I think it is irratating when someone claims to be a mermaid and asks for help and then can't deal with being told that they are not a mermaid.
But I agree to a certain extent that just because we don't view something as traditional we should not judge and slander but the fluffs are increasing as time goes on, if their claim is plausible one help may be given but if it is just stupid like they think they're are a dragon overlord who breathes black flames they shouldn't even be here I'm fairly sure the sites rules state role playing is not allowed somewhere.
I have been here since I was 12 I think and even then I was serious about magick I didn't believe I was a godlike being with super powers and I think it is sad that some people do it on here I think some fluffs get a kick out of irratating people and when you have seen it for a long enough time you just snap.
everyone is aloud an opinion but sometimes if it goes on too long it could actually confuse more inexperienced members for example on of the mermaid spells on here tells you to cut yourself and then get in salt water now thats just plain stupid and if people who are young where to come on here see another member say this and claim to be a mermaid and then do it themselves it is very wrong.
Blessed Be
I dont know if you noticed but I agree with you we shouldn't shoot down everyone who makes a inplausible claim as long as it is not going against what I know- e.g. it is biologically impossible to become another species or produce fire from your throat.
I think part of it is fatigue. Having to explain the same basic principles over and over again creates the illusion that you're not accomplishing anything. It wears down on you and you and it can be sort of emotionally fatiguing. I know I've had days where I feel like I just can't explain another thing... and you know, we all came here to have fun.
That's right! Not one of us came here because we thought to ourselves, "man, my life could really use a lot of unpaid mental labor!" We all came to this forum to find something enjoyable; discussion, information, friends, whatever. We're understandably upset when our fun-time becomes a monotonous chore full of offensively stupid children disregarding our knowledge and efforts. That's actually a pretty sucky experience for something entirely on the internet.
Why not stop a moment and look at it from the point of view of the teacher? I've been studying magick for 14 years. That is to say, I've been a magician to one degree or another longer than some of these fluffies have even been alive. I spend a considerable amount of time on many of letters and posts not just writing them, but also researching my response so I can be absolutely sure and so I can refer my reader to a helpful source. And right now I'm actually sick, helping my boyfriend through a death in his family, looking and an impending death in my own, and supposedly getting ready to move across state in a few weeks even though I'm completely unprepared... and yet I'm here answering your question. I genuinely love magick and I believe that 14 years of magical study is something too important to hoard.
With that in mind, how do you think it feels to so frequently be told that our knowledge and efforts mean nothing because "I don't care, werewolves are real lol." Imagine if someone did the equivalent to a doctor doing volunteer work.
And that, Ronin, is how fluffies can make a man turn from helpfulness to the banhammer.
Yes i too get tired of it maybe in a different time the mythological creatures walked the earth but not now. So i know how it is i am a psychic vampire and every day i have to explain that bram stoker took the vampire of myth and made it into the hollywood creation. But i have seen people being written off and me being one of them for not agreeing with someone. Now yes you cant be a dragon, elf, mermaid, ect. But to write someone off for believing in there existance in the astral realms. In my opinion that is as bad as the religons that say 'we dont believe in that thus it shouldn't be believed by you even tho you dont follow my religon' i was raised in a christian house where i was taught magic was fake. We do this every day. Now i think there should be a report fluff button but to divide the people who are real practitioners from the rest because the have an opinion is wrong. I am sorry if this is offensive but there are people who are blind to any way other than there own
"But to write someone off for believing in there existance in the astral realms."
I really sincerely doubt that has happened. Believing something completely stupid about them maybe, but not mere belief of the astral. The astral is a very well established part of magick and is relatively important in the Golden Dawn tradition, and it would therefore be mighty strange for that to be a bannable offense.
"In my opinion that is as bad as the religons that say 'we dont believe in that thus it shouldn't be believed by you even tho you dont follow my religon'"
... Son, if you are to equate magick and religion in this example, being a magician means you follow it. So right there that example doesn't even work. It's also worth noting that constantly disputing Christian canon in a Christian forum is a great way to be banned. Welcome to a magick forum, care to guess what happens of you constantly dispute our canon?
And finally, magick is a science. We don't have our beliefs because a thousand year old book tells us that's the way life is (as is the case with Christianity), we have them because we've tested them, learned the laws of nature as they relate to magick, and we apply logic.
AC2012 actually had a pretty good article on science and religion recently;
http://ac2012.com/2012/03/31/science-and-religion/
Yes magic is begining to be accepted by science. There are prophecies every where saying they will merge. But i see that there are two kinds of fluffs on this site the kind that think hollywood is the truth and would never lie. Then those who think any one claiming to be a psychic vampire is a fluff or people who have cured cancer with magic a fluff. When i opened the thread i didnt mean to start an argument i just wanted some insight to why so many have given up on the new people. I have been here for a few years and always took it seriously but there are those who dont know anything and i find it sad that they pay the price for what fluffs do
Part of it is in the specific presentation. "Magick has cured cancer" isn't alright because there is nothing even close to accepted evidence that supports this. There's nothing wrong with pointing out claims of cancer curing, discussing theories on how those claims may work, and you can share your beliefs on cancer-curing magick, but by saying "magick has cured cancer" you are setting it forth as an accepted fact, which it is not.
On the topic of psychic vampires, they're not really accepted as fact within much of the magical community. Possible, but not fact. This means that you need to approach the topic just as you would any other grand or difficult to believe statement, which is to be clear, logical, and relating to accepted truths as much as possible. You should also be generous in information as this is often a good way to distinguish between fluffies and actual vampires. Fluffies are frequently not very well read in the subject and therefore can't be generous with information, whereas an actual vampire would naturally have a great deal of information they could share.
And I'm not trying to fight either (my last message came off angrier than I meant), but you need to realize that these actions you so frown on are but reactions; fluffies disrespect us, our efforts, our knowledge, the art itself, and because they are often eager to share their "knowledge" they can spread like some annoying disease.
If you don't like that you can't talk about being a psychic vampire without being accused of being fluffy then take issue with the morons who sully the term, not those of us trying to clean up their mess.
Yes i agree there is debate on a lot of it and the fluffs make me mad because of them a lot of people think we are all mentally insane. And i have always respected you because you try to help others. And ya i guess i came off a little angry and rude. And all the fluffy vampires are always easy to spot because they claim to know edward cullen and count dracula. Well i have learned that there are still people who care about helping others it is just hard when no one listens
