When Books Aren't Enough

  What happens when books aren't enough? Don't get me wrong, I love books. I've had a frantic desire to read every printed word in sight since I can remember. But at some point on our various Pagan paths, we come to a point where reading just doesn't cut it anymore. When we read a book about prosperity magic, shamanic journeying, or community building, we're briefly entering the mind of the author and seeing things from their point of view. Depending on their level of experience and their skill at communicating through the written word, what we get out of their books might be similar or entirely different than what they themselves have actually felt and seen in reality.
  Because of this it is likely that one day you, like me, will walk into your local bookstore and squat down in the metaphysical section. You'll peruse the shelves, examining cover after cover, scanning bios and reading front flaps hoping for a summary that speaks to you. Usually, when I do this, I eventually find a book that calls out my name. You know that feeling. It's as clear as a bell, telling you to read it, to plumb the depths of the knowledge within. But someday, maybe someday soon, you'll look, and there won't be a book like that. You've filled up on written knowledge for now. And then what?
  Then it's time to walk outside. Do an hour of ecstatic dancing in the blazing sun, drum till you can trance journey across the cosmos, cast a circle every day, build your own community up! When books aren't enough, look up, and start doing, start experiencing what the books have been trying to teach you all along. The only way to move past 101 is experiential learning. Take risks, be daring, and make magic.