The Glass Bead Game
More than once we have said that Magic, by its very nature, is profoundly syncretic. That is: it is capable — and even inclined — to combine within itself Currents flowing from utterly different cultural, psychological, and historical sources.
So the answer to the question, “can the same Magus use in his work, say, Runes and Kabbalah?” is unequivocal: “he can,” but only if he has enough Power for it.
Let us understand what this reservation means.
Generally speaking, it is clear that the Magus uses the external expressions of the Myth as points of support precisely to the extent required by the level of his Power. In theory, it is not difficult to imagine a situation in which a Magus needs no points of support at all and performs realizations by the sheer Power of his will alone. In practice, however, this is exceedingly rare; and Magi who have attained that degree of inner integrity that permits such realizations usually leave the human level of existence, continuing their development within other hierarchies.
Therefore, while embodied in the “dense” world, a Magus achieves the greatest effectiveness by using all the Symbols of his authority, including the Sickle— that is, by relying on certain points of the material world.
Symbols, spells, ceremonies exist precisely to create support for the will in the condensations and coagulations performed by the Magus: to regroup energies into a state favorable for a given realization.
Naturally, this regrouping proceeds more successfully and demands less expenditure of energy not when energies are mindlessly and forcibly “shuffled,” but when their natural attractions and antipathies are taken into account, along with the natural processes occurring within them. This is precisely why Magic requires a systematic approach: comprehensiveness of change; the provision of both the right preconditions and the effective after-effect of the realization.
Over the course of thousands of years of development, Magic as a global current has worked out an entire set of such comprehensive approaches —Traditions, Lines, Schools — which have gathered harmonious and mutually corresponding ensembles of methods that allow one to act with the highest effectiveness.
At the same time, the diversity of individualities and individual Ways does not always allow one to follow, “exactly,” a millennia-old approach; and not infrequently, greater effectiveness is achieved by adapting such an approach to a concrete individuality — which may require introducing certain additional elements or removing some of its parts.
Even so, we emphasize: it is crucial not to lose the unique harmony this integral system possessed; not to turn it into a “patchwork quilt,” and thus not to diminish its effectiveness and inner coherence.
Several simple principles must be taken into account; they allow one to correctly assess and choose the desired level of a system’s effectiveness:
first, it is important to understand that maximum effectiveness is given by a system in its traditional fullness; and if this fullness harmonizes with the individual Way, it must not be curtailed;
second, if a syncretic joining of different systems nonetheless seems more effective, it is necessary to clearly separate the field of activity of each of the combined lines. For example, one should not mix within a single spell the Names of Kabbalistic archangels and pagan gods, since the Currents of energies activated by these Names are different. More effective is a sequential appeal to gods and archangels, which allows one to activate the corresponding Currents in sequence — and the sequence of such activation must also be carefully weighed. Likewise, it is hardly advisable to replace the Names invested by one Tradition with other Calls; it is more rational to rebuild the spell or the Pantacle for these new Calls. In any case, it is important to understand as clearly as possible which Current of energy is activated, to what extent, and how this Current will interact with the other components of the Operation;
third, the creation of one’s own Sickles, sigils or Realizational formulas must rest not only on inspiration (without which, of course, there will be no success), but also on a clear understanding of the peculiarities of their action. In this sense, Spare’s approach, which has gained wide popularity at present, is not very effective, simply because it tries to rely only on Psychocosmic Currents, whereas the traditional creation of Signs of Power is aimed at the mutual activation of the flow of energies both in the Psycho- and in the Macrocosm.
Taking these simple principles into account, a Magus can create not merely an eclectic combination of different systems and Traditions, but a more or less harmonious system which, for him and his individual Way, may prove more effective — and therefore contribute not only to his own development, but also to the development of Magic as a common Current.
Questions and Answers
The Honey of Poetry
Word and Voice
Word and Deed
Letters and the Logoi
Smoothing and Sharpening Corners
Symbols and Attributes
Keys and Calls
Please tell me, can a person see symbols and rituals in a dream and apply them in reality? And another question: I know a person who chose one of the paths, but he has no talents for this path, nothing is happening, yet he believes this is his calling. Could such a path be dangerous or are these delusions illusory and harmless? And how might danger manifest for those around, if it can at all?
A question arises: what is more important, external or internal flows? An ordinary ritual includes a Kabbalistic cross and the names of four archangels. Yes – I admit that the authors of the ritual had strong associations in their subconscious, but I have none, and I learned these names only by getting acquainted with the ritual. So why should I pronounce them? Or invoke demons… Why such a name? Etc., etc. And, please understand me correctly, I can come up with even the most suitable theoretical answers, but they remain theory. Now let’s take a beginner in a vacuum: In one place they’re told to speak incomprehensible gibberish in an unknown language and carry it until it settles into their subconscious and starts working. Somewhere else, they suggest inventing their own gibberish, understandable only to themselves, but 100% suitable, which not only corresponds to their subconscious but is a part of it. And from a purely intellectual standpoint, what should a future magician choose? Following an incomprehensible tradition or creating their own? And again, I am not talking about effectiveness and blah blah blah. This all relates to why the ideas of Speyer live and thrive. And then, chaos magicians have never relied solely on psychocosmos; they simply brought this ‘game of beads’ to the absolute… Well, or they think they did – this relates to the argument about Speyer not being entirely accurate.
*the comment was related to the article, not Alira’s post.
Dear Etzao, you have voiced my thoughts too, so with your permission, I will consider your post somewhat relevant to my post. 🙂
Regarding sigilization according to O.O. Speyer. Personal experience. Almost six months ago, participating in translating materials on sigils of chaos magicians, I felt I had finally found an effective tool for realizations. I liked almost everything about it. And now, after six months of experiments, I opened my magical diary; it wasn’t possible before because an important element of sigilization is forgetting. Conclusion: Sigils according to Speyer-chaos method did not lead to a single realization (!!!), except for the effect of autosuggestion in some cases. Need I say anything about lost time, disappointments, and doubts about my magical abilities…
In my case, I meant only that which was tested in personal experience and really works. I was just curious to know the opinion on how this is possible and where it could come from. The flow of power is understandable, but what about exchanging this kind of information between people?
The movement continues, and therefore I want to add to my comment above. Sigils, according to the tradition of Speira, I think, are quite effective for creating flows within the Psychocosmos, specifically those that will begin to harmonize with the chosen realization in the Macrocosm. The realization itself can be initiated by one ritual or another: Rune, Medici Solitaire, etc., depending on what is closer to you.