Hey Occulties,
I just wanted to say something as it came up about 8 times in the last four days all through various people... NO it is NOT CORRECT to "JUST DO WHAT FEELS RIGHT" when it comes to magic, and that is some of the WORST FUCKING POSSIBLE ADVICE to give to someone and if someone gives it to you, do not listen to another word out the person says or writes. In fact, possibly unless you are a HIGH ADEPT at some paradigm (that's a particular type of magic) and definitely if you still require looking up spells in a book all the time* then you do not have the ability to begin doing such things. Like, I've been able to cook (albeit not well when under a certain age) since I was like 7 or 8 years old because I'm Gen X and that's just how we rolled. Now 35 years later, I don't need to look up a lot of recipes. I don't need to be told what ingredients work with what. I am a very good cook. One might even say I'm an adept at it. I might be able to just slap something together using intuition as I am INCREDIBLY FAMILIAR with cooking, and how foods react to certain heats and oils and the instruments of cooking from pressure cooker down to stove burner and even convection and toaster ovens and microwaves having over three decades of experience in it. HOWEVER, if I had never even microwaved a frozen dinner (as would be the level of many newbies to magic,) nor heated anything directly out of a can onto the stove successfully, I sure as shit should not be cooking anything from scratch. This is the same as someone telling neophytes "Do what feels right," when that is TOTALLY WRONG. No, and if it is right in any way, it's only right for incredibly adept people who know the meaning and the use and the personality of every ingredient. If you would be cooking at a level of "I think all sugar is the same and that even salt is sugar as both are granulated," when compared to your magical knowledge, get away from the kitchen and the altar if you think you are going to be successful dreaming things up. If you're at the level where you literally can eyeball out perfectly measured amounts without a measuring cup like I can and can make a gazillion things from scratch just using your memory (you thought you'd brag about being cool when you start getting old, but it's this type of thing,) if we compared cooking skill to magical knowledge (and yes, I am a master of both, thank you for wondering,) then sure, you go do what you think sounds right because you'd know. You know that even though this ingredient does do this, it won't work with that ingredient, but that ingredient can be replaced with these two because they will work together nicely, and it's not just "I chose poppies because I thought they were bold and exciting"for a charisma spell when they do not have the effect of boldness or excitement whatsoever in spellwork. It doesn't matter if that's what they make you think of.
I'm sure I'll get some hate for it, but hate away. At least I'm over here eating good food and doing spells that work while you're just grumbling that you were divinely inspired with your non-manifesting spell and eating frozen dinners you burned, so :-P
~Cat
*I know some people will argue this is not true with Solomonic type traditions, except I know plenty of people who have memorized 4-5 page spell chants for several Solomonic spells so you can argue elsewhere.
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