magic

The Basics

"I am real!", said Alice, and began to cry.

-- Lewis Carroll

The purpose of this chapter is to introduce the beginning practitioner to some basic tools and procedures with which to perform Chaos Magic. These techniques are by no means definitive, but are presented to serve as a starting point from which one's own personal magic repertoire can develop.

Banishing

Any discussion of magical technique will generally begin with the concept of banishing. Banishing rituals are usually the very first magical procedures that the new student learns.

When reduced to their common denominators, banishing rituals are intended to set a psychic demarcation of time and space, within which ritual action is to take place. This is what's important. It can be compared to what a chemist might do in a workspace -- make sure that the area is free of contaminants by cleaning it thoroughly; otherwise the results of the work might be spoiled.

Old banishing rites generally involved such things as visualizing the drawing of flaming circles around the operator, in addition to burning stars in all directions, robe-clad angels and/or castle-like towers on four sides, shafts of white light shooting through the middle of it all, while the operator screams at all the demons to get out! There is variation in the kinds of imagery used, but it's usually equally complex and superfluous.

I know of very few magicians who have been literally dragged into a sulphur pit by ravening demons for failing to do a proper banishing. However, this is not meant to indicate that such techniques are not useful and important.

Most incarnations of Western Hermetic magic (Golden Dawn, Thelema, various shades of Witchcraft) use some variation of The Lesser Banishing Ritual Of The Pentagram (LBRP) as their primary banishing rite. The LBRP (affectionately known as the "el-burp") traces back to the 19th century British occult order, The Golden Dawn.

Briefly, the LBRP involves "grounding" oneself firmly in the center of a space, then proceeding to "draw" four visualized pentagrams in the air corresponding to the cardinal points of the compass. In the original version, each pentagram is accompanied by the visualized image of one of the four Judeo-Christian archangels (each associated with one of the four Elements of Earth, Fire, Air, and Water) "standing guard" on the periphery of the ritual space. If this idea appeals to you, there are a dozen or more books available that describe the ritual in detail, so I won't go into it much here. The Wiccans have their "Calling the Quarters", the Thelemites the "Star Ruby", so there are many variations on the theme one can explore.

However, this is about Chaos Magic. One of the premises is that magic proceeds from the deep mind, and few people really have the time and determination to internalize the imagery and meaning of the traditional archangels deeply enough into their minds to make it work well. Remember, these things must connect with your non-verbal, subconscious mind strongly in order to be magically effective. The image of a winged human clad in flowing robes must have been really impressive back in the 19th century, but after being exposed to Hollywood efforts like Stargate, Hellraiser and other blockbuster "occult" morph-fests, it doesn't have much of a kick for the 21st century mind anymore.

The following ritual was developed by my friend and fellow Chaos Magician, Tzimon Yilaster. It is a variation on the LBRP, but without the elaborate (and for most people questionably effective) archangel imagery. It also allows for a great deal of personal variation. It can be performed as a quick "one direction" focusing procedure, an elaborate "call the four quarters" prelude to subsequent ritual work, or any shade between. It's called the Gnostic Thunderbolt.

The Gnostic Thunderbolt

The Gnostic Thunderbolt ("GT") is performed using a combination of visualization, vocalization and breath control. No tools are needed, although one may use a wand, dagger or other device as a "pointer" if desired.

The GT draws on the concept of "energy centers" that occupy certain positions in the body. This is one of those "strange attractors" that appears in a wide variety of magical traditions. Generally, these energy centers are arrayed along the spinal column, from the base of the pelvis to the top of the head.

Various traditions disagree with exactly where and how many of these centers exist; from the five points of "Odic Force" to the Tantrists, who identify hundreds. This leads me to think that the "strange attractor" being identified here is simply a particularly useful visualization technique -- it need not have any basis in fact (whatever that means...)

So for our purposes, we will assume five energy centers: The head (behind the eyes), the throat, the center of the chest (around the solar plexus), the abdomen and the genitals.

It's also possible (though not required) that certain colors be associated with each center. The best approach would be to begin practicing the GT without choosing particular colors, then allowing the color choice to "evolve" according to the individual. But to nod to tradition, the typical choices are head = blue, throat = orange, chest = yellow, abdomen = green and genitals = red.

As for the vocalization part: the idea here is to use pure vowel tones, rather than memorizing elaborate "archangel" names.

The Rite:

Purpose: The Gnostic Thunderbolt is a mutation of, and can be used interchangeably with, the Pentagram Ritual. It's purpose is to imbue motivation and momentum to the participants, whilst banishing unwanted influences at the same time. It is highly recommended for opening a temple, and as a preliminary to other work, but is not well applied to healing aims.

Techniques Employed: Breath control, sound concentration, image concentration, sound vibration.

Description:

(With the following vocal sounds, each one is in turn sounded at a progressively lower pitch. Start the first on the highest note you can hit, and work downward until the last syllable is the lowest note you can hit.)

1. Inhale. Starting just beyond the head, either shoulder, or either hip, draw the first point of the Thunderbolt. Simultaneously, visualize a blue sphere lighting up between the eyes, and sending a thread of light to the point. Vibrate "Iiiiii..." in a high-pitched tone until the lungs are emptied.

(Think of the "AY YI YI" war-whoop sound frozen on the last syllable. The back of the tongue is almost blocking the throat, with the lips drawn tight across the teeth.)

2. Inhale. Trace a straight line from shoulder to opposite shoulder or hip, or from the head to either hip. Visualize a orange sphere lighting up in the throat, sending a thread of light to the second point. Vibrate "Aaaahh..." in a slightly lower tone. (A rather straightforward "short A". Just open the jaw slightly from the first vowel sound and allow the tongue to drop a bit.)

3. Inhale. Trace a second line, again as if drawing a pentagram. Visualize a yellow sphere in the center of the chest, and sending its light to the third point. Vibrate "Ehhh..." in a tone lower than the previous vibration. (The "schwa" vowel -- kind of a cross between short "A" and short "eh".)

4. Inhale. Trace a third line. Visualize a green sphere in the genital area, sending its light to the fourth point. Vibrate "Ohhh..." in a lower tone. ( An "oh" sound; the tongue is allowed to fall into a relaxed position and the throat is open, lips slightly rounded.)

5. Inhale. Trace the fourth line. Visualize a red sphere encircling the feet and disappearing into the ground, and sending its thread to the fifth point. Vibrate "Uuuuh...". (A low "uhhh" sound, made by relaxing the jaw as much as possible with the lips still rounded.)

6. Do not draw the closing bar of the pentagram! Instead, remain completely motionless and hold your breath for as long as possible. Concentrate your attention fixedly on the sound of your blood rushing through your carotid arteries. Know that the rumbling you hear is the eternal explosion of the Thunderbolt. You are part of the thunderbolt, moving endlessly and mindlessly onward.

7. Continue to hold the image and sound in the mind while holding your breath as long as you can. When you finally must breathe, envision the thunderbolt fragmenting with a tremendous roar and sending sparks into and through you.

8. Repeat the seven steps above, drawing the thunderbolts about you to describe a 3-dimensional shape of whatever kind suits you.

9. Declaration of intent, i.e. "We will that we never end where we had begun. We will that we shall begin." or "I declare myself prepared to do the Great Work of Magic" or "We believe this space to be cleansed".

It's recommended to practice this banishing (or one of your own choice) on a daily basis, at least at first -- upon awaking is a good idea. Eventually you'll be able to perform it silently by imagination only, making it available at any time or place it might be needed.

The Magical Space

The Magical Space is defined as a physical location that has been set aside to do magical work. It is your personal "temple", but don't get hung up on the orthodox religious overtones of that word.

By simply performing the banishing ritual above and ending with, "I dedicate this space to the work of Magic" or something similar (try to use the same phrase consistantly, though) a Magical Space is created. By performing the same procedure but ending it with, "I declare this Magical Space to be closed" or the like, the Magical Space is destroyed -- until next time. Consider this the first practical application of the banishing ritual.

When you declare a Magical Space, you should "feel" that you are seperated, isolated, secure, and comfortable while within it. This is the "feeling" that you are striving to achieve. When you get that feeling, you've succeeded!

Having a separate room set up the way you like is of course ideal, but not everyone has the resources to do this. The room itself is not a Magical Space, it is merely a convenient place to declare a Magical Space with as little preperation as possible.

A Magical Space is in fact "portable", since it can declared literally anywhere you happen to find yourself. Remember that the whole idea of Magical Space is an area that is under the complete and total control of the magician. So even though one could declare a Magical Space in an empty field or a city street, having a comfortable room, or part of a room, available for use with all of your favorite accoutriments to lend it the proper ambiance, makes the whole thing easier to control.

Many (most?) occult traditions set down specific props and furniture that must be assembled in a specific fashion to qualify as a magic "temple". With Chaos Magic, it's up to you to determine what makes a Magical Space magical for you. It's far more important that something makes you feel magical, regardless of what some long-dead occult priest thought was proper.

So here's your chance to indulge whatever weird, superstitious impulses you might have. If candlabras, skulls and stuffed ravens make it for you, by all means use them. Or maybe strobe lights and flourescent sigils on the walls makes you feel magical. Or tie-dyes and macrame. Or a room full of potted plants -- it makes no difference, as long as you feel that what surrounds you seperates your Magical Space from the mundane world outside. If you need ideas, any number of books on occult traditions can provide suggestions. Take what strikes your fancy and make it your own.

It's advisable to be consistant, so that merely setting up your "props" makes you feel like you're slipping automatically into a "magical trance." You're trying to use a specific set of objects to cause an autonomic response in your subconscious, like the bell did for Pavlov's dogs. Repetition reinforces this kind of response.

When you're in Magical Space, the distractions of the outside world must be kept to an absolute minimum. Disconnect the doorbell and leave the phone off the hook. Inform roommates and neighbors you are not to be disturbed during these times, unless it's literally a life and death situation.

The Magical Altar

The Altar is the magican's workbench. If you work with tools and props, it's where they are placed so they are easily available. If you're making sigils, incense, oils or potions, it's literally a "workbench".

So for practical purposes, the Altar should be of a height and area that is conveniant to work on. A simple table with a few foot square top is ideal. Having it of a height that allows you to sit on the floor in front of it comfortably is a good idea. Small coffee tables make excellent Altars following this design.

Some prefer a table that can be stood in front of, so that one can easily move about the room during the performance of a ritual. The traditional shape is a "double-cube" -- two cubes stacked on top of each other, of a height that roughly reaches the magician's navel. Actually, one of those "Audio/video stands" with the glass door in the front, (especially the ones on wheels allowing it to be positioned anywhere in the room) is ideal; the shelves inside hold supplies and tools in a convenient place.

I've found that the "stand-up" Altar is more practical for elaborate ritual work, where the Altar need only hold a few candles and a tool or two, or perhaps an open book. It allows more spontaneous motion, wide gestures, dancing, spinning and other physical expressions. For jobs like incense production or divination readings, the larger top "sit-down" style is preferable. So ideally, you could have BOTH -- the short one against the wall, the tall one on wheels so it can be packed up and rolled into the closet when your Baptist Aunt Minne comes around...

Again, some consitantcy is advised. If you can't dedicate a particular table for magical use only, pick a special candle holder or centerpiece and always use it. It's presence declares 'this table is my Magical Altar'. Create or acquire a special covering -- an Altar Cloth -- that you think gives it a magical "look-and-feel". You can make one yourself or search in the fabric stores and scarf shops for just the right thing. Since you're likely to be burning candles and incense, it might be wise to avoid easily ignited synthetic fabrics like polyester and actetate. Cotton or silk are durable and washable and harder to send up in flames.

The idea is that setting up your Altar becomes the first step in creating your Magical Space. As soon as you do it, the room feels "energized" because your subconscious gets the signal, 'It's time to do Magic!'

Colors and Candles

Candles have a long and distinguished history in magic, and nothing else does quite the same job of "ambience". Get a good pair of candle holders and an assortment of various colored candles, though you might want to lean toward mostly white and black. Since we're on the subject of candle colors, it's a good time to mention color and it's relationship to magic.

Many magicians burn candles of specific colors depending on the kind of operation. In general practice one lights the room with the color of candle that pretains to the purpose of the work. Lighting the candles can be done as part of the overall preperartion before you begin, or can be incorporated as part of the ritual procedure itself.

What color goes with what operation is a subject of much debate, but ultimately there is no absolute rule in Chaos Magic as to color association. Many use the eight colors defined by fantasy writer Terry Pratchett and promoted by Peter Carroll of the IOT. They are as follows:

Red: War, Aggression

Orange: Mind, Intelligence, Intuition

Violet: Sex, Lust, Passion

Yellow: Ego, Self-confidence

Green: Love, Healing

Blue: Wealth, Material

Black: Death, Dissolution, Entropy

Octarine: Transcendence, Illumination, High Magic

"Octarine" is described as one's 'personal' color of magic; so it varies with the individual. For candle burning purposes, it can be most simply represented by white, or by a particular color of choice.

Use these attributions or experiment with your own. Many sources can be consulted for ideas. Certain things like gold relating to money are pretty obvious. Aleister Crowley's reference book, 777, contains scores of interelated attributes that can also work well.

There are procedures that can be used to "dress" candles for magical purposes. A simple way is to rub them down with a scented oil appropriate to the candle's assumed attributes, while meditating on the properties you intend to imbue into the candle.

Always use new candles. Candles used for your magical work should not be used for other purposes.

(Here's a tip: Invariably, wax gets spilled on an altar cloth. Some circles cut from sheets of plastic can be placed under the candle holders to keep wax off of the cloth. A commercial cleaning fluid called "Goof-Off", available at most hardware and paint stores, can remove dried wax from cotton cloth. Great stuff.)

Incense

Incense is a powerful tool in magic, because the olifactory organs are more closely "hard-wired" to the brain than any other of the senses. Everyone is familiar with how easily a given smell can evoke an entire set of memories connected with it, even more so than visual or audio cues. Magicians make use of this effect by assigning specific scents to specific mind-states and by continuous reinforcement, use them to quickly and effectively recall these states.

The Chaos Magic approach is not to rely on "ancient texts" or any other authority to tell you what a certain smell is supposed to mean, but rather to experiment and determine for yourself what kind of scent will call forth what mind-state.

One approach is to build your own set of relationships by doing meditation exercise that concetrate on a specific emotion of state of mind, and burn a chosen incense while doing so. By repitition, your mind will build an association between that scent and a given mind state. You can use the "traditional" lists of incense correspondences (such as in 777 or various popular books on aromatherapy) as a starting point, but it's more important to work on programming your subconscious reactions to certain scents, regardless of how you derive them in the first place.

Magical Tools

What else goes on the altar? Well, like any workbench, it's where one places one's tools.

Magical tools and the techniques behind them could fill a book of it's own (and it has.) Here I'll just try to cover the basics that can be used to build on. Tools are artifacts and are an expression of Art in the material sense. The most powerful magical tools express one's magical personality in a unique way.

Tools can be highly useful, especially when just starting out your magical practice. Like incense, they can be used to focus one's mental efforts.

Traditional magical tools generally follow certain "formulae" derived from a particular tradition's teachings. They usually express the tradition's world-view as well. So Wiccan's tend to use rough-cut branches, hand-made knives and the like, while ceremonial magicians can sport accoutraments that would be the envy of the Catholic Pope.

Magical toolmaking probably reached it's pinnacle (or it's decadence, depending on your point of view) with the Golden Dawn. Books on Golden Dawn tools are easily obtainable should you like to persue that line to it's logical conclusion, but it's not a requirement.

The most effective magical tools are those you make yourself, are given to you freely as gifts, or found in some unique and interesting way. In all cases, aquiring them is a memorable event, and this may be the "strange attractor" that allows them to be more magically useful. If you must go out and buy a particular piece, the traditional advice goes, "Buy a perfectly black hen without haggling." This is taken to mean that: A) the hen must be "perfectly black"; that is, it must be absolutely perfect for what you intend it for, and B) you must pay whatever is asked for it, even if it's a premium price.

Magical tools should only be used for magical purposes, and kept safely stored when not in use. Habits such as wrapping in silk, storing them in special containers and the like is a good idea, as it emphasizes the "specialness" of them and that makes them more effective. To keep your tools intensely personal, no one but you should handle them (unless they're someone you would also allow to handle your other private parts...)

One can begin with only the simplest of impliments, so here follows some suggestions on the construction and use of magical tools. As archtypes I'll be drawing from the "traditional" magical tools: the wand, the dagger, the cup and the disk.

A "pointing device" is often useful, for drawing visualized patterns or otherwise focusing the attention on a particular point.

The most basic tools for this purpose are the wand and the dagger. They express the "male" or creative/outgoing/expansive side of our dualistic universe. The phallic imagery is fairly obvious.

The wand is basically a stick, decorated in some way that makes it an extension of the personality of it's wielder. The dagger is a knife, generally double-edged. While usually not as elaborately embellished as a wand, it is at least painted or decorated in a personal way.

A wand can be fashioned from a simple wooden dowel obtainable at any hardware or lumber store, or made from a suitably straight branch of a tree. Although a wand can be of any length, it's a good idea to start with one short enough to swing about without bashing anything, say 12 to 18 inches in length.

Carving, wood-burning or painting the wand in some special way that expresses it's purpose is a good idea. Epoxy putty can be used to fasten stones or other objects to the ends. Acrylic paints of excellent color and durability can be purchased at any artist's supply store. A light spraying of clear acrylic finish will add to durability (be sure the paint is fully dry before spraying on the finish.)

A dagger, also known to witches as an "athame" (pronounced "ah-THA-may" or "ah-THAM") can be handmade as well, though it's more difficult. All normal precautions pretaining to the use of tools (gloves, eye protection, etc.) should be followed.

Take a simple metal file of appropriate size, and heat it with a gas stove or butane torch until it glows dull red. Depending on how hot your flame is, it may take more than an hour for the metal to glow red, but it will eventually. Then let the metal cool down naturally, and it will be soft enough to work with.

Now use a second metal file to grind the softned one down to the shape of a dagger. Progressively finer-toothed files can be used to make the blade smoother. A hacksaw might be useful to fashion the end to a point before filing. Professional power tools like grinding wheels are nice if you have the access and skill, but a hand-tooled dagger can have a unique "rustic" look that is very artistically satisfying. Leave the tang or "handle" end of the file as it is, as this is the place where the hilt will be attached.

When finished, heat the metal up again to dull red, and then grasping it with pliers by the tang, plunge it into tepid water, stirring it until it cools down, and dry it off. Then heat it up again; you'll notice it glows with a more pale orange color than before, then begins to darken. When this happens, plunge it again. The metal is now hardened and can be polished with fine sandpaper or steel wool, if desired.

The hilt or grip can be made of wood, oven-hardening clay or casting resin. A simple way is to take a short piece of suitably shaped wood, drill out a hole deep enough to hold the tang, fill it with epoxy glue, and push the tang into it; tie, clamp or block it in place until the glue sets. The handle can be carved or painted in the same way as the wand, in some unique and artistic way that you find satisfying and that expresses it's purpose.

The other side of duality, the "female" or nurturing/receptive/ contractive side, is represented by the cup and/or disk.

The cup can be used for preparing oils, holding ritual libations such as wine, or filled with ink or dark liquid and used as a scrying or meditative focus.

Cups can be made of metal, glass, or ceramic, but if you intend to drink from it you should avoid pewter or oven hardned clay like Fimo, as they can leach poisons into liquids. If you don't have access to glass blowing or ceramic equipment and skill, you can take a pre-made cup and paint it to express your personal touch.

The disk can be used for holding sigils during the "charging" process, preparing incense and other powders, or as a meditative focus. To this end, the disk is usually painted with patterns or glyphs which are a personal expression of one's magical self. There is no rule for this -- consider it a challange to your magical development! Ready-made disks of wood can be purchased at arts and crafts stores, or easily made from clay -- or you can take a piece of wood and a knife and whittle away! Something at least six inches in diameter is practical.

Even if you choose not to use elaborate props, a pointing device can be something as simple as a large stone or crystal, a container a nicely made cup or bowl, as long as they're treated as something "special". The above descriptions are only suggestions, not rules. I've seen some very interesting magical tools, from common objects like rings and braclets, to weird stuff like spinning platforms and "Swiss Army" athames!

Once your tools are made, they should be "charged", or dedicated in some way to the work of magic. One can simply prepare a magical space, place the tool on the altar and meditate on it's meaning and properties. Or a more elaborate ritual can be devised (or culled from various available books) to perform over the tool to "charge" it.

What you're trying to do is impress the tool's meaning and "magical power" on your subconsicous mind. Chaos Magic holds that it is there and ONLY there that magical power resides. The physical basis has no power in and of itself. This is why someone else's magical tools are most likely useless to anyone other than their owner (and points out the futility, aside from the ethical considerations, of stealing some other magican's tools.)

Magical Costumes

Clothes make the man (or woman), it is said, and the magician's wardrobe has inspired some of the most artistic expressions of the costumer's craft.

Any actor can tell you that something profound occurs when wearing a costume; a shift in consciousness occurs that is most definitely a useful meta-belief device. Just like setting up an altar and declaring a magical space, donning a special set of clothes, or even one simple article only used for working magic, does much for putting one in the right "headspace" to do magical work.

The most common (and cliche'd) magical outfit is the robe, generally plain black or white. Beyond it's traditional connotation, there is something sensuous about wearing a robe, especially when it's ALL that you're wearing!

A robe can be made easily from a large piece of fabric like a sheet. Dye it an appropriate color, if neccesary, and cut hole for the head to go through. Viola! -- it's a robe! Of course, you can be as elaborate as your skill or willingness to spend money can take you, but simple works just fine.

Practice!

At this point you have enough information to go ahead and practice magic. Don your robe, place your tools on your altar, take your wand or dagger in hand, and perform the Gnostic Thunderbolt (or similar self-composed procedure) to declare your magical space. Do it! There is no substitute for direct experience, especially in Chaos Magic. You need not do anything in particular beyond creating your space and spending some time meditating within it, but DO IT. Then do it again. And again. And prepare to go on with some of the suggestions offered in this book, but more importantly to begin to devise your own.

Congratulations -- you're a practicing magician!