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Diaryland
Age Counts July 3, 2008 @ 3:46 p.m.
I've been in touch with many occultits that say you must be a certain age to practice these types of magical arts, as in at least 20, below 60. What do you guys think in regards to the required age of the practitioner? I say it doesn't matter. --Tyler
I would not say that there are hard and fast rules with age, but it can be a very big and important factor in things. It is not so much about chronological age as experience, maturity, wisdom, and even a little bit of brain chemistry and astrology (re: the returns of your outer planets). It is not always a question of whether or not a person is capable of performing an act -- in this case, a magical one -- but whether or not they can act wisely. Generally, people get wiser as they get older, but of course some people learn more or less than others, and there are certainly many old souls around who start out with a bit of an advantage.
Another thing about the age requirements is that they often go hand-in-hand with various cultural and religious trainings and initiations, so they provide a moral and cosmological background and foundation for the more esoteric arts. For example, an old Kabalistic rule was that one had to be male, 40 and married with children. If you think about Orthodox Judaism and everything that a man would go through and learn up to that point, he's not only well prepared for the higher things, but he's also gone through the cultural safeguards to ensure that the wisdom and knowledge is not abused and that it will be utilized for the good of the entire community.
With Abramelin for instance, I took the age rule to heart and tried to study and prepare myself for it in advance of turning 25 and undergoing the actual ritual. I was really well rewarded for it and found myself constantly guided and inspired in my studies. I also later learned that, not coincidentally, 25 is an age when the pituitary gland (re: crown chakra) really kicks into high gear even as the more volatile chemistry of adolesence slows down. Around that age, a person completes the physiological transition from a youth into an adult. I can tell you now, having crossed that threshold, that I have far more patience, wisdom, and understanding now then I possessed even a year ago! I am not saying it works like this for everyone: I'm just laying this out here to give an example of how age can change us.
With Abramelin, a lot of people think that knowledge and conversation of the HGA is an intermediate magical pursuit associated with minor adepts and the sphere of Beauty (Tipharet'). I disagree though. I believe its actually far more profound, though you do get a taste of things earlier on. To know one's True Will and what God has appointed you to do in this life, as well as command and familiarity over the chthonic and elemental spirits, are both listed among the
Greater Secrets in the Arbatel of Magic, right alongside prolonging life, curing anything in the space of seven days, and ascension/regeneration ala Elijah and Enoch.
Anyway, I'm not gonna tell you what you can and can't do, except to say learn to walk before you run, and don't feel rushed. All of this spiritual work is the Art of Life, and to really master it will take a lifetime pursuit anyway. So settle in and take your time and don't feel pressured to hurry up and do things before you're ready. That way, you will be completely prepared as you do reach new vistas and will not have to backtrack, rehash, or reinvent the wheel.
Peace, love, fluffy bunnies galore,
David
"Details in the Fabric" - May 31, 2009
Not So Quick Questions - April 6, 2009
The Morning Stars - Lords of the 15 - April 9, 2009
Sincerity and Faith in Magic - April 10, 2009
Not So Quick Questions (2) - April 14, 2009
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