Isn't the Internet wonderful? Such a wide variety, nay, an immense source of knowledge, entertainment, and products available at one's fingertips. For the Magician, this can be an incredible tool in the acquisition of knowledge and other resources: exposure to the philosophies of other Schools of Initiation, bootleg copies of some texts normally exclusive to certain organizations, the websites of Magicians that include their viewpoints, philosophies, and aesthetics, and the chance to meet some interesting people in the Chatrooms of your Internet Service Provider. Yes, this Infernal Contraption can be quite the boon for those that Seek the Mysteries, as well as finding a like-minded friend or two online (as well as the ever-present and annoying antagonists).
It should be recognized that despite the fact that the Internet holds great potential as an ally to the Magician, it can simultaneously be his/her bane as well...aren't those websites fun to surf through? So much out there to read! Bigger than the Library at Alexandria, but a helluva lot more entertaining and graphic. With the help of a Search Engine or two, you have literally thousands of Sites to go and pillage through; as Magicians are a naturally curious lot, we've got to go and see something impressive, or something that piques that curiousity in us to the point that we are drooling to "Taste and See". After perusing some of the more impressive looking Sites, then comes the inevidable "Gee, I want a Site of my own!" (Here we have the swelling Ego jumping in a bit, a chance to let the world know that you are out there, that you are who you are, that you are of this School or that, that your interests are X, Y, and Z, and that you too can have a piece of Cyberspace to call your own). You put a Site up, you work your butt off to make it look good, and then you of course have to show it off to all those new friends that you have made on the Net. They look at your Site, and then tell you about another great Site, and of course, curiousity kicks in, and you have to go and see that Site as well. In addition to this, perhaps you start to spend an increasing amount of time chatting with friends on the net via AOL Instant Messenger™, or ICQ™ or some other thing of that sort, talking about Magic. You keep talking about it, lolling the time away, spending more time inside, glued to your computer..you start spending less time outside amongst humanity, although you are still exposed to their stupidity online. After looking at other Sites, you are inspired to improve your Site as well, which takes up more of your time. You slowly become immersed in the Cyberculture, leaving behind all that you hold dear, including your Quest to Become. You spend more time talking and less time doing....perhaps a contemplation of a Ritual crosses your mind, but not much more than that. You forget the joy that you once felt in the Work, and the only thing that you have left beyond eating is another night on the Net. You become a recluse, and soon, nothing else matters....the Net has indeed become a web of sorts for you, a place where all your faculties slowly atrophy as you sink into the fabric of cyberspace...stagnation is never a pretty sight, is it? Now, mind you, I am not saying that this happens to every Magician that makes his/her way onto the Web, but if you start seeing that the description above is striking a familiar chord with you, perhaps it's time to log off, put on a coat, and go walking in a wooded area or a beach after sundown....forgive yourself....take up the Quest anew.
Reyn 'til Runa!
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