____________________________________________________________
Archive-name: magick/namfaq
Version: 500308
Posting-Frequency: when desired
Located at
http://www.arcane-archive.org/faqs/namfaq.php
NAGASIVA'S ALT.MAGICK FAQ
____________________________________________________________
CONTENTS
01.00 EDUCATION
01.01 how do I become a mage?
01.02 how can I learn about magic online?
02.00 TERMINOLOGY
02.01 what is "magick"? is it different than "magic"?
02.02 why is the alt.magick newsgroup spelled this way?
03.00 CLASSIFICATIONS
03.01 what is the difference between white and black
magic and how are they used?
04.00 FORMULAE
04.01 what's a good spell to change my body, my ***,
my ***ual preference, or my shape?
04.02 where can I find (variable other spell)?
05.00 SCIENCE
05.01 can you prove that magic exists?
06.00 HORROR
06.01 is the Necronomicon real and can magic be based on it?
06.02 ok, is there a Necronomicon?
06.03 yeah, ok, but could and does a
Necronomicon *exist*??
07.00 AFTERWORD
08.00 COPYRIGHT
____________________________________________________________
01.00 EDUCATION
01.01 how do I become a mage?
the identifier 'mage' has become popular with the adoption of
the term within role-playing games and comic books. it has had
intermittent usage within the occult community, but typically
other titles are used indicating association with
mystico-religious traditions (e.g. witch, Magus, etc.) to
indicate a proficiency with magical tools, principles, rites,
or knowledge.
there *are* organizations which confer official designations
upon those who wish to obtain them, usually in exchange for
paying some fee and perhaps also for passing a test of some
kind. the Universal Life Church gives out certificates
conferring titles like "Magus", "Monk", "Shaman" and even
"Angel". most require no test and can be obtained through
Universal Life Books, P.O. Box 1406, Woodland, CA, 95776 or
maybe through a search engine if they've retained a stable web
site. besides the liberal religious orgs, you can also try the
occult organizations. their participative requirement can be
as simple as paying the dues and agreeing to their oaths
within rituals of initiation (such as in the OTO, which you
can reach at http://oto-usa.org/about_oto.html
, whose second
degree title of conferment is "Magician") or studying and
earning sufficient respect for one's (typically Hermetic)
achievements that one may qualify for the degree of 'Magus' in
some organization like one of the Golden Dawn orders (you can
find many of them online -- try starting at the GD REF, which
is a reference document of the alt.magick newsgroup FAQ, and
may be reached at
http://www.luckymojo.com/faqs.html
).
the heart of your question as I understand it, however, is not
so much whether *others* consider you to be a mage or magician
as much as how you might proceed to integrate magic as a real
part of your life, if not suffusing yourself completely. there
are as many ways to do this as there are people, and your
reflection on the best ways that you tend to learn and remake
your life would profit you greatly.
part of the variables encountered when answering this question
include how to interpret the term 'magic' and whether some
particular traditional or nontraditional style of magical
practice would suit you best. without knowing you, that is
rather difficult to know, and this seems to be the natural
starting point for those who are completely new to occultism
and want to 'become a mage': identifying what *kind* of mage
you are likely to want to be. therefore the first step will be
to study the subject in a general way so as to identify the
most attractive style that will enthuse rather than dissuade.
the history of magic is such that two main categories of magic
are discernable: theurgy and thaumaturgy. these are further
broken down based upon the religious character and practical
results of the magical style. theurgy is as diverse as is the
field of religion, ranging from the penitent service to a
single deity (e.g. priests in Roman Catholicism and its Mass
transubstantiation rituals) to the glorious variety found
within Neopagan, African, or other pantheons and the convivial
interaction which the mage is likely to have as a channel or
vehicle for the manifestation of the god/orisha/loa/et al).
the objectives of the theurge tend to center around gods,
spirits, angels, demons, or some other nonordinary entities.
placating these beings or engaging them in a negotiated use of
their presumed powers for one's own ends often takes the form
of invoking them or their power for this purpose.
thaumaturgy is what might comparably be called 'natural magic'
-- in that it includes the natural world as its components.
here you'll find the typical significance of 'witchcraft',
with its potions, philtres, and powders. the spells of the
thaumaturge usually have quite practical ends as objectives,
providing results or assistance in the pursuit of results that
most of those who do not employ magic can well understand.
most magic of this type seems to concentrate on that which
concerns people: money, love, ***, antagonism, social or
performance success, or the rectification of what is usually
considered some 'adverse condition' (purification, removing
jinxes, etc.).
these two are categories between which you may choose right
now and assist yourself in making the best of your stylistic
assessment. there is at times a great deal of antagonism
between theurges and thaumaturgists, because of the
preferences each has with regard to values, goals, and the
methods of attempting to achieve these. those who prefer
theurgy may enjoy African-dias****a, Hermetic or New Age
communities. examples from these include Santeria, Golden
Dawn, OTO, and Neopagan communities, as well as the Berkeley
Psychic Institute, those affiliated with New Age Christian
'Course in Miracles', or some Eastern groups such as the
Hindu SYDA Foundation or the Buddhist Nichiren Shoshu.
be aware that all of these groups have prevalent cosmologies
and moral standards, of variable requirement, which may or may
not appeal to you, and they may not think of 'magic' in the
sense that you do (for example, they may call it 'ebos' in
Santeria, 'operations' in the Golden Dawn and OTO, 'workings'
or just 'rituals' in Neopagan groups, 'siddhis' in SYDA,
'psychic abilities' in the Berkeley Psychic Institute, 'making
miracles possible' in A Course of Miracles groups or
'medicine' amongst Neo-Shamanic groups). the common foundation
of these is that they are interacting with or drawing from (a)
god(s) or spirit(s) as an integral element of their magical
practice. the mage of this categorical type may benefit from a
penchance for dramatic ritual, prayer, meditation, and in many
cases socializing and politics.
in comparison, those drawn to thaumaturgy may find that there
are few resources of an organized nature that will supplement
hir development, but there are numerous textual references
(grimoires, spell lists: both online and off) that can provide
for the self-starter a very good foundation in becoming a
mage. these practical supplements (and often those who put
them together) tend not to rely upon the acceptance of any
particular moral, metaphysical, or contractual perspective in
order to completely assimilate the working style.
cultural contexts sometimes envelope thaumaturgical data, or
make it available to the interested student. you can find
information about hoodoo, for example, or stregha, gypsy
witchcraft, hexencraft, etc., without necessarily encountering
these larger, religious, presuppositions. on the other hand,
you may find any number of biases surrounding classical
grimoires (e.g. Jewish, Christian and Hermetic notions of how
and why magic should be performed). the mage of this
categorical type may benefit from a penchance for botany,
chemistry, craftwork, symbolism, librarian****p, and solitary
research.
it should be said that there are sincere and successful
attempts to create or at least *appear* to fabricate a
realistic fusion between theurgy and thaumaturgy. many of the
styles mentioned above may actively promote magical spells
without the need for gods, for example, even though their
biases include them. magical approaches such as what is called
'Chaos Magick' may also appeal to those who are attempting to
locate more fluid theurgic magical systems without traditional
prejudices. syncretic magical traditions like hoodoo in many
cases provide the best of both worlds, as they may draw
material and ideas from classical theurgists yet have their
foundation in natural magic and use herbs and minerals as
essential ingredients for successful magical tools and spells.
ultimately the best assessment of whether someone is or is not
a mage is based upon practical considerations, and
particularly those which satisfy the conditions of the chosen
significance of the term. as with all labels, the plasticity
of identifying someone as a mage is prone to vary greatly,
especially with some in the magical community associating any
volitional act as an act of magic. proceed at your own risk.
________________________________________________
01.02 how can I learn about magic online?
Information
consult the 'Esoteric and Occult' section of the Open Directory
Project (ODP) for links to relevant web pages, at
http://dmoz.org/Society/Religion_and_Spirituality/Esoteric_and_Occult
there are many popular email lists at Yahoogroups about
magic classified as a Pagan activity by the ignorant
Christians who set up the directory scheme at:
http://dir.groups.yahoo.com/dir/Religion___Beliefs/Paganism/Magick?show_groups=1
a source for oldstyle information (like FTP files and usenet
newsgroup posts) may be found in the Mage's Guide to the
Internet (MaGI) at:
http://www.luckymojo.com/magi
the problem is not access to information any more (at least
not once one has oriented and this doesn't take much time),
it is sorting that in which we can find value from that in
which we cannot.
Authority
a great part of the problem is that what's "authoritative" is
somewhat relative to the individual who is doing the review.
there are emotional and imaginative approaches, dry and
intellectual affairs, those based on not much experience,
those based entirely on it, those who prefer their magic in
armchairs, those who prefer it in Hell, in Heaven, in Space,
in the Dirt, some with connections to organizations (covens,
lodges, grottos, pronaos, churches, temples, etc.), some to
traditions (lineages, sects, etc.) and some way out there in
weirdsville-whoknowswhere.
Thoughts
the first step in determining authoritativeness is to look
INWARD. what sorts of questions do you find valuable to
contemplate? are they pragmatic (how do I do X?), theoretical
(what does X mean?), ethical (when is it bad to do X?), or
some combination of these? if YOU were devising a test for
students (don't bother that you may be one yourself), what
questions would you put on this test (don't worry if you don't
know answers!)? making up the test will assist you in
beginning a comparison of knowledge-bases with others in the
occult community online or off. continue to look at these
questions. watch how your responses change as you meet people
who approach the questions from different places. add to that
list of questions and restructure them as you proceed in your
self-education.
Tastes
the second step in determining authoritativeness is to look
INWARD. what are your TASTES with regard to occult subjects
and practices? if you don't know, then EXPLORE! find out what
tastes good. do angels and bunnies and light just turn you on?
how about alien infestations from the horrid depths of space?
strange words and weird mathematics? just swimming in cool
ponds during autumn? there are many many different approaches
to magic, even religious ones! (see Islam/Sufism, the forums
dedicated to a discussion of Christian Magic, or the more
eclectic Hermetic culture). explore as many as suits your
taste. sometimes settling for what comes first is not the best
means of attaining any goals you may have.
Activity
the third step in determining authoritativeness is to
EXPERIENCE. *do things*. try out things and above all, FAIL
MISERABLY. the failure is as im****tant as is the success. the
two are ultimately a product of warped thinking anyway.
Socrates is re****ted to have said that the unexamined life is
not worth living. it may be equally true that the
UNEXPERIENCED life is not worth living. be imaginative. fly by
the seat of your pants. take risks. do the FORBIDDEN.
Reflection
the fourth step in determining authoritativeness is to
REFLECT. see what people say in their
words/actions/expressions which seems to conform to your
experience of the world. when you can get a 'fix' on someone
and you LIKE what they are saying, then compare these people
with others who may qualify in a similar way. engage others
and draw from THEIR experience and reflection. develop your
own ideas as a result of critical thought ("question
authority"!) and your own practice as a result of creative
exploration.
Abstraction
the last step in determining authoritativeness is to PROJECT.
just because someone says something about which you do not
agree this does not make them idiots. they may have experience
which you do not have and they could be representing a very
im****tant and oft-overlooked reflection. it is for this reason
that it is quite difficult to be sure just who is and who is
not an asshole without substance. along the path of wizardry
we do not burn our bridges, even while we may place small
signs near them which say 'Of Uncertain Value'.
Growth
the most im****tant principle in determining authoritativeness
is to develop it within ourselves. suckling at the teats of
masters may be im****tant at certain stages of our growth, yet
eventually we must break away from the nest, we must try out
our wings, we must take risks and become reservoirs of
experience and wisdom ourselves. if nothing else, through such
exploits we may become humble.
Soaring
make it up as you go along. create your own style. this is how
the current approaches appeared. explore the length and
breadth of religious and magical disciplines and techniques if
this suits your fancy. visualization? it is quite effective
for those who don't have a need or resource for material
tools.
look at all the divination systems available: astrology,
qabalah, tarot, runes, etc., etc. look at the Spiritualist
supply stores: ouija, rapping tables, ESP cards, etc., etc.
look at the ceremonialist's shops: wands, swords, incenses,
candles, cauldrons, etc., etc. look at the witches' broom
closets: potions, philtres, powders, charms, talismans. check
out primitive and modern religious practices if this draws
you: drums, rattles, bells, lights, chanting, spinning,
singing, etc., etc. check into the resources on natural highs
and psychotropics. check into the billions of ways to become a
sorceror (one who explores the realms of consciousness). magic
may find its way to you.
Destiny
limits? there is no limit to magic. it can infuse and
encompass your entire life experience. you can click into the
Wave Of the World and become the great Fool-Magus that attains
to the Great Work and sets the world arights. you can retire
to a humble country cottage and brew potions for friends and
family. you can refa****on the cosmos to your liking, become
God, and do the Hokey Pokey!
__________________________________________________________
02.00 TERMINOLOGY
02.01 what is "magick"? is it different than "magic"?
"magick" is a very particular and peculiar subject of study
amongst the social groups clustered around Edward Alexander
"Aleister" Crowley. most of the rest of the world teaches
about magic as some system of symbolic manipulation of the
physical world.
the typical assertion is that 'magick' separates stage magic
from occult magick (usually ascribed to Crowley, who made it
very clear he used it to differentiate his mystical magic from
that of his competition, who used different means to achieve
the same Hermetic goals). Crowley's usage was rather unique
for his time period, and now many who use it after him only
know about or practice ceremonial magic.
basically magick (and Hermetic magic as a whole) includes
ritual ceremonies to achieve mystical objectives. its
co-option of the term 'magic' toward this end should be
considered a religious antagonism toward folk magic from the
standpoint of a privileged European literati, who describe
folk magic as 'Low' and present the subject in biased and
skewed ways to serve their religious interests (their
'elevated' bias indicating their allegiance to the sky-gods of
Western religious cults and the transcendental 'heavens'
located beyond the terran gravitational sink from which they
typically seek to escape -- comparable to some Eastern
mystics, whose traditions they will also attempt to co-opt
toward their ends).
for those interested in magick of this type, there are many of
Aleister Crowley's writings available online, and one of the
best introductions is "Magick in Theory and Practice":
http://www.luckymojo.com/crowley/004mitap.txt
those who want to read what Crowley had to write on occultism
(alchemy, divination, and magic), stripped of his religious
and mystical verbiage may find the following file valuable:
http://www.luckymojo.com/esoteric/occultism/crowleymitap.html
MAGIC, on the other hand, transcends these Hermetic goals and
methods, and forms a part of occult study, along with systems
of divination and alchemy. the predominant focus of magical
lore is the association of spell elements with the desired
results of the crafted spell. beyond this, traditional methods
of spell-casting and spell-resolution, how nonordinary
entities may relate to this process, and what conditions
ensure the security of the mage and the reliability of the
spell, form the major subject categories.
in general, magic is the activity of trying to cause or assist
the cause of change toward a desired end through symbolic
means. its objectives and the elements of its practice vary
from culture to culture.
________________________________________________
02.02 why is the "alt.magick" newsgroup spelled this way?
the alt.magic newsgroup was created prior to the arrival of
cyber-savvy occultists in usenet for the purpose of discussing
stage magic. those who knew how to expand usenet's alt
newsgroups were few or uninterested in occultism. those who
did have such interest and knowledge were familiar with
Crowley's writings and decided to create alt.magick as a forum
for the discussion of occult magic, though the predominant
focus of participants tends to be ceremonialism and Hermetic
mysticism.
__________________________________________________________
03.00 TERMINOLOGY
03.01: what is the difference between white and black
magic and how are they used?
the principles of magic are roughly the same throughout the
cultures of the world, though the aims, techniques and
symbolic elements will vary from culture to culture.
when differentiations such as 'black' and 'white' are made
between types of magic, the usual association is that 'black'
is the forbidden and socially reprehensible, or that it is
nefarious in its aims, design or components. depending on the
culture these aims and so on will vary, but that which
trespasses taboo will usually be castigated as 'black magic'
and avoided by all except those who practice it and those who
contract to have it done for them. the 'white' is usually
societally-approved, sup****tive, integrative, usually
acquisitive or mystical in focus.
with the development of modern Satanism the terms of arcane
reference have as usual been arranged so as to flaunt the
demonized from the position of the heroic, and 'Black Magick'
(most modern Satanist occultists have been influenced by
Aleister Crowley to some degree) has been lauded as a worthy
pursuit within this subculture by such authors as LaVey and
Aquino as having a 'Greater' and 'Lesser' variety. the former
usually has mystical aims (Crowley's 'White Magick') and the
latter may have materialistic aims (even simple deception and
manipulation are described as 'Lesser Magick' in modern
Satanism).
__________________________________________________________
04.00 FORMULAE
04.01: what's a good spell to change my body, ***, my ***ual
preference, or my shape?
what you're asking about is generally referred to as a
'nature-change', or 'transubstantiation spell'. it has
relatives amongst thaumaturgic (shape-change) and
theurgic (communion) operations and has gained attention
in popular fiction such as the 'Glamour Spell' in the
film 'The Craft'.
as with other overt manipulation spells of the type that
make an appearance in role-playing games and movies,
transubstantiation depends upon an underlying flexible
physics making matter and its manifestations subject
to the manipulation of the proper natural or supernatural
forces (e.g. the fabled, if heinous, Black Cat Bone that
supposedly gives invisibility to its holder, or the various
religious wafer-to-godflesh rituals supposed to convey
upon its cannibals transmortem-survival and rejuvenation).
to my knowledge all of these types of spells are symbolic
or pertain wholly to the ASTRAL (i.e. imaginary) plane.
various writers have described ways to change one's
*perceptions* of oneself in an experience of becoming some
other animal, for example (including such controversials
as Castaneda and LaVey). this may include the introduction
of psychedelics, sleep-deprivation, or intense trancing.
these trance-induced experiences may have effects similar,
subjectively, to actualized transubstantiation, yet their
duration is finite and there is always a return to the
ordinary consciousness state outside psychosis. for more
on how to change interior perceptions of oneself, consult
materials on "shape-change" or "theriomorphing". subjects
like what is called "shamanism" will sometimes describe
the exact method, and sometimes leave it to the experiment
of the intrepid adventurer, the Set determining in some
measure the nature of the necessary Trigger-change.
otherwise, the best you may be able to achieve with magic
in changing your nature may be a kind of boost whereby
your selection of some other behavioural set is given
emphasis through repeated focus and identification in
rituals so as to attempt revolutionary overthrow of what
may have become subroutines in your deep consciousness.
sometimes a suspension of any of your daily routines and
revision of social connections may be necessary supplements
to achieve this, however. e.g. if you want to change your
***ual preferences, hang out more with those who are very
firmly aligned with your intended aim, eshewing the company
of those who are similar to or who identify you with that
from which you are intending to depart; you may also wish
to take an extended vacation from your ordinary schedule
and then return with a reformatting behavioural set in mind.
________________________________________________
04.02: where can I find (variable other spell)?
there is a newsgroup specifically intended for the discussion
of and distribution of spells, called
news:alt.paranormal.spells.hexes.magic
which preceded the creation of alt.magick and
alt.pagan.magick. people post spells to it all the time. for
that matter, there have been spells posted to the alt.magick.*
constellation of newsgroups for years! many of these have been
compiled in "REF" (reference) files and are accessible via the
newsgroup-created alt.magick FAQ at:
http://www.luckymojo.com/altmagickfaq/
in fact, my wife, sri catyananda, has constructed a whole
WEBSITE full of spells divided up by type, free to the reader!
you can find it at:
http://www.luckymojo.com/spells.html
if you appreciated this notice and create spells yourself,
please post a spell of your own and
mailto:spells@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
so that she can archive it for
everyone's benefit!
love spells may be found at the following URLs:
http://www.luckymojo.com/femaledomination.html
http://www.luckymojo.com/mojocatspells.html
http://www.luckymojo.com/lovespells.html
http://www.luckymojo.com/spells.html
http://www.luckymojo.com/mojo.html
__________________________________________________________
SCIENCE
05.01: can you prove that magic exists?
the question is ambiguous, since the terms 'prove' and 'magic'
(by any spelling) are contested as to their meaning, varying
widely across the spectrum of esoteric and scientific study,
from academic to popular social circles.
fantasy role-playing game types of effects (magic) visible to
the video camera cannot be demonstrated (proven) to the
skeptical inquirer. at best they may be achieved within the
realm of imagination sometimes called 'the astral plane'. the
childhood game of 'make believe' may play an integral role in
how magic works. any extraordinary effects are considered
below.
psychospiritual effects achieved through the use of ritual
symbolism (magic) are very difficult to verify (prove), and it
may be hundreds of years before a scientific approach to
mysticism is ever achieved in any depth and the charlatanry is
winnowed from the reality. for now, skeptical groups are
forging standards based on the technics of illusion (stage
magic) that serve to expose the charlatans more easily. for
opposing views (largely religious but some scientific) on the
the topic of try the 'Opposing Views' category of the ODP at:
http://dmoz.org/Society/Religion_and_Spirituality/Opposing_Views/Esoteric_and_Occult/
or the more general assessment of paranormal phenomena at:
http://dmoz.org/Science/Science_in_Society/Skeptical_Inquiry/
a reservoir of energy that may be drawn upon to achieve
supranormal or supernatural effects (magic) has never been
demonstrated to exist (proven), though many mystical and
magical cosmologies seem to rely upon it for their sup****t
(e.g. prana, chi, 'the force', etc.). in any case, the concept
of something being 'supernatural' is illogical and based on
quite limited ideas of what constitutes 'the natural world'.
systems of psychospiritual transformation (magic), whatever
their success, can easily be demonstrated (proven) to exist,
and their elements vary considerably based on the culture and
time of their construction. often they are differentiated
based on taxonomical or traditional labels (e.g. 'Solomonic
magic' and 'Chaos magick').
esoteric philosophy designed to inspire the location and
activation of the personal will (magic) is very easy to
identify and comprehend (prove) by the diligent, though to
what their application leads (ultimately a subjective effect
of study and discipline) is still debated even in the occult
communities dedicated to their study.
the usual 'proof' that people accept is based on what I call
Stoplight Magic. the phrase Stoplight Magic derives from a
deceptive trick that I used to play on my brother when riding
in a car or on bikes, or when walking quickly, toward a red
signal light. as he was younger and less worldly, I would
often try to trick him into thinking that I was powerful
enough to change the lights to green in our path, by watching
the cross-traffic light and, when it turned yellow, expressing
some kind of intentional gesture to immediately precede the
change to green our way. I have played similar tricks on
people in an attempt to see what kinds of attention are
required to successfully carry out stage magic (even during
occult or religious rituals!) or basic card tricks (in which
I've had an interest from a very young age).
over time I found that others actually believed that they
could achieve this feat, and I conjecture that they convinced
themselves of it through a selective acceptance of their power
and a restricted memory of success and failure. through this
means they would 'try to change the light'. if successful,
this would ACTUALLY be a type of telekinesis, rather than
magic in any conventional sense. they would then dismiss a
failure as a function of their unreadiness or lack of
connection to the 'energy' they needed, and accept as a
success whenever the light coincidentally (or properly-timed)
changed to green for them. the timing might even develop over
a period of time due to subconscious cues.
this system of selective success-building in tune with natural
rhythms I have since called Stoplight Magic and do not think
that it includes any unusual or transpersonal volitional
phenomena.
the standards relevant to a truly scientific study of magic
are intentionality and repeatability. one must be able to
declare an intent to affect the world and be able to
repeatedly take ritual and/or symbolic actions which are
followed by the achievement of these effects.
there are practical limitations to what may be 'proven' to any
given individual. one may always find a way to justify denying
anything that what one wishes. there is no way around this
kind of 'skepticism'. one may set one's blinders (or
spectacles) at the strength one prefers and nobody else will
be able to affect them until some set of criteria (terms of
proof) are agreed upon by those disputing the matter.
__________________________________________________________
HORROR
06.01 is the Necronomicon real and can magic be based on it?
that all depends on what you mean by "the Necronomicon" and by
"real".
________________________________________________
06.02: ok, is there a Necronomicon?
there are several books with this name, but none of them
appear to have the historical background provided. first we
must consider what a Necronomicon IS OR MIGHT BE.
my aim here in part is to carve out a neutral ground with a
reference document (on par with Kendrick Kerwin Chua's FAQ
http://www.luckymojo.com/altmagickfaq/nconref
but more succinct) that may go some distance in ending the
noise between magicians and academics while challenging
magicians to put their arcanum where their mouth is, so to
speak. I would simultaneously push the point that by all
accounts there are NO pre-Lovecraft Necronomicons.
the obsession with the Necronomicon is typically on the part
of hyper-intellectuals (academics) whose knowledge and
experience would otherwise preclude the belief in said object
by virtue of their solid grounding in the sciences. one might
compare the Lovecraftian scenarios involving the Necronomicon
and "Cthulhu Mythos" with certain episodes of short stories or
television series like "The Twilight Zone", "Outer Limits",
"The Night Stalker", and, especially, "X-Files" (in its
single, monster-episodes).
the Necronomicon is both cherished by supposed cultists who
would like to assist the Old Ones or some other Lovecraftian
entity to achieve its pinnacle of power ("when the stars are
right"), often at the expense of the human species, and feared
by conspiracy-buffs who are somehow clued to the nefarious
cosmic interlopers ready to gobble up our little planet. this
brings to light immediately the tendency of participants and
converts to the ostensible goals of these extraterrestrials to
be insane, mad, sociopathological, or twisted into shadows of
their former human selves. those who research on the fringes
of such cults tend to begin resembling that which they are
studying (compare Mulder in the X-files and how he is seen in
the FBI as a fruitcake).
in fact, the power objects such as the Necronomicon which may
be used by Lovecraftian storytellers (whether between the
pages of a book or in such interesting contexts as role-
playing games) are usually coercive, corrupting of those who
come into contact with them, and yet there is the promise, as
with so many Cosmic Antagonists, of some future role of power
as an underling to the New Aeon Rulers. sometimes the very
experience of having contact with the book at all is
sufficient to warrant its pursuit without regard for the
possible consequences (compare how Dr. Pretorius and his
assistants and obsessed followers react to his Resonator in
the Lovecraft-inspired film "From Beyond": their search for
extended human experiences and becoming a part of an ambiguous
psychic conglomerate monster defies rationality).
the Necronomicon specifically contains the rituals and symbols
needed to summon powerful entities who, if they don't decide
to have hir for dinner, may (here is the lure) be beneficent
to the spell-worker, no matter the price that one must pay for
the ritual. this appears to be a kind of Faustian pact, untold
short-term glories and promises of future shelter from a
coming Apocalypse which one is helping to make happen
exchanged for assisting antagonists to the human species in
gaining a foothold (compare the cor****ate enterprise in films
like 'Aliens' who try to keep and breed the alien species, yet
in Lovecraftian stories assistance more often activates
through ritual summoning, conversion of other cultists, or
merely laying the groundwork for others to do likewise). some
of the cultist conversion occurs through the dimension of
dreams (as with Cthulhu, who is said to be contacting converts
therein).
here is an egregore of the Book of Power, including grimoires
such as "The Lesser Key of Solomon" or "The Goetia", the "Book
of Shadows", which may be said to contain (at least access to)
unspeakable power and a technological description beyond the
bounds of ordinary scientific understandings. the Necronomicon
falls into the coercive or destructive end of these books,
which span from simple books of spells and formulae to cosmic
formularies and tools of the Sorcerer Supreme ("The Book of
the Vishanti" in Doctor Strange comics), to social contracts
with deities ("Torah", "Old Testament", "New Testament",
"Qur'an") of a presumed positive attitude toward humans and
reservoirs of mystical power ("The Book of Five Rings", "Tao
Teh Ching", "I Ching", "Diamond Sutra", termas of various
sorts, cf. "Liber Grimoiris" by Frater Nigris at:
http://www.luckymojo.com/avidyana/gnostik/grimoiris.tn
).
next we must ask what benefit the Necronomicon is presumed to
lend to its finders.
there are two levels from which to respond to this question:
(a) from the context of the stories associated with
Lovecraft's constructions: the character's stated or implied
motivations in encountering the Necronomicon or its class of
magical item
(b) from the context of nonfictional usage of these kinds of
magical items regardless of their fictional descriptions and
reputations.
(a) there is no rational motivation for individuals, knowing
what the reader knows, to pursue these books, determine their
reality, or apply them toward nefarious and sociopathological
ends. usually the characters 'fall under the spell' of the
nefarious object, their curiosity leads them to an
understanding of "what humans ought never know", their
academic standards are abandoned in favor of their gradually
increasing obsession with possessing and (usually merely
providing a false veneer for) sheltering others from the
horrible effects of the Book of Power.
the premise behind the fictional stories is usually that the
character begins from a standpoint of radical disbelief, yet
whose skepticism inspires hir to examine even what could seem
flaky leads in a survey of whatever subject they happen to
find compelling (esp. archaeology, anthropology, or similar
sciences in which the alien might be discovered amongst
general historical simian remains or cosmological traces).
the character cannot HELP but become convinced of the aweful
horror that everything she knew about the world as presented
from 'the scientific method' is WRONG, and that, lurking just
beneath a filmy coating of conspiracy or occultism, such
objects of power exist and would lead to catastrophes in both
academic as well as existential human realms if the objects of
power were to "get into the wrong hands".
(b) where this fits in with the world outside of fiction is of
course the controversy surrounding the Necronomicon in its
various versions promoted by post-Lovecraftian authors and
"discoverers". how much one is willing to accept of the
outlandish (and classic, for its genre) fiction Lovecraft
penned determines immediately what one is to make of and to
what ends one might find use for the book.
at the most intellectual and academic end of the theoretical
spectrum, books in and of themselves do not contain power.
their contents may make certain natural human experiences
possible for those who choose to perform in the manner that
may be described therein. the rituals or knowledge which is
contained in the Necronomicon, being a reflection of the works
of a fiction author, will never amount to much more than
amusing entertainment or the basis for a peculiar kind of
ceremonial magic (on par, possibly, with that which uses the
medieval grimoires as its basis). at best one might use a
Necronomicon to further one's spiritual development, at worse
become lost in a fantasy world absent the discernment between
fact and fiction, true power and insanity.
from the perspective of the most liberal-minded rationalist,
books can contain configurations of information which may have
transformative effects upon the people and cultures to whom
they are exposed. fictional works like Neal Stephenson's "Snow
Crash" contain believable theories (mixed with fiction) about
how religio-magical texts may function as a kind of
information-virus that can be instrumental in shaping entire
societies, perhaps the whole of the human species. the Book of
Power, from this more imaginative perspective, could catalyze
personal and sociological changes undreamt by previous
authors. while it might be a stretch to accept Elder Gods
trans****ted through time and space vying for the minds and
souls of a hominid species on a speck of dirt circling a
medium- sized star (the rationalist evaluation of many a
science- fiction story), there is no arguing that certain
texts have become the focus of intense human obsession, and
may have some innate structural or conceptual content which
makes possible what would othewise seem outlandish and
unnatural.
as a demon-summoner, the Necronomicon appears to be the apex
of challenge to the adventurous, and symbolizes, if not
functioning as, the mechanism by which one might bring into
one's personal sphere of consciousness that alien element,
forgotten and displaced by the development of civilization and
higher "education".
from the perspective of the religious, the Necronomicon must
seem the epitome of evil, surely the comparable Shadow of the
Bible to Christians, a textual Satan that can only result in
doom and the demise of human concerns at the expense of faint
promises to a deluded few. its very existence or fable must be
denied and rejected so as never to give rise to human
behaviours that replicate the cruel and insane outcomes
depicted in Lovecraft's fiction.
the general attraction of the Necronomicon is not that it
contains secrets of parapsychology, E.S.P., telekinesis, or
precognition, but that it affords allegiance with potent and
dangerous entities whose fictional basis is disputed by many
of those who make a study of gods and spirits with the intent
of communication and pact-making.
all of that said, I have constructed a text whereby the
summoning and encounter with Lovecraftian monsters could form
an im****tant part of one's magical enterprise. in a nutshell,
one may use the discordian experiences of such encounters as
ballast against the rigidifying and orderly experiences to
which one is likely to be subject as part of any human
mystical regimen (because they all appear to be extremely
structured and disciplined). you can evaluate this text
yourself at
http://www.luckymojo.com/avidyana/shaitan/l.kthlu.95
whether any particular Necronomicon might assist one in this
can only be determined through trial and error, the review by
magicians of these texts being the most im****tant criteria by
which they ought be assessed. posts to alt.magick, therefore,
which detail one's personal experiences in using a
Necronomicon should clearly identify which one is being used
and how, what one's intent is in the rituals or spells, and
what results have been obtained. continued wrangling about
whether any particular volume is "fake" or "worthless" just
wastes all our time.
________________________________________________
06.03 yeah, ok, but could and does a Necronomicon *exist*??
it should be noted that just because a Necronomicon is a hoax
for having made a false claim of origin, this does NOT mean
that the book is necessarily a 'fake' in its entirety and its
contents should ALSO be evaluated from the standpoint of a
comparison with Lovecraft's criteria. any hoax (originating
post-Lovecraft while laying claim to more ancient origins) may
contain elements that a 'real' Necronomicon can be said to
have, despite its inherently falsified premise of creation.
I know this last point may not sit well with academics of
library science, but it constitutes a rational means of
evaluating a Book of Power mentioned by an author of fiction
which emerges from human consciousness as a magical text
(grimoire). historical origins are only ONE facet of a
Necronomicon assessment, one that has unfortunately obsessed
both sides of those who engage the debate.
one might create a book which conformed to all of Lovecraft's
descriptions without making a claim that the book is
pre-Lovecraftian or derived from physical historical sources
(as compared to having been received from the astral plane as
a text which conforms to the character and content of what
Lovecraft imagined, having the quality of having been written
by Alhazred, during that time period, containing references
and magical content almost believable to the academic and
definitely believable to the student of Cthulhu mythos).
Lovecraft obtained at least some of his information about the
text in DREAMS, so the details are likely to be hazy. we
should identify which details are consistent and certain,
which are inconsistent and certain, which are uncertain, and
which are single-mentions that do not fit in with the rest.
out of this batch of data we can arrive at a criteria for
rational assessment of Necronomicons without regard to
hassling with the academic and mystical soap opera arguments
about physical origins, extending outward from Lovecraft's
knowledge-base.
the smallest possible construction of a Necronomicon would
contain the quotes from Lovecraft's works on pages numbered
appropriately, whether or not they pertained to a
numerological sequence. the book would also conform to
Lovecraft's general description also, and its content would
resemble in character the historical influences that Lovecraft
described in certainty. any ambiguity in HPL's data would
allow some variation, and the rest would have to conform to
the minimal standards constructed.
of those which I am currently aware, here are im****tant
features (I'll add more as I become aware of them through my
studies of as I'm informed by those more scholarly than I):
* physical historical origin -- since we know that Lovecraft
dreamed up the name and concept of the book, any presentation
that claims what is offered is the historical referent to
Lovecraft's ideas should of course be considered a hoax until
and unless documentation on such an historical existence was
presented for review (unlikely in the extreme and it would
reveal that Lovecraft was actually lying about his having
created the concept).
* scholarly features in content -- the Latin by Wormius would
need to contain a prefatory note indicating that the Arabic
original was lost.
* ideal presentation -- the best rendering of a complete "Al
Azif"/"Necronomicon" would be a presentation comparing Arabic
(the supposed written language of Alhazred), Greek, Latin, and
the language of sale, side by side for comparison by the
interested academic.
additional references:
news:alt.horror.cthulhu
news:alt.necronomicon
____________________________________________________________
07.00 AFTERWORD
since people have taken to calling the FAQ I edited for the
usenet newsgroup alt.magick "nagasiva's alt.magick FAQ", I
have created this admittedly biased file of responses to
questions that I have seen come up over and over in response.
this file is a direct proof contrary to these false claims.
____________________________________________________________
08.00 COPYRIGHT
this document copyright (c) nagasiva yronwode 2003.
all rights reserved.
electronic reproduction of this file, retaining complete
copyright, and without charge, is the only legal means by
which it may be communicated to other individuals. other
methods must have the written approval of the editor,
nagasiva yronwode (mailto:nagasiva@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
).
-------------------------------------------------------------
QUOTE OF THE MONTH:
David Cantu" <dczed@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>:
"How does alt.magick act as a beacon in the darkness?"
Peter J. Sanderson <brewmstr@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>:
"Because it is like a stream of bat's piss."
EOF
|
