VooDoo

Overview of VooDoo

Introduction

Voodoo is a system of beliefs, a religion, and a practical magical system with its roots in black Africa.The centers from which voodoo spread thorugh the world and developed are Benin, Togo, Burkina Faso, south-east Gana and Senegal in Africa, where the terms Vodou, Vodoun, Vudu and Vudun are in use, and Haiti, where the term Voudon is in use.The Haiti islands are a specific background, where a special system developed , that consists of original elements and cults form black Africa mixed with creole legacy and catholic cult; further mixing with catholic cults and religion is noticed in Brasil, but we will deal with this later on.
The foundations of voodoo lie in the worship of ancestors and a multitude of Loa or deities, as well as a supreme being, the creators of all Universe.The basic purpose of voodoo as a practical system is to influence daily life, and to communicate with ancestors and deities through which that influence is made possible, and also the travel of the man's soul into spiritually higher realms.Although there are a multitude of Loa (this term signifies the singular as well the plural), we will focus our attention only on main Families of Loa, which are three in number, and which are common to all systems of voodoo.The Loa are forms given to manifestations of the divine force, in order to make easier the communication between them and the human race.That communication is not possible with the Creator, the Supreme Beings, who are away and beyond the realms of human existence, and serve as the upholders of the Creation, the Ones who make certain that all functions well and flows in its course; a good parallel would be Orlog, the eternal law, above humans and gods, from the ancient nordic tradition.Now we will deal with those Supreme Beings and the Loa.

The Supreme Beings

These are the Creators and upholders of the Universe.The common names for this Being are Mawu,Mahou or Mau, Olorun, Oniyama and Olodumare, in different traditions; as said before, these beings cannot be contacted and nothing can be asked of them; it is the Loa who serve this purpose, the intermediate between the Supreme and humanity.In Rada, one of the three main families of Loa, Damballah and Ayida-Wedo are also respected and worshipped; these male and female Supreme Beings are symbolised by two snakes surrounded by rainbows; these two are also of the supreme gods, but their purpose is to give love to all Creation; but, since they cannot understand human tongues, we are again compelled to address the Loa for our purposes.

The Loa

There are three main families of the Loa:

1.Rada Loa: this is a very old family, consisting mainly of benevolent Loa.The most important are Legba, Loko, Ayizan and Erzulie.Their traditional colour is white.

2.Petro Loa: a young Family, very practical and magical.It developed in the New world, so it has not a completely african background.It is said that it formed in the year 1768., on Haiti, through the medium Don Pedro, who himself became a Loa after his death.Other most important Loa are Marinette, Ogun and Carrefour.This family's colour is red.

3.Ghuede Loa: this family consists of the spirits of the dead.They are very powerful in the arts of healing and children protection, but are also tricksters.There are many Loa in this Family, but the most important is the Baron Samedi, who is also called Baron Cimitiere, Baron LaCroix, and Maman Brigitte or Grande Brigitte, where ''Grande'' stands for ''Granny''; she is the female complementary to Baron Samedi, and some say that she is his wife and consort.They are both guardians and protectors of graves and cemeteries, and crossroads, and particularly the central points of the crossroads.Their colours are black and purple, and also red.


The most important Loa

Baron Samedi

He is usually visualised as a man in a black suit, with a skull for his head, black sunglasses, black hat and cotton in his nostrils, just like a corpse ready for burial the Haiti way.He stands in the center of the crossroads, through which souls travel to Guinee (the astral counterpart of Africa, which symbolises the common home of all men, and whose center is Ville-aux-Champs,a city which could be viewed as paradise or Tiphareth); as such he posesses the keys to life, death and resurrection; he's also a very sexual Loa, and is sometimes portraited with his phallus in erection.He loves tobacco and rum.



Bacalou Baca

He is usually viewed as an ''evil'', or ''black'' Loa; he is respected mostly by the ''fazer les zombies'', the black magicians who turn men into zombies, and the ''servir-aux-deux-mains'', magicians who do not practice black magic as a rule, but offer such services for money.

Papa Leghba

He is the Opener of the Gates, spiritual and material, the absolute Initiator, who, as such, is often identified with Christ.He makes possible the communication with the Loa, and is the guardian of spiritual crossroads.He is one of the most revered Loa, and si saluted first in all ceremonies.He is usually represented as an old man smoking a pipe.

Erzulie

A female Loa who has several forms; as Erzulie Freda, she is the epitomy of female sensuality and beauty, the goddess of luxury, love, jewels, and precious stones; her colours are pink, blue and gold.In the form of Erzulie Dantor, she is an old woman with many scars, who in one hand holds a knife, and in the other protectively holds a child; she protects woman and children, and is also associated with protection of gay men and women.She is laso, sometimes and in certain cults, represented as the Black Madonna.She is also Erzulie La Sirene, a form which probably derives form the ancient nigerian snake-goddess Ezi-Aku.

Ogoun

The great Loa of the Rada Family; he also has different forms.This is a male Loa, with all male and martian qualities; he is a warrior, ruling over thunder, storms, swords and all weapons of steel, and guards and protects the warrior in battle.His are the steel and red colur, the colour of blood.As Ogun Badagris, he is a phallic and magical Loa who helps in divination and foretelling, and as Ogun Fer, he is a pure warrior.

Carrefour or Kalfu

''Carrefour'' means ''crossroads''.This Loa controls the crossroads, but the points further away form the centre; he controls the evil spirits, and measures the misfortune, death and disease to be led from the spiritual world into ours.He is the Lord of spells, magic and sorcery.Although he is not the most favourite Loa, he is very respected.

Marassa Jumeaux

These are the divine twins; the Lords of justice, happiness and spiritual wealth.They symbolise the dual nature of the Universe (or Multiverse, as Thorsson would say), and the nature of men and gods and their interaction.


Religions and systems closely conncted to voodoo


Santeria

''Santeria'' means ''the way of saints''.This religion rerspects the Supreme beings Olorun and Olodumare, male and female, the Cretaors of the Universe, and the lower spirits, the Orisha, and also the Ara Orun, ''people of the sky'', who are the souls of the ancestors.This religion derives form the old Lukumi religion, practiced among the Yoruba people, and this word Lukumi derives form the ancient word Olukumi, which means ''my friend''; I think that this word explains a lot of the interaction between the Orisha, the ancestors and the faithful.Santeria, as is today, appeared for the first time in XVIII century on Cuba.As the religion of the slaves, it was practically outlawed, and hence the identification of many Orishas with catholic saints, which served as a disguise for them and thie cult.This religion is ''responsible'' for connecting voodoo with the sacrifice of animals, since it is regular poractice to sacrifice chickens, in order to satsify the Orishas thirst for blood, which is satisfied when the mediums, posessed by the spirits, drink the blood of ther animals.However, this practice is discarded by the esotheric voudon of the adept Michael Bertiaux, who will be adressed shortly.

Umbanda

This is a union of spiritualism, catholic cult and ancinet afro-brasilian voodoo cults.It was made manifest by the medium Ze'lio Fernandinho de Soares in the early XX century.The name itself derives form the angolan word ''K'imbundu'', which means ''to practice religion''.The Umbandas worship the Orishas, disguised as catholic saints, and the spirits , who again divide into two ''falanga'':

-Caboclo, the spirits of the brasilian Indian tribes, who give knowledge about the herbs and their use, and the forces of nature, and

-Pretos Velhos, the spirits of black slaves, who give aid in times of suffering.

The main spirits are Yemanja, a female principle symbolised by the ocean s and the seas, and Oxum, another female principle symbolised by the waterfalls and rivers, Xango, the male principle of justice and law, symbolised by the rocks and mountains, Ogoun who is of course the protector of soldiers and warriors, and Exus, male and female spirits who are intermediates between different Loa families and betwen the Loa and men.

Candomblé

A religion mainly based in Brasil and surrounding countries; it venerates Olorun as the Creator and Orishas as his messengers and servitors.A number of catholic saints are also respected.Candomble is also called Macumba, especially in the area of Rio de Janeiro, but these two are very different.The main Candomble ritual is ''toque'', which consists of the preparatory part, made only by the priests and initiates, and the festive part, in which the mediums are ''ridden'' by the orishas, and all ends with a banquet.

Macumba or Quimbanda

Macumba is a Bantu word; although this religion is somewhat similar to what is mentioned above, it is very much connected with european witchraft and sorcery, therefore a very practical religion who indulges into practices of white nad black magic as well, most often necromancy.Preparation of potions, poisons, spells and dolls is often precticed.The two most important Loa are Exu and Pomba Gira.Exu is the protector of crossroads in more practical and material way, the giver of happiness and misery, and connected with all things pertaining to death, also a psychopomp, also venerated in santeria cult. Pomba Gira is considered to be his wife and consort; she emanates femininity and sensuality, and desire.

Hoodoo

This is probably the most ancient form of voodoo; it was imported to Americas with the arrival of the first black slaves.It is based on spells, sorcery, working with herbs, potions, and communication with spirits.The word Hoodoo derives from the Ewe people word ''hudu'' which designates someone practicing magic.Hoodoo was brought to its heights by the Adept Michael Bertiaux, with whom we will deal shortly.The main aim of Hoodo is to give its practicioners access to ''supernatural'' forces in order to gain influence and control daily life, form gains in gambling, success in love, obtaining knowledge etc.The peculiarity of Hoodoo is that it has no hierarchy, no prescribed religious services and no priesthood.All this is accomplished through communication with Hoodoo spirits, who assure that the practices will be successful, and who give the petitioners what they want.


Michael Bertiaux, Lucky Hoodoo, Esotheric Voudon
and organisations Ordo Templi Orientis Antiqua and Societe La Coulevre Noire


The most advanced and practical form of Hoodoo, and probably of all voodoo is the system of the esotheric voudon of the adept Michael Bertiaux, working through his magical Orders Ordo Templi Orientis Antiqua(OTOA) and Societe La Coulevre Noire (LCN).
THis sytem is thoroughly explained in his capital book ''The Voudon-Gnostic Workbook''; we will say only that its basis is the communication with the Lucky Hoodoo spirits, who in their turn are the spirits of the powerful magicians form the lost continent of Atlantis, and who continue to practice their magic on the ocean flor even today, and the older they get, the more power they gain.The practice consists of a simple ritual of showing devotion to the Spirits and of placing oneself in their service, and a small daily ritual thorugh which a magician shows them respect and devotion.This system is worked on in Bertiaux's magical Orders OTOA, which is based on the combination of the gnostic-hermetic european traditions and haitian metaphysics, and the LCN is based solely on studying the voudon gnosis and afro-atlantean mysteries in their purest form.


New Orleans voodoo

Maybe the greatest respect for the spreading of interest of voodoo is to be given to New Orleans, the city which has , with its colourful and mixed legacy, springing form the melting-pot of religions and cultures, always been considered the voodoo-town.
It has been so since the first slaves arrived, and it is so today.The ''golden age'' of voodoo in New Orleans was definitely the time between the years 1820. to 1860.Voodoo ceremonies were held publicly, on the renown Congo square, and mainly on Sunday, the free-day of the slaves.They were held by the balck slaves coming directly form Africa, and also by the Creole population; but the Creole thing is considered to be ''only'' the veneration of their african roots, without the necessary undersatnding of the rituals, but the slaves were in touch with the current, and their ceremonies were outright voodoo rituals in public.The 1830s were the time of Maman or Mambo Marie Laveau, the first voodoo priestess to be publicly known and accepted; she was a freewoman of Creole background, and was so respected that the New Orleans elite came to visit her for her services, and she was even allowed to practice her rituals behind the New Orleans cathedral.However, after the civil war, voodoo was practically oulawed, but that was short-termed, and it flourished again, as it flourishes today.
The men who gave great service to voodoo were, of course, the earliest blues musicians form New Orleans; particularly Dr.John, who took his name after the name fo John ''Dr. John'' Montenet,m a renowned voodoo magician, and of course Robert Johnson, who allegedly sold his soul to the ''devil'', famous for his song ''Devil and Me''.There are some voodoo element sin dixie, but in a much smaller manner.

Voodoo rituals

There are as many rituals as there are voodoo families; we will consider only the basis of every voodoo ritual.It consists of:

-A feast before very ritual
-Making of a veve, or a ritual sigil pertaining to a specific spirit involved in the ritual, or a sigil that symbolises the request that is to be gratned by the spirits, or most often both
-Using of instruments, mainly drums and rattles
-Singing of songs pertaining to the spirits and the purpose of the ritual
-Ritual dancing
-In some cults, mostly Santeria, sacrificing of animals, a dog, a sheep, a goat or a chicken.





Religions similar to voodoo

Obeah

Obeah or Obi is the term for sorcery in language of the Ashanti people.It is practiced foremost on Jamaica, but also in Trinidad and Tobago, Belize and Bahamas.Its roots lie in Western and central Africa; its baisi is sorcery, very similar to Hoodoo sorcery.The practice consists mainly of preparing potions, amulets and talismans.The term Obeah is also important in the thelemic universe.

Kumina

This system is based in eastern Jamaica.It has two pillars: one is the communication with the souls of the ancestors, thorugh medianic posession, and the other is the communication with ''nkisi'', spirits who are an amalgam of the souls of the ancestors and some natural forces.


Palo

Very similar to Kumina, Palo is practiced mainly in Cuba and Dominican Republic.The mephasisi is on the forces of nature, and natural objects such as trees, stones, branches, streams are considered to be of great power.

Spiritual Baptism Church

An afro-caribbean religion combining elements of old african religions and protesthantism, borught here by the balck soldiers who served under British flag in the american Independence war.It is also called a ''shouting church'', since its faithful clap hands and shout when they ''catch the spirit''.





Voodoo is a very colourful religion who attracts much interest and followers.This is because it has no dogma, no strict hierarchy, no burden of original sin, no threat of Hell, it is close to nature and, above all, it has the subconscious appeal that leads us far away, to a world far beyond the known and official history; a primal world before the beginning.It leads us to Guinee, the primeval home of all mankind, and gives us the possibility to communicate with our ancestors, the ancestors of all men, the benevolent Loa, who will lead us by their wisdom to Ville-aux-Champs, the City in the Fields, the final resting place of the soul.

Psychic Sheilding

Psychic Shielding
by Druidess of Disir

Good shielding techniques should, in my personal opinion, be one of the first few
essential lessons for those seeking to learn how to sense and use their own personal
energies and the energies present in the world around them. And so I offer my own
techniques and experiences on this very important basic lesson.

Most good shielding requires the student have some aptitude at and knowledge of
visualization techniques, which may be combined with meditation. Basic energy sensing
and manipulation is also helpful, although not necessarily required. Both are beyond the
scope of this essay.

Importance of Shielding
I cannot stress enough the importance of good shielding techniques. Opening oneself to
be able to feel and manipulate internal and external energies can also leave one
vulnerable to attack and influence of directed and undirected energies. Below are a few
examples of directed and undirected energies:
• Car salesmen (or any salespeople, for that matter) are notorious schmooze artists.
Part of their innate charisma is a natural ability (subconscious or not) to
energetically push their will upon their customers. This would also apply to any
successful con artist. A good shield on the part of the customer may cause some
vexation to the salesman who is unable to convince him to buy more than he can
afford.

• Most people at one time or another have had the experience of walking into a
room just after a heated argument has occurred. Even though they may not have
witnessed or heard the fight, and the people in the room were acting friendly
toward each other, a good number of people will say they can feel the tension in
the air and may actually be more prone to hostility after entering the room. This
can be thought of as psychic residue, and can strongly affect some people. The
same could be said for a space in which any emotionally charged event has
occurred. Shielding can help keep such freeloading energies from having an
unwanted effect.

• There are quite a number of people who, through either natural ability or good
training, can sense details about other people. That is, people who can psychically
Read another person if that person is not well shielded. Conversely, nearly
everyone could probably come up with the names of a few people who never
seem to let on what they're truly thinking. They are unreadable and probably
very well shielded through either innate ability or practice.

• There are some people who are so negative that they drain other people mentally,
emotionally, physically and psychically. Almost everyone can probably think of
at least one friend or acquaintance who can ruin the best day and make them feel
tired or even physically ill. Effective shielding can reduce or eliminate this effect.

Basic Techniques – Visualizations
The basic techniques for shielding are very simple, but they require quite a bit of practice
at first to be effective. Here are a few simple methods for the novice.
Beginner Visualization (The White Egg)
The most basic shielding technique involves the student visualizing a barrier of some sort
around him/herself. The most basic barrier is probably the sphere or egg of white light.
The technique is as follows:
Ground and center your energy using whatever method you wish. Close your eyes
and breathe deeply for a few minutes. Allow yourself to see your body with your
mind's eye. Hold this image until it becomes stable. Now see your skin begin to
glow with white light. Allow this light to become a layer that covers your entire
body. Let it expand to be as thick as you think it needs to be and continue to grow
outward. As it moves away from the surface of your body, it becomes a glowing
white egg (or sphere) encircling you from all directions. Allow it to expand to the
edge of your personal comfort zone. Know that you are safe within this space, and
allow yourself to feel calm here. Hold this image firmly in your mind for several
minutes before opening your eyes.

Use this visualization whenever you feel you need protection, and particularly before
doing any other energetic or psychic work. It is also a good practice to begin your day
with this visualization and to consciously draw your attention toward the mental image of
your shield throughout the day whenever you think about it or when you feel you need it.
At first, it may be necessary to go through the entire visualization (which may take some
people up to 10 minutes or so) every time you want to shield yourself. This is perfectly
normal. It should become much easier with practice, and it may eventually require only a
few seconds to complete the visualization.

Visualization Variations
There are many different ways to visualize a shield around your physical body. Some
people like the white light method. Others prefer to visualize something more familiar
and solid around them than a glowing white egg. I have included below some variations
to use in place of the white egg. Just use the exercise above and replace the egg with
whatever else you'd like to use.

• Marshmallows or pillows: to give the feeling of a little extra padding between you
and whatever you happen to face.

• Wire mesh: filters out the bad stuff while still allowing Good vibes to come
through.

• Mirror: reflects negativity back to the originator.

• Brick walls: for especially tough shields.

• Fire: burns away bad stuff.

and the list goes on! Whatever you can imagine that you think would be a good shield
you can use. The important thing is that it makes you feel safe and that you practice with
it enough that you are comfortable putting up your shield on short notice.

Intermediate/Advanced Techniques – Energy Manipulation
The more advanced practitioner may want to incorporate energy manipulation into their
visualization exercises when shielding. The basic technique is again very simple and the
variations are only limited by the imagination and ability of the practitioner.

Basic Energy Shield
Ground and center your energy. Become aware of your personal energy field.
Begin to expand it outward a comfortable distance from your body. Concentrate
the energy at the edge of the field so that it becomes thick and impenetrable.
Focus on this long enough that the field does not disperse easily.
Here is a second method for this exercise:
Ground and center your energy. Bring your hands together in front of you and
form a Ball of energy between your hands. Allow this ball to grow in size and
intensity until it surrounds you on all sides. Focus long enough that the shield
does not disperse easily.

Once again, the exercise may be used whenever you feel like you need protection or in
the morning as part of beginning your day. With practice, this exercise should become
easy enough that the whole process takes only a few seconds.

Energy Shield Variations
The energy shield can be varied in much the same way that the visualization shield can be
varied. Energy for the shield can be drawn from different sources, including the earth
itself. The possibilities are truly limitless.

Proper shielding techniques should be one of the cornerstones of any magical or psychic
training. The techniques are so simple almost any beginner can perform them and are
easily mastered with a little practice. Don't be afraid to experiment with the techniques
until you find one that works well for you. There are probably as many methods for
shielding as there are people who do it, and there really is not a single Right way. Nor
are there any wrong ways.

Copyright „ 2003 Lubbock Seeker's Society. Permission is given to redistribute as long
as proper credit is given to the author and this copyright notice is attached. The author
can be contacted at druidess_of_disir@sbcglobal.net.
Source: http://www.lubbockpagans.org/articles/shielding.pdf

Grounding

Grounding: A Vital Part
of Empathic Protection

Grounding is one of the most vital and healthy self-care activities you can do. It is easy and should be done on a regular basis. But what exactly is grounding?

Grounding is the process of bringing your energy in harmony with the resonance of the earth. Grounding slows, calms, and infuses you with strength and steadiness. It is a vital practice for everyone, but particularly for sensitive people who may often feel "wound up," "ungrounded," or drained by our surroundings.

Grounding is also important because our modern lifestyle sometimes rips us away from the healing, strengthening qualities of nature and the earth. Luckily, you don't have to go on a woodland retreat to reconnect with nature. Grounding can easily be done in various way around your own home:


Six Ways to Ground Yourself

1. Garden Mindfully. The next time you work in your garden, yard, or tend to your houseplants, take time to truly notice the plants. Pay close attention to the shapes of their leaves, the saturated color of the flowers, and feel their textures. We often take plants and trees for granted, never taking the time to appreciate their spectacular diversity.

2. Grounding Bath. A bath can be made grounding with bath salts (or with Epsom Salt from your drugstore for a less expensive alternative). Salt is very grounding and purifying. Add salts to your next bath, and picture the salt extracting your worries and unwanted energies, while you feel yourself connecting with water and earth.

3. Eat Grounding Foods. Many foods are very grounding including root vegetables (such as carrots and potatoes) and unrefined grains. Cooking with plenty of herbs and spices enhances the grounding quality of your meals.

4. A Regular Routine. The times when we feel most "spacey" and vulnerable often coincide with feeling our lives are "out of control." You may be on autopilot all day, meeting the needs of one demand after the next. Bedtime comes and you realize another day has past during which you never stopped to breathe, ground, or take care of yourself. Setting a regular routine of self-care can help. Allot time in the early morning, afternoon, AND evening for yourself. Even if it is just 5 minutes each time, use these times wisely to breathe slow, deep breaths, meditate, and ground. Your day will take on a much different tone with this slight adjustment to your schedule. Make these self-care times part of your daily routine, and stick to it!

If you are a parent with small children, use your child's nap time, favorite TV time, and a time when your partner can watch the children to implement these small, but extremely important grounding rituals.

5. Trees. Get to know the trees in your neighborhood and nearby parks. Many of us walk, jog or run for stress-relief when all the while we are zooming past one of the best stress-relievers on the planet - trees! Trees are more than happy to help teach you how to ground.

During your next walk, take time to stop and notice particular trees that stand out to you. They may be particularly majestic or unusual. Feel the tree's bark, appreciate its form, and let the tree's energy flow through you. Especially take the time to get to know the trees on your property.
6. Grounding Meditation. Grounding meditations should be a regular part of your meditation practice. Following is an example of a grounding meditation. If practical, try this meditation outside sometime, on the ground, or near a tree. If you are sitting inside, make sure your feet are planted firmly on the floor. You can also listen to this meditation in mp3 audio format at meditations.

Grounding Meditation

Sit peacefully and relax. Let the ground or chair support you. Let your muscles go. You don't have to exert any effort to sit there. Take in an easy, deep breath... and let it out your mouth, parting your lips slightly as you exhale. Let your arms feel heavy, pulling down your shoulders. Breathe... Let that heavy feeling flow down your torso and legs, so you feel heavy and relaxed all the way down to your feet on the ground.

Now picture and feel roots growing from your feet down into the ground. Just like a tree's roots... going down into the layers of cool dirt... growing around rocks... traveling further and further down into the earth. Let the roots grow as deeply as you wish.

Now feel the healing, rhythmic energy of the earth itself flowing up through your roots... slowly traveling up...through your roots, up to your feet and quickly filling your entire body. Feel this positive, grounded, earth energy throughout your being. Take in a deep, cleansing breath... and release. When you are ready, open your eyes and know that this grounded energy will remain with you throughout your day.


courtesy of Lightworker Redfoxsees

http://www.myspace.com/karing4U

Developing Your Psychic Abilities

People frequently ask how they can "become psychic" or develop what psychic abilities they have. Here's the good news: we are ALL already psychic! Some of us are more naturally developed, but each of us can work on developing our psychic abilities further. First here's a brief explanation of the types of psychic ability:

Clairvoyance (clear-seeing)

Having "visions", seeing images (still or moving) on the inner screen of the mind (eyes can be open or closed). Also includes seeing auras, apparitions, angels, etc. In other words, seeing beyond the physical. The area of the body that receives the psychic impressions for this sense is located in the center of the forehead (the Third Eye).

Claircognizance (clear-knowing)

Having knowledge of certain situations/people/places without having any information to facilitate such knowing. This can be things of the past, present or future (premonitions). A common statement from people who are strong in this ability is, "I don't know how I know, I just know." The location for this sense is on the top of the head (the Crown chakra).

Clairaudience (clear-hearing)

Hearing voices, music and other sounds that do not have a physical source. This can include hearing voices of those on the "other side" (deceased people), our guardian angels or spirit guides, our higher selves, or God/dess. This can also include hearing voices/music/sounds that are actually echoes of the past - this happens alot in haunted buildings). The locations for this sense are on each side of the head, just above the ears.

Clairsentience (clear-feeling or clear-sensing)

"Feeling" things about people or situations that we otherwise could not know. People who are strong in this ability often talk about having "gut feelings" about things, and are usually very sensitive to energies and emotions of other people. Negative energies can often cause a wrenching or queasy feeling in the abdominal area. This sense can also warn of problematic upcomings or situations (having a "bad" feeling about something). This sense is located in the solar plexus.

Clairalience (clear-smelling)

Smelling things that have no physical source. Very common in haunted areas, but can also be an indication that a deceased loved one is with us (i.e. smelling your mother's favorite flower suddenly while in a closed room during winter). It can be their way of contacting us, letting us know they're around.

Clairhambience (clear-tasting)

Tasting things without having eaten them. Most often relates to spirit communication, as with Clairalience.

Developing Your Psychic Abilities

You have probably already recognized one or two of these traits within yourself. Most people are strong in one or two of these senses, and not so strong in the rest. While you can learn to develop all of these senses, most commonly you'll end up relying on the one or two you are naturally strongest in. Very often, people say that they don't seem to have control over these abilities, it just happens "when it wants to". By working on developing these skills, we make it easier to use them on demand.

Below are some exercises to help you develop your own psychic abilities. Before beginning, sit in a quiet room where you will not be disturbed, and do some slow, deep breathing until you are in a calm, relaxed state. Visualize soothing white light encasing you, infusing you with peace and calm, surrounding you with powerful protection. Empty your mind of all worries and let the white light erase all tension from your body. When you have reached a state of inner calm and relaxation, you are ready to begin. (Note: while working with these areas, you may experience certain sensations such as tingling, warmth, or coolness. This is normal, and it's okay as long as it isn't causing you any discomfort. If you feel any tightness or strain, you are focusing too hard. Try to relax your focus a bit.)

Clairvoyance Exercises

When just beginning to work on developing your clairvoyance, I suggest that you do the exercises with your eyes closed. This will reduce distractions. Once you become more familiar with the third eye, you'll discover that you can access it easily whether your eyes are open or closed. To begin, close your eyes and see the "inner screen" of your mind. Do you see anything? Sometimes you'll see moving lights or shapes in the blackness, other times you may not. Stay like this for a moment, paying attention to anything you see. Now shift your focus slightly up, toward the center of your forehead (eyes still closed). Visualize this area of your forehead "opening", like an expanding circle. You are now accessing the third eye center. Don't force it or strain too hard, you'll only end up giving yourself a headache! Just sit quietly, focusing on this area of your inner vision, and notice if you see anything. Don't be discouraged if you don't right away. With frequent practice, you will develop. If you are already fairly well developed in clairvoyance, you may see faces, shapes or images without having to wait too long.

Once you begin to develop, you might want to try remote viewing. Sit quietly and visualize a place other than where you are. You might try visualizing your parents' home, your place of work, or even another room of your house. Shift your focus upward to the third eye area and see if you pick up anything that may be happening in that other place. Make a note of what you see, and then try to verify it and see if you were correct. For example, before going to work, sit quietly and try to "see" what a particular co-worker will be wearing that day. Make a note of any impressions you get. When you get to work, see if you were correct. See if you can tell what's happening in your best friend's home at the moment you are remote viewing, then call her/him and ask what they were just doing. I think you may be surprised by how often you will be correct. And of course with frequent practice, you'll be even better!

People who are fairly well developed in clairvoyance may often "see things" out of the corner of their eye. In buildings where there is paranormal activity, this is quite common. You might see streaks or orbs of light, you might see a shadow pass by, or an actual silhouette of a person or animal. But when you turn your head to get a better look, it's gone. Why is that? Because when you turn to FOCUS on something, your physical eyes assume the majority of the focus. Try a little experiment right now. Look straight ahead at a particular object (the computer screen is fine). Notice that you can see out of the corners of your eyes (this is your peripheral field of vision). Even while keeping your gaze focused straight ahead, you can still see to the right and left. You are more apt to see something non-physical out of the corner of your eye simply because your focus is relaxed in that area. Now try another experiment. Look straight ahead, but relax your entire focus. Let your eyes go slightly "out of focus" so that everything looks kind of blurry or hazy. In this state, your third eye will take over while your physical eyes are resting. Keep doing this and you may start seeing all kinds of things, from apparitions to auras!

Claircognizance Exercises

While sitting quietly, close your eyes and focus your attention on the top of your head. Visualize a large funnel or cone above your head, the narrowest point just above your head, extending upward to the widest point, about a foot above your head. Notice any impressions you receive, no matter how faint or unusual they may be. You can do this while thinking about a specific event or situation, and see if you can predict certain things, such as things that might happen to you that day, or perhaps people you will run into unexpectedly. Or you can just do this in a general way, by opening yourself to whatever may come through. It is important to acknowledge what you receive. Don't just chalk it up to imagination right away. Make a note of what you perceive, no matter how strange or farfetched it might seem at first. With practice you'll discover your accuracy improving, and likely this ability will begin activating itself without any effort on your part. You'll be one of those people who say, "I just know."

Clairaudience Exercises

Close your eyes to minimize distractions, and focus your attention on the left and right sides of your head, just above your ears. Feel those areas "opening", like widening circles. Do you hear anything? You might not at first, it may take time and practice. What types of things will you hear, you ask? You might hear voices or muted conversation (often it's too faint to make out exactly what's being said), you might hear music (again, it might be faint), or a host of other sounds. Once you begin to develop this sense, don't be surprised if divine guidance comes in this way! One morning as I was leaving the house, I got into my car and very clearly heard a male voice say, "Don't speed". There wasn't a physical person in the car besides me, so I figured it must be one of my spirit guides speaking. "Okay," I said, "I won't speed." But I was late for an appointment and soon forgot that advice. Once I got on the freeway, I stepped hard on the accelerator. Thankfully I was only going about 10 mph over the speed limit, because as I rounded a bend, there were two police cars parked on the median with radar on! Whoops! They didn't pull me over though. I was lucky that time, what if there had been an accident waiting for me rather than a potential speeding ticket? Now I make a point to ALWAYS listen to the guidance I receive, whether I hear it, see it, feel it or "know" it! You should do the same. Don't doubt yourself or ignore what you hear.

Now, when I talk about "hearing" as in clairaudience, it's not quite the same as hearing with our physical ears. Most often these sounds come through as thoughts. You know that voice you talk to yourself with in your mind? Like when you're wondering what you need at the grocery store, "Hmm, I'm pretty sure we have enough paper towels at home, but I'm not sure....maybe I should buy some just in case. Oh, and I can't forget tomatoes..." THAT voice. You're not actually hearing anything physically, you're hearing clairaudiently. It's the same when you hear voices of spirits, spirit guides, angels, and even God/dess. You might hear these things as if it was your own inner voice speaking, or you might hear it in a different voice. Very rarely will the voices be loud and "external". Usually you hear it quietly inside your own mind. In the case of hauntings, the voices can be loud and sound external. Sometimes it's so loud they sound like they're shouting directly into your ear. But even so, it is still clairaudience, since they don't have vocal cords to speak with.

Clairsentience Exercises

Close your eyes and focus on your solar plexus (the solar plexus is located between the chest and the navel - in other words, your upper abdomen). Visualize this area opening, like a widening circle. Do you sense anything? If you are alone in the room, you might not. This sense very often picks up vibrations from other people and places. If you're picking up your own vibes, you likely won't feel anything noticeable. However, you could try thinking about a certain upcoming event, a potential job or mate while keeping this area open too. Do you get anything then? Pay attention to what you feel when you think about certain things, and note any impressions you get. I learned a long time ago to always pay attention to my gut feelings. The few times I didn't, I regretted it! My motto since then has been, "When your gut says no, you say no."

People who are strong in this sense are often referred to as "sensitives" and will frequently have "gut feelings" about certain people and situations. These feelings can be very strong, such as a clenching or wrenching of the abdominal area, or they may be fainter, such as a fluttering, tightening or mildly queasy sensation. Have you ever met someone and taken an instant dislike to them? And if asked to explain your dislike, you could only say, "I don't know why, I just have a bad feeling about him." This is clairsentience, and most often these types of gut reactions end up being accurate, even if there isn't any verifiable information to go along with it at the time.

Sensitives often find themselves bombarded by random emotions that are hard to decipher. Crowded public places are especially hard for sensitives, and many of them avoid this type of gathering. Many of these people think something is wrong with them, or that they're suffering from a phobia of some kind. What's really happening is that they are picking up the emotions of other people in these crowded places! Below I will offer tips to help with this.

Clairalience and Clairhambience Exercises

These two senses are harder to develop, and most of us won't have a need to develop them. They're more secondary psychic senses, except perhaps for mediums and psychics. If you do wish to develop these senses, begin to develop an awareness of what you are smelling and tasting at any given moment. Pay attention while in meditation to any smells or tastes you get. Can these be explained by anything in the room or perhaps in a nearby room? Could the scent be drifting in from an open window? Pay attention to the smell of a room when you walk into it. Open your mouth slightly, allowing the air to touch your tongue. Most often you will smell and taste things that are going on in the room at that moment. For example, if you do this in a restaurant, you will likely smell food, various perfumes and colognes, or perhaps cigar smoke or cigarette smoke. Are there any other scents you pick up that don't seem to belong? Like in a restaurant that doesn't allow smoking, you wouldn't smell cigar smoke. If you do, think about why. Is there a lounge nearby that people are smoking in? Did the restaurant used to allow smoking and the smell still lingers? If you are at home and you smell something like this, first look around and make sure that no one has indeed been smoking (or if you smell flowers, look around for a possible source of the scent, etc.). Is there a window open? Could the scent be coming from a neighbor's house? If you can't find anything, think about family members or friends who this may apply to (deceased or living). Could they be thinking about you or "dropping in" to pay you a visit? In all cases, try to find any logical explanations there might be first. Air fresheners, scented candles, potpourri, old furniture or even nearby houses can often trick us into thinking we're using our psychic senses when in fact we are not.

Triggering Between Psychic Senses

Remember that your psychic senses can often work together just as your five physical senses do. I call this "triggering". For example, when doing spirit communication work, I will most often sense a spirit first, and then I get a mental image of what the spirit "looks like" (or what they looked like in life). I might get a sense of age, hair color, stature or build, clothing or the type of person they are. I might even know certain information about them, such as things they've done, their name, etc. In this type of case, what I feel (clairsentience) triggers what I see (clairvoyance), and even what I know (claircognizance). Sometimes I'll hear something (clairaudience) and get a feeling about it (clairsentience). Or I might suddenly "know" something (claircognizance) and also have a bad "feeling" about it (clairsentience). It takes practice to decipher exactly what you're seeing, hearing, feeling and knowing. Sometimes you won't be able to tell what came first, the feeling or the knowing, the hearing or the seeing, the tasting or the smelling. And it doesn't really matter too much, as long as you're getting the information you need. In time you'll begin to gain a better understanding of how your own psychic senses work together. It's different for everyone, so be patient as you learn to work with these skills.

Trust Your Intuition

When you first begin to practice using your psychic senses, you might get impatient with yourself and wonder if you'll ever get it right. Don't do that! As with anything else in this life, practice makes perfect! The more you work with these abilities, the better you will be with them. Don't discount the information you're getting. If you can verify it, go ahead and check. If not, then just acknowledge that you received it. You never know, it just might end up happening in the future! I find it helpful to jot down any impressions I get in a journal. That way I can go back and check if any of them came true at a later time. You'd be surprised how many things you can predict.

Does this mean that you'll never be wrong? Of course not! If we were all-seeing and all-knowing, we wouldn't be human, would we? As much as we work on developing our psychic abilities, there will still be times when we aren't accurate. That's okay. Sometimes our imaginations take over, that's all. With practice you'll get a lot better at knowing what is a true psychic impression and what is your imagination.

Psychic Information in Dreams

Can psychic information come in dreams? YES! In fact that's very common. Remember though that dreams are very often symbolic rather than literal. Just because you dream of someone dying in a car crash doesn't mean it's going to happen! The car crash could be symbolic of something else in their lives, or in your life (obstacles, transformation, starting down a new path in life, etc.). It will be tremendously helpful for you to study symbolism and learn what various symbols mean to you. Don't rely too heavily on "known" symbolic meanings though. It's a good place to start, but ultimately you should think about what various symbols convey to YOU.

Premonitions & Prophetic Dreams - The Darker Side

With psychic ability, we often get the "bad" along with the good. When we develop our psychic senses, we are open to receiving all kinds of information, and this can include premonitions of upcoming events. This can be difficult, especially when we sense a loved one's impending death or illness. Sometimes we can do something about these events, and sometimes we cannot. I wish I could offer more helpful advice about this, but all I can say is, "use your best judgment". I don't advise going around spouting off to people that they're going to die, even if that's what you're sensing. This will only frighten them and make them think you've lost your mind. Psychic ability is a big responsibility, and we have to use it as such. Here are two good examples:

Several years ago one of my coworkers was talking to me about her son. She was telling me that he'd been sick recently, with a fever, vomiting and extreme fatigue. As she talked, I suddenly had what I call a "psychic flash", a very quick clairvoyant vision. I saw her son's circulatory system, all the veins and arteries running through his body. Immediately after that I saw the words, "cancer in the blood". The vision was there and gone in a millisecond. At this stage of my life, I wasn't at all sure of my abilities, so I figured it was my morbid imagination taking over and dismissed it from my mind. As the weeks wore on, this coworker kept telling me that her son was still sick and the doctors couldn't figure out what was wrong with him. Every single time she spoke to me about her son, I had the same psychic "flash" of his circulatory system, and the words, "cancer in the blood". And every time I had that flash, I'd berate myself for being morbid and push it out of my mind again. I'm sure you can guess what's coming next.

Exactly five weeks after my first psychic flash of this woman's son, he was diagnosed with leukemia. I cried for days over that, and felt tremendous guilt. What if, by saying something, I could have given him a head start on treating this disease, five weeks earlier? What if he died, all because I didn't open my mouth? It took me a long time to get over that, a long time of dealing with "what ifs". Even though I wish I had given her an inkling of what I was seeing, I still don't think it would have been wise for me to say, "Oh, it's cancer in his blood!". What I could have done though, is say something like, "Have them check his blood, I feel it's important for them to check his blood." But it's too late now. I never did tell my friend about my visions, I couldn't see how that would help anything. (Note: After his diagnosis, he underwent many months of intense chemotherapy treatments and eventually went into remission. But the last I heard, he had had a recurrence. I've since lost touch with his mom, so I don't know for sure how he is now.)

The other example is quite different. I'm going to keep the details vague because my family doesn't realize I had this premonition, and I don't see why they should know about it now. A couple of summers ago, I went to visit some family members. Upon walking into the house, I noticed a brilliant green aura surrounding one of those family members. As I looked at this aura, I had a sense that his time on this earth was growing short, and he wouldn't be with us too much longer. I had no reason to think this, because he wasn't sick at all. He was elderly, but in great shape. Like I used to do so often, I just dismissed it from my mind. Four months later he was diagnosed with cancer, and he died a few weeks after that. This situation is very different than the other one, simply because it was this family member's time to pass on. Nothing I said or did would have made a difference. It was his time to leave this earth, and I picked up on it. End of story.

I have often wondered why I'm given information like this, when it's clear I can do nothing about it. What's the point? I've come to realize that when you're open psychically, you get whatever there is, the good and the bad. If you refuse to accept the bad, you also shut out the good. When you're open, you're open and all you can do is use your best judgment on when to say something about what you sense, and when to keep your mouth shut. Always consider the other person's feelings about what you might say. Try to help in any way you can, but also realize that they may not want to know. Respect that and accept it. Let go of what you cannot control.

Help for Psychically Sensitive Souls

As I stated above, sometimes people who are too open psychically can find crowded places extremely painful and uncomfortable. This especially applies to people who are strong in clairsentience, but it pertains to the other senses as well. In these situations, sensitives often feel bombarded with psychic impressions, emotions, thoughts and a flood of information from the people around them and even from the building they are in. There are many methods of reducing this psychic "noise". Experiment and find which one works best for you. Here are a couple of ideas:

Close the reception areas - above I mentioned where the psychic reception areas are for each psychic sense. If you feel bombarded with unwanted information, focus on "closing" those areas to shut it out. Just like you visualized those areas opening during the exercises, visualize them closing now. You could also visualize a shield of protective energy covering them, blocking out unwanted impressions. You may not need to do this with ALL of the reception areas, especially if you're only strong in one or two psychic senses. If this applies to you, just focus on closing those that you're strongest in.

"Zip up" a shield of protective energy - visualize a big "pouch" of energy, like a sleeping bag. It can be any color you wish, whatever is most soothing to you. I usually use white, but that's my preference. Visualize yourself stepping into this pouch of energy, and pulling it up and around you. Pull it all the way over your head so you are completely encased in its protective warmth. Then "zip" it up, just like a sleeping bag. You are now encased in a shield of energy. This works very well and I've used it many times myself.

Fun Exercises to Develop Your Psychic Abilities

Here are some more fun exercises to try, by yourself or with others:

~* A good way to test your psychic skill is to have a friend or family member cut out pictures from magazines (or use actual photographs) and seal each one in an envelope (without you watching obviously). Make sure it's an envelope you can't see through! If you're doing this with a friend, have them prepare your pictures, and you prepare theirs. When you're ready, take one of your envelopes and hold it in your hands. Try to see if you can pick up any information about what's in the picture. Jot down any impressions you get. Don't worry about being wrong, and don't judge or rationalize what you sense. Simply make a note of it. When you don't feel like you're getting anything else from the picture in the envelope, open it and see how accurate you were. Don't be surprised if you pick up a lot of information about the picture without completely describing the whole thing. For example, you might pick up certain colors or objects in the picture, but not all of them. Sometimes you may be totally off and get the whole thing wrong. That's okay! Keep practicing and you'll be surprised at how good you can get at this.

~* Cut out squares of different colored construction paper. Try to stick with the primary colors, such as red, green, blue, yellow, orange, black, etc. Make the squares the same size, 5" x 5" is good. Have a friend blindfold you (make sure you can't see!) and hand you one sheet of paper at a time. Then try to "feel" what color it is.

~* Sit back to back with a friend (or you can do this with you and your friend in different locations), and have her think about a very specific item. Have her focus on "sending" you the information psychically, and try to pick up on what she's thinking. Have a pad and pen with you, and jot down any impressions you receive.

~* Before going somewhere, try to sense how many people will be there when you arrive, or how many cars will be in the parking lot. (Obviously, you want to do this only with small gatherings, otherwise you'll be there counting all day!) You could also try to sense how many pieces of mail you will receive that day, or who's calling on the phone before you pick it up (or even just try to sense if the caller is male or female).

Good luck and have fun! :-)

http://www.wingsforthespirit.com

The Evil Eye

Perhaps you have heard someone in your lifetime say... "Do not make her mad... for she is a Witch and she will put the Evil Eye on you". Well it does exist and it can happen to you without your knowing that you have been inflicted by someone.

Let's do some history facts....
The Evil Eye is one of the oldest and mostly wide spread inborn superstitions to possess man. The belief that there is a transmittal power of Evil existing in man, which can suddenly discharge upon any object it beholds, has existed since the time of prehistoric man. The origin of the belief is lost in the age of obscurity but carried forward and documented during the time when Witchcraft and Magic long preceded the world of Science. Its existence was attested to in Egyptian Hieroglyphics, the Bible and the classic Greek and Roman Writings. It was widely believed by the Ancients that certain envious or evil people could induce sickness and death merely by casting their Eye on another person. Its piercing force avowed to be so powerful could infect surrounding objects.

There are two kinds of conditions associated with the Evil Eye...
The Moral and the Natural.
The moral power is exercised by the will performing the consciously deliberate action created in the mind. More terrible are those in whom the power of the evil eye is natural and whose destructive look unconsciously can produce harmful effects.
Throughout the years scientists, philosophers and sceptics called the belief of the evil eye a foolish primitive superstition. Even still it continues to influence many people around the world today.

"Evil Eye" symptoms:

1. Total head and back of the neck pain and the feeling of heavy eyes.
2. An Acute uneasiness or apprehension: everything seems to go wrong.
3. Stomach ache accompanied with dizziness and a feeling of vomiting.

The above are preliminary conditions and without the aid of a healer can lead to worse conditions or even Death.
There are several methods or spells that can dispel the Evil Eye if one is inflicted... but they will not work for the inexperienced Magician.

Soon I will describe them to you when time allows. But for now I am just educating you on one more aspect of the Occult.

Puzuzu

Models of Magick

Models of Magick

By: Frater U.'.D.'. (Germany)

In the course of exploring the possibilities of new, more efficient techniques of magic I was struck by the fact that a structuralist view of the history of magic to date might prove helpful. After all, magicians have always aspired to restate the theory and practice of magic in the language of their times i.e. in different models pertaining to current world views.

There is, however, some risk involved in such an approach: models do not really explain anything, they are only illustrations of processes, albeit rather useful ones. What's more, over-systematization tends to obfuscate more than it clarifies and one should not mistake the map for the landscape anyway, a fallacy a great many kabbalists seem to be prone to.

Thus, the following five (or rather: four plus one) models of magic should be seen as a means of understanding the practical possibilities of various magical systems rather than as definitive theories and/or explanations of the way magic works.

It has proved effective in practice to view magic under the following categories:

THE SPIRIT MODEL
THE ENERGY MODEL
THE PSYCHOLOGICAL MODEL
THE INFORMATION MODEL
THE META-MODEL

The Spirit Model

This is purportedly the oldest model of magic though it may very well have come into existence after or simultaneously with the energy model. We can find it worldwide in shamanic cultures as well as in many religions. Its basic premise is the existence of an otherworld inhabited by more or less autonomous entities such as spirits, angels, demons, gods etc. The shaman or magician is someone who can enter this otherworld at will, who has travelled widely in it, knows its language and customs and has made friends, smitten enemies and/or acquired allies and servitors there. This is important as all magic is of these entities' making. The modern German word for witch, "Hexe" (f.) illustrates this rather neatly if we take a closer look at its etymology. It derives from Old High German "hagazussa" which translates as "fence rider". The hagazussa is riding the "fence between the worlds" i.e. she is at home in the world of everyday life as well as in the magical otherworld of spirits.

In the spirit model magic is seen as being effected by these entities who are usually invisible, at least to the average punter, and it is the shaman's or magician's task to make them put his will into effect. This may be done by prayer, by barter, by cajoling or even - vide medieval demon magic - by the application of magical force, threats and pressure.

The otherworld may have its own geography but it is usually considered to coexist with the world of everyday life. The key to entering it is an altered state of consciousness, controlled trance or ecstasy of which the shaman is an expert.

The spirit model has prevailed in traditionalist or Dogmatic magic until today, some of its most noted exponents being Franz Bardon and, at least to a great extent, Aleister Crowley.

The Energy Model

The rise of the energy model in the West is marked primarily by the appearance of Mesmerism towards the end of the 18th century. Anton Mesmer, who was not an occultist but who was on the other hand regarded by his contemporaries to be a "miracle worker" of sorts, rediscovered amongst other things the ancient healing disciplines of hypnosis and magnetism. He popularized his theory of "animal magnetism" which he saw as a subtle force inherent in organisms, but he also made heavy use of metal magnets for healing purposes.

While the French Revolution put a temporary end to Mesmer's movement, his ideas were not lost. They were taken up by a number of others, primarily occultists, who drew on them while developing their own theories of magic. One of the first to do so was Bulwer Lytton of the Societas Rosicruciana in Anglia (SRIA), who postulated the existence of a subtle energy which he termed Vril, possibly deriving from Latin virilitas or "force, power, strength". (This was actually the model for the naming of Bovril, from Latin "bovis" or "ox", and Vril or "life force".) We can observe interesting parallels to this concept in the vitalist theories of biology which emerged around the same time. Other exponents of the energy model of magic (not then so termed) were Reichenbach with his concept of Od, Eliphas Levi and his Astral Light and Mme. Blavatsky, who adopted the theories of Prana from Yoga physiology. This was also the time when anthropology and ethnology discovered the Polynesian concept of Mana and Asiatic scholars began to concern themselves with the Chinese principle of Ki or Ch'i (Chi). The latter two go to show, of course, that the idea of subtle energies utilized by magic is far older than the 18th century. In fact, we can observe it already in early shamanic cultures. Shamanic magic is very frequently a mixture between spirit and energy model, e.g. the shaman may call upon his spirits or gods to give him "power" or he may, vice versa, use his power to extort favours from them.

In its pure form, however, the shaman or magician is not in need of spirits and other entities. The world is viewed as being "vitalized" by subtle forces or energies and his primary task consists in mastering the art of perceiving and manipulating them. As all phenomena are basically energetic in nature, the existence of an otherworld is not strictly required. Thus, the magician is more of an "energy dancer" than a "fence rider" or go-between. But even here the key to the perception, charging and general utilization of these forces is again the magical trance or, as Chaos Magic terms it, gnosis.

Theories and practices pertaining to the energy model can be found with many magical authors but it has seen its real, large scale popularity only since the seventies of our century when the general influx of Eastern thinking (pace the Hippie movement) made concepts such as chakra and kundalini work a mainstay of most occult disciplines. Strong energy model elements can also be found in Franz Bardon's system of "electromagnetic fluids", "condensators" etc.

The Psychological Model

Sigmund Freud's theory of the subconscious revolutionized Western thinking in general and psychology (which he did not, as some people are wont to believe, invent all by himself) in particular. Suddenly, man was seen as a being which was only partially conscious and in control of itself. While psychology is still fighting for its academical recognition as a science, it has stamped its mark on therapeutic disciplines - and on magic.

The psychological model of magic does not purport to explain how magic works, its only premise is that the subconscious (or, as Carl Jung later retagged it, the unconscious) will do the job if it is properly addressed and/or conditioned. This again is achieved by magical trance, suggestion and the use of symbols (i.e. selective sensory input) as tools of association and as a means of communication between the magician's conscious will and his subconscious faculty responsible for putting it into effect.

Aleister Crowley dabbled a great deal in the psychological model which comes as no surprise as he not only tried to keep up with all major academic disciplines of his time but thought himself to be the world's greatest psychologist into the bargain. But all considered he remained a traditionalist exponent of the spirit model: after all Aiwass was, in his belief, a praeternatural entity. Nevertheless he did have a knack of explaining magic in psychological terms to make it sound sensible to the sceptics of his time.

A more radical approach was taken by Austin Osman Spare whose sigil magic rests on the basic tenets of the psychological model. Spare's brilliant system is in principle an inversion of Freud's theory of complexes: by actively suppressing his will in the form of a graphical sigil and forgetting it, the magician creates an artificial "complex" which then starts to work on similar lines just as suppressed, subconscious traumas will cause neurotic behaviour etc.

The psychological magician is a programmer of symbols and different states of consciousness. He is not necessarily in need of a transcendent otherworld or even subtle energies, though in practice he will usually work on the assumption that one or the other (or both) do in fact exist and can be utilized by his subconscious.

Authors such as Israel Regardie, Dion Fortune, William Butler, Francis King, William Gray and to some extent Pete Carroll subscribe to the psychological model which seems to be the primary domain of the English speaking world of magic and which has become the prevailing paradigm ever since the seventies of this century.

The Information Model

The information model of magic is being developed since about 1987 and there is still considerable debate about the direction it shall ultimately take. Its basic premises to date are as follows:

1. Energy as such is "dumb": it needs information on what to do; this can be so called laws of nature or direct commands.

2. Information does not have mass or energy. Thus, it is faster than light and not bound by the restrictions of the Einsteinian spacetime continuum. It can therefore be transmitted or tapped at all times and at all places. In analogy (but of course only as such!) it may be likened to quantum phenomena rather than relativistic mass-energy. It can, however, attach itself to a medium e.g. an organism or any other memory storage device.

At the start of the theoretical debate it was still believed that the postulation of morphic (or, more precisely, morphogenetic) fields as hypothesized by Rupert Sheldrake had to be an essential factor by way of explaining the mode of actual information transmittance. This, however, while still being discussed, does not appear to be strictly prerogative though it cannot be not ruled out that an act of information magic may create such fields. It does seem more probable, though, that the concept of information matrices will prove to be the most promising theory in the long run.

The application of the as yet evolving information model has led to the discipline I have termed Cybermagic (from "cybernetics" or the "science of control systems"). Contrary to the other models described above, Cybermagic does not rely on magical trance to achieve its effects. Rather, the Cybermagician activates either his own main memory banks, namely brain and spine (the Golf-club chakra, so-called because of its shape reminiscent of a golf-club) or those of the target person. The desired information is then called up and transmitted quite similarly to a copy command on an MS-DOS computer. The copy command analogy holds good insofar as the information (not having mass) is not actually "lost" in the process (as energy would be) but rather is duplicated. This is an important point as it allows for the magician to perform his magic even in a state of very low physical power, possibly even when almost completely intoxicated, as long as his basic "life support systems" are still functional and the command syntax is employed correctly.

It is, however, obvious that this technique demands a fair control of what used to be termed kundalini effects and practice has shown ever and again that a good amount of Yoga and meditation experience is a great help in achieving to Cybermagic.

Unfortunately, the full theory and practice of Cybermagic cannot be described here due to lack of space and will thus have to be the subject of a separate article to be published later. To date the main experimental research work is being done within the Magical Pact of the Illuminates of Thanateros (IOT) and some quite astounding results have already been achieved, especially in the field of language and knowledge transfer as well as magical healing.

In spite of its very modern, untraditionalist outlook the basic principles of Cybermagic may in truth well be the oldest form of magic extant. For we can, for example, find a number of reports in the East to the effect of a guru transferring all his knowledge to his successor before his death, which is usually achieved by an act of long, mutual meditation.

This goes to show that magic as a whole has always existed in many, coexisting models. What has changed, however, is the stress laid on one model or the other in the course of time.

The Meta-Model

The meta-model of magic is not a model as such but rather an instruction on the use of the others. For its only advice to the magician is: "Always use the model most adequate to your aims." This may sound a bit trite but we will see that it is not quite as selfevident amongst magicians as one might expect. It is rooted in Chaos magic's assertion "Nothing is true. Everything is permitted", which ultimately boils down to pragmatic utilitarianism. Before this aspect is enlarged upon, though, let us look at an example of the models presented here as applied in practice.

We shall take the situation of magical healing to demonstrate how these models differ from each other.

In the spirit model healing is regarded as an exorcism: illness is caused by "evil" or, at least, undesired entities which have to be neutralized and removed by the shaman or magician. In the case of a patient with a heart condition the shaman may, for example, "see" a green lizard in the vicinity of the heart which must be removed. To achieve this the shaman will usually call upon the help of his own spirits who will then handle the matter. Properly exorcised, the patient has been freed from the cause of his ailment and can recuperate.

In the energy model ailments are seen to be caused by energetic imbalance. Thus, our heart patient may have too much (or too little) "fire energy" in his heart chakra, and the magician's task consists of restoring that balance of energies commonly defined as "health". This he may do by laying on hands, by using crystals and precious stones, by magnetism or chakra massage etc. The balance having been restored, the patient is regarded as having been healed.

In the psychological model illness is considered to be basically psychosomatic in nature. The magician will, therefore, either do a ritual work with the patient which enhances his stamina and resolves his troubles (e.g. a Saturn ritual to cope with "Saturnian challenges" the patient is seen to have avoided by becoming ill) or he will charge a sigil for the patient's health. Preferably he will instruct the patient to construct and charge his own sigil.

In the information model the Cybermagician will transmit an informational "healing matrix" into the patient's system (or somehow create a "morphic field" of health and self-healing) and let the patient's energies take it from there to do the job of their own accord i.e. automatically. This rests on the assumption that the energies are still powerful enough to get the work done, otherwise he will either jump back into the energy model to provide the patient with the additional energies required or install another information matrix to create an influx of the power desired.

Following the meta-model the magician will decide beforehand in which paradigm he will begin his operation. This must not necessarily exclude the possibility of shifting the paradigms in midwork or of blending them, of course. Usually, the decision is taken on the lines of expediency, efficiency and personal preference. Thus, I personally find healing work with patients easier within the spirit or energy model, while I do seem to get better results with selfhealing employing either the psychological or the information model. Then again, cybermagical work tends to take up to two days to show noticeable effects so that it may be more expedient to go for laying on hands when pain is very acute.

Another important point is the time factor. While traditionalist rituals in the spirit model may take from half a day to weeks and even months, operations in the energy model seldomly take much longer than a few hours at the most. If we take Spare's sigil magic as an example for a very fast technique within the psychological model, the operation can be over and done with within five to ten minutes. Information magical operations on the other hand only take up about three quarters of a second, a time span which can be cut even shorter by an experienced Cybermagician.

Self evident as the meta-model may seem, in practice many people seem to feel somewhat uncomfortable with its inherent relativism. This is very much the case with beginners in magic. A typical dialogue on the subject might run on the following lines:

"Are there spirits?"
"In the spirit model, yes."
"And in the energy model?"
"In the energy model there are subtle energy forms."
"And what about the psychological model?"
"Well, in the psychological model we are dealing with projections of the subconscious."
"What happens in the information model, then?"
"In the information model there are information clusters."
"Yes, but are there spirits now or not?"
"In the spirit model, yes."

This logical loop is, of course, usually experienced as a pretty frustrating exercise; but while the asker claims that the magician is trying to avoid the issue he is at the same time overlooking the fact that he himself is basically only restating the old yen for absolute, "objective" truths - not really a quantum magical approach, to say the least. However, the aspiring cyberpunk magician of today cannot expect to be spared the pains of coming to terms with the notion that freedom and dogma are mutually exclusive.

UBIQUE DAEMON .'. UBIQUE DEUS .'.

 (c) copyright 1991 by Frater U.'.D.'. All rights reserved.
==================================================================
Frater U.'.D.'., one of Germany's leading exponents of contemporary
magic, is the author of "PRACTICAL SIGIL MAGIC" and
"SECRETS OF THE GERMAN SEX MAGICIANS" (forthcoming). The essay
above will be part of his next book, "DANCE OF THE PARADIGMS.
A CHAOS MAGICK PRIMER."
(All books: LLEWELLYN's PUBLICATIONS, St. Paul, Minn.)
=================================================================

* Origin: ChaosBox: Nichts ist wahr, Alles ist erlaubt. (2:243/2)

Chaos Magick 101

One of the most inspirational aspects of the modern Chaos Magick movement is that it can be classified outside of the definition of a religion. To clarify this point it is important to define exactly what a religion is. According to the Longman Concise English Dictionary a religion can be defined as:

"A cause, principle or system of beliefs held to with ardour and faith; considered to be of supreme importance."

The Chaos Magician only employs belief as a tool. When calling upon the God/desses of chaos the magician only utilises their in their existence during the actual working. It does not matter to Chaoists whether or not the deities that they employ in their magick exist in an external reality or if they are merely the creation of thought forms, which seems more likely. Baphomet and Kutulu are two such examples of deities that Chaoists might use in their magick. The modern Chaos Magician is also more likely to create his or her own deities and fetishes to serve his purposes and aid in the manifestation of his desires.

The modern Chaoist does not need to hold onto a set of beliefs that, as with religion, dominate her actions. The web of chaos changes its formation constantly and the Chaoist needs to be able to adapt to the circumstances of its manifestation as they occur. This is another reason why Chaos is not a religion.

Faith is a tool employed by the blind, the magician of the realm of chaos does not need to have faith in his magick as he can see its results manifesting within the material reality matrix of this planet. If you can see the results of your actions, faith becomes an obsolete concept utilised by the priests to manipulate the masses into submitting to the will of the church.

If one truly employs the Chaoist maxim that:

"Nothing is true and Everything is permitted", he is free to express his magic in whatever form he so desires. This is clearly laid out in Peter J. Carroll's book "Liber Null & Psychonaut". It is not easy to work within the framework of viewing reality in terms of the concept that nothing is true, but it does enable the Chaoist to step into a new domain of magickal exploration and liberates him from the rigid and structured philosophies of old, as he side-steps the Newtonian view of the mechanics of the universe. The new science of Chaos has also challenged the concepts held so strongly that the universe is rigid in its structure. This mathematics and science of Quantum Mechanics is both liberating and upholds the viesexpressed by the Chaos Magician.

To be able to question the nature of your orders and challenge the laws of the Thought Police takes you into the realm of freedom of expression and intellectual and magickal anarchy.

Chaos is not without structure as it is up to the master and not the slave of chaos to manifest its liberating power into this reality matrix, in whatever form the Chaoist so wishes. It is desire, not religion, that is guiding the current of chaos, it is desire that makes you dance and experience ecstasy as the adrenaline of your own magick flows through your body and projects your own personal power into the mainstream reality
matrix.

To step into the ways of Chaos is to open a new door onto the landscapes of new possibilities, the ways of old are dying and its up to us to prepare the way for a new Aeon of pure unrestricted magick. To challenge the religions of the world is name of god for their views and magick and their desire to see change. The Chaoist needs to be a modern heretic and stand firm in his convictions and desires. We must work with the techno world around us and use it for our pleasure and not enslavement. The modern Cyberpunk authors have depicted a future world of virtual realities and complex alternative reality structures, the works of fiction often become fact. The Chaos Magician can take hold of such techno realities as described by these authors and begin to manifest them with his sorcery. The ways of old magicks have taught us much, but we need to create our own magick to express our desires in the present and project them into the future.

Magick by its very nature challenges the practitioner. Chaos Magick takes the magician one step further. Chaos magick has no overriding dogma or gurus who wish to have their egos inflated by the unchallenged worship of their brain-dead disciple. It is up to the individual to take hold of the reigns of chaos and guide the chariot into the future. Many will fail in their quest, but the strong who survive the challenges of Chaos Magick will feel the liberation of their desires expressed and their visions manifested.

Chaoists must also be the masters of the information matrix. Whether we like it or not we live in the information age. Use your chaos as a weapon against their who wish to control our lives, against the masters of information enslavement. As the corporate powers grow in strength, information becomes an important tool; be subversive and, as has been stated, do not be afraid to challenge the nature of your orders, for if you do not the Thought Police will take away your desires and create your realities for you.

Your body is the vehicle of your magick and your mind is its control centre. Enjoy experience and be free. Enter the gates of Chaos and play in the fields of your mind.

We have a sigil of your desires, it is the eight rayed star of the Chaosphere. If you decide to activate its power in your own life, be prepared for change, be prepared to experience and be prepared to take command of your individuality.

So to speak, so to cry.
Evil is good and death is a lie.
Hail Chaos

by N.Hall one of the great modern Chaotist