Beware of Cult Leaders

I have been happy to see that so many members are quick to warn against Fluff on these forums. With many communities of paganism and magic, a lot of personally valuable details can be shared without evidence. This isn't a bad thing. What does become a bad thing is when people take advantage of that trust, and overpower other people, even disempower them. Spirituality can be an important part of a person. When that part is destroyed by bad relationships, it can create a trauma in life that is difficult to recover from.

Some people who don't believe in magic can join websites like these only to insult the members who joined in goodwill. That's awful, but those who come in goodwill, who believe in paganism and magic but disempower the people who trust them, I believe that is more harmful and deserves to be warned against too.

This is an issue of community, but the culture of magic and spirituality can leave many seekers vulnerable.

Nonoriel Lokason is one example. Here is the link in case the website code didn't work: http://pastebin.com/CK3jRw5v Because this is only one example, this is NOT a rally to personally attack Lokason. It is more of an invitation to consider how complicated and subtle this situation can become, consider how to recognize what is happening, consider how to protect yourself, and consider how to support victims and survivors of spiritual abuse and help in recovery.

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Very, very well said, Aeons. I applaud you.

there are many crazy people here trying to sway young witches to do terrible things

All "cults" are a form of "brainwashing".
I was certainly brainwashed by my Catholic school until about the age of 14 when I started asking questions! Many Muslims are brain washed into committing suicide. Many people are brainwashed into giving up all their money and possessions.
An entire nation was brain washed by one man, Adolf Hitler.
It has been so in the whole of human history. People being "mass hypnotized", brainwashed, into believing the unbelievable.
I am suspicious when anyone says "This is true!". It very often isn't!
I always try to take the advice of my witch teacher, "Don't take my word for it! Check it!"

How can we tell who is and who isn't fluffing?

We "check it" by other accounts; by logic; by reasoning.If it "sounds" impossible, it usually is! Common sense is always required!
"Don't believe all you read. Don't believe all you hear. And only believe half of what you see!".
You have an intelligent brain. Use it!

This has been an issue for ages. I do not think that these individuals are the same thing as "fluff" (which refers to belief in fantasy things being real) but it is a good idea to warn others. When online it is hard to say who you can really trust, even more so than in some ones physical presence. Always be careful whom you trust, share info with, allow to "help" you spiritually etc. we live in a messed up world these days.

I think that a mutual respect between people, for personal boundaries, is very important. If somebody believes themselves to be the second coming of King Arthur, or Jesus, or the child of an archduke-ranking demon from so-and-so circle of hell. . . You know what? I think that's actually fine. BUT the moment such a person takes something from YOU personally, just because they believe THEMSELVES so, and you begin to intuit that something is very wrong, that is definitely a good idea to get away from that person. What they take from you can be time, money, or even words that you don't really mean. They can rob internal harmony from you, and not even care.

And if somebody tells you to do something that is harmful or inconvenient to yourself, and the only reason is that they (believe that they) are as mentioned, then the way that they use their beliefs to hurt you means that their beliefs don't deserve to be respected. Because then you aren't respected as a person.

Being able to cite the sources of knowledge can be very useful, instead of just surrendering everything to a ''spiritual mystery''. If the ''citation'' is only what somebody personally experienced, then you can be as supportive and critical as you feel like being. For me, that's part of learning how magic moves in other people's lives.

Just be careful that your supportiveness, openness, and willingness to learn doesn't become a way to manipulate you. It's okay to say, ''That might be how you see the world, that might be what works for you, but I don't want any part in it.'' When it comes to matters of empirical evidence, there are standards that must not be compromised like that -- the scientific method and so on. Even the mundane aspects of society that aren't strictly material science, that ought to be considered.

I never got how the whole community things works, always puzzle me

Don't people have a slight crawing under their skin or almosta hint of this isnt right...