Okay, I misunderstood what you meant by operating magic mentally; I took you to mean something more like focused intent, not visualized ritual. I really cannot say much from experience about the efficacy of visualized ritual.
Speaking from my own case, I would have to say that theurgy has so considerably changed me that the concepts derived from external, prima facie descriptions of phenomena such as "love, sex, career," etc., no longer carry the same connotations or expectations that they formerly did--and commonly do. Perhaps I'm just getting old, I will be leaving my 20s in February (by the way, you shouldn't have told me your age, from now on, no matter how hard I might try to fight it, this fact will find its way into my evaluation of myself in relation to your posts), but the meanings behind, let's say, "career"--I mean, the range of meanings that place value, or orient purpose and, consequentially, behavior, not the purely "objective" content of the word ("sex" is easier here: I don't mean the basic descriptive--anatomical, physiological--facts of, in this case, sex, but the range of meanings of the word "sex" that are directly related to one's personhood)--are no longer compatible with my internal, motivational meaning set; they seem to be constructed from and for a collective personality with which I cannot identify. Hence I cannot pursue a career, but rather I can assist in actualizing deeply set existential drives that just might incidentally materialize in this or that career (For instance, when I was younger, I ambitiously strove to establish myself in an academic career, and, additionally, I put in the extra effort to acquaint myself with areas of inquiry that would give me, what I perceived was, a creative advantage over my would-be colleagues. Nevertheless, as time progressed, I abruptly grew bored with purely intellectual challenges, and now, after a few years of soul-searching, meaninglessness, and, generally speaking, severe depression, I'm in the application process for becoming an Army officer. But when I project myself into this future path in order to represent for myself my motivations, I am keenly attentive to the internal, psychic benefits wrought by the external conditions, but only dimly aware of the external conditions themselves. This is very different from my youthful self who represented his desired future scenarios in--albeit, glorified--images.). It is, then, very difficult for me to do "low magic" now, as I cannot help but to believe that external circumstances (such as falling in love, or finding a career), coalesce around the expression of such higher-order, internal meanings, and thus, that the magical modification of external circumstances cannot be an end in itself for me--my focus cannot easily be actionably displaced from the sphere of internal development; for some reason I have this sense that the external world, at some level, cooperates with me on this, and only on this, "transcendental" plane of motivation.
I find this notion of a True Will to be very curious, as I have never read a consistent statement of the facts of which the definition of this concept is supposed to serve as an interpretation. I do think, however, that there is something to the idea, I am just not entirely sure what that might be; and further, I am hesistant to extend the full rage of theoretical baggage implied in and adduced on behalf of this concept of a "True Will"--or perhaps I just have a difficult time separating the concept from Thelema; I think that my assessment of the same set of facts conceptualized by the term "True Will" would give birth to a different term.
Love spells are of great interest to me, as I have found romantic relationships to be the most challenging type of magical working. I'm not, however, exactly sure of my stance on love at this point--I mean, it's essentially the same as it always was (for Love itself surely does not belong to me), but, except for some remaining excrescences of cynicism, it now feels purer, liberated from the dark clusters of associations that once obscured the clarity of my perception of this great power. Did you endeavor to enchant a particular person, or did you cast for love in general? Anyway, good luck to you
Hekate holds my affection as well. Have you ever read the Chaldean Oracles?
"If you, Hegias, are saying that theurgy is divine then I agree with you. But those destined to be gods must first become human; that is why Plato said that philosophy is the greatest gift ever to have come down from the Gods to humanity."
--Isidore of Gaza, recorded by Damascius the Diadochus in his Philosophical History.
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