ecosophia | Magic Monday

It's just past midnight, so here we go with a new Magic Monday. The picture is of Khaemwaset, the fourth son of the pharaoh Ramses II. Unlike his older brothers, who took up military careers, he entered the priesthood and became famous for his scholarship, his restoration of historic tombs and temples, and his mastery of magic -- so much so that stories of his occult exploits were still being told a thousand years later, and have been preserved in two documents dating from well after the Greek conquest of Egypt. Under the name "Setne Khamuast" -- the closest translation of his religious title and name yet available in the early 20th century -- he was an important figure in the legendary history of Dion Fortune's Fraternity (now Society) of the Inner Light.

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***This Magic Monday is now closed -- and yes, this means you. See you next week!***

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

For anyone interested in the topic of internet addiction (since it comes up fairly often), it looks like internet withdrawal can induce psychosis: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4023098/

This has convinced me I need to cut back. My plan is to gradually wean myself off of it, starting by establishing a morning routine without it, and then an evening one, and slowly cut down on it until such time as I'm free of it completely.

Getting hobbies is key; meditation and banishing rituals are also important; and I suspect that by making myself start and end the day offline, it'll help me define myself as someone who doesn't use the internet, making it easier to cut down further. Are there other things I'm missing that could help?

That sounds like a good plan. Anyone else have suggestions?

One thing I found very helpful in reducing my low-value internet usage was to sharply distinguish and define what I was doing on the internet, and to separate important activities (checking my bank account, answering work-related email) from playing on the internet. It is very easy for me to get on the computer to do something important, spend 5 minutes on that, and still be on the internet an hour later. It has been valuable to say "I'm getting on the internet for 5 minutes to pay my credit card bill" and to make sure that even if it's just a 1-minute break, to separate that from "I'm going to read {interesting web site}".

SamChevre

When I began to break my internet addiction, I found that doing housework on weekend mornings (when I was at home, rather than at the office) was essential. I found housework to be concrete, meditative, and lead to an immediate improvement in my home and mental environments.
-Cliff

Magic Monday

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