From: Rose Dawn Area: MagickNet To: Joseph Max 21 Sep 94 08:15:58 Subject: Re: MONEY MAGICK UpdReq Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law. > Pretty sensible babbling! One of the definitions I like to use for > magick is "The Technology of Applied Coincidence Engineering". Good def! > The "scary stuff" is usually ancillary to actual magick working > anyway. The > only "use" such experiences have in the great cosmic scheme of > things is to deliver a sorely needed kick in the ass when necessary. Most of us do need it from time to time...some more than others! I don't have spiritual awakenings--I have *rude* awakenings. :/ Not the Eeeeek!-I'm-under-attack! variety; more like the Duuuuh-I'm-an-idiot! variety; rude nonetheless! ;> > people they don't like explode, or going forth to "right cosmicwrongs" like > some kind of astral Zorro. Real effects magick is simply a matter of > making the toast always fall buttered side up. I prefer more direct routes in most areas when it comes to dealing with unpleasantness. ;> Being recycled scooter trash and an NRA member, I tend toward the prosaic approach for psychic self-defense. I dig the astral Zorro image though! Kind of a body-of-light-girt-with-sword, etching Zayin's through the Aethyr...another godform to practice! And I'd be hard-pressed to come up with something more magical than making the toast always fall buttered side up! In my 'old age,' I seem to be getting more and more attracted to rituals of 'Low Magick' or Effects magick. Seems to be more naturally suited to personal tweaking for one thing; much easier to check; and it's plain fun most of the time. > This is what some other people here have referred to as the "changing > current" of magick itself. I, like most Chaos Magicians, think of magick as > a highly personal and experimental art. This is not to disparge the beauty > and power of "traditional" ritual, especially for works of > illumination. We So ka. I have similar ideas about magick. Many of the most 'traditional' rituals were designed and/or personalized by magicians who saw it just that way--experimental, personal, eminently adaptable. I suspect Uncle Al his own bad self would be aghast at the reification-deification-dogmatization cycle as applied to some of his ritual . I suspect the answer is "Of course not," but I'll ask anyways: do you have an understandable, communicable personal def' of what separates Chaos magicians from other ceremonial magicians? This is in no way intended as a slam against a whole system of magick, but it *has* been my experience that many folx describing themselves as 'Chaos Magicians' seem merely to be individuals who enjoy shit-stirring with no apparent purpose...or thumbing their noses at any and all perceived tradition just because it *is* perceived as tradition. From your posts, you don't strike me that way, so I was interested in your thoughts. There has to be more to it than simply the fluidness of approach, as I and many other folx--possibly the majority in certain age groups--do define ceremonial magick as a system which should be and *is* intimate, fresh, and ever-growing and changing. > The only problem I have with emphasis on "good practice" in regards to > people newly exploring magick is that some "teachers" are hung-up on the > idea that beginners should _study_ themselves to death before actually > _trying_ any magickal working. This is crap. It's like trying to teach > someone to swim by making them study books on swimming and _watch_ "expert" > swimmers in a pool! There is only one way to learn to swim, and it's the > same with magick -- jump in and _do it!_ Or like trying to learn yoga by watching Jane Fonda videos? };> Sure--all theory and no practice makes Jack a dull magician . Ideally, I'd say 'learning' magick would be much the same as learning Hatha Yoga...watch what the more experienced individuals do, then do it yerself! Ideally, that would also imply a more experienced individual close at hand to offer instruction when you slam up against ye olde brick wall too many times, tho obviously that's not always possible or feasible. I think study is good--but!!--nobody has, to my knowledge, perfected Sirshasana by watching Swami Visnu-devananda standing on his head. ;> Love is the law, love under will. 201434369420143436942014343694201434369420143436942014343694718