Practicing Occultism Neuro divergent

[Allofyoush]

it is a discernable shift. You will notice the change both physically and mentally. You are unlikely to wonder if you are in a trance. but don't seek it out in the meditation. Trance is a state reached by passivity, earlier you asked about binaural beats etc and I forgot to mention it. You do not want to use anything that brings your awareness to the outside world. Later when you are more advanced that won't be as much of a problem, but until then it's better to do it without it.

Nothing will teach you as much about the feeling of it than doing it though. I would be surprised if you could go 30 minutes without interruption and not be in a light trance by the end of it. Eventually it will be instant, or maybe 5 minutes if you're a bit scattered.

How would you describe this shift? I'm wondering if it feels different for different people. I've had instances during meditation that feel like a blanket has suddenly dropped over my senses and an additional clarity inside my head appears. Like it suddenly becomes easier to focus on my own thoughts, and fewer random thoughts pop into my head. Is that sort of what it's like?

 

[Mycelial_Adept]

How would you describe this shift? I'm wondering if it feels different for different people. I've had instances during meditation that feel like a blanket has suddenly dropped over my senses and an additional clarity inside my head appears. Like it suddenly becomes easier to focus on my own thoughts, and fewer random thoughts pop into my head. Is that sort of what it's like?

That definitely sounds like a trance state, in deeper levels the mind goes completely blank/silent as well, which for someone who has one song or another endlessly looping in the background of their mind, is very nice lol. but that's all much later in the practice. When your mind is truly quiet is when you can hear the universe around you.

Honestly the best advice I could give is just to earnestly try it for a week or two and journal the experience. Note the physical and mental experiences the practice produces, see if it seems like the right practice for you. See if you can do 20 minutes a day. if that is too much, walk it back to a manageable time for you, and slowly increase as you can.

 

[Hakon]

I appreciate this perspective a lot. I think one of the most important points here is that neurodivergence does not remove the need for discipline in magical work; it changes the way discipline has to be approached.

For someone with ADHD, the mistake is often trying to imitate a training model designed for a very different nervous system and then assuming failure means lack of will. In reality, the will has to be trained through structure, repetition, and realistic increments. Small sessions done consistently can build more power than occasional heroic attempts that collapse afterward.

The three skills you listed are fundamental: passive observation of thought, single-pointed focus, and deep silence/trance. I would also add that each one trains a different magical faculty. Observation teaches separation from the mental noise. Focus teaches direction of force. Silence opens the deeper field where real contact, reception, and transformation can occur.

The warning about intrusive thoughts during enchantment is also very important. In my view, this is why purification, centering, and mental stabilization before ritual are not optional. The operator must know what current they are actually feeding into the work.

I also agree with the “willpower muscle” idea. A timer, a fixed place, a fixed method, and gradual increase are simple, but very effective. For ADHD especially, consistency has to come before intensity. Five minutes every day with real attention is better than forcing an hour and developing aversion to the practice.

The same applies to reading. Mark the place, return, read a little, then push slightly beyond the point where the mind wants to escape. Over time, that becomes training in command over attention.

I think the deeper lesson is this: magical discipline should not be romanticized as suffering or self-punishment. It is the slow education of the mind, body, and subtle faculties until they can obey the work.

 

[Tezcat]

As a psychologist I find this subject quite interesting, not only from a research point of view, but also because people in the spectrum for autism ave a different way to communicate with the world. And that is truly a powerful factor and force to be considered! Since our mind is built upon our language, and our world is as wide as our language is, I see a lot, A LOT of potential.

New, divergent language grammar structures put into spellwork may have exciting outcomes!

I truly recommend «Mind over Magick». You will find a lot of info on how magick actually works in the brain. Fascinating!

 

[mag1caljeet]

I have ADHD. TBH I did not believe ADHD was real for most of my life. I had to be dragged into accepting it. I have been trained in magic since I was a child, and I see the struggle that neurodivergence can cause in the work.

All of the following is from my perspective about my traditional practices.

Firstly I will say in magic, discipline, focus, and willpower are keys that will open all the doors. Very little real work can be done without them. For people who have difficulty focusing their minds that means you have a lot of work to do to catch up to a good starting base line.

Like I said I did not think ADHD was real. I wrestled my mind into obedience, but it took a very long time. I have learned new ways of doing things over time, and while I still see the benefit of the way I trained originally, I find my brain works better with different styles of the work.

you MUST learn to do the following things:

• Observe thoughts passively - this is like watching tv but not being invested in what you are watching. You have to watch the show (thoughts) but not participate in them, or get carried away in them
• Be able to focus on one thought to the exclusion of others - there are multiple ways to do this but it become extremely important during things like enchanting. You don't want to be building a healing enchantment into something then have a stray fear of the person getting worse/dying into your enchantment.
• Silence your thoughts / Go into Deep levels of Trance - this has more reasons than can be listed here, but it's here where the big stuff can be done.

Although the above seem like a progression, and is, they each have their own purposes as well and each skill should be honed for life.

You have to learn to work within your body's current confines, and that means working within the limits of your neurodivergences. I came to the practice of Shikantaza much later. Although I do my own variation. where I sit or lay comfortable with eyes fully closed instead of sitting in the soto zen style with a wall. be comfortable and relax fully. do not move, this includes to itching. Ignore all of that just stay still.

Set a timer, start small. Think of it like working out. you want to set the timer for what is doable for you and try to push a little more each time, build the willpower muscle.

For your books, save your spot and go back each time. do the same as with the meditation timer, when you feel like you are at the end of your focus, push just a tiny bit more. and just keep doing that.

just as a side, not a big fan of Laurie Cabot / the Salem side of things. doesn't have authentic vibes

sounds like step 1 mental from IIH