What *should* a novice be asking?

[melies-moon]

Obvious post title, I know, but stay with me.

I’ve been lurking around in this forum for a few days now and I’ve been very moved by how knowledgeable, yet kind and welcoming this group is. So, thank you for that.

It seems like newbies (like me) ask the same questions over and over again and it made me curious….

• What should a novice be asking?
• What questions tend to not be useful?

- How might these questions be reframed?
- How would you guide someone towards advancement if they were truly open to growth in their craft?

 

[Mycelial_Adept]

Training is so specific to a tradition.

I feel like so many people start by trying to jump into things that have no anchor for them. No sense of truth to them other than they like the aesthetics, which is more than nothing but not always enough to start with.

My teaching style is very rigorous/tedious it produces results for people who are like me and fit well with a more old school teaching style. however, that does not work for everyone. some need a gentler style of training, where others need a basic framework and to figure the rest of themselves.

A key part of all true systems is a deep understanding of the self. In my opinion, people need to ask themselves who they are, what they want, and start looking for a system that fits them.

The other thing I would recommend for any newbie is to be healthily skeptical. You should see results from your work, you cannot progress by deceiving yourself.

"this ritual is supposed to bring me luck", so do the ritual for a month, journal, measure the results. did it work? Yes? good its a keeper. No? figure out if the problem is you or the ritual etc

Critical thinking is imperative to success.

 

[melies-moon]

Training is so specific to a tradition.

I feel like so many people start by trying to jump into things that have no anchor for them. No sense of truth to them other than they like the aesthetics, which is more than nothing but not always enough to start with.

My teaching style is very rigorous/tedious it produces results for people who are like me and fit well with a more old school teaching style. however, that does not work for everyone. some need a gentler style of training, where others need a basic framework and to figure the rest of themselves.

A key part of all true systems is a deep understanding of the self. In my opinion, people need to ask themselves who they are, what they want, and start looking for a system that fits them.

The other thing I would recommend for any newbie is to be healthily skeptical. You should see results from your work, you cannot progress by deceiving yourself.

"this ritual is supposed to bring me luck", so do the ritual for a month, journal, measure the results. did it work? Yes? good its a keeper. No? figure out if the problem is you or the ritual etc

Critical thinking is imperative to success.

Thank you for your response. I’m very early into this and I’ve felt so much push for aesthetics and trends over actually study. I resist it as best I can, but it’s a good reminder that the subreddits of witchcraft/occultism are not a full or accurate portrayal of things.

My practice, over the last six months, has been almost exclusively meditation and grounding exercises along with deep self-reflection. Some reading, but it’s admittedly mostly browsing. My enthusiasm has kept me from hyper-focusing on one area. I just jump around from topic to topic, like a bee moves from one flower to the next. I’m hoping I’ll get some honey at some point.

I am struggling with that feeling of “not being far enough along”, but your words are a reminder that I’m heading in the right direction — I’m just still figuring out what direction that is.

 

[Mycelial_Adept]

As wonderful is the study of magic is, you will never find the honey without opening the hive. What system of magic do you feel drawn to?

 

[Morell]

Obvious post title, I know, but stay with me.

I’ve been lurking around in this forum for a few days now and I’ve been very moved by how knowledgeable, yet kind and welcoming this group is. So, thank you for that.

It seems like newbies (like me) ask the same questions over and over again and it made me curious….

• What should a novice be asking?
• What questions tend to not be useful?

- How might these questions be reframed?
- How would you guide someone towards advancement if they were truly open to growth in their craft?

Good topic. I'll just write what comes to mind... There could be more.

Should I practice openly or in secret? What practices I can do openly and what practices I must be sure to keep unknown to others?
How do I develop discipline of my mind and body?
Can I dedicate myself to doing this stuff for next 10, 20, 30, ... years?
What is my goal with learning magic?
How to dedicate enough of time every day to occult practice?
Am I truly honest with myself and about myself? (Or do I lie to me about myself?)


How long it will take to become powerful mage? (or... better than this or that mage?)
What is the most powerful system of magic?
How do I gain magic powers? What initiation do I need? Do I have to sell my soul?
How does magic work?

 

[solxyz]

It seems to me that there are two basic questions that we are all asking over and over: (1) What am I (should I be) trying to do? And (2) how can I do that? The answer to the first question is very tied up in our general worldview, the map of whatever system we may be working in, as well as out personal situation and interests. So question one really has three parts (1a) What is reality?, (1b) What does a good human life look like? and (1c) What is important for me right now?

Unfortunately, this is all very general. These are obviously not the kinds of questions that you can just ask on the forum, get the answer, and go on your way. But there is no way around that. Part of magic's power is that it is tied-up with the deepest and most fundamental questions of the nature of reality and our own self-knowing. And as I indicated at the beginning, these are not really questions for which one ever comes to a single, final resolution (at least, not if you're doing it right, according to me).

If I were a beginner, I would focus on reading widely with an eye to becoming familiar with as many different maps of the aims of magic as I could. And if you wanted to ask a straightforward question on a forum like this, I might ask for a map to the maps. "What are are all the different ideas on the aims of magic, and where can I learn more about each of them?"

Once you know what you're trying to do, how to do it tends to be quite a bit more straightforward, even if not necessarily easy to actually accomplish.

 

[Lu_CiD]

Obvious post title, I know, but stay with me.

I’ve been lurking around in this forum for a few days now and I’ve been very moved by how knowledgeable, yet kind and welcoming this group is. So, thank you for that.

It seems like newbies (like me) ask the same questions over and over again and it made me curious….

• What should a novice be asking?
• What questions tend to not be useful?

- How might these questions be reframed?
- How would you guide someone towards advancement if they were truly open to growth in their craft?

I would recommend a book by Huson called mastering witchcraft LINK he covera allot in a very accessible way. i hope that helps some.

 

[Beyond Everything]

Question everything. Take no one's word for anything because most occultists have no clue what is going on. Particularly there is a virulent allergic reaction to people examining actual results of their favorite figures. Just look at the agitation people display when you point out the actual results Crowley or Bardon achieved (or didn't achieve).

In a deeper sense, one must relinquish dependency on all levels. The more inaccessible parts of one's being where unbelievable powers of transformation lay will not be activated if one keeps relying on someone else. Attainment is a supremely individual affair.

In other words, don't ask others what questions are valid. Use your own discernment and reasoning.