Whats it all for?

When you do the things you do as regards magic etc, what is your goal? What end result do you hope to accomplish? What is it all for??

Is this a philosophical question? Like; why do people in general do the things they do?

Excellant question Ironwolf. As I don't believe in magic I csn't comment on this but I will certainly be interested in the replies

I would like to know where all the spells, rituals etc, are going to take you. I don't mean individual spells etc, I mean, what is your long term goal? What will it all lead to? What kind of person will you become?
This can be answered philosophically or any way you see fit. Maybe some don't even think about why they do the things they do and where it will lead.

Quote :

I don't tend to speculate as to 'where it will lead me' as I don't feel I'm being lead.

Good answer!

The saying "each to their own" comes to mind. Everybody, magic or not, has a different idea what they want to do with their abilities. A magic-user could do their own small bit, but it wouldn't always correspond with what other magic-users strive to do. Just like a non magic-user could be against a bad government and use his/her abilities to do their bit, but again, others might not agree. Magic-users are just people with abilities.

(I can think of a few world-leaders I'd like to curse , but I will have to learn to smite them the normal way...)

Oh bollocks to this, I want my accoount closed and delted with imediate effect, I want nothing more to do with such a bunch of fluffy idiots

If anybody wants to know about real Paganism feel free to join me at

**link removed** Amber, please don't advertise unless links are approved by the Admin team

Where I shall shortly being starting a discusion on Gorge Pickinhill of Canewdon, I can assure you I don't take offence at the stupidest little thing like people do here

Can't you delete it yourself? Or are you trying to make the Moot do it, so you can bad-mouth it to all your friends associates? Seems silly you putting so much time and effort into something you don't like. Are you a bit mad? Or are you just a time-waster, like the ones you're preaching against? I've read your live journal site, a bit flat don't you think? Not really much difference in anything you say. Here or there you're just a bitter woman with no time for anyone but bitter people.

Maybe you'd like to talk to these lemons:

Amberlady wrote:

I can assure you I don't take offence at the stupidest little thing like people do here

I can assure you that you do, Amberlady. Why else are you so bothered by fluffies?

Where I shall shortly being starting a discusion on Gorge Pickinhill of Canewdon, I can assure you I don't take offence at the stupidest little thing like people do here

Might help if you could spell his name...

Oh Amberlady you make me chuckle, learn about real paganism, dont you mean learn how to take something like paganism and strip it of everything and just bitch about others? Seriously toady lighten the hell up and stop being such a vicious cow. If I was a fluffly I might site the threefold law but I think I'll enjoy imagining kickboxing your miserable ass instead.

Although you have to admit Aoife with a face like a toad she could do with a glamour or two...orthree....or four....or five......

Mod note: Ok, Aurora, tone it down please. To be fair I don't *think* Amberlady's avatar is an actual picture of her. Correct me if I'm wrong but I think it's a demon called Der Kinderstodt (literally meaning the child's death) from Buffy the Vampire Slayer Only without the top hat and skanky hair seen in the TV show...

Further Mod Note: Actually it might not be, I'm not sure...but it looks mighty similar anyway

All,
Personally, I would not worry unduly in turn of the ‘lemonesque’ bitterness of Amberlady; her astringent and disagreeable infusion of comment has ultimately seen many members of her philosophical cocktail coterie depart, leaving her ever more alone and lemonesque/bitter than ever.
Azi

OOooo Azi I love your eloquent way with words!

hmm what is it all for?? A good question indeed, and one that has made me sit here and evaluate my life and its direction so I thankyou for that Ironwolf, my train of thought going from what is magic for to what is it all for in general? That question that is posed globally and no two people have agreed on an answer.
For me it brings me a sense of being connected, to not being alone, giving me the trust in my beliefs that there is something more. That brings me comfort and makes me not scared of that inevitable fate that awaits us all at the end of our lives.
I don’t claim to be powerful, I don’t claim to be able to perform science defying tricks after all science is my base, its what I have grown up on, but the defining line between science and religion is becoming ever more blurred. However some things I believe on faith and faith alone, its what give those beliefs the power. I think in some parts it’s the mind over matter principle, it has power because I believe it does. I know that people are going to disagree with me and I don’t mind that everyone is entitled to their beliefs if a person wants to believe that we originate from aliens populating this planet then who am I to tell them they have no right to hold that as true.
Having faith in something more gives me confidence and the courage to push myself further trusting that I have the ability to change the world around me and having that enables me to bring out that confidence in others and help them see that they have the power to do what makes them happy. I know this sounds all love and light but it really isn’t I know that sinister and harsh exist, I just choose to live on the other side of life

After you have experimented a bit then you settle into your beliefs it does make life easier. I find it easy to make decisions because I follow a certain code of conduct and it does give you more confidence because you don't agonize over what to do. I follow the giudelines set out in "Havamal", ( Which is in a book called "The poetic edda"), which is the advice given by Odin on how men should conduct themselves. One of the verses says that the only thing you leave behind when you die is your reputation, so I suppose that if you where to ask a heathen "what is it all for?", it is so you can leave a good one!

I do magic for the same reason i haul my lazy ass to work, look for flats in the newspaper, go to the movies with friends, go to a club on friday night e.t.c

To me magic as a singular aspect of my life has no specific purpose or long term goal, it fits in with everything i do on a typical mundane day which i do only to live life.

Magic is seen to be a special set of skills that only a few people use. I think people use magic all the time without even realising they are doin it. Ok analogy time

I can turn on my computer and flit through a hundred websites, listen to music in the internet, talk to people thousands of miles away. I have very little to no idea how any of this works but that doesn't stop me from using it. Now an I.T technician knows how this works and can do all the same stuff as me and so much more create web sites, help other people with thier technical difficulties, and so on.

This to me is not so much different to a practioner of magic. Every one can meditate, feel natural energies, ask deities for help. I like everyone else can also do these things, but because like the I.T technician i also choose to learn more about it and so can acomplish some things that the masses can't

So in essence i think this boils down to 'why did you start learning magic?' I wish i could say i had some noble purpose, like some of the wonderful ideas that Amber lady suggested(which we really should get round to, im free a week on Thursday if anybody wants to help me brain storm a few ideas for world peace) ending world hunger for one. Unfortunatly thats not why i started learning it, simply it intrigued me, i thought it would be fun and useful in my life, and i felt like i had been looking for it.

Im sure people have other more noble reasons, and some probably have more base reasons, but i dont think it should be treated much different from anyother basic skill set that has been expanded on.

Great topic by the way, i enjoyed pondering about it

BB

Simon

As an engineer by trade, I'm very careful in taking things at face value.

When I studied Tai Chi Chuan (The Martial Art that is, not some relaxation-class thingy), the instructor Carl talked at length about Chi, and the techniques to enhance it called Chi Gung.

To begin with I thought "Yeah Right!", but after seeing and feeling the affects I became fascinated.

The sense of energy and well-being developed is a heady mix. (On the down side the bruises, blood and dislocated left shoulder were not so good - ouch!)

Perhaps you guys are tapping into something similar, in practicing magic, something forgotten and very potent. That sounds a pretty good reason to me.

I know next to nothing about magic (or magick - see I told you), which is why I'm very glad to be here, drinking it all in.

Love the vibe of the site, by the way.