Comments | scarletmagdalen: How to determine if the spiritual, magickal, and/or religious group you're in is bad for you.

scarletmagdalen

How to determine if the spiritual, magickal, and/or religious group you're in is bad for you.

Jul 24, 2008 12:44

1 - Do they put others down for being "fluffy" or not measuring up to their standards ( Read more... )

mysticism, alchemy, the great work, esoteric orders, spirituality, religion

Comments 9

And if they dont laugh... morgandrake July 24 2008, 22:14:54 UTC

One thing that I learned to watch out for is groups that can not laugh at themselves, and in general any member who can't. It is a show of grief coming down the pike. Fortunately, I have been able to find cheerful groups, and anyone who might be trouble tends to leave them because the group is not serious enough.

Re: And if they dont laugh... scarletmagdalen July 25 2008, 03:20:16 UTC

I had a group like that. Then over the years it transformed into the sort of group people want to avoid, but everyone flocks to because it's the largest around.

Gah. :(

It's hard when the groups get bigger--harder to maintain quality control and all.

Great list. sophia_sadek July 24 2008, 22:40:41 UTC

Thanks for sharing the list. The self-absorption issue is something that just about any group can trip on. I, too, appreciate the self-deprecating attitude.

Re: Great list. scarletmagdalen July 25 2008, 03:21:23 UTC

Anyone can fall prey to any of those on the list--heck, I used to do the "mock the fluffy bunny" too. Then I quickly realized that much of it was because *I* fit that description back in my day.

Recently I realized that I threw an awful lot of baby out with that bathwater, and I'm not even sure why I did anymore.

Amazing what a little introspection can do.

frateruranus July 25 2008, 04:11:04 UTC

I think this is an excellent post but I tend to disagree with no. 1 to a degree. Read Regardie's articles in the first volume of the Complete Golden Dawn System on Magic from New Falcon. I think that an order needs to have a certain amount of elitism for it to function on a magical level above the standard. I am of the opinion that Crowley got it wrong that Magick is for ALL. Magic obviously isn't for all as the majority of his student failed to even progress beyond Probationer, let alone Neophyte, y'know, where the real work in the A.'.A.'. begins and most people who take the 0=0 in the GD fail to go beyond that grade ( ... )

scarletmagdalen July 25 2008, 11:20:13 UTC

Yeah see, by "fluffy bunny" I don't mean "armchair occultist syndrome"--which is far more what you seem to be railing about and I think needs its own item.

12 - Rants and raves about the "right" way to do various practices either online or off (mostly on) while clearly participating in none of them.

Elitism morgandrake July 25 2008, 18:23:00 UTC

Unfortunately, it has been my experience that the leaders and groups that practice elistism are miserable groups that specialize in backstabbing. I know one local member of OTO, who claims to be the only person qualified to teach the occult in Colorado (can't get more elite than that), whose personal conduct in terms of making sure no new group forms and that no one rises up in Grade to pose a threat to them is downright scaring. For me, elitism is a sign that I need to leave, and damn fast.

Re: Elitism scarletmagdalen July 25 2008, 18:24:18 UTC

Yup, same here. I join groups to have a peer exchange, not to become part of some supah sekrit band of occult ninjas or whatever. LOL

bacchuseternus July 26 2008, 04:59:36 UTC

a magician who fails to laugh at himself is not really a magician.

There is a certain particular type of understanding of the nature of the universe that (upon perceiving it) the natural spontaneous response is laughter. So the quote above is true to me on a level perhaps different than the originally intended.