Pragmatic magic/siddhi message board?

dave m, modified 5 Years ago at 7/21/18 1:08 AM
Created 5 Years ago at 7/21/18 1:03 AM

Pragmatic magic/siddhi message board?

Posts: 78 Join Date: 6/28/17 Recent Posts
I have a few powers questions:

1. Does anyone know of any good pragmatic magic/siddhi message boards, where sane people with decent morality investigate and discuss this stuff?  Ideally, it would be a place similar to DhO, where highly accomplished people discuss goals, conditions leading to those goals and effects (both good and bad) that might be encountered based on personal experience.

2. Can anyone recommend effective practices to shield yourself from being harmed by others intentions for you?  Is it as simple as intending that you not be harmed?

3. Is there any way to tell if a situation is already being handled by someone more skillful than yourself?

I'm still astonished that intention can do things beyond the "mundane" level that everyone is familiar with.  Since this is always happening and since my mind is quieter and intentions seem more effective than they used to, it seems like a really good idea to learn to work with them skillfully.  I would greatly appreciate being able to learn from others' experiences, hence the request for any good online communities.  The ones I've browsed so far seem to be dominated by people trying to assuage their loneliness by creating sentient thoughtforms or by people who wish to EAT YOUR SOUL WITH MUH MAGICKAL EDGINESS!!

As for the second question, my parents are devout evangelical Christians who are unfortunately aware that I'm not.  As a result, they pray for about an hour a day with strong emotion/attachment and great faith that I will go to heaven among other things.  They think this is the best that can be hoped for, and have kind intentions.  I used to not mind this since I thought they were wasting their time, but at least it made them feel better.  I am now somewhat concerned that this may actually affect me.  If I have future human incarnations, I would prefer not to spend who knows how long in some heaven.  Is this a silly concern?

Lastly, I was in the waiting room of my local mental health clinic for a routine checkup, when I overheard two women talking.  One was explaining that during her manic episode, her husband couldn't cope and left her and got custody of their kids.  She was despondent that she couldn't see them, had begun cutting herself, didn't feel that she was getting any help at this poor, rural clinic and was about ready to end things.  I understood where she was coming from and thought she could use some help.  So, without giving any outward sign, I relaxed into a blank mind and started compassion meditation, strongly focusing on the intent that she not suffer.  Almost immediately, the guy behind the reception desk got up and began walking toward the woman.  As he passed, he spoke in a low voice and said, "Calm down, calm down!" TO ME.  He continued on to the woman and took her back to see her counselor, I guess.  I was stunned, and felt a bit like I had accidentally dropped a deuce in someone else's sandbox.  I was so surprised by the situation that I didn't get the chance to talk to the guy about it, though I hope the opportunity will present itself in the future.

Also, this is totally off topic, but did you know that there's a Division of Perceptual Studies at UVA that is studying things like PSI phenomena, near death experiences and children with memories of past lives (sometimes with physical characteristics seemingly related to the manner of death)?

Their website is:
https://med.virginia.edu/perceptual-studies/

They did an interesting panel, moderated by John Cleese, no less:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4RGizqsLumo
Aldous Buckley, modified 5 Years ago at 7/23/18 10:32 AM
Created 5 Years ago at 7/23/18 10:32 AM

RE: Pragmatic magic/siddhi message board?

Posts: 3 Join Date: 1/20/14 Recent Posts
It gets talked about a lot at personalpowermeditation.com mate.
Lonnie J Brown, modified 5 Years ago at 10/10/18 11:06 AM
Created 5 Years ago at 10/10/18 11:04 AM

RE: Pragmatic magic/siddhi message board?

Posts: 2 Join Date: 9/21/18 Recent Posts
Hi dave m,

I realize the thread is a bit stale, but I just got here, so in the interest of making a contribution to the discussion... you were concerned about free-floating intent in your second question: "can anyone recommend effective practices to shield yourself from being harmed by others intentions for you...."

We live in a sea of free-floating intentions almost like a kind of white noise. I don't think that casual annoyance directed toward you can have a large effect, although I imagine it colors the overall feeling-tone.  Even someone wishing you actual harm briefly or in passing probably will not have much effect.  And it's just as likely that random people have vaguely friendly feelings toward you in passing.  And for the most part, people are invovled in their own internal dialogues and have no intentions toward you one way or the other.  Weak intentionality sort of washes out in the mix.

On the other hand we all take part in interactions that are inherently stressful.  Driving in heavy traffic, for example, tends to drive one's thoughts in an antagonistic direction.  I think you can work with situations like this in ways that keep you "above the fray".  First, don't give in to the temptation to get annoyed with other drivers -- don't put energy into the "wake up moron! how green does the light have to be?" type of thinking.  That kind of indulgence is sort of like alcohol or refined sugar -- the effects linger for longer than you would think.  Voice of experience.

Every culture prior to the European "Enlightenment" has had ways of dealing with this type of thing.  Protection or Apotropaic Magic(k) , protection against the "evil eye," etc. are pretty well universal.  There are appeals to saints, angels, daimons, demons; there are talismans, mojo bags, floor washes (for the home), and there is  prayer.  One of the more famous of these during the Middle ages was called St Patrick's Breastplate.  It's rather long, easy to look up if you are curious.  

My take on the Buddha's approach is that he was typically simple and direct: to protect yourself from harm intend no harm.  And the Buddha's contemplation similar to St Patrick's breastplate was much shorter and has been quoted elsewhere on this site:

"For those without feet I have loving kindness;
I have loving kindness for all with two feet...." etc.

"May those without feet do me no harm;
may those with two feet do me no harm..." etc.
Pål R, modified 5 Years ago at 10/10/18 10:17 PM
Created 5 Years ago at 10/10/18 10:17 PM

RE: Pragmatic magic/siddhi message board?

Posts: 115 Join Date: 8/3/16 Recent Posts
I know lot’s of people into pragmatic ”siddhis” but they don’t really have an internet forum and tebd to be quite secretive.
Interestingly, but maybe slightly off topic, I had my strongest ever ”energetic” experience yesterday, at an evangelical Christian prayer meeting. Halelujah, a&p-men! 
There are worse places to be than heaven. Please do pray for your parents attaining nirodha samapatti emoticon
dave m, modified 5 Years ago at 10/17/18 11:09 PM
Created 5 Years ago at 10/17/18 10:53 PM

RE: Pragmatic magic/siddhi message board?

Posts: 78 Join Date: 6/28/17 Recent Posts
Hi Lonnie,

Thanks for the info.  It is very interesting to see how the various cultures have handled protection from ill will.  I really like the Roman use of humor to preempt harmful thoughts.  Who knew the kids who go around tagging everything with phallic imagery are carrying on an ancient magickal tradition?

Loving kindness is an interesting meditation.  I experimented with it before with immediate and positive results.  When the concentration and energy were right, it seemed as though I could alter other people's mood, even without interacting with them.  This appeared to be welcome and helpful, but I have no idea how it works, if there are any unintended side effects or even how to control it beyond being consciously on full blast or off.  And seeing that it's possible to affect others with kind feelings, I would like some assurance that I'm not unconsciously affecting others when I experience the more difficult emotions.

Hi Pal,

Yeah, the secrecy sucks, but it makes sense.  I'm honestly glad I didn't find out about this stuff sooner than I did.

It is very interesting that you hang out here and with the evangelicals.  The Christian mystics seem legit, but I never encountered anything of the sort in my time with Christianity.  There were some very energetic prayer meetings and revivals, though.

Nearly everyone where I live is a Christian of some sort, and it feels a bit strange being surrounded by people who will talk your ear off about the need to be "born again," but have no idea what that means or how to do it.  The Bible is exceptionally vague on that point.  I wish more of them would follow Jesus' actual example and go pray in the desert for forty days and nights.
JP, modified 5 Years ago at 10/18/18 8:38 AM
Created 5 Years ago at 10/18/18 8:38 AM

RE: Pragmatic magic/siddhi message board?

Posts: 175 Join Date: 3/31/17 Recent Posts
dave m:

And seeing that it's possible to affect others with kind feelings, I would like some assurance that I'm not unconsciously affecting others when I experience the more difficult emotions.


I think that this is something where the commonsense interpretation makes sense -- if you're in a bad mood, that tends to decrease the happiness and enjoyment of the people around you, and if you're in a good mood it lifts them up.  Where the default social assumptions break down is on what to do when you're experiencing more difficult emotions -- the tendency is to expect people to package them away, bandaid over the problem, and distract themselves until it goes away.  That may work in the short term, but just exacerbates the issue in the long term.  You can look at lots of different teachings as different methods for how to transform your short term experience of difficult emotions into compassion and effective action, but loving-kindness is definitely an effective route.  Part of the key is to connect with the intention for things to be better that's present in even the most difficult emotions.  Harnessing the Energy of the Defilements is a great start on getting the right attitude there, and then you can bring that attitude into your metta practice.  MCTB also talks a lot about suffering and compassion as flip sides to each other, and I've found that to hold true in my experience as well.  When you're suffering, there's a belief that the world or you could be better if some action or change happened, and you're frustrated in making that change happen.   When you change the focus to trying to just repeatedly notice that you're frustrated and return to recognizing the original intention for things to be better, then you can connect with the perspective of wishing betterment for yourself and others -- which is compassion.

There's also very much a role for compassionate actions and trying to not spill your negativity needlessly over onto others while you're still working through it.  Doing any such action becomes a proof statement to yourself that makes it easier to accept that you're trying to do the best that you can, and helps solidify the intention as a reality.  But working through our own reactivity and negativity is an incredibly tough process, and your actions and even intentions will fall short of your own standards.  When that happens and you affect the others around you, it's important to still try to be gentle with yourself rather than piling on guilt.

So I think the answer here is yeah, you're unconsciously affecting others when you're experiencing more difficult emotions -- but that's really OK and an unavoidable part of the growth process.  Just try to learn from it wisely and keep on practicing so that in the future you can come back to affect those other people positively.
Pål R, modified 5 Years ago at 10/18/18 8:51 AM
Created 5 Years ago at 10/18/18 8:51 AM

RE: Pragmatic magic/siddhi message board?

Posts: 115 Join Date: 8/3/16 Recent Posts
Clear pragmatic advice from the Bible:
Pray without ceasing ;)

The most powerful ”magicians” I know tend to be devout Christian, although often of more ”heretical” denominations.

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