Road Opener Comment Response

Hello, dear readers! It's been a while.

I was recently surprised to find that several other magical practitioners I know have found themselves in a dead period, much like I have been in. Frankly, this has gotten really bothersome, so I've decided try to come out of whatever rock I've found myself under.

To start out, I'd like to explore something brought up in a comment on my previous blogpost, where I detailed a Road Opening working I did in regard to my fitness goals. Here is the original comment, made by an anonymous poster:

Only one thing, Ocean, the road opener magic serves only in cases where the barrier is artificial, not when it is natural.
To win the lottery there are innumerable obstacles, if you could magically remove them, anyone would be able to win.
If your chart is written that you will be poor, then open the roads enough to change fate, but this is not possible. There is an old Spanish saying about: "what nature does not give, Salamanca does not provide".
If it is weight loss, and laziness is an artificial barrier, suppose someone is causing magically, it would remove this obstacle, but if laziness is artificial all work to open the roads are going to fail. It is good to understand this and not waste time and go for something that, for example, strengthen the will.

This was an interesting comment because it has helped me flesh out my thoughts regarding the topic of Road Opening work. With that said, I respectfully disagree with most of it.

First is the issue of obstacles. I don't see as much of a difference between natural and artificial obstacles as the commenter does, because there are certain points where it becomes hard, if not impossible, to tell the difference between the two. I would be more apt to define internal and external obstacles. Going by this, I agree with the commenter to an extent that internal obstacles can only be affected so much by Road Opening work. External obstacles are another matter, given that you're dealing with so many factors.

But I can't bring myself to agree with two examples he (I'm using 'he' for convenience; I don't know the commenter's gender) gives of what I would call external obstacles.

I don't think the lottery (specifically the jackpot) is a good example because you're dealing with the active wills and wishing of probably millions of people, and probabilities that are abysmal for actually winning the pot. Magic can, at best, increase your chances a little bit, but they'll still be abysmal even with that.

I'm assuming that the commenter refers to one's astrological chart after that, which I also disagree with, but that's because I'm of the belief that astrology inclines, but does not compel. The skeptic community alone has gone a long way toward debunking the deterministic view of astrology, and as a magical practitioner, I myself cannot hold that view. Otherwise, I don't see any reason to practice magic; if it's all fated by the stars, why bother? Besides, even in astrologically-based magic, there are ways of compensating for weakpoints in one's chart through talismans and work with spirits.

After that point, the commenter hits on something pretty important, given the topic I worked my Road Opening spell on: laziness. In my case, laziness has always been an issue, and it definitely can be considered an internal obstacle. This segue's into habits and the practice of changing them, which is not something Road Opening work can completely help with. But to be clear: the Road Opening spell was not directed at my own laziness.

But then again, it was never going to be the one and only working I did toward my fitness goals. I...have...a...plan...(yikes).

But going back to the Road Opening working itself. At the time I performed it, my frustrations were at an all-time high about the topic. At 400+lbs, I was facing an almost daily barrage of conflicting messages both from well-meaning people who espoused one side or another of the weight debate, had little support from my friends in general (some of whom actively encouraged me to keep my weight or gain more in the past, but then started losing weight themselves). I found I could not talk to ANYONE about it without being on the receiving end of fad diet or body acceptance preaching, and being treated like I knew nothing about the body and the way weight loss works. And even at times when I would head to the gym, the most random and fucked up things would happen to where, by the time I arrived, I was in fear of my personal safety.

It was THAT bad.

At the very least, I figured the few hours it would take me to cast the Road Opener wouldn't hurt in the long run.

And in the end, the proof is in the proverbial pudding. The spell was fueled by a 7-day vigil candle. Halfway through its burn, I received omens of success in the work. At the same time, the dissenting voices and opinions all suddenly died off (without me having to cut folks out of my life), information fell into place that helped me get better results from my workouts and eating, and I suddenly found a core support group. Next thing I knew, I had lost over 5lbs in about 2-3 weeks. In short, I found my obstacles diminishing and clearing away.

As I mentioned, the Road Opener spell isn't the only working that will be done toward my fitness goals. There are going to be many others over a long time, hitting many angles, because the goal itself is long-term and multi-faceted. Dealing with the obstacles was simply the first step.

Finally, I want to express a "Thank You" to the commenter, whoever you are, for the opportunity to address this.