Studies in Magic

The only "magic" I can do is tarot, and using a pendulum.

 

Interesting. If possible, don't get lost in the details of someone else's prescribed route to enlightenment or power. Your own ideas are just as valid.

I've studied NLP and rune magic. Also Tarot and Astrology to a certain extent and Faeriecraft to a lesser degree. I tend to get a little bored with the limits of other people's imaginations after a while. What does the search for magic mean for you?

 

I'm not particularly original. I just do Tarot for fun. Regular, run of the mill Rider-Waite. Celtic Cross, Mandala Readings, etc.

 

More and more often, when I take a step back and look at my own outlook on things, I'm finding myself on the Thelemic side of things. If you can see past the intentionally shocking wordplay and mental imagery that is sprinkled into Thelemic teachings, there is some really profound insight to be gained.

As for not losing your own path or ideas, as contradictory as it seems, Thelema is actually about that. Part of doing your Will is having to learn it yourself. Nobody can give you the answers.

Kabbalah is intimately tied in with my world-view, and like all good occulty things, yeilds more insight everytime I go back and re-read old books with new experience to compare it to.

Look up Lon Milo Duquette. His books are top rate and well written. Also funny. Gotta love an occultist who can laugh at himself rather than using the worn out holier-than-thou approach.

 

Sure. Well this is the tarot deck I use. It's based around druidry and wicca, and although both of these are largely fictional traditions in their contemporary guise, I suppose I relate to the 'roots' of them, and find them more natural than the judeo-christian imagery on standard tarot decks. It's also a beautiful set - very easy on the eyes and good to connect with.

http://druidcraft-tarot.druidry.org/


When I studied and practised rune divination it was using the Nordic runes. I carved my own set from 'meaningful' stones I found (beach/by lakes/mountains etc) as I found this gave me greater affinity with the stones. There are plenty of books about runes, some of which come with ready-made stone sets. Some are better than others, but this guide appears to be a good starting point:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0892810939/?tag=infjsforums-21


This book about Faeriecraft is quite good, although it conflicts somewhat with my vision of Faerie:

http://www.faenation.com/2006/07/13/faeriecraft/

That's what I mean about your own ideas being equally valid. Magic traditions are built on human imagination - on ways of seeing, or of understanding the world and things that can't be so easily explained. If you have your own ideas about what magic is or specific ways of communing with it, of gaining power, insight and understanding, then who is to say you are wrong?

 

I've tried several times forcing myself to believe I can move an object by looking at it intensly. It didn't work.

What I have no proof if it did or didn't work though, is when I stood a long distance from someone who I couldn't see but I knew was there and i imagined pooling all my psychological strength in-between my two outstretched hands and topped it with one thought I wanted that other person to think or hear and imagined launching the globule of power straight towards them in an invisible jet. I don't know whether or not they, sitting at home watching tv, had a sudden thought in their head as a result but it would be great if they did

 

Heres a trick for you.

Sit back to back with another person and ask them to visualise someone who really annoys them. Then ask them to count to ten whilst holding the picture of that person in their heads. Then get them to do the same with a person who they're really fond of. Then ask them to choose one at random and again count to ten. With a couple of practices you should be able to tell whether they are picturing someone they like or dislike just from the differing tones, tempos and volume of their voice. eventually you can do this with anything. For example a square or a circle.

This can also be done by just looking at someone whilst they picture something. look for colour changes in their face, muscle tension (especially the set of their jaw), lip size, eye movements etc.

Once you have calibrated the signals for a certain thought in somebody you can tell in the future whenever they are thinking of that thing. making it appear to other people as if you are psychic

 

I thought you ment a "Magic: The Gathering" play group or something.

Nope... no magic/physic/force/devine powers in me!

 

i wouldn't refer to them as magic, but i'm interested in zen, tao, meditation, and tantra. basically, much of eastern philosophy.

 

None of the fields he mentions in the "Applied Psychology and Mentalism" section are magic. They are all real and they all work

 

depends on your definition of magic. I see your point though.

Ok, they are the only ones that are magic.

 

Also look up design human engineering. The creator of NLP came up with a new field to make up for some of the limitations of NLP. don't know much about it myself but it's worth looking into. If google doesn't know what it is stick "richard bandler" in the search as well

 

Again, I think it depends on your definition of magic.

everything is magic and nothing is magic