I suspect a lot of people have difficulty recognizing that what they believe about the world may not be representative of how the world actually behaves. I certainly do, frequently.

Like with politics, people think they need to go vote and march and stuff to effect change, but if you're willing to accept the idea that there are limits to your ability to perceive the world and your perceptions are misleading, you can pretty reliably go and see that isn't true.

You can also decipher deeper realities like you can basically put whatever you want on flat bread, or that you dadskf;'akse'wfaegqrwt;'lj'a fuck my brain. I'm asd I'm not sure what I was trying to say.

  • AbbysMuscles [she/her]
    ·
    11 months ago

    I wish I wasn't so sleepy and had something interesting to contribut to the discussion, but I really appreciate this post and everyone's conversation. I've been trying to change my habits of thinking recently (mostly by trying new things, such as drawing), as well as more occult stuff that I doubt Mr Hexbear would approve of. I fucking love that anecdote you posted, thank you!

    • culpritus [any]
      ·
      edit-2
      11 months ago

      Have you read the Dark Marxism blog that is all about the occult elements of capitalist ideology?

      https://ianwrightsite.wordpress.com/

      A bit of occult analysis with historical materialism is fine with many of us here.

      • Frank [he/him, he/him]
        hexagon
        ·
        11 months ago

        Occultism and esotericism can be very helpful for, idk, growing in thought, or becoming more aware of the world, or learning to see what really is. The tricky part is to remember that all the magic stuff is a trap for fools, and the real value is learning nasty little tricks like you don't have to walk on sidewalks and that the best way to lie is to tell the truth.

    • charlie
      ·
      11 months ago

      Occult shit is rad af

      • AbbysMuscles [she/her]
        ·
        11 months ago

        I've been wondering if starting an occult comm is a good idea or not. I want to take esoteric ideas and just run with them in a space that isn't filled with reactionaries. But I think it'd be a fatal mismatch with the culture of the site as a whole; taking magic seriously doesn't tend to jive well with rigid material analysis

        • GarbageShoot [he/him]
          ·
          11 months ago

          Well, a properly scientific view is not dogmatically opposed to concepts that are culturally associated with mysticism. The CPC made a point to investigate and for a time even promoted qi stuff before they felt certain it was nonsense and rejected it. If something under the umbrella of "magic" can observably produce change in the material world, demonstrate it! Such a thing would almost certainly be useful.

          The problem is that many new-age pagans take on their "beliefs" about magic as essentially a roleplay: they know deep down it doesn't work but proclaim that it does because the social mindset of it working is somehow involved in its actual use as what amounts to a therapeutic religious practice. There is more in common with Tumblr moon witches and qanon posters than either group would like to admit.