Shadow Dream

Depends what your looking for I guess... if nothing clicks for you, then I'd try exploring lots - to look for common ground amongst them and then seek out a possible source to better focus and understand how the broader adherents fit through history. I say this only because its what I did.

There 'might' be more value in sticking with one perhaps(or not), but that would depend on the individual and what they are seeking probably - something potentially not really known until well established on the path and thus there lies a risk of wasting time. Perhaps its easier to accept that it might be the 'looking' which you seek!

So that risk, and that its sometimes useful to use those learnings to reimagine your own original religious experiences (into being positive and powerful - having potential from them being deep in the memory and thus useful through their integration with emotions) means I tended to try lots, rather then focus on one.

I ended up focusing though eventually, as the bits which worked or resonated became collected as 'my' path.

I don't mean to pretend its accurate but to me (and we each might have a different 'seat' in this regard), most of the popular left hand path stuff seemed like cultural appropriation of South Asian mysticism which got reinterpreted & transformed as it filtered West through the Middle East, Africa & Europe for profit and fame, appealing to the ego of the weak akin to a form of shallow delusion. Without getting into the debate of what is real and what is deluded, it goes back to what the audience was and wanted. The popular left hand path tend's to be a layperson's spirituality because its accessible with no depth - like eating the apple tree because your hungry, instead of the apple and waiting for it regrow. Compared to the lifelong rote religious adherence to someone else idea of what is best it does seem more interesting so by being able to leverage off society itself, it probably also worked better in the short term - and lets be honest we all live in the 'now' and tend to think we are 'all that'.

Also what was left hand path in its day might not really be classified as such now, as it generally meant culturally inappropriate or forbidden practises - and so some modern left hand paths 'try' to fit into that by being counter-culture, which seems backwards to me. I guess by being counter-mainstream religion they can benefit from those deep early religious experiences as a short path to limited success, but I'd have thought the genuine LHP practise might end up counter-culture not by design but as a result and thus 'occult' and hidden (because its not easy/attractive/mainstream/legal etc), but what sort of things need to be hidden these days.... its not like anyone can prove magic in a court anyway
:dry:

But that does go to an important point, the whole concept of left hand path could be a misnomer as, if nothing is true and everything is permitted then there is only 'the' path. Else, a counter-culture path would seem to be one of being enslaved to reacting to other's, rather then having true freedom.

But is a 'measure' of it really appropriate - I don't think so. Perhaps its better to view things as genuine if they work - and not about where they come from or how they've been used.

So since there is so much material I tended to end up just focusing on that South Asian mysticism instead, but cautiously as I think the same reinterpretations and transformations have happened in South Asia also. It's why I enjoy Eastern Asian spirituality also, as I think that Taoism is a good/interesting alternative/adjunct against/with Mahayana towards some Vajrayana practise.... which as a path has produced results for many. But as mentioned its just how I've chosen to see things at the moment. I think within each of us is everything we need, and all these 'paths' are just other people's experiences of exploring it within themselves. So yea, it depends on what your looking for (that is not a question I am asking you to answer me, but to answer to yourself) and more importantly why!!! I hope that doesn't make me sound too pessimistic!!!