Month: March 2018

One of the core differences between its predecessor, Chaos Magick, and Emergent Magick lies in how they approach belief. Classic Chaos Magick uses belief as a tool. In that philosophy, beliefs can be added and discarded as desired. While some chaos magicians hold core beliefs throughout their magical practice, most change their paradigm frequently, oftentimes on a whim. Chaos Magick advocates switching beliefs in order to find the right tool for the job. While this can work if all a magician is interested in is operative magick, it becomes a detriment to spiritual growth. A belief can better be seen as a muscle. Use it frequently and it becomes stronger and more useful. Use it seldom and it fails to perform when needed.

Enacting a ritual requires the development of meaning. In magick, meaning develops through the use of symbols. Humans seem to do this par excellence, though we are far from the only species on the planet that uses symbols, and our lack of understanding when it comes to the consciousness of plants and other animals may prove them to be just as capable. Hear the mournful strains of a wolf’s howl, and you will know that it conveys something more than any animal behaviorist can guess.

All rituals have purpose. This can be deliberately vague, just like any other art form. You can perform ritual simply for enjoyment. You can perform ritual to achieve some tangible result, though you will often find those results to be subtle, and produce effects more in line with what you truly need than what you think you want. In the same respect, rituals performed for sheer pleasure often produce effects well beyond the scope of the original purpose. Such as raising your own awareness to the reality of love, and strengthening the bonds of love between the participants. While Joseph Campbell called ritual “the enactment of a myth,” this does not limit them to some kind passion play based on a mythological story. In the best rituals a magus creates their own myth.