How To Read & Annotate Occult Books (Especially If You Struggle To Retain Knowledge)
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- Опубліковано 4 лип 2024
- This video discusses my process of reading, analyzing, and annotating occult or esoteric books.
For more information on personal gnosis (mentioned in the video) please check out my guide to critical thinking for occultists & spiritualists:
• HOW TO THINK CRITICALL...
The book club I run is part of the channel membership! You can join the channel membership by using the link below. After joining, head to the "membership" tab on the homepage of my youtube channel. There, you will find book club updates and a private link to our channel members ONLY discord server. All book club conversations happen in Discord. Join the channel membership here:
/ @ivytheoccultist
Find me on Instagram @IvyTheOccultist
/ ivytheoccultist
Color Coded Tabs:
amzn.to/48PZYBG
Parchment Colored Sticky Notes:
amzn.to/3O2X2cQ
Timestamps:
00:00 Intro
01:00 Journaling Post-Reading
02:44 My Annotation System
10:13 Which Notes To Use For Which Book
13:07 Annotating Examples
I apologize in advance for the camera shakiness and the tiny little clicks in this video! There was no other way for me to film this video than to use my top-down tripod and apparently it's awful. I had no idea how bad the shaking was until I had already uploaded the video. Please forgive me and ignore the shakes as best as you can! 😂 The kind of top-down tripod that I need for a video like this is expensive and I probably won't be getting one of those for a while. Lol!
I didn't even notice!
I didn’t notice
Ivy the Perfectionist...
It was wonderful, as always
My process for studying any kind of non fiction, is to keep a notes app open on my phone. I take notes as I read. Then when I've finished the book I condense down my notes and hand write them into a notebook. I have different notebooks for different subjects.
That's perfect! 🖤
I can't tell you how excited I was seeing the title of this video! I have a couple occult books I've been trying SO HARD to read, never getting past a couple chapters and having to re-read and re-read over and over again.. retaining absolutely NOTHING. I have ADHD as well as a reading disorder so despite being insanely interested I struggle immensely.
I also can't for the life of me highlight any of my books so when I tell you this is a life saver I seriously mean it! Thank you so much ivy🖤✨
First thought seeing the tabs was "I'm not the only one who does that!"
I annotate 3 catagories I call encyclopidia(definitions/descriptions), action(exercises/rituals/spells/things I want to do) and neat (super interesting/mind blown part 😂)
Love this!
@@IvyTheOccultist Thanks! I love how detailed your system is and the tabs you got! 🤩
This is the video I didn't know I needed. I had to leave reading for a long time because of an abusive ex. I'm finally coming back to it and it's a struggle. I needed the nudge to start making notes.
My addition: flair pens are really satisfying to write notes with if you're using thick or loose leaf paper.
I got so many occult books on my birthday and christmas last year, that I definitly try this method. Thank you! :)
All the information can feel quite overwhelming, espeicially for beginner. To Write out all of what feels important to me, is a big help.
I'm always interested in ways to read and retain information more effectively. Thank you so much for sharing this helpful annotating approach! ❤
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as someone who has never been in a book club, i find this to be very helpful. thank you. usually when i read, i do not break it down like this in such a way that makes it useful for discussion, and i've not written an essay in many years. this is a great refresher and primer.
This is definitely not necessary by any means for our book club but I'm glad the information was helpful on some level! ☺️ I definitely don't do this for every book, that's for sure.
Invaluable video. I don't use tabs, but I have a reference system where notes, sticky notes or docs will lead back to books and point out sections.
A lot of Grimories elaborate on each other, but don't necessarily reference one another.
very good job !!! Ido almost the same... but i write in the book alot. I know that some people think that's vandalism 😅 but wt*, its my book😉 thanks for some extra tips.🥰
As always, terrifyingly amazing timing!! I just started notebooks and study in a lot of different areas but am a bit overwhelmed!!
That's perfectly normal. If you're not feeling a bit overwhelmed, you're missing half the fun! 😅
I agree with what artawhirler said. You've got this!
@IvyTheOccultist there are also clear sticky notes for if you want to "write in" a book without actually writing in the book
Cool!! I'll check them out, thanks!
Thanks ivy i found journaling knowlege from a book into my grimore much like i did my college courses helps me retain my metaphysical knowledge
I have to tell you that I have ADHD and usually have to speed up playback speed when watching videos because most people talk way too slow for me. Not with you! I love how fast you talk. I’m able to stay engaged the whole time. Also, no fluff. Thanks for making these videos!
I need to tighten up my annotation system. I liked hearing what you would annotate in this book … Mainly because I’m reading this book for the book club. I annotated of Blood and Bones and I am happy with the way I annotated that book. The current book has so much history in it though that I’m taking notes in a journal while I read. I started underlining and highlighting, but I’m highlighting the entire page because of all of the stuff I need to remember right now. 😂 I hope I can get into a more comfortable groove with this book. I do find the information very interesting and it keeps my attention, but like I said, it’s a lot to remember for me. I’ll need to refer back to the book often. I would definitely fail an essay exam on the information in this book! I would MAYBE pass a multiple choice test with a C or a D. The information is just that dense for me.
Haha well it's a good thing we aren't being tested! Yes, this one is definitely information packed so I think it's important to have a good note taking system. It sounds like you've already got a pretty good system set up for yourself! ☺️🫶
I like the bones fall in a spiral but im also struggling with it some on some of the information im having to take this book a bit slower
I love to see your process. It’s too easy to blast through books and forget to take notes or time to absorb before moving on to the next. I am blasphemous and write, highlight and fold corners in my copies 😆.
Same! 🤣Except in my case I would never write in my books and would much prefer to use sticky notes but I do use highlighters and fold corners lol
Hahaha I love blasphemy!
Perfect timing. Wonderful ideas! Looking forward to the book club!😊
Thank you so much for this! I’ve been trying to find a good way to annotate my older copies of books that I don’t want to mark up! Between this video and Nike’s “Tips for studying” video, I’ve got some awesome methods to use! PS, your handwriting is so pretty! 😊
Perfect timing! I just started reading from my own library of occult books last night.📚 Thank you for this topic!
This was so incredibly helpful. No one has ever explained how to take notes to me before and I used to struggle in college to do it "the correct" way.
So I have a disgustingly huge collection of sticky tabs bc I annotate the same way! I’m in the middle of a massage therapy course and the tabs are the best system I’ve found not only to have an easy way to reference material but also it helps cement things in my brain for future recall.
Also funny side note, the clicking from the tripod had me searching around for what was clicking for a solid 5 min. I’d pause the video listen not hear anything start the video hear the clicking and repeat. I finally gave up looking and now I feel so silly that I didn’t realize it was the video lololool
Ain’t life grand!!
Did the same thing don't feel bad.
Omg hahaha I'm so sorry about the clicking!! 😂😂
This is exactly the type of video we need. So many occult books are so hard to read.
I used to take supreme care of all my books and would often resell them for equal or greater value of what I purchased them for. Since I've gotten older I just buy used books, unless new is cheaper, and highlight the crap out of them.
Thank you for sharing Ivy, I use a similar method. My categories are typically single words or punctuation. For example a question mark for further research and exclamation for key concepts. I like to keep a notebook open while I read and write quotes in it as well.
I don’t have a problem annotating in my books. But with ebooks I can annotate, make notes, highlight and bookmark without damaging the book
Oh my Stars!! I am literally 1.5 minutes into this video and you have already rocked my world! Thank you for this!
❤❤❤I have used a similar system all my life. The only thing different is when there is something I want to memorize, I use a lot of visualization. I don't try to remember the words...I remember the page. Then all I have to do is bring up the page. If it is really special, I will add a touch of a scent to help me remember a feeling or thought. BTW...I am VERY possessive of my books...It is a flaw, I know...they are part of me in a sense.
This is brilliant. I don't have any issues with using a high lighter on my books but the idea of writing up the notes is wonderful. That will make me really think about what I understood about whatever it was. I will be incorporating some of these ideas into my own reading practice. Thank you.
Thank you so much! I normally highlight and then write SO MUCH in my notebooks, which is not great for arthritis pain and inflammation. This was such an easier way, less time, and less hand cramping and marking up my books. Thank you so much for sharing this! You're a life saver!🎉
@IvyTheOccultist
If you like stationary, I just discovered transparent stickynotes are a thing and wanted to share with you, since i also hate writing in other people's books I own.
Thank you for all your content, and keep being awesome!
I really appreciate this video- insight into how we can teach ourselves better.
I was JUST thinking about looking up better ways to annotate! This has perfect timing!
I just got a new occult book today. The timing of this couldn't be more perfect 🤣
This was an excellent episode for annotating books. Thank you for sharing. I will definitely be using this for my next book project and will save this video for future reference.
I felt so validated when you talked about being unable to highlight or mark books 😂 it made all of my teachers so mad for some reason
Ohhh, EXCITED for this video! IVY, You always manage to pull from Thee ether that which I was seeking!!! Thanks Again!💜🖤☄
Awesome! Thanks for sharing.
Great ideas! Thank you!
Very helpful! Thank you 💚
YESSSSS!!!! This is the video I have been needing! Thank you for putting this out
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Thanks for sharing! Very helpful.
This was so very helpful, thank you so much!
Ma'am one video on vanishing memories and tranfiguration
Great tips! Thank you for sharing your strategies!
I love this! Thank you Ivy!
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I horrify my daughter by underlining words in books and writing the meanings in the margins! They hate it but I love it as to me it is an acknowledgement to the words in the page. I can never remember all the wonderful facts I read so this is so perfect for me. Thank you so much, I will be starting it on this month's book club 😊
One of the most helpful videos EVER. Thanks Ivy ❤
This dropped at the perfect time!
Love how straightforward you are. I will definitely do this 🙏
Thank you for this informative and helpful video, Ivy! You’re on fire as always girl ♥️
I'm doing a dive into Edred Thorsson's Northern Magic/Ways... oh man, I'm two chapters in and it's... a doozy?! There are really only some areas of this book that I'm interested in because the author tends to... have a... I guess, a soft way of saying it... a very personal interest *cough * agenda *cough * in the subject that makes me feel uncomfortable and cautious.
The biggest example (again, just two short chapters into this book) is his regular use of the words 'true, pure, ultimate, birthright, authentic' and it's... not great.
This is so fun, though! Thank you for the inspiration on note-taking. It's already helping my studies so much! After 13 shaky years I needed a bit of a deep-dive revival of inspiration for my studies!
I'm already super excited to use these new techniques for study on other books in my library that resonate with me more! I think my next one will be the Earth Power classic. I have a deep love for this simple book. I'm excited to dissect it!
Thank you for this incredible video and you advise the other day too. This is so helpful and am grateful that you did thos video❤❤❤
this has really helped, thank you so much!!
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You and the content you create are a big inspiration for me, Ivy. Thank you 💜
I love those sticky notes! I love your process, too.
This is a wonderful video, I love seeing how others annotate their books. Thank you for making this!
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Great ideas!
OMGoodness your annotating is so neat! I'll try to show you mine 😂 I'm reading Hands on Chaos Magic right now and it's packed😂❤
Hahaha hey, if it works then that's just fine!!
Thanks for your insight. I can’t mark up books either.
Thank you! 🔮💕🌺
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Brilliant. I’m going to apply this to my books for class now too! Oo pretty outtro!
Woohoo! So glad that was helpful! 🫶
Fact checking authors has become even more important with the introduction of AI ‘writers’ particularly in the occult and herbalism space, as always you are a light in the dark for showing the importance of critical thinking!
First!! 😂😂😂 That was great. I LOVE the outtro scene, too! I hope you're staying warm and no frozen pipes. 😊❤🕯✨️🧿🪄🔮🪹🙋♀️❤️
😂😂😂
Thank you so much!! Hope you are staying warm as well!
Thanks for the helpful info 😊 you're full of organizing wellness... have a good day sweetie!
Thank you lovely! Have a wonderful day yourself!
My library is 95% digital, because my children are monsters to physical books and I lack space to put them. I have my notebook, and depending on the format of the book I have different systems; if it's in a reader like Kindle or PlayBooks I use the highlight tool and comments, for PDFs I use the comment tool.
Kindle makes it soooo easy to annotate which is great!
I love annotating in digital books, I think there’s a way to transfer all your notes to something like notion for a digital notes system too! Something I want to get more into soon since I also have tiny goblins that think books are for ripping and drawing in 🤦🏻♀️
@@samanthadabbles Oh, that would be super helpful, I have a digital library in Notion and if I can add all my notes to each book entry......
Same. I annotate more in ebooks than when I’m reading traditional books
Thank you for sharing your methods! Im gonna give this a try! The shaking wasn't that noticeable 😊
Oh good; thank you!
So I do this but I don't haha, but coming from someone who has a compression issue and always had one, I have been using tabs but your points are something I may change in my books. Thank you for your ideas.
Also, In my tabs I have to write a word that reminds me of why I put that there in the first place...Dory brain herexD what is perfect to write on plastic tabs is a fine tip sharpie ^.^
Do you know about the zettelkasten/notecards method for pulling notes in ways to help generate ideas? I feel like you might also like the Building a Second Brain Method. I use a version of these for some aspects of my life. ❤ great vid!
I have not heard of these methods but will definitely check it out!! ☺️❤️
I wish I'd had this system in grad school. I love that you don't go over four different annotations so you can really focus on those four.
It is definitely helpful for books outside of occultism as well! 😆❤️
@@IvyTheOccultist For sure! I think it would be really helpful for published papers I read too. I'm mentoring a student currently, and she doesn't fully understand how to get information from scientific journals. I'm going to use this system to go through the articles we're reading and show it to her in hopes it'll help. Thank you Ivy!
@@Renee-JillofallTrades that is so fantastic you are helping a student! And yes, I really hope this helps them! ❤️❤️
Thank you! It's a great learning experience for me as well. I've already made some notes in my phone about what would be good to annotate in the articles. I'm excited to have this system. ❤️
I use sticky notes/tabs and pencil. I can’t do highlighter or pens in books. It hurts me in my soul!
The shakiness was not that noticeable . No❤ worries!
Oh good, I'm so glad! I'm really annoyed at my tripod for this one. 😂
Do you use different books to take notes in per book you read? Or do you have just one big journal you keep everything in?
About the lack of personal gnosis and disagreement tabs on academic books: yeah, these academics might not be practitioners, but even academic books have the biases of the author in there, so you could disagree with their interpretations or conclusions for sure. Of course, being an academic text the only way to spot these is having cross referenced other academic books from diverse people. Like since a lot of older books were primarily written by straight white men, they might, intentionally or not, overlook, misinterpret or misrepresent a primary source, by having a euro-centric heteronormative point of view. ^^
Yes, good point! ☺️
This is great, do you always read the book first and then go back to annotate?
I usually do read the book first (as a quick read) before going back to annotate! I don't want my time wasted if the book actually turns out to be crap. 😂 But that's just me!
Also, I just joined the membership and the link to the discord server isn’t working for me? Can you help? Sorry to be a pain already…😊
Oh no! So sorry the link isn't working for you! I can't paste the link here. Would you mind commenting on any one of the member's only posts? I'll reply with the link there ☺️
As a luciferian that likes to learn about knowledge this is very helpful ave Lucifer 🖤
Occult books?? I am going to use it for many other books... Its helpful 😂
Is it just me or did she just post a video saying she was stepping back from doing these videos
Haha this video was actually really fun and chill for me to film - I'm just a huge nerd 😂😂
I was trained as a child that making any kind of mark in a book was one of the worst things a human could ever do. And if we're talking about school books or library books, I completely agree with that. But when I became an adult and could do whatever I wanted with my own stuff, I reconsidered that parental advice. I now believe that if I buy a book only to learn the information it contains, then that book's only purpose is to give up its information to me by any means necessary. Some of them are now so heavily highlighted, they practically glow in the dark. Would I do that to a beautiful hardcover book that cost $75 or $100? No way. Those things are works of art. But a typical nonfiction paperback that cost $10 or $20? That's not a work of art - it's a blank canvas!
That's so helpful Ivy thank you so much for this video I don't know why I didn't think before you said it sometimes I have a hard time remembering what I have read or understanding it and I used to read down what I read in school but I never thought about doing it with witchcraft books the next time I read a magical book I'll definitely write down what I read!!!!!!!!
Yess I hope it's helpful!! ❤️