The Camel Rides Again

A Primer in Magick
by

Alan Chapman

HEPTARCHIA PRESS
www.thebaptistshead.co. k

Heptarchia Press
In!ormation" www.thebaptistshead.co. k

Copyright # Alan Chapman $%%& 'irst printing A g st $%%& All rights reser(ed. )o part o! this p blication may be reprod ced or transmitted in any !orm or by any means* electronic or mechanical* incl ding photocopying* recording or by any in!ormation retrie(al system witho t the prior written permission o! the copyright owner* e+cept !or brie! , otations in a re(iew.

VII: 22. Resolve me the wonder of it all into the figure of a gaunt swift camel striding over the sand.
Liber Liberi vel Lapdis Lazuli Adumbratio abbalae Aeg!ptiorum "ub #igura VII

A A P blication in Class -

CHAPTER ONE

THE SCIENCE OF EXPERIENCING TRUTH

o nderstand the ! ndamental p rpose o! magick* why yo might want to practise it* and how best to approach becoming a magician* we m st !irst disc ss ignorance. The greatest nknown is why we e+ist* or .the meaning o! li!e/. I! appearances are anything to go by* the ma0ority o! people are too b sy eating* e+creting and e+changing pieces o! paper to concern themsel(es with ontology. Howe(er* i! we don/t know what li!e is !or* the reason we e+ist* or e(en i! there is a reason* then on what basis do we proceed with o r li(es1 A sit ation that impinges pon physical s r(i(al* s ch as not ha(ing eno gh !ood* or lacking shelter* is ob(io sly o! primary concern. 2et in the 3est* we en0oy the l + ry o! e+periencing dire conditions s ch as these (ery in!re, ently. I! someone is not star(ing to death* or lying in hospital with a debilitating disease* what is it that keeps them !rom looking !or the answer1 To ind lge materialism at the e+pense o! getting to the bottom o! why we appear to be !loating on a rock in the middle o! in!inity* is to choose the easy anaesthesia o! the state o! ignorance. - t how can we be tr ly happy i! we don/t nderstand what happiness is1 How can we be s ccess! l in li!e i! we don/t nderstand what li!e is1 In order to do anything gen inely worthwhile* we need to !irst wake p and know the truth.
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In these heady* post5modernist days where e(erything is relati(e* s b0ecti(e* and all (iewpoints are e, ally (alid* the (ery idea o! .tr th/ has !allen into disrep te. 3e are told there is no tr th* and some belie(e that this is liberation. The post5modernist might arg e that it/s (ery easy to e+perience one single so5called tr th* and then e+perience its complete opposite. 2o can be a right5wing conser(ati(e one min te* and a le!t5wing liberal the ne+t6 yo can ha(e !aith in The 7i(ine* and then become an agnostic sceptic instead. There!ore there/s no correct answer or tr th* 0 st many (iewpoints* all o! e, al (al e* and we are !ree to pick and choose. Howe(er* to say .there is no tr th/ is not borne o t by e+perience. At the e+act moment we e+perience the order and bea ty o! the world as e(idence o! di(ine intent* that is the tr th. The min te we e+perience a cold* mechanical world* de(oid o! any meaning beyond what we gi(e it* that is the tr th. The !act that what we e+perience as tr e is m table does not mean there is no tr th6 0 st that truth is e$periential* not !i+ed or bo nd by concepts. The idea .there is no tr th/* apart !rom the post5modernist/s omniscient knowledge that this is so* is still simply an idea. 3e can ne(er escape !rom accepting one correct answer. Pretending there is no tr th leads nowhere. I! we want the tr th abo t anything* we need to e$perience it. So how do we e+perience the tr th regarding e+istence1 Thro gho t the history o! h manity* in all c lt res in all places* there are teachings or practices that claim to pro(ide this e+perience. 2o need simply per!orm these practices* and see what happens. In the 3est* we call this magic%. 8! co rse* magick can be sed to s mmon spirits* di(ine the ! t re* and make yo rsel! rich* amongst other things. 9How this
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!its in with e+periencing the tr th abo t e+istence will be disc ssed later.; - t e(en so* beca se the practice o! magick is an e+periential rather than an intellect al endea(o r* we m st approach o r nderstanding o! magick as we wo ld a science. This doesn/t mean that magick is a branch o! science* like , ant m physics or chemistry. Magick becomes a science when we apply the scienti!ic method to the magical act. In simple terms* 0 st like an e+periment* the res lts !rom practising magick can be corroborated b! peers through independent en&uir!. I can per!orm a speci!ic act o! magick* gain a certain res lt* and then !ou can per!orm the same act and obtain a similar res lt. A model is then !orm lated that best !its those res lts* which can then be adapted or o(erha led where appropriate* as practice de(elops and new res lts are obtained. This may seem at !irst a rather na<(e (iew o! science* b t (eri!ication thro gh act al e+perience is ne(ertheless the central principle o! science. There!ore* yo can be scientific in yo r approach to magick simply by recording what was practised and what occ rred as a res lt. This won/t .pro(e/ that magick e+ists or what magick can do as !ar as the academic or scienti!ic comm nity is concerned* b t it will !or yo and yo r peers. A team o! scientists (alidating magick in a laboratory wo ld be anathema to magick* beca se magick is abo t the indi(id al e+periencing tr th. It is there!ore imperati(e that e(eryone e+periences magick !or themsel(es* rather than being told abo t it by priests in white lab coats. To accept magick on the hearsay o! others wo ld be to participate in ignorance. Magick is the science o! e+periencing tr th. I! yo want to know the tr th abo t e+istence* i! yo want to know i! there is p rpose to li!e* simply per!orm the practices and see what happens.

To be a magician yo need simply stop thinking abo t doing it* stop talking abo t it* belie(e nothing e+cept what yo /(e e+perienced and practise e(ery day. People say that ignorance is bliss* b t in my e+perience* tr th is bliss. I hope that yo will corroborate this.

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CHAPTER TWO

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THE ART OF EXPERIENCING TRUTH

n technical* materialistic terms* here/s what to e+pect as a res lt o! per!orming an act o! magick" sometime a!terwards* whether it was an act intended to bring abo t a speci!ic e(ent* di(ine the ! t re* or comm nicate with a spirit* the res lt will mani!est thro gh the means a(ailable and !ou will get e$actl! what !ou as%ed for. 3hat yo can e+perience thro gh magick is limited only by yo r imagination. Altho gh being a magician means that yo get to make wishes that come tr e* how yo e+perience a wish coming tr e is limited by the a(ailable means o! mani!estation. I! yo /(e read any books on magick* no do bt yo /ll ha(e come across any n mber o! magical laws or methods that .m st/ be incl ded within a rit al or practice in order !or a res lt to mani!est. Howe(er* e+perience will show that these so5called magical .laws/ are in !act arbitrary. I/m going to disc ss three o! the most pop lar .magical laws/ or methods* in order to ill strate my point. The !irst method is s!mpathetic magic%. This is based on the law that .like ca ses like/. Practically* this entails acting o t a desired res lt* which then mani!ests in the real world. The most pop lar e+ample o! this is sticking pins in an e!!igy o! an enemy in order to ca se him or
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her an illness or in0 ry. This does indeed work* b t do we really belie(e there is some kind o! cosmic principle that 0 dges how li!elike o r e!!igy is1 I! yo /(e e(er done sigil magick 9i! it/s new to yo * there are some practical instr ctions in the Appendi+;* yo /ll know already that yo can obtain a magical res lt thro gh a completely nonsensical act. In !act* the (ery p rpose o! a sigil is to make yo r desire incomprehensible to yo r conscio s mind6 in other words* uns!mpathetic. There!ore* a magical act does not need to be sympathetic in order to work. )e+t p" the magical lin%. The magical link is s ally an ob0ect* s ch as nail5clippings* hair* or a piece o! 0ewellery that belongs to the person to be a!!ected by magical means. The magical link* especially when it contains genetic material* is o!ten regarded as indispensable in rites o! healing or c rsing. Howe(er* re!erring back to sigil magick again* it/s possible to a!!ect a person simply by incl ding their name in the sentence sed to make the sigil. And* as we saw with sympathetic magick* it/s e, ally possible to se a doll to represent a target* or a drawing. There!ore* the magical act does not re, ire a traditional magical link in order !or it to work. 8 r third magical law is , ite pop lar at the moment on the magical scene. It/s called gnosis6 the incl sion o! an altered state o! conscio sness within a rit al* bro ght abo t by (ario s methods ranging !rom meditation to orgasm. The greater the e+perience o! gnosis* s pposedly the better the magical res lt* and@con(ersely@i! there/s no gnosis* then yo sho ldn/t e+pect any res lt. 7espite this* in A!rican* Caribbean and -raAilian traditions* s ch as Boodoo or C imbanda* altered states o! conscio sness are not employed. It might be arg ed that possession is an
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altered state* b t an altered state is not re, ired !or the possession itsel!. And then* o! co rse* e+perience will demonstrate to yo @a!ter yo /(e tried it@that sympathetic magick works* which in(ol(es no change in conscio sness whatsoe(er. So@once again@the magical act does not re, ire gnosis in order to s cceed. 3hat I/m getting at here is that all these methods o! magick do indeed work* b t no method in itsel! is essential to the magical act. 'agic% has no laws unless !ou ma%e them up. The only secret o! magick is what magick is" magick is the e+perience o! tr th. -y this* I mean that yo can choose a belie! or desire and then decide that an e+perience means the same thing as that belie! or desire. I! yo then ndergo that e+perience* what yo decided it means has become tr e* beca se that e+perience is the tr th. 'or instance* i! I decide that an e+perience s ch as writing a che, e and posting it to mysel! means .I will recei(e a lot o! money/* and I ndergo that e+perience* i.e. I write and post that che, e* then I will ha(e had an e+perience that means" .I will recei(e a lot o! money/. That e+perience is tr e* and beca se it is in the ! t re tense* I will necessarily ha(e in the ! t re the e+perience o! recei(ing a lot o! money. There/s a good chance that I/m still not making m ch sense. The !act is* magick is so simple it makes it hard to describe. To make it clearer* I/(e de(ised a clear o tline o! the magical act* which can be applied to any magical techni, e. 3e/ll e+amine it in more detail in a moment* b t !or now it goes like this" 7ecide what yo want to occ r.
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Ens re that what yo mani!estation. Choose an e+perience.

want to occ r has a means o!

7ecide that the chosen e+perience means the same thing as what yo want to occ r. Per!orm the act or ndergo the e+perience. 8btain the res lt. Fet/s s ppose yo want a pay5rise at work. I! yo per!ormed some magick !or this* yo might do the !ollowing" (ecide what !ou want to occur. That/s easy" .I will get a pay5rise at work./ )nsure that what !ou want to occur has a means of manifestation. 3ell* I do ha(e a 0ob and money does e+ist* so no problem there. *hoose an e$perience. This co ld be any rit al where I imitated the o tcome6 a completely nonsensical action* or the (is alisation o! an arbitrary sigil I/d made@whate(er takes my !ancy. (ecide that the e$perience means the same thing as what !ou want to occur. I decide to do the rit al that imitates the desired o tcome* and so I simply decide that/s what the rit al means. +erform the act or undergo the e$perience. I act ally get o t o! my chair and do the rit al. ,btain the result. This will mani!est as a synchronicity@ s ally no sooner than the ne+t day@altho gh this may (ary according to the desired o tcome.
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Hope! lly this has made it clearer. - t let/s go thro gh it again* this time with details o! some act al magical techni, es* to !ill in the o tline. This time* let/s s ppose I/(e decided to contact a spirit who will arrange the pay5rise !or me. (ecide what !ou want to occur. .I will get a pay5rise./ )nsure it has a means of manifesting. I already ha(e a 0ob* so that/s !ine. *hoose an e$perience. I/ll make an address to the AAtec God* TeAcatlipoca. This co ld be thro gh a (is alised or physical representation o! him* like a drawing or stat e* and may in(ol(e making him an o!!ering and asking !or the desired res lt. +erform the ritual. I ha(e a chat with TeA* gi(e him some chocolate* and wait !or the res lt. Another e+ample" let/s say that by this time I/(e recei(ed my pay5rise* b t now I decide I/d , ite like to !ind o t what it !eels like to be possessed by the Archangel Gabriel. (ecide what !ou want to occur. .I will be possessed by the Archangel Gabriel./ )nsure what !ou want has a means of manifesting. I/ll mani!est the archangel thro gh my body6 that/s what makes it possession. *hoose an e$perience. Fet/s say" reading alo d an in(ocation that I/(e composed* re, esting Gabriel to possess me. +erform the act.
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I read the in(ocation and then I allow Gabriel to possess me* which is the mani!estation o! the res lt. 8kay* one more e+ample* which e+amines the , estion o! how di(ination !its into the rit al o tline. (ecide what !ou want to occur. .I will recei(e an answer to my , estion./ )nsure that what !ou want to occur has a means of manifestation. Fet/s say I/m sing a deck o! tarot cards. *hoose an e$perience. Sh !!ling the cards* and laying a n mber o! them o t in a certain pattern. (ecide the e$perience means the same thing as !our desire. I resol(e that the tarot reading will answer my , estion. -ave the e$perience. I sh !!le the cards and lay them o t. ,btain the result. I ha(e my answer in !ront o! me* pro(iding I know what the symbols mean. Hope! lly these e+amples o! the magical act ha(e made the idea o! .e+perience as tr th/ s bstantially clearer. Each e+ample is di!!erent* b t the common component is the decision abo t what an e+perience means. Earlier* I mentioned that what yo want to occ r sho ld ha(e a means o! mani!estation* and it/s the mis nderstanding o! this* the !ail re to recognise that magick doesn/t break the laws o! physics* which is the root ca se o! the dismissal o! magick as !antasy* and the disappointment o! so many beginners* once they disco(er that magick won/t allow them to le(itate* or shoot lightning5bolts !rom their !inger5tips.
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E(en so* what yo can mani!est within the totality o! yo r sensate ni(erse is more s rprising than what yo might imagine. S b0ecti(ely* a res lt can mani!est thro gh emotions* tho ghts* (isions* dreams* or trance states. 8b0ecti(ely* res lts tend to appear as synchronicities* b t physical mani!estation can and does occ r* especially in work with demons or spirits* ranging !rom kinetic energy 9act al mo(ing ob0ects;* to changes in temperat re or !eelings o! .press re/. I! yo ask !or a speci!ic res lt* like winning at the horses* it may mani!est as a synchronicity* beca se that is o!ten the most con(enient means a(ailable. I! yo ne(er go the race track* and resol(e not to change yo r habits* then yo r winnings are more likely to mani!est in a dream. I! yo want to comm nicate with an entity o! some description* b t yo don/t ha(e any nat ral (isionary ability* yo sho ldn/t e+pect the entity to pop o t !rom a clo d o! smoke. 2o may need to pro(ide it with a means o! mani!estation* s ch as a di(inatory de(ice* like an 8 i0a board or a pend l m. 3hen e(oking demons* these may (ery well mani!est s b0ecti(ely as well as ob0ecti(ely. 2o might !eel a presence in the room* b t the demon may also mani!est as an emotion. -eware o! that branch o! demon5magick known as .oetia. The inability o! the magician to recognise how a demon mani!ests is s ally the weakness that the demon will e+ploit in its bid to r in yo r li!e. So@in concl sion* what is magick1 Magick is the art o! e+periencing tr th. 3hat yo decide to e+perience as the tr th within the magical act is limited only by yo r imagination. Magick is an art* beca se it has no laws* b t only arbitrary aesthetics that dictate its method. As long as yo decide what it means* yo can do anything* and it works. 2o can make yo r magick ! nny* witty or serio s6 ecstatic* abs rd or deranged6 pro!o nd or delirio s.
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Magick has been all o! these things !or me* and I hope it will pro(e the same !or yo .

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CHAPTER THREE

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THERE IS NO FAILURE

n the last chapter* I deb nked the idea that there are laws or methods necessary in order to make magick work* and I presented an o tline o! rit al that can be sed to nderstand or constr ct any kind o! magical act. I sho ld stress that this o tline is arbitrary@it/s not a magical law or an e+planation o! how magick works. The steps described are simply a means o! helping the magician to nderstand what the magical act is* and there!ore how to do it. The simplicity o! magick beggars belie!6 no do bt* some people won/t accept that something so simple can ha(e s ch mind5bending res lts. 8!ten* the !irst , estion that comes to mind when considering the simplicity o! the magical act is" why doesn/t e(eryone do magick all o! the time and get what they want1 The second , estion is" How is it that people who know abo t magick* and acti(ely p rs e it* ne(ertheless sometimes !ail1 A lot o! books on magick ha(e pro(ided all sorts o! e+planations why !ail re occ rs* and ha(e gi(en ad(ice on the techni, es necessary to ens re that yo obtain the desired res lt. 'or instance* we/re told that when doing sigil magick we m st employ gnosis and then make a conscio s e!!ort at !orgetting the magical act altogether. The e+planation !or this is
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s ally that the sigil m st be .b ried in the s bconscio s/ in order !or it to work. Rather than debating the merits o! the (ario s e+planations !or .how/ magick works* let/s tackle this instead in terms o! the de!inition I/(e gi(en" magick as the art o! e+periencing tr th. This means we !oc s on what is act ally e+perienced d ring the act. 3e/ll e+amine sigil magick in the light o! this. -rie!ly* sigil magick in(ol(es writing o t in words yo r desire or what yo want to occ r* omitting repeated letters !rom the sentences* then arranging the remaining letters into an abstract glyph or .sigil/. 2o then ind ce gnosis@an altered state o! conscio sness@thro gh meditation* se+* or one o! the many other methods* (is alise the sigil* and then make a conscio s e!!ort at !orgetting all abo t it ntil the res lt mani!ests. Fet/s break this down into the rit al o tline" (ecide what !ou want to occur. Fet/s say I/(e lost my keys and want to !ind them. So what I want to occ r is" .I will !ind my keys/. )nsure that what !ou want to occur has a means of manifestation. 3ell* I had my keys a while ago* so pres mably they still e+ist. *hoose an e$perience. Sigil magick means I/(e chosen the (is alisation or the e+perience o! the sigil as my magical act. (ecide that the e$perience means the same thing as what !ou want to occur. The method o! writing o t my desire* omitting the repeating letters and constr cting a sigil o t o! what remains is simply a way o! deciding what the e+perience o! the sigil means. 9-y the way* i! yo /re sick o! going thro gh this tedio s method !or making a sigil* yo can 0 st make p an arbitrary
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design !rom yo r imagination* and then decide that it means the same thing as what yo want to occ r. It/s e(en possible to se a sigil to mean one thing* and then@once the res lt has occ rred@re5 se the e+act same sigil and decide it means something else. I recommend that yo (eri!y this !or yo rsel!. The reason yo can do this is that magick doesn/t operate on the basis o! some kind o! mechanism working behind the scenes. Magick is simply abo t deciding what an e+perience means and then ha(ing that e+perience.; +erform the act or undergo the e$perience. At this point I ind ce gnosis* (is alise the sigil* and then !orget abo t it. ,btain the result. I !ind my keys the ne+t day. I! what I/m claiming is tr e* then s rely we wo ldn/t need gnosis either* nor wo ld we need to !orget abo t the sigil in order !or it to work. 3ell* that wo ld indeed be the case* i! it weren/t !or one (ital !actor" h man beings habituall! decide that an e+perience means" .I hope or desire a speci!ic e(ent will occ r/. The se o! gnosis and amnesia is there to help ens re that the e+perience o! the sigil means 9instead; the same as what we want to occ r. Chances are* i! we remember the sigil* we/ll think" .I hope I !ind my keys/. The e+perience o! the sigil now means something entirely di!!erent !rom o r intention* and we obtain an immediate magical res lt@we hope we !ind o r keysH This is the basis o! the principle that .l st o! res lt/ will n lli!y a magical res lt6 in other words* i! yo are in a state o! desire !or the o tcome o! a magical act* then it will not work. Howe(er* the tr th is that magick ne(er !ails6 it is not a mechanism or a process that can be inter!ered with or negated. E(erything yo e+perience is magick* incl ding being in a state o! desire.
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To ill strate this* lets look at the magical act o! desire in terms o! the o tline" (ecide what !ou want to occur. Fet/s stick with me wanting to !ind my lost keys. Howe(er* i! I am in a state o! desire* I/m not deciding" .I will !ind my lost keys/. In a state o! desire* I/m deciding" .I hope I !ind my lost keys/. )nsure that what !ou want to occur has a means of manifestation. 3ell* that/s easy6 I/m an emotional entity. Hoping* !earing* desiring and hating all come pretty nat rally. *hoose an e$perience. Is ally this takes the !orm o! daydreaming* !antasising* swearing* sho ting* p lling hair o t and all the other ! n things that people do when !r strated. 9I! yo /(e per!ormed an act o! sigil magick* this is the point at which yo might n!ort nately remember the sigil* despite yo r best e!!orts to !orget it.; (ecide that the e$perience means the same thing as what !ou want to occur. 3e/re so conditioned when it comes to desire that this occ rs a tomatically and leads straight into" +erform the act or undergo the e$perience. This is what we normally call .e+pression/. 9In terms o! b ggering p o r sigil magick* the last two steps and this one occ r instantaneo sly in the act o! remembering the sigil* which engenders"; ,btain the result. It mani!ests immediately@I hope I !ind my keysH 3e can see now that an altered state o! conscio sness pre(ents s !rom the s al daydreaming or spec lation* and so aids the mani!estation o! a res lt by pre(enting s !rom changing the meaning o! the sigil d ring its (is alisation. 'or
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this reason* to people beginning magick* I wo ld wholeheartedly recommend the sigil method as a means o! pre(enting the .magick/ we normally per!orm most o! the time. Howe(er* this sho ldn/t deter anyone !rom practising more elaborate rit al magick6 sometimes* e(en the simple act o! physical mo(ement or chanting can work as a more en0oyable and easier method o! circ m(enting the s al h man habit o! desiring the o tcome. At the beginning o! this chapter* I posed two , estions" !irstly* i! magick is so simple* why isn/t e(ery one doing it1 The answer@as we can now see@is that they are doing it* b t they/re sing magick to keep themsel(es in a state o! desire. Secondly" why do magicians sometimes !ail to get a res lt1 3ell* it wo ld be tempting to say this is simply beca se magicians are h man* b t the concept o! magick .working/ or .!ailing/ isn/t really applicable to its nat re6 magick 0 st is. The di!!erence between a magician who obtains what he or she wants and a magician who doesn/t is that the s ccess! l magician mani!ests less desire. As is stated in the greatest magical te+t e(er written" .'or p re will* nass aged o! p rpose* deli(ered !rom the l st o! res lt* is e(ery way per!ect./

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CHAPTER FOUR

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THE WALLS CAME TUMBLING DOWN

n Chapter 8ne* we saw that the ! nction o! magick is the pro(ision o! e+periential tr th regarding e+istence* and how we m st necessarily approach the practice o! magick on a scienti!ic basis. In Chapters Two and Three we e+plored what magick is* ill strated by the se o! an arbitrary rit al o tline* which can be sed to nderstand any magical act whatsoe(er. 2o may ha(e noticed that my de!inition o! magick as the art* science and c lt re o! e+periencing tr th can be taken in two ways* which I appear to ha(e e+plored in Chapters 8ne and Two respecti(ely. In the !irst sense* o! .magick as a means o! e+periencing the tr th regarding e+istence/* yo might be !orgi(en !or thinking I was p shing the idea o! an absol te tr th regarding the e+istence o! the ni(erse* and that all acts o! magick ha(e a sing lar aim. 2et in the second sense* I appeared to be claiming that yo can make an! idea tr e* 0 st so long as yo decide to e+perience that idea* and so any tr th regarding the ni(erse is completely s b0ecti(e* and th s magick can be per!ormed !or any end. Am I con! sed1 3ell* i! yo /ll bear with me* I/ll try to show how this apparent contradiction !alls away when we consider that tr th lies with e+perience* and not with ideas. I ad(ocated that magick co ld be practised in a scienti!ic manner* by per!orming the (ario s magical techni, es as an
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e+periment* recording the res lts in an attempt to corroborate the claims o! magicians and adopting a model o! reality based on those res lts. Howe(er* it/s important to nderstand what a model is" a description o! what yo ha(e act ally e+perienced. A model is not a belie!* altho gh certain !actors in yo r model may not be (eri!ied yet by e+perience. The greater the proportion o! ideas in that model based pon e+perience* the more se! l that model is. As s ch* not all models are e, al nor are they all (alid. I! we look at all magical c lt res or traditions@and I/m sing .magick/ here as a blanket term !or all practices that ad(ocate e+perience o! tr th abo(e belie! or arg ment@we can see a common element in the predicted progress or the e+pected de(elopmental res lts engendered by magical practice. This goal or end5res lt is startlingly similar across all traditions. In - ddhism we ha(e the e+perience o! .emptiness/ that is !orm6 in Cabalah we ha(e Ain 9or .nothing/;* which is the mani!est ni(erse6 in S !ism there is .no God b t God only/6 and in the Greek tradition we ha(e .the 8ne that is not 8ne/* and so on. As di!!erent as these symbol sets might be* as di(erse as the (ario s magical practices are* as independent as each c lt re is !rom the other* they all appear to be describing the same thing. 2es* it/s tr e that the perception o! e+perience is relati(e and s b0ecti(e* and that this is what !inds e+pression in the di(ersity o! the magical models* b t the models ne(ertheless all appro+imate to each other. I! yo look to act al e+perience !or the tr th* i! yo base yo r world5(iew or model on act ality 9i.e. non5(erbal phenomena;* yo will ine(itably !ind yo rsel! in a contin al process o! re(ising yo r model in the light o! new e+perience. It becomes ob(io s that no model can e(er acco nt !or that which hasn/t occ rred yet. In addition to this* it also becomes pain! lly e(ident that the model is not the same thing as the act al e+perience. As Co nt Al!red JorAybski sed to say" .the
$:

map is not the territory/. 2o cannot ! lly comprehend e+perience or the ni(erse with an idea or a model. Howe(er* it is possible to e+perience that comprehension. Magick is the means o! ha(ing this e+perience. )o matter how o!ten yo change yo r model* yo will not change yo r e+perience6 either the model !its or it doesn/t. - t* being magicians* we know we can change o r e+perience to !it a model* by incl ding that model within a magical act. I! we act on o r idea or model we will ha(e e+perience o! it* thereby making it tr e. The pshot o! this is that i! yo do not practise magick* or yo do not know that yo can change yo r perceptions* then any model sed by a tradition that teaches e+periential tr th will appear to be o!!ering an ob0ecti(e (iewpoint. This is the basis o! literalist religions. Similarly* any model sed by a tradition that teaches e+periential tr th will appear to be o!!ering a s b0ecti(e* relati(e (iewpoint* to those who ha(e not e+perienced that the model is not the e+perience* or to those who ha(e not e+perienced .the tr th/ or .enlightenment/. This is the basis o! post5modern magick. So* when I state that .e+perience is tr th/* and not .one correct answer/ or .the s b0ecti(ity o! perception/* then I am re!erring to what all magical models based on e+perience m st necessarily incl de* whether yo call it .God/* .endlessness/* .emptiness/* .nothingness/* .the one/* .in!inity/* .the di(ine/ or .enlightenment/. I! yo /re !amiliar with the concept o! enlightenment* yo might ha(e noticed that I claimed yo co ld .e+perience/ it* when@as a matter o! !act@yo neither can nor cannot. Howe(er* as tr e as this may be* in light o! the act al realisation* s ch as description is simply nhelp! l when it comes to practical considerations. 8b(io sly* all o! the traditional terms
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and words I/(e sed to describe the tr th are nonsensical. - t this is okay* beca se the e+perience isn/t any o! these ideas@or any idea at all. I! we/re going to talk abo t magical practice* and a model to acco nt !or the res lts o! that practice* then the se o! a nonsensical idea is se! l to an e+tent. I !ind the label .tr th/ to be the most pragmatic* in the sense that !rom whiche(er (iewpoint yo may approach it* the de!inition o! magick as the art* science and c lt re o! e+periencing tr th still makes sense. So* ha(ing elaborated on the se o! models and the !act that the model is not the e+perience 9or* as Alan 3atts sed to say* the men is not the meal;* then how is the claim that .magick is the science o! e+periencing tr th/* in the sense o! e+periencing enlightenment* emptiness* god or whate(er else yo want to call it* the same as saying that magick is the art o! e+periencing tr th* in the sense that yo can make any idea tr e by making it an e+perience1 In other words* how do we s, are achie(ing enlightenment with sing magick to get laid1 3ell* !irstly magick is the means by which we change o r perception. A magical model is there!ore the means by which we concept alise the res lts o! changing o r perception. The model need not there!ore be concerned with what we change o r perception to* or what we do with o r magick* b t with what will occ r !rom per!orming the magical act on a reg lar basis. I! we per!orm an act o! magick to get laid* to win some money* or to c rdle o r ne+t5door neighbo r/s milk* we are changing o r perception or the tr th o! o r e+perience* d ring the magical act. How many times will we need to e+perience the !act that we can change o r perceptions* be!ore it becomes an inescapable reality that the tr th does not lie in any perception1 I! we do magick e(ery day* how long wo ld this take1 I! we se magick reg larly* we cannot escape a con!rontation with the malleability
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o! perception* and the e(ent al realisation perception@incl ding o rsel(es@is the tr th.

that

no

3hether yo meditate like a - ddhist* whirl like a S !i* or in(oke yo r Holy G ardian Angel like a Cabalist* yo are necessarily per!orming magick to e+perience enlightenment. Indeed* taken ob0ecti(ely* magical models state that yo can per!orm these practices and e+perience the goal. Howe(er* the goal has many names* all o! which are nonsensical. Are yo looking !or an e+perience o! .God/* .nothingness/* .emptiness/* or .the 8ne/1 3hat is the di!!erence between choosing one o! these perceptions o(er another1 3hat is the di!!erence between choosing any perception o(er another1 How long be!ore yo realise that enlightenment* or the tr th* is not a perception1 In other words* doing magick e(ery day* whether it/s !or money or enlightenment* will ine(itably lead yo to that which is not a perception. 8! co rse* i! yo are acti(ely seeking the end5res lt or the tr th regarding e+istence* yo are !ar more likely to get there a lot !aster than someone who only ses magick !or material ends* and it is nlikely that someone who dabbles e(ery now and then will reach any kind o! signi!icant realisation. )e(ertheless* yo cannot arg e !ore(er against the act al e+perience o! the magical act and the e!!ect that e+perience has on yo . It/s a sad !act that some magicians* who only practise magick as a means o! !orti!ying their attachment to material reality* s ddenly !ind themsel(es ndergoing the magical process as a res lt o! their practice* and e+perience it as the world being torn away. In the tradition o! the AA* a magician who !inds himsel! or hersel! in s ch a horri!ying sit ation* b t then does e(erything in his or her power to resist the process* becomes a .-lack -rother/. 'inding yo rsel! in an npleasant stage o! the magical de(elopment process* and then choosing to strand yo rsel! there* is not a recipe !or a pleasant e+istence.
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Saying that* I wo ldn/t o(erly concern mysel! with the haAard o! becoming a -lack -rother. I practise magick !re, ently !or material ends* and it hasn/t yet stood in the way o! my e+perience o! enlightenment. I! yo know what yo /re letting yo rsel! in !or* yo /re less likely to resist this nat ral part o! the process. St dy as many models as yo can* and try and identi!y where yo are in those models. It/s possible to start the process and get st ck in a low* crappy stage witho t e(en being aware o! it* let alone knowing how to proceed. 3hene(er in do bt* simply practise the basics e(ery day 9as described in the Appendi+;. It/s also worth remembering that i! yo don/t practise e(ery day* then yo sho ldn/t e+pect any s ccess* material or otherwise.

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CHAPTER FIVE

$D

HOW TO BELIEVE

belie! can be a simple idea* s ch as .God e+ists/6 or a model* s ch as .the ni(erse is a hologram/6 or a statement o! what might occ r* s ch as .I will get to work on time/. In terms o! the magical rit al o tline* a belie! is synonymo s with the !irst step" .decide what yo want to occ r/. 98! co rse* it need not be something yo want to occ r* b t let/s not complicate matters.; /elief shifting is a term s ally reser(ed !or acts o! magick that in(ol(e changing habits* conditioning or world5(iew* yet any act o! magick is essentially .belie! shi!ting/* beca se the magician is changing his or her act al perception o! e+perience d ring the act. Howe(er* magick concerned solely with changing e+perience o! the sel! will ha(e an ob(io sly greater e!!ect on the sel! than magick !or simple material ends. As we/(e seen* !re, ent and prolonged magical practice will not only change yo r act al perception o! e+perience* b t will e(ent ally lead yo to that which is not a perception. It m st be stressed that changing yo r c rrent e+planation or model !or how or why magick works* s ch as changing !rom the belie! that spirits r n the show to the belie! that the ni(erse is a holographic in!ormation system* is not belie! shi!ting. Choosing one e+planation o(er another changes or shi!ts nothing b t yo r opinion. The di!!erence between act ally shi!ting belie! and thinking abo t di!!erent belie!s is , ite pro!o nd6 consider the n mber o! people who swear by a
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certain (iewpoint or idea* b t then go and act in a completely contradictory !ashion* s ch as anarchists who .!ight the system/ by claiming wel!are. To gen inely shi!t belie!* yo need to e$perience the new belie!. 3e already know how to do this* in terms o! o r arbitrary rit al o tline* b t a m ch simpler way o! saying the same thing is i! yo want to make an idea or a belie! tr e* then yo need simply act on it. The act is the e+perience o! the belie!. The act makes the belie! tr e. K st !or clari!ication* .the act/ is steps three to !i(e o! o r rit al o tline" Choose an e+perience. 7ecide that the chosen e+perience means the same thing as what yo want to occ r. Per!orm the act or ndergo the e+perience. It might be arg ed that yo don/t deliberately decide that an action means the same thing as yo r belie!* nor do yo ponder what e+perience yo are going to ha(e* when yo per!orm an action. 2o 0 st do it. And this is tr e* beca se this is the point at which o r rit al o tline becomes c mbersome and has ser(ed its limited p rpose o! making the magical act e+plicit. It/s time to go a step ! rther and realise that an! intentional act is an act o! magick* beca se an act is the rendering o! an intention* a belie! or a decision into an e+perience. The act is the e+perience o! the belie!. The act makes the belie! tr e. Here/s a simple act o! magick yo can do to shi!t yo r belie!* or to make a belie! tr e* which ill strates the point" 8btain a pair o! binoc lars. E(ery night* when it/s dark* go o tside with yo r binoc lars and look !or I'8s* and by .I'8s/ I mean alien spacecra!t that
4E

are (isiting this planet* possibly with the aim o! abd cting people. Record how many yo see each night* e(en i! it is Aero. 7o this !or a month* and compare the res lts !rom one week to the ne+t. It/s pretty ob(io s what I e+pect to happen* b t yo sho ld (eri!y this !or yo rsel! by doing it. And* 0 st so yo know* I have act ally done this e+ercise. 9It/s a lot more ! n when yo can pers ade !riends to 0oin in.; So* i! all yo need to do is act on a belie! to make it tr e* then@i! yo want to li(e in a happy* wonder! l world@all yo need to do is act like yo li(e in a happy* wonder! l world. 3hen I say .act/* this can be anything !rom a ! ll5blown rit al act to something as simple as telling yo rsel! the world is a ! n* good place to be. 8! co rse* 0 st saying it once won/t change m ch. Try it* and see how !ast yo re(ert back to thinking and acting as i! the world isn/t so great. In order to work magick on the sel! e!!ecti(ely yo m st replace the habit al magick yo do e(ery day !or ndesirable ends* with new habit al magick. This means repetition. Altho gh I/(e arg ed that all yo need to do in order to make a belie! tr e is to act on it* please don/t think that i! yo belie(e yo can !ly then 0 mping o!! a tall b ilding will make it so. Remember the second step o! the rit al o tline" ens re there is a means o! mani!estation !or the belie!. 'or a belie! to mani!est in the material world* it m st be within the game5r les o! the material world. H mans do not !ly. H mans cannot walk thro gh walls* or pass thro gh speeding cars* no matter how hard they belie(e it. Thinking real hard is not belie! shi!ting* nor is it magick. The good news abo t magick and belie! shi!ting is that yo can re5make yo rsel! howe(er yo see !it. 2o can ditch a
4$

crappy world5(iew !or a good one6 swap depression !or 0oy6 pessimism !or optimism6 or an+iety !or peace. 8! co rse* i! yo want to be depressed* scared and pessimistic* all yo need to do is act in that way. Here/s another e+ercise" Tell yo rsel! that yo are st pid* gly* and no one likes yo . 7o it e(ery day !or two weeks. Record the res lts. Then repeat the e+ercise* b t this time tell yo rsel! yo are intelligent* attracti(e and e(eryone lo(es yo . Again* do it e(ery day !or two weeks. 3hen the month is p* compare the res lts. 2o /ll ne(er comprehend what a di!!erence s ch an e+ercise will ha(e on yo r li!e i! yo don/t do itH I! it seems as tho gh yo are nothing more than an inconse, ential meat robot* at the mercy o! a cold* ncaring ni(erse* where e(erything goes wrong and e(eryone is an arsehole* that/s beca se yo act like yo are nothing more than an inconse, ential meat robot* at the mercy o! a cold* ncaring ni(erse* where e(erything goes wrong and e(eryone is an arsehole. )o o tside agency is going to help yo 6 no one will change yo r e+perience !or yo . I! yo li(e in a shitty ni(erse* it/s p to yo to change it !or yo rsel!. Magick is !irst and !oremost abo t taking responsibility !or yo r e+istence. -elie! shi!ting doesn/t stop with altering personality traits6 the aim o! the game is enlightenment. The !act that yo can make yo rsel! a well5ad0 sted happy indi(id al in the process is 0 st one more piece o! e(idence that the world is tr ly a wonder! l place. So apart !rom acti(ely working on yo r personality traits or general o tlook on li!e* adopt as many magical models as possible and act on them. As soon as a signi!icant res lt mani!ests* mo(e on to another belie! system and repeat. Per!orm a p 0a to Ganesha e(ery day* ntil yo act ally e+perience nion with him6 take p S !ism and pray to Allah
44

e(ery morning6 b ild a sweat lodge in yo r back garden and take p ancestor worship. Remember* 0 st beca se yo can shi!t yo r belie!* it doesn/t mean the e+perience o! those belie!s is somehow !ake or ill sory. 8n the contrary* belie! shi!ting makes them real. Shi!ting belie! doesn/t make gods or spirits nothing more than mental constr cts* nor does it mean that people who adhere to a single belie! system are somehow less intelligent than yo . So5called .magicians/ who e+hibit this attit de do so beca se they ha(e only e(er e+perienced gods as ideas* and belie! as opinion. This attit de is the telling sign o! someone who thinks they/re a belie! shi!ter* when in !act all they/(e e(er done is think abo t belie!s. Contrary to pop lar opinion amongst traditionalists* someone who act ally shi!ts belie! is necessarily gen ine and respect! l* beca se magick makes belie! real.

4:

CHAPTER SIX

4=

THE CULTURE OF EXPERIENCING TRUTH

e/(e e+plored the application o! the scienti!ic method as the most sensible means o! approaching magical practice6 we/(e e+amined the common !actors o! all magical techni, es in the rit al o tline* and the necessarily artistic nat re o! the magical act6 we/(e looked at why magick !ails* or@more correctly@the bi, ity o! the magical act o! desire6 we/(e considered the long5term e!!ect o! magical practice as a nat ral mo(ement towards e+perience o! the tr th regarding e+istence* or .enlightenment/6 and we/(e disc ssed belie! and the se o! magick in e(eryday li!e as a means o! changing the sel!. In this concl ding chapter* I wo ld like to in(estigate magick as c lt re* the implications o! being a magician* and the nat re o! tradition. So !irstly* what do we mean by culture1 I/m sing .c lt re/ as a blanket term !or anything that is a prod ct or a necessary component o! an acti(ity@in this case* anything that is a speci!ic prod ct o! the magical act. 3e ha(e prod cts or components in a technical sense" that is* the act al methods employed in the magical act which@as yo recall@are arbitrary* no matter how se! l. The same applies to rit als* !rom the one5o!! originals to all the golden oldies* s ch as .The Fesser -anishing Rit al o! the Pentagram/. 3e also ha(e the tools and props sed in magick@like wands* altars* and robes@which bleed into those prod cts ser(ing a
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more social role* s ch as dress codes and stereotypes" hippy pagans* greaser chaos magicians* goth Satanists* and the like. All the books yo /(e e(er read on magick* all the websites and !or ms yo (isit* all the philosophies* attit des and models yo entertain* these are all e+amples o! magick as c lt re. It is worth bearing in mind* howe(er* that immersion in magical c lt re does not make yo a magician. In !act* in my e+perience* it tends to be those people who look most like an occ ltist that seem to do the least amo nt o! magical practice. - t c lt re doesn/t 0 st end with prod cts or components as ob0ects6 magical acti(ity necessarily has social and ethical implications. 3hen I say .ethical/* I/m not implying anything as trite as white or black magick* or any kind o! moral e(al ation o! what yo might se magick !or. I/m talking abo t how yo cond ct yo rsel! or act as a h man being. 3hether yo treat them as accidental* ignore them completely* or conscio sly deliberate o(er them* there is no escaping the !act that magick* like all acti(ities* has social and ethical implications. 'or instance* when someone !irst becomes interested in magick* do they tell all o! their !riends and !amily* or do they in(estigate the occ lt secretly1 3hat wo ld happen i! close !riends and !amily !o nd o t1 3o ld relationships break down* or wo ld that person be s pported1 How wo ld the impact o! knowing that magick works alter his or her relationship with society as a whole1 7oes he or she se magick to help themsel(es* their !riends and !amily* or the whole comm nity1 7o they practise alone* or do they !ind a gro p to practise and e+change ideas and e+periences with1 There are* o! co rse* many more e!!ects or components o! the magical act in a social and ethical sense* b t this gi(es the general idea. How yo cond ct yo rsel! and li(e yo r li!e in the light o! magick is something that becomes an ongoing process*
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something yo /ll ha(e to deal with !or as long as yo remain a magician. It/s a !act that yo cannot ha(e the magical act* or any acti(ity !or that matter* witho t the c lt re. 2o cannot per!orm the act in the technical sense witho t the methods or tools6 yo cannot per!orm the act witho t a social conte+t 9I/m incl ding working alone and in secret as a social conte+t;6 yo cannot per!orm the act witho t a reason !or yo r beha(io r* which is necessarily in!ormed by yo r ethics. This doesn/t mean that magick needs to be concerned with the speci!ics o! ethics or moti(es6 moral codes* m ch like magical methods* are essentially arbitrary* and 0 st as no method is magick* no speci!ic moral law is magick either. )e(ertheless* ethics and moti(es do e+ist and are inseparable !rom the magical act. 3hether yo acknowledge this !or yo r own bene!it* or ignore it* does not change that !act. I try to be as ! lly aware as possible* and so I pre!er conscio sly to address these areas. 3hether yo do or not is p to yo . The most ob(io s e+ample o! magick as c lt re is tradition. Tradition has the most recognisable a!!ect on a magician/s li!e* beca se tradition is e!!ecti(ely a speci!ic and recognisable set o! c lt ral prod cts or components* incl ding teachings* attit des* rites* dress* ethics* practices* te+ts* social roles* gro p work* comm nity str ct res* and so on. E(en chaos magick* or .post5modern magick/* the tradition that claims it/s a theory and not a tradition* has an ine(itable aesthetic@speci!ic symbols* s ch as the .chaosphere/* key te+ts s ch as Liber 0ull* core practices s ch as sigil magick* speci!ic beha(io rs s ch as belie! shi!ting. 8nce again* this is beca se yo cannot ha(e the magical act witho t the magical c lt re. As we/(e seen* magick is an art !orm6 the rit als yo se* how yo dress* what gro ps yo associate with* what teachings appeal to yo * what model yo se to (iew the world* are all arbitrary and
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ltimately yo r decision. 8! co rse* this begs the , estion" does it mean that traditionalists are ignorant or del ded1 I! the c lt re o! magick is arbitrary* or i! no speci!ic set o! c lt ral components is more (alid than any other* is there really any point in seeking o t a teacher o! some tradition or other !or .gen ine/ initiation1 3ell* !irst o! all* altho gh the c lt ral components o! magick are arbitrary* they/re ne(ertheless indispensable. 2o cannot ha(e the magical act witho t the magical c lt re. Altho gh c lt re is man5made or arbitrary* that doesn/t mean all (iewpoints are e, al to the indi(id al. I ascribe to certain models or ideas beca se they !it my e+perience and satis!y my tastes* and work !or me better than others. I !ind certain (iewpoints and aesthetics abhorrent and abs rd* as I/m s re yo do too. -elonging to a tradition or seeking initiation into a tradition is there!ore by no means ignorant* as some post5modernists wo ld ha(e yo belie(e* b t instead a matter o! personal rele(ance. E(en so* by the same token* yo don/t ha(e to !ind a gen ine teacher or tradition in order to be a real magician6 as I/(e mentioned* c lt re is inseparable !rom the act* and so the path o! the solo magician who has learnt e(erything he or she knows !rom books is 0 st as (alid as the path o! the monastic Taoist. Altho gh it is important that the magical c lt re yo ascribe to addresses yo r indi(id al and social needs* the one thing abo(e all others that (alidates a magical c lt re* whether traditional or otherwise* isn/t the tangible and speci!ic components6 it isn/t the techni, es or tools yo se6 it isn/t the books yo read* the r les yo !ollow* or the gro p yo belong to* b t that which is the in(isible wellspring o! all these things" the magical act. The , ali!ication o! all gen ine and real traditions* no matter how di(erse or seemingly disparate* whether Eastern or
4D

3estern* whether demonstrated in person* spoken or written* is the transmission o! the magical act. E(erything else is secondary. There is* and always has been* only one mo(ement* one school* one aim6 and in this transmission it/s known as magick. 'agic% is the art1 science and culture of e$periencing truth. This de!inition gi(es yo the what* the why and the how o! magick. The when is p to yo .

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APPENDIX

:E

BEGINNING MAGICK

2hat is magic%3 Magick is the art* science and c lt re o! e+periencing tr th. 2hat does that mean3 'agic% is the art of e$periencing truth. In other words* yo can choose any e+perience 9say* dancing aro nd in yo r nderpants;* decide what that e+perience will mean 9LIt will rainL;* ndergo the e+perience 9per!orm the dance;* th s rendering the gi(en meaning tr e 9it will rain* beca se yo ha(e e+perienced the !act Lit will rainL. E+perience is the tr th;. See Rit al Magick and Sigil Magick !or more on this. 3hat can be e+perienced sing magick is limited only by yo r imagination 9the s b0ecti(e;* b t how that e+perience mani!ests is limited by the a(ailable means o! mani!estation 9the ob0ecti(e;. 'agic% is the science of e$periencing truth. The tr th isnLt simply an idea* nor is it !o nd in the relati(e or arbitrary nat re o! ideas6 tr th is e+periential* and the practice o! magick will lead yo to an nderstanding o! e+istence based on direct e+perience* not spec lation. -y its (ery nat re* li!e is re(elatory and so more incredible than any word or idea we can ascribe to it. 2o need only per!orm the e+periment and corroborate this !or yo rsel!H 'agic% is the culture of e$periencing truth. Magick necessarily incl des sociological and ethical implications* whether they are
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conscio sly addressed or not. These range !rom what magical tradition* aesthetic* teaching or approach yo ascribe to* to ethical , estions s ch as" do yo se magick 0 st !or yo rsel!* close !riends or the whole comm nity1 7o yo e(angelise magick* or do yo practice in secret1 7o yo really want to try and maintain relationships with s pposed !riends who ridic le yo !or practicing the -lack Arts1 Sho ld yo !ind like5minded people !or corroboration o! e+periences* the e+change o! ideas* moral s pport and a god5damn ! n and e+citing time1 Magick is not simply a method o! mani!esting material res lts* nor is meditation simply mysticism. There is no distinction between 3estern and Eastern methods o! e+periencing the tr th6 there is* and always has been* only one mo(ement* one school* and one aim6 in the 3est* we know it as Magick. 2hat will I get from practising magic%3 3hat yo want* in terms o! materialism 9se+* money* power* etc.; 3hat yo want* in terms o! spirit ality 9enlightenment;. "ounds good. -ow do I start3 Practise the basics e(ery day* as described in the !ollowing pages. Then* once yo !eel p to it* obtain the Jnowledge and Con(ersation o! the Holy G ardian Angel.

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THE MAGICAL DIARY

4he +oint A means o! impro(ing magical methods by acting as a record o! e+periments. A goad to ! rther work. 9There/s nothing , ite like a blank page to gi(e yo a kick p the arse.; A method o! integration. The pro(ision o! a better record than yo r memory. The magical diary renders predilections e+plicit* either as an indicator !or specialisation or a blatant sign that it/s high time yo tried something new. 4he +ractice - y a !ancy 0o rnal. Record yo r magical acti(ity e(ery day. That means* i! yo did nothing* write it downH Incl de" 7ate* Time* Acti(ity* Res lts* and any spec lations. )$pected results Jeeping a magical diary will make yo a better magician !or all o! the reasons listed on this page.

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EXCLUSIVE CONCENTRATION

Abstract The ability to !oc s the attention is essential to per!orming any task6 there!ore* the greater the degree o! !oc s* the greater the s ccess in the per!ormance o! that task. 4he +oint Apart !rom the general bene!its o! increased mental !le+ibility and end rance* a degree o! s ccess in E+cl si(e Concentration is essential to per!orming Inclusive Awareness 9see below;. 4he +ractice Sit down. Choose an ob0ect to concentrate on. This can be imagined 9a colo red shape* or a so nd@s ch as an arbitrary mantra; or physical 9a spot on the wall* a random ob0ect* etc.; -ring yo r attention on to the ob0ect and keep it there. I! yo !ind yo r attention wandering* ret rn it to the ob0ect. 7o not try and stop any intr si(e tho ghts* and do not get annoyed with how !re, ently yo r mind wanders6 as soon as yo realise yo are not concentrating on the ob0ect* 0 st bring yo r attention back to it and keep it there. (uration A minim m o! hal! an ho r a day.

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)$pected results S ccess in E+cl si(e Concentration will take the !orm o! a trance state* a n mber o! models !or which can be !o nd in - ddhism 9where they are known as 5hana states; or in yoga 9(h!ana;. The trance state may incl de b t is not limited to the !ollowing symptoms" A !eeling o! e+pansion. Trembling. Seeing a light with the eyes closed. -liss. A strange high5pitched so nd. An incredible !eeling o! !oc s. Peace. A !eeling o! Inity with all things. ...and many more biAarre and wonder! l e!!ects. +rogress There is a good arg ment !or practising E+cl si(e Concentration !or li!e6 it is to the mind what physical e+ercise is to the body. It is also tr e that the res lting trance states can be en0oyed !or their own sake. Howe(er* once a degree o! s ccess has been attained* the practitioner sho ld either change their practice to Incl si(e Awareness or incl de Incl si(e Awareness practice alongside E+cl si(e Concentration* !or it is only thro gh Incl si(e Awareness that we come to the tr th.

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INCLUSIVE AWARENESS

Abstract The tr th abo t e+istence m st be inherent in e+istence itsel!. There!ore* i! we are to nderstand e+istence* we m st !irst let o rsel(es be aware o! it. 4he +oint To e+perience the tr th* or what is o!ten re!erred to as .enlightenment/. 4he +ractice Sit down. -e aware o! what yo are e+periencing. Fet tho ghts* !eelings* and physical sensations arise and pass away o! their own accord. I! a sensation arises that yo !ind displeasing 9s ch as thinking abo t what is on tele(ision* or a (ery annoying t ne yo heard on the radio earlier* which won/t stop going aro nd in yo r head; do not attempt to e+cl de that sensation. K st be aware o! it. This goes !or any sensations that might make p the e+perience o! trying to be aware. It might help to achie(e the correct attit de by choosing a random body part and allowing yo rsel! to e+perience the sensations that make p that body part as they arise. Fet the sensations .come to yo /. 8nce this is mastered* yo need only apply the same attit de to all sensations.

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(uration Minim m o! hal! an ho r e(ery day. )$pected Results Grad ally* s btle sensations s ch as a !eeling o! .sel!/ or the passing o! time may appear in yo r awareness that yo may not ha(e been aware o! be!ore. This is a good indication o! progress. Howe(er* don/t !orget to adopt the correct attit de toward any tho ghts o! progress also. The res lt o! this practice is enlightenment. +rogress The practice o! Incl si(e Awareness sets a process in motion. 3hereas E+cl si(e Concentration engenders states* Incl si(e Awareness takes yo thro gh stages. I highly recommend the st dy o! as many magical de(elopmental models as possible* incl ding" - ddhist Insight Progress6 3estern Cabalah 9AA;6 Alchemy6 and the .Ten 8+5Herding Pict res/ o! Men - ddhism. As a process* enlightenment is ongoing* and there!ore Incl si(e Awareness sho ld be practised !or li!e.

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RITUAL MAGICK

Abstract 2o are responsible !or yo r reality. 4he +oint To get what yo want. 4he +ractice Think o! something that yo want to occ r. In(ent a rit al. This can be absol tely anything at all* b t i! yo need somewhere to start* obtain items to se as representations o! the people or ob0ects in(ol(ed in yo r desired o tcome* and act o t that o tcome. 'or instance* i! yo r desire is" .S.M. will change her mind and decide to gi(e me the pay5rise I asked !or/* yo might se an in!lated balloon to represent her head* which yo pop* as a representation o! her .changing her mind/. 92o can !ind many e+amples o! rit al magick in the .rimoire section at www.thebaptistshead.co. k.; 7ecide that yo r rit al means the same thing as yo r statement. Per!orm the rit al. 3ait !or the res lt. )$pected Results Some time a!ter the act* yo r desire will mani!est in the !orm o! a synchronicity. - t beware" i! yo r desire is .I will get laid/* yo might !ind yo rsel! ho nded by a rot nd monster at a
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party* who manages to corner yo in the bathroom as yo r !riends s ddenly disappear. The gospel is" .yo get what yo ask !or/. So when yo state yo r desire* do not say" .I want to ha(e se+/. 2o will simply !ind yo rsel! working instantaneo s magick 9i.e. yo will want to ha(e se+;. 2o need to state what yo act ally want to occ r@s ch as" .I will win at the races/. It pays to be speci!ic. 'or instance* .I will ha(e se+ with a bea ti! l lady/ wo ld ha(e been a more pr dent statement o! intent than .I will get laid/.

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SIGIL MAGICK

Abstract 2o are responsible !or yo r reality. 4he +oint To get what yo want. 4he 4echni&ue The method o! sigilisation consists o! writing o t a desire* omitting repeated letters !rom the words yo /(e written* then arranging the remainder into an arbitrary* abstract glyph. The magician then enters a state o! great e+citement or calm* by s ch methods as hyper(entilation* meditation* !lagellation 9or other pain5ind cing practices;* dancing or entheogenic cons mption. Howe(er* the most pop lar method 9!or ob(io s reasons; is se+. At the peak o! the altered state 9this wo ld be orgasm* in the case o! se+; the sigil is (is alised or looked at* and then !orgotten abo t. 3rite down a desire. Create a sigil by omitting repeated letters* then arranging the remainder into an arbitrary* abstract glyph. Mast rbate. At the point o! orgasm* (is alise the sigil. 'orget abo t it. )$pected Results The same as !or Ritual 'agic%* abo(e.
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BANISHING

4he +oint To get rid o! any nwanted mani!estations* !rom e(il spirits yo might ha(e s mmoned* to nsa(o ry emotional states that might ha(e been le!t lingering in the air. 4he +ractice There are many* many banishing rit als* some comple+ and some (ery simple. A banishing sho ld be per!ormed be!ore and a!ter e(ery rit al* nless o! co rse yo want to stay whate(er has been s mmoned or might be l rking. "imple /anishings /anish with Laughter Fa gh. Altho gh !orced at !irst* and a little weird* e(ent ally yo /ll be able to la gh on command in a gen ine !ashion. "mudge - rn some sage and wa!t it aro nd. Ask yo r ancestors and spirit5helpers to aid yo in cleansing yo rsel! and the place* and remo(ing any e(il spirits. *omple$ /anishings The Star R by. The Fesser -anishing Rit al o! the Pentagram. The Gnostic Pentagram -anishing Rit al.
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Finks to detailed descriptions o! all o! these can be !o nd at www.thebaptistshead.co. k. 8! co rse* yo co ld always make one p. Simply drawing a pentagram in the air at the cardinal points works 0 st !ine.

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ENTITY WORK

Abstract 8ne o! the most rewarding !ields o! magical practice is interaction with non5h man intelligences* or working with spirits and gods. This can take many !orms* !rom creating yo r own entities to practicing a religion. 4he +oint To make some interesting !riends* learn abo t the nat re o! 7eity* and get what yo want yo want. 4he 4echni&ue 3orking with spirits* gods or other entities* is (ery simple" yo decide to. Fike this" 7ecide why yo want to work with an entity 9this can be anything !rom a speci!ic reason like wanting to increase yo r wealth* to 0 st plain c riosity;. Pick an appropriate entity 9so i! yo wanted to per!orm some magick related to lo(e* an appropriate goddess to work with might be Ben s. There is also no reason yo can/t pick the spirit o! someone who has died to work with* like an ancestor;. Choose a representation o! the entity to work with6 this co ld be physical 9like a painting or stat e 5 either bo ght or made by yo rsel!;* or imagined 9by (is alising the entity/s !orm 5 what does it look likeNsmell likeNso nd like1;. Alternati(ely* i! yo know it* yo can 0 st work with the entity/s sigil or seal in place o! the entities act al !orm.
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Remember" i! yo choose to (is alise the entity* it doesn/t mean yo are not addressing a real intelligence6 what yo e+perience is the tr th. )ow talk to him or her. I! yo don/t know what to say* consider how yo wo ld talk to any stranger. -e polite and !riendly. I! yo know what the entity likes* gi(e him or her an o!!ering* and in ret rn ask !or help with whate(er problem may be at hand. It !eels silly to ha(e to say this* b t remember" i! yo want to interact with the entity* yo m st decide to interact with the entity* by doing it. 8!!erings can take many !orms* s ch as !ood* !lowers* alcohol* tobacco* art works and e(en breath. Two o! the most .power! l/ o!!erings* that entities !rom all walks o! li!e seem to priAe abo(e all others* are blood and se+. 8!!ering blood does not re, ire amp tation or m rder 9disappointing* I know; O a single drop o! blood e+tracted (ia a sterilised lancet and dabbed on the entities representation will s !!ice. Similarly* in the case o! a se+ al sacri!ice* an orgy isn/t necessary 9b t i! yo /re going to be at one anyway* what the hell1;. Simply anointing the entity with se+ al !l ids !rom a dedicated act o! mast rbation is ade, ate. It m st be stressed that both blood and se+ sacri!ices sho ld only be sed in e+treme cases O they g arantee e+ceptional res lts* b t i! sed !re, ently some spirits will e+pect nothing less in the ! t re O and then where do yo go !rom there1 8nce yo /(e said e(erything yo need to say* thank the entity and say goodbye. It is c stomary to per!orm a banishing rit al here. )$pected Results It m st be remembered that non5h man intelligences can only comm nicate thro gh what is a(ailable O i! yo don/t ha(e
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great (isionary ability* don/t e+pect the entity to pop p and shake yo r hand. I! all yo do is address the entity* gi(e an o!!ering* ask !or help and gi(e thanks* witho t any (isible mani!estation or a booming (oice or ob0ects !loating aro nd yo r room* the magick will still work 9 nless* o! co rse* yo /re r de and e+pect something !or nothing;. I! yo want more than a one5way con(ersation* it can be pr dent to o!!er a means o! comm nication when working with a spirit* s ch as a di(inatory de(ice like a pend l m or 8 i0a board. Another good means is to ask the entity to comm nicate with yo thro gh yo r dreams* or to allow the entity to mani!est thro gh yo r body 9otherwise known as channelling* in(ocation or possession;. Inless an entity has a special interest in yo 9this does happen;* it may take a while be!ore the entity starts (isiting yo spontaneo sly or helping yo o t at times o! need witho t being asked. This is when the real bene!it o! !orming a relationship with a non5h man intelligence becomes apparent.

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THE QABALLAH

Abstract The ni(erse is composed solely o! ideas. The most elementary e+pression o! an idea* and its relationship with any other idea* is mathematical. The primary symbol system o! the ni(erse is there!ore n merical. This makes it possible to attrib te any phenomena whatsoe(er to an appropriate primary symbol. 4he +oint Pro(ision o! a mnemonic system witho t parallel. The ability to nderstand a phenomenon thro gh its relationship to all other phenomena* similar or otherwise. To engage in a habit al contemplati(e method o! red cing the many to the one" a system o! gnana !oga. To greatly increase the e+perience o! intellect al realisation. A means o! increasing depth o! meaning in the e+perience o! synchronicity. The ac, isition o! a ni(ersal means o! comm nication 9especially handy when dealing with non5h man intelligences; and a handy symbol set !or se in rit al. 4he 4echni&ue Choose a Caballah" Hebrew* Greek* Fatin* English* Go)* etc.
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7e(elop a .-ook o! ) mbers/. 3rite down e(ery n mber !rom % to E*%%%. 3ork o t the n merical (al e o! all the ideas that are important to yo 9 sing the Caballah yo ha(e chosen;* and write them ne+t to the corresponding n mber. Add new words as and when necessary. St dy the Tree o! Fi!e* and work o t where each word in yo r .-ook o! ) mbers/ belongs among the ten sephiroth. 9'or n mbers o(er ten* a simple method o! adding the digits together to prod ce the smallest n mber possible is se! l. There are many more methods* and no do bt these will present themsel(es in the co rse o! yo r st dy.; E+amine all possible mathematical relationships* and ascertain what these relationships mean !or the ideas to which yo apply them. Classi!y each phenomenon yo e+perience in terms o! the Tree o! Fi!e* ntil this becomes habit al. (uration The st dy and se o! the Caballah sho ld be a li!e5long habit. It is only a!ter prolonged practice that the real bene!its o! Caballah come to !r ition. )$pected Results All o! the points made nder .The Point/. )ote" The Caballah does not .pro(e/ anything. The Caballah is a per!ect symbol system* capable o! describing the totality o! the ni(erse* b t it is not an ob0ecti(e science. 'or instance* i! I were to disco(er my name has the same n merical (al e as the word .Messiah/* it does not pro(e that I am the Messiah. The Caballah is simply a demonstration o! the relationship between symbols. The most I co ld concl de in this instance is that I am 0 st as m ch God as the Messiah is* and that the Caballah has pro(ided a per!ect symbolic e+pression o! ImmanenceH
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ASTRAL TRAVEL

Abstract E(ery intentional act is an act o! magick. The practice o! magick is there!ore the e+ercise and growth o! conscio s awareness* an e+pansion o! the sel! in all directions and on all le(els o! e+perience. 8ne s ch le(el o! e+perience is the imagination* or astral plane. The magician possesses an imaginary body* which inhabits an imaginary world with its own speci!ic r les* !lora and !a na. 4he +oint An e+pansion o! the sel!. A greater awareness o! the en(ironment o! the imagination and its pec liar laws and nat re. The ability to per!orm acts o! magick in a (irt ally nbo nd medi m. The ability to ha(e e+periences otherwise impossible in the physical realm. 4he 4echni&ue Fie down and rela+. -ecome aware o! yo r imaginary body. Altho gh yo are essentially imagining the body* there sho ld also be an element o! allowing the sensations o! the astral body to arise. -egin to mo(e aro nd in yo r imagined !orm* see with yo r imaginary eyes* hear with yo r imaginary ears* etc.
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'or some* astral tra(el comes easily* b t !or a lot o! people it can be di!!ic lt. I! yo are str ggling to .lea(e/ the physical body or nable to sense with yo r imaginary senses* then there is only one possible co rse o! action@practiseH Some !ind it se! l to mo(e a physical limb* remember what the physical sensation !elt like* and then se that memory as basis !or mo(ing the corresponding astral limb* and th s slowly b ilding p the astral !orm. Howe(er* I (ery m ch belie(e in simply repeating the abo(e e+ercise@ s ally* the .knack/ is s ddenly gained and all problems (anish. E+plore* b t be ca tio s@not all astral beings are who they say they are* and not all beings mean well. It is pr dent to ha(e a good banishing rit al nder yo r belt. I! yo wish to gain a greater nderstanding o! a certain idea* tra(el to its astral abode. 'or instance* i! yo wish to e+plore Malk th on the Tree o! Fi!e* yo can create a door with the necessary attrib tes 9s ch as the appropriate colo r* symbol* and material pec liar to Malk th; in order to take yo there. Always be s re to ret rn yo r astral body to yo r physical body at the end o! practice. 9Consider what might happen to yo r physical body* i! yo le!t it nattendedH; (uration At least hal! an ho r e(eryday* ntil basic competency is achie(ed 9i.e. yo consistently e+perience the astral plane and yo rsel! !rom a !irst5person perspecti(e* and yo r imaginary body* or .body o! light/ is good and solid;. Therea!ter* e+plore as o!ten as is re, ired. )$pected Results Mastery o! the astral plane.

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RISING ON THE PLANES

Abstract Enlightenment is possible thro gh any plane or le(el o! e+perience. 4he +oint An e+pansion o! the sel!. The e+perience o! trance states* mystical (isions and the process o! enlightenment. 4he 4echni&ue Fie down and rela+. -ecome aware o! yo r imaginary body. Altho gh yo are essentially imagining the body* there sho ld also be an element o! allowing the sensations o! the astral body to arise. 8nce in yo r astral body 9this sho ld be mastered be!ore attempting the c rrent practice;* rise pwards in a straight line. 7o not stop rising. The aim is to contin e rising in yo r astral body* regardless o! what may be seen* heard or e+perienced ntil yo either lose conscio sness !rom e+ha stion* or e+perience a desired res lt. 8nce yo wake p* record what occ rred. (uration 8nce a day.

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)$pected Results A plethora o! wonder! l mystical e(ents. 3ith dedicated practice* yo can e+pect engagement with the process o! enlightenment.

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DIVINATION

Abstract In order to di(ine an answer to a , estion* it is necessary to ha(e a n mber o! representations o! possible answers to that , estion6 and so the better di(inatory systems* s ch as the I Ching and Tarot* ha(e e(ol(ed into complete maps o! reality where all phenomena can be attrib ted to a .correct place/ or meaning. 4he +oint The contin ed se o! s ch maps will not only gi(e yo the ability to !oresee the ! t re i.e. the symbols yo read !or yo r answer will share the same nat re as a ! t re e(ent* b t will go some way to !acilitating a comprehensi(e nderstanding o! the past and present. 7i(ination is a means o! ac, iring wisdom. 4he 4echni&ue There are three approaches to di(ination* !or which I ha(e pro(ided three e+ercises" )$ercise 6 In(estigate an e+isting method o! di(ination that o!!ers a complete map o! the world* s ch as the Tarot or the I Ching. Per!orm a reading !or the day or week ahead !or a period o! a month or longer* and record the res lts.

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)$ercise 2 In(estigate an e+isting method o! di(ination that o!!ers simple .yes/ and .no/ answers* s ch as the pend l m or o i0a board. Per!orm a di(ination !or the day or week ahead !or the period o! a month or longer* and record the res lts. )$ercise 7 In(ent yo r own method o! di(ination. Per!orm a di(ination !or the day or week ahead !or the period o! a month or longer* and record the res lts. )$pected Results The answers to yo r , estions* and a means o! comm nicating with non5h man intelligences.

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THE HOLY GUARDIAN ANGEL

Abstract The ni(erse is the Godhead e+pressed in matter. The ni(erse is in a process o! realising itsel! as the Godhead* and this .enlightenment/ is the destiny o! all li(ing things. Howe(er* this realisation is non5d al* and so any attempt at achie(ing this .enlightenment/ is necessarily a mo(e away !rom it. 8ne method aro nd this di!!ic lty is to work with a d alistic e+pression o! the non5d al. 4he -ol! .uardian Angel is one s ch e+pression* and can there!ore be considered yo r ! t re magical sel! 9as the non5d al is yo r inescapable !ate;. -eca se the Holy G ardian Angel is yo r ! t re magical sel!* he or she is the g r par e$cellence. 4he +oint A !ast track to magical power and enlightenment. 2o /re not really a magician ntil the knowledge and con(ersation o! yo r HGA is achie(ed. 4he +ractice 7ecide yo want to obtain the knowledge and con(ersation o! yo r Holy G ardian Angel. In(ent a rit al whereby yo in(oke yo r angel and ask it to contact yo . As a (ery simple e+ample* create a representation o! yo r HGA* s ch as an arbitrary abstract glyph* and looking at it* either drawn on a piece o! paper or (is alised* say" .I in(oke yo * my Holy G ardian Angel*/ and" .I ask yo to contact me/.
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9In my own case* I had great s ccess with asking my angel to contact me (ia dream.; Repeat this in(ocation* which can be as simple as the e+ample* or as comple+ as a twel(e5part poem. Repeat as many times as yo !eel necessary. Entering a meditati(e state be!orehand may help* as may a dimly5lit temple !illed with incense. Create whate(er atmosphere and conditions yo !eel are necessary. 7o not banish a!ter the rit al6 yo want yo r HGA to stick aro nd. 3ait !or res lts. (uration In(oke !or hal! an ho r a day* and do it e(ery day !or as long as it takes. A!ter contact is made* yo /ll work with yo r HGA !or the rest o! yo r li!e. )$pected Results 'irst o! all* a ten5!old impro(ement in yo r magical ability. Second* yo /ll get e+actly what yo need at e+actly the right time in terms o! yo r magical de(elopment. 2o /ll e+perience s ccess in meditation to a degree and !re, ency !ar beyond what was possible witho t yo r HGA. +rogress 8nce contact is made* yo /ll recei(e teaching !rom the HGA that will e(ent ally lead to nion with the angel* a!ter an e(ent known as .Crossing the Abyss/. Enlightenment comes a!ter.

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