Gotta be a quicker way...

I think you misunderstood when I said it may take decades. First, I said it depends on you. I know people who have a lot of understanding but can not cast a single spell. They don't have the dicipline and the willpower.

Second, It also depends on what you are trying to do. I know plenty of practitioners of witchcraft. They cast spells all the time. But, if you can't hold down a job, live like a pig, don't have two pennies to rub together, and can't maintain a serious relationship, what the heck are you doing with all this spell casting ability. If you choose to live a delusion, you won't progress very fast, if at all. We all come to magical studies wanting something. That's normal. Very few actually get what they desire. Why?

If you want to make real, positive changes in your life and the lives of others, it takes work. There are no short cuts. You will get out of it what you put into it.

LVX,

Shawn.

What do you mean by discipline and willpower?

Well, most people lack dicipline. We live in a microwave would of instant gratification. People want results and they want it now. They don't want to take the time necessary to develop real skills. Simplified, watered-down and just enough to get by are all they want. Most people don't have the patience and spend years developing themselves and their abilities as all they see is what they want, right now.

Willpower is the mental focus necessary to do the work. Peoples mind keeps bouncing around from place to place, focusing on one gratification, then another, and not staying focused on one point of study for a length of time. How many people do you think can actually stand in ritual for hours, creating and maintaining mutiple godforms and generating energy and power for the entire working? I know a handfull, and I suspect a few others could do it. Most that try to do it, even many with years of experience, fall short. I've been to pagan rituals that generated less energy than what I generate in my early morining trip to the bathroom. Now, I've also been in some very powerful ones too, but the people that led and preformed these had years of practice, and both the willpower and dicipline to see their studies through to completion.

With reguards to how long it takes to develop yourself and your magical abilities, ask yourself this: Is it important enough for you to spend time on getting it right, or do you want to settle for just enough to cast a spell?

LVX,

Shawn.

you learn by casting spells so go ahead and start

Both of my parents are Catholic. I just did everything late at night and hide stuff under my bed. Now I did tell them after a year and explained everything. Its not as bad as you think.

You can eventually learn magic by casting spells. You can perform brain surgery by following the instructions in a text book. Now, who would you trust to do your surgery: A recent high-school graduate reading from a book or a doctor who spent years training to do your surgery? As above, so below applies on all levels and aspects. Common sence should dictate that is something works on the fly, then it will work better when you actually take the time to master it. The question really is how important is your magical work? Are you willing to settle for less?

LVX,

Shawn.