spiritual learning resources
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Ditching Crowley, Embracing Watts: How I Actually Learned Spirituality
I’m a 55-year-old data analyst living in Nashville, and yeah, I dropped out of college to teach myself philosophy and mysticism. Looking back, that was either the best decision or a glorified midlife crisis. Either way, it completely rewired how I approach spiritual learning.
For years, I wasted time on Aleister Crowley’s work. Don’t get me wrong, the guy was prolific, but his occult framework felt rigid and ego-driven. It clashed with my analytical brain. I needed something that actually resonated. Enter Alan Watts. His lectures hit different—less dogma, more playful inquiry. Reading Watts felt like drawing The Hermit card: stepping back from the noise to find clarity without forcing a system.
Psychologically, this shift mirrors what Jung called 'individuation'—shedding borrowed beliefs to forge your own path. Tarot symbolism reinforces this: The Fool represents starting fresh, unburdened by dogma, while The High Priestess embodies intuitive knowledge that doesn’t need rigid structures to exist. You can track moon phases and practice divination all you want, but if your mindset stays locked in binary thinking, you’re just doing data analysis with a mystical skin. Real growth happens when you embrace ambiguity, much like how Watts encouraged readers to 'dance' with paradox instead of trying to solve it like a spreadsheet.
So, what’s been your go-to resource? Are you team Crowley or team Watts? Or have you found something else that actually works? Drop your takes below. And if you’re still memorizing the Major Arcana like it’s a database, maybe it’s time to let The Fool take the wheel.
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