It’s really great exploring magic and spirituality. I always discover new things which suggest a supernatural universe that we really do not understand. It is amazing seeing rituals work and experiencing spirits appear to alter reality in incredible ways.
While I think skepticism is very important, I believe it is the goal of the skeptic to keep inquiring. Too often people write off magical experiences as the result of hypnotism or psychology which in our modern view does not leave a huge amount of room for god or spirituality. This is fine for them to have that view but far too often these people are the LEADERS of our spiritual groups.
Yes many of our INITIATORS and TEACHERS will confess that long ago they determined all magic is but the result of self-hypnotism and the magical act is but a willful self-delusion.
I am fine being lead, but I want my leaders to keep inquiring too. When any leader has come to a lot of conclusions about how the universe works whether their answers are spiritual or mundane, I am instantly put off by their arrogance.
We do not know the true nature of what we are exploring. No matter how many experiences we have of it, it is never certain what causes the experience. All we know is, “we are having the experience”.
The last thing I want is to be lead by someone who doesn’t believe in what they are leading me to or who isn’t open to the possibility that there is more to the experience than the result of the interaction of neurons. If I didn’t want god, spirits of the universe to have anything to do with my progress I would simply seek a hypnotist who would probably sell me some tapes are charge me less!
Even if the experiences an individual obtains in ritual are psychological (which they most likely are) that does not mean they are exclusive to my own mind. In the words of Lon Milo Duquette, “you have no idea how big your head is”.
Let no-one initiate me who believes solely in mere psychology at its current limits save that you initiate no-one because you refuse to acknowledge the potential forces that lie behind the mysterious rituals we do. How can a person call upon spiritual forces without the intention to do so. If there is more to the ritual than the psychology you claim is it’s exclusive method of function then you have failed to call upon it and if there isn’t your method isn’t going to work any better.