Pace of Omnimancy training.

[SenoraRaton]

I was directed to omnimancy by a friend of mine, Kaylara. The more I read about the system the more intrigued I became. I have always had a very analytical mind, and wanted to understand/analyze HOW things work. To be honest I have come to a stumbling block in my studies, without some sort of benchmark to test myself against, I have little validation for my work. Self validation only gets you so far. I have never been much for ritual work, I just never could get into the theater of it. I taught myself most of what I know, from personal study/research. I am seriously considering applying to join the cyber group, however I'm concerned about my background, and the overall pacing of the classes. I personally enjoy devoting time to my energy work, but I don't like to push myself on to new disciplines/techniques until I have mastered current ones. Perhaps that is why it has taken me 3 years to just to get to novice level, IMO.

My question is, is the pacing of the classes tailored to the student? I read a lot of LordArt's posts, and I see 18 months to completion, 2 weeks you should know this, etc... Will I be allowed to work at (relatively) my own pace, or will I be put into a class, and expected to keep up? What happens if I can't cut it? It is the goal of a well formed system to push its practitioners to achieve, to force them to adapt, and learn, but is Omnimancy for an exclusive mental-elite, or is it for any practitioner that is willing to devote time/effort to learning?

[LordArt]

I was directed to omnimancy by a friend of mine, Kaylara.

Wow, I haven't heard from/about her in years. How's she doing? Last I heard, she was moving to Europe. How's that working out for her?

...I have little validation for my work. Self validation only gets you so far.

I certainly agree with you there. Omnimancy as a group is as much about learning as it is a mutual magical support group.

My question is, is the pacing of the classes tailored to the student? I read a lot of LordArt's posts, and I see 18 months to completion, 2 weeks you should know this, etc... Will I be allowed to work at (relatively) my own pace, or will I be put into a class, and expected to keep up? What happens if I can't cut it? It is the goal of a well formed system to push its practitioners to achieve, to force them to adapt, and learn, but is Omnimancy for an exclusive mental-elite, or is it for any practitioner that is willing to devote time/effort to learning?

Cyber is run differently than the physical groups, because it's harder to teach online compared a physical group. There are also a LOT more applicants to the cyber group than the physical groups since the student pool for cyber is litterially the world, while for the physical groups it is those that live within car distance that they wish to travel to a meeting.

Because of that, Cyber has adopted the current practice of teaching in pairs. This allows students to be taught in a semi-group environment, simular to how core is done. There is normally one teacher that session with many(or none) secondary ones helping out with extra insight as appropriate. Also the pairing allows the students to have someone to practice with on their own level, and discuss issues that they themselves maybe having the same confusion with in the relavant context. Because of the benefits in logistics and training, Cyber tries to keep each pair in sync as best as possible. However, that doesn't mean extra practice can't be done or isn't done, even with the teachers (whom generally are students themselves, just at a higher point in the training).

While the training is expected to keep in pace with your other half in the pairing, there have been many occations that I'm aware of with extra effort on part of the teachers to practice with students outside of class to either go over things outside the normal "stock" ciriculum, or practice in areas where the particular student is having issues.

I wouldn't worry about "not being able to cut it". While there are tests, most pass first time, and most of the rest pass the second time. The times when people didn't pass ever (after many attempts) is when they weren't taking their training seriously, and it became obvious they weren't. As complicated as it sounds "on paper", Omnimancy is easy to practice. Learning the Whys are different than learning the How-Tos. The Whys get VERY complicated and requires a person with that detail oriented kind of mentality. The How-Tos are quite easy, as shown by may of the higher students forgetting the Whys but are still able to do all the things they learned a while ago. Those that are detail oriented DO have a tendency of doing better, because they can more easily expand themselves beyond the "stock" series of spells and concepts. Some of the best stuff is in-between the cracks of what is taught so to speak. Like many things, you get out of it what you put into it.

I hope that answers your question.

Arthur

P.S. BTW, What do you mean by "Mental-Elite" in your context? (I can make assumptions, but it's safer to ask).

[SenoraRaton]

I was just concerned that the group was exclusive rather than inclusive. To be honest I didn't know exactly how to word it, it sounds bad in hindsight.

I personally feel that anyone with a desire to learn should be afforded the chance. However I have had experiences with groups that are exclusive, and anyone interested in their teachings is either ostracized from the begging, or they are told they can't handle it if they struggle, and are made out to be inferior to the group. To be honest I don't see this as a problem within omnimancy, just judging by the response I have received/read here.

[LordArt]

I personally feel that anyone with a desire to learn should be afforded the chance.

Yes and No. Sounds great on paper, but in real life it doesn't work. Meaning, I DON'T feel anyone with a desire to learn SHOULD learn. Some people simply aren't ready for the responsibility of it. In some cases, it's like giving children guns and crystal meth.

Omnimancy has gotten a reputation for being elitest and arrogant in certain circles because we don't feel everyone should learn what we have to teach. Some of it deserved, in other cases, not so much. If you come from a background where all of the tradition's information is posted, then coming across one that it isn't freely posted seems elitest. Sometimes when someone asks an Omni a question, they will say that they can't answer the question because of rules within the group, so again, people get upset about censorship of knowledge. Sometimes we come off being an authority over certain subjects in comparison to those that are in the discussion, and in individual cases, that can be certainly true simply because of what we know we can do and what we study, but one is perceived as arrogant.

To get back to the inclusive/exclusive thing, Cyber doesn't have the logistics of teachers to accept every application. And in many cases, those that apply aren't ready for what Omnimancy teaches. When Omnimancy Cyber first started, we accepted almost all that applied. It was not only a logistical nightmare, but many of the students were simply not ready and caused a LOT of problems in other groups as well as this one. Omnimancy is still living down some of those issues from many years ago with students acting like children. At this point, almost everyone from that era has been flushed (by one reason or another), and after a certain extent, Cyber has started over, but has regrown at this point.

People aren't kicked out of Omni for struggling if they are trying. People are kicked out for breaking the rules, or goofing off/being disruptive rather than learning. If someone has particular issues, which has happened in the past, normally they are helped to get past those issues. I will admit, that in many occasions, it is up to the student to have that initiative to a point. We hand out a lot of power, but we won't force it down your throat. Those that seek more, get more.

Nice to see I still have my way of round about answers.