Heimlich’s latest post has struck a deep chord for me. The particular blockages discussed also represent trouble points in my own personality. The task Heimlich outlines is something I’ve also been working on since puberty, though never in a way so carefully planned and detailed.
Regarding the specific study areas of sales and social interaction, I believe these deserve special emphasis from all students of the Occult. Knowing the rest of the Heathen and Neo-Pagan community to be just as big a bunch of geeks as I am, I cannot recommend the utility of these particular skill sets highly enough.
While I’m pretty far from considering myself a master of these technologies, I have been working on this area for some time and have achieved some success. With that in mind, there is a related sub-specialization of occult study that I would like to recommend; The Art of Seduction.
The Art of Seduction is “Occult” by virtue of its status as a subject that is taboo and forbidden…at least for men. Socially, for some reason, it seems completely acceptable for women to study Glamour and Seduction (read Cosmo lately?) but any man known to study these subjects is regarded as creep and a potentially dangerous weirdo. By writing this article I am actually violating rule number one of the Art of Seduction; Seduction is an Art which must be studied in secret.
As a faithfully married man, my study of the Art takes on a slightly different focus than it did it my younger years…
Firstly: I make the effort to seduce my own wife anew every day. I see skill in Seduction as a pre-requisite to successful relationship building and healthy relationship building as an advanced level of the Art of Seduction.
Secondly: I must retain sufficient confidence in my skills to know that, should everything one day go horribly wrong, I’ll always have other options. It’s been proven to me many times over that to become dependant on another person is dangerous and unhealthy. Ironically, it seems that it is only by retaining this sense of aloofness and independence that a man is able to maintain his status as a “good catch”. Again; Seduction is a pre-requisite to successful relationship building.
Third: Knowing how and when to flirt is still an essential skill for socializing and in sales (and if you’re in business, then you are in sales). Political correctness and sexual harassment laws aside, flirtation is a big part of how socially functional people interact.
In retrospect, things were a whole lot simpler when I was still single (though I wouldn’t trade being married for anything).
Considering what’s at stake, it hardly seems reasonable not to make a serious study of the Art of Seduction. Unfortunately, the cultural expectation that we ought to intuitively understand this subject without study cripples the romantic opportunities of many men. It is thus, contrary to all social norms, that I insist that Glamour and Seduction are subjects that demand research, practice and deep contemplation.
I will not share my own methodology with you here. (Seduction is an Art which must be studied in secret.) Instead, I offer for your consideration a short list of recommended introductory reading. Make of it what you will.
The Satanic Witch
The Mystery Method
The Game
The Guide to Getting It On, 6th Edition
by Paul Joannides; So you’ll know what you’re doing when you get there.
Hail Eros and Aphrodite!
Hail Freya!
Happy hunting, boys and girls!
I feel that another excellent resource on the occult side of seduction is from Mastering Witchcraft by Paul Huson. He refers to is as “fascination and lust” but I have found his directions to work quite well.
I’ll check it out. Thanks.