Sunday Morning II: Have a go at this one

Abstract:  I am currently prepared to tentatively accept the idea (formulated a hypothesis) that there are available methods and techniques that allow certain (all?) members of Homo Sapiens to observe and affect the world outside of the current understanding of physics (to go all Aristolian, these would be considered under the broad rubric of "metaphysics").  If this is so, is there a "reproducible" method one can use to observe the mechanism behind methods?  I am quite uncomfortable with the idea of attempting to actively use the mechanism without studying it first. 

Now, how does a person who was raised in a Western Society, educated by Jesuits and scientists, and who is approaching his dotage go about testing this hypothesis.

I can't say that I like the idea of "spirit guides" of other such tommy-rot, but John Michael Greer and the readers and comments over at the two Ecosophia's (I refer to them as BIG and little) have been the best set of non-whackadoodle advice and discussion I have found (and there is some whackadoodle there, but as a spice, it is very important to the discussion and actually seems to advance the discussion.

I asked a couple of questions at the last "Magic Monday" over at the little Ecosophia:

John Michael:

Do you have any recommendations on non-bulls%=: books on "witchcraft". I have tried a couple modern books on Wicca, but have been less than impressed.

Thanks in advance for your kind consideration.

 I received a direct response from JMG and some discussion in the comments that was very helpful.  So right now I am starting to plow through Carlo Ginzburg's insights into "High" and "Low" knowledge.  Now we seem to be getting some traction.

So, I am looking around for the shadows of something long lost.  But I have no fucking clue whatsoever what it looks like, what it is made of, or how to go about finding it.  Ginzburg points out that the knowledge that I have learned in the past with its obsession with shoving the particular down the throat of the general may not allow me to see what it is I am looking for.

So, I have to figure out how to change my world view to allow me to see things.  Yeah, that should be easy.  So now I am reading through philosophy and metaphysics and trying to figure out the outlines of what I am supposed to be seeing/doing.  I meditate and try to clear my mind of distractions in order to become aware of some flow that I haven't noticed in the past.  Thus far, I got nuthin'.

I will try again for a bit to see something there, then I might go to the next step;  trying a very simple "spell" to see what happens.  Though I feel uncomfortable about f'ing around with something that I don't even slightly understand.