Introduction

Hello everybody! This is the first blog so I thought I should probably introduce myself. I'm Preston. This blog is gonna be an ongoing account of my life and the life of my magazine. I thought it best to document everything because I've found that my best inspirations and ideas come while writing. I believe that discussions are incredibly important in the learning process so feel free to leave feedback and comments.

I went to Atlas Shrugged Part 1 today. I thought it was great!  I'm a huge fan of the book and seeing the characters there on screen was an incredible experience. It's funny, I've been asked by friends 'how do you reconcile the occult and rationalist philosophies?' And it's a good question. It does seem counter-intuitive to adhere to an Objectivist ideology yet embrace the Occult arts. I typically answer that it's possible to be both rational and a proponent of esotericism.

When I was writing my Master's Thesis of Folklore, I discussed how the concept of 'rational liminality' pertains to UFO abduction narratives. Playing off the ideas of Van Gennep, I suggested that the liminal rites of passage are predicated on rational acumen of an abductees trauma. In other words, the abductee stays in a liminal experience until he/she comes to terms with a trauma in their lives. At this point, they begin the process of reincorporation into society.

I think this idea also applies in occult studies. Aside from the idea of 'trauma' that accompanies a UFO abduction narrative, the occult plays off the Separation, Liminality, and Reincorporation paradigm of a Rite of Passage. When a ceremonial magician begins a ritual, they experience a separation into the numinous. Liminality consists of the procedures of the rite, and reincorporations occurs with finale of the ceremony.

Now where does the rational come in? It occurs to me that the occult arts are based on a kind of liminal logic. The rituals are designed to perfect the Self through use of the Will. Although it's an idea that I'm still working on, I do believe that the rationality of conducting an occult ritual lays in self-awareneness and/or perfection. Striving to achieve some personal goal or achievement through the use of ritual is really a rational endeavor. Although the methods may seem illogical or without reason, their is a logic to being in the in-between state of liminality. Simply by acknowledging that one is experiencing rites of liminality shows the reasoning behind training the Will.