Whether they are at a misa or just doing some personal “information gathering”, everyone else seems to have such ‘chatty’ muertos.
Not me.
Mine seem to be the strong silent type. lol
Lucius might not be much for gossip, but he is good at bringing things to my attention. Specifically, things related to spirituality, witchcraft, etc.
I’ve definitely learned quite a lot about the occult while trying to get a better understanding of him, but it’s still not quite my thing.
Still, a lot of it seems fairly easy to relate back to pretty much any spiritual practice.
So what have I learned?
Well, let’s see…
- A lot of the stuff out there is B.S. — either intentionally done as a way of deceiving others or done unintentionally because, well, people are dumb
- The stuff that’s legit gets veiled in archaic language, obscure ingredients, and silly ceremonial requirements meant to distract and frustrate those who take it too literally.
- A lot of the physical/verbal stuff makes things easier on the practitioner but could be done mentally instead.
- Visualization and belief are the two most important ingredients with any practice.
- There’s no “magic bullet”. By exposing yourself to different practices, beliefs, etc., you can find what does/doesn’t work for you.
There’s a lot of false information out there. Largely, I think it’s to help discourage those with only superficial interest. If you recite portions of The Necronomicon out loud and there aren’t any thunderstorms or books flying off shelves, that doesn’t mean there’s no such thing as “magic”. It just means you need to adjust how you go about things — especially when it comes to managing your expectations… Also, consider the source. The Necronomicon was fiction. First by H.P. Lovecraft and later expanded upon by another author, taking Lovecraft’s characters/plot, applying a psuedo-Sumarian mythology, and adding in a good dose of traditional ceremonial magic techniques to add credibility.
The legitimate information that you might gleam is often obfuscated. In alchemy, the stated goal often involved the transmutation of base metals (like lead) to higher metals (such as gold). If taken literally, you can spend years (as many did) trying in vain to accomplish this goal. If you read between the lines, however, its goal becomes one of personal transformation — changing your old self into something better. Rather than focusing on the nitty-gritty details, a lot of times the “gist” works much better. That way, if you run across something asking for something obscure like graveyard dirt, an african bullfrog, or something whacky like that, you can understand what it’s really looking for and, thus, can make the appropriate substitution. Plus, since you’re using your own insight and knowledge, it would probably be more useful than something you’d buy online or at a botanica.
Especially in occult/ceremonial magic, there’s a lot of stuff involving drawing circles in chalk, saying things in Latin (or other foreign/dead languages), etc. It’s mostly about getting the person in a certain state of mind. The circle, for instance, is often used to keep things out (or in). It’s not that these spirits/forces/etc. have a dislike for chalk or poorly drawn symbols on someone’s living room carpet. It’s actually more for the person doing the work. Why? Because, otherwise, you’re stuck trying to visualize/trust that the protection is there.
With real estate, the slogan is “Location, location, location.” With spiritual/magical practices, the slogan is “Visualization, visualization, visualization.” It’s not just about seeing, though. It could also involve other senses (like hearing). It’s a way of making things feel more real. And that, in turn, helps solidify your belief in what is happening. Many people have heard stories of the power of belief — whether allowing believers to walk on hot coals, be unharmed by snake bites, etc. While you can probably accomplish things without completely believing in what you’re doing, it probably doesn’t hurt
Last but not least, it all comes down to what works for you. In my case, I had trouble following the traditional methods of connecting with my spiritual side. But I eventually came up with something that worked for me. It ended up not being nearly as far-fetched as I originally thought. It helped me get to where I needed to be in order to have an experience of my own. I even found a book that uses almost the exact same theory to create an entity, which I later found referred to as a Fetch. Will any of this have a direct effect on my religious/spiritual practices? *shrug* Who knows. Definitely has given me quite a lot of info to draw upon, I guess.
So there you go.
Maybe not anything too earth-shattering or revolutionary, but — hey — what did you expect? I’m new 
