Tag: emergent magick

The second oldest form of Operative Magick, and perhaps the most popular today, is to call upon a spirit that’s considered to be a god or has been elevated in some way. Prayer may be the last refuge of the scoundrel, but it has the benefit of being proven to work, and most magi have been scoundrels at one time or another.

Emergent Magick

Chapter X: Operative Magick

Most people come to
magick out of a desire to make change beyond any other means. Perhaps they
thought magick was the easy way to do things. Or they fancied having power that
would impress potential mates. They start with an ego centered and aggrandized,
fantasy version of magick that can vanquish their problems with a flick of a
wand. If you have made it this far and practiced the exercises contained, you’re
probably well beyond this point and already know magick does not make up for
poor planning and resources, and that it is in no way “easy.”

However, what’s the point
of playing dice with the gods if you don’t bring a loaded pair every once in a
while?

Emergent Magick Protocol Three: Philosophy – Magick done without drugs, isn’t.

DISCLAIMER: The creators of
this book do not condone the use of illegal drugs. Please follow all local laws
when imbibing substances. Those using substances should be of sound mind and body.
When in doubt, consult a physician.

Despite the prohibitions of controlling bodies throughout history,
consciousness altering substances continue to be a major part of the human
experience. In fact, many higher order life forms partake in substances. Various
primate species seek out fermented fruits in order to imbibe alcohol. Certain
mammals will eat psychedelic mushrooms. Dolphins have been recorded sucking on
toxic puffer fish to get high. Entire schools of thought in history and archaeology
propose that agriculture, and thus the rise of civilization itself, was
invented so that humans can have a steady supply of alcohol and the molds that
grow on grain. The past eighty years of organized and sustained prohibition are
an anomaly, far outside the usual human condition and contrary to our own
genetics that predispose us to the use of these substances.

In the West, our cultural bias leads us to overlook the powerful nature
of our chosen drugs. Alcohol, caffeine, and to a lesser extent, tobacco, permeate
our culture so thoroughly that we scarcely classify them with the other
substances commonly used. Used despite the draconian laws made against them, by
people of every social and economic background. In fact, our familiarity with
those drugs and their removal from ritual context contribute to their abuse.

Magick requires the ability to see outside your normal range of consciousness.
No other activity can shift consciousness as reliably and as fully as drugs. To
say you can do magick without doing drugs is like saying you can build a house
without a hammer. Certainly you can find some other device to pound in nails,
but no other object is so properly suited to the task. Would you eschew the use
of a hammer just because you might slip and hit your thumb?

To take the analogy further, it is almost certain that the novice will
hit their fingers several times until they master the use of a hammer. We would
never say that drugs are harmless. In fact, they can certainly do more damage
than a broken finger. For those vigilant about their health, we’re not saying
you should be shooting up heroin on the weekends. While we stand behind our
statement that magick requires the use of drugs, it need not be often or in
large amounts. Nor are all drugs suited to the purpose. The aforementioned
heroin being the prime example of a drug that closes off consciousness more
than it awakens.

For example, a person of reasonable health who does not drink or
smoke, can have one cigarette and one shot of hard alcohol three to four times
a year with no ill effects. And, with their lack of tolerance of those
substances, would achieve the shift in consciousness necessary for the
participation in the Sabbat.

Notes from Emergent Magick

“You should view the world as a conspiracy run by a very
close-knit group of nearly omnipotent people, and you should think of those
people as yourself and your friends.”

– Robert Anton Wilson

Magick has been sold to you. Modern magick was developed in
the Victorian Era and to its detriment, was influenced by the dominant thought
currents of the time. Those being, produce a product and sell it. Since then,
Western books on magick have focused almost exclusively on instructing
individual magi to practice on their own. The magus was reduced, as the public
relations field advocated, to an individual atom of consumption. They were told
that if they went into their basements and performed the exercises in the book,
they would become master magicians.

This is a lie.

While the magick instruction manuals coming out of the
English Magical Revival were originally written as training manuals for magical
orders, when they reached the publishers that changed. They wanted to sell
books to as many people as possible, not just to a select group. So the myth
was born that magick could be a solitary, masturbatory concern. We wish to
disabuse you of that notion.

Not that you shouldn’t practice magick on your own. In fact,
it will serve you well in developing skills. You can be a solitary magus, but
you will never be as good as if you work with a group. Just like every organism
more complex than a worm, you can only fulfill your purpose by joining with
others. It is only through working with others with a magical consciousness will
you flower as a magus.

We stand guilty as charged of the crime of producing another
magical instruction manual. However, we will not lie to you and say this book
alone will make you a great magus. It won’t change your life, get you laid,
make you $3,000 a month, or remove unwanted blemishes. But being a member of
your own tribe will.

We offer the example of the Order of Emergent Magi for
instructional purposes, and if you find the Gutter Bible to be inspiring, we
suggest you contact us. Most will not, and that’s okay. But you now have the
task of either finding a magical tribe or forming one of your own. We hope you
find our examples and advice useful.

As people have moved to the cities and the nuclear family
has become the dominant social structure, our entire species has lost important
values and abilities. Small to mid-sized groups of people, from a dozen to around
one-hundred-and-fifty, make for more stable and less stressful lives. When you
have something that breaks and you don’t know how to fix, in the nuclear society
you have to pay someone to fix it or go without. With a strong tribe, chances
are you know someone who can fix it, or can borrow you a replacement until it
can be fixed. A strong tribe shares education, food, and living space, making
the individual less dependent on outside sources (governments and
corporations).

Those who wish to sell you things do not like tribes for
obvious reasons.

The disintegration of tribal structures in our personal
lives parallels a disintegration of belief in magick. We propose that magick is
the necessary component in tribal structures. Magick, through the performance
of group ritual, is what binds a tribe together psychologically and
spiritually.

This information should come as a shock to no one. Which is
why people join churches and masonic lodges. Sadly, those institutions have
failed us by becoming moribund in outdated social mores that focus more on
control than bringing people together. With magick, you can make your own,
based on your values and modern concepts of acceptance and love.