What Non-Magickal attributes are important to you as a Mage?

Many of us focus a lot of attention to our occult practices trying to increase our power in different ways. What ways are you guys trying to become more powerful that don’t directly correlate to magick but are important to you as a practioner?

Personally I’ve been working on my manipulative qualities. I think being able to get people to do what I want through mundane ways frees more time and energy in my magickal life for different projects. I’ve been reading up on topics about psychology, body language, and how to influence people. This also helps me to empower and protect myself because I now recognize many manipulative “tricks” used by others.

I’ve also gotten back in the gym to build myself back up. A strong and focused body helps keep the mind clear and focused as well as just makes one feel better. I’m also attempting yoga to increase in the mind/body clarity but it is quite the challenge but I’m sure it’s hilarious to watch.

Great Fucking Post!!!

For me, I think that the fundamentals of being a human-being are of extreme importance:

  1. All life deserves a base line of respect. the guy serving me coffee at the local coffee shop, the little old lady that lives next to me. If a small lizard or other life-form is in my house, and I don’t “need” it for anything, I really try in assisting him out the window not down the toilet!

  2. Being cordial with others.

  3. Exercising my right and more importantly voicing what I feel to be right or not right for me with people close to me, or, the guy at the coffee shop and little old neighbor lady.

  4. Good manners.

  5. Consideration. But NOT in the old Judeo-Christian sense in which it’s wrong for me to stick up for myself and I MUST think of others first.

  6. Being polite.

  7. Physical health - gym, kayaking, mountain biking

  8. Mind health - Anapanasati, Jhana’s, Vipassana

  9. Diet - when I can: nothing goes into my Temple of The Body except whole, natural, organic foods and beverages.

I think that’s about it :slight_smile:

M

  1. Being strong mentally and physically

  2. Balance

  3. Thinking outside the box

You are going to channel divine power through you, it wont be right if you are not non-magickally succesful.

So, every attribute that will make any person successful in life is important to me.

On top of what has already mentioned, I think a creative outlet is really important, if you spend your whole time consuming I think your life will end up stale.

Also developing a good sense of introspection is super important. If you aren’t familiar with yourself then the goals you work towards (magickally or otherwise) are not going to satisfy you upon attaining them. I spent the first few years of my career “living the life”, women, cars, parties, drugs. I had pretty much what 90% of people strive for and ultimately found the whole thing unsatisfying. It wasn’t until I told the whole world to fuck off and actually sat down and worked out what was important that I started moving forward. As a result of that I spend less and appreciate the things I do and have alot more.

Manipulating people, artistic abilities and being clever.

Good post!

Mode_439 very good point, many see trying to become a better person as RHP and not to be concerned with. Personally I see it as ascending beyond the animal nature of a human being and working toward becoming a divine Man.

Soundwave totally agree. If I wasn’t able to do the creative things I love I wouldn’t have any real quality of life. I regularly write/record music, pottery, do wood burning. These kind of things allow me to bring into existence things that were hidden even to myself. Sometimes I’ll step back and be surprised at what I’ve done because I had no idea I was capable of such a thing.

Introspection is a huge factor as well. Often we only see what we want or what is kind to the ego. When we take that hard look we realize that we are responsible for how our lives are unfolding. If your failing it’s likely due to something your not resolving. It’s easier to say it’s someone else’s fault than it is to say I could handle that situation better. When your able to figure out what you truly want, and what your really afraid of will be some of the biggest revelations you’ll ever have.

Regarding “good manners” and and the like being RHP, I’d like to add, even the MOST vicious & “cruel” of animals & tyrants alike, still love their children and treat them with kindness (of course I’m using this as a for instance people…but you get the point).

We live in a Universe, Multi-verse, World…whatever. I know from my life experience that very few things I can do alone, without ANY help, and I need & enlist the help of humans, Spirits, etc., I’m trying to build alliances with the aforementioned for my own Glory & evolution…no need to be an ass-hole!

When I have become Master of The Temple, this Temple, this Being that I’m experiencing, I think I will find complete acceptance of Self and of self. With that being said, LHP/RHP aside, those are just labels and labels build fabrications in the mind-stream, and fabrications reinforce filters, and the filters reinforce this persistent illusion we call Reality.

Frankly, the LHP feels natural for me, but I’m interested in Spiritual Technologies that WORK!!! Who gives a crapola if it’s LHP/RHP or The Little Mountain Hill Path!!! The only thing that hold ANY of us back from our own Ascension is our judgements…IMHO.

M

Just to add in ref to the point:

<<Regarding “good manners” and and the like being RHP, I’d like to add, even the MOST vicious & “cruel” of animals & tyrants alike, still love their children and treat them with kindness>>

Whether LHP or RHP- em-powered vs not so much is diffferent… and more so RP or “non-magical” could be seen as Nice- but more passive-aggressive in modern culture… often the look to see who is “part of the group” and if not-part of the group… who stands out-side (not “in” nor part of a sub-cult-ure)

… “fair-game” in the old-Roman sense (ex-communicated, thus soul-less so free to shun or more so)… presented with more subtlety as normative reactions… and yet… in what could be considered more "LHP or neither path but power… things be different?

In certain groups of powerful people amongst themselves (whether business-players at high-level of funding but also “can-do”… or whether those in an environment/culture less socially-acceptable… when a person can be dragged outside and thrown out “taken out” then people don’t talk about doing such a thing… in a group that meets inside a place that people stand outside doors (not in line, but manning the door)… who you with? if you are, you represent them, and thus… Mind one’s manners? (as in Road House… “Be Nice… if you have to talk to some one, or help them outside, you do it, but Be nice.”) -while in the supermarket, on the freeway, or even in a Church meeting (or even in a “dark” LHP, or even sinister RHP) I’ve frequently seen the evil-stink eye… people snapping at each other/getting in their face/invade their space…

Have power ToDo… not only avoid such, but such things don’t happen in those orbits (might have less motivation? many snap or are crude as they don’t know any better, and haven’t been given the impetus to learn- snub “conventional biz” and just find doors shut… snub more unsavory “under-world” (slang or Vama Magra LHP?) the question of how one was ever in that circle within the circle within the circle in the first place … at lower levels often second chances… (all “employess” are employees- even if seems higher “monetary” and perks vs higher level of operation… ) heck whatever level of Society (continual stories of corporate culture- bottom rung to the top? passive-aggressive/time-wasting blame shifting…, let alone “private” non-commercial life… complaining… not listening… not seriously-considering what is being discussed… “whatever” ) vs occassions where those at high-performer level assemble to Act (in a Working) each usually prequalified by previously doing so… at any point on the way. drop off-eliminated… in that instance, what seems “grace” socially or otherwise, isn’t an issue of proper, but of flow and function. (difference is more rough will let you know… more “polished” you’ll never hear what you did- just never realize there is another Game that has/is going on which is different and Works… qualified?

same as comparing a very lucky person, with many connections-socially, having a good “career” vs a Living-God charting one’s course…

(if one Works with Entities and lets slip on something that they don’t let slide… is one shut out? if the Doors shut on a Hougon, how they Act without the Lao? -we think can only 1 thing? and yet if you Contact an Entity and they request an Offering that offends you, or even present an Aura/presence or disruptive Manfestation… how many toss their info/lose their sigil… as EA wrote that once one is accomplished one uses the published Grimmoires less and less, and more “unpublished” you’ve met

(those from published, and those you’ve met, that you haven’t discarded for some reason) and then eventually a Mage-Adept hardly even Contacts At All… just a thought… thus if they did contact, who? why? (as not per need, then less reason needed to disconnect)… the Connection to a Power-Full Entity even more so? (thus upon the Summoner)… in the same way, an “entrepreneur” in the sense of a Deal-Maker… as the saying that entering a Town/Group/ circle one has one-bullet… if one is invited inside a group that know-each other (introduced and welcomed) the first actions set your place, and your first Doing sets your Role (your 1bullet- your first/sole example sets your frame)… do over?

More chance of do-over in “regular life” while in higher-power less till none (if fly across the globe to meet and decide to Make something Happen- and in sit-down/handshake 10mins can put groups in motion… all leading up to, as well as during that brief time, affects (all exclusionary signals)-- so what is usually seen as “baseless” manners often are just culture with the meaning behind them fore-gotten… [much culture is copying other groups from other times, signalling belonging more than integrated system-dynamics] vs “the way we do things here” and this is why that is so.

<<depending on which Circle (bubble-realm) one is In… affects the influence-intimidation “foodChain” and thus how more manipulative, pressuring, or polite, Strength-thinking outside the box (Creative-AHA as power-strength in Re-alization-thinking, the power of a Mind that just looks and Sees, doesn’t need to figure)

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gosh pushed my button a bit, and in the awkward above I kept tripping on my words as I didn’t want to come straight out with what I was saying

those that got-it from above should understand.  (this embeds a number  of attribs.. shows I think how I see "magickal" and "non-magickal" often link, as well as other subsidiary elements that aren't in above but follow from.)

All the above mentioned points that my fellow forum members have stated are important.

As stated above you need to have discipline to do your preliminary exercises for breathing, visualization and audio communication. I spent 6 months working on this if not more every day before I commenced my first ritual. Yeah, disciplines one important feature.

Empathy is another important thing to have. Having a care for other peoples emotions are important. It will make you a better person and other people will soon recognize this feature and hopefully that will make them also a better person. Having a regard for all life in general, animals, insects, plant etc makes me realize that I am just a part of a very complex tapestry and showing some sort of compassion for these things makes me happy so it has a two way effect. Having empathy will help you in your communication with whatever entity you may want to contact with, providing you already have some information on the said entity. Before I even call upon an entity I feel like it’s already been with me, watching me beginning to know me as I’ve begun to know it.

Keeping my feet on the ground whilst reaching for the heavens.

There is one other thing I forgot. It’s important so I don’t mind giving it a separate post and that is BELIEF. Belief in ones self. Belief in the system of magic I am practicing, Belief in the entity I am contacting and Belief that I will get some type of communication. I think that some people have no success with particular books or systems of magic because at the end of the day they sometimes “doubt” what the author is saying so in the end they are already in the process of defeating themselves. In the end they are just hoping that what the author has said will work without really putting enough of their own energy in to the work at hand. If I go into something I go in with no doubt but belief because in my mind on this physical plain i have already made contact with the entity. You could say " I’ve knocked on The door of it’s house on the physical plain and my subject has looked through the window and waved to me" The ritual is the subject " opening the door and letting me in".

Well said, Sadie. Without a strong belief in yourself and what you are doing, clear visualization, and your own intense energy, a ritual is nothing more than words and gesturing.

There are of course magicians that believe it doesn’t matter if you believe it or not, magic is magic and it works. I don’t completely disagree, but most of my experience tells me otherwise.

I have been playing with rituals in the Works of Darkness. There is one ritual called A Demonic Introduction. I can go through the motions, light the candles, and say the words to open the gates of the abyss. I have performed this ritual now at least a half dozen times. A few times, I just lit the candles, said the words, without energy or expectation, no visualization, etc. There was very little shifting of energies in the room.

But when I truly believe these energies will manifest, I focus my emotions on feeling a primordial darkness and evil within and without, my visualization is clear and vivid, then I definitely feel a shift in the room and feel a presence.

This is absolutely true for Tantra. I feel an intense connection to Devi, and my energies are so focused that I began to sweat almost immediately. My visualizations are no longer visualizations, but now living, breathing entities that evoke the strongest emotions.

If you put enough belief, attention, energy, and visualization into it, eventually whatever you are working with will take on a spontaneous life of its own and become as real as the computer sitting in front of you right now.

Chakras are a good example of this. It starts with a psychophysical concept. You accept the belief that these energy centers exist. You begin to visualize their existence as a 3D Tattwa, you vibrate their respective bija mantras and imagine feeling their peculiar elemental characteristics, and then one day suddenly you begin to feel odd physical movements within the body, hear astral sounds and see things you couldn’t see before. You are no longer visualizing or putting your attention on the Chakras. The Chakras have ceased to be just a psychophysical entity existing as signs and symbols. They now exist as independent and quite real entities.

When I was a young boy I only knew Hindu beliefs and Yoga anatomy. This was absolute truth for me, no doubt in my mind. I had many beautiful experiences with gods and goddesses, prana, chakras, and so on. When I got older I began to experiment with other paradigms like Taoist Yoga and Qabalah. Each had their own psychospiritual anatomy. I experienced Qi running through the meridians and the Astral Serpent. These new set of beliefs produced experiences just as real as with Tantra and Yoga.

I was confused at first. How can all these seemingly disparate psychophysical realities exist at the same time within the body?

Does my attention, belief, emotion, visualization, and focus bring it into reality?

Strength, anger, and courage

I think this is belief manifesting at its most subtle and fundamental level.

Hard work and determination. The challenge with these attributes, is that they’ll make you successful at anything, so many of those who cultivate them first often are not interested in magick - everything is already working well for them using the known, so why expend effort on the unknown?

I’m going to throw self reliance and accountability in here as well. Too many people like to blame somebody/anybody for their own situation and refuse to make the necessary changes to improve it. It’s easier to be weak than it is to be strong and do what you have to. It’s easier to say I don’t have a choice than make the hard decisions. It’s easier to say its not my fault than take responsibility.