The Blog of Baphomet

I must confess to being excited about some writing that I have had included in a forthcoming anthology. No Safewords 2 is a collection of short-story fan fiction inspired by the work of Laura Antoniou . For the uninitiated, Laura Antoniou is undoubtedly amongst the world’s most talented authors of erotic fiction. In her Marketplace series, Laura has created an engaging universe in which beautifully crafted characters explore the world of consensual BDSM (Bondage, discipline and Sadomasochism). While this sexual style may not be everyone’s cup of tea, I would highly recommend the six books currently available as they touch on deep themes about belonging, identity, vocation and of course the nature of passion.

Fan fiction can take a whole plethora of forms, but at its core is a desire to produce new writing or art inspired by an existing canon of work. While it is likely that Fan Fiction as a contemporary phenomenon began as a response to the Kirk/Spock relationship in Star Trek, you can find forms of it that are connected to pretty much any series that engenders significant levels of devotion. This issue of devotion feels important in that the content of a given series is felt to be important enough to inspire the new author to take their heroes’ story arc in a new direction.

Famously the Kirk/Spock relationship was central in birthing “Slash” fiction where our protagonists are imagined in a whole range of male-on-male erotic activity, but fan fiction can also take our beloved characters into a whole array of other possible situations. In keeping with its Ironic and Postmodern nature the series “Sherlock” has generated huge amounts of fan fiction (including some great Sherlock/Watson Slash) while being itself a form of Fan Fiction inspired by Arthur Conan Doyle’s original genius. Sherlock reimagines the Conan Doyle characters in 21st century London, but also accentuates aspects of their characters so as to contend with more contemporary concerns. One excellent example of this is the way that Benedict Cumberbatch’s depiction of Holmes has been viewed as iconic by people identifying as being on the Asexual spectrum. While Conan Doyle’s Holmes had decidedly asexual traits, the evolution of Holmes in the Sherlock series has made this more overt and positive depiction of even greater importance.

Asexual, comedy hat, genius – what’s not to like?

In my own experience of writing fan fiction (and I don’t find fiction the easiest thing to write), my own efforts were probably successful because of my love of the original Marketplace series and the degree to which I had soaked myself in the canon that Laura and others have created. Great art often inspires both obsession and inspiration. Perhaps due to our desire to connect to a modern (or postmodern) form of mythology, we look to the hyper-reality of the screen and print as a way of making sense of our lives. While the slightly musty myths of the past may feel harder to access, it maybe that the power of story still provides us with an evocative way of touching the deepest aspects of our personal and collective psychologies. This is certainly the case with the Star Wars films and most of us are well aware of the degree to which George Lucas was influenced by Joseph Campbell’s work in trying to understand common mythic themes.

Personally I think that fan fiction is awesome ☺. Yes it can be a decidedly mixed bag in terms of quality, but for me it reflects something brilliant about how we as humans respond to stories that touch us and use the power of these myths to empower our own journeys. The original author may well be horrified by the quality of our art or what we have imagined their characters getting up to, but for me it reflects the tendril-like nature of inspiration that threatens to break apart any attempt to erect walls around a holy canon of work.

In many ways the Gnostics were the original purveyors of fan fiction. While the orthodox elements of the early church were trying to ensure certainty about what Jesus and the apostles did and didn’t say, the Gnostics just kept being inspired. It could be argued that even the canonical Gospels of the New Testament (especially John) are perhaps some of the greatest pieces of fan fiction known to history. Whatever one makes of the historicity of Jesus Christ, the idea of his life and mission were hugely inspiring and generated an avalanche of literary responses.

For those with an interest in trying to prevent heresy and innovation, the Gnostic approach to hermeneutics was highly disconcerting. The God of the Old Testament was generally viewed as an inadequate megalomaniac and Jesus; well frankly he just wouldn’t shut up. While his earliest core sayings may have been brilliant, his inspiration kept igniting the imaginations of those not content with the answers of orthodoxy. While holding a position of profound respect for both Christ and his Apostles, the inspirational torrent of the Nag Hammadi library represents a form of innovation and adaptation that is in keeping with the best of fan fiction.

Holy Fan Fiction!

Those of us who love and produce fan fiction would rarely claim to have reached the levels of creative genius that are present in the primary texts that inspire us. For me fan fiction entails a process of playful investigation as to how these heroic figures of art can fuel my own development and creativity. Imitation can be the greatest form of flattery and also an expression of gratitude for how the great work of others make our lives more doable.

Spoiler alert; I don’t think we can… but, there are ways of putting bad news in its proper place. Perhaps by focussing on accentuating the positive on a daily level, we can go some way to eliminate (or at least minimise) the debilitating impact of the negative. Sometimes we might feel as if we are drowning, powerless, under a tidal wave of saddening or maddening pieces of information, as the global connectivity of 2016 allows us to hear of everyone’s misfortunes.

What can we do about this? Magically, we have the massive advantage of understanding how small acts done with intent create ripples which spread into other aspects of our selves. And, our environment (because, of course, there is no real boundary between these things, as any fule kno).

The following can be done with various amounts of surrounding ceremony, from providing a simple physical marker (ringing a bell, lighting incense, a number of conscious breaths) to more elaborate representations to emphasise the intent we carry into the activity (casting a circle, using another banishing method, constructing a sigil or talisman to concentrate the magick raised, or perhaps dedicating the activity to a deity or other suitable spirit).

Go for a walk

This has to be one of the easiest ways of instantly changing one’s mood. Away from the constant stream of ‘news’ via whatever streams of information we usually allow to enter our consciousness, we find reassurance in the rhythms of walking. Since before time began, before Greenwich was invented, before dinosaurs, before hair first sprouted, our ancestors walked. Next time you go for a stroll, wherever it might take you, feel into the realm of the incredible antiquity of this activity. Look around you without words. See how long you can manage to quell the narrative voices which tend to comment on all the issues of the day, whether personal or wider scale. Creating a pause in this constant commentary, allows other feelings to arise which are prompted by the biological reality of where you are, right here, right now. A useful technique is to move the gaze so it rests upon any thing for only a short time, long enough to recognise and focus, then moving on before any words start to make associations. Appreciate each scene for merely what it is at that moment. Even a few minutes doing this is worthwhile, although if you can you would do well to be outside for a good half an hour.

Music and dance

We all have access to more music than we can shake a stick at. Put on something to suit the mood, or to change it! and do some movement. No-one is watching or evaluating, get active by thinking of this as non-censorship of your body’s desire to do stuff; we spend a lot of time telling ourselves NOT to do x or y, and certainly not z, so by removing limitations and positively encouraging the body’s basic drive to move we could well encourage greater happiness on many levels. For those who may have restrictions, any moves you make are valuable. If you are lucky enough to have acquired the skill of playing music, do that! Singing also counts as moving in this system, as it uses a totally different set of brain cells than talking, and controlled breathing counts as moving here. The point of this suggestion then is to interact with the body pleasurably, without any goal of result, to experience the joys of existence.

Go with the flow

Flow states can be reached by so many routes. The phrase describes that place we reach when we become so engrossed in a task that it ceases to be a task and instead we ‘disappear’ into the action, our identities dissolve with the world around us. For me writing, working, doing chores around the home, and in fair weather a little light gardening, can all lead me to this. In days gone by I would have counted reading, but I am not so sure now, as it feels too passive to be empowering. Creative arts often allow flow states to occur, regardless of the skill level of the person. Remember the intent is to enter the flow state, not produce a masterpiece.

Throw things away

Most of us have stuff we don’t need. Get rid of some of it. Throw it to a charity shop rather than the bin if you can, the important theme here is to make space, as well as removing past baggage. You are living in the present. Let that happen. (Loads of tips exist online for various tactics, so I won’t repeat them here; basically though, my own practice in this area leads me to suggest small and frequent forays into cluttered spaces, rather than the daunting prospect of a major clear out!)

Grow something

I am hopeless at indoor plants. Except for a money tree which has lived with me for over a decade; despite a nasty fall a few years ago, it continues to flourish. Looking after a living organism puts us in touch with the underlying pace of life, how each day influences the years. (Fyi, I don’t hold with minute hands on clocks; their invention was the moment time became a problem rather than a handy indicator. Hours were plenty good enough for thousands of years…)

My jade/friendship/luck/money tree, transformed by a magickal lens

Notice your food

Pay attention to it, how it tastes, savour the nourishment.

Do things with other people

Whatever we do we must bear in mind that doing it in groups changes its impact. It is too easy to feel we have made social contact by remote interactions (and indeed these interactions can prove better than total isolation). Nothing can substitute for the physical presence of others though. Do magicks with others, find them, make things up together.

Techno appreciation

Getting in touch with Nature is all very well but we live in the 21^st century, and would be daft to turn our backs on what amazing toys it has to offer. Read books yes, but also USE the internet. Search for obscure facts, employ technological hardware/software to cast spells. Explore how to, keep your skillz up to date. Value those parts of invention which bring Life to life. See the beauty of our recent achievements.

Many of these ideas are fairly obvious and look like simple everyday practices. By directing our collective attention to the enjoyable we can rediscover (and remind our selves and each other), of what we really do, that we do in fact have an effect upon our worlds, that this world has a ground upon which we build our subjective individual understandings and stories about who we are. Let the words follow the phenomenological, get right to the raw stuff of life and revel in it.

Worries and sorrows will never cease, indeed they can have importance and should not all be casually dismissed. When they come to us on top of a rich layer of memories of enjoyable magickal involvement with the immediate, we can better see them for what they are, and maybe, do something with them.