The burden of proof

This post was sparked by the recent discussions about occult AMAs, and also by a common trope in popular occult writing that's been getting to me more and more lately.

I read a pair of blog posts the other day in which the occultist blogger compared New Age spiritualism to a cargo cult, and went on to say that those silly primitives should have known better than to make wooden aeroplanes to attract wealth. They should have been more rational. We know better now, he claims, because we are able to benefit from the scientific method. We can prove our magic, whereas those poor primatives had only their silly superstitions to guide them. First I laughed, then i died due to bullshit overdose. Luckily my corpse had the presence of mind to unsubscribe me from that blog.

Any occultist who has ever spoken to a non-practitioner has probably run into the Materialist/Naturalist deification of Science, and the need for Empirical Proof. In the religion of Materialism, nothing exists that can't be measured. Existence suffers under the Burden of Proof, and intelligent people do not believe in any new phenomenon until it has been physically proven, and shown to be reproducible. Pics or it didn't happen.

It seems magicians are always being put to the test. I gave a reading to a woman a few days ago who seemed to be desperately searching for bullshit. Maybe she'd been scammed by "professional psychics" in the past. I wasn't out to convert her, and I saw no need in playing into her beliefs, so I didn't. I don't think she enjoyed the reading very much. I could see how it could be pretty tempting to whip out some cold reading and dazzle people like these with Amazing Insights. But why would I bother? I'm not an entertainer.

Sometimes it's not the "clients" who're looking for bullshit. Sometimes you might encounter an evangelical atheist who just wants to save you, or a curious skeptic who'd like to see if there's anything to these stories about flying teacups and so on. It's just as tempting to say, "I totally made a tree catch fire with my mind once. But I proabably can't do it again lol!" as it is to scam some mistrustful old lady. If you're a pro and your brand is on the line, sure, go for it, NLP the motherfuckers. Go all Derren Brown on them. But just like espirititas don't take John Edward seriously, real occultists won't take you seriously when you claim Empirical Proof. We all know that there is none.

I was raised a rationalist. I majored in biochemistry. I'm a Scientist. I believe in Materialism. And also I don't, because it's an illusion after all. And that's fine too. I can't prove matter exists any more than I can prove that my soul does, and I don't care to do either.

Science makes no place for the soul, and why should it? Ask a doctor what the bible has to say about aspirin, and he'll laugh at you. If he's a good doctor, he probably should. Religion has no place in medicine; you should be talking to your priest, not your physician.

Why then should spiritual sciences make concessions for materialism? Why do some occultists doubt themselves because they can't levitate a teacup? Why should spiritual arguments be held up to the material measuring rod?

It's understandable when religious materialists, like the familiar Reddit Atheist, make these demands. They want to see explosions and levitation before they'll believe what we have to say. It's understandable and forgivable. It's not forgivable when we take them seriously. When occultists start playing to the demands of a skeptical audience, they might as well relinquish their magic cred. We don't seek converts.

It's also understandable when noobs ask for proof. They're desperate for meaning and truth, and surely truth needs to be proven? You owe these people proof. You owe these people a good dose of poison and a friendly ear. Maybe a reading list. You owe them the proof they deserve, not the proof they think they want. It's understandable.

You should also want proof, and hopefully, you've already had your fair share. Even better, you've let go of your need for proof. If you haven't yet, that's ok too. As long as you're not holding out for pyrokinesis. You should at least know better than that.

TL;DR: It's understandable when skeptics ask for empirical proof of occult phenomena. It's not OK when serious occultists do it, or claim to be able to produce said proof. Occultism and materialism are mutually exclusive philosophies, and it's pointless and ignorant to try to reconcile them.