Where does one begin? A novice beginning his journey

[L4ugh1ngM4n]

Let me start by introducing myself, my name is Michael and I have recently discovered this great online community! I just have a few novice level questions, if anyone could give me some insight it would be most appreciated =) I have "attempted" the practice of magick in the past and I have always been fascinated with the subject, unfortunately I have never gotten any results, I usually end up sitting alone in my room and feeling silly. This has started me down a path of doubt which I would like to reverse. So my questions for you should you want to answer are: Where do I begin? What is considered "entry-level" magick? I want to start with something simple that will show me some real results and benefits to help me restore my lost faith. There seems to be many people here with alot of sound knowledge and experience so I humbly ask for your assistance. I'm sure others have been right where I am today, so please, I am ready to learn if you are willing teach.

Thank-you my friends,
Michael

[thorhammer]

Hi, Michael I'm new here as well, and new to ceremonial magick. I've been a practising Witch (not Wiccan!) for about twelve years, though, so the idea of magic wasn't new to me.

I'm sure that someone else will ask you, so I'll jump in first - what do you want out of magick? What are your expectations, interests, passions, objectives? I'm really not asking to be flippant or condescending or antagonistic - it'll just help the experts to answer your questions, that's all

Without going into those things (the thread's not about me!) I'll say this - I gravitated to this path for the discipline and structure of it, so I guess maybe you should take my experience/routine with a grain of salt if that's not your thing.

I have started with Liber Resh, a short solar adoration that's performed four times a day, as well as the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram (LBRP) once a day, which I'm doing at night before my last Resh. I'm using what's basically the Golden Dawn/Liber ABA version of the LBRP, and while I haven't read through all the forums here, I've noted

this thread

this thread

as being of usefulness to me shortly, being as it is a slightly altered LBRP. The thread is very good in explaining and reassuring, as well.

In the course of my LBRP, I do my own slightly modified Qabalistic Cross, then the Pentagram section of the ritual, recognise the Archangels, then sit to meditate. This is usually for a half hour or so. It's the hardest part of my ritual day, to be honest, because I'm working on holding my asana (pose) perfectly still and also trying to still my mind LOL After that I do the QC again. I've not begun to include the Drawing down the L.V.X. bit as detailed in the Equilibrating ritual I've linked above.

At this stage (I've been practicing every day for about three weeks - total baby!) I'm not going any further than that. I want to really assimilate the rituals I'm doing for now, and move on with others later on. But I have more meditation, reading and understanding to do before I go complicating things further. I honestly recommend that you start small, like me, unless all you want out of this is to be waving your arms about and wearing funny robes and calling all manner of daemons to impress your friends. If that's the case . . . cya

[Izabael DaJinn]

Let me start by introducing myself, my name is Michael and I have recently discovered this great online community! I just have a few novice level questions, if anyone could give me some insight it would be most appreciated =) I have "attempted" the practice of magick in the past and I have always been fascinated with the subject, unfortunately I have never gotten any results, I usually end up sitting alone in my room and feeling silly. This has started me down a path of doubt which I would like to reverse. So my questions for you should you want to answer are: Where do I begin? What is considered "entry-level" magick? I want to start with something simple that will show me some real results and benefits to help me restore my lost faith. There seems to be many people here with alot of sound knowledge and experience so I humbly ask for your assistance. I'm sure others have been right where I am today, so please, I am ready to learn if you are willing teach.

Thank-you my friends,
Michael

Hey Michael. There are many ways to begin magick, and wanting to build up magickal confidence is natural. It can definitely be hard to get over that "silliness" factor at first.

Thorhammer's point about knowing what you want is a good point, but I'll just assume you want some results....any results probably, just to show you that magick can make a difference, right?

I would say the simplest way to get results is

New Avatar Power (NAP) - The Fool Speaks: Magick, Mayhem, Goetia, and the Occult Forums

New Avatar Power (NAP) - The Fool Speaks: Magick, Mayhem, Goetia, and the Occult Forums

this thread. I find doing one a day for one specific intent sometimes works so well, I stop doing it everyday because the results can be too much (I notice for me they always bring results though sometimes not as specific as I asked for...but something always happens that is well-within the ballpark..usually quickly...within in days sometimes hours). But doing it everday until you get results (or change your mind) is crucial. So is writing it down in Book of Shadows (magickal journal). This will get you used to invoking Qabalistically and should be easy to get around the "silly" phase as they are so short and straightforward, there is very little that is overtly silly.

If you have a little confidence with NAP, I think it's easy to move into the LBRP and more all the more traditional trappings of high magick.

An even more simple way to start your magickal progress is to light a single candle in the center of your "temple" and meditate on it every night for 5-10 minutes. Just understand you are creating a calm, and centered state for yourself, and that is all that "holiness" really is...that feeling of of calm centeredness without a dependence on external things to feel "right." Once you vibe on that "holiness" magick gets a lot easier.

Once you feel comfortable building up "sacred" space and get a feel for it, you won't ever feel silly again. The feeling of a sacred space comes through ritual, meditation, etc. over and over in a specific spot. That's how a temple is really built up, not with fancy altars and magick tools.


xoxo
Izabael

p.s. If you feel especially blocked towards magick, sometimes Entheogens can help...they tend to give that "awe" of the universe that leads naturally to the practice of magick.

[L4ugh1ngM4n]

Thank you Iza and Thor for taking the time to respond . To answer your questions, basically I was raised christian and I have always just felt there was something not quite right.. I'm in no way trying to be rude or insult anyone of the faith. But to me it just feels false and controlling. Ive always thought there is more out there and my motivation for practicing magick is primarily to discover the truth. I seek knowledge and and gain a deeper understanding of the "big picture". I would also love to be able to help my friends and family, but I admit my motives are partially selfish as well. I would be lying if I said I woulden't cast to benefit myself. Some things I'm especially excited to try are astral projection, communing with higher beings, and reality manipulation. I know that everything I just mentioned takes much experience and study so I think of them as goals.

I think I will start with NAP as like Iza stated, I really need a confidence boost, and I think it will make it easier to move on to higher magic. But I hope to soon also begin practicing the LBRP as well and working on my temple.

On that note, could someone explain the book of shadows? How does one go about starting the process? Do I write down everything? spells? results? Also if anyone knows of some good literature or books for a beginner to look into that would be great! =))

Thank-you again friends and I hope to continue discussion soon! This is all just so overwhelming yet fascinating, I can't get enough haha.

-Michael

[ceewayne]

Welcome aboard

A Book of Shadows is just you record of magickal work. You just start keeping a record of everything that you find useful. A spiral bound notebook, a moleskin journal, a computer file, whatever works for you. Right now I am using a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet for my Magickal Record, one line for each day with categories in the columns.

As for your motivation, what is wrong with being somewhat selfish? It has been my experience that if you work on yourself, you will find yourself able to do more for other people. If you just try to help other people, you end up not able to do much for yourself and others. You have listed some worthwhile goals.

As for books, that is a tough one. I like the works of Lon Milo DuQuette for example. What books have you read that have made an impression on you.

And I have to complement you on your choice of anime! I have put a few threads about anime up here (Aria, xxxHolic)

Look forward to hearing more from you

[L4ugh1ngM4n]

Ahh I see, thanks for the explanation Cee, As far as books go, I have read very little, 99% of my knowledge, which is next to nothing, has been gleaned from the net.

I did however recently read the Simon Necronomicon, but to my dismay, a bit of internet research revealed this to be a fake. I suppose if it sounds too good to be true it probably is, An ancient Sumerian text for $10 at barnes and noble, probably not real lol.

So to answer your question, I have not read anything thats made an impression on me, because Ive never really started collecting any occult literature, I never knew where to start, what books were effective or legitimate knowledge ect.

I'm interested in some darker stuff for sure, I also would like something that covers some general knowledge and basics. So any reccomendations on some good newbie books appreciated. I will def. have to check out Lon Milo.

This maybe somewhat off topic but what is the difference between white and black magick? I'm unclear on it being broken into groups. I was under the impression that magick was magick? (I'm sure this is a ridiculous question, but I am curious)

Ceewayne, I'm glad to meet another S.A.C fan! I admit I haven't seen any Aria or xxxHolic, I'll have to check them out! Some of my other favorites: Big O, Deathnote, Samurai Champloo, Berserk, FLCL, Witch Hunter Robin and Gungrave.

Thanks again to everyone for their input! Hope to here more from you all!

[ReidA]

Hey Michael, I've also been interested in the darker side of magick and I'm probably gonna pick up some books like luciferian goetia. As for the Necronomicon...it is a good book if you know how to use it. The necronomicon is full of entities and such, but it was never meant to be used as an instruction manual. Think of the necronomicon as notes. Nobody ever takes notes good enough to teach someone else how to do something (I surely don't) therefore the book would be full of holes. If you do wish to evoke these entities in the necronomicon I reccomend Summoning Spirits by Konstantinos. You can get it for the same price as your Necronomicon and it contains advice and exercises for beginners as well as instructions on how to evoke entities to the astral as well as the physical plane. Get ready for a lot of work...it's not easy, but who said a little hard work doesn't pay off right? Good luck and feel free to contact me for any additional information.
Reid

[ReidA]

Sorry and on white and black magick....well the definitions differ from person to person. Always remember the rule of three and to hurt none. Well for me there are no catagories for magick. Think of magick as...a gun so to say (sorry not the best analogy in the world). A gun can be used by a mass murderer to cause lots of pain and suffering ("black magick") or it can be used to deter a mass murderer that intends to cause lots of pain and suffering ("white magick" i guess). A certain spell is that gun and it depends on how you use it. You can use it to destroy enemies, or destroy a bad habit. I find if you catagorize magick you limit yourself to thinking...no this is bad and yes this is good. Hope this helped!
Reid

[L4ugh1ngM4n]

The necronomicon is full of entities and such, but it was never meant to be used as an instruction manual. Think of the necronomicon as notes.

Reida, thanks for your input! Do you have alot of knowledge on the necronomicon? I know very little, but I sure would like to know more about it. A search on google reveals alot of pissed off magicians complaining of it being an illegitimate text, and when Ive asked others about it I get one of 2 responses: either they freak out and tell me that it's dangerous and I'm inviting evil into my life by merely possesing it or they laugh at me and tell me it's a fake that lures in "kiddie occultists". Do you think the Simon Necronomicon still contains some valid information (accurate rituals / entities) even if it was created independantly of the real necronomicon? (I doubt existence of an actual Necronomicon now, as I think Lovecraft made it up) If the false Nec still contains accurate info under a mislabeled title (I think "simon" was just trying to make a buck off the fabled name) I would be most excited! Assuming it is true, it's seems to be some HEAVY WEIGHT magick (to me), at least compared to alot of other things ive done reading on.

Every step closer to the truth I can get, I will take. I want out of the matrix damnit!

[thorhammer]

Sorry and on white and black magick....well the definitions differ from person to person. Always remember the rule of three and to hurt none. Well for me there are no catagories for magick. Think of magick as...a gun so to say (sorry not the best analogy in the world). A gun can be used by a mass murderer to cause lots of pain and suffering ("black magick") or it can be used to deter a mass murderer that intends to cause lots of pain and suffering ("white magick" i guess). A certain spell is that gun and it depends on how you use it. You can use it to destroy enemies, or destroy a bad habit. I find if you catagorize magick you limit yourself to thinking...no this is bad and yes this is good. Hope this helped!
Reid

That had been my impression, as well, Reid. I am more than open to correction on this, though Basically, I think, it comes down to two things in the magician's character - intent and acceptance of consequences. If you are honestly examining the possible consequences of your working to your fullest intellectual ability, and in that examination you find that someone will be harmed (as against simply inconvenienced) and you're fine with that, then I think you've crossed the line into black magick. Similarly, and more obviously, if your intent is to harm someone with your working, it's black magick.

I think the manner in which you decide to achieve your aim - i.e. Goetic, Enochian, Necronomicon, whatever - is irrelevant. Reid, your analogy was a good one, I think.