I come to the conclusion that there’s 3 types of occultists.
The Martyr - the ones that had terribly, insanely fucked up childhoods and despite or because of this, pursue the spiritual path.
The Naturals - the ones that could walk on water by age 2, have lunch with Lucifer () or come from a long line of witches, seers etc i.e. it’s all in the genes…
The Muggles - yup that’s me. Glad not to have had 1) and totally envious of 2). The ones that may have had a brief encounter of a paranormal kind and desperately want it back and THEN SOME…
Between 2 and 3, I guess. Started young with couple of family members into the occult but never was particularly powerful or talented considering my mileage.
Number 1 and 2.
I am an energetic vampire (interestingly it comes with the LHP branch of the family).
I come from family of witches of different paths from both sides of the family, and therefore I was grounded for draining energy, speaking with the deceased (and getting all the bad family gossip amd secrets through them) and for not sticking to their occultist paths respectively, provoking fights to decide which magic branch is better (mostly RHP shaming LHP).
Also lots of crazy LHP unstable magicians on one side of the family who lacked control over what they were doing, therefore all of them dying very young.
1 and 2.
I grew up challenged, and despite that I prevailed, by natural understanding of the arcane reality.
By understanding myself, and the greater picture, I also understood why I suffered and where the path would lead me in the end.
I think everyone is all three, although different proportions of each.
As stated above, everyone has had their struggles in life (I am not down playing anyone’s past or the obstacles that were overcome, no matter how big or small it may seem to others). The occult or spirituality in general tends to put us in situations where we have no choice but to face them as it forces us to me more aware of not just our past but the effects it holds on us in the present. To many, the path we decide to take is our source of strength to go on and thrive, so I would label it as being part of the path of redemption (saving ourselves from the cycles of our minds), not being a martyr.
In going through this path, it seems we are trying to step back into the mind of a child, to look at the world with wonder and magic. Honestly, children seem to better connect with the spiritual because they have yet to have the mental block of “this is not real/this is crazy” that we develope as we get older. While my family certainly had their own system of folk magic I learned from (a mixture of Celtic beliefs and Catholicism mainly but with some native American beliefs tied in as well), I can see how children who did not grow up in a similar household can have experiences if put in a certain environment. I do not believe it is a genetic thing as much as it is about how we are nurtured growing up.
At the end of the day, many of us have had a lack of experience because of the mental block being established earlier than it was decades ago. It seems rare that parents allow children to be children for many reasons so when those kids grow up and come into the occult, they are taken back by the experiences of others. However, like I said, it is a mindset, not something you are just born with and can be achieved, although it will take work to get beyond the blockage. We also tend to be overly competitive, which allows us to downgrade our own experiences or become envious of others when we interact with others who seem further ahead of us. It’s a pretty destructive distraction if you allow it to beat you down instead of inspiring new ideas for growth.
So, to answer your question, I am all three as I’ve had my demons to face with the help of the occult, I’ve had a background where a member of my family encouraged the path I am on now, and that i continue to deal with the balance of belief and logic when reflecting on my experiences and those of others.
“I think everyone is all three, although different proportions of each.”
I was never a 1) my childhood was very humdrum. No abuse or anything of that ilk - in fact my childhood was positively boring considering what some people on here have gone through.
I did point out that there are different degrees, not just abuse. It could be something like being bullied (seems silly to some but has had an effect on today to others who may use the occult to help face it).
I think I’m a combination of all 3. When I was little I was more in tune with everything, nature and very vivid dreams (I think this applies to everyone).
When I got older I was really bullied in school and would enter my own head space and use meditation and concentrate on what I wanted. My manifesting usually worked, this is also when I started divination, divining rods, tarot etc…
As an adult I fell out of practice for many, many years until the point Azazel was about to lose hope in me following this path. But something traumatic happened to me that opened me up to influence. That influence lead to a test, that took back on this path in the most direct way possible.
Exactly what happened. But wasn’t “brief” and I struggled for a long time to get it back after rejecting the whole thing because of the mental and emotional pressure it caused at a very young age… until all missing pieces were completed, since then the big picture keeps getting bigger and more pieces are falling in.
Spent 20+ years trying to get what I naturally was given as gift, traveled to the end of the wold to learn what was easier for me than breathing… the only thing I’m good at is one thing, never give up, never surrender.
Glad we’re in the same team, wish you much better luck than mine
) or come from a long line of witches, seers etc i.e. it’s all in the genes…
