Magic Forums

My question is since when has witchcraft and magic(k) become an orthodox belief system that only adheres to certain irrefutable doctrines by so called "worthy authors"?

First off, sources in books and the internet are anything but reliable and shouldn't be followed to the T because someone says so. There are two things that I'm getting at with this, One being that these sources can help seeker by pointing them into the right direction but until they experience anything they know nothing. It's a matter of making it work for you through you own creativity and personalization. You truly have to make your path your own, because no matter what anyone says the journey towards ascension is your own path and not the collective wholes. Besides becoming a good researcher (armchair occultist) how can you have a clue on what it takes to ascend if you haven't died permanently? I'm willing to bet my life that no so called labeled path is right because of our history. We all know over the years different civilizations have conquered other civilizations with different belief systems. The losing civilization would be forced to change their beliefs, their deities would be demonized, and if they were to practice their old ways they would have to combine it with the new way so they wouldn't face execution.

With that being said looking at the chaotic mess of things we've made over the years and never being there ourselves how can we know what is true and what is real when it pertains to a magical system? Granted some people have an idea of what it takes in their own personal paths and that's where grimoires come into play. When I look at a grimoire I don't take it's word as God. These books are essentially someone's notes on the topic which describes what they had success with. Just because they're successful it doesn't mean that you will be following their method solely. Everybody's different and this is where I get into what really pisses me off.

I'm finding more and more people who are treating the craft or other systems that pertain to the occult as an orthodox system. Just because your an armchair occultist or a good researcher it doesn't mean that your entirely correct on your methods. Belief systems get mixed and matched, get over yourself. It happened in the past and it's going to continue to happen throughout the history of mankind. Your fear of change and lack of tolerance is the reason why I left Christianity. Your path isn't set in stone because you practice on certain holidays and you believe in an orthodox foundation. You only create your path through experience and what works for you. This also applies to magick. Just because it's done one way in an orthodox fashion it doesn't mean that the same results if not better can't be achieved in a different way by different means. If the driving force behind magick is intent, you can do literally anything you want in ritual. For instance an item that is used for uncrossing or protection can just as easily be assigned properties that deal with luck or health if you want to. Fetish items that pertain to this are very personal so the magician would more then likely want to get the most out of them charging them regularly with energies he or she would find useful to them. Nothing is set in stone because a certain person or belief says it is. The real problem is that people seem to never have an open mind to things anymore. In my opinion that is a real problem when it comes to personal growth as a magician. Knowledgeable is just a title, experience is the path towards ascension.