Ly De Angeles

[juliaki]

I figure that those who claim titles not earned out of greed or desire for power will get whomped mightily by whatever forces take them seriously. My main concern is for those who take on a title without realizing what implications it have (because it isn't something that most people are willing to talk about in mixed company) who then are going to suffer years of being bashed around by the universe because the universe thinks that the person knew what they were saying when they called themselves this or that.

It may not be fair, but it has been my experience that if someone calls themselves a priest or priestess, they get priest or priestess level experiences to handle. If someone calls themselves a shaman, they get shaman level experiences to handle. If someone calls themselves an initiate, they get initiate level experiences to handle. Even if you have the training and energetic triggering that each of those ways of life confers, they're still rough to get through. I can't imagine that someone who takes on the title without those energetic triggers would be able to survive the experience, and I hate seeing newcomers end up getting themselves hurt long-term simply because someone didn't care enough to say "Are you reeeeeally sure you want what comes with that title?"

(And ain't life as an edgewalker oh so interesting? Ya know, if someone told me what came attached with the different paths out there, I would have run as fast as I could the other direction. Wouldn't have done any good, but at least I could pretend I was asserting free will!)

[Eretik]

I hear you on that!lol.I've had to 'clean up' after those who've bitten off more than they can chew, too many times.Recently, it's been a friend who invoked, using ceremonial methods: the clasic triangle/circle type.He came crying, as he couldn't get 'the genies' back 'in the bottle', so to speak.Very messy,he was scared witless,why manifest if you then get freaked by the fact it has been 'successful'?Why he thought he could do this,I don't know,often a little knowledge can be dangerous.He has been warned, I'd say, he got off lightly, not everyone can access a friend with experience, when the shit hits the fan.But I'm digressing.I'd have run right across the world, if I could, to escape my calling...but it would just have followed me anyway.I'm going to see if I can fish out that book, by Dion Fortune.It's been years, but I should revisit the classics, Sybil Leek too and others, see if I get more out of them now, given that I'm more knowledgable and have some life experience under my belt, than when I read in the past.

I meant to say,earlier, I don't engage in 'craft' pursuits because I don't have anyone to interact with other than in the manner above,Pagan[allly?] wise,that is, not because I don't want to.I sound prissy sometimes, and I talk about some things well, but on others I don't.Sorry.It sounded snipy but wasn't meant to be.