UNTITLED MAGIC BOOK: NOTES ON RESEARCH

THE INITIAL TEXT WAS GETTING LONG SO I WILL BE POSTING UPDATES LIKE THIS

THE FIVE STAGES OF UNDERSTANDING

LEARNING

The first gate that keeps many people from research is the difficulty of knowing where to start. It can be a daunting task. The modern world is a rolling sea of information that can be a struggle to navigate at the best of times. Before you start, try to define your search as narrowly as possible. Ask yourself, “what do I want to learn about today?” Witchcraft? How about witchcraft from spain? How about witchcraft from spain in the 1700s. How about witchcraft from the year 1714?

Once you have your goal, its time to set off from port. Cast as wide a net as possible. This can be as simple as a google search, or simply asking your local librarian if they have anything on your topic. Collect as much information as possible. If you find a webpage or a blog post, save it somewhere. If the librarian recommends a book, check it out. Keep it all in a big pile. One cannot go overboard with this step. You are a dragon and this pile of raw data is your hoard of gold.

An aspiring occultist wishes to learn about the occult. They dig into wikipedia pages, following sources and collecting blog posts. They create a list of books to pick up at the library when they have the chance. The list is long, with titles published anywhere from 2014 to 1420.

COLLATION

The second gate that keeps many from research is the difficulty of evaluating their data. What you have at the moment is raw, unprocessed data. Some of it may be junk, some of it may be valuable. So, how do we tell what will be valuable for our purposes? How do we separate the wheat from the chaff? Unfortunately, there is no sure-fire method to protect against misinformation and poor research, but there are several methods that can help.

The CRAAP method was developed by Sarah Blakeslee and her team of librarians at California State University, for the purposes of academic source evaluation. When you find a source, consider its:

Currency: Is the information current?

• If your source is a blog post, when was it posted? If your source is a book, when was it published?
• Have there been any revisions or corrections since the information was posted?
• Is the information out-of-date? (Out-of-date information can still be valuable if you are trying to track the history of an idea.)
• If your source is a webpage, does it still work? Are the links functional? Do the videos still load? Are you seeing the entire webpage?

Relevance: Is the information actually relevant to your needs?

• Does the information relate to your topic? If you had questions, does it answer them?
• Who is the intended audience? Is the author speaking to people who are informed on the topic, or are they filling the role of a teacher? An outside critic? A tourist?
• Is the information at an appropriate level. If you are attempting to learn about dinosaurs, you can probably pass on websites for children. Some research may be beyond your level of understanding! There is no shame in this! Understand the limits of your understanding, and work to expand your horizons!
• Compared to other similar sources, how relevant does this source seem?
• Would you be comfortable recommending that other people read this source?

Authority: Is the author actually qualified?

• Who is the author? Who is the publisher? Who paid the author’s bills? How does the publisher make money?
• Does the author have credentials in the field of this topic?
• Does the author have affiliations with any organizations that might affect their work?
• What are the author's specific qualifications to write on this specific topic?
• Can you contact the author? Is a phone number or email address given?
• Check the URL! Understand the difference between a .com (commercial), .edu (educational), .gov (U.S. government) etc.

Accuracy: Is the author reliable? Truthful? Correct?

• Where did the author get their information from? Do they provide sources?
• Are the authors findings actually supported by the evidence they cite?
• Has the information been reviewed by other, qualified people?
• Can the information cited be verified?
• Keep an eye on tone. All sources are biased in some way or another, what does the authors language reveal, if anything?
• Is everything spelled correctly?

Purpose: Why does the source exist?

• Why was the source created? Education? To persuade? To entertain?
• Is the purpose of the source clear?
• Is the line between fact and opinion clear?
• What is the authors point of view?
• All sources will be biased in some way. What are the author’s biases, and how do they affect the source?

You are a butcher. The initial pile of raw data is a carcass. Your goal is to cut away the things unfit for consumption, to separate fat and flesh and bone into what you need. These methods of evaluation are your knives.

The aspiring occultist researches the list of books before heading to the library. One author was arrested for sexual misconduct, his books are removed from the list. Another has connections to a white supremacist group, and is subsequently removed from the list. Another author is cited often by other authors, those titles are moved to the top of the list.

ANALYSIS

You have separated the useful information from the non-useful information! The pig is butchered! The stockpot is full of unneeded bone and the fine cuts are wrapped in fresh clean paper and bound up with twine. Soon, it will be time to begin cooking. You know what is edible, but shoulder cooks differently than cheek. What exactly are you trying to cook? How exactly are you going to apply the knowledge? How does what you have learned affect the world? Your search now is for connections and context.

The aspiring occultist starts with the book at the top of their list. The Three Books of Occult Philosophy by Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa. They know that the second and third books contain some inappropriate use of jewish mysticism, and attempt to understand the historical context in which the book was written.

3 - Knowledge - Useful information. Once information is understood to the point where it can be applied effectively, it becomes knowledge. Understanding that the data points follow a formula. Look for conflicting information, learn why it conflicts. Apply common sense, weigh the evidence.

(Experimentation)

4 - Insight - understanding the underlying forces behind Knowledge. Understanding that the formula can be used to predict future data points. When conflicts are found, what resolves them? Where did the information come from? Is that source reliable? What does the source have to gain? Who pays their bills?

(Practice)

5 - Wisdom - Application of that deep knowledge. Understanding when to apply the formula, when it will or will not be useful. Resolve those conflicts. What is the most likely course of events?