A discussion started in another thread, where I mentioned some of the cognitive biases that might lead to false impressions about what magick is and how it works. Specifically I named
base rate neglect and
conformation bias, but I think the magician does well to be aware of
the whole topic area, and the general idea that a strong motivation to maintain a given belief has a lot of power over how phenomena are perceived and interpreted.
And while these issues as I've discussed them are indeed a part of modern cognitive science literature, in occult literature and specifically in the context of magick development, the potential for self-deception and admonishments to avoid it predates the science. Self-deception isn't the only so-called
pitfall of magick and mystical practice. For example, any technique that includes markedly altered states of awareness, because of how remarkable the sensory experience can be, can develop into something of an addiction, wherein the value of the experience is lost in favor of the sensory features, pursued for their own sake. The aspiring magician does well to be aware of all such issues, and to learn or develop strategies against them.
I raised the idea of good journaling practices as a means of addressing the self-deception issue, and further suggested that over years of magick practice:
Quote:
Originally Posted by
R. Eugene Laughlin
What I mean is that carefully and honestly tracking ones magical activities tends to disabuse people of the simplistic idea that there's a direct causal link between an act, like putting a note in your shoe, and finding a lost item.
And here's a response that was offered:
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Imperial Arts
My belief in the power of magic stems from experience and not from unfounded belief or mistaken mental processes. I have kept a journal from the very beginning, and have even to this day the little green spiral notebook wherein my description of the anti-theft amulet can be found. I have not found that the journal causes me to doubt or dispute the validity of a variety of spells and magical rites.
I don't doubt your word at all, IA. But neither do assume that any old journaling method is sufficient to counteract the effects of a strong motivation to confirm ones expectations/beliefs/hopes, and I even think it's possible that poor journaling (from my point of view) might be counterproductive in terms of self-deception.
Please understand that I have no way of knowing if you're deceiving yourself or not. Maybe you are and maybe you aren't, and that's your affair, not mine. I'm discussing a general principle here that I've given a great deal of thought to in the past, which just happened to be suggested by our discussions in the
Where's the Science thread.
With that in mind, I have in fact developed a journaling method with the cognitive science of self-deception in mind, which is one example of how science can and should be informative of good magick practice. You and the rest of the readership is invited to review the method, and comment or criticize, use it, or whatever you like. I've recently revised it, by the way, so if you read the document previously, it's worth going over the revision. It's written in the same spirit, but is somewhat more specific and, I hope, better:
Developmental Journaling
