chaos magic | The Blog of Baphomet

In Feeding Part-Made Gods I got down to some speculative musing about how Vampire dynamics might be at play in our engagement with strange god-forms. As we feed on the magic they embody, so also their presence in the realm of ideas is strengthened as they sup on our attention. While some may be dismayed by such visceral metaphors and what they say about our universe, it was my contention that they can be helpful when worked with consciously.

This vampiric principle, while certainly susceptible to a degree of gothic excess, is also quite helpful in understanding how Chaos Magic (CM) seems to interact with other more ‘traditional’ religious paths. In seeking to describe the type of ragged, punk rock energy often associated with CM, we are presented with a current that has a rather irreverent, shifting and arguably consumerist engagement with the religious traditions they engage with. At best this relationship seems symbiotic, at worst it could be depicted as parasitic and vulnerable to accusations of cultural appropriation.

Culture vulture

In a recent dialogue with some magical friends, one colleague observed that CM seemed to be like the serpent swallowing its own tail. What my friend was seeking to convey was that while it may have brought new energy to western occultism, without traditional material to engage with it would ultimately prove barren if its relentless deconstruction was eventually turned in on itself.

This question of what constitutes ‘tradition’ and ‘traditional religion’, is fraught with potential confusion and the construction of false dichotomies. If we start with the root concept that traditio (Latin) relates to that which is handed down from a group who have had a shared experience, then we are already faced with questions like ‘how long have they had to be engaged in doing it?’ and, ‘how many of them?’. If folks within pagan communities are pointing towards forms of ‘traditional Wicca’ and ‘traditional’ forms of Crowley’s Gnostic Mass, this illustrates the fairly recent time frames we are working within.

Many of us, in walking more ‘left-field’ spiritual paths, are in search of anchor points via which our self-narrative can feel more secure. Reference to historic precedents for what we are doing often feels appealing as we seek to legitimise the risks we are taking and the spiritual terrain that we are hoping to navigate. The prevalence of this tendency seems to provide some evidence for such myth-making to be a shared human need.

Chaos magicians are no different. Certainly in seeking to understand my own love for this approach, I have sought to locate the historic examples of magical practice that help me (somewhat ironically) to create my own sense of ‘historic’ Chaos magic. Whether it be appeals to the ‘dual-observance’ mash-ups of Cunning men, or Austin Osman Spares’ use of sigils and concept of Kia, I’m undoubtedly keen to find others ‘who did it like I do it.’

Ia! Ia! It’s the Kia!

What probably separates CM from most other magical paths is the way it seeks to engage with the concept of Truth. While many paganisms and magical philosophies tend to start with a certain mythic theology or religious revelation (e.g. Wicca or Thelema), CM in its Postmodernism is far more focused on the performance and practice of magical ‘doing’ in response to the cultures that it finds itself within. Rather than claiming a revelation of some great ‘truth’, it is openly symbiotic and relational in expressing itself in the terms of something that it is responding to.

For some this may seem shallow, rootless or overly adaptive, but at best I believe that such an approach openly highlights the syncretistic dynamic that is at work within culture anyway. As magicians the interface between ideas presents us with a liminal space, within which new ways of being can be explored.

For many the concept of syncretism has something of a bad name, it speaks of blurred boundaries, conceptual overlap and a dilution of tradition. Personally I believe syncretism is all of these things, and, that it is inevitable. In thinking about an ideology, be it a political or religious one, even those that make claims to being revealed rather than emergent, are reliant on context and the adaptation of or reaction to existing ideas. As I have written about elsewhere – Slow Chaos – it may be that our discomfort with syncretism is more about the pace at which it occurs rather than it happening it all. In contrast to a more organic process whereby two or more differing perspectives interact over time, perhaps our sense of psychic indigestion relates to the rate in which we are bombarded by a plethora of competing worldviews day in, day out.

Perhaps the beginnings of an answer to how the process of syncretism can be both slowed down and directed creatively can be found via the process of hybridisation. In trying to tease apart the possible differences between the process of syncretism and that of hybridisation, one of the primary differences seems to be the degree of consciousness brought to the activity. While syncretism often occurs unconsciously via proximity, hybridisation usually involves the deliberate splicing together of at least two differing perspectives in order to produce a new entity that functions more effectively within the context that it is developed. In reflecting on my own adventures in hybridising Zen sitting practice with Heathenry. I have begun my own process of trying to identify some of the common traits that might be shared by those engaging in conscious hybridisation. Some of my suggestions are as follows:

A sense of vision related to the hybrid being proposed- rather than it being just an amusing ‘mash-up’ the individual or group involved feel that something important is being offered and that there is a sense of aesthetic coherence between the paths involved; for me the combining of Zen and Heathenry related to ideas around personal responsibility and stoicism, as well as my own perception of a more minimalist sensibility.
A desire to engage as thoroughly as possible with the primary source material of whichever traditions or ideologies are being combined.
A high degree of transparency with regards to both the sources being worked with and the process of combination itself.

Probably like any good art, the sacred technician seeking to work with these hybridising processes needs to combine both vision and discipline. Vision ensures that the endeavour itself is fuelled by the uprising of creative energy inspired by the need to contextualize spiritual ideals. Discipline hopefully reduces the likelihood of simply using religious buzz words in order to legitimise personal whim.

I was in Bristol recently, one of my favourite cities in Britain. A city in many parts of which I have lived, done extensive psychogeography, and where I continue to visit often. Like London, indeed like many urban centres in Britain, Bristol has a rich and delightful mix of cultures, styles, ethnic groups and more. The same cannot be said for northern Devon where I now reside and where, at this time of an imminent general election, the signs of the United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP) and the Conservative Party appear in the fields and hedgerows.

Historically, support for the right-wing Conservatives, and now for the (similarly right-wing) UKIPs is predominantly located in more rural regions of England. That’s not to say that support for right-wing approaches is limited to those resident outside cities. I recall, somewhat to my surprise, Pete Carroll proffering me a flyer promoting what I now recognise as a nascent UKIP while we were in a Bristolian pub many years ago. Seems that the intervening 20 or so years haven’t significantly changed Pete’s party political views (as you can read here. Though, he does declare himself as a Conservative voter this time round).

The current election slogan of the Conservative Party is ‘For a Better, More Secure Future’ and this for me summarises the attitude of what we might broadly understand as the left vs right-wing political approaches. Generally right-wing attitudes tend towards maintaining the status quo (as understood by those who are economically successful: those with inherited wealth, landowners and petty bourgeoisie). This conservativism seeks to keep things as they are; in the words of the Conservative Party to make the future more ‘secure’.

House party

Right-wing ideologies may well be rooted in a neurological style. (Also see here for more on the construct of binary divisions in society, esp ‘them/us’. NW). Sometimes we need quick, clear, simple solutions (though we should be mindful of this). When we are being attacked by a tiger we need to fight or run, and we need to make this decision quickly and definitely. Meanwhile left-wing approaches are good for when we are dealing with more nuanced, complex situations, where the issue isn’t so much about making a grand decision as it is about understanding (and trying to subtly influence) things. A good example of this is the progress made against racism, which has, broadly speaking, emerged as a project from left-wing discourses. While some older people, and those in reactive right-wing mode, are prepared to embrace racist beliefs, for most younger people the idea that black humans are not as good as white humans has been successfully challenged and changed in many environments in Britain (such as schools, employment law, media etc).

Groups such as the UKIP, and indeed the Conservative vision of a ‘more secure’ future, generate a series of scary bogeymen in order to justify their swift, decisive, right-wing style policies; the hoards of Islamic militants in the UK intend on instituting Sharia Law; the ceaseless march of wind turbines across the country, ruining the ‘traditional’ landscape of Britain (the beauty of enclosed monoculture fields and electricity pylons…); a supposedly homogenous (and of course ahistoric) British culture being destroyed by the rapacious money-grabbing activities of immigrants; and more especially (in the case of the bogeyman set-up by the UKIP) an undemocratic European Union bent on taking away British sovereignty, turning our island into a hell of legal aliens and metric measurements.

Decision tree

In practice, the fear driven reactive policies of groups such as the UKIP appeal to folk who believe they have something to lose, and this concern is typically the shadow of the normal ‘clanning instinct‘ that humans possess. Yet even in rural regions this instinct is taking some fascinating forms in the current general election. In a constituency near me while the UKIPs seem to be doing better in the polls than the Conservatives, 37% of the electorate who plan to vote are, as yet, undecided about who they will choose.

Such uncertainty in the polls has drawn the usual words of worry from the mainstream parties. We are assured that a ‘coalition of chaos’ will be the outcome if the British public fails to return a clear majority for the Tories. I wonder if perhaps this situation might actually create a diverse and interesting hybrid government, where deals and negotiation will of necessity replace the tyranny of the parliamentary majority?

In any case it looks like a number of parties are moving towards constitutional changes for Britain. They include proposals to lower the voting age, to finally sort out the House of Lords (though it’s unlikely to be restructured using my favourite model) and to abandon the first-past-the-post system appear in a number of manifestos. Previous ‘majority’ governments have often been chosen by a relatively small percentage of the electorate.

Perhaps this uncertainty about who will control Britain is actually a good thing? While voting isn’t by any means the only political process we can engage with it is, in my view, an important one. Many people, including my own cultural ancestors, campaigned for enfranchisement and, as is often pointed out, some people will certainly be using their right to vote, and inaction can allow all kinds of nasties to get into government.

Finally, perhaps magicians of all political stripes might want to experiment with the following banishing ritual. The technique presented below may be combined with dance bodywork (using the track below for instance). Maybe this election is an opportunity for us to go beyond our fears and into a political landscape that unseats the limiting duality of two party politics into something richer, stranger and, who knows, maybe better?

Suggested banishing ritual for the British general election:

1. Touch the forehead say, ‘Green Party Above Me!’
2. Touch the base of the sternum say, ‘UKIP Below Me!’
3. Touch the left side of the chest say, ‘Labour to the Left of Me!’
4. Touch the right side of the chest say, ‘Conservatives to the Right of Me!’
5. Hold the arms out wide, as though greeting (or surrendering) say, ‘Liberal Democrats Behind Me!’
6. Make a triangle with the hands, palms facing outward (one point uppermost in the manner of the Illuminati), arms reach forward, say, ‘Chaos Before Me!’
7. Laugh.

Obviously many variations of this technique exist; for example, a powerful visualisation may be included of that Wrathful Dakini Nicola Sturgeon arising from the triangle of arte formed in step 6.