Dealing with the Ordinary

“Other Crowley exercises the author tried are not described here, because they are too dangerous for ordinary or casual experimenters. Crowley always insisted that nobody should try his more advanced techniques without (a) being in excellent health, (b) being competent in at least one athletic skill, (c) being able to conduct experiments accurately in at least one science, (d) having a general knowledge of several sciences, (e) being able to pass an examination in formal logic and (f) being able to pass an examination in the history [sic] of philosophy... Without that kind of general knowledge and the self-confidence and indepence of thought produced by such study, magick investigation will merely blow your mind.

As Brad Steiger has said, the lunatic asylums are full of people who naively set out to study the occult before they had any real competency in dealing with the ordinary.”