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Internet Book of Shadows, (Various Authors), [1999], at sacred-texts.com
Defining Chaos
By: Mark Chao
Introduction
*
Chaos, according to the `Oxford English Dictionary' means:
1. A gaping void, yawning gulf, chasm, or abyss.
2. The `formless void' of primordial matter, the `great deep' or
'abyss' out of which the cosmos or order of the universe was evolved.
There are a couple of additional definitions, but they are
irrelevant
to this discussion. When chaos is used in magic, there is no place
for
confusion or disorder.
Chaos is the creative principle behind all magic. When a magical
ritual is performed, regardless of `tradition' or other variables in
the
elements of performance, a magical energy is created and put into
motion to
cause something to happen. In his book, `Sorcery as Virtual
Mechanics',
Stephen Mace cites a scientific precedent for this creative principle.
I quote:
"To keep it simple, let us confine our example to just two
electrons,
the pointlike carriers of negative charge. Let us say they are a part
of the solar wind--beta particles, as it were--streaming out from the
sun at thousands of miles a second. Say that these two came close
enough that their negative charges interact, causing them to repel one
another. How do they accomplish this change in momentum?
"According to quantum electrodynamics, they do it by exchanging
a "virtual" photon. One electron spawns it, the other absorbs it, and
so do they repel each other. The photon is "virtual" because it
cannot be seen by an outside observer, being wholly contained in the
interaction. But it is real enough, and the emission and absorption
of virtual photons is how the electromagnetic interaction operates.
"The question which is relevant to our purpose here is where does
the photon come from. It does not come out of one electron and lodge
in the other, as if it were a bullet fired from one rock into another.
The electrons themselves are unchanged, except for their momenta.
Rather, the photon is created out of nothing by the strain of the
interaction. According to current theory, when the two electrons come
close their waveforms interact, either cancelling out or reinforcing
one another.
Waveforms are intimately tied to characteristics like electric charge,
and we could thus expect the charges on the two electrons to change.
But electron charge does not vary; it is always 1.602 x (-19)
coulombs. Instead the virtual photons appear out of the vacuum and
act to readjust the system. The stress spawns them and by their
creation is the stress resolved".
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Austin Spare understood this principle in regard to magical phenomena
long before scientists discovered photons or began experiments in the
area of chaos science.
Austin Osman Spare-some history
*
Austin Spare was born at midnight, Dec. 31st, 1886 in a London
suburb called Snow Hill. His father was a London policeman, often on
night duty.
Spare showeda natural talent for drawing at an early age, and in
1901-1904 left school to serve an apprenticeship in a stained-glass
works,
but continued his education at Art College in Lambeth. In 1904 he won
a
scholarship to the Royal College of Art. In that year he also
exhibited a picture in the Royal Academy for the first time.
In 1905 he published his first book, `Earth Inferno'. It was
primarily
meant to be a book of drawings, but included commentaries that showed
some of his insight and spiritual leanings. John Singer Sargent
hailed him as a genius at age 17. At an unspecified time in his
adolescence, Spare was initiated into a witch cult by a sorceress
named Mrs. Patterson, whom Spare referred to as his "second mother".
In 1908 he held an exhibition at Bruton Gallery. In 1910 he spent a
short time as a member of the Golden Dawn. Becoming disenchanted with
them, he later joined Crowley's Argentum Astrum. The association did
not last long. Crowley was said to have considered Spare to be a
Black Magician. In 1909 Spare began creation of the `Book of
Pleasure'. In 1912 his reputation was growing rapidly in the art
world. In 1913 he published the `Book of Pleasure'. It is considered
to be his most important magical work, and includes detailed
instructions for his system of sigilization and the "death postures"
that he is well known for. 1914-1918 he served as an official war
artist. He was posted to Egypt which had a great effect on him. In
1921, he published `Focus of Life', another book of drawings with his
unique and magical commentaries.
In 1921-1924 Spare was at the height of his artistic success, then,
in 1924 he published the `Anathema of Zos', in which he effectively
excommunicated himself from his false and trendy artistic "friends"
and benefactors. He returned to South London and obscurity to find
the freedom to develop his philosophy, art and magic.
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In 1947 Spare met Kenneth Grant and became actively involved with
other well-known occultists of the period. In 1948-1956 he began work
on a
definitive Grimoire of the Zos Kia Cultus, which is referred to in his
various writings. This is unfinished and being synthesized from
Spare's papers by Kenneth Grant, who inherited all of Spare's papers.
Much of this information was included in `Images and Oracles of Austin
Osman Spare' by Kenneth Grant, but there are some unpublished works
which Grant plans to publish after completion of his Typhonian series.
References for this section are mostly from Christopher Bray's
introduction to `The Collected Works of Austin Osman Spare' and from
`Excess Spare', which is a compilation by TOPY of photocopied articles
about Spare from various sources.
The Magic of Austin Osman Spare
*
Spare's art and magic were closely related. It is reputed that
there are messages in his drawings about his magical philosophy. One
particular picture of Mrs. Patterson has reportedly been seen to move;
the eyes opening and closing. Spare is best known for his system of
using sigils. Being an artist, he was very visually oriented.
The system basically consists of writing down the desire, preferably
in your own magical alphabet, eliminating all repeated letters, then
forming a design of the remaining single letters. The sigil must then
be charged. There is a variety of specific ways to do this, but the
key element is to achieve a state of "vacuity" which can be done
through exhaustion, sexual release or several other methods.
This creates a `vacuum' or `void' much like the condition described
in the introduction to this discussion, and it is filled with the
energy of the magician. The sigil, being now charged, must be
forgotten so that the sub-conscious mind may work on it without the
distractions and dissipation of energy that the conscious mind is
subject to. Spare recognized that magic comes from the sub-conscious
mind of the magician, not some outside `spirits' or `gods'.
Christopher Bray has this to say about Spare's methods in his
introduction to `The Collected Works of Austin Osman Spare':
"So in his art and writing, Spare is putting us in the mood; or
showing by example what attitude we need to adopt to approach the
`angle of departure of consciousness in order to enter the infinite.
What pitch of consciousness we need to gain success.
"One must beware making dogma, for Spare went to great pains to
exclude it as much as possible to achieve success in his magic;
however a
number of basic assumptions underpin chaos magic.
"Chaos is the universal potential of creative force, which is
constantly engaged in trying to seep through the cracks of our
personal and collective realities. It is the power of
Evolution/Devolution.
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"Shamanism is innate within every one of us and can be tapped if
we qualify by adjusting our perception/attitude and making our being
ready to accept the spontaneous. Achieving Gnosis, or hitting the
`angle of departure of consciousness and time', is a knack rather
than a skill."
There are other methods to utilize the same concept that Spare
explains for us. Magicians since Spare have written about their own
methods and explanations of his method quite frequently in occult
magazines, mostly in Great Britain. Spare is certainly not the first
person in history to practice this sort of magic, but he is the one
who has dubbed it (appropriately), Chaos.
Chaos since A.O.S.
*
Austin Spare died May 15, 1956, but his magic did not die with
him. There have been select groups of magicians practicing versions
of Chaos
ever since, especially in Northern England and Germany. In 1976, a
couple of dozen Chaos Magicians, including Peter J. Carroll and Ray
Sherwin, announced the formation of a new magical Order, the
Illuminates Of Thanateros. The intention of the group was to have an
Order where degrees expressed attainment rather than authority, and
hierarchy beyond just organizational requirements was non-existent.
There are those who say that this lofty ambition has failed and that
the Order has since slipped into a hierarchical power structure; Ray
Sherwin "excommunicated" himself for this reason, but the Order
continues and is identified as the only international Chaos
organization to date.
The IOT has since spread to America. There are smaller groups
of Chaos practitioners, as well as individuals practicing alone.
Chaos since Spare has taken on a life of its own. It will always
continue to grow, that is its nature. It was only natural that
eventually the world of science would begin to discover the physical
principles underlying magic, although the scientists who are making
these discoveries still do not realize that this is what they are
doing. It is interesting that they have had the wisdom to call it
chaos science...
In the abovw part of my series on Chaos, I've made scant reference to
the IOT due to lack of information, however, in typical Murphy's Law
fashion, a letter just arrived filling in some blank spots and
pointing out to me that I made one mistake in chronology. The story
goes;
In 1977/78 Ray Sherwin was editor and publisher of a magazine called
`The New Equinox', which Pete Carroll was a regular contributor to.
Unsatisfied with the choices of available magical groups in England
at the time, they formed the IOT. They advertised in `New Equinox'
and the
group formed and progressed as previously explained. Ray Sherwin
dropped out before Pete Carroll went on to form `The Pact'. They are
still friends, and Pete has graciously consented to write an
introduction to Ray's newest edition of `The Book of Results' which
will be available through TOPY soon.
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Chaos Science
*
Modern chaos science began in the 1960's when a handful of open-
minded scientists with an eye for pattern realized that simple
mathematical
equations fed into a computer could model patterns every bit as
irregular and "chaotic" as a waterfall. They were able to apply this
to weather patterns, coastlines, all sorts of natural phenomena.
Particular equations would result in pictures resembling specific
types of leaves, the possibilities were incredible. Centers and
institutes were founded to specialize in "non-linear dynamics" and
"complex systems." Natural phenomena, like the red spot of Jupiter,
could now be understood. The common catch-terms that most people have
heard by now; strange attractors, fractals, etc., are related to the
study of turbulence in nature. There is not room to go into these
subjects in depth here, and I recommend that those who are interested
in this subject read `Chaos: making a new science' by James Gleick and
`Turbulent Mirror' by John Briggs & F. David Peat.
What we are concerned with here is how all this relates to magic.
Many magicians, especially Chaos Magicians, have begun using these
terms, "fractal" and "strange attractor", in their everyday
conversations.
Most of those who do this have some understanding of the relationship
between magic and this area of science. To put it very simply, a
successful magical act causes an apparently acausal result. In
studying turbulence, chaos scientists have realized that apparently
acausal phenomena in nature are not only the norm, but are measurable
by simple mathematical equations. Irregularity is the stuff life is
made of. For example, in the study of heartbeat rhythms and
brain-wave patterns, irregular patterns are measured from normally
functioning organs, while steady, regular patterns are a direct
symptom of a heart attack about to occur, or an epileptic fit.
Referring back again to "virtual" photons, a properly executed
magical
release of energy creates a "wave form" (visible by Kirlian
photography) around the magician causing turbulence in the aetheric
space. This turbulence will likely cause a result, preferably as the
magician has intended. Once the energy is released, control over the
phenomena is out of the magician's hands, just as once the equation
has been fed into the computer, the design follows the path set for
it.
The scientists who are working in this area would scoff at this
explanation, they have no idea that they are in the process of
discovering the physics behind magic. But then, many common place
sciences of today, chemistry for example, were once considered to be
magic. Understanding this subject requires, besides some reading, a
shift in thinking. We are trained from an early age to think in
linear terms, but nature and the chaos within it are non-linear, and
therefore require non-linear thinking to be understood. This sounds
simple, yet it reminds me of a logic class I had in college. We were
doing simple Aristotelian syllogisms. All we had to do was to put
everyday language into equation form. It sounds simple,and it is.
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However, it requires a non-linear thought process. During that
lesson
over the space of a week, the class size dropped from 48 to 9
students.
The computer programmers were the first to drop out. Those of us
who survived that section went on to earn high grades in the class,
but more importantly, found that we had achieved a permanent change in
our thinking processes. Our lives were changed by that one simple
shift of perspective.
Chaos science is still in the process of discovery, yet magicians
have been applying its principles for at least as long as they have
been writing about magic. Once the principles of this science begin
to take hold on the thinking process, the magician begins to notice
everything from the fractal patterns in smoke rising from a cigarette
to the patterns of success and failure in magical workings, which
leads to an understanding of why it has succeeded or failed. There is
a diagram of a fractal design on the cover of `Kaos' magazine #11 (now
out of print) that would be a wonderful example of magic at work and
the many paths that the energy may follow...
Defining Chaos Magic
*
Chaos is not in itself, a system or philosophy. It is rather an
attitude that one applies to one's magic and philosophy. It is the
basis for all magic, as it is the primal creative force. A Chaos
Magician learns a variety of magical techniques, usually as many as
s/he can gain access to, but sees beyond the systems and dogmas to the
physics behind the magical force and uses whatever methods are
appealing to him/herself.
Chaos does not come with a specific Grimoire or even a prescribed set
of
ethics. For this reason, it has been dubbed "left hand path" by some
who
choose not to understand that which is beyond their own chosen path.
There is no set of specific spells that are considered to be `Chaos
Magic spells'. A Chaos Magician will use the same spells as those of
other paths, or those of his/ her own making. Any and all methods and
information are valid, the only requirement is that it works.
Mastering the role of the sub- conscious mind in magical operations is
the crux of it, and the state called "vacuity" by Austin Osman Spare
is the road to that end. Anyone who has participated in a successful
ritual has experienced some degree of the `high' that this state
induces.
An understanding of the scientific principles behind magic does
not necessarily require a college degree in physics (although it
wouldn't hurt much, if the linear attitude drilled into the student
could be by-passed), experience in magical results will bring the
necessary understanding.
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This series is directed toward the increasing numbers of people
who have been asking, "What is Chaos Magic?" It is very basic and by
no means intended to be a complete explanation of any of the elements
discussed. Many of the principles of magic must be self-discovered,
my only intent here is to try to define and pull together the various
elements associated with Chaos Magic into an intelligible whole. For
those who wish to learn more about this subject, I have prepared a
suggested reading list for the last section, however, I must emphasize
that there are always more sources than any one person knows about, so
do not limit yourself to this list. Chaos has no limits...
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For Further Reading:
*
`The Book Of Pleasure' by Austin Osman Spare
`Anathema Of Zos' by Austin Osman Spare
available from:
Abyss
34 Cottage St. Box 69
Easthampton, MA. 01027
catalog on request
*
`A Book Of Satyrs' by Austin Osman Spare
`Images and Oracles of Austin Osman Spare' by Kenneth Grant
`The Early Work of A.O.S.'
`Excess Spare'
`Stations In Time'
available from;
TOPY
P.O. Box 18223
Denver, CO. 80218
write for information
*
available from most bookstores (at least by special order):
`Chaos: making a new science' by James Gleick
`Turbulent Mirror' by John Briggs & F. David Peat
`Liber Null & Psychonaut' by Peter J. Carroll
`Practical Sigil Magick' by Frater U.D.
*
Magazines dealing with Chaos Magic(k):
Chaos International
BM SORCERY
London WC1N 3XX
England
*
Thanateros
P.O. Box 89143
Atlanta, GA. 30312
*
Mezlim
N'Chi
P.O. Box 19566
Cincinnati, OH. 45219
*
Mezlim deals with a wide range of magical traditions, but the editor
has
expressed an interest in articles dealing with Chaos. Articles about
Chaos can
be found in other Ceremonial Magick magazines as well, as the editors
see fit.
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