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Internet Book of Shadows, (Various Authors), [1999], at sacred-texts.com
THE PACT (IOT) - The Story So Far
by Pete Carroll
In 1976 in an abandoned ammunition dump dug deep into a mountain
somewhere in the Rhineland, two magicians, one English, one German
announced the formation of a magical order with the celebration of a
Mass of Chaos in the company of a couple of dozen other magicians.
Soon after we emerged from the bowels of the mountain a localized
tornado hit immediate area. This was but a small portent of things
to come.
We left the mountain with no particular idea other than to form an
Order such as had never existed before, that would break the
existing mold and provide a vehicle for Chaos Magic. A year later
some of us met in a splendid Austrian castle and formally arranged
ourselves into the Magical Pact of the Illuminates of Thanateros,
using as a basis a simple structure of four grades and five offices
that I had devised in the meantime. Since then the Pact has evoked a
veritable whirlwind of activity, and at the time of writing counts
some sixteen temples in the UK, Germany, Austria, Switzerland,
Australia and the USA. A meeting for all members is now held
annually, usually at the same original castle (Burg Lockenhaus,
Austria, 2.-6.August 1991 followed by an Exercitium open for all).
It is always a wild experimental gathering during which plenty of
hard work is being done. In devising a structure I sought mainly to
avoid the mistakes of previous established orders such as the Golden
Dawn and the Ordo Templi Orientis. A certain division of labour is
essential just to ensure that people take responsibility for
organizing that which needs organizing. Beyond that it seems an
absurdity to form an order on the basis of one or a few persons
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adopting the role of great guru almighty. Their bluff must
eventually be called, and such organisations are unlikely to advance
beyond whatever set of ideas they start with. Crowley had to break
with the Golden Dawn to make his own contribution to magic, and
Austin Spare had to break with Crowley in his turn. Such progress
through schism is an idiotic waste of time and effort. Any
contemporary order which wishes to remain alive, exciting and
innovative requires a structure or at least a communication network
to exist at all, but dogmatic ideas, rigid hierarchies and fixed
teachings and beliefs will kill its creative spirit rapidly.
Thus in the Pact, the individual temples, which are its basic unit,
experiment with whatever techniques, rituals and ideas they please,
and exchange results and inspirations through newsletters,
magazines, a computerized electronic mailbox system, inter-temple
visits and the annual Pact meeting. There is thus a natural
selection of ideas. Techniques, Spells and Rituals which are found
to be really useful become used and expanded upon whilst the less
effective material is forgotten. Those members who enter the Pact
bubbling over with ideas are encouraged to put them into use
immediately. Naturally in an organisation such as this there is less
emphasis on discipline than on enthusiasm and creativity. The Pact is
more interested in those who can experience magic as a living thing,
than in those who can merely follow instructions. Indeed the only
power the Pact reserves over its members is the right of expulsion
for extreme non-fraternal behaviour or for bringing the Pact into
danger. The Pact has but two aims. Firstly the pursuit of the Great
Work of Magic and pleasures and profits attendant to this Quest.
Secondly to act as a Psychohistoric Force in the Battle for the
Aeon. To fulfill the first aim we provide communication facilities
that enable us to work together and develop our own magics through
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the exchange of ideas and information. Esoterics should also be fun.
If you don`t enjoy doing magic you are probably doing something
wrong. The profits are entirely whatever rewards individuals can
make from their own magic. There are no membership fees and the
annual Pact meeting is free and funded by seminars and exercitiums
that some members hold for the general public plus any members who
wish to attend. The somewhat grandiosely phrased Psychohistoric
action in the Battle for the Aeon, consists mainly in spreading the
philosophy of magical paradigm where we can, in print and by word of
mouth, although we occasionally perform acts of magic to hasten
things along.
The magical techniques and philosophy of the Pact are mainly Chaoist
in inspiration. Chaos Magic calls for a concentration of the actual
mechanics at work when planning acts of evocation, divination,
enchantment, invocation and illumination. It is techniques and
intention that are important in successful magic. The most Important
Techniques are those which adjust subconscious belief. Subconscious
belief controls both the self or selves and the world. So long as
this is never forgotten one can structure a ritual or spell with
just about any form of symbolism from Tibetan Tantra to Icelandic
Runelore. And indeed, where else but in the Pact could you find
magicians experimenting with Runic Sex Magic? Well perhaps you will
find other examples. I notice the eclectic approach becoming ever
more pervasive in esoterics. Insights and ideas are now poached
shamelessly from one so-called tradition to another, but this is how
it should be, and Chaos Magic boldly encourages the meta-tradition
which takes anything and everything that is effective from all
traditions to create an explosive mixture.
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So, on with the pursuit of the Great Work of Magic, with whatever
forms of Techno-Shamanism, Tantric Goetia or Greco-Egyptian Quantum
Physics we can make work for us. There are worlds within us, and the
universe is infinitely more weird, I`m sure, than all our theories
put together. Hopefully, some of the explosives the Pact cooks up
can propel us a little further into these strange domains. I have no
idea how this years Pact meeting will unfold, except that there will
be magicians from many lands seated in a huge circle ready to offer
their specialities in everything from Buddhist sorcery through Norse
wyrdcraft and Chaos mathematical investment schemes to Voodoo and
Ice Magics. We have the technology and we`re crazy enough to use it!
The Pact may be contacted in the US care of:
Temple Oblivion, P.O.Box 18514, Encino CA 91416-8514
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Blackout and Sigils
Fra.: Apfelmann
The blackout or as it is commonly referred to, the death posture, is
the technique that the late Austin Osman Spare refined for his own magical
use and which has been adopted by chaoists, solo and group, world wide as
its popularity has been increased by the works of the IOT over the last
decade or so.
The normal procedure, as many will undoubtedly be familiar with, (and
this is only one of its uses) is that a sigil/glyph of desire is held in
the mind`s eye whilst in what we all refer to as the death posture e.g.,
stood on tiptoe, arms locked behind the head, body stretched to its limit,
deep spasmodic breathing, until total exhaustion and inevitably one blacks
out, the sigil is then lost to the mind of the inner and the banished of
laughter is evoked to prevent the resurfacing of the said sigil.
Anyone who has used this technique for the above said purpose, will
have at sometime or another experienced, even if just slightly, difficulty
in holding the posture long enough for the desired gnosis to take effect
sufficiently for blackout. And due to this difficulty, a well planned
ritual can be a well planned waste of time as the desired result is not
implanted properly.
A technique that has been repeatedly employed by myself on such
occasions is based upon the same principles as the death posture but as I
have found, a little easier and without pitfalls that one can experience
with A.O. Spare`s technique.
This technique is a strange mixture of inhibitory and excitatory
gnosis, forced overbreathing, dancing or spinning, and of course exhaus-
tion. The end result is of necessity for this process the blackout, which
is as we know, of the inhibitory gnosis. I will now explain how this
technique is employed by one for the insertion of sigils for whatever
purpose one feels the need.
First one has to sigilise the desire in any form that one may wish,
but in all cases and especially this one, it must be very easy to visual-
ise. Once that has been achieved, one may then begin to design the ritual
for that particular purpose in mind. Banishings and invocations may be
employed, if so wished, this is, however, not a necessity for the suc-
cessful outcome of this process. At the culmination of the rite the
individual starts the overbreathing, panting deeply and spasmodically and
at the same time visualising the sigil as vividly as you possible can,
bright, intense and very clear as the overbreathing continues. Then when
you feel that the time is right, start your spinning round and round, still
overbreathing and still holding your visualised sigil in your mind`s eye.
Music can be played for a background to the dancing, tom toms or any other
drum is rather excellent background sound for this purpose. When the
individual has reached a state of sheer exhaustion, very dizzy, sweating
and ready to drop, he or she then, still spinning and overbreathing and of
course holding the visulised sigil in mind, works their way to the centre
of the circle or working area.
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There a partner, either active or passive to the rite, (in other
words, if a solo worker, try to get someone to help you with this part)
stops you spinning and grabs you in a bear hug lifting you off the ground
and squeezing you about the solar plexus, where a large network of nerves
lie. At this precise moment the music, if any has been employed, is
stopped, and death-like silence is kept. The practitioner holds his or her
breath whilst being squeezed and the sigil is visualised as if burning with
bright, white heat as its image is burnt into your mind. Within seconds the
blackout will occur and the sigil is lost to the mind. At this point it is
important that your partner lets you drop to the floor, unless that is you
wish to return to primal chaos!
On coming round, in most cases, you should evoke laughter to banish the
sigil and all thoughts thereof, your laughter breaks that silence and the
rite is finished in whatever manner wished.
With fractalic greetings and laughter * Fra.: Apfelmann *
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