Magickal Diary : Pros and Cons

[Occult Forum Archive]

Original post: Nalyd23

I am posting this in Ceremonial because, IMO, the Ceremonial persuasion seems to advocate the practice of keeping a diary/journal of Magickal practice/results more than others. I have mixed feelings about this because of some of my own experiences with keeping one that I plan on sharing later in this thread if it grows a little. I am just looking for opinions on the pros and cons of keeping a Magickal diary. I may be the only one who voices some cons later on, buts that's OK.:mrgreen:

EDIT : I think there used to be a similar thread as this. I did a search and found nothing so it must have been pre-hack days.

[Occult Forum Archive]

Original post: Overflowed_Buffer

Since I'm here I may as well give a quick opinion.

Pros: Gives you a reference for later, let's you find out what variables enhance your abilities, let's you have an unbiased record of what went down that you can refer to if there is any question, gives you the opportunity to expand your grasp of the english language....etc

Cons: Takes time and energy, some knowledge will not be allowed to be recorded by the request of the evoked being, and...that's all that I can think of right now...except for the journal may perhaps be a very suspicious thing to find in your room...if that's a problem for you anyway.

[Occult Forum Archive]

Original post: Was I Deleted, Again?

I had one going for nearly one year in the Ceremonial Forum. I placed it here as this was the area in which I sought out help. It was one of the most read Threads here.

I sought a specific result and I recorded everything that had any relevence to the result I sought.

I turned to magic for this result because I believe there is no other way to obtain it. Since I am not looking for magic for all my answers, I had a very tight focus on the result I wanted.

JQP

...though the heavens fall.

[Occult Forum Archive]

Original post: Nalyd23

I actually quit keeping one about 3 years ago but have semi-picked up the practice via emails/OF/IMs which I save. So alot of my private correspondence with others have become a semi-journal of some things and it gets me some feedback and may be better than a journal/diary in that regard. More later my peeps.:mrgreen:

[Occult Forum Archive]

Original post: fiat_lux_777

93

Magick - "The Method of Science, the Aim of Religion". The "method of science" includes keeping detailed records for a few different reasons, the two most obvious being -

1. So that certain results can easily be replicated by following the same course of events.
2. Often results are not apparent immediately - keeping a diary allows one to go back and link synchronicities.

Of course, another good reason is to leave a record for those who follow - after all, how much of the material in the books we read originated in some magician's personal diary or notebook?

93 93/93

Todd

[Occult Forum Archive]

Original post: Son of a Montage

Nalyd23, did you write your journal in E-Prime? I think that would be very beneficial and come closest to the "unbiased record" of which Overflowed Buffer refers to.

[Occult Forum Archive]

Original post: LadyHydralisk

I used to write things down because I was afraid I would forget them. But the experiences are so amazing I have found that this is never a problem. But it is good for remembering small details. I like to share experiences with others, because of my Gemini nature, many planets are in Gemini for me, including mercury. When I share word for word what is in my journal, I find that I have a different writing style than when I am speaking to someone on a post on the boards, or talking to someone in person. So maybe it gives a little added insight.

I want to see more magicians in the world, would be nice.

[Occult Forum Archive]

Original post: Was I Deleted, Again?

[QUOTE=Son of a Montage]Nalyd23, did you write your journal in E-Prime? I think that would be very beneficial and come closest to the "unbiased record" of which Overflowed Buffer refers to.[/QUOTE]
Well, since there can never be a "Objectiveness" in writting, I would not worry on this count. Son of a Montage's signature is forgotten but highly relevant. Be true enough in your writing to acknowledge who you are at the time when keeping such a diary. Be true. Judge yourself however you want but describe the moment free of self-explanations. Whatever you were 'like' or analogous to at that time may be important for the insights you filter, distill and finally consume.

Moreover, this is not The Magical Journal. It is a magical journal. It is YOUR magical journal. As such, it carries its own disclaimer.

JQP
....though the heavens fall.

[Occult Forum Archive]

Original post: Anathema_Oracle

Backtracking to a previous thread in Chaos Magick, known as "Retroactive Enchantment" Keeping a diary of your wokings, observations and concepts may in fact render the situation as fiat Lux pointed out, a synchronous effect.

It may not be pointless, who knows, to attack magickal workings in a scientific manner, action, observation, record and repeat, but that may not be the point, as has been stated by posters.

Maybe the Pro to a magickal diary is, action, change, record and observe, build up manifold perspectives and characterize the diary as a script which can be edited...I'm not sure

[Occult Forum Archive]

Original post: Kuroyagi

hey fellow pope, I posted a thread by that name in the interimistic chaos forum when we were a bit short on topics..

so speaking of taking notes: because Im saving many of my old posts since that time I can quote it here. maybe this is typical of my method of record-keeping in general: there must be a reason (forgetting, difficult accessibility, boredom or a hinderance to my studies resulting from them etc) that incites me to action (writing down sth)- as the forum being hacked in the case of OF posts

ok fellows,

I'd be interested if and in what form you record or recorded your magical work (if at all) and what your experiences were...are you pro/con magical diary, have you kept one and stopped, have you even got several (like ritual, dream, astral etc??)

I myself am so very easily bored by keeping a record thats its difficult for me sometimes...I never kept (or am willing to) a diary w "form-sheets" for ritual (w time, method etc) though I recognize its usefulness...

still some aspects of how I keep record sometimes are
1) the same way I'm learning the tedious memorization-part of a new language (at first I learn a new language primarily in order to talk (and only secondarily to read), to use it- so theres only my big vocabulary-book as a basis into which I write things I learn in conversation, points of grammar that are esp hard for me to remember, anecdotes, quotes or for lack of other writing paper just some idea thats not related at all)
2) I make "art": I eg write a story w other elements/characters involved (or phantasize etc): much new can develop from it
3) cause I'm so lazy in this respect I only write down 1 or a couple of words (thereby I think of the subject or train of thoughts)- representing the whole. all of it- or more than one would have remembered otherwise- is triggered when looking at it which works even after years!

on a side note: I personally dont buy into "method of science-aim is religion" unconditionally- sometimes I like to have some virgin or pigeon too cause often my method is eg artistic- and often the results and the method is not divisible- BUT before we have a lenghty and boring discussion: I also mainly use scientific methods mainly for learning and recording, simply cause they are intersubjective relatable and apt for communication (still artistic record-keeping (like via a poem or a picture etc CAN be more holistic and easier to access- or even think of an old photo: how much does it relate that isnt remembered) but this is not the chaosmagicforum...

[Occult Forum Archive]

Original post: Overflowed_Buffer

Does anyone ever use the template that you can download in the Ceremonial Magic section of the OF library? It is very in depth, but I'm not the kind of person who would use that...probably should.

(On a slightly related note, I wonder if typing out secret words of power and other secrets would count as writing them in the eyes of the spirits who don't wish to have them shared...)

[Occult Forum Archive]

Original post: Defgarden

One is suprised at how much we learn simply by the magickal act of writing. I have probably missed quite a few realizations by simply not writing something down. Writing allows my mind to have a say where sinple thinking to myself can not suffice. I would sooner forget than discover.