Blacklight Metaphysics

I did not get much feedback on this essay.

I didn't expect this on to get too much positive review, in part because it criticizes what it largely a primary assumption in most New Age thought, neopaganism included: evolution progresses up, and we must evolve up toward the divine.  The skeptic Chaoist in me questions this assumption, and I imagine it irked a lot of people, especially those who base so much of their identity on how "evolved" and enlightened they are.

The only feedback I really received was the following comment in ny guestbook at Blacklight Metaphysics:

a very few sentences is all it takes to recognize one of those bored,
lifeless, argumentative, aimless pseudointellects just wanting someone
to listen and care......what kind of a bullshit website are you trying
to have here?!?! "what makes us thing the Spirit NEEDS to Evolve?!!"
goddamn it, man......the ONE thing EVER EVER EVER that doesn't NEED
pondering

Questioning assumptions is primary to Chaos Magic.  Everything should be questioned, tested, and verified, and if your feelings counter what experience tells you, you should probably re-evaluate what causes those feelings (or change reality, but I suppose that's an existential point).  I question the assumption of progress because: 1) I have seen no real evidence to support a priori progression, at least beyond an emotional need for superiority; 2) I have seen too much detrimental activity predicated by such progressive thought, from New Age and neopagan exclusivism and elitism, to facist socialist and communist thought seeking to enforce progress on others by determining how they shoudl live their lives.  A fascist New Age utopia does not sound pleasant to me, and I'm going to question any thoughts that such philosophies are based upon.

It scares me a little that the poster 1) chose to remain totally anonymous, not allowing me to respond, defend myself, or challenge his assumptions at all; 2) Asserted emphatically not that he was right, but that his presumption of rightness was on a topic that should not, and could not, ever be questioned; 3) the obvious dependence of emotion on his assertion, rather than any kind of reason; and 4) his instant resort to personal attacks (I'm surprised he didn't call me a Nazi -- which would have been hilarious given their acceptance of progressive evolutionary thought!)  This person is not a heavy thinker, and reacts emotionally to things he can't understand (or doesn't want to), making him ripe for any charismatic leader -- be it an author, a guru, or a shiny new president -- to direct with little effort.

“Warding the Home” was written and
published about the same time that “Banishing and Protection” was.  Judging by the numbers of reads on the
Witches’ Voice, it was pretty popular, although I didn’t get too much extensive
feedback from it.  I don’t seem to have
replied to any of these e-mails at the time, so any comments by me are freshly
written, and addressed to the wider audience (if there is one!) rather than the
initial writer.

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Hit home when I put up protection for this house, I did Up
stairs basement , under the den, garage, shed, and forgot the back porch. So
while I was about 4 feet away one of the barbaques was stollen. Did not have
time to say enjoy or any thing else. Cover all bases.

One thing that I’m careful (read: paranoid)
about is making sure my wards are all-encompassing.  I double-check to ensure that all areas of
the property and living space are covered, and I’m sure to include crawlspaces,
basements, attics, and plumbing connections. 
This reader’s experience shows why this is a good idea.  I’m also partial to layering my wards, so
that in addition to covering components of the dwelling, there is a broader,
encompassing boundary around the whole property.

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Hello! Your article caught my eye. I have been accused of
being a 'fluffy bunny' in a pagan chat group that I am in, only because I send
out blessings and refuse to hate anyone; however, I have never claimed to like
everyone, incl. the goofs on that site (I mostly lurk there now) . One
discussion that they had involved warding; my e-mail did not get past the
moderator. I did many things before/after we purchased this home. It was a
dream fulfilled, to buy a house instead of renting, and being at the mercy of a
cold-hearted landlord. My sensitive friends will go on and on about how
peaceful and positive the energy vibe is about my home. I grow and dry my own
sage, white and russian, and I make my own sage wands which I use to smudge our
house and yard. I also make my own incenses in several forms, and it is a rare
day that I do not burn some as an offering and prayer out to Godess. I also
buried pennies, placed stones and crystals about the yard; have different items
on my windowsills, etc. THIS is the part that I believe did the moderator in- I
had a friend of mine (an RN) stick a catheter in my arm, and removed about a
pint and a half of my blood in to a bowl. I allowed it to dry (it took a while)
and then I ground it up, and went all about the perimeter of my house,
sprinkling the dry blood on the ground. It is not as ghoulish as some might
think, and it is putting some of myself around to help keep negative
out/positive in. I am a firm believer in the sanctity of a Pagan home. The
mundane has to be kept out and away from us. And as we all are, we like input
on our stuff and sometimes others can give us ideas or have found stuff in our
seeking and research to make sense out of stuff. I never read of any thing
other than this or that with menstrual blood; I did what I did after meditation
and feeling that it was a correct thing to do. The former owner here was an
older invalid, and I wanted any type of left-over patterns from this property
to dissolve. You may be inundated with e-mails after the article, but if you
have any info on 'blood
rituals' that you thnk may pertain, let me know. Blessings and
Peace-chalhydrabat

Many contemporary pagans would balk
at Chal’s use of bloodletting in ritual (except maybe some gothic pagans and
Satanists, I suppose).  His use of blood
was highly appropriate, however: 1) it was his own; 2) it was given freely and
mindfully; 3) it seems to have been carefully and properly prepared, instead of
casually splashed about; and 4) it appears to have been stunningly powerful and
effective.  Sure, it may not be for
everybody, but no one can deny the intimacy and power that such actions will
provide to a ward.

Everything else Chal mentions is
also sure to be effective, especially when used together.  Sure, burning sage is almost cliché now, but
it works, as do pennies, crystals, and other sacred and protective objects
placed around the perimeter.  I would
think twice before sending anything Chal’s way, as it would be difficult to
penetrate the perimeter, and anything that did would likely be neutralized
fairly quickly.  Kudos to our intrepid
magician here!.

I am kind of curious, however, how
someone could be accused of being too fluffy and yet censored for discussing
the ritual uses of blood.  Go figure.

I’m far behind on updating the feedback I’ve gotten from my last few articles, so I think I’ll tackle them
now.  “Banishing and Protection” appeared some time ago and got some fairly good responses to it.  One reader even asked me for some help with a banishing ritual, which I provided.  Comments on readers’ comments, my responses, or the original article are welcome.

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Hello,

I just read your post about banishing and protection spells and
found it really interesting. I have just moved into a new room and wondered if
you knew of any spells that I could cast to protect myself in the room while
working magic. Your advice would be greatly appreciated.

Blessed Be
George

Dear George,
Thank you for your interest in my article.

What magical system do you work with?  Most magical systems already have
established banishing rituals, and it's just a matter of finding and
implementing them.  For example, I frequently practice Qabalistic
Ceremonial magic, so the banishing ritual that I use most often is the Lesser
Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram.  So, depending on what tradition you
practice, there should be something appropriate to it.

A friend of mine and I did develop a generic banishing ritual, that does not
draw upon too many symbols from specific traditions, but keep in mind that
those symbols help establish the proper mindset and can increase
efficacy.  If you like, though, you can try it out:

Close your eyes, and breathe deeply, imagining that you are drawing a column of
light from far above your head, through your body, down deep into the center of
the Earth.

Face East.  Breathe in deeply, and as you exhale, yell out "HA!"
while pushing forcefully away from you, palms out and thumbs extended, so that
your hands make a triangle.

Repeat this for the other three directions, from South to West to North.

When you have completed the circle, stand in the center with arms raised, and
declare "I am the point of Spirit in the center!"  Repeat the
visualization of the column of light, expect this time, as is passes through
your body, see it spreading out into the circle you have created.

If you do try it or modify it, let me know how it works.

Best Wishes,
Chirotus Infinitum.

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Greetings. I'm Xan (short for Alyxander)

I read your article on Witchvox, a fascinating piece of writing You really
seem to have done your homework. I am curious if you might be willing to help
me with something.

You mentioned in your article the "basic" forms of shielding. The
visualizations of a bubble or ribbons of light, I am afraid my instruction in
such areas are quite lacking. I know the bubble technique, but I find my wards
and shields rather weak. I can make a sort of "early warning" system
for my room. but I cannot stop anything from entering (several.... things....
live at my house and like to try and get in when my guard is down.) I can
deflect other Psychics, in a way. I cannot stop their efforts, but I'm normally
able to deflect their efforts onto something else (Normally a crystal I keep in
my pocket)

Perhaps you could educate me in more effective forms of shielding? Or tell me
were to look? There are several ..... I believe you used the term "Psychic Vampires"
in my school that have taken interest in me and holding them off has become
difficult. As for the things in the house, my friend can normally dissuade
them, and a large crystal on my shelf seems to work better then anything else I
can make to hold them off, but my friend tells me that can only last so long.
My skills lay in healing and sight, I feel terribly out of my depth among these
offensive types. Can you help me?

A hopeful fellow,
-Xan-

Dear Xan,

Thank you for your interest in my article.

My first question for you is what kind of regular magical practice are you engaging in?  Do you have a regular schedule of
banishing/meditative ritual or practice that you undergo (appropriate to whatever tradition or style of magic you practice, of course)?  Use of a regular banishing or other type of energy-raising ritual will help you more easily recognize, raise, and control the subtle energies that will help you to generate effective shields.  It may be that you're having difficulty keeping things out not due to problems of technique, but simply because you seem more inclined to receive than emit energy, and any practice that helps you with this should help your shielding efforts.

You may find it easier to use external objects in your shielding efforts.  Black tourmaline, obsidian, quartz, iron, and copper are all effective at keeping negative things away.  Perhaps you may want to try inscribing protective sigils on pieces of copper or iron and placing them at the corners of your room (don't forget the ceilings!), or for that matter, protective sigilson simple pieces of paper should work as well.  Experiment and see what works.

As for the problem with psychic vampirism, try copper.  Copper has Solar qualities that tend to repel those that are a drain on our energies.  I have a friend that is a huge psychic sponge (and doesn't realize it!), and my girlfriend was very susceptible to being drained -- I was going to use a dremmel to engrave a sigil on a piece of copper and make a
necklace out of it, but my girlfriend just put the copper in her pocket and it  worked just fine.  A small bracelet or ring may help as well.
 

For more ideas on magical protection, I recommend the book Protection & Reversal Magick by Jason Miller.  It has provided me with many good examples and ideas.

Good luck, and Best Wishes,

Chirotus Infinitum.

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Dear Chirotus Infinitum,

I always read the profiles of authors whose articles I particularly enjoy, and
I was amused to find that you and I are probably about as far apart on the
magical spectrum as we could possibly get. That said, I couldn't have
appreciated your article more. Not only is it well-written, but it makes a
point that desperately needs to be made in this community.

Whether people like it or not, the world, human nature, society, and anything
you can think of is harrowing as well as beautiful, and even if you never, ever
dabble in any kind of magic, in this world, in order to survive, you need
shields. We have them built in, for crying out loud--skin! Mundae interactions,
as you pointed out, require boundaries--so why should somethng so powerful be
exempt?

Something I think you sort of suggested, but didn't really ellaborate on, stuck
in my mind. It occurs to me that so many of the people who don't want to bother
with or refuse to believe they need shielding skills are the people with very poor social skills
and boundaries. Recently my coven has been bombarded with people interested in
joining, but who repell us personally and magically--because we have shileds,
and we can tell that they DON'T. The Pagan/Magical community is apparently rife
with people looking for someone to spoonfeed them all the easy answers to
life's cunundrums and eager to be magical by association--just be virtue of
hanging out with people who are willing to do the work. I personally, and my coven
with me, are not having that--life's too short.

So thanks again for following, and encouraging, the rules.

Blessings,
Castiel

Dear Castiel,

Thank you for your interest in my article.  I'm glad
that the issues I raised were able to transcend differences in magical
approach.

One of the reasons I wrote this particular essay is the fact
that so many people involved in paganism seem too eagar to dismiss the
establishment of any kind of boundaries.  I have noticed that a
substantial part of this, as you have said, seems to be related to the large
number or neopagans that have relatively poor social skills, and therefore usually
have a difficult time dealing with social boundaries of any kind.  I'm not
sure if this is a problem that goes in hand with increased empathic and psychic abilities,
but I suspect that it is indicative of a larger cultural imperative to share
everything with others and expect them to respond in kind, in part due to a
rejection of "restrictive" traditional social boundaries.....

No one seems to ponder the fact that such social boundaries
exist because they help people function more easily among strangers who they do
not wish to share their deepest secrets with, and in fact I have encountered
some who regard a need for privacy as near pathological.  My cynical
nature wants to believe that this is a sign of socially inept and damaged people
attemptingt to rewrite their problems as gifts and depict normal, adjusted
individuals as unenlightened, a phenomenon I hinted at in my essay on the
Indigo Children, and which I explore more in depth in an essay on the escapist
mentality in neopaganism, which I am just finishing up.

Again, thanks for your interest, and your feedback.

Best Wishes,

Chirotus Infinitum

The Color of Self-Esteem was published on the Witches' Voice a few weeks ago.  I received a lot of positive feedback.  Apparently a lot of people out there take issue with the wonderfulness of Indigo Chuldren, and the resulting lack of parenting and discipline by those who believe they are raising the enlightened (and narcissistic) future of mankind.

The Sessiomagus article was apparently not that interesting, as I got little resonse from it.   Witchvox was reluctant to publish it for some time as well, which may have been an indication of a lack of quality or appeal.  Looking back, it probably wasn't the best think I could have written, although I think the topic was important enough to warrant writing about.  Perhaps there are more sessiomagi in my target audience than I thought, or perhaps too many readers felt I was attacking magical scholarship in general (as one respondent did).  I suppose there is little use speculating on it.  Someday I may re-write the article -- we'll just have to wait and see.

I'm working on another essay, which will be about self-identification in neo-pagan groups.  It will most likely be a while until it's done, though, since school has started again and this semester is looking to be a doozy.  Check back for updates, if you be so inclined.

Hi.
Wow, can I relate to this article! I just recently found myself in an
time-wasting email debate with one such individual.
He had posted a comment on one of the WV stories. I liked his comment
and emailed a compliment, and mentioned a little of my own experiences
about the subject of the story. Instead of having the social graces to
simply thank me for my comment, he launched into a tome that was
sanctimonius, self-congratulatory, overbearing in its tone, and about how his
view was somehow "more advanced" than mine, etc. ad nauseam. Needless
to say, I was offended (and said so) , mostly at the incredible
self-importance he displayed, despite the fact that he never even got into the
meat of the philosophies he was quoting from! I'm not even sure that he
was knowledgable in these areas; his replies were mostly non-sequiturs.
I asked him repeatedly to never mind the instructive attitude and to
talk to me in a rational manner. He was either unwilling or unable to do
so. I now believe that this person was a species of psychic vampire;
the kind that gets you all fired up at his insulting attitude and feeds
off the anger he has produced. When I finally realized this, I told him
I would not be replying to his emails and then blocked his email
address. Let him feed on someone else!

Once again, a young girl has come to the message boards begging for a protection spell.  She has somehow managed to date someone who has turned out to be an obsessive stalker-type, and who appears to be following her around and threatening her. 

It is surprisingly common to get posts like this on pagan message boards, and the response is almost always the same: call the police and file for a restraining order.  Yet despite such a common sense answer, requests for spells to keep such creeps away from tender young girls keep coming in.

I may be labeled an asshole by saying this, but I don't always assume these irls are innocent.  Yes, it's quite possible that some young girl went on an innocent date with a guy who seemed perfectly nice, only to have him turn into a complete psycho-stalker-freak.  I have, however, seen more than my share of young girls who are attracted to and seek out "dangerous" guys, knowing them to be overly aggressive, possesive, and possibly even abusive, and then have those same girls become confused when the guy they selected acts that way with them.  That's not to say that they deserve to be treated in such ways, but ladies, you need to be aware of what you're getting in to.

That said, I'm disturbed by the overarching trend in these help requests.  The issue can easily be reduced to the question of how much action is needed to help magic along, but I think it's a much simpler concern: people want quick fixes that bypass both common sense and personal responsibility.  It seems like the most obvious think in the world that if a young girl is being followed and threaten by soem creep, she should call the police and seek protective measures vefore going to a bunch of strangers and requesting a spell that she most likely isn't proficient enough to perform properly anyway.  Is there some stigma associated with filing a restraining order that will somehow dissapear if similar action is taken in secret via magic?  Is there some assumption that a spell will act instantly and avoid the nasty consequences that the police might inflict upon the other person (and if the guy is that much of a creep, why would it matter)?

Magic is not a cure-all.  Yes, it can accomplish astounding things, but in my experience magic always works by the most direct and obvious route, implying that such efficiency in action is best for other situations as well.  It just seems much simpler to me to utilize the mundane resources one has available before one sees fit to bend the forces of the universe to one's will, as those mundane resources will most likely require less effort on the part of a universe that likes to conserve momentum.

In short, using a little bit of common sense and initiative often precludes the use of magic, and will usually get more substantial and rapid results.  So if you are a young girl who is being stalked by a creep, call the police.  It is an effective measure that has immediate results, visible consequences, is easily accessible, and doesn't require an in-depth knowledge of the occult arts.

The following is a true story, which illustrate why you should think things through before you reach for your wand. Names have been changed to protect the guilty.


I have a friend, who I'll call "Pete," who has a bit of an anti-authority streak. Pete was supposed to meet me and some other friends (who I shall refer to as "Big Pete" and "Dirty Old Magus") at the local Denny's for some social interaction. I was already at Denny's with Dirty Old Magus, when Big Pete comes in explaining that Pete is going to be a little late, since he had been pulled over by an Officer of the Law (A cop, not a Thelemite -- that's important for the story).

So about fifteen minutes later Pete comes in, face red, hands trembling, smoke issuing forth from ears and whatnot, raving about how he is going to fight this ticket, and that his strategy involves calling a veterinarian as a witness to testify that since pigs are color blind, the cop couldn't tell the difference between a red light and a yellow light. Big Pete pointed out that the light was red, as he had been stopped at it when Pete blew through it, which only frustrated Pete more.

So Pete decided that as he was a capable magician, he had another option. It occurred to him that Occifer Friendly could not pull him over if said occifer could not see Pete's car.

I think you can see where this is going ...

Now a bit about Big Pete. Big Pete works on cars, and has a very strong talent for letting people know when it is time for them to acquire new vehicles. While working on a car that he feels should die, Big Pete makes the simple statement "You need to get rid of this car, " to which Unsuspecting Victim says, "Okay." The fool. Needless to say, Big Pete had been working on Pete's car, and had made this statement, and like a dumbass, Pete agreed with him.

You really, really should see where this is going now, but I'll finish anyway.

So Pete put an invisibility spell upon his car -- which had been cursed and fated to the junkyard by Big Pete -- in the hopes that police officers would not be able to see him, and hence, would not pull him over. Pete learned two valuable lessons in one day: 1) If a magician who works on cars tells you that you need to get rid of your car, and you agree, something will happen to your car to make you get rid of it, and 2) If you make your car invisible so cops can't see it, neither can the nice girl pulling out of the parking lot where you work.

So there is Pete, driving happily along the perimeter road at the college he works at, when some nice little girl, who had stopped at a stop sign and looked good and hard before proceeding, pulls out right into Pete's car. She swore up and down that he came out of nowhere, as she had not seen his car at all.

On the plus side, Pete was able to get another car withing three days, in an exchanged that helped another friend get rid of a car she wanted to sell, and yet another friend who was trying to buy said car but couldn't afford to pay the rest of the money on it. So it all worked out good.

Pete has since decided that the best way to avoid getting pulled over is to follow the traffic laws.

"Know Thy Ego" didn't go over as well as "Fair Weather Wicca" did. I didn't get any negative responses, but I got significantly less hits on this article and far fewer responses to it. I've been wondering why, and I came up with a few possibilities:

    1) The article wasn't that well written, or I was unclear in expressing my
    point.

    2) People were burnt out from my previous article, or were turned off by
    my reference to it.

    3) Magicians are reluctant to face the possibility that using magic might be
    going to their heads. It's the "Other People are Like That, But
    I'm Not" syndrome.

    4) My essay wasn't that bad, but proved less attractive than the other
    essays published on the Witches' Voice the same week. Several of them
    were quite excellent, addressing interesting topics and presenting novel
    ideas and perspectives. Others were not quite as good, but addressed
    topics that are quite hot in the neo-pagan community, mostly due to
    political and cultural trends.

Any number of combinations of these possibilities may also be significant. I'd love to hear any input anyone has, or any criticisms of my essay.

i think perhaps even witches and magickal folk who regularly wield big
magick still must succumb to ordinary and even tragic hardships from
time to time. and yet we don't think we're foolish for flying without
first knowing how to land, or projectioning thoughts without first knowing
how to separate our mind from someone elses, or even playing with and
distorting time without first knowing how to keep it flowing nice and
steady. we just do it! like the first ape to grab a fiery branch and
carry it around... blind, foolhardy and risky as it is!

this is so very frustrating and counter intuitive!!!! the last thing
someone who can walk on water and conjure storms expects, is to be
brutally executed by mere mortals ;o)

but this is the case... we call it magick but it almost seems to have
varying separate personalities depending on what it's doing and how it's
working with/through us... but maybe it's nothing great or divine after
all... but then it just seems that way when the usual laws of phsyics
or psychology are broken in such extreme ways. I have yet to develop a
rational and whole magickal world view... what do you think?

Dear Tommy,
    It's really easy to get so caught up in the metaphysical that we forget how to deal with the mundane aspect of life. It is, as you said, counter-intuitive that someone can wield cosmic powers but be inept at everyday things. Then again, just because someone is an expert in aerospace engineering doesn't mean they know how to unclog a kitchen sink. As Jack Kornfield said, "after the ecstacy, the laundry."
    As for my own world view and how it incorporates magic, as a Chaoist I subscribe to a model of magic that is dependent on quantumn physics and probability. Since we don't fully understand how probability physics work, some magical effects seem to violate the laws of physics, when they may not necessarily do so. Of course, even a world view that posits the Universe as an interference pattern created by multiple probability functions is not wholly rational, as the underlying Chaos that drives and disrupts those probabilities behaves in a way that is too close to Spirit to be explained rationally, but hey, I get by.

Best Wishes,
Chirotus Infinitum


Hail and well met Chirotus Infinitum!
Enjoyed your most recent article on the pitfalls of ego and felt while
reading it that you have the capabilities of becoming a real asset to
the Witch World. Keep up the excellent work and don't be afraid to
challenge doctrine - just make sure it's your butt out on that limb that you
are risking and not others. (he, he, heh)

Annabelle

Annabelle,
    Apparently the gods have been desirous of challenging me a lot as of late. I recently made a trip to Colorado which had its own strains upon my peace of mind, but I seem to be getting better at handling such things. I just need to remember that no matter how much better I think I'm getting, I'm still not that good.
    I've been through enough bad situations that I have brouyght upon myself, either through ignorance or my own inflated sense of self. It's been a big struggle to keep myself from succumbing to the evils of my own egotism and lust for power. I guess we write the things we know, eh?
    Unfortunately it's easier to handle my own tendacy toward egotism than it is to address the same problem in others. My friend mentioned in the article is on his way back into the throes of magus-itis, and this time we may not be able to salvbage him. Even worse is the fact that I am not above making fun of him for his arrogant and self-obsessed behavior -- perhaps I should work on that next? Oh well -- I never claimed to be a nice person.
    Thanks for keeping track of me. I hope things are going well for you as well.

As always, the best of wishes,
Chirotus Infinitum


I had to smile a little when I read your article about "magus-itis". I
have long been a respectful admirer of Nemesis, and it reminds me that
hubris still has its retribution, even in our modern world.

Bright blessings,
Tirya

Dear Tirya,
Thank you for your interest in my article.
    I've never thought that there was anything wrong in taking pride in one's achievements. It is easy, however, to take this pride too far, and as you point out, Nemesis is more than happy to take us to task for it. One can only hope to learn her lessons before one is destroyed by them.

Best Wishes,
Chirotus Infinitum

I was having a conversation with an old mentor of mine tonight.  He's getting on in years, and he has reached that point in his life where he has forgotten that what is good for him is not necessarily good for others.  He is constantly giving me advice to act in a manner that suits him, but that is simply not compatable with my personality, thought processes, or taste, and I'm not going to engage in a major exercise in belief shifting just because he wants me to grow up to be like him.

We especially disagree on magic.  He claims to be a Qabalist, althugh his Qabalah is so infused with other systems that it is virtually unrecognizable.  He despises Chaos Magic, despite the fact that he really doesn't seem to understand what it entails.  Our biggest diagreement, however, is on the nature of magic -- doing versus being.  He takes a mystical approach, stating that magic relates to a state of being, while I take a Chaoist approach, maintaining that being is not static and magic is about doing.

What occured to me is that his magical beliefs are incompatable with mine because mine are a refinement and extension from his.  He and I are having the same problem that Jews and Christians have -- one insists his is the best way because that is how it has been revealed, while the other has changed the system based upon new information that the first either does not have or rejects in favor of tradition.

My friend has spend his life immersed in a magical metaparadigm based, for the most part, on the efforts of Alester Crowley.  Crowley's Liber 777 attempted to correlate the symbols of the major religious systems, implying that they are all expressions of the same truth.  What he was really doing was extracting similar mystical principles from different religions.  Here we have a curious idea -- that religion and mysticism are actually separate concepts -- which I wil hopefully develop later.

At any rate, most early twentieth-century magical orders seemed to do just this -- extract mysticism from religion.  Churches such as Unity and the Unitarian-Universalist also seem to follow this pattern, reducing down their religious teachings until they become so vague and unstructured that only personal happiness and enlightenment are emphasized (and in a surpising undisciplined manner).

So my friend has worked in a meta-system that distrusts religious dogma and moral proscriptions, yet embraces the mystical mindset that permeated those religions.  And here I come, good Chaoist that I am, and do to mysticism what he did to religion.

It occured to me that Chaos Magic seeks to extract magic from mysticism in the manner that my friend sought to extract mysticism from religion.  What new paradigms will attempt to distill from the magic I know I cannot imagine, but that seems to be the pattern.  The problem is that my friend isn't equipped to differentiate between what I consider magic and what I consider mysticism -- to him they are the same thing, so when I offer separate definitions he resists me.  When my techniques work anyway, he gets even more confused.

It is ironic that when he separated what he felt worked from what didn't, he thought of himself as a pioneer in efficiency, but when I discard things that he uses that I don't need, he sees me as tempting fate by defying the rules.  I can only wonder what my apprentices will think of my antiquitated ways.