I'm approaching the one-year mark of various long-term magical projects. This is a time of reflection for me, to observe and note how Workings have unfolded, so that I may later refer to those notes and apply that information accordingly with new Workings.

What have I learned? The most valuable lesson I've taken away has nothing to do with witchcraft. I discovered that I'm far more solipsistic than I ever realized. This epiphany was partly the result of regularly empowering a talisman, which has since accrued so much power that I can no longer keep it on my person 24/7 like I used to. It now possesses overwhelming energy that affects my somewhat fragile health: great for utilization during intense Workings, but not-so-great for, well, everything else! I've handled high-energy items before, but that was before I formally embraced my Path (yet still accepted that I was a 'Sensitive' of sorts). I've read plenty on the subject: scholarly texts and personal anecdotes alike. However, this revelation of just how deep my solipsistic nature goes is manifested in the fact that I really don't readily accept information, ideas, and concepts as being Truth unless I directly witness them in action. Consequently, I am just now gaining a deep, hand-on understanding of how enchanted objects function, what effects they can have on people and things in their immediate vicinity, et cetera. It has been a necessary, fulfilling journey from basic, academic knowledge of a concept to genuine, experience-based comprehension. I also recognize that for me, a much wider chasm exists in the realm of occult wisdom between theoretical and practical than there is in 'mundane' education. I find a great deal of pleasure in how slippery the definition of some metaphysical concepts can be. It's impossible for me to not appreciate the requirement to remain vigilant during experiences, to not dismiss an observation that is initially defies explanation, to trust my perspective yet keep an open mind because those perspectives can- and probably will- change over time.

Perhaps the most alluring aspect for my being a lifetime student of the occult is that I will never come close to mastering it. There will always be the opportunity to expand my awareness. There will always be new abilities to try and old abilities to hone. If I attain proficiency in one area to the point of becoming bored with it, there are countless new experiences to be sought, just waiting to be discovered and scrutinized and pursued.