Matt8800

Every time I post something about the Occult, I get personal messages of people asking for resources to know more, how to talk to spirits, how to manipulate physical reality according to your will, psychic powers, astral projection, etc. I know quite a bit about witchcraft, chaos magick, Wicca, etc. I also have put a lot of thought into what constitutes "black magick" and "white magick". Ive created spirits that serve my purposes that have shown themselves to me and others and have moved physical objects. Im projected myself into my fiances room 30 miles away and whispered into her ear (she is a clairvoyant that has projected herself into my room also). She told me that she felt me in her room and told me exactly what I said. I could go on and on about what I have experienced that would make me sound like a lunatic. My point is that the occult is very legit. Its a path that turns someone from a human with a spiritual experience to a spiritual being with a human experience. That statement makes a lot more sense when you start operating on the spiritual realm a lot more with effective power. Many people that have studied eastern traditions reject the occult because they reject the physical realm as unspiritual and think developing power is egoic. This is especially weird when people kiss the ass of gurus that wield occult powers yet adamantly reject these same powers for themselves. Somehow people assume that you must be weak and live in poverty to be spiritual. I think that is an unhealthy relationship to power and reeks of inferiority and unworthiness. The occult, trantric, taoist and kabbalist philosophy is that all realms are divine and we should master them all on the path of our eternal evolution. They recognize non-duality without the rejection of duality. A good example of why power is needed, and shouldnt be rejected, is Ghandi. He was motivated by love but effective because he had personal/internal power. Love without power is impotent. Power without love is evil. Power is like a hammer. You can build a house for the homeless or you can kill somebody. Ultimately, power manifests ones values into the world. If your values are love, beauty and truth, the world is better for your power. The Gita says its not what you do, but why you do it. Gaining power is not the problem. Its why do you do it. Anyway, if anyone has any questions, I would be happy to answer

Ive seen a lot of questions lately regarding magick. I have been studying the occult/magick for the last 6 months and this is what I have found: After studying Buddhism and Yoga very intensely for several years, my "inner guru" led me to realize that my next step of spiritual evolution was going to involve energy work. Yoga has very powerful energy work (magic) but one is not going to learn very much unless they follow a guru. If you do follow a guru, you may find out many years later that energy work is not his strength and learn very little. Taoism is very powerful magic but is still somewhat limited in its uses and difficult for a westerner to fully grasp and master. The occult is energy work on steroids. I dont think any traditions can touch it in that arena. A lot of people would disagree but that is simply because there is a weird bias in the west that true spirituality can only be found in the east. The philosophy is a bit different than Buddhism or Yoga. Rather than claiming the physical world is "unspiritual" and that one should just dissolve the self and wait for death/liberation, Occultists believe that the physical world is created by the divine and should be mastered and engaged in like all the other realms in a process of eternal spiritual evolution. They believe one must dissolve the ego identification by seeing through the mechanism of the ego. They use the ego as a tool, created by the divine, for divine purposes. They believe in observing the mechanism of the ego through meditation and disassociating from the aspects that are animalistic or of lower vibration. Once one has fully broken their identification with the ego, they can discover their True Will of their higher Self/soul. The True Will is generally associated with looking outward to how you can serve other beings for their greater good. High Magic is employed for the purpose of achieving ones True Will and spiritual purification/evolution. Energy work in all the traditions I have studied (Taoism, Yoga, Buddism, Kabbalah) involve intense visualization, breathwork, rituals, concentration and certain physical movements. The occult has pretty much of what they all have but a lot more imo. Magick/the occult incorporates a lot of Kabbalah/Jewish mysticism into its ultimate view of God/reality. There is also a lot of philosophy that is incorporated from hermeticism, which is an amalgam of greek, egyptian and pagan mysticism. I would highly suggest just sticking to High Magick, which is for the purpose to become one with the divine. I also do some rituals for health and prosperity because both can be used to help meet my spiritual goals. Despite what many say, there is nothing spiritual about weakness, poverty and sickness. With that said, be VERY careful with using the occult for prosperity. That can very easily solidify and inflate the ego. Keep your intentions based in love and that will guide you. Stay vigilant about not feeding the ego's animal selfish side by carefully observing the present moment. Personally, I have combined what I have learned from Buddhism, Yoga and the Occult. For me, it is a complete spiritual practice. I also incorporate a lot of psychedelics into mediation and magic, which is very powerful. If you want your have the experience of seeing your chakras light up like a christmas tree, magick is definately a way to do it. It didnt take me long to being able to have powerful experiences of moving energy around me and through me. I Iearned quickly how to identify "bad" energy and replace with "good" energy and all its many possible uses. (me meditating 1-1.5 hours a day for the last 3 years was a factor). You can also envoke the powers of archangels for various reasons. My significant other doubted whether magic was real. We did a ritual to summon an arch angel and the angel appeared. Im not going to go into too much detail about what happened but it was an extremely powerful and beautiful experience. Lets just say my significant other is now totally on board with magick. Magick is a tool. It can be used for "good" or "bad". Whatever you use it for, it amplifies greatly.

@Beginner Mind I think Taoism explains it best as not straining or forcing thinks against the flow of the Tao BUT Taoism says that we should use our full effort, without forcing, to flow WITH the Tao. Flowing with the Tao is another way of saying surrendering to the Tao.

@Leo Gura I didnt see that in the list but if someone has attributed that to Taoism, they dont understand Taoism.

@geddie212 You are making the assumption that death is "bad" and fear of death is reasonable. Enlightenment involves the death of fear so if someone is held at gunpoint, let the chips fall where they may. In case anyone says I would react different if I was in that position, that would be false. I have zero fear of death. Your fear of death is causing you to grasp and attach more strongly to life. If the timing of one's death is not under our control, why all the fuss?

@Parththakkar12 Yes, the West will fall but the death of one thing is the birth of another. Its no more the "end of the world" than the fall of Rome was. Climate change will cause massive suffering closer to the equator but that is not the first time there has been massive extinctions. Eventually things will adjust and an evolutionary explosion will occur again. It has to happen and its inevitable. It is the natural cycles of the universe. Its not "bad". Go look at Elliott Wave Theory and then look at the inflation adjusted chart of the US stock Market. You'll see that the market is completing its full bull run that started with the industrial revolution. Things could get very interesting in the next month or so. Its completed its pattern as of last week and can start a corrective downtrend that would last at least 100 years. Dont stress out about it...flow with the Tao.

@Arcangelo By "life", do you mean human cells that are living? By that definition, the placenta is "alive" also. Do you feel there are ethical obligations to the placenta? If you believe that life is defined as anything other than a physical manifestation of consciousness, it creates cognitive dissonance. If you believe human life is synonymous with human consciousness, it cannot be argued that there are any moral implications prior to the fetus developing the physical mechanisms necessary for consciousness.

@Buba People can have whatever opinions they want but Ian Stevenson's research seems to indicate reincarnation is very much a reality. Ive read Stevenson's work and the critiques of his work and I found that every single one of the critiques violated Occam's Razor. People tend to be pulled by their biases depending on the dogma of the spiritual tradition or "teacher" they follow.

I encountered the term “safe space” on another post and thought I would share my thoughts on the subject. Heres why the idea of “safe spaces” has no place in self-actualization: The idea that one’s feelings matter, and are valid, is false. Feelings are a product of one’s attachments and/or aversions that arise from thought. Intentional feeding of counterproductive thoughts is a result of an undisciplined mind. It is pure illusion. Suffering is caused by attachments and aversions. On the spiritual path, the goal is to untangle from the attachments and aversions; NOT indulge in illusory judgement and victim-hood. The goal is equanimity. When that state is maintained, one cannot be “triggered”. Another thing that often accompanies this idea is almost a celebration of weakness and rejection of strength. Thats ass-backwards. The thought that spirituality is synonymous with weakness is unhealthy. The “need” for one’s feelings to be heard and validated by someone else is pure egotism. It accomplishes literally nothing but feeding the needy ego. The only real solution is to master the ego through meditative techniques, detach and accept what is. “Safe spaces” and spiritual evolution/self-actualization are on opposite ends of the spectrum imo.

@d0ornokey So, in other words, be kind and understanding. Is kind and understanding the definition of safe space to you? Do they differ in some way? If we were to say, "Be kind and understanding. Dont be an asshole", would that solve the safe space issue?

@Parththakkar12 If you are suggesting that we need designated "safe space" areas, thats not realistic. If someone has something that is so traumatic, it would be unwise to share it with anyone that they have not already developed a lot of trust for. If by "safe space", you mean discussing trauma for the purpose of healing with a kind, wise confidant, than I agree but why use the phrase "safe space". If I need to share something painful with my kind, wise significant other, I wouldnt refer to it as a safe space. What is the difference here? Are you suggesting that people should unload their drama in public places? Many times people share with me past trauma and I try to help them. Why is "safe space" a necessary label for that?

@Parththakkar12 How are "safe spaces" relevant in any way if we simply treat others with kindness? What does promoting safe spaces do for people that promoting kindness doesnt?

@tsuki There are genuine victims of things like rape, childhood abuse, etc and there needs to be a healthy way of transcending it. That is not what im referring to. Nobody is saying they shouldnt be listened to but on the other side of the coin, excessively fixating on past hurts is not going to help them transcend it either. There are balanced, therapeutic methods if someone is truly looking to transcend past hurts. Im referring to people that react to "micro-aggressions", political drama, etc..or need to be "heard" regarding their personal drama. If they have a hard time with a micro aggression, what are they going to do when real adversity comes their way? In many ways, its an insult to people in their world with real adversity. Can you imagine great people in history crying about a micro aggression and needing a "safe space"? It would never happen, which is why they were great.

@Parththakkar12 I would disagree with your claim that feeding a needy ego is spiritually healthy. This is enabling with good intentions. It actually reinforces their weakness. You see this concept play out when parents do too much for their children and they end up living unemployed in their parents basement as adults spending their life on video games and porn. Their parents have good intentions because they dont want to cause stress for their adult child but in reality, they are hurting them. My counter-claim is that detaching from a needy and illusory ego is spiritual evolution. Validating unhealthy neediness is just reinforcing an unhealthy ego. I believe that exercising tough love, with trying to minimize hurt, is a way to lift others up. If they reject tough love then there is nothing you can do for them anyway.

@28 cm unbuffed ^^ Great example of how NOT to get laid...just sayin

@LaucherJunge A good book about Tantra is Desire - The Tantric Path to Awakening. More than just sexuality, Tantra has a lot to say about embracing the body, the physical realm, pleasure, etc for spiritual evolution. Im a big fan of Tantra. Rather than rejecting experience, it acknowledges that beauty cannot be embraced if experience is rejected. Its said that Tantra is a faster path to enlightenment than asceticism (I agree) but can be more dangerous due to potential attachments.

@eputkonen If direct experience (another way of saying imagination) isnt real, than nothing is which would make this whole conversation merely semantics. We already know scientifically that there is no foundational reality to "stuff" and "things" but so what? How is this not just mental masturbation? Once someone realizes the illusory nature of reality, the illusion doesnt go away. I agree with Taoism that the illusion ideally needs to be flowed with. If one decides that they reject the illusion, then it is their personal Tao to simply wait to die without taking full opportunity for evolution. We could debate as to whether "evolution" is "real" (whatever "real" means) but my flow in this incarnation is geared towards my highest possible evolution in this incarnation. Yes, physical death is merely a process of transformation but that was not what this post was originally about. It was about people's aversion to that transformation. With that said, I agree that what most people project upon that transformation just ends up being delusion rooted in programmed animal instincts to survive. Im not disagreeing with your position on non-duality....Im just saying that once someone understands it, it becomes irrelevant after that point.

@eputkonen There's no such thing as your "keyboard" and yet you type on it even though it is imaginary. Why is that? The reality of non-duality does not mean that duality does not exist. They paradoxically exist at the same time and to deny that is unhelpful. There may be no such thing as death from a non-dual perspective and yet people that have near death experiences are profoundly and permanently changed from there "not-real" death. There is no such thing as the "self" and yet the Atman continues to be refined AFTER enlightenment. What is this non-existent "thing" that continues to be refined? For every birth, there is a death. Every death is followed by a birth into something else. Nothing dies as in it comes to an end - there is only change.

@Raptorsin7 I have no fear of "death" of the physical body. Actually, it fascinates me. I am excited to see whats on the other side. Ive had enough paranormal experiences that I know I am not my body. Ive traveled on the astral realm and am looking forward to not being limited by a physical body.

@remember Exactly. The only opinion that matters is - does the woman choose for herself to raise a child or not. If not, she should be able to abort the fetus without a second thought if that is her choice.

@Leo Gura Truth! But very few people can grasp the implications. If they did, their animal instincts would be even more horrified

@remember The notion of autonomy is nonsensical when referring to a unconscious lump of biomass. A fly (like all living beings) has autonomy because it is conscious. If you look at the definition of autonomy, you'll see it has no relation to whether a pump pumps fluid around the biomass. Autonomy begins when one exerts their will. https://www.dictionary.com/browse/autonomy

@tenta First, I havent met too many people that have as much willpower as I do so I have no idea. I have succeeded at just about every business I have started and rose to the top. I lost my money and went out and made it again. If I lose it again, Ill go out and make it again. Its never been that hard for me. I lived in a storage unit once after a business failure and started a new business while living in the storage unit that made me my first million. The difference between me and others is I have massive willpower and believe I will rise to the top in everything I do. I have no fear. I was severely depressed but because of all the willpower I have, I got out of bed regardless. Not sure why having a deformed leg would have stopped me from starting a finance company Someone with less intelligence, less willpower, lack of belief in themselves and has fear will not be able to do what I have done. Someone that needs the illusory security of working for someone else will never be able to come close to what Ive done. I have never worked for other people and never will. Your attitude will keep you broke because you dont take responsibility for your future. I take total responsibility. Have you ever considered you are simply doing it wrong (working for someone else, wrong business, etc)? I might not succeed as easily as someone whose father is a billionaire but how much money does someone need? Continue with your philosophy if you want but its to your own detriment. Regarding other hierarchies, Ive always risen to the top in every "hierarchy" Ive participated in BUT I always start my own company so its my hierarchy. The reason I rise to the top is precisely because of my attitude. I never pursued a four year college degree because if I need the knowledge, I have just hired people with degrees to work for me. Degrees are for employees, not the owners. I may sound arrogant but Im trying to be frank about my approach to make the point. With all that said, if you are going to work for someone else, than you will remain their slave 40 hours a week. Companies dont hire employees to make the employees rich. People start companies to hire employees that will make the founders rich. You are confused on what is causing someones failure to rise - they are working the wrong vehicle, wrong attitude, ignorance, ego, etc, etc.

@remember If abortion is killing, is throwing out the placenta "killing"? Whats the difference between a placenta and a fetus that is not developed enough to be conscious?

@Bodigger Usually around 5 months. Before that, its merely biomass. https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2013/04/when-does-your-baby-become-conscious