Just a quick question, iv read a few places now that warn against practicing magick if your mental state is not say " stable", so your going through traumatic experience or suffering from depression.
Iv read that practicing could infact make you worse and more mentally imbalanced, or your state of mind will block you form getting results, so what do you guys think about this? Is there some truth to to this?
Iv read about people getting through a depression using magick and working with demons so you can see why Iām wondering about this. Thanks all 
Itās true. It can also upset the balance of otherwise āsaneā people. It can help tooā¦ It can go either way, and it really depends on the person and how fragile they are.
There are risks, particularly with parasites that opportunistically take advantage of people, that are not always talked about and well prepared for by todayās newbies.
Taking care of spiritual hygiene is important and makes being led astray less likely. Thatās what things like cleaning and banishing are for and way they get mentioned a lot.
Check out the Unofficial Introduction thread for loads of info like this for new folks.
5 Likes
Thank you, I figured your emotional state would obviously have some bearing on your success with magick. Very good point about the parasites and how they prey on people who are new and not protecting themselves. I asked as a friend of mine has shown interest in Demonolatry and as she is going through a tough emotional time I told her it may not be best idea but i would look into this for her more. Iām still fairly new myself and love to get the advise of people here that have been practicing for many years.
Magick is an inherently destabilising force, so the more grounded you are, the easier it is to handle the upheaval that comes from plumbing the depths of the Self. Being emotionally balanced, however, does not mitigate all of the dangers, though, and more than a few emotionally healthy people have gone stark raving bonkers because of magick.
The key, in both therapy and magick, is being able to integrate the experience. The more balanced you are, the easier integration is,
Trauma can be, and traditionally has been, used as a way to open the doors to magical perception. For example, initiation practices the world over, when done correctly, induce a state of fear and mild terror as a way of shaking loose oneās view of the world and opening up new vistas of experience. The priest or Master/Mistress of the Temple acts as a grounding rod to make sure the trauma is not damaging nor crippling to the initiate while still maintaining the new reality. That is the original purpose behind the brotherhood and sisterhood of occult orders, to ground the initiate in their new reality, while simultaneously helping them to adjust to it.
An incompetent Master of the Temple, however, could destroy an initiate if they donāt properly prepare them. A mock burial, a well known form of initiation, would deeply scar and possibly cripple, someone who was claustrophobic, for example.
A traumatic experience can be very useful, magically speaking, but only if one is able to properly use it. Working magick while suffering depression is possible; I have done it. However, the state of mind isnāt too conducive to making positive changes, and can be exacerbated by certain energies, especially if it is a chronic condition.
7 Likes
Maybe itās an obvious question, but besides banishing, what other actions could take someone with depression or a similar chronic illness to avoid loosing to herself in the process? i mean, as the example you gave, a person who is by his own, is not going o make a mock burial, but maybe could have a nasty (even traumatic) experience with a ritual.
Depression makes it easy for you to be used by parasites because youāre in a state where youāre not going to check the legitimacy (ofc not all cases are parasites, maybe majority?) personally Iāve only done magick work when angry, happy, or content. Only case of anger is when doing baneful work and manifested my ex into a car accident, after I calmed down I hold no regrets of that.
3 Likes
I have found working with Solar energies and beings can be very helpful when one is depressed. Apollo, Raphael, Ra, etc (avoid Sorath as his energies are too forceful). The Sun offers a good counterbalance to the depressed state of mind.
Yes, a nasty or traumatic experience in ritual is possible, and to be honest, the only way to mitigate that possibility, is to start off slowly, and not to jump into something you are not ready for. A ritual dismemberment is not for everyone, for example. Neither are the energies of an entity like Abbadon or Belial. One needs to āknow thyselfā as was written above the temple of the Oracle of Delphi before wading into the pool.
2 Likes
Since being on this forum for a little bit now iv noticed there is varying degrees of what the dangers may be working with certain entities. There is alot of posts about protecting oneās self and being very cautious specially as a newbie and I see others that say there is no danger and nothing to worry about. I see this alot with Lilith,many say she is amazing to work with, she helps you and treats you as a child of hers, while others say to be carful with her and she can be tough one to deal with and not to contact her as she will contact you type thing . I guess as somone knew to practicing the magick itās alot of mixed info out there, and hearing some horror stories about parasites I surly woukdnt want to deal with that.
1 Like
Magick has always been inherently dangerous, but like any endeavour, some people are more susceptible to its harmful elements than others. However, everyone should be cautious regardless because you just never know what will unfold.
Magical teachers throughout history have always stressed the importance of self knowledge because it acts as a bulwark against delusion and grandiosity, two things you can see a lot of on this forum and in the occult community at large. It is the ego run amok.
Spirits, especially initiatory entities like Lucifer, and Lilith, will force you to face yourself, and most people donāt like that, so those spirits will get the reputation of being dangerous because, in a very real sense, they are. Not because they will destroy your life, however, but because they will destroy everything you were ever taught about yourself and your place in the universe.
Modern magick has been greatly sanitised, and made as safe as possible. However, in doing so, it has also been stripped of a lot of its power. You no longer have to search for knowledge, or struggle to receive it. It is all available at the local bookstore and on the internet for $10 or less.
Putting your life at risk for magical knowledge and power has been a part of every ancient magical tradition since time immemorial, but it is something very alien to the modern occultist. Few even understand what true power really is, or why many died attempting to obtain it.
Parasites and impostor spirits happen, but not as often as the fear mongers would like you to believe, and those who claim there is no danger in magick and there is nothing to worry about are showing their ignorance and lack of understanding, basing their experience only on the mild stuff of today. The danger of magick lies not in the spirits one summons, but in the depths of the Self. Many have been destroyed by underestimating the risk, and not being properly prepared.
Introspection and self analysis are overlooked prerequisites for magick that modern practitioners skip over because they are more interested in getting revenge on their rivals, getting their ex back, or forcing someone to love them, and making money, but they were considered very important in the older traditions.
Trauma and danger can build more magical power than all of the modern grimoires combined, if one survives.
9 Likes