Spiritual Scaffolding and Standards for Successful Sorcery

Scaffolding and Standards You Say?

What in the world could I be on about with this title? Perhaps the suggestion that, for individuals with an interest in approaching esoteric and occult studies, there is a framework and format that can help make sense of the apparent gibberish and shed light on the hidden value things like magic have to offer.

Even in our post-modern world (gone mad), evolved so far beyond those superstitious and delusional clods who wrote their magical grimoires on stretched goat skin with feather-pens by the light of a candle, we can derive benefit from the study of arcane lore and magical procedures. That's a tough sell, I understand.

Silly Stuff Like Spirit and Sorcery? 

Shit. Shut it.

How could we, the authors of such magnificent social media profiles and distributors of such stunningly righteous (virtue-signaling), instructional memes to point the (politically correct) way for our neighbors, benefit in any way from savages like Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa and Eliphas Levi? There must be no doubt of our superiority, both intellectual and spiritual, when comparing our generic agnosticism and don't-even-need-to-look-into-it materialist high ground to topics such as god, ritual magic, and spiritual beings, all of which these oafs wrote about in some detail. 

The answer to how we can benefit from occult wisdom and magical concepts is both simple and complicated. Such a condition is, by the way, often called a paradox by occult writers.

I will cover this paradoxical position postscript to this piece, meaning prospectively (like later), so patience please on your part.

"Seriously?!" Say Some. "You Switched from the Bait and You Suck!"

Simmer down Sally, Stan, Seymor, and Sue. Sucking you in for a click-baity win is the last thing I'd do, I promise you. 

It's a simple matter of bigger and badder and the topic at hand weighs more than this man. I must my way and choose what to say to make my point land, At least that is the plan. Please understand.

Shew. (wipes brow) So... Where are We Now?

Right. Scaffolding stuff for success and so on.

For clarity’s sake let’s grab a few terms from our post title and give them a proper introduction.

Spiritual

I think we can all agree this word means of or relating to spirit. What then, is spirit?

It’s many things in fact. It is the proto-elemental ether, or the fifth element that creates and flows through the classical four elements of earth, water, fire, and air. It’s also the divine fabric or fluid, take your pick, at the root of all things manifest and unmanifest in our universe. These and other definitions are both common and correct in accordance with the lore.

Some salad of words I hear some observe. Am I telling you all this jazz is objectively true.

Of course not. Though it could be. That's not the point anyhoo. 

You gotta realize we must conceptualize if we are to actualize the benefit I initially alluded to that comes from the study of magic and woo.

Spirit is also the essence of a thing, or we could say of anything. This doubles down on the previous positions or definitions but it can also stand alone. Examples include the spirit of peace or even the spirit of Christmas.

Spirit can also be a fundamental quality of a system that is shared by all the native components. Think in terms of school spirit or the common spirit of inhabitants who share a region, i.e. community spirit.

In the context of our title, spirit is the essential understanding and nature of sorcery. You could further simplify this by saying it is the theme, mindset, and attitude that represents good sorcery.

Scaffolding

This is the structure from which construction is enacted. It's like a skeletal frame within the parameter of future walls and coming halls and it lets the builders work from the inside outward at their common cause of erecting a building (while taking care not to fall). First the scaffolding is assembled and from this assembly the workers begin building frames and installing infrastructure.

In psychological terms it is the basis of cognition and feeling states that give rise to a paradigm. So it is with the title of this post, where scaffolding follows our definition of spirit to mean the structure upon which a good mindset and attitude are built.

Standards

This is the baseline set of criteria from and by which measurements will be made. The ideas set forth in subsequent articles are solid setpoints for measuring correct thinking as it pertains to sorcerous endeavors.

Successful

I almost skipped this one. Surely we all know what this word means.

Or do we? If this were so there’d be far less conflict in the world, so better if we go ahead and identify the goal.

In my opinion, which I assume is correct, successful sorcery is the same sorcery which generates consistent, predictable, and desirable results for the one who wields, possesses, or participates in it. Implicit in my use of the word "results" is objectivity, for subjective results can be transformative and wonderful and just plain fun, but without objective, as in verifiable did-happen, real world results what are we really doing differently from those poor, confused, and my god tragic souls who run around with fake Harry Potter wands and made-up spellbooks pretending to be sorcerers, witches, wizards, and so forth?

To be both fair and clear: I'm referring not to small children, or even grade school kids, but to the teens and young adults and sometimes even older folks who sport a World-of-Warcraft-grade obsession with playing Harry Potter in their waking hours, right smack in the damn middle of their real lives..

What... the... @#$%^ ???

I mean (tangent alert!) Jesus, what is actually wrong with that picture and the folks in it? All that energy, time, and money (Rowlings is gettin' paiiiiid on them price points) blown on a bunch of stupid props and playtime paraphernalia, one might think to inquire: Hey ya'll wanna stop making asses of yourselves and check in on some real magic?

Or, perhaps some would prefer this version: Since ya'll are already making asses of yourselves, why not study the actual magic your story time is based on (while continuing to make asses of yourselves [because, you know, studying "real magic" is still ridiculous])?

Sorcery

At last the true gem of this silly selection of “s” sounds and such: Sorcery.

Surely sorcery is simply a synonym for magic, witchery, and wizardry?

Somewhat sound is such a surmisal. Still, certainly some supplemental specifications could be stated.

For some speculate sorcery is also some scale of skill innate, inborn if you will. A talent for mystical and magical work that comes without or at least prior to formal study and training. The sorcerer or sorceress is a natural born magic user who often begins their magical career before they’re even aware of the fact.

In common usage then, sorcerer has also become applicable to the spellcaster or magician of considerable skill, without reference to whether or not the skill is innate or acquired. The term also suggests an essential quality, just as spirit is the foundation of all other energies sorcery is at the heart of all magical work, a sort of passion for the Art or ubiquitous expression of what it means to live and work in one’s magic.

I think this is surely and safely something sublime to shoot for. A sound and sensible, serious strategy to secure, and to aspire to. This aspiration starts with a few straightforward but important ideals.