If you’re on the Path for a prolonged period of time, you will experience friendship making and friendship breaking. It is usually inevitable and for a lot of reasons. How this happens will depend on the people you interact with, naturally. How many of your early life friendships are still around and vibrant? Probably not many, if you’ve “lived” a bit or you’re out of college or mid-30’s and have moved for work. Even fewer if you’ve loved away from your birthplace for a period of time.
I know some would want me to state something about how friendships on the LHP don’t seem to last. There’s some truth to that, but not for the reasons one may think. Clearly, this is based on my opinion and the experiences I’ve had. I can’t speak for every group, sect, cult, kinfolk, etc… I can only speak to what I’ve seen over the years in various levels of forums that range from the absurdly emo Dark Lord sort to the indifferent shit talking larpers to the middle ground accepting sort to the Reddit-esque “we must support every experience” stew. I’m not involved with anything that deals with “identity politics” or much of any politics, either. Outside of the ritual chamber. I do me, you do you.
Magic doesn’t typically attract the extremely stable sort. Some of us had experienced that led us toward the Occult and we found one path or another. Others are desperate, curious, or want to simply be societal anarchists that find their way towards one path or another (likely not the RHP). LHP tends to attract those without perceived power that want or need it. This may seem like a “dig”, but it isn’t. In a world full of “woe is me”, they actively sought out potential ways to improve their situation. This is a big indicator that they are likely more independent, self-assertive, and willing to go their own way, rather than suffer through the same sermons or advice that didn’t work to begin with – because it wasn’t aimed at them. Think of Pareto’s Principle.
What does that leave us with? Well, to generalize, it leaves us with the people rejecting the sheep status of the 80%, but that’s really not true. There are RHP Occultists too. I’ve gone against some that have put people in mental institutions for petty, personal gain. And LHP Occultists that require the RHP methodologies/frameworks/myths for their personal systems. Well…that makes a mess of it all, doesn’t it?
Let me give you an example. I know a very talented “LHP” magician that is completely reliant on the RHP scheme, mythology, and world view for their practice. Even when they know other magicians that can completely disregard that system and show it’s not the “only” paradigm of Truth, they still cling to it. They cannot accept that there are other paradigms that don’t need or use those rules. They cannot see past it. This WILL limit their growth and at some level they know it.
It’s the very thing “LHP” people condemn. This magician is very successful at magic they’re familiar with and that conforms to this system. Less so in others. Their life is largely unstable, relies on luck, chance, and immediate magic. They typically have smarter magicians they have as friends that bridge the gaps they have, technical and theoretical, when things get outside their paradigm and abilities. But, in typical LHP style, they are the only magicians that make things happen when they speak of successes. This is typical of a “successful” LHP magician that is public facing.
If it was the RHP, it would be full of no living up to X standards. Of not working to fulfill X goal that so many others are, to help untold millions… It’s just packaged differently. Prosperity Gospel is full of that idiocy. It appears to pay…for a while. As long as that payment flows upwards. Not to God, of course. God doesn’t need it. He supposedly already made it. But egos need that sort of thing and to feel associated with it.
So, we have judgy people on the Left and the Right… And everywhere in between. The Truth is this – we will not agree. People that are cut throat and ruthless will continue to be. People that take advantage of others will continue to. LHP, RHP…it’s full of it. Part of it is ignorance on the actual mechanisms and systems in place because of a reliance on their mythologies and frameworks. Part of it is ignorant “karma” gatekeeping by the Occult community that don’t have any genuine understanding that these “systems” and “rules” vary. Things apply if you believe, but less so (largely don’t) if you don’t. But beware the soapbox acts…
People are just as nice and as shitty as the general public, regardless of “path”. Most of the online gurus I’ve seen have mediocre levels of experience outside their field. Education can go a long way, but it isn’t a guarantee. Really, it’s about critical thinking and questioning. From a magical point of view, it’s about questioning that in practice and finding those boundaries that tomorrow or next month, we will break. Break in practice, not in theory. Plenty of theory experts…especially online.
Truth is, most people on ANY path are trying to work through and process the bullshit from their past in some way that can provide value now. Their insights will be colored by this. Their approach may be colored by this. Their ability to walk away from the comfortable paths and theories will be colored by this. I’m no different. I can just interact with many paths and paradigms or show where it’s nonsense (within my experience, of course). I’m not immune. I just actively work to remove that. It’s easy to see how this would bleed over into the other lives I am interacting with.
When you add independence of spirit, with a little excessive emotion, and rigidity of a path/opinion, it really isn’t a surprise that friendships fracture. What was needed yesterday or last month may not hold value when it comes with the “cost” of friendship. Friendship is a two-way street and not everyone is willing or able to bridge that gap. I have a friend who is really, really gifted in research, herbology, and historical references. Our practices are VERY different. We’ve helped eachother over the years, in our own unique ways. It’s not a transactional relationship. The difference is that we both realize this, value it, and, you know, act as Friends With Occult Interests, not just as Occult friends.
I can cite many more. Relationships others have rejected due to their own rigidity and the rejection of others to conform to their rigid points of view (little more than this). It’s a shame, but seems typical of those “Master” magicians with no dissenting voices around anymore. While you can find similar things in the Taoist path, it’s because they’re cultivating the relationship with the Tao. That can be an even more singular path than the an emo/ego path.
Without dissenting opinions, especially in practices very different from their own, how can anyone hope to genuinely continue to climb, instead of falling down the crevasses of blinds as so many others have? We are all still (hopefully) climbing. We would be most valuable to ourselves and our friends by continuing to seek out different paradigms and advice to that which we are looking at now. This help us round out our actual abilities.
If you’ve read this far, regardless of path, please help contribute to the “fix”. Publish your voice and experiences. While there will always be too many of the frauds and gatekeepers, the Internet can sometimes give us the chance to reach others that would like to hear these messages and maybe even need to. This is the only way I see to help fix the Occult relationship issue when all of these “professional” magicians and spiritualists that lure the others away into servitude (paying or otherwise). And that may easily make us a friend or two that can last.
