Thread:Deallo/@comment-7706473-20130409045954

I'm responding here instead of on Fanatics, because wikia has a system that confuses the hell out of me. (Really I'm just too slow to do things efficiently, ehehe.) Spirits are kind of strange - if you feel, and I'm using the word feel here to empathize how emotional the process is - that you are in the presence of one, you might not really communicate so much as be 'moved' by one. Or then again... You might not. Magic is capricious, and I think you have to be slightly insane to have any faith in any of it. Luckily for me...

Hey, hey, hey! Never let being a dude stop you from being a Witch. It's better than being a Warlock - Waerloga, the old english word, actually means oath-breaker(!) which has very bad connotations in magic, among other things. If we settle on a name, it must be important to each member, and there is no rush. I'd suggest thinking of something that symbolically links the group - finding a name will happen, given time and interest. (Also, good taste you've got there!)

To be honest, if you're new and admit it at a Swapmeet, you'll find a lot of people who'll be glad to give you something for nothing - though the problem is that most of them will want to teach you THEIR ways of doing things and THEIR ways of viewing the world. Of course, I'm trying to do the same thing, but I'm very honest about it, hahaha! (And that the most important thing is that - should you consider this to be an interest of yours - you discover your own worldview, or simply continue to refine your existing ones. Never let it stay static for long, is my advice.)

Hehe, you'd be surprised - some of the most intense people I've met look very 'boring' on the surface. Though I've also encountered a few who genuinely want or read cards as being - "You will have... A moderately mediocre future! And in the past... Oh my! You had a few little successes!... And today...! Ah! Ah!... Today you will eat a sandwich and go to bed!" - or something similar to that.

One good thing about being a bibliohpile is that even if books become less popular, similar to radio and classical art, it is highly unlikely that they'll ever die out; and as less people become interested in them, we have the chance of finding (and saving) more ltitle lost books from a fate of loneliness. I'd build my house out of them, if I could! Ehehehe. Delhi, huh? What a journey, I wonder what tales it might tell...

Actually, on this note - let's talk about books for a minute. You're clearly interested in Grimoires - the big bad kids of the occult world, the ones that have leather jackets and sit on the sidewalk smoking and trying to look cool. And they are cool - but there's a lot of friends you can make first, and things you should know beforehand. My recommendations for things you can read?

Read all of the ancient philosophers. That isn't a broad generalization, all of them. Most people make the mistake of sticking to just Greeks with a few Romans thrown in. Don't do that - we're lucky to live in a world where you can get great translations of Plato, Lao Tze, Hildegard von Bingen relatively easily. Read them all, read the Avestas and the Vedas and multiple translations of all the monotheist books (Old, New, Quran) - learn the songs of the Kalevala and talk to Romuva and Rodnover aadherants. The most important thing is that you challenge yourself; read people opposed to your current worldview, and with an open mind.

This is very, very hard - but it is worth it. More importantly - grimoires are verbose, packed with cultural, historical, and social philosophical fluff that is better digested with a broad understanding, and if you've read all these books, you'll be even more prepared to read them.

My retort to your father, by the way, would be that you aren't Roma but thanks for the compliment. ;) But if your parents take an interest, be honest - explain your interest in collecting and academia, and let them take a look should you get some grimoires eventually. They'll see the word walls, and most likely decide it itsn't worth the hassle. :P

You aren't the first to have that idea, but most won't pay for a cut-and-paste grimoire, even though the rights to most are (ostensibly) public domain. If you really want to do that, you'd probably want to add commentary, maybe even change, remove, or add sections to better expand on and promote your philosophical ideals. People go crazy over that - I may or may not speak from experience.

Get used to a lot of hypocrisy; the greatest problem is that not only did early monotheists have many forms of magic, but there has been great debate on what is 'good' and what is 'bad' and worthy of expulsion. In addition, a lot of the old occult and historical/cultural tracts from diverse cultures have been written or edited by those with monotheist leanings. If you read the Kalevala, for example, you'll see quite clearly where the myths were changed to bring them more in line with modern-day sensibilities.

Look beyond it and see the original thing; but also admire the work of those who changed, even if you (like myself) disagree entirely with both their intent and action. Ask yourself 'now why was this changed'? Take notes. Ask questions. Never stop thinking! If fear is the mindkiller, mindeath is the worldslayer. Or something.

Tarot very rarely tells you things like 'you'll die tomorrow'. You're more likely to get a card that is considered more negative than positive (the Ten of Swords or the Hanged Man, non-reversed, are great examples) and a sinking feeling. You might then want to do another reading, asking; what can be done to annull this feeling? It won't always help - but sometimes, you'll end up finding that the future is even more malleable than the past. ;) Now, don't go scare your friends too much - It's important to have friends and customers, hahaha!

I already added a lot more books and recommendations; I'd be glad to throw together my (biased towards my worldview) reading list if you'd like. And I've always liked pointy, wide-brimmed hats, though I blush too much when I wear one!.. Tea.

Tea is goddamn king. If you can't stand tea or coffee, pick some warm beverage. You must be able to drop everything and have said warm beverage at any time. Sacred courtesy and all that. ;)

Voodoo - which is really known as Vodoun is actually an entire religion/philosophical worldview. I've known two mambos and had amazing chats with both of them. You're most likely thinking of Haitian/American SE (they call it Louisiana Vodoun on wikipedia) tradition, which is not at all just dolls and pins, and is mostly focused on good things and rootwork. All are, or can be, synchronized to some degree with catholicism and west african religion, depending on whom you ask.

The only potion I drink is twenty drams of coffee/tea per day, but, herbalism is very much a thing. Start by learning plant knowledge where you live. Local mushroom-hunting clubs, root-hunters, and agriculturalists are a great way to start, and learning cool new uses for plants you've seen every day is amazing. One of my favorites is a rather cheap hair day, though I don't dye my hair...

On a similar note, astronomy and astrology. Any *ogy, really, though numerology is the only one you're likely to find instructors in. Really, you should try to become as educated as you can - but watching the stars and the heavens is traditional and amazing. If you're going for the RCMP, it's a good idea to become trained in mind and body - hiking (ideally with friends, the buddy system is a good idea because bears. BEARS.) and setting up camp for even a weekend can be a good way to train both.

Again - try always to keep an open mind. I nearly got sent to a seminary, and though I narrowly escaped that bullet - I read a lot because of it, for which I'm thankful. Think what interests you have - there is guaranteed to be some branch of knowledge that is either secret or forgotten that is related to it. If you cannot find it on your own, write a few down here - and we'll have a back-and-forth about what those might be. :) Most importantly perhaps, thanks for indulging my rambling, haha! 