Why doesnt Damien Echols practice magick anymore? Like he just talks about and study buddhism. Not that anything is wrong with it, but I kinda feel the loss of motivation in reading his books just to find out that he no longer even partakes in Magick spiritual practices anymore.
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Author Damien Echols and Western Magick
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I didn't know he stopped. I watched The Midnight Gospel, which is a Netflix animated series based on interviews of people covering various occult topics. Echols was featured in one episode. He said that magick is what he does (did?) for hours a day, and that the "Western" current is the path to attaining the 'goal' in one lifetime as opposed to the Eastern, which he said can take longer. He also stated that he learned the Eastern path in prison. Whatever has motivated his decision, it has to do with his own circumstances. I think you can still benefit from what he wrote, but you don't have to imitate his practice. He did not create the principles he explains, but he did try to write in such a way that most people can understand the fundamental concepts.
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If I remember correctly he took on a more meditative approach to magick. Which in my mind makes a bit of sense if one thinks about it.
After some time one realizes that the whole ceremonial thing doesnt matter quite as much if you can achieve the same results in a meditative state.
For example looking at Regardies method of consecrating a talisman. One can prepare a talisman and the do the middle pillar while seated in a meditative position, and then project from the Tiphareth center directly into the talisman instead of doing the whole Golden Dawn consecration method.
Meditation is magick if its used in the right way. You can contact any entity this way or skry... So one could do Invocation, Evocation, Talismans, and Divination purely through meditation if one chooses.
But I am not him so Idk what he is doing tbh.
After some time one realizes that the whole ceremonial thing doesnt matter quite as much if you can achieve the same results in a meditative state.
For example looking at Regardies method of consecrating a talisman. One can prepare a talisman and the do the middle pillar while seated in a meditative position, and then project from the Tiphareth center directly into the talisman instead of doing the whole Golden Dawn consecration method.
Meditation is magick if its used in the right way. You can contact any entity this way or skry... So one could do Invocation, Evocation, Talismans, and Divination purely through meditation if one chooses.
But I am not him so Idk what he is doing tbh.
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What sect of Buddhism is he in? If it's tantric-related (Vajrayana, Shugendo, etc) then he's still practicing magic... but for all sentient beings, of corpse 
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I think it's totally normal for any occultist/magician to switch and adapt its practice.
He practices Zen buddhism by the looks of it.What sect of Buddhism is he in? If it's tantric-related (Vajrayana, Shugendo, etc) then he's still practicing magic... but for all sentient beings, of corpse
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Yeah its nothing wrong with it i am just curious as to what made him go towards buddhism. Like he doesnt talk much about Magick at all anymore.
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Huh. Zen is pretty non-tantric/magic(al). That's interesting.
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I've not read him but that's a timely move. The growth of the WitchTok Aesthetics era just ended after 14 years of Neptune in Pisces.
The I think the Big Dream is moving on from the Neptunian / Piscean "I'm a witchy vibe shaman who was just born this way" to the Arian "I'm a mystical knight who chooses to become what I am." So teaching Kendo bootcamps in the park, Zen, as we move into the next 14 years of Neptune in Aries (and some Saturn in Aries) is a good move. Avoid the rush later.
So if we're looking at an inner shift to the Jungian Hero's Journey, what we dream about becomes more about striving, solid effort and the strength to lift heavy steel in an age that is about the Individual vs. The Dragon (of Chaos). It probably requires fewer crystals and Whismy goth dresses, and more a sword, a shield, functional strength over Instagram muscles (but those are coming too) , and a very firm sense of where the "self" ends and the real Abyss begins.
The I think the Big Dream is moving on from the Neptunian / Piscean "I'm a witchy vibe shaman who was just born this way" to the Arian "I'm a mystical knight who chooses to become what I am." So teaching Kendo bootcamps in the park, Zen, as we move into the next 14 years of Neptune in Aries (and some Saturn in Aries) is a good move. Avoid the rush later.
So if we're looking at an inner shift to the Jungian Hero's Journey, what we dream about becomes more about striving, solid effort and the strength to lift heavy steel in an age that is about the Individual vs. The Dragon (of Chaos). It probably requires fewer crystals and Whismy goth dresses, and more a sword, a shield, functional strength over Instagram muscles (but those are coming too) , and a very firm sense of where the "self" ends and the real Abyss begins.
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actually i would say that DE has made a massive transformation in his approach to his practice, and i can understand ppl having concerns over buying his material. I watched Damien from the early days on youtube and patreon, got all his books, and over the years saw him passionately discuss magic and angels, and then later specifically and overtly backtrack and discredit things he had said earlier. A good example of this is his approach to angels. Initially he claimed to have summoned an angel into his prison cell, and have extensive, repeated precise and detailed instructions for summoning specific angels - but then later denied that angels exist independently at all.
There are many more examples of DE radically changing his opinions on magic 180 degrees.
he definitely discredits his own earlier works - which can have a couple of consequences - 1 - you lose failth in his intergrity, particially if you have bought his books where he describes experiences that he later discredits - 2 you gain even more faith in his intergrity, as you see that he is being absolutely truthful in his own experiences and path.
personally i'm fascinated by his transformation.
It's a very interesting point that something we believe so passionately in, and cling to for our very lives, (ritual magic practice here), and that - appears to be - responsible for his freedom (as he many times claimed over many years) suddenly seems to be completely and radically altered in your own eyes. imagine believing something so passionately about magic, and then seeing in actually work - released from death row - and the, suddenly, all of your beliefs about the consequences of your actions just fall away and you see that you were entirely wrong about what you thought had happened.
For me it's fascinating.,and a great topic to explore.
I like Damien, and respect him. He's truly one of the best talkers out there.
For those who have seen my posts about teachers and gurus, i think most are just fake. I call them authors, as that's all that they appear to be, and most simply rehash previous works, claiming insight which is absolutely unverifiable. Most paid courses are run by ppl like us who are simply better presented, better marketed and better talkers.And Damien is one of the best talkers out there - for me he is maybe top 3. He says many profound and interesting things, despite repeating himself and covering the same ground over and over again.
But I think that he is 100% genuine - whatever that means. I think he is one of the very few genuine ppl, who simply expresses what is absoutely true for them. Someone who has lived under such extreme circumstances and has continuallly transforemed theselves - and yes, he perfomed actualy magic, that actually got him released from death row, despite now distancing himself from ritual magic and moving squarely into the world of buddism and eastern philosopny.
There are many more examples of DE radically changing his opinions on magic 180 degrees.
he definitely discredits his own earlier works - which can have a couple of consequences - 1 - you lose failth in his intergrity, particially if you have bought his books where he describes experiences that he later discredits - 2 you gain even more faith in his intergrity, as you see that he is being absolutely truthful in his own experiences and path.
personally i'm fascinated by his transformation.
It's a very interesting point that something we believe so passionately in, and cling to for our very lives, (ritual magic practice here), and that - appears to be - responsible for his freedom (as he many times claimed over many years) suddenly seems to be completely and radically altered in your own eyes. imagine believing something so passionately about magic, and then seeing in actually work - released from death row - and the, suddenly, all of your beliefs about the consequences of your actions just fall away and you see that you were entirely wrong about what you thought had happened.
For me it's fascinating.,and a great topic to explore.
I like Damien, and respect him. He's truly one of the best talkers out there.
For those who have seen my posts about teachers and gurus, i think most are just fake. I call them authors, as that's all that they appear to be, and most simply rehash previous works, claiming insight which is absolutely unverifiable. Most paid courses are run by ppl like us who are simply better presented, better marketed and better talkers.And Damien is one of the best talkers out there - for me he is maybe top 3. He says many profound and interesting things, despite repeating himself and covering the same ground over and over again.
But I think that he is 100% genuine - whatever that means. I think he is one of the very few genuine ppl, who simply expresses what is absoutely true for them. Someone who has lived under such extreme circumstances and has continuallly transforemed theselves - and yes, he perfomed actualy magic, that actually got him released from death row, despite now distancing himself from ritual magic and moving squarely into the world of buddism and eastern philosopny.