Many magi spend their
entire careers experimenting with different forms of magick and attempting to
find their true purpose. Such explorations are laudable and even inevitable, as
magick, like religion and art, tries to answer questions so large and complex
that they are impossible to put into words. Even finding an individual true
purpose holds so many implications it can take a life time to discover. Many
magi refer to this as an individual’s true Will, sometimes simply referred to
as Will. The word is intentionally capitalized to differentiate it from
something a person simply wants to do, a matter of ego, from something that
defines their purpose for being. From the simple starting point of discovering
one’s Will a host of questions follow. Does my Will fulfill a greater purpose?
How does my Will interact with others? What do I do when in conflicts? Is there
a greater Will than my own? Is my own Will truly a separate thing, or simply a
limited perception of a greater consciousness?
While we begin this
chapter with such high concepts, it’s only to provide a destination for the map
you will devise to help guide your Emergent practice. So, far we have described
many of the tools used by Emergent magi. Many of the details are left
intentionally blank so as not to lead a potential magus into believing there
exists one true way of doing magick. Unlike so many other books we won’t
provide you with lists of symbols, or mythology, or spells. The secret is not
in here. The only true revelation comes in the process of learning and doing
for yourself.
With that being said, it
is impossible to teach the EMK process without providing examples. The majority
of the examples in this chapter come from the Gutter Bible and the subsequent paradigm created from it by the
Order of Emergent Magi (OEM). A few other examples are included as well to show
how more traditional paradigms can be used in EMK. The key word is examples. We
in no way imply that these paradigms must be used or are suited for any
individual. However, getting on to the business of actually doing magick is
paramount in EMK, and if a magus finds these paradigms interesting, they should
feel free to experiment within them.
In creating your own
Emergent practice it may be helpful to see it as using a map. With a map you
start with where you are and plot your way to a final destination. Your
starting point influences your path, but there may be many routes to the same
destination. There absolutely will be stops and detours along the way. Your
starting point is your temple. That paradigm you have chosen or discovered that
gives you a base set of beliefs to start with.
Second, you choose your
destination. We encourage all magi to be fanciful and to set their sights high.
Why do something as impossible as magick if you don’t use it to achieve
impossible things? Questions like: Is there a universal consciousness? What is
the universe made of? Is everything random or by design? Are the gods real or
just our imagination? Sometimes these questions can be so big they transcend
logic and are difficult to put into words, like the Zen koan, “What is the
sound of one hand clapping?” In the OEM we ask, “What is the purpose of
consciousness?”
Spend some time musing
about your questions, but do not try to answer them. You may have theories, but
the purpose of doing magick is to find the answers. From these questions, drill
down, your next set of questions may also be large and only slightly less
specific. These questions may also be influenced by your choice of paradigm. A
magus that has chosen to follow Thelema, the magical practice based on Kabbalah
and Aleister Crowley’s revelation called The
Book of the Law, may ask themselves, “What is my true Will?” “What is the
nature of love?” When exploring the Gutter
Bible, we asked ourselves, “What is humanities place in the universe?”
“Does alien consciousness exist and how can we possibly understand it?”
Keep asking questions
until you find one that can possibly be answered or at least guide you in the
right direction, the first stop on your map. The question and how it can be
answered will eventually fit within the beliefs and practices of your paradigm.
This requires an artistic sensibility. Through examination of the Gutter Bible, the OEM discovered the
question, “Can insanity offer a clue to understanding alien consciousness?” The
writings in the Gutter Bible seemed
at times to be profound examinations of the human condition, perhaps from
outside normal human understanding. From that the OEM reasoned that contacting
alien consciousness requires a state of temporary insanity. From there we had
some basis for how to develop the gnosis required.