123321 Posted July 18, 2014 Share Posted July 18, 2014 Where is the upside? If it's real, it's foolish, and if it's not real, it's foolish. 2 Link to post Share on other sites
lollipopspot Posted July 18, 2014 Share Posted July 18, 2014 Depends on the ritual and what the intent was. Here is an example of a ritual I tried VERY early in my occult career: I desperately wanted a new job and a new place to live. My job was full of bullies, a bad commute, and sexual harassment. My apartment was roach-infested and my neighbors were habitual drug users. So I worked a ritual that would get me a new job and a new place to live. I planned the ritual carefully and down to the letter. And within three days the ritual worked: I got fired AND evicted. *POOF* Suddenly I had to find a new job and a new place to live. So you see, the ritual worked - but it also went wrong... This is one of the adages of ritual magick: Be Careful What You Wish For = You Might Just Get It. In retrospect what would you have done differently with the ritual? Link to post Share on other sites
Anela Posted July 18, 2014 Share Posted July 18, 2014 I do small things, but am out of practice. I'm going to try a house blessing, and some candle work for a specific thing, but I'm also afraid of it not working the way I would like it to, so I might just stick with the space clearing/house blessing. I miss sitting down with my tarot cards, but have been too antsy, and lacking in focus. 1 Link to post Share on other sites
Anela Posted July 18, 2014 Share Posted July 18, 2014 I miss being part of a group associated with this. It was online, and every month, we would do a New Moon or Full moon tarot reading of some sort, candle work, and talk about other things. But I've never had a steady ritual, except for the tarot journal that I kept until the end of 2009, when things really started to go downhill for me. I haven't kept one since - almost five years! I've had a few decks ruined, as well, which is also depressing. That's partly why I'm doing the house blessing - just trying to fix something in me, and/or this place. 1 Link to post Share on other sites
CarrieT Posted July 19, 2014 Share Posted July 19, 2014 W This happened on my first attempt at the "Greater ritual of the pentagram". Ooops! Wasn't ready for that one yet! REALLY? That is a relatively minor ritual... I'm really surprised at reading what happened to you. Were you alone? I'm wondering if someone else was there causing trouble... Link to post Share on other sites
CarrieT Posted July 19, 2014 Share Posted July 19, 2014 In retrospect what would you have done differently with the ritual? Yep. You have to specify HOW one wants new jobs or new residences... I've had a number of rituals back-fire on me in this regard. The biggest one was my last relationship and how it came about and how it ended (which brought me to LS). It was a doozy... Link to post Share on other sites
SmartDude Posted July 19, 2014 Share Posted July 19, 2014 Carrie T: It has been a long time since then. It was actually the lesser invoking ritual of the pentagram... Which is still neophyte level I believe. I had lots of buried psychological issues at the time and was in denial of my true nature. My stubbornness broke down on that day. One moment I was happy and inspired to be engaging in ritual. The next moment I was going "oh crap, oh crap finish before I lose my mind". Absolute feeling of dread! After that I did not keep advancing but kept doing the Lower banishing ritual of the pentagram, lesser ritual of the hexagram, and the rose cross. I was too freaked out to go any further cause that one time really scared me. Link to post Share on other sites
CarrieT Posted July 19, 2014 Share Posted July 19, 2014 Makes sense, SmartDude - I have actually seen others break down under similar circumstances when just starting with these rituals. Too many youngsters jump in without knowing the implications of what they are attempting. Link to post Share on other sites
SmartDude Posted July 19, 2014 Share Posted July 19, 2014 Makes sense, SmartDude - I have actually seen others break down under similar circumstances when just starting with these rituals. Too many youngsters jump in without knowing the implications of what they are attempting. Yep that was me! All my friends left for college and there I was alone in my room at age 19. No teacher, no guidance except for this rather large book by a man named Donald Michael Craig. But it all ended well... I found a teacher and begun the path of shaolin kung fu. 1 Link to post Share on other sites
CarrieT Posted July 19, 2014 Share Posted July 19, 2014 I knew Don well... (RIP) We dated *very* briefly but remained good friends. He lived about three blocks from me in San Diego when Scott Cunningham (also noted author) was his roommate. We were all part of the same group that produced many folks who are now "elder statesmen" in Ritual Magick. The stories I could tell from those days in the 1980s... 1 Link to post Share on other sites
iiiii Posted July 25, 2014 Share Posted July 25, 2014 I do small things, but am out of practice. Me too. I went through a pagan/witch phase in my 20s. Starhawk was my favourite author for quite a while. I was never terribly interested in controlling "powers" as some put it - very skeptical about such things actually - but loved I tarot and small spells and space blessings - I think of it as meditation or prayer with props. However I finally noticed that I wasn't terribly impressed by most of the wiccans/witches I met - their behaviour generally wasn't noticeably particularly ethical or good, from what I could see, and they seemed to cherry pick the bits of their religion that made them feel better. And I guess I just didn't see the point of a religion that didn't help you be a better person. I'll still do a space blessing on my new house, though, just to make it feel like "home". 2 Link to post Share on other sites
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