After watching my Geburah video, a viewer reached out, feeling stagnant and directionless. Resonating deeply, I’ll share a few tactics that pulled me out of a similar situation over a decade ago.
These lifestyle changes were pivotal in honing my crafts and exploring the Occult. If I could go back, I would adopt them earlier.
While not Magick per se, these are essentials for modern practitioners. I believe they should be integral to the Neophyte and Zealator grades related to the Earth element governing:
- Physical health,
- Performance,
- Wealth, and
- Stability.
By embracing them, you increase your chances of success in navigating life and magickal forces. By neglecting them, you shoot yourself in the foot, as Magick works on what’s already there.
The Earth element is the synthesis of all processes in the Tree. No matter how advanced your techniques, your results are grounded in Assiah, the physical realm of action.
To keep things concise, I won’t be delving into studies, as that’s all over the internet. What I will say is:
- Do your homework and
- Implement each thoroughly.
This will significantly improve your situation in six to twelve months, providing:
- Direction,
- Purpose, and,
- A new life experience.
And while it is not about ‘getting rich quick,’ you’ll likely be leveraging your talents to get paid for meaningful work. You will change your life in so many ways, you won’t go back.
Transformation
Sometimes considered a grand and sudden change, transformation is slow and steady, beginning humbly for each. It could be:
- Increasing profit.
- Switching careers or starting a business.
- Getting in shape.
- Cutting out toxic people and/or addictions.
Rooted in commitment, transformation unfolds gradually.
Objective results start with changing your subjective reality.
In Magick, mastering the pentagram is mandatory before approaching the hexagram. In life, this means taking ownership of your body and mind, including:
- Thoughts,
- Actions, and
- Habits.
It starts with examining your lifestyle which produced your current situation. The choices you’ve made so far have manifested it. The good news? You have the power to change.
IAO
In the past, IAO—birth-death-rebirth—was a one-time transformation. Now, we experience IAO repeatedly via regular self-reinvention. This aligns with Carol Dweck’s notions of:
- Growth Mindset and
- Lifelong Learning.
Similarly, Adlerian Psychology does not recognize fixed personality types but changeable lifestyles and identities.
Unlike the school system, which rewards perfect scores, real progress stems from feedback and adaptation. It requires:
- Agency, and
- Adaptability.
As I like to say:
“Agency is King. Effort is Queen. Trial and Error is the name of the game.”
— POTB
The Real Threat
Efforts come at a cost. Investing them into a higher purpose requires optimal mental and physical health.
Modern practitioners commonly mistake themselves as victims of religion. For most, this is no longer the enemy. The real threat comes from organizations like
- Big Food,
- Big Farma, and
- Lobbies pushing self-destructive culture in the face of ‘modernity.’
Medieval alchemists and magicians fought for information. Our battle is for attention or psychic energy, as Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi calls it. According to Peter J Carrol, attention is the direct expression of the Life Force Chiah.
INRI
“The more attention you waste, the more life sucks.”
— POTB
By their twenties, most struggle with
- Obesity,
- Pre-diabetes,
- Weak character,
- Multiple addictions,
- Lack of Purpose, etc.
For men, this often includes erectile dysfunction. Either way, society profits by keeping them dependent—working mainly to sustain these very issues. Luckily, this is not how it’s supposed to be. You can change your life.
To the rescue comes modern research and the ageless INRI. Complementing IAO, INRI has multiple meanings, including:
- Igne Nutara Renovatur Integra, or By Fire Nature, is Renewed.
The Fire Element burns away cancerous constructs. Fiery Geburah destroys limiting forms, which are not vague abstractions but include the issues mentioned earlier.
One Step at a Time
Well-being and performance depend on two things:
- The G’uph (physical body),
- The Nephesh (Animal Soul) which holds instincts and urges.
While the mentioned organizations use cutting-edge science to turn both against you, mastering either makes the other easier.
Action Items 1. Substances
If that’s you, start by quitting substances one at a time. Begin with the most destructive and illegal. More than removing bad habits, this reclaims your time, energy, and life force.
According to MRI scans, all addictions work on the dopamine-reward system—whether it’s:
- booze,
- speed,
- porn,
- sugar.
Once free from heavy substances, dropping lesser dependencies becomes easier. That’s why quitting drugs and booze first is so powerful. It provides a unique momentum and confidence. In and of itself this step will massively change your life.
The Three Basic Appetites
Next comes what I consider the ‘gold standard’ for controlling your Nephesh. Although he wasn’t a Qabalist, Napoleon Hill defined self-discipline as mastering the desires for:
- Sex,
- Food,
- Loosely Organized Opinions, including:
- Gossiping,
- Doom-Scrolling,
- Wasting Attention, etc.
So, let’s start with the first, laying down the basics letting you change your life.
Sex
Sexual energy is one of the most potent forces. If unchecked, it leads to:
- Addiction,
- Impulsivity, and
- Being a slave to instant gratification.
Harnessed properly, sexual energy fuels:
- Discipline,
- Creativity,
- Higher Pursuits,
- etc.
All spiritual traditions emphasize sexual transmutation— redirecting raw desire into productive aims. This isn’t about suppression but:
- Reclaiming your life,
- Owning your sexuality,
- Eliminating cravings and distractions while
- Having more sex with real partners without serving an impulse.
As the saying goes:
- Well-accomplished people are also well-sexed.
This dynamic is reflected in the relationship between Geburah and Netzach in the Tree of Life understanding which is critical if you want to change your life.
- Netzach’s love and sex are associated with the subjective, while
- Geburah’s victory and conquest, with the objective.
Your elemental energy is closely tied to your sex life, which is ruled by the fiery force. Own and use it as best as you can.
Action Items 2. Sex
As the NoFap movement’s ‘granddaddy,’ I still recognize sex as the most powerful hack for quitting porn. It changed mine and it will change your life.
- It creates an anticipation keeping you on track.
- It stimulates the release of bonding hormones like oxytocin and serotonin.
- The act of surrender makes us human, deepening our connection to others.
Alternatively, you can try cyclical celibacy, which:
- Alternates periods of sexual intercourse with complete abstinence—no fapping in either.
- Gurdjieff used it, while some report it speeds up giving up porn. So feel free to experiment.
Food
Crucial for mastering the Nephesh, your relationship with food massively impacts:
- Energy,
- Agency,
- Willpower, and
- Focus.
A total elimination diet provides a fresh start, balancing your body and eradicating cravings. By going zero carbs, you switch from burning sugar to ketones derived from fat. Being another to change your life, such a transition:
- Stabilizes blood sugar,
- Enhances mental clarity and
- Removes the constant cycle of energy crashes.
Moreover, it gets your Nephesh out of your way by suppressing hunger. Eating only proteins and fats stimulates the production of the satiety signals:
- PYY (Peptide YY) and
- CCK (Cholecystokinin).
As covered in my first book, when injected with these, people and mice stop eating.
Action Items 3. Food
After going no-carb, implement a fasting regimen like the 8-16. As it feels comfortable, begin transitioning to OMAD (One Meal A Day). Besides maximizing ketone production, this:
- Obliterates hunger.
- Increases metabolically flexibility by making your body efficient at burning its own stores.
- Brings a whole new relationship with food and performance.
Later, experiment with diet cycling. Alternating between no- and higher-carb periods keeps you metabolically adaptive, which is crucial for performance and overall health. Either way, food quality matters.
As I’ve been preaching for a decade, these practices don’t just control eating. They foster transformation and higher pursuits.
Information Diet
“How satisfying is to dismiss and block out any upsetting or foreign impressions, and immediately to have peace in all things…”
— Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, 5.2
Like fasting limiting your time on social media is essential for mental clarity and focus. Implement a window of one or two hours to stay online and stay offline for the rest of the day. It is nothing short of essential enabling you to change your life.
Although, I never had issues with it, gaming should fall into that. This allows you to focus on what truly matters.
Action Items 4. Information Diet
Like food quality, an information diet makes a huge difference. Besides limiting exposure to social media:
- Consume content providing practical advice on your journey.
- Read books you can focus on extensively, training your attention.
- Appreciate quality art or fiction stimulating inspiration and your creative imagination.
- Avoid energy-draining content like:
- Memes,
- influencers,
- sensational news,
- shallow entertainment, etc,
Monitoring what you put in your mind is just as crucial as monitoring what you put in your body. Such a refined information intake:
- Nourishes the mind,
- Strengthens focus, and
- Supports your transformation.
Filling Up the Vacuum
Bad habits aren’t erased but replaced with better alternatives. The covered thus far essentially creates a vacuum. Nature will quickly seek to fill this with its default state of entropy and randomness, bringing:
- Old ways, and
- Relapses.
A real identity change requires feeling the void with optimal routines. Think of this as banishing and invocation, the classic approach to Magick.
- You purify the aspects of your being.
- You invoke particular currents and declare an intent.
Bodybuilding
Though some will never fathom how deeply mental and spiritual it is, I offer Bodybuilding, as the base of your pyramid
Frank Zane calls Bodybuilding the Yoga of the West. Like Yoga postures, Bodybuilding exercises require:
- Breath control and
- Single-pointed focus in certain areas, which we call mind-muscle connection.
Bodybuilding teaches you to:
- Delay gratification and
- Work toward long-term goals.
It produces undeniable results, but it requires a substantial investment upfront, similar to Magick demanding comparable dedication. Furthermore, Bodybuilding is a gateway to:
- Self-Improvement,
- Entrepreneurship,
- Psychology,
- Philosophy, and
- Relentless skill-acquisition.
Bodybuilding is a direct way of manifesting your will into the world and experiencing objective results. By sculpting your body, you learn to sculpt your life.
— POTB
Action Items 5. Bodybuilding
- Get yourself in the gym.
- Once feeling comfortable, explore the lives, methods, and philosophies of the greatest of all time, as they were much more than bodybuilders:
- Serge Nubret,
- Vince Gironda,
- Frank Zane,
- Mohammed Makawy, etc.
Intention
Intentional living starts with journaling. Make a ritual of writing down your daily focus, reflecting on
- What you want to achieve,
- How you want to feel, and
- What actions align with each?
This creates a roadmap for your day, grounding your actions.
Action Items 6. Intention
A simple yet powerful variation is using bullet points and the Pomodoro to track habits. To build those, explore tactics like:
- Temptation Bundling,
- Habit Stacking,
- Premack’s Principle, etc.
- Learn the limitations of willpower and self-control, aiming for meaningful progress, not mindless overexertion.
Ikigai
The previous section raises the question:
“What habits?”
The answer is those developing the skills and proficiency needed to live your Ikigai. Translating into a ‘reason for being,’ your Ikigai is the intersection between:
- What you love,
- What you are good at,
- What the world needs,
- What you can be paid for.
Aligned with IAO and Viktor Frankl’s concept of meaning, your Ikigai has different expressions during your life. The key is to identify it in your current stage. After implementing all covered, people tend to obtain such clarity instantaneously.
Additionally, use the Ikigai Venn diagram to reflect on your:
- Passions,
- Strength,
- Talents, and
- Interests.
See where they align with the world’s needs as potential income sources. Use the mentioned tactics to build the skills and qualities, turning yourself into the person who can fulfill such a purpose.
Thelema emphasizes the notion of True Will, which is often veiled with abstractions like extending beyond incarnations. Conversely, the Ikigai is very focused on tangible things like:
- Mastery,
- Excellence,
- Exceptional Skills.
Hence, Japanese Takumis are the best examples of people living it. Psychologist Alan Ronald Miller, aka Christopher Hyatt, defines the True Will as your genetic predisposition. Consider him and the Takumis and build the right skills.
Action Items 7. Ikigai
Start with an hour a day, to become a part-time Ikigai, to a side hustle and perhaps a full-time Ikigai, as recommended by Tim Tamashiro in his book How to Ikigai.
But that’s just my opinion. Let me know if you agree. And thank you for your time.