supernatural arts? No. To use an illustration, let's compare archery with Muay Thai. Or how about academics vs sports performance. Just because you can do something does not mean you're good at it. Furthermore people tend to strive to improve the things they are already good at. Whether any attempts to rectify perceived shortcomings is met with noticeable success is not the point of this section. At the very least, given how humans tend to behave it stands to reason that even if we're all capable of performing magick some of us will drawn to certain areas as the result of being more innately skilled in those aspects.
Given that there are many classifications of magick, one can conclude there are various specializations. Specializations seem to be either based on the mechanism, i.e. how the spell is generally carried out vs the effects. An example of this can be seen with herbal witchcraft vs healing. One utilizes herbs as conduits whereas the other deals strictly with healing. Essentially one is good at using something whereas the latter is good at doing something. Furthermore some may require the assistance of spirits which would make spirit communion the only form of magick they are good at as the result of having to be able to commune with them in the first place while another might not have to alter their resonance. An example of this is someone who is able to use burial dirt without asking the spirits for permission or is able to hex others without fear of that specific hex being redirected back onto them.
Before we continue on, we must first answer the following question: what is the scope of a spell? Are spells capable of altering the observable world and if so, how. Some say yes but then go on to state magick cannot bend the laws of physics as we currently know them. As a result, phenomenon such as psychokinesis and teleportation are deemed as impossible and should there be various accounts of such feats, they are deemed as delusions even with thousands of reputable witnesses. Furthermore, if magick cannot affect the physical the realm, why call it magick in the first place? Also, aren't we just assuming the supposed laws of magick have to abide by any current understanding of materialism? That said, even if magick can be used for various things such as teleportation, seeing that people aren't doing exactly just that and even when they are, the results seem to indicate a lack of control and thus reliability, it makes sense why some may disregard this understanding of magick. At the very least, assuming phenomenon such as psychokinesis and teleportation exist, these do not appear to be readily available and as such may be rare or rather extremely rare circumstances.
Preparations - Experimentation Part 2
The art of spellcasting and or crafting requires preparations of various sorts. Generally these preparations are deliberate, usually to optimize the chances of obtaining the preferred results. Some forms of magick require a lot more preparations than others. An example of this would be ceremonial magick vs sigil infusion. Generally when it comes to ceremonial magick, regardless if it's on an individual basis or done with a group, ever participant is expected to prime themselves. This might mean clearing your head of all thoughts pertaining to a certain manner for at least 3 weeks prior to casting the spell. Perhaps you need to meditate every day in a place full of Yen energy such as a graveyard in the same exact spot facing the same direction at the same time for 110 days straight. In contrast, sigil magick can be quite unconscious. With that stated however, the ideal of preparation is to further the chances of a procedure going through and thus while occasionally some spells may work as intended without any work done beforehand, as they say preparations come a long way.
Besides having or embodying certain traits desirable to the modus of casting at the time of using rites, a lot of spells also require the usage of various tools. Depending on how the term tool is defined this could also include the caster's brain (not the actual brain, it's a figure of speech). Whatever the case may be, when it comes to the traditional paths, substitution tends to be quite limited if it's even considered an option. The ideal of substitution may seem crass to one who strictly follows the traditional method, and yet reasonable availability says otherwise. Indeed, to illustrate: if a spell calls for the branch of a peach tree and you live in an area where the importation of peach trees is prohibited not to mention the peach trees already available coat around 40K (an intentionally overpriced example but to showcase a point) are you going to do what that supposed spells asks for directly or will you try to find a more suitable substitute? Additionally, perhaps you can cultivate the same result by using a series of miniature spells that don't cost that much. After all, from a historical basis some spells have been used to power up other incantations. So why can't a spell also be used as a substitution tool as well?
Another major part when it comes to preparation is the location. The more concentrated of a certain suitable energy a place is the more ideal it becomes to utilize that place. Want to summon the spirit of a boy who died to hemophilia? You might want to go to a graveyard with occupants of similar fates. Do you want to heal someone? Even if physical distance is not an issue, since we're told to visualize the receiver, one could also say our minds can be locations for spellcasting. Indeed, for necromancy we use necrotic energy, healing is generally tied with positive energy (although if concentrated enough even positive energy can be used to cause harm) etc. However, what if you are incapable of sensing the energy in an area? Would it still be possible to identify places that are suitable? Depending on the type of spell being cast, through the process of elimination we can triangulate a place to proceed. Check the reputation of an area. Of course it may be that access to that area is prohibited. If that's the case, then the next thing to do would be to go down the list to the next suitable location and so on and so forth. As to whether physical proximity matters in spellcasting, when it comes to necromancy it is generally stated you need some sort of embodiment of the deceased so based off of that it would appear as though necromancy does have a physical range. With healing on the other hand this does not seem to be the case, at least not on the physical level.
Practice - Experimentation Part 3
Suppose you have crafted out a spell and you want to either test it out or fine-tune it. Or maybe after researching goetic rites you wanted to see if you could simplify some of the steps. After prepping yourself and finding a suitable location it is time for the next step: putting it into practice. Now the question becomes whether you should deviate from already set standards or keep with tradition. On one hand, even if the ancients were mislead by various spirits, such deception would not have worked so well if the results weren't consistent enough, or at least their perception of being so. On the other hand, innovation comes about by breaking the rules and yes, this could include legal rules as well. Do so at your own risk. Part of what makes Chaos Magick appealing is the results driven mentality. Although it has been claimed by various practitioners of the Traditional path that the reason why some spells don't work is because they weren't done properly it may very well be that just like how one calibrates the scope of a purchased rifle, some adjustments are necessary. That or the amount of effort required thereof is substantially more than what can be reasonably expected. We shouldn't dismiss them however as traditions are based off of groups and thus their methodology, while it would be a mistake to say they work all the time so long as they're done properly, as a general rule of thumb they can serve as a guidance. Yes there will be exceptions every so often and when that happens...
Of course not every spell can be performed, or not without breaking some major laws. Supposedly one superstition attributed to the occult is the use of human sacrifices. While this is true historically, or rather it depends on the culture of whether such practices were mainstream or fringe, what is safe to say is that unless you're a legal executioner (and even then) being able to legally exterminate humans is going to be a necessity for spells requiring the shedding of human life. In other words, if your calls for human sacrifice... Good luck. Don't fret however as there may be another way to achieve similar results. In Taoism there is reportedly a manner of sorcery which involves taking a bunch of venomous critters and having them fight to the death. This is known as Qi cultivation. The ideal seems to be by arranging a scenario, you can then harness that energy, which in this case would be the radiating emotional charges. To showcase how this principle would work in a mundane sense let's suppose for the sake of you're in highschool and there's someone you absolutely despise. You want to make their life a living hell. How would you go about doing this? Would you start with rumors leading to slander? It won't do to do anything physical unless you have the means to match up in kind. With enough time your initial ambitions will be realized. Congratulations! You have successfully cultivated some Qi. While the New Agers (overall prevailing group) will say that magick is meant for healing and protection, all the same it matters not how this energy is gathered or what it is used for. Indeed, through the very act of bullying you have gathered Qi and one could say you've successfully casted a spell.
Another part about practicing is to see the results. While it is true that confirmation bias has been linked to skewed perceptions, meaning that if you don't believe in the paranormal you're more likely to automatically dismiss any and all possible cases for such phenomenon whereas if you believe in LOA you're more likely to automatically assume that job promotion was simply because you "attracted" it by your "good" vibes, it stands to reason results are what matter (the methodology involved may also play a factor). As such we'll need to determine how we can verify these results. Is it something like protection? Imagine if you will you live in a trigger happy community and all of a sudden your name has gotten quite popular so much that you've become a mark. To protect against those headshots you decide to enlist a spell (you do this because you realize there are no safe options in this scenario). You feel the sensation of metal braced on your forehead but ultimately you are alive and not worse for the wear. Surely your spell must've worked, right? Except that was just one occurance and your would be assailant might've just lost interest. On the other hand, since the only part about the spell that is specified is that it protects against headshots we could also say it was a success. In either case, the more consistent your results become, the less likely they are to be derived from pure coincidence (a trait which is necessary for free will to exist). As they say, proper practice makes perfect, or at least it allows you to safely hone your powers.
Placebos - Crystals Part 1
A common motif within the realm of Occultism is the usage of crystals, gems and other precious stones/minerals. Most articles online as they pertain to the usage of crystals within the occult deal primarily their supposed metaphysical nature and moreover their reported ability to heal, cleanse and focus energy and while there have been in passing, mentions of how said crystals can be weaponized, the majority stance is that their primary focus is on restoration. For the purposes of this blog we will be focusing on determining whether or not crystals have the capacity to heal and to protect.
To heal is to remedy a wrong, to rid an illness, restore from a deprecit state to the default form. To use an analogy, it is when your Hp goes from 35% to 55% (healing) when you no longer have that poison status and when you’re not struck with fury. To protect is to ward off, prevent or instill resistance against entry. Proponents of crystal healing have tended to note that their crystals have helped them to boost up their confidence, ward off bad thoughts and emotions, focus their intentions and in some cases, also help alleviate certain physiological symptoms. Perhaps all of this is true, then again there could be an explanation for several of these that need not rely on the paranormal. For starters, one of the most common counterarguments to the ideal that crystals can heal is the notion that most, if not all of their benefits can be attributed to the placebo effect. The ideal of the placebo effect is that you have some kind of object, place, person or even situation where having enough faith in said target’s ability to heal your ailments will in fact instill a sense of recovery if not a feeling of being in full health. Such things are of course mental and furthermore should lose their effectiveness once the patient becomes aware that the supposed treatment is nothing but a fake- except that’s not what happens. In a study posted in PloS One back in 2010, a study on placebos and their effects on IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) concluded that placebos administered without deception may be an effective treatment for IBS. In other words, even when the patient knew that the treatment was fake, the results of the placebo did not vanish. Opponents of crystal healing will often decry the practice as nothing more than pseudoscience banking on the placebo effect, a supposed sign of failure and yet if it can make the patient feel better, then one could say that it has done its work in healing the patient’s sense of health. Similar to an increase feeling in well-being, the placebo effect can be used to bolster one’s sense of self-confidence. All in all, the placebo effect relies on having the faith that the cure, though it be fake, will help thee- though what would happen if you didn’t have access to this effect? What then when you no longer believe your crystals will or are even capable of healing your mind?
Perhaps the greatest issue with using crystals as a means of healing and protection lies in what could be called addiction along with reliability. Doubt is the counter to belief, and as we observe how the world operates around us, our perspectives can change, which may in term also effect how much trus we place into certain sources. Once you no longer believe that crystals can aid you, the gems become nothing more than pretty stones. On the other hand, refusal to see opposing data may lead one to become blind to any detrimental effects. For the sake of example, let’s say you have a big presentation to show to your coworkers and you’re filled with anxiety. You take out a rose quartz to wipe away your anxiety. Your presentation goes well. Later on you receive a notification from your employer that you may be laid off without pay. Once again you are filled with anxiety and so you take out that rose quartz again. Once or twice and we could say that crystal is helping with your anxiety, however if at every point you feel anxiety you’re always taking out that crystal, than the situation becomes almost synonymous with developing an addiction. You’ve become dependent on that crystal for your mental well-being. Now, instead of healing your mind, it only constricts you, it harms through a sweet tasting toxicant.
Though it may not heal the body (and even that’s somewhat debatable), or at least not to a notable degree where we could say it is as reliable if not much more so than traditional surgery, through the placebo effect, the use of crystals as it pertains to healing, cleansing and bolstering of mental defenses could net a benefit, and yet still. Caution ought to be played lest users of crystal become overtly reliant on them to the point they now need it.
Instruments of Harm - Crystals Part 2
In our previous post on crystals, we went over how the aforementioned jewels can, at least from our understanding of the placebo effect, be used to heal, depending on the specifics of what’s being healed, the individual. Likewise we briefly touched up on some detrimental effects that could arise from constantly using these gems as a form of remedy, namely that of addiction. Of course, even the test subject does not become reliant on their crystals, a lack of faith in their purported healing powers diminishes the placebo effect. So what then, if instead of using these crystals to bolster up others we wanted to use them for harm? How could we go about doing this?
Let’s start simple. Take an unpolished crystal. Does it have edges? Are they sharp? Congratulations, you have a stabbing weapon. Or maybe you have a collection of pearls. Place them in a sealable bag with a strap attached, that is to say a handbag or purse, seal it up. Now you can wallop people with them. Though they may not have much piercing power, given their brittle nature, diamonds could surely be used as shrapnel. Course, seeing as diamonds are generally seen as precious stones, you’d probably wouldn’t want to do this. Yes, you could use virtually any crystal as ammunition, doesn’t mean it’s a good ideal and if any would be the equivalent of wasting money. Besides, it’s not as though within the occult community the use of crystals as an actual physical weapon has never been deployed, right? Except an archaeological dig in Spain back in 2016 revealed a rather extensive find in the Montelirio tholos: ‘crystal weapons’. Indeed, their find included crystal arrowheads, daggers with a rock crystal blade among others. For the adamant against the existence of the paranormal, these prehistoric crystal ‘weapons’ were probably only used as decoration, a symbol of wealth and status given the level of technique and skill involved (apparently the study mentions that for the civilization, the raw material for making the crystal weapons was readily available throughout the community), and for the believer or at least for one postulates that the supernatural may exist, these crystal weapons, if they were even remotely intended as such, were probably not meant to be use on humans as there are more effective and efficient options, aside from using them as shrapnel (but that’s several millennials later) and instead were to be on some otherworld danger, ones that may have posed an actual physical threat. Of course these are speculations and regardless, modern times introduce solutions that weren’t available in the past. This is to say, even assuming there is ample evidence of such a phenomena recurring today, our modern understanding is likely to net us an advantage our predecessors lacked thus the matter is of trivial concern. When examining these prehistoric crystal weapons, some have noted their similarities to athames, daggers used in ceremonial/ritual magick. It could be that these crystal weapons were among the first prototypes to the athame and other daggers associated with magick. Whether these crystal weapons were deployed against otherworld forces that presented a real tangible threat or against the ills of the mind has yet to be determined.
Besides using them as a blatant weapon, crystals can alo be weaponized by taking advantage of the placebo effect. In our previous post, we had gone over how one of the drawbacks to using crystals is the dependency they can envelop their users in. It is one thing to use a crystal here and there as a confidence booster. It’s another when you’re filled with paranoia at any moment in time when you’re not with your crystals. The ensnaring of their minds is great for business as someone who absolutely needs to have their crystals is bound to be a constant consumer and better yet, unlike the physical method of using crystals as weapons, this form doesn’t leave a trace. All that’s needed to be done is the promotion of using crystals as a means to address what stirs them to unrest and “help” them overcome it yet still warning them that crystals may become “dead” and will eventually run out of energy. Downplay any potential adverse side-effects. There’s hardly a point in using the nocebo effect given how crystals are generally seen as protective, though some cultures may provide an exception. Adjust accordingly.
Whether they are used to cause physical harm or siphon their wallets by constricting their minds, as with anything, crystals can be weaponized and all it really takes is a clear understanding of how we become dependent on that fix. Of course, an actual physical weapon is of more direct concern, i.e. practical when it comes to hand to hand combat whereas using a crystal to mess with their minds only works when the opponent’s mental fortitude is rather lacking. In the end it remains to be said that though traditions may not talk about it much, there’s merit in weaponizing the tools of our craft.
Unconventional Utility - Crystals Part 3
Although crystals are reported to have a variety of usages within the occult community, it doesn’t take long to see most matters concerning the use of crystals in the occult community only pertain to the spiritual aspect, very little with their physical possibilities and aside from utilizing the placebo and nocebo effect, scarcely affect the physical plane. To put this another way, with how crystal therapy is commonly thought, it’s hardly a wonder why such a practice reeks of the primitive. What use is a ring of amethyst on laying your abdomen if it can’t be used to fix your fractured limb? It would seem then, that crystals are limited in the physical regard and can’t address such matters- or can they?
When it comes to using crystals for physical means, it is here that we’ll have to think outside the box. Instead of just holding onto a crystal, try physically striking at it. If your crystal didn’t shatter and you applied sufficient force at the right angle, you should be able to produce a small amount of electricity. Some of you may know that we use quartz crystals to keep track of time, as part of the ignition for some lighters and even to cut through tissues without invading the orifices. Yes, we’ll be utilizing piezoelectricity as the main form of mechanism by which crystals can affect the physical realm with noticeable effects. When a crystal is under sufficient pressure, it generates a flow of electricity across its opposite faces. This flow of electricity is enough to ignite flammable gases (provided you have an amplifier to allow the discharge to jump the ½ inch gap). A direct current applied to a crystal allows us to keep track of time electronically, an alternating current turns the crystal into a drill and if the crystal is vibrating enough due to the AC, you can use it to perform piezosurgery, surgery which uses vibrations caused by piezoelectricity to perform its task. Of course, some would say this is hardly occultic, another avenue of science. Indeed, there hardly seems to be any mention of using crystals in this manner within the history of the occult except maybe in passing, hence if anyone of the occult background did managed to discover this phenomenon way before the 1880’s- well that would be a challenge to ascertain but regardless, it is a mechanism to enact physical results and it is far from the only one.
Aside from being a potential battery or source of electricity, crystals can be used to directly heal certain ailments, namely those dealing with the skeletal system. How you may ask? According to a study on whether hydroxyapatite crystals can be used as bone graft substitute in benign lytic lesions the study had concluded that yes, Hydroxyapatite crystals can be used as a bone graft substitute with their specific wording being "We conclude that calcium HA is biologically acceptable bone graft substitute in the management of benign lytic lesions of bone." It is not just replacing a broken limb or patching up a shattered femur where crystals can excel, we also have toothpaste, which apparently also use hydroxyapatite crystals. Instead of fluoride, hydroxyapatite crystal toothpaste use the aforementioned crystal, Hydroxyapatite as the active ingredient to protect your enamel and like fluoride, is used to remineralize and fortify your enamel. Unlike fluoride however, Hydroxyapatite crystal toothpaste works from within, no, that doesn’t mean you should consume it, rather one way to look at is that fluorides work with the calcium and phosphate in your saliva and teeth to form a fluorapatite which then covers demineralized enamel, remineralizing it and restoring strength to your teeth and providing an acid resistance shield whereas Hydroxyapatite crystal toothpaste remineralizes your enamel from within while binding to plaque and harmful bacteria. In short, fluoride is like casting cure which goes from the outside inwards while applying an acid resistance shield and Hydroxyapatite crystal toothpaste is also like casting cure, except that it works from the inside out and rather than placing an acid resistant shield, it deals damage- it binds the harmful bacteria and plaque preventing it from taking its turn.
And thus, we see here that through the use of applying pressure to create electricity or through nano hydroxyapatite crystals as the active ingredient in toothpaste, you need not only place your faith in these crystals to enact physical results, a method slated to result in more self-delusions than accuracies. It’s called thinking outside the box, not having to rely on spirits who are flimsy, whimsical. See what the properties of the material are and test it if you can. This is part of how we get results. Course, just because you use a quartz crystal to perform piezoelectric surgery doesn’t mean it’s a good ideal. You would still need to know what you're doing and since this lies in the medical profession, you still need a license (unless you’re in a country or region which doesn't require any that is.). And also; please do not chew on or eat hydroxyapatite crystals. Yes they can protect your teeth but their supposed to be applied to, not consumed like food.
Sources:
Spiritual - Models of Magick Part 1
A model of magick is a theorem on why and how magick works. Although there are many theories, there are 5 models which are the most prevalent:
Spiritual
Energy
Psychological
Information
Meta
Of these 5 models, the Meta model is the only one whose sole modus operandi is to see what works. It is essentially the red mage of the 5, a jack of all trades if you will. To sum up that model, it's a hybrid of the previous 4 where at any time one model may hold more true than the others and yes, there are degrees of "trueness". As such we won't being going into much detail about them.
To start off our list, the Spiritual model assumes that spirits exist and that they are the reason for why magick works. Want to scry on someone? Ask a spirit to become your spy. Have a desire to have that completely wool doll move on its own? Well you can either try to bribe or you can literally force the spirit right into it and yes, this is apparently a stable of Asian necromancy. By all accounts under the Spiritual model acts such as psychokinesis, teleportation/biolocation and levitation would be impossible to explain whereas stuffing a soul into a cassette tape might be possible under this model. Additionally aura reading would not be a staple of this model. At the very least if it involves spirits or souls, it falls under this model.
By now you might be aware amongst the occult circles there is a general consensus that spirits cannot be forced (at least, not without severe repurcussions). Additionally you might've also heard that spirits are somehow unable to affect the physical world. This stance if nothing else is a matter of belief. Depending on your religion, spirits or at least certain astral beings may be able to affect the physical world (and by affect, blatantly break any current known laws of physics). One such example is Christianity (fish either multiply like crazy or becoming ridiculously loaded with nutrients or levitation anyone?). It is not known whether spirits do have the power to affect the physical world however given that some forms of necromancy do allow for the necromancer to stuff souls into objects, perhaps telekinesis is really the result of spirits finding enough energy to pick up physical objects. It would appear that this stance isn't widely supported however even if we were to assume spirits do have the ability to blatantly break the laws of physics as is currently known, either doing so requires a tremendous amount of energy or most of them have no interest in doing so anyways.
Since under Taoist necromancy, souls can be affected i.e stuffing them into objects or binding them to places, some of you may have asked if it's possible for a spellcaster to affect their own soul. As long as you strictly follow the Western mindset, no. On the other hand, a variant of Taoist necromancy allows for this to happen. Thus One Man Hangman might actually be an Asian necromancy spell of sorts. Of course whether or not you have control over the possessed doll is another matter. Speaking of possession, here's another tidbit about Asian necromancy. Apparently you can possess other people, though it would seem they would have to be on the brink of death such that their soul could easily be kicked out of their body. But then this leaves the question of what about your own. Assuming you can possess others, unless your soul is capable of biolocation, your original body is now soulless. Now whether the body needs the soul to stay alive and for how long it can survive without a soul may determine how long a person may be able to possess another under the Spiritual model.
Energy/Psychological - Models of Magick Part 2
Like its name suggests, the Energy Model of magick deals with energy (which in Occultism is extended far beyond the boundaries known by the current laws of physics). Techniques such as aura reading, any form of magick that requires you to call upon energy and potentially psychokinesis can be explained by the Energy Model. Since auras are essentially energy fields(and usually they are highly dependent on the emotional, psychological and sometimes even physiological states) they would naturally fall under this Model. The ideal of the Energy Model is that in order to utilize magick, you need to invest a certain amount of energy. Furthermore the spell you're doing will tend to require a certain type of energy. With the exception of energy vampires, everyone and everything naturally produces energy (depending on who you ask, even the dead give off energy). In other words, casting spells under this Model is like using MP.
Where both the Spiritual and Energy Models have the capacity to affect one's surroundings, the Psychological Model is much more limited in scope. It's all a matter of perspective is the motto of the Psychological Model. By changing what you believe or see (see not being the same as that associated with eye sight), you can change your world. Of course this means under this Model others can't exist. Forms of magick that tend to work well under this Model include LOA... and that's about it. Of course some say that the minds of others still exist and are separate, though given how this mantra that reality is what you make of it, such an ideology is an exception to the Psychological Model.
In comparing the Energy Model with the Psychological Model, the scope of the latter is far more limited. Despite relying on self-delusions or maybe because it, the Psychological Model appears to be the most commonly used Model of magick, at least in the Western World that is. A number of potential sources for why this is can be speculated. Furthermore the doctrine as stated by this Model appears to be the most anti-theistic as well, with the Spiritual Model being the most friendly towards spirits(even if some practitioners force the spirits instead). Given that the practice of magick is seen as "not growing up" or "playing make-believe" what can be deduced from this attitude is that the primarily reason for why magick is ridiculed in the Western World, other than hubris, is the fact unless you can procure tangible results and even then, people's beliefs are heavily based on experiences. Still a rather strange phenomenon occurs with the Energy Model in that while it appears many proponents of the Model say you can heal someone from a distance (energy healing) for some reason they deny psychokinesis. If this energy healing is what it says, then such a feat should suggest it is possible for humans to affect the cellular structures of others in a psionic sense. Either that or we delude ourselves into concluding we are healing others via sending them energy. Or maybe energy healing works on the principle of the placebo effect, in which case this "energy healing" would fit more in line with the Psychological Model. All things considered however, if there's one thing that can be taken from these 2 models is that the Psychological Model runs on and requires personal belief/delusions. Neither the Energy or Spiritual Model require you to actually believe (although admittedly it would be strange to call upon something you didn't believe in). The Psychological Model however, does.
Information Model - Models of Magick Part 3
The need to call upon spirits, surround yourself with compatible energies or change your mindset are the foundations of the previous 3 Models. However, spirits aren't always reliable, not everyone is capable of sensing yet alone effectively utilizing energies and the Psychological Model is rather limited in scope. Thus, how does the Information Model differ? Unlike the rest, this Model specifically utilizes information, which as opposed to the Psychological Model does not require the caster to actually believe, nor for them to supply any energy of their own or even call upon the spirits. Given its nature however, this Model is best when used on others. One can think of this Model as being the inversion of the Psychological Model. Where the Psychological Model requires the caster to believe, the Information Model does not. Where the Psychological Model can only affect the caster themselves, the Information Model has the high ground when it comes to affecting others.
Sometimes referred to as Cyber Magick (which only describes how it's carried out and not how it operates) the Information Model is a system of exchange. As we are hopefully aware, each of us has our own ambitions (or lack thereof but it's pretty common to eventually develop one) not all which are mutually beneficial. In the world of politics, unless it will benefit you to do so, you don't reveal your hand and never without compensation or insurance. Likewise the Information Model of magick is like playing Texas Hold'em or almost any variant of Poker. You don't know exactly what others will do with the inormation you provide but having a basic understanding in human behavior can allow you to reasonably predict what they will do next and why. Now lay your cards on the table and don't hog all that information to yourself. After all, nations have been ruined by disinformation (along with an unhealthy level of greed amongst many other factors).
If there is one glaring weakness when it comes to the Information Model it is that it cannot explain psychokinesis. Arguably the Energy Model would be best suited for that task furthermore while both the Spiritual Model and the Information Model recognize the existence of entities other than the self (something which the Psychological Model does not), the Information Model can be stated to be more amoral than that of the Spiritual Model. At least when it comes to spirits there tends to be a propensity to avoid screwing each other over whereas the Information Model is like getting into cutthroat politics. Suffice to say, people are not likely to trust you. If there is one major benefit the Information Model holds over the Spiritual Model it is that when it comes to turning a place into a haunting grounds or a cursed site, the caster has no need to cleanse themselves nor do they need to believe. They just need to make their claims believable... Controversies can sway public opinions...
Thanks for reading.
Armchair Magician Part 1
If there is ever a terminology amongst occult practitioners (at least on social media that is) that seems to consistently get a negative backlash, it is armchair magicians (along with New Age but that's already been discussed). Similar to the backlash against the New Age, the term armchair magician receives a comparable scowl through semantics, though we must first ask ourselves: what exactly is an armchair magician?
According to what appears to be the common understanding (or at least the one that gets passed around online) of an armchair magician, it is someone who intensely studies the occult, specifically arcane practices i.e magick but never utilizes them. The term armchair magician appears to be used by those who follow the traditional paths more often however its usage shares a similar problem with the New Age group mindset: lack of distinction. No where is it typically asked why someone may only be a student and not a practitioner of magick. It could be because they never had any intention of getting into the craft. Perhaps they lack the funds to do so. Or perhaps they are in a perpetual situation, one which they cannot control that prohibits them from doing sometimes even on pain of death. To put it bluntly, such a viewpoint is full of arrogance, however that arrogance isn't without its reasons.
Words gain their definition by their usage and so while it is possible that certain phrases may be loosely applied, for the sake of simplicity and more over practicality, it will not do to go for every definition. Instead we should take on the commonly accepted definition in a given frame and if there isn't one, we'll come up with it instead. That is not to other definitions which are hardly ever used aren't valid. Thus what is it then that the term Armchair magician is typically applied?
Armchair Magician Part 2
Imagine you enroll into Harvard Law School, passed the bar and all of a sudden you are labeled as an armchair lawyer (interesting bit of info: most of a lawyer's work is done outside of court which typically involves filing paperwork or referencing various cases and treaties). Does that sound off? Even though most of a licensed lawyer's work can be done in an armchair, browsing through Reddit it appears that this term has less to do with the situation most licensed lawyers find themselves in and moreover of non licensed "attorneys" who just read a law blog and then proclaim themselves as experts in the law. Of course there doesn't seem to be a distinction between someone who's gone to law school but never passed the bar versus someone who is self-taught. In a similar vein, armchair psychologists suffer from the same treatment. It seems as though a lack of an academic credential is what makes someone an armchair lawyer or psychologist rather than the fact most of their work can be done in a armchair. So then, how does this relate to armchair magicians?
Unlike with the previous examples above, magecraft does not appear to be academically inclined, that is to say going to a university that specializes in magecraft is irrelevant to whether the term armchair magician applies. Like the previous examples however, in the context by which the term armchair magician appears it seems to refer to a lack of experience and moreover of practical or hands on. Of course one could argue that this perspective is misguided and indeed, based on non ceremonial rites it is. Take any form of magecraft/witchcraft/sorcery that is mostly mental in origin. As it is mental in origin, you wouldn't have to move around. You could just sit in armchair. One such example is the creation of tulpas, servitors and other various thoughtforms. Thus, an armchair magician could in principle also include those who practice the craft if we include the mode by which their arts are conducted. And yet even this may seem off.
Is it the lack of practical experience that makes one an armchair magician? If that is the case, then only those who practice ceremonial magick would be automatically exempt from this label. Even then, if most of what spellcraft entails can be done in the mind, then this would conflict with the earlier assertion that an armchair magician is someone who only studies but does not practice. So what then? How about a supposed air of superiority? When examining the most vocal take on armchair whatever, a lot focus appears to center around what can be described as a no nothing know it all attitude. Imagine you are a certified lawyer (for the sake of example) and you see a bozo ranting about the law. Regardless of whether that bozo is correct or not even on a technicality, you'd probably see them as an armchair lawyer. Likewise, someone who doesn't follow the same or a compatible creed such as yourself would be deemed an armchair magician. Maybe what they know might be technically correct, but in practicality one could say they are lacking. Still, what seems to be the problem?
Armchair Magician Part 3
One of the most prevalent scenarios which is asked is is academic knowledge greater than practical knowledge? To use an example, take Krav Maga (or any martial arts for that matter). In theory if you have a thorough understanding of all the techniques used, you should be able to almost counter anything a practitioner of the arts throws at you without any practical experience. Likewise, since an armchair magician has the reputation of one who only studies (cognitive and emotional magick aside), by reviewing various treaties or theorems of magick, they should be able to counter almost any hostile spell thrown at them or at least have an understanding of how to do so etc. Of course, similar to the martial arts example used at the beginning of this post, just because you know how to perfectly counter doesn't mean you can. Practicing magick can be likened to working out a muscle. Sure, in terms of knowledge an armchair magician should in principle be full of such intellect and likewise someone who's researched all the relevant legal treaties they can should have the skills or at least the intelligence to be a lawyer but as such knowledge does not equate to practical experience.
Now the previous example when used in the context of armchair magicians tends to be side stepped due to an assumption that it is stating you don't have to do anything for magick to work. Furthermore it may appear as though with the exception of ceremonial magick which does require some moving around, all mages, witches and sorcerer's are armchair magicians. But, however, that only applies if we define their occupation by how it is carried out. Do we call psychologists armchair psychologists? Unless they're particularly bad at their job such as they aren't able to effectively utilize psychology for their patients, no. What about teachers? And just as it is with lawyers, so too it seems that armchair magicians aren't completely judged based on how they operate. What these examples entail is that what ultimately makes the negative connotation for the term armchair whatever has less to do with the mode of operation than it does with the general ineffectiveness of it.
Perhaps some of the backlash against armchair magicians is based on arrogance. Arrogance because it doesn't follow what they believe works. Arrogance due to a significant lack of success such as their craft is largely ineffective. Arrogance that results when a supposed amateur is able to single handedly dismantle all or a majority of preconceived notions of what does and doesn't work or why. Of course for that last category, if this was any other field we would call those sorts of folks entrepreneurs, innovators if you will. But when it comes to the occult, outside of Chaos Magick, experimentation is frowned upon. Then again, armchair magicians do have a reputation for what seems to be a decry of traditions. Regardless, it would seem as though the whole point of this label to facilitate an air of superiority, of who's "real" and who's not.
Theories - Experimentation Part 1
[This section deals with one of the more practical aspects of the occult, namely the mechanism for spellcraft. As such, there will be some hypothesizing involved]
Assuming that spells work, why do they? Are only spirits able to directly cast spell? If that's the case, then in principle no one living should be able to cast a hex (or any spell for that matter). Perhaps it's innate. Maybe, however why should we believe anybody can perform magick? Of the 2 major camps that address the question of whether anyone can perform magick, not too surprisingly the side that says everyone has potential drowns out the voice of psychic genetics. It's the ideal that nurture beats nature. Of course, popularity or lack thereof does not prove reality though it may serve as a baseline for why we presume as we do so. For the sake of this section, let's assume everyone is capable of performing magick. Does it necessarily follow then that everyone will be good at all manners of the supernatural arts? No. To use an illustration, let's compare archery with Muay Thai. Or how about academics vs sports performance. Just because you can do something does not mean you're good at it. Furthermore people tend to strive to improve the things they are already good at. Whether any attempts to rectify perceived shortcomings is met with noticeable success is not the point of this section. At the very least, given how humans tend to behave it stands to reason that even if we're all capable of performing magick some of us will drawn to certain areas as the result of being more innately skilled in those aspects.
Given that there are many classifications of magick, one can conclude there are various specializations. Specializations seem to be either based on the mechanism, i.e. how the spell is generally carried out vs the effects. An example of this can be seen with herbal witchcraft vs healing. One utilizes herbs as conduits whereas the other deals strictly with healing. Essentially one is good at using something whereas the latter is good at doing something. Furthermore some may require the assistance of spirits which would make spirit communion the only form of magick they are good at as the result of having to be able to commune with them in the first place while another might not have to alter their resonance. An example of this is someone who is able to use burial dirt without asking the spirits for permission or is able to hex others without fear of that specific hex being redirected back onto them.
Before we continue on, we must first answer the following question: what is the scope of a spell? Are spells capable of altering the observable world and if so, how. Some say yes but then go on to state magick cannot bend the laws of physics as we currently know them. As a result, phenomenon such as psychokinesis and teleportation are deemed as impossible and should there be various accounts of such feats, they are deemed as delusions even with thousands of reputable witnesses. Furthermore, if magick cannot affect the physical the realm, why call it magick in the first place? Also, aren't we just assuming the supposed laws of magick have to abide by any current understanding of materialism? That said, even if magick can be used for various things such as teleportation, seeing that people aren't doing exactly just that and even when they are, the results seem to indicate a lack of control and thus reliability, it makes sense why some may disregard this understanding of magick. At the very least, assuming phenomenon such as psychokinesis and teleportation exist, these do not appear to be readily available and as such may be rare or rather extremely rare circumstances.
Preparations - Experimentation Part 2
The art of spellcasting and or crafting requires preparations of various sorts. Generally these preparations are deliberate, usually to optimize the chances of obtaining the preferred results. Some forms of magick require a lot more preparations than others. An example of this would be ceremonial magick vs sigil infusion. Generally when it comes to ceremonial magick, regardless if it's on an individual basis or done with a group, ever participant is expected to prime themselves. This might mean clearing your head of all thoughts pertaining to a certain manner for at least 3 weeks prior to casting the spell. Perhaps you need to meditate every day in a place full of Yen energy such as a graveyard in the same exact spot facing the same direction at the same time for 110 days straight. In contrast, sigil magick can be quite unconscious. With that stated however, the ideal of preparation is to further the chances of a procedure going through and thus while occasionally some spells may work as intended without any work done beforehand, as they say preparations come a long way.
Besides having or embodying certain traits desirable to the modus of casting at the time of using rites, a lot of spells also require the usage of various tools. Depending on how the term tool is defined this could also include the caster's brain (not the actual brain, it's a figure of speech). Whatever the case may be, when it comes to the traditional paths, substitution tends to be quite limited if it's even considered an option. The ideal of substitution may seem crass to one who strictly follows the traditional method, and yet reasonable availability says otherwise. Indeed, to illustrate: if a spell calls for the branch of a peach tree and you live in an area where the importation of peach trees is prohibited not to mention the peach trees already available coat around 40K (an intentionally overpriced example but to showcase a point) are you going to do what that supposed spells asks for directly or will you try to find a more suitable substitute? Additionally, perhaps you can cultivate the same result by using a series of miniature spells that don't cost that much. After all, from a historical basis some spells have been used to power up other incantations. So why can't a spell also be used as a substitution tool as well?
Another major part when it comes to preparation is the location. The more concentrated of a certain suitable energy a place is the more ideal it becomes to utilize that place. Want to summon the spirit of a boy who died to hemophilia? You might want to go to a graveyard with occupants of similar fates. Do you want to heal someone? Even if physical distance is not an issue, since we're told to visualize the receiver, one could also say our minds can be locations for spellcasting. Indeed, for necromancy we use necrotic energy, healing is generally tied with positive energy (although if concentrated enough even positive energy can be used to cause harm) etc. However, what if you are incapable of sensing the energy in an area? Would it still be possible to identify places that are suitable? Depending on the type of spell being cast, through the process of elimination we can triangulate a place to proceed. Check the reputation of an area. Of course it may be that access to that area is prohibited. If that's the case, then the next thing to do would be to go down the list to the next suitable location and so on and so forth. As to whether physical proximity matters in spellcasting, when it comes to necromancy it is generally stated you need some sort of embodiment of the deceased so based off of that it would appear as though necromancy does have a physical range. With healing on the other hand this does not seem to be the case, at least not on the physical level.
Practice - Experimentation Part 3
Suppose you have crafted out a spell and you want to either test it out or fine-tune it. Or maybe after researching goetic rites you wanted to see if you could simplify some of the steps. After prepping yourself and finding a suitable location it is time for the next step: putting it into practice. Now the question becomes whether you should deviate from already set standards or keep with tradition. On one hand, even if the ancients were mislead by various spirits, such deception would not have worked so well if the results weren't consistent enough, or at least their perception of being so. On the other hand, innovation comes about by breaking the rules and yes, this could include legal rules as well. Do so at your own risk. Part of what makes Chaos Magick appealing is the results driven mentality. Although it has been claimed by various practitioners of the Traditional path that the reason why some spells don't work is because they weren't done properly it may very well be that just like how one calibrates the scope of a purchased rifle, some adjustments are necessary. That or the amount of effort required thereof is substantially more than what can be reasonably expected. We shouldn't dismiss them however as traditions are based off of groups and thus their methodology, while it would be a mistake to say they work all the time so long as they're done properly, as a general rule of thumb they can serve as a guidance. Yes there will be exceptions every so often and when that happens...
Of course not every spell can be performed, or not without breaking some major laws. Supposedly one superstition attributed to the occult is the use of human sacrifices. While this is true historically, or rather it depends on the culture of whether such practices were mainstream or fringe, what is safe to say is that unless you're a legal executioner (and even then) being able to legally exterminate humans is going to be a necessity for spells requiring the shedding of human life. In other words, if your calls for human sacrifice... Good luck. Don't fret however as there may be another way to achieve similar results. In Taoism there is reportedly a manner of sorcery which involves taking a bunch of venomous critters and having them fight to the death. This is known as Qi cultivation. The ideal seems to be by arranging a scenario, you can then harness that energy, which in this case would be the radiating emotional charges. To showcase how this principle would work in a mundane sense let's suppose for the sake of you're in highschool and there's someone you absolutely despise. You want to make their life a living hell. How would you go about doing this? Would you start with rumors leading to slander? It won't do to do anything physical unless you have the means to match up in kind. With enough time your initial ambitions will be realized. Congratulations! You have successfully cultivated some Qi. While the New Agers (overall prevailing group) will say that magick is meant for healing and protection, all the same it matters not how this energy is gathered or what it is used for. Indeed, through the very act of bullying you have gathered Qi and one could say you've successfully casted a spell.
Another part about practicing is to see the results. While it is true that confirmation bias has been linked to skewed perceptions, meaning that if you don't believe in the paranormal you're more likely to automatically dismiss any and all possible cases for such phenomenon whereas if you believe in LOA you're more likely to automatically assume that job promotion was simply because you "attracted" it by your "good" vibes, it stands to reason results are what matter (the methodology involved may also play a factor). As such we'll need to determine how we can verify these results. Is it something like protection? Imagine if you will you live in a trigger happy community and all of a sudden your name has gotten quite popular so much that you've become a mark. To protect against those headshots you decide to enlist a spell (you do this because you realize there are no safe options in this scenario). You feel the sensation of metal braced on your forehead but ultimately you are alive and not worse for the wear. Surely your spell must've worked, right? Except that was just one occurance and your would be assailant might've just lost interest. On the other hand, since the only part about the spell that is specified is that it protects against headshots we could also say it was a success. In either case, the more consistent your results become, the less likely they are to be derived from pure coincidence (a trait which is necessary for free will to exist). As they say, proper practice makes perfect, or at least it allows you to safely hone your powers.
Placebos - Crystals Part 1
A common motif within the realm of Occultism is the usage of crystals, gems and other precious stones/minerals. Most articles online as they pertain to the usage of crystals within the occult deal primarily their supposed metaphysical nature and moreover their reported ability to heal, cleanse and focus energy and while there have been in passing, mentions of how said crystals can be weaponized, the majority stance is that their primary focus is on restoration. For the purposes of this blog we will be focusing on determining whether or not crystals have the capacity to heal and to protect.
To heal is to remedy a wrong, to rid an illness, restore from a deprecit state to the default form. To use an analogy, it is when your Hp goes from 35% to 55% (healing) when you no longer have that poison status and when you’re not struck with fury. To protect is to ward off, prevent or instill resistance against entry. Proponents of crystal healing have tended to note that their crystals have helped them to boost up their confidence, ward off bad thoughts and emotions, focus their intentions and in some cases, also help alleviate certain physiological symptoms. Perhaps all of this is true, then again there could be an explanation for several of these that need not rely on the paranormal. For starters, one of the most common counterarguments to the ideal that crystals can heal is the notion that most, if not all of their benefits can be attributed to the placebo effect. The ideal of the placebo effect is that you have some kind of object, place, person or even situation where having enough faith in said target’s ability to heal your ailments will in fact instill a sense of recovery if not a feeling of being in full health. Such things are of course mental and furthermore should lose their effectiveness once the patient becomes aware that the supposed treatment is nothing but a fake- except that’s not what happens. In a study posted in PloS One back in 2010, a study on placebos and their effects on IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) concluded that placebos administered without deception may be an effective treatment for IBS. In other words, even when the patient knew that the treatment was fake, the results of the placebo did not vanish. Opponents of crystal healing will often decry the practice as nothing more than pseudoscience banking on the placebo effect, a supposed sign of failure and yet if it can make the patient feel better, then one could say that it has done its work in healing the patient’s sense of health. Similar to an increase feeling in well-being, the placebo effect can be used to bolster one’s sense of self-confidence. All in all, the placebo effect relies on having the faith that the cure, though it be fake, will help thee- though what would happen if you didn’t have access to this effect? What then when you no longer believe your crystals will or are even capable of healing your mind?
Perhaps the greatest issue with using crystals as a means of healing and protection lies in what could be called addiction along with reliability. Doubt is the counter to belief, and as we observe how the world operates around us, our perspectives can change, which may in term also effect how much trus we place into certain sources. Once you no longer believe that crystals can aid you, the gems become nothing more than pretty stones. On the other hand, refusal to see opposing data may lead one to become blind to any detrimental effects. For the sake of example, let’s say you have a big presentation to show to your coworkers and you’re filled with anxiety. You take out a rose quartz to wipe away your anxiety. Your presentation goes well. Later on you receive a notification from your employer that you may be laid off without pay. Once again you are filled with anxiety and so you take out that rose quartz again. Once or twice and we could say that crystal is helping with your anxiety, however if at every point you feel anxiety you’re always taking out that crystal, than the situation becomes almost synonymous with developing an addiction. You’ve become dependent on that crystal for your mental well-being. Now, instead of healing your mind, it only constricts you, it harms through a sweet tasting toxicant.
Though it may not heal the body (and even that’s somewhat debatable), or at least not to a notable degree where we could say it is as reliable if not much more so than traditional surgery, through the placebo effect, the use of crystals as it pertains to healing, cleansing and bolstering of mental defenses could net a benefit, and yet still. Caution ought to be played lest users of crystal become overtly reliant on them to the point they now need it.
Instruments of Harm - Crystals Part 2
In our previous post on crystals, we went over how the aforementioned jewels can, at least from our understanding of the placebo effect, be used to heal, depending on the specifics of what’s being healed, the individual. Likewise we briefly touched up on some detrimental effects that could arise from constantly using these gems as a form of remedy, namely that of addiction. Of course, even the test subject does not become reliant on their crystals, a lack of faith in their purported healing powers diminishes the placebo effect. So what then, if instead of using these crystals to bolster up others we wanted to use them for harm? How could we go about doing this?
Let’s start simple. Take an unpolished crystal. Does it have edges? Are they sharp? Congratulations, you have a stabbing weapon. Or maybe you have a collection of pearls. Place them in a sealable bag with a strap attached, that is to say a handbag or purse, seal it up. Now you can wallop people with them. Though they may not have much piercing power, given their brittle nature, diamonds could surely be used as shrapnel. Course, seeing as diamonds are generally seen as precious stones, you’d probably wouldn’t want to do this. Yes, you could use virtually any crystal as ammunition, doesn’t mean it’s a good ideal and if any would be the equivalent of wasting money. Besides, it’s not as though within the occult community the use of crystals as an actual physical weapon has never been deployed, right? Except an archaeological dig in Spain back in 2016 revealed a rather extensive find in the Montelirio tholos: ‘crystal weapons’. Indeed, their find included crystal arrowheads, daggers with a rock crystal blade among others. For the adamant against the existence of the paranormal, these prehistoric crystal ‘weapons’ were probably only used as decoration, a symbol of wealth and status given the level of technique and skill involved (apparently the study mentions that for the civilization, the raw material for making the crystal weapons was readily available throughout the community), and for the believer or at least for one postulates that the supernatural may exist, these crystal weapons, if they were even remotely intended as such, were probably not meant to be use on humans as there are more effective and efficient options, aside from using them as shrapnel (but that’s several millennials later) and instead were to be on some otherworld danger, ones that may have posed an actual physical threat. Of course these are speculations and regardless, modern times introduce solutions that weren’t available in the past. This is to say, even assuming there is ample evidence of such a phenomena recurring today, our modern understanding is likely to net us an advantage our predecessors lacked thus the matter is of trivial concern. When examining these prehistoric crystal weapons, some have noted their similarities to athames, daggers used in ceremonial/ritual magick. It could be that these crystal weapons were among the first prototypes to the athame and other daggers associated with magick. Whether these crystal weapons were deployed against otherworld forces that presented a real tangible threat or against the ills of the mind has yet to be determined.
Besides using them as a blatant weapon, crystals can alo be weaponized by taking advantage of the placebo effect. In our previous post, we had gone over how one of the drawbacks to using crystals is the dependency they can envelop their users in. It is one thing to use a crystal here and there as a confidence booster. It’s another when you’re filled with paranoia at any moment in time when you’re not with your crystals. The ensnaring of their minds is great for business as someone who absolutely needs to have their crystals is bound to be a constant consumer and better yet, unlike the physical method of using crystals as weapons, this form doesn’t leave a trace. All that’s needed to be done is the promotion of using crystals as a means to address what stirs them to unrest and “help” them overcome it yet still warning them that crystals may become “dead” and will eventually run out of energy. Downplay any potential adverse side-effects. There’s hardly a point in using the nocebo effect given how crystals are generally seen as protective, though some cultures may provide an exception. Adjust accordingly.
Whether they are used to cause physical harm or siphon their wallets by constricting their minds, as with anything, crystals can be weaponized and all it really takes is a clear understanding of how we become dependent on that fix. Of course, an actual physical weapon is of more direct concern, i.e. practical when it comes to hand to hand combat whereas using a crystal to mess with their minds only works when the opponent’s mental fortitude is rather lacking. In the end it remains to be said that though traditions may not talk about it much, there’s merit in weaponizing the tools of our craft.
Unconventional Utility - Crystals Part 3
Although crystals are reported to have a variety of usages within the occult community, it doesn’t take long to see most matters concerning the use of crystals in the occult community only pertain to the spiritual aspect, very little with their physical possibilities and aside from utilizing the placebo and nocebo effect, scarcely affect the physical plane. To put this another way, with how crystal therapy is commonly thought, it’s hardly a wonder why such a practice reeks of the primitive. What use is a ring of amethyst on laying your abdomen if it can’t be used to fix your fractured limb? It would seem then, that crystals are limited in the physical regard and can’t address such matters- or can they?
When it comes to using crystals for physical means, it is here that we’ll have to think outside the box. Instead of just holding onto a crystal, try physically striking at it. If your crystal didn’t shatter and you applied sufficient force at the right angle, you should be able to produce a small amount of electricity. Some of you may know that we use quartz crystals to keep track of time, as part of the ignition for some lighters and even to cut through tissues without invading the orifices. Yes, we’ll be utilizing piezoelectricity as the main form of mechanism by which crystals can affect the physical realm with noticeable effects. When a crystal is under sufficient pressure, it generates a flow of electricity across its opposite faces. This flow of electricity is enough to ignite flammable gases (provided you have an amplifier to allow the discharge to jump the ½ inch gap). A direct current applied to a crystal allows us to keep track of time electronically, an alternating current turns the crystal into a drill and if the crystal is vibrating enough due to the AC, you can use it to perform piezosurgery, surgery which uses vibrations caused by piezoelectricity to perform its task. Of course, some would say this is hardly occultic, another avenue of science. Indeed, there hardly seems to be any mention of using crystals in this manner within the history of the occult except maybe in passing, hence if anyone of the occult background did managed to discover this phenomenon way before the 1880’s- well that would be a challenge to ascertain but regardless, it is a mechanism to enact physical results and it is far from the only one.
Aside from being a potential battery or source of electricity, crystals can be used to directly heal certain ailments, namely those dealing with the skeletal system. How you may ask? According to a study on whether hydroxyapatite crystals can be used as bone graft substitute in benign lytic lesions the study had concluded that yes, Hydroxyapatite crystals can be used as a bone graft substitute with their specific wording being "We conclude that calcium HA is biologically acceptable bone graft substitute in the management of benign lytic lesions of bone." It is not just replacing a broken limb or patching up a shattered femur where crystals can excel, we also have toothpaste, which apparently also use hydroxyapatite crystals. Instead of fluoride, hydroxyapatite crystal toothpaste use the aforementioned crystal, Hydroxyapatite as the active ingredient to protect your enamel and like fluoride, is used to remineralize and fortify your enamel. Unlike fluoride however, Hydroxyapatite crystal toothpaste works from within, no, that doesn’t mean you should consume it, rather one way to look at is that fluorides work with the calcium and phosphate in your saliva and teeth to form a fluorapatite which then covers demineralized enamel, remineralizing it and restoring strength to your teeth and providing an acid resistance shield whereas Hydroxyapatite crystal toothpaste remineralizes your enamel from within while binding to plaque and harmful bacteria. In short, fluoride is like casting cure which goes from the outside inwards while applying an acid resistance shield and Hydroxyapatite crystal toothpaste is also like casting cure, except that it works from the inside out and rather than placing an acid resistant shield, it deals damage- it binds the harmful bacteria and plaque preventing it from taking its turn.
And thus, we see here that through the use of applying pressure to create electricity or through nano hydroxyapatite crystals as the active ingredient in toothpaste, you need not only place your faith in these crystals to enact physical results, a method slated to result in more self-delusions than accuracies. It’s called thinking outside the box, not having to rely on spirits who are flimsy, whimsical. See what the properties of the material are and test it if you can. This is part of how we get results. Course, just because you use a quartz crystal to perform piezoelectric surgery doesn’t mean it’s a good ideal. You would still need to know what you're doing and since this lies in the medical profession, you still need a license (unless you’re in a country or region which doesn't require any that is.). And also; please do not chew on or eat hydroxyapatite crystals. Yes they can protect your teeth but their supposed to be applied to, not consumed like food.
Sources:
Spiritual - Models of Magick Part 1
A model of magick is a theorem on why and how magick works. Although there are many theories, there are 5 models which are the most prevalent:
Spiritual
Energy
Psychological
Information
Meta
Of these 5 models, the Meta model is the only one whose sole modus operandi is to see what works. It is essentially the red mage of the 5, a jack of all trades if you will. To sum up that model, it's a hybrid of the previous 4 where at any time one model may hold more true than the others and yes, there are degrees of "trueness". As such we won't being going into much detail about them.
To start off our list, the Spiritual model assumes that spirits exist and that they are the reason for why magick works. Want to scry on someone? Ask a spirit to become your spy. Have a desire to have that completely wool doll move on its own? Well you can either try to bribe or you can literally force the spirit right into it and yes, this is apparently a stable of Asian necromancy. By all accounts under the Spiritual model acts such as psychokinesis, teleportation/biolocation and levitation would be impossible to explain whereas stuffing a soul into a cassette tape might be possible under this model. Additionally aura reading would not be a staple of this model. At the very least if it involves spirits or souls, it falls under this model.
By now you might be aware amongst the occult circles there is a general consensus that spirits cannot be forced (at least, not without severe repurcussions). Additionally you might've also heard that spirits are somehow unable to affect the physical world. This stance if nothing else is a matter of belief. Depending on your religion, spirits or at least certain astral beings may be able to affect the physical world (and by affect, blatantly break any current known laws of physics). One such example is Christianity (fish either multiply like crazy or becoming ridiculously loaded with nutrients or levitation anyone?). It is not known whether spirits do have the power to affect the physical world however given that some forms of necromancy do allow for the necromancer to stuff souls into objects, perhaps telekinesis is really the result of spirits finding enough energy to pick up physical objects. It would appear that this stance isn't widely supported however even if we were to assume spirits do have the ability to blatantly break the laws of physics as is currently known, either doing so requires a tremendous amount of energy or most of them have no interest in doing so anyways.
Since under Taoist necromancy, souls can be affected i.e stuffing them into objects or binding them to places, some of you may have asked if it's possible for a spellcaster to affect their own soul. As long as you strictly follow the Western mindset, no. On the other hand, a variant of Taoist necromancy allows for this to happen. Thus One Man Hangman might actually be an Asian necromancy spell of sorts. Of course whether or not you have control over the possessed doll is another matter. Speaking of possession, here's another tidbit about Asian necromancy. Apparently you can possess other people, though it would seem they would have to be on the brink of death such that their soul could easily be kicked out of their body. But then this leaves the question of what about your own. Assuming you can possess others, unless your soul is capable of biolocation, your original body is now soulless. Now whether the body needs the soul to stay alive and for how long it can survive without a soul may determine how long a person may be able to possess another under the Spiritual model.
Energy/Psychological - Models of Magick Part 2
Like its name suggests, the Energy Model of magick deals with energy (which in Occultism is extended far beyond the boundaries known by the current laws of physics). Techniques such as aura reading, any form of magick that requires you to call upon energy and potentially psychokinesis can be explained by the Energy Model. Since auras are essentially energy fields(and usually they are highly dependent on the emotional, psychological and sometimes even physiological states) they would naturally fall under this Model. The ideal of the Energy Model is that in order to utilize magick, you need to invest a certain amount of energy. Furthermore the spell you're doing will tend to require a certain type of energy. With the exception of energy vampires, everyone and everything naturally produces energy (depending on who you ask, even the dead give off energy). In other words, casting spells under this Model is like using MP.
Where both the Spiritual and Energy Models have the capacity to affect one's surroundings, the Psychological Model is much more limited in scope. It's all a matter of perspective is the motto of the Psychological Model. By changing what you believe or see (see not being the same as that associated with eye sight), you can change your world. Of course this means under this Model others can't exist. Forms of magick that tend to work well under this Model include LOA... and that's about it. Of course some say that the minds of others still exist and are separate, though given how this mantra that reality is what you make of it, such an ideology is an exception to the Psychological Model.
In comparing the Energy Model with the Psychological Model, the scope of the latter is far more limited. Despite relying on self-delusions or maybe because it, the Psychological Model appears to be the most commonly used Model of magick, at least in the Western World that is. A number of potential sources for why this is can be speculated. Furthermore the doctrine as stated by this Model appears to be the most anti-theistic as well, with the Spiritual Model being the most friendly towards spirits(even if some practitioners force the spirits instead). Given that the practice of magick is seen as "not growing up" or "playing make-believe" what can be deduced from this attitude is that the primarily reason for why magick is ridiculed in the Western World, other than hubris, is the fact unless you can procure tangible results and even then, people's beliefs are heavily based on experiences. Still a rather strange phenomenon occurs with the Energy Model in that while it appears many proponents of the Model say you can heal someone from a distance (energy healing) for some reason they deny psychokinesis. If this energy healing is what it says, then such a feat should suggest it is possible for humans to affect the cellular structures of others in a psionic sense. Either that or we delude ourselves into concluding we are healing others via sending them energy. Or maybe energy healing works on the principle of the placebo effect, in which case this "energy healing" would fit more in line with the Psychological Model. All things considered however, if there's one thing that can be taken from these 2 models is that the Psychological Model runs on and requires personal belief/delusions. Neither the Energy or Spiritual Model require you to actually believe (although admittedly it would be strange to call upon something you didn't believe in). The Psychological Model however, does.
Information Model - Models of Magick Part 3
The need to call upon spirits, surround yourself with compatible energies or change your mindset are the foundations of the previous 3 Models. However, spirits aren't always reliable, not everyone is capable of sensing yet alone effectively utilizing energies and the Psychological Model is rather limited in scope. Thus, how does the Information Model differ? Unlike the rest, this Model specifically utilizes information, which as opposed to the Psychological Model does not require the caster to actually believe, nor for them to supply any energy of their own or even call upon the spirits. Given its nature however, this Model is best when used on others. One can think of this Model as being the inversion of the Psychological Model. Where the Psychological Model requires the caster to believe, the Information Model does not. Where the Psychological Model can only affect the caster themselves, the Information Model has the high ground when it comes to affecting others.
Sometimes referred to as Cyber Magick (which only describes how it's carried out and not how it operates) the Information Model is a system of exchange. As we are hopefully aware, each of us has our own ambitions (or lack thereof but it's pretty common to eventually develop one) not all which are mutually beneficial. In the world of politics, unless it will benefit you to do so, you don't reveal your hand and never without compensation or insurance. Likewise the Information Model of magick is like playing Texas Hold'em or almost any variant of Poker. You don't know exactly what others will do with the inormation you provide but having a basic understanding in human behavior can allow you to reasonably predict what they will do next and why. Now lay your cards on the table and don't hog all that information to yourself. After all, nations have been ruined by disinformation (along with an unhealthy level of greed amongst many other factors).
If there is one glaring weakness when it comes to the Information Model it is that it cannot explain psychokinesis. Arguably the Energy Model would be best suited for that task furthermore while both the Spiritual Model and the Information Model recognize the existence of entities other than the self (something which the Psychological Model does not), the Information Model can be stated to be more amoral than that of the Spiritual Model. At least when it comes to spirits there tends to be a propensity to avoid screwing each other over whereas the Information Model is like getting into cutthroat politics. Suffice to say, people are not likely to trust you. If there is one major benefit the Information Model holds over the Spiritual Model it is that when it comes to turning a place into a haunting grounds or a cursed site, the caster has no need to cleanse themselves nor do they need to believe. They just need to make their claims believable... Controversies can sway public opinions...
Thanks for reading.