silvermage wrote:I have been working with practitioners from several different schools over the course of my twelve years in the craft and have noted that those who work regularly with the higher magics tend to age more slowly than their mundane counterparts or at least they tend to appear younger than their peers. Has anyone else noted a similar phenomenon or is this limited to my own group? I have also to an extent noted this in myself as at 26 I can still easily pass for 17 or 18. (Very annoying to still get asked for my ID whenever I buy wine or tobacco or get girls telling me they don't date younger guys when I ask them out). When I was somewhat younger and more foolish I attempted to achieve immortality through a process called the threefold-blessing which was basically founded on the idea that one who is blessed by magical (pure arcane formulae), spiritual (gods and goddesses) and elemental powers would pass beyond the bonds of mortality. Obviously I was unsuccessful, at least as far as I know, but this could possibly a residual or diluted effect of the intended purpose of said ritual.
Occultism and, in my case, Satanism are far more deep than appearance. However, I have to admit, as idiotic as it may sound, that when I started studying about Satanism and claiming I'm a Satanist and a magician I noticed a fundamental change in both my appearance and the chances I was given to succeed. Before starting studying about these things I was pretty much bullied at school and no girl ever took me serious, and sometimes they even made comments claiming that they didn't like my appearance. I wasn't even a misogynist back then because girls seemed unreachable, so I thought they were great or something I guess.
Now, there was a drastic change when I moved to another town with the goal to show everyone that I'm a bad-ass-sacrificer-Satanist. In fact, not only did I have almost every girl I wanted (which is something pretty overestimated and only good for one's dick because all girls are stupid whores) but within a year there were rumors that I'm a murderer-rapist you shouldn't mess with. (So, I simply bullied everyone and girls wanted to get fucked by me because they considered me both beautiful and "too mysterious".) Ten years have passed and my appearance doesn't seem to be affected by anything at all, no matter the drug and alcohol abuse I'm doing.