TSR-Book of Shadows Fundamentals and Intro

OK... So here goes with this portion of all this. Welcome to the TSR- Book of Shadows. To be clear from go, this is not to be an all encompassing thorough resource. This is meant to serve as a guide, and companion to the TSR shop, and to help you move about the community. I don't mind if you bookmark this and use it as a guide for any of your online; or offline, occult needs. Yes I'd like to see it be used in conjunction with purchases. However I do believe in Helping and giving to the community. I do believe some knowledge should be open and free. I also believe in people earning a living from that knowledge, even if its teaching others with no other practical application. I.E an instructor or author. However I believe fundamental knowledge should be open access to all. In the occult there is a lot of Nuance and grey area. 

I absolutely agree with people learning secrets, new techniques, traditions, etc. Then making a living off of  that deeper knowledge responsibly. I.E, no capitalistic structure of domination and taking advantage of others. If you put in the work, you deserve to earn a living the same as everyone else. Again, I hardly believe in rules, dogma, etc. However I full heartedly believe and stand behind that you should never use any psychic gift, or occult working to take advantage of people. Use it to earn a living, yes. Preying on others with it, no!

Also this is not to establish myself as any sort of Supreme Authority of Magick, the Occult, Paganism, Satanism, Etc. Not at all. This is a compendium, in short form of my 20 years plus traveling the path of the Occult. When other Artist, Occultist, Etc join up to TSR family, They will add their knowledge here too. For now, I will be establishing the bulk of the start of this. I will also do a deeper behind the scenes dive on who I am, and what I stand for in the Occult and Mundane world.

For now, this is 20 plus years experience in the Occult. I've made my mistakes, and I've made my achievements. From my mistakes I have learned and forever feel terrible for. For my achievements, I am forever humbled too. However, I stand firm on my learned experience in the Occult. However I also stand eager to learn, evolve, and challenge my own "truth's". A good bit of my experience comes form learning practices that I'd equate to what I now call "Neo Shamanism" from a legitimate Teacher of native spiritualism. Confirmed as witnessed to her presence to and respect displayed by several of the local Native American population. Not claiming to be a "shaman" of some native tradition or lineage. However I did learn a lot of the principles from a lens applied for someone of outside their community. From there I was taught and dove through Stregheria. Or "American-Italian Witchcraft". There's a lot of controversy enshrouded in Stregheria, especially its claimed link to a much older tradition. However suffice to say, it was a fundamental, foundational background to my navigation. I have then studied Taoism, Middle eastern pre-Muslim "paganism" and varied different traditions and occult practices. My formal career is scientifically based, (not claiming to be a scientist) but science has also influenced a lot of my progression. 

So again, not trying to establish myself as a formal know it all on the Occult. This isnt a "Tome of Gate Keeping" nor is it to establish a concurrent dogma.  However I am very well traveled in the realm of spiritualism, and the occult and some of its Niche branches into Philosophy with Agnosticism and other things. A good bit of my goal over my practice has been to establish a sort of Nuanced universal tie to the various traditions and practices without devaluing them, nor debasing them. You will find a lot of my personal knowledge comes with a sort of Modular outlet of application. some of it will be narrowingly direct. However a good deal of it is easily approachable no matter which lens or walk you come from.    

SO OK LETS GET STARTED

So the idea behind this is that coming to my store you have some basic understanding of magick and the occult and the like. However i will give a brief short intro here to help catch up the new ones a little bit. There is a wealth of information on the Occult online, in book form and various other media and medium. If you are truly new I implore you seek out books, traditions, etc. that rhyme with your reason. If you feel your Rhythm is that in which you find on TSR? well i will be soon publishing a book on my current practice. I will try to sell it at a bottom price making it accessible to as many as it can be. 

Magic/ Magick

So why do you see me spelling it magick with a K for one? well this stems from my age and my activity in the community. Lol i use it and will continue to use it on the site as a way to differentiate it from stage magic and things of that nature. This doesn't stem from some "anti stage magic" or elitist mentality. In the Opposite. I recognize illusionary, or "Glamour" magick as valid form of occult, which houses the use of illusionary, or "stage magic" as valid. It's simply a way to differ the two for deeper purposes especially when you start interacting with groups of people who do indeed mix the occult with showmanship in various outlets. 

the definition of magick has been roughly implemented in some form of "causing real world change in accordance with ones will". OK well that means any action you perform is in essence magick? Well yes, and no. The idea behind "Magick" in occult sense is thus further identified by other inputs to that definition. So our definition here will be simple so as everyone understands.

Magick: the act of influencing the real world in accordance with one's will by use of psychic or supernatural perceived methods and or influencing the spiritual world. 

This is intentionally an easy to understand definition, but as you learn; or if you already know a bit about the occult, you further (or will begin to further) understand just how loaded the definition is. 

Psychic Power: In brief form, Psychic power, or Psi, Psy, etc. Has been the fundamental power, or essence that binds your will, or channels your will directly into action. Weather that's manipulating your own Aura, or manipulating the influential energy from a talisman. Anytime you perform magick, you are using Psychic power to catalyst that action. 

Spiritual World: so this has a way more thorough definition. However, for the purposes of introductory explanation. We will Stick to the most simplistic form. In reference to the term "Spiritual World". On this site, and most of the Occult. The term is used as an umbrella term to reference anything not of the mundane world, or the physical place/Physical world. Anything to do with the Occult and Magick in general. Again there is a much much more thorough definition. That's when we get into talking about planes of existence and the like. 

Mundane World: The Mundane World is simplistically, the physical world, or what people not of the Occult would call the "Real World". 

 

Again, I'm not trying to establish Authority on the Occult. These definitions, and information provided is from a cultural, and demographical source that is WIDELY CHANGING DAILY. People are publishing new books on new traditions, all the time. People are making connections to things not yet thought up of on a regular basis. Traditions routinely contradict each other, the world we live in and sometimes parts of their own traditions. The information provided is from the Most baseline perspective of all these facets. Facets yet I haven't fully explored myself. Religion, the Occult, Spirituality, and even Science evolves at a rapid rate. Everything is subject to various different lenses and perspectives. This is the most baseline neutral I've learned to approach the Occult from. Individual techniques, and traditions take years to begin to understand let alone understand from a standpoint to dissect and study deeper. The information provided is from my, and our experience at the TSR and is the information that has led to the creation of our workings. There is a community based blog for the community to then input their own knowledge. For all to see and learn from. 

At the end of the day this is intended at minimum to help people make more informed purchases on the TSR shop. This was the Intro and first post for all in the TSR Book of Shadows. Hope this information helps and thank you for reading. <3 <3