Because you should know better.
I was talking to someone about the way that people can anger spirits with normal human actions that infringe upon the natural world, broken vows, unwise magic and so on. In extreme cases their response can be as strong as a curse. I then mentioned that as a Sorcerer we can be more susceptible to this anger and attack than an ordinary person.
This last part kind of upset the person I was talking to, and they could not seem to understand how being a magician could possibly make you more susceptible rather than less to spiritual aggression.
There are two reasons why this is so:
The first should be fairly obvious: as a practitioner of magic you are working to open yourself to spirits and contact them. Opening and expanding this connection is a two way street. Unless you tightly control it, spirits have access to you. Some traditions emphasize constant banishing and only allowing contact with entities that you consciously invite into your sphere. That’s fine for some people I suppose but I fall into the category of people that are more open to spontaneous contact. The trick is having the ability to close contact when needed, having the spiritual authority to control contact when necessary, and the power to knock the shit out things that fuck with you anyway. Basically I see it as similar to how you deal with people.
The other thing that makes magicians more susceptible to retribution from spirits can be summed up in what one spirit told me when I made peace with it after doing something stupid: “You are a magician. You know that we exist. You have the ability to sense me and my reaction. You have the ability to make contact, give warnings, make amends. Because you have this knowledge ability, I hold you more responsible for actions committed in my home than an ordinary camper. You should have known better”
Think about your own job and the knowledge it gives you. Whether you work in computers, or a paint store, or police-station there are things that you are in the know about that others are not. Chances are it puts you in a position to avoid mistakes that others make. When you do make those mistakes you feel like even more of an idiot because you should have known better.
Be aware of what you do and the impact on the spiritual level. This can be as simple as cutting down a tree or even driving through an area that was once a sacred spot.
Avoid mistakes when you can. Make offerings as amends when you can’t. Give warnings when you are about to do magic someplace other than your temple. Basically, don’t be a dick. Once they know that you know better, they are less forgiving.
