A little something on my mind
Despite how things may appear for those who are new coming onto the forum, many (if not all of us) have experienced enormous amounts of failures before we reached the point where we have the experiences we do. There are many reasons given to why magic fails, ranging from lusting for results to lack of a strong will to too many variables being used against the magician. However, there is one that while is often mentioned but is grossly overlooked. That is a lack of work outside of the ritual area.
Now, to bring the title more relevant to this topic, I like to explain why work outside of ritual is important by answering why things like motivational/inspirational videos tend to fail at creating personal change in an individual. Let’s say you are watching a video such as this while in a content state:
Sounds pretty good, right? Gets the blood pumping a bit more, maybe pisses you off a bit, makes you want to get organized and strive for something higher, correct? Well, when life gets hard, how long does these emotions that this video last? Does it even weigh out in importance when you are hungry, wondering how you are going to pay rent, or feeling lonely at night? Not very likely.
However, let’s say you watched that same video while you were in prison, where you have nothing. Let’s say you were hungry for the change before you even watched the video and you decide to hit the library with what little books that prison may provide. You take the time to force yourself to get educated, you work out when you can to get stronger, you keep yourself out of trouble. Then you get out and start building a life for yourself, really getting in the trenches of life and keep fighting forward to get a better life when the temptations to go back to how you did in the past are staring at you in the face constantly. And let’s say that you succeeded and reached a higher point than you thought imaginable. In this case, that video would have been very useful.
That is the difference between Motivation and Discipline. Motivation is the good feelings you get to inspire you to begin working for change, while discipline is the mindset to keep doing the work for change long after that feeling is gone. If we take out all the spirits and all the mysteries behind magic, ritual often serves like motivation does. It is the art/science of inspiration for the individual to bring change in their lives in some shape or form. It is meant to get you started on the path, not just get you to the destination. That is where the outside work comes in.
You want to become wealthy? Go ahead and make a pact or cast a spell, but you better be prepared to learn not only how to make money (or get a degree if the field requires it) but manage it as well.
You want love or sex? Better work on the social skills and get out there.
You want peace of mind? Better be prepared to learn not just how your mind works but how others do as well.
You want to become a powerful magician? Better work on the many building skills to help you reach the level you desire to be and go beyond that.
While there are certain many mysteries to magic, there is also a lot of work that goes behind it as well. It may seem daunting to those who are new to it, especially with the vast amount of forms it manifests. However, one of the few good pieces of advice my father told me was that there have been many ordinary people who became extraordinary through hard work, a bit of luck, a lot of hunger and more awareness than the person next to them.
Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed this. To anyone who is new, I hope this was a bit helpful in some way. Life is tough, but it’s fruits are there for the taking for those who will do anything to have them.