The desire for information is a desire that should always be encouraged. The desire for new information is important. However, we should never shut down the desire for old information either.
Information that we obtain (or knowledge that we acquire) helps us better understand the experiences and situations or the subjects that we are reaching towards in an effort to better our own work or our own experiences. Experience is as important as the knowledge we must obtain beforehand and the knowledge we obtain from those experiences as well. Knowing how to check our own work is a skill that we do not see as often as we should.
Many occult and witchcraft practitioners will use this idea of “checking” either an author’s work or their own work by looking at the face value of content that is written and then executing those materials. If the ritual, spell, or experience written ends up matching their own experience then those materials and that content of knowledge often gets a “free pass” as being accurate and adequate data or information.
This is not how validation of educational materials in the occult world actually works. But it is what everyone assumes. If you can test it, then certainly it’s “accurate”, “correct”, “informative”, or “appropriate”. This is the worst thing you can do to validate other materials, works or practices that are published in the Wild West of internet accessible Occult information or even budding authors.
This is not to say that it is not a part of the process that goes into verifications of other authors or published works. The aforementioned method plays a role in how the verification and validations of other works and knowledge may function and can be applied. However, this does not mean that they may remain consistent. Other methods of verification are important such as eliminating author biases before approaching, comparing the same content to other authors or sources of information, or comparing understandings of knowledge and information from other parties that also have been made privy to the same data or experience you are looking to verify.
It is imperative that you think critically and observe possible biases, current knowledge bases, and experience levels when you are taking in information. From there, you should acknowledge that the information you currently have may become outdated. I cannot stress enough how important it is for any practitioner (or researcher of any breed) to revisit the information and knowledge they already possess and challenge their own understanding of it. How has the information you already learned changed? How has your own bias changed the way you perceive the narrative of the information and knowledge? How relevant is the knowledge you already have? Challenging your already obtained knowledge and information is just as, if not more, important than obtaining more additional information. You can “know” everything yet understand none of it. If you lack a deep and intimate understanding of the materials you “know”, what good does that knowledge truly offer you in practice?
It’s incredibly easy for people to assume that everything they currently have in their arsenal as well as the understanding of what they currently have is a static and well built brick house. Information is dynamic and comprehensive understanding of information should be just as fluid as it. Failing to set your own checks and balances as a practitioner of any occult art or craft is a recipe for you to fall into stagnation in your learning experience as well as your tangible experiences with your work and your practice. If you read something, challenge it.
Learn to ask critical questions about knowledge and information and its origins.:
Where else does this information arise?
Is it the author’s personal gnosis?
Is it developed from another culture?
If it is developed from another culture, what lens and or bias did the author write it from?
Was the information written by a native practitioner of that practice?
Does the information that was presented to you come from an author that understands the spiritual culture of a group or people by being a part of it or raised within it and ordained within it?
What are the linguistic backgrounds of your author?
What other texts or information has the author of your information written?
What is the quality of which the information is presented to you?
Is it an academic paper or is it a personal study?
When was this information and knowledge published?
What motivated the author of the information to present it to the public?
What does the knowledge and information represent to you and what has caused you to desire this information?
Why do you like the materials that are being presented to you?
Think about what, within a piece of information or knowledge, you like or dislike. It is common for us to desire to consume nothing but knowledge and information in the witchcraft and occult communities that “suits are aesthetic and personality”. This means we will lean our lens of focus to suit a particular style and targeted degree of writing. Choosing to focus on and favour materials that cater to your own personal pleasure helps build an incredible and well supported and narrow lens through which you will fail to understand broader subjects. It’s an excellent way to prevent yourself from expanding additional ways of thinking, seeing, and experiencing your craft. As the lens becomes more narrow, you will find that your understanding of other subjects and information becomes far more difficult to broaden due to the blinders you chose to wear. This is how many practitioners end up obsessed with materials or content from authors and individuals that have links to concerning or otherwise generally unacceptable sources.
Most sources that are deemed as unacceptable follow under the prospects of occult materials catering to prejudiced, racist, dogmatic and discriminatory materials. However, with a narrowed lens through which the occult and witchcraft may be viewed, it will provide the perfect environment for a denser blend of ignorance to begin to culture in a practitioner's way of thinking.
Now, this does not always happen, but the environment that is created by attempting to curate your personal knowledge and lacking the capacity to challenge your knowledge has a reputation to breed patterns of thinking that make it far easier to slip into those predatory sources of knowledge. Critical thinking and knowing how to challenge, cross reference, and examine sources of knowledge will provide a broader lens through which you can examine all of your source materials.
This particular step is lacking in most occult practitioners due to the sheer mass and circumference that surrounds the concept of seniority. I have been, personally, educated on subjects from practitioners that have been studying for three years while my own 20 years, minimal, of experience lacked in that particular subject. The dedication to appreciating knowledge and information is important and being open to obtaining information from any and all sources while simultaneously examining it with a critical appraisal of its weight can hold more value than someone who thinks themself as superior simply due to a number of solar rotations.
In the day and age of “Get Information Quick” and the desire for internet and social media attention, the mass majority of what is published in thumb-flicking thirty second babblings of a stranger online is not reliable no matter how you want to spin it. Building your own knowledge base upon a small collection of books and pretty faces using internet filters with extra glitter and glam as your “Source” without challenging it, is not only a recipe for disaster but an ignorant way to approach and develop your work or practice. Your Work and Practice deserves far more respect than that.
Always revisit old knowledge and information. You never know what you already know and how what you already know can teach you something new.
