“You Cursed My Name” by Franca Franchi
Crazy- it seems like that stigmatizing word is thrown around more often in the pagan and magickal communities than I think I’ve seen anywhere else. Well, that is, besides behind whispered hands and amidst giggles and pitying glances in mental health facilities where I have spent much of my time: most of those times as an employee in various capacities (art instructor for research clients with severe and persistent schizophrenia, a residential counselor for clients with severe and persistent Axis I and II disorders, a job coach for individuals with co-occurring disorders, etc.) and once as a voluntary in-patient while struggling with my co-morbid bipolar disorder and PTSD.
I’ve admitted to being an in-patient at a mental health hospital at one point in my life. You’re still here?
Good.
I studied mental health for a number of years as a Master’s level student before becoming disillusioned with the way the mentally ill are still largely disenfranchised, ridiculed and dismissed by the people who are trained to treat them. While attempting to console clients, interacting with them as an equal, trying to understand the meaning of their symptoms on both a personal and a clinical level, I was often shocked by the way they were treated by my fellow co-workers and the glib way their suffering was handled- little did they know that I had been through similar experiences myself.
After exiting the mental health community and vowing never to return (except perhaps eventually as a researcher) in a professional capacity, I am still confronted often by the pagan and magickal community’s stigmatization of mental illness- “crazy” is a word whispered with derision, disrespect and (dare I say it) even fear. I suspect many pagans, if not simply without understanding, might be afraid of looking in the mirror and seeing some “craziness” in themselves. Perhaps, because of the almost fantastical nature of what we as pagans and magickians do, we are “hypervigilant” against “the crazies” as a way of compartmentalizing weird behavior and beliefs that are labeled legitimate from weird behavior and beliefs that aren’t.
In any case, we should be able to admit that what we do can get fairly weird and is not considered “normal” by mainstream society.
The stance that many in the pagan/magickal community take on mental illness can be pretty severe. Many modern authors caution that if you are mentally ill, you should not practice magick at all. Many Golden Dawn reconstruction groups decline membership to people with illnesses more severe than clinical depression or anxiety, and the Temple of Set most often declines membership to mentally ill applicants unless special dispensation is made. Mentally ill practitioners, rather than being supported or dealt with compassionately and appropriately, are often ridiculed and shunned. Some of this, of course, is borne from negative experiences with those who have untreated or severe mental illness, and a negative reaction is understandable in some ways. Yet, a part of this is borne also from a lack of understanding of what mental illness is and how little choice some have in how their illness manifests itself.
Part of this is because of the opinions of the “Old Guard”. Regardie believed that psychology and spirituality should go hand in hand, and to a large extent, I agree. (1) However, in his basic “Middle Pillar” exercise, he says:
“It will be realized how necessary analysis is as a preliminary routine to magic. The student should have arrived at a fair understanding of himself, his motives, and the mechanism of his mind, and integrated himself more or less thoroughly so that no dissociation or serious neurosis exists within the psyche. For the presence of a powerful complex of associated ideas in the unconscious, or a marked dissociation splitting off one part of the psyche from the other, will have the effect of short-circuiting the flow of energy generated or released by the Middle Pillar. An explosion in the form of a complete nervous breakdown, or even of the destruction of mental stability, will be a likely result. Many instances have been known of unprepared students contracting fatal physical illnesses through attempting work of this nature, though this is more true where Eastern exercises have been unwisely attempted. Some of these unfortunates, when the dissociation was rendered complete, have succumbed to chronic melancholia or taken their own lives. These warnings are not intended to be portentous or terrifying, but only to impress upon the student the solemnity of these undertakings, a journey of self-conquest than which nothing could compare in importance or seriousness.” (Regardie, retrieved from: http://www.davedavies.com/splanet/magic3.htm)
Many other occult personages from this period caution against practicing magick while suffering from mental illness, including Dion Fortune (who linked some forms of mental illness with psychic attack…though I apologize, the source currently escapes me). Psychology as a field was in its infancy at this point, beginning with Freud as a branch of neurology, and so opinions were being revolutionized while still effected by old prejudices.
Do you know anyone who doesn’t fit the bold description? I certainly don’t, at least for the most part. We, as human beings, are complex creatures. Dissociation, neurosis and “a powerful complex of associated ideas” exists in all of us to varying degrees, wither or not we are aware of it. Clinical diagnosis was my specialty when I worked in the mental health field: while I was unable to officially use it (since I was not licensed) it was a valuable tool in dealing with my clients no matter their Axis I or Axis II condition(s). And I will honestly tell you now that I know precious few people without some form of Axis I or Axis II condition, no matter how mild or how severe, and often it is untreated and the person is unaware of it.
Further, I would also like to point out that a so-called “powerful complex of associated ideas”, or let’s just call it mental illness, is not to be blamed so much on ideas but on medical causes, such as changes/differences in the structure of the brain, the condition of the neural connections and the balance of chemicals which are the root cause of mental illness. Mental illness, wither arising from genetic predisposition or traumatic experiences, is a brain disorder with physical as well as psychological roots. It is a medical condition like cancer, like diabetes, like fibromyalgia.
With respect to the video blogger, this is a decent example of many of the present conceptions of magick and mental illness, and she admittedly has some decent points despite some of the misconceptions. Here. She seems to suggest that those with mental illness should avoid “deep” or extended work- she also suggests this for people with certain illnesses with primarily physical effects, such as leukemia or other cancers. I agree with her in that you should be careful of your energy reserves (and in general) when doing in-depth work, or extended work, but that goes with anything and applies to everyone. More so to those who are ill, yes; but those who are ill should not be barred from more in-depth work in the name of maintaining “normalcy”. Should we bar people from certain methods of spiritual advancement in the name of “balanced” mental health, just like I’ve seen mentally ill individuals told by the counselors who were supposed to support them that “you can’t handle college” (when they could) or “working full-time is too much for you” (when it wasn’t)? Of course not, and to do so would be prejudiced. A challenge doesn’t mean an impossibility, and without challenge we cannot grow. When taught how to swim, the mentally ill can handle “the deep end of the pool” just as well as those who aren’t mentally ill.
A friend of mine (Thomas Mack- the man who made Satanism real for me) had some very wise words that sprung from watching the video: “Without going into one of my more long winded explanations her fears, concerns and anxieties about whether someone who is unbalanced should or should not practice magic is her assumption that she has a say in the matter. It is no one else’s opinion who should or should not practice magic except for the person practicing the magic. No one can say what will be the right combination of elements or how long that combination will take to set into motion the magical events which will produce a change in the consciousnesses of an individual no matter how stable or unstable they will be. The worst psychosis can be produced in the seemingly most stable person under the strains of magical and meditative training and no one can say where it will lead. If were are going to use Magick with a “K” then let each man and woman choose their own Will on the subject. For as the Book Of The Law itself states “There is none that shall be cast down or lifted up: all is ever as it was.” (2) simply put each individual whose personal destiny is to be fulfilled by the Laws of Magic will be fulfilled this way, no one else bu you can determine that fact for you. Her point no matter what it is is mute. She has no say in the matter.”
Hear hear!
It begs several questions that honestly don’t have easy answers. Is there a difference between mental illness and mysticism? Can someone be both mentally ill and mystical/magickal? Does magick or mystical experience make you crazy? How do you deal with mental illness as a practitioner? What if someone in your group is starting to act a little nuts?
I plan to deal with a lot of these questions in the upcoming articles. I know several wonderful, amazing magicians with a wide variety of mental illnesses and obviously, I am also a magician with mental illness. It’s a topic near and dear to my heart. Next time, we will talk about the similarities between magickal and mystical experience, and psychotic episodes.
Works Cited
1. Israel Regardie, Middle Pillar, Pg. 104 Retrieved from : http://www.davedavies.com/splanet/magic3.htm
2. Liber AL vel Legis, Chapter 2, Verse 58.
Picture Credit
1. http://ww.w.iconolo.gy/archive/you-cursed-my-name-franca-franchi/1077
Video Credit
1. OFSAdrianna, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTbqD-bZyog
I’m looking forward to seeing where you go with this series. Good luck with it.
I recently had a conversation with my therapist on magick and mental illness. I asked her how she would treat someone who claims to have had deep mystical experiences. She said she would treat them as if the experiences were as real as they believe as, she said, people with disorders tend to self-report more than many professionals give them credit for. I was pretty relieved she wasn’t going to think I’m loony for doing what I do.
Good article. I, for one, believe you can have mental illness and be mystical/magickal. Of course, I also think that someone of a more mystic bent living in a very rigid, conformist environment may develop mental illness from having their mystisism curbed or cut off.
“Of course, I also think that someone of a more mystic bent living in a very rigid, conformist environment may develop mental illness from having their mystisism curbed or cut off.”
An excellent point. My own therapist is also a practitioner and I feel incredibly fortunate to have found someone with a good grounding in which to understand magickal and mystical experience.
In part three I plan to talk about how the experiences can kind of mesh together and how it may not always be one or the other, even in “healthy” individuals.
it’s a difficult thing. on the one hand, i can understand some orders turning away people with mental illnesses because the practice of magic CAN exacerbate some conditions. because magic (if you’re actually doing it, and i think that likely appears to everyone reading this) does get down deep into your psyche and wreak permanent and important changes, it always has the potential to go badly wrong. and i’ve been on the receiving end of an unhinged personality broadcasting wildly. (it ended up being useful. it forced me to get off my lazy ass and learn real shielding as opposed to fluffy shit. but not fun.) and yet there’s an arrogance in presuming to dictate who is quivering on the edge of psychotic breaks, and who is simply bold enough to stare into the chasm until it stares back. i’m not wise enough to make that call. but i do get why after being fried and sizzled a few times, a community might require a degree of stability from a new prospect.
khairete
suz
Hey Suz! ❤
I can understand a group preferring stability over instability- I know the OTO in my area has turned people away who have proved potentially disruptive. It's important to keep the group in mind when admitting new members. My beef is when those with mental illness are turned away outright, based on the fact that they are ill and regardless of the stability the currently have or their ability to maintain it.
Magick, if you are doing it right, is unbalancing. It is also, if you're doing it right, rebalancing. There are many of us that have been on the receiving end of someone unbalanced, and crap, I'm very sure I've BEEN that personality. I believe there should be more understanding in this regard than just throwing up ones hands, unwilling to deal with the issue. And I really think magick has the ability to destabilize the "sanest" of people and provide a certain amount of healing to the "craziest" of people, and vice versa. It's certainly done both for me, and I wouldn't trade it for anything.
Don’t have a lot to add to this. I agree that magick can be both stabilizing and destabilizing. I think if we’re going to turn someone away from magick simply because of a mental illness, we’re going to have to turn away the asthmatics, the diabetics, the people with high blood pressure, the people with broken bones, and so on, and so on… that makes no sense. Better to see how the person functions in the world before making an assessment.
yes, just throwing up hands and refusing to deal or help deal IS pretty sad. yet not everyone is qualified to deal. in addition to the callousness or laziness implied in turning someone away, there’s an arrogance or misplaced bravado in taking on the challenge of teaching magic to someone who isn’t stable, and not everyone can accurately gauge where a prospective member falls.
i totally agree that magic, practiced correctly, should both de- and re- stabilize, and can potentially be a huge boon for someone who has elements of teh craZie. i also think that some of those elements are near necessary for a true adept. great art and mysticism have some things in common, and playing it safe will keep results safe. and small.
ideally someone in the group has the experience and wisdom to probe and get a reasonably good feel for the ability of a prospect to manage his issues and proceed with training. but in the absence of such a person, i’m not convinced that saying ‘we’re not qualified to teach you’ is a bad thing.
hope this is coming across as disrespectful, love.
khairete
suz
Suz,
>hope this isn’t (I knew what you meant) coming across as disrespectful, love
Not in the least. 🙂
>yet not everyone is qualified to deal. in addition to the callousness or laziness implied in turning someone away, there’s an arrogance or misplaced bravado in taking on the challenge of teaching magic to someone who isn’t stable, and not everyone can accurately gauge where a prospective member falls.
Excellent point. Everyone makes mistakes in this regard and we can only do our best. I wish there was a trend more along the lines of real consideration of all ends. I agree that “we’re not qualified to teach you” is a good thing if that’s the sincere reason: should I decide to teach people magic (and the gods help that poor soul, or those poor souls), I know I will come across people that I won’t be able to handle. I hope I have the ability to recognize that and proceed with real thought and consideration.
However, blanketing everyone who is mentally ill with a “no no no, too dangerous for you” is often what I see- doesn’t matter how stable they are, or how they handle flare ups, or what coping mechanisms they have in place or how “old hat” the process of re-stabilization is. Or, using “crazy” as a rallying cry to cast a negative shadow on things the group or whatever isn’t comfortable with. Examples I’ve heard in the past were often, “S/he’s crazy, they worship Set/The Morrigan/insert scary god-name here” or “S/he’s crazy, they practice goetia/ceremonial magic/voodoo/insert tradition that’s scary here.”
>i also think that some of those elements are near necessary for a true adept. great art and mysticism have some things in common, and playing it safe will keep results safe. and small.
YES. I totally agree. I’ll get into some of that in part 3.
And Suz, your opinions, experience and wisdom is always welcome. ❤
And for the record (and this is for anyone reading), anyone who disagrees with me respectfully is more than welcome to post. This is a touchy subject with no simple answers- I am sure whatever thoughts I post will be never be the end-all, be-all of what's done in regards to the subject, but it's here for discussion and it's here to promote open thought.
you are so awesome.
khairete
suz
isn’t! ISN’T coming across as disrespectful!
gah!
😀
khairete
suz
Suz, it’s true. I’m not qualified to help someone with mental illness. I have had to say something along those lines more than once. That doesn’t mean those people cannot practice magick, but it does mean I can’t work with those particular people.
yes, that! and i also agree with the fact that no one can choose for someone else whether or not they SHOULD practice magic. i just think it’s prudent for groups to be very introspective with themselves and clear with new prospects what their boundaries and capabilities are.
khairete
suz
I think we can all agree there, most def.
Excellent post. This is a particularly interesting and touchy issue because of my own experiences and those of the people in the circles I run in.
I know that I’m guilty of using the word “crazy.” I think I mostly use it in reference to myself, but I also know that doesn’t actually make it okay. All I can say in my defense is that it’s one of the (many) things I’m working on.
With that said, the idea of trying to bar someone from magic for being mentally ill flatly boggles my mind. “I’m not qualified to teach you” is one thing, as suzmuse has already pointed out, but … wow.
Depression seems to run in my family; I’ve never been diagnosed, but that’s largely because I’m so terrified of doctors in general and of the mental health industry in particular that it would essentially take a court order to put me in counseling long enough to be diagnosed. I have enough friends who have been diagnosed to recognize depression in myself when I see it, and there have been many points in my life where my magical practice was the only thing that made it possible to get out of bed and face the world.
At least two of the witches I’ve worked with closely have been institutionalized at some point in their lives. A solid half of them suffer PTSD of some sort, and maybe a third have (what they characterize as) fairly serious anxiety issues. Magic has helped all of them keep their lives under control.
The only people I’ve ever seen permanently hurt or broken by practicing magic were the most “normal”–it dredged up issues and anxieties they had refused to face, and when they continued to not face their demons they got eaten by them.
This is, of course, all anecdotal, and my own life and those of my friends are hardly representative of anything
Anything that functions differently from the norm will be viewed as an “error that must be fixed or restricted”. I’ve met many with abnormal ways of thinking, people who would be classified as schizoid, with aspergers, autism, and so far they’ve been bright and insightful even if they might have difficulties when it comes to social relationships. I’m ASPD(psychopathy) as a recent diagnosis. I’ve commented here before on a different topic, but I will not go into that. When it comes to joining brotherhoods, covens, groups yes, discrimination will happen. It is fully their right to bar those they do not want from participation, even if biases they have are things we disagree with. I’m a solitary practitioner and I will continue to be, I betray my “diagnosis” because I’m prideful to the point I prefer honest expression and not hiding myself, there is no desire to get along with others, it makes no difference.
[…] Benu has a wonderful three-part series on her blog called Magick, Mysticism and Mental Illness (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3), wherein she explores the overlap of symptoms manifested by magicians/mystics and […]
I have bipolar I and PTSD as well. I am also overall extremely sensitive. I am emotionally sensitive (though improving), I am sensitive to temperatures, I am sensitive to people’s moods and I am sensitive to energy workings. I have learned the hard way to always include the intent that whatever working be done in GENTLE manner. Otherwise, it’s quite unsettling to me and over and over I have experienced mini meltdowns. So I can somewhat relate to the warnings that the mentally ill should not use magic. If it is a tradition where adherents are expected to practice without much personal flexibility, it may not be right for the mentally ill individual. I am unsure whether my sensitivity is connected with my mental illness or not, though so maybe it’s just me 😀 I know some “classical” Wicca was more rigid and that would not have worked for many people! We are not one size fits all!
>>>I have bipolar I and PTSD as well. I am also overall extremely sensitive. I am emotionally sensitive (though improving), I am sensitive to temperatures, I am sensitive to people’s moods and I am sensitive to energy workings.
YOU AND ME BOTH.
And you make an excellent point- there are traditions where sometimes, their work may not be suitable for the mentally ill. However, I don’t feel this is a blanket case. There are people with severe mental illness that thrive with the rigidity of the structure of the trad and grow from it, and there are others who hate it, and for whom it triggers episodes of varying degrees. I’m doing work with the Aurum Solis right now, and it’s been a HUGE help to me- it hasn’t gotten rid of the difficulties, but it’s helped them a lot. I don’t think doing Temple of Set work, however, would work well for me. However, I know for some this is the opposite.
You’re very right- one size does not fit all. 🙂
Will answer email soon, promise.
Also, in terms of mystical experiences and mental illness, I have had both what I consider mystical states and I have had hallucinations. I knew the difference even during the experiences. I believe that some people classified as mentally ill may actually be among the greatest mystics we have. Consider the fact that schizophrenics in India are apparently much less likely to have dangerous and violent symptoms. Our outcomes are very much influenced by the culture we are raised in. Raised in a culture where hallucinations are more acceptable and an individual might be considered a tribal elder instead of a mentally ill, fractured person with little role in society. I have written a blog about mysticism and bipolar in particular http://bipolarmystic.wordpress.com/2010/06/09/intuitive-empathy-an-explanation-for-some-bipolar-individuals/ I have not posted in some time because I wrote this when I was not medicated and now I feel a little hung up about being back on medication instead of dealing with it using spiritual tools.
Joanna,
Wow! It’s not common to be lucid during psychotic experiences, but it does happen- it’s definitely more common with people that have Bipolar disorder.
Totally with you on mental illness and culture, as well as the fact that some people labelled crazy aren’t actually crazy, or may be driven crazy by experiences that are legit, but that they don’t understand. (Something I’m covering in part 5, and might get it’s own entry.) However, I do feel there is a difference most of the time between harmful episodes and spiritual experience, though as I’m sure you know, the two can intertwine intimately. There are even bipolar/ schizoaffective-bipolar type individuals who are very highly functional (Glenn Beck comes to mind…IMHO) and are able to ride their highs and lows very well. However, not everyone can do this, nor should everyone be expected to.
Don’t feel bad about being on meds. They may suck, but they can be very necessary evils. As long as they aren’t hurting you, it’s worth a shot. (And if they are, advocate for new meds…I can’t emphasize that enough.)
I hope you update your blog again! It looks like awesome reading and I’d love to possibly use some of it in my next edition of this series.
[…] http://melittabenu.com/2012/04/27/magick-and-mental-illness-part-1-an-introduction/ […]
[…] like this and its follow-up; here’s another good discussion of the […]
I stumbled on your blog on http://melittabenu.com/2012/04/27/magick-and-mental-illness-part-1-an-introduction/ and I’m very glad I have. I feel as though you’re
reading my mind right now. You come across as knowing
a lot concerning this, as if you wrote the book on it or something.
While I think some extra media like some pics or a couple of videos, this will be a fantastic resource.
I will undoubtedly return.
Hi there,
I stumbled across your blog when I was searching for ways in which other pagans potentially used magical practice to help balance mental illness as a friend of mine has been ill for a number of years. I have been practising for fourteen years now, and rarely use google for pagan references, however I wanted to know about how attempting to help someone in that situation would effect them. Mostly in ways of perhaps taking them away from their life path, or potentially making the illness worse etc. However good the intention, and however positive the results in the long run, I was looking to see whether anyone had experiences with negative effects in the short run. I hope I’ve explained that correctly, it sounded much more eloquent in my mind.
Your blog shocked me, as I’ve met many pagans along my path, all who practice in various ways, however I have never met any with such a negative response to mental illness (Then again, it’s not an often enough discussed topic.) It did make sense, as I have read in many books about not practising when you are one hundred percent, unwell etc, so I expect there are some extremists out there that you’ve had the unfortunate pleasure of meeting!
I thought, since you opened my eyes up to this area of neglect, that I would offer my opinion. Personally, I have had various mental illnesses along my journey and have been hospitalised before, being given a year to live. If it wasn’t for my personal faith and a lot of spiritual intervention both from myself and others I honestly do not believe I’d still be standing here today. Practising gave me the opportunity to connect with someone that was much larger than myself, not to mention beautiful – and it was that force, that magic(k) if you will that kept me going.
Perhaps I have been naive, all these years thinking that the ‘laws’ put in place upon magical practice were warning me not to practice if I was, for example, physically ill so my personal power would be better served on healing. At the same time my interpretation was also that it was not a wise decision that you should practice whilst in an emotional extreme, like anger, as this could cloud the intention behind the practice. I guess that *Can* cover mental illness. Perhaps it is that mental illness can be so overwhelmingly powerful, that practising magic in some (rare) cases could be like giving a murderer a gun.
My opinion on that is that we, as people, not practitioners, tend to work with extremes, you’re either this way, or that way, and nothing in between. Apply the ‘humanity’ factor to magic, and again you have people who shy away from, or judge extremes of being. It’s not necessarily a pagan thing, you could be writing a similar blog about mental illness and employment.
Should magic be practised by those with mental illness? Well, it’s up to them, like you said. Who knows whether a persons’ illness is actually part of their life journey, something they need to experience. I follow the witches’ pyramid, as I’m sure you’re familiar with, to know, to will, to dare and to keep silent. I do not see anything in those rules that specifically warns against mental illness. Only you truly know yourself, and if practising can potentially give you faith along your journey to feeling better again, then so be it.
Magic, to me, is intention and balance. Mental illness obviously creates an imbalance within the self, and the five elements present within and around us are always, whether we realise it or not, trying to retain and achieve balance. Something like celebrating a solstice, a healing rite, and a lot of the magical practices that I can think of off the top of my head cannot ultimately be changed too far from their original intention through magic.
Magic, unattached to any umbrella religion, or I guess rather, the practice of intention creating change, is ultimately practised on some level by everyone, and has been that way in various shapes and forms since the beginning of humanity. By the laws of balance, whatever we do should eventually create harmony somewhere or with someone.
Ultimately, I think what I am trying to say is why not practice? Humans are about limitation, not energy, not nature, not magic. Nobody has the right to tell you what to do and what not to do whilst you are mentally ill (Harming others not included, but could well be something you need to learn a lesson from). Nobody can truly tell you your spiritual destiny, whether that be as a Pagan, Christian, Muslin or otherwise.