"Art is the celebration of the ego's destruction."

I think I finally found an old email from you in August where you mentioned experiences with rainbow magick, sig magick, and two lightning bolts.  These must have been the "personal experiences" you mentioned?  Maybe the email I just sent you about Anubis will help?  Maybe those visions/personal experiences of yours are all related to that past life I mentioned?

At any rate, I would love to hear about these magickal techniques when you are ready to talk about them.

In the meantime I have continued to reaserch and study chaos magick, trying to get an idea of what it is and how it fits within the realm of magick and with what I already know of a magickal practice and lifestyle.

Here are some thoughts of mine as I read this info.  Please comment on any of them if you like.  Many are puzzling to me.

1.) Banishing seems to be important.  And I have come across lightning bolt imagery in banishing techniques.  What is interesting to me is these spiritual practices seem so involved.  Many include meditation to open the third-eye and achieve a state of gnostic concentration, sound vibration through words chanted, imagery, breath control, etc.  It's a lot of work!!!

2.) I have also read that chaos magick uses faith in imagery and technique, but it is not religious/worship related like Wicca.  Okay, here's what I have been thinking.  When your spiritual practice is your faith and your religion you don't have to go through all the techiniques above to achieve a mental state where your magick will work.  It's your life 24/7, so you need no preparation  You start the spell, and you are there in seconds.  That difference I find interesting. 

3.) Chaos magick reminds me of the hereditary Witches I have meet, who received their instruction from their parents.  This is a scientific approach to Witchcraft, where there is no religion/worship involved, just technique.  This seems to be much like chaos magick except for one thing.  I have read in chaos magick you are always looking for new ways to do things, so nothing stays the same for long.  So "truth" is always changing in chaos magick.

4.) Chaos magick has much in common with qauntum physics, synchronicity, and Taoism.  That I like!

5.) I had to laugh at this one.  Chaos magick is not a rehash of the old ways but a new attitude.  That often leads to elitism, which explains why the chaos mages I met before you were not terribly nice people and rather snobby.  What a hoot!  I can see how that kind of thinking would breed snotty magicians (grin). 

6.) Chaos magick explores the techniques of shamanism and sorcery.  That I like a lot since I combine sorcery with my Wicca and psychic abilities.

7.) Austin Osman Spare and Peter J. Carroll came up, so I will have to google them later.

8.) What is real is what works.  I like that too!  I am a big believer in experience once you have digested enough book knowledge for a good foundation.

Ah, I see.  You are resting in the lap of Hectate at the moment, what Wiccans call Crone Magick, the dark phase.  Not dark as in "evil," but dark as in "the dark valley," a kind of limbo where the old falls away, and the new is not yet here, a place where you can't see anything, so all you can do is sit and wait.  Gottcha. 

I'm so glad you didn't think I was insane with my email about our past life experience in ancient Egypt!  Ha!  When I go into psychic realms most people think I am nuts with the messages I bring back for them. 

And it has been a very busy month for me in that realm.  I have received two emails from friends whose housecats (one in CA and one in VA) had gotten out and were lost.  I used not only my psychic abilities but also sorcery to find the thread linking me to those cats and sent both home safe and sound.

Then a good friend of mine who is a Pagan singer contacted me.  Her husband had died very young this fall of cancer.  She is psychic herself, but was so grief-stricken she couldn't make contact with him, even though she knew he was trying to contact her with a message.  So I did that for her, and all is well now.

When you are ready to talk about chaos magick I am all ears.  I miss our magickal discussions. 

I'm not intimate with the specifics of Chaos magic, but these two techniques are not unfamiliar:>>

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3.) banishing with laughter>>

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Negative entities/attachments/earth-bound spirits feed off negative energy.  Some people are spiritually open enough to be effected by them.  They will latch onto these people and encourage depression and fear.  >>

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This is why you often hear priests advise people who are subjected to a haunting to, 'just ignore it'.  To the victim this suggestion seems ridiculous, but paying attention enhances fear in the victims, fear gives off exactly the sort of energy negative entities feed off/enjoy.  >>

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Laughter and joy are in no way poisonous to them, but they give off the opposite sort of energy negative entities are looking for.  Laughter is an uncomfortable environment for them so it makes the area distasteful to them.  >>

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The majority of folks out there can't reach out and smack negative spirits out of their home, but encouraging laughter and joy will encourage negative spirits to leave.  >>

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7.) combat magic  >>

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Whoa, now here's a vast subject.  Magic used in combat is seen throughout the world.  It's there in training, inspiration, psychology, as well as in actual attack & defense.  Anything from Aikido's founder, M.Ushiba's famous story of dodging bullets in lace>Chinalace> to Bujinkan's current 'sword test' at 5th degree Black Belt.   Geronimo always said that his 'medicine' was too dangerous to pass on; it's dark secrets died with him.  >>

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DR. Glenn Morris covers a variety of techniques in 'Path Notes of an American Ninja Master' and explains others his students tested.  >>

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For those who want to know if Iron Shirt Chi Kung will actually make you sword-proof, it was documented to for many centuries.   But even 'magic' won't stop a bullet, so folks need to change techniques with the times.  As DR. Morris points out, 'It is better to be invisible than invulnerable'.  (You draw less gunfire.)  >>

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Awesome information, Rob...thanks!! 

I completely agree with the concept behind banishing.  I only do a banishing spell when I am trying to get rid of something, for example my most common banishing spell is to get rid of an illness in someone else. 

But I do agree 100% with the fact that there are negative energies out there.  My goodness, all you have to do is look at the mass consciousness of the world (that swirling dark mass of energy made up of all the negative words and thoughts many people express every day) to be horrified at that.  Words most people aren't even aware of, much less how consistently negative they are.  But for those of us who know every word is a container of power it is overwhelming.  Like I just said in a PM to you...it's (metaphysical law) not personal, it's science! 

So because of that and because I am an Empath and always running into people who need healing, which requires the transfer of my healing energy to that stricken person by touch, I cast a powerful circle of protection around msyelf every morning.  I use my energy and ritual as well as the energy from the spirits I walk with and my Patron Goddess to strengthen and close it.  But I also make sure it is flexible enough to allow me to transfer my healing energy through it to someone in need when a healing situation arises.  I think that is one reason why I form it from heart chakra energy, and it glows pink for those who can see it through their third eye.  This circle of protection also comes in handy for any sudden spells or tarot card readings I might need to do during the day.

But, yes, negative energy is easy to spot, because it feels like an overwhelming depression or intense fear, almost always coming on the heels of exhaustion.  Because I am an Empath I have to be careful of Psychic Vampires too, who prey on us and will try to feed from me, leaving me exhausted. 

Protection in whatever way works best for you is a must, whether it is a banishing ritual or casting a circle of protection around yourself every day.  Thanks, Rob, for clarifying that!

And your comments about combat magick are fascinating!!  I have a question for you, Rob.  Would you consider combat magick to be black magick, because it is a reactive action or a planned action against another?  Whereas, I would think making yourself invisible (reminds me of my favorite sorcerer from the Bible *grin*) would be considered white magick, because it is positive and proactive?  I want to hear more of your thoughts on combat magick, so I can understand it better.  It is a new concept to me.  Thanks! 

Daniel, I just had a chance to check out the link you provided in your first post for your original Chaos Magick thread here at the forum back in the summer.  It is for info on Austin Osman Spare at http://www.kheper.net/topics/Hermeticism/Spare.html

Looks fabulous with lots of other links provided.  I had no idea Spare was considered the grandfather of Chaos Magick.  And he was an artist as well.  Neat! 

Thanks! 

<Laura said:  Protection in whatever way works best for you is a must, whether it is a banishing ritual or casting a circle of protection around yourself every day. >>>

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Yes, that is the great challenge of empathic people.  Protecting themselves from their own sensitivity.  Shielding is a must, however, something that attracts your attention may be interpreted as an invitation to an unwanted 'hitchhiker'.   And an invitation negates shielding.>>

 Many empathic people are emotionally battered throughout life.  They may never learn that the draining and darkness in their lives is coming from 'outside' themselves.  Most just think that they're 'overly emotional'.  They may eventually learn to naturally block-out things by de-sensitizing,  but it's so much easier if it is a conscious act.   And it takes no more mental effort than opening or closing a hand.  >>

<  I have a question for you, Rob.  Would you consider combat magick to be black magick, because it is a reactive action or a planned action against another?  Whereas, I would think making yourself invisible (reminds me of my favorite sorcerer from the Bible *grin*) would be considered white magick, because it is positive and proactive?  I want to hear more of your thoughts on combat magick, so I can understand it better.  It is a new concept to me.  Thanks! >  >>

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-  Any magic to control/manipulate the will of another is considered 'Black magic'. (Although there will always be other definitions, that was the one I was given.)   >>

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-  Making yourself invisible is a manipulation--not in the same class as casting a spell to make someone fall off a horse--but still circumventing their free will.    >>

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-  The best/simplest example of a combat magi is, of course, lace>Japanlace>'s Shinobi.  Part magick, part legend, part skill, the ninjas of lace>Japanlace> followed a rigorous training course from the time they were about 7.  Their art has a direct lineage to China/Tibet rather than traditional Japanese sword work and ancient Sumo.  Esoterically they make use of Chinese Chi Kung breathing and energy techniques along with meditation and philosophy.  Their mastery of disguise and deception came from their careful study and rigid discipline.   They were not just bandits who found a copy of Sun Tzu's 'the art of war'.  The character for ninja in Japanese is the symbol 'Sword-heart'.  Not just as in a 'human weapon', but as in a person 'living under the threat of the sword'.  >>

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-  They disciplined their minds in tactics, magic, and creativity.  They habitually faced well-trained, well-fed, swordsmen, nearly always outnumbered, and survived often enough to have forged the enduring legends that have become icons of pop culture centuries later.   >>

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-  An example of ninja 'combat magic':  To make use of subtle energy movement to optimize their performance, they perfected hand gestures that they were trained to meditate using.  Thus, after hundreds of hours of meditation using the gestures they trained a pavlovian response into their body.   If they were being chased and wanted to suddenly stop and become invisible--like a rock in the dark--they could simply interlock their hands, fingers inside.  After hundreds of hours of meditating with their fingers in that position while focusing their mind upon calming and closing down, they instantly dropped into that 'closed mindset' by simply making the gesture.   They could go from being a hunted animal to near invisibility in an instant.  >>

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-  Whether or not people believe in the (magick of)shutting down mental emanations part, modern science certainly proves the physical changes of the technique.    >>

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-  Currently the 5th degree black belt test in Bujinkan requires the student to pass the 'sword test'.  The Grandmaster stands behind the student, both close their eyes, the Grandmaster then swings a sword (a Bamboo sword if he requested the student's promotion, a wooden sword if the student was cocky enough to request promotion himself) at the student's head.  If the student gets hit--he fails.  In ancient times it was a virgin steel sword but students aren't really facing murderous samurai anymore so they've backed off on using 3' razorblades for testing.  >>

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The aspiring ninja better hope his empathy and instincts are trained perfectly because the Grandmaster's eyes are shut, he can't stop the blow because someone was a little too slow to duck & roll.    

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Wow, that is absolutely fascinating...the combinaton of meditation and hand gestures.  I've never heard that before.  Very interesting. 

I can see what you are saying.  In sorcery you don't use hand gestures as a point of focus for manifestation, but it is the same quieting of the mind and then projection of that "thought form" that makes you invisible to whomever you don't want to see you. 

Thanks!

-  The touching of fingers follows the structure of Chinese medicine.  Different fingers stimulate different energy lines in the body.  They are:  Earth, Fire, water, wind, void.  So they've simply added together:  Chinese medicine, meditation, thought control, magick, and reflexive repitition.  Sophisticated Combat Magi certainly.  (But then they had to face well-trained samurai.  They had to have every advantage they could get.)    

-  Proof of thought transmission?  People who want to 'charm bees' focus upon the simple form of a six-sided honeycomb to avoid getting stung.  It evidently works.      

Okay, I understand, and that makes perfect sense to me.  My doctor is from China and an acupuncturist.  I go every week for acupuncture, and he has worked miracles on my perimenopause hormone levels (  ), so I know all about the pressure points in the body.  He tells me there are over 200 in the ears alone.  Awesome!  The flow of chi. 

Amazing about the bees.  I didn't know that, but it sounds right to me.  It is very like sorcery.  It reminds me of the whole Carlos Castaneda controversy.  People now say his Don Juan series of books was fiction.  But you know what?  Much of what he talked about in those books works, the techniques, etc.  I know because I have tried many of them, so I still prefer to think of that series as nonfiction just because of that. 

You know what I do to keep from getting stung by bees (who adore me for some reason...eek!).  We live next to a state forest, and there are lots of Yellow Jackets buzzing around my back porch where I feed my feral cat colony every day.  Bees love cat food!  Who knew (grin)?  Anyway, when I see some buzzing in and around the bowls I just ask the faeries to keep them away from me.  Then I open the door and walk out to fill the bowls, and the bees move about 20 feet away.  Then the minute I finish and go back in the house the bees come back.  They didn't do that until I asked the Fey for help with this.  I've never had a problem with the bees since.  Love the faeries!

Yikes!  They eat meat?  No wonder they like me.  Eek!

If they aren't bees, what are they???