I enjoyed reading this. :)
I can not agree more with you on Knowing yourself. We are changing all the time, we age, move around, switch professions etc. There is no end to learning who we are.
The practice of magick doesn't really require studying its history. That said, studying it really helps to take it to a different level and develop an appreciation for the subject.
I practise magick for many years, I read lots of books about it and I still don't know what I am doing, except for that it works! :D