@kara@occult.camp @thatdelphox@occult.camp from the processes as I observed them, it's even simpler than that; some people want to feel more powerful than other people, and will use "hidden knowledge/mysteries/magic/woo/whatever" to get that power over people. if there's a rulebook of any kind, some rules lawyer is going to try to be the top of the heap by being better at following the rules than *you*(anybody), and nitpick whatever you're doing.
@thatdelphox@occult.camp @kara@occult.camp and this can happen on any level, from the Catholic church down to two people messing around with Tarot cards or an Ouija board, if one of them is inclined to play that game. and of course it's not restricted to religious/spiritual practices, but those already have built-in strong memetic hooks that make status-climbing and victim-hooking a whole lot easier.
YES I HAVE OPINIONS, HI
ranting about One True Wayism wrt: woo practices
@thatdelphox@occult.camp @kara@occult.camp but the *only* metric for whether you're doing something right or wrong is whether it *works for you*. and it doesn't have to have the same results as somebody else; even if it just feels right, or even feels like something you could get more out of with more practice, that's valid too. if something doesn't work, don't force it. try it, but don't be disappointed if it doesn't immediately click.
ranting about One True Wayism wrt: woo practices
@kara@occult.camp @thatdelphox@occult.camp heh, I should probably either rant about this over on @Troodon@occult.camp or maybe use this as a springboard for this new DW account I've been talking about so I can write up something properly long and ranty. XD or both!
small drug mention
@kara@occult.camp @thatdelphox@occult.camp so, yeah. anybody who tells you you're "doing it wrong" is 100% either trying to sell you something or make themselves more important at your expense, unless it's something super obvious like "don't take a whole lot of drugs and try to have a mystical experience while driving in rush hour traffic."