7+ years on this journey, my advice: this is not for everyone, long term. Everyone should try it, but most are not capable of the mental fortitude it takes to make this a lifestyle, especially not in the modern world where lust is a way of life. You will be challenged constantly, but if you persevere you will reach a greater, or deeper, understanding of everything. The mental and physical benefits come and go, but they are beyond a doubt real.
This must be a part of any meaningful spiritual pursuit. You're wasting your time if you don't incorporate any kind of abstaining at some point, but moderation is a perfectly fine practice.
I won't get into my personal habits, but 90-120 days is a minimum to get a good introduction to the possibilities this practice offers. Going for a run after 6+ months of a decently clean streak of abstaining and transmuting is magical. Even more than that goes beyond words. The gods will notice you, for better or for worse, and you will be tested more and more for your efforts. The higher up the mountain you go, the more precarious it gets, greater heights to fall from and all that, but that's ok. You will fall and fail, but getting back up and starting again is one of the greatest lessons you can give yourself.
Speaking of magic, it's true, you become a generator of synchronistic and metaphysical phenomena. You increase your slice of the reality-creation pie. The more you generate however, the more responsibility you take on to not lend your energy to negative things, for your sake but mostly for the sake of your loved ones. Your actions can flip reality on its head in the blink of an eye; not a reason to take on everyone's sins as your own, but it is something to keep in mind. You do become more axis than wheel spoke, your spiral tighter, creating more leverage. It is impossible not to notice.
However, this practice doesn't make you better than someone who doesn't, and if you are doing it for purely that reason you will fail. It's good to challenge yourself, but just like someone with $1,000,000 in their bank account isn't necessarily better than someone with $1,000, it comes down to context.
We're all here alive today because your father ejaculated into your mother. It's not evil to ejaculate, unless it's done for a less than noble purpose, but you'll know the difference deep down. Sometimes the best course of action is to just drop a huge deposit in your wife, absolutely no shame there.
The beauty of this whole practice, and you can argue life as an extension, is to know thyself. You will learn a lot about yourself and what lurks deep within, as the struggle (or not!) to retain reveals the hidden layers of the psyche, as well as the increased synchronicity reflecting the normally hidden inner world which exposes even more, and also provides an opportunity to organically work on these internal reactions outside of an established spiritual system that may or may not limit your true understanding of self. The world becomes almost rpg-like sometimes. You'll unlock dialog options with NPCs or hopefully other players that'll take you on unexpected journeys. You'll be able to sniff out bs from a mile away because you'll have direct experience, surpassing all those who didn't make the personal sacrifice. If you're ready and called to make that leap, do it, you won't regret it.
I highly suggest learning meditation, energy work, some kind of internal martial art practice or something else to transmute, music, art, whatever. If you are a singer it will add a sweetness to your voice that you and others will feel. Long term it will change how you sound, your range, and the response you get from others. The microcosmic orbit is almost mandatory, I believe, but don't force it. After 3-12 months of pure retention, you will feel the more subtle realities. For better or for worse, you will increase your psychic function. Take care of your mind, get outside, create, and make good use of your time and energy. After years of PRACTICE, not necessarily perfection, on this path, it will just naturally become a way of life. You'll have years of being ever closer to your God-given natural state under your belt, which will make you and everyone you come in contact with better for it. Starting this practice means you are guaranteed to fail, but the lesson is to always be kind to yourself when it happens and to pick yourself back up afterwords. Also, don't bother counting days, make use of the days instead. If you can, keep your practice a secret from everyone but your wife (if you're married) as best you can. It's like fasting, it's much more fulfilling if no one knows. Grow in the darkness and flower like a lotus blooming out of a pile of shit, much funnier that way.