Magickal Will

[silverfirefly]

Is there a good way to develop or strengthen one's magickal will?

TIA.

[Shinichi]

http://www.wikihow.com/Increase-Your-Willpower

Google has plenty of other articles, just on the first page. Seriously, volition is just volition. Crowley's whole True Will thing is something different, but if you just want will power then know that volition is a very mundane skill that can be developed very easily through mundane practice. You just have to put in the work.



~:Shin:~

[manonthepath]

try visualization.

[Desecrated]

Strengthen your ego.

[SerAlex]

Strengthen your ego.

And in order to do this, you must do the following...

1. Prove you're right even if you're wrong
2. Treat anyone who doesn't live up to your standards like trash
3. Boast about your accomplishments
4. Don't give a crap about what others think unless it's positive
5. Tell yourself you're the most awesome and badass mofo around

[corvidus]

Is there a good way to develop or strengthen one's magickal will?

TIA.

become celibate

[Desecrated]

Strengthen your ego.

And in order to do this, you must do the following...

1. Prove you're right even if you're wrong
2. Treat anyone who doesn't live up to your standards like trash
3. Boast about your accomplishments
4. Don't give a crap about what others think unless it's positive
5. Tell yourself you're the most awesome and badass mofo around

That sounds like inflating your ego instead of strengthening it.
What you should do is.

1. Strive to be right.
2. Treat yourself better then others, but don't treat them like trash. Unless they are trash.
3. Be proud of your accomplishment. There is no need to brag, if they are truly great accomplishments, the action will speak for itself.
4. Don't give a crap about what others think unless it's positive
5. Tell yourself that you are incomplete and need to better yourself.

A lot of people hear the word ego and think of people who build their entire personality on their belongings. What car they drive, what clothes they wear and so on.
What I'm talking about is inner strength. Honesty, Courage, Acceptance, Discipline, Intelligence and so on.

Your car and your clothes can very much be part of your ego. In magic we use tools as well, but don't let them become your entire ego.
No great magic is going to be done with an expensive ritual tool and a weak mind.
But some great magic has been done without tools and a great mind.

[SerAlex]

True. Although, to most, including myself, there isn't much of a difference between a strong ego and a big ego. I was also being a tad bit sarcastic. Nonetheless, you make valid points.

[Rin]

Meditate, meditate, then do some more meditating.

[Desecrated]

True. Although, to most, including myself, there isn't much of a difference between a strong ego and a big ego. I was also being a tad bit sarcastic. Nonetheless, you make valid points.

Well isn't that the challenge of it? To make it big but not inflated.
If it was easy to have a strong will, everybody would have it.

[Rin]

The ego (by any of it's multiple definitions) and the Will (magickal or otherwise) are two completely different concepts. An individual can have a very strong ego (either in the mainstream or metaphysical sense) and still have a very weak willpower (in fact, I think the former makes the latter more likely).

[Desecrated]

The ego (by any of it's multiple definitions) and the Will (magickal or otherwise) are two completely different concepts. An individual can have a very strong ego (either in the mainstream or metaphysical sense) and still have a very weak willpower (in fact, I think the former makes the latter more likely).

I'm more of a Schopenhauer guy. I think will is the driving force behind almost everything.
Hunger is will, love is will, hate is will, feelings are an expression of will. Every human action is in somehow tied to our will.

For me ego is self. Will is need. the self wants something, this is will.
There is no separation between I and ego.
Ego is not just the conscious part of ourself but also our subconsciousness since a lot of need and will comes from there.

Someone with a weak ego just lets life pass by them and think that they don't deserve happiness.
People with weak ego go on a diet because they think that is what society demands of them. They punish themselves to please other people.
("working jobs they hate, to buy shit they don't need, so they can impress people they don't like").

I've heard the opinion,that one should let go of oneself to reach higher enlightenment. But this is only true for cowards who are afraid of suffering.
If somebody want to sit on a mountain top and "just live in the now", go ahead.
But since I'm not planing on being a monk I rather foster and strengthen these essential human feelings (or states of mind).
Without will the self is just drifting along without a destination, and without a destination, there is no purpose of being alive.

Hell, I'll even go so long and say that strong will is a virtue.
Everybody I look up to, are people who have had a strong will, and actually accomplished something with their short and meaningless life.
Not because somebody else told them to, but because they wanted to do it.

(upon a second reading i notice that some of this sound harsh and impolite, I apologize for that and blame it on my own lack of the English language. I'm not trying to tell you (Rin) how to think and behave, I'm just trying to explain my view of it)

[Rin]

That's fine, I think we're just using different terminology for the most part.