Gnosis (chaos magic)
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In chaos magic, gnosis or the gnostic state refers to an altered state of consciousness in which a person's mind is focused on only one point, thought, or goal and all other thoughts are thrust out.[1] The gnostic state is used to bypass the "filter" of the conscious mind – something thought to be necessary for working most forms of magic.[2]
Since it takes years of training to master this sort of Zen-like meditative ability, chaos magicians employ a variety of other ways to attain a "brief 'no-mind' state" in which to work magic.[3]
Etymology
Chaos magic
According to
Without any etymological justification, the earliest texts on chaos magic, Liber Null (1978) and The Book of Results (1978), both refer to this state of one-pointedness as "gnosis":The particular state of mind required has a name in every tradition: No-mind. Stopping the internal dialogue, passing through the eye of the needle, ain or nothing, samadhi, or onepointedness. In this book it will be known as Gnosis. It is an extension of the magical trance by other means.[2]
In asserting the necessity of attaining such a state, the earliest chaos magicians were following the example set by artist and occultist Austin Osman Spare. In Spare's magical system, magic was thought to operate by using symbols to communicate desire to something Spare termed "Kia" (a sort of universal mind, of which individual human consciousnesses are aspects) via the "passage" of the unconscious. These desires would then grow, unconsciously, into "obsessions", which would culminate in magical results occurring in reality.[9][10]
Aleister Crowley had also argued that the key to magic was an altered state of consciousness, whether attained through meditation, sexual practices or the use of drugs.[11] However, the real breakthrough of the early chaos magicians was the realisation that there are many states of exhaustion, arousal or inhibition that cause consciousness to briefly "blink", sidestepping the need for years of meditative attainment.[2][3]
Three main types of gnosis are described in chaos magic texts:[12]
- sleeplessness, sensory deprivation and hypnoticor trance-inducing drugs.
- Ecstatic gnosis describes a mindlessness reached through intense chanting, sensory overload, hyperventilationand the use of disinhibitory or hallucinogenic drugs.
- Indifferent vacuity was described by Phil Hine and Jan Fries as a third method. Here the intended spell is cast parenthetically, so it does not raise much thought to suppress.[13][1]
See also
References
- ^ a b Hine, Phil. Prime Chaos
- ^ a b c d Carroll, Peter J. Liber Null & Psychonaut
- ^ a b Morrison, Grant. Pop Magic!
- ISBN 978-90-04-31669-0.
- ^ LSJ entry γνωστ-ικός , ή, όν, A. of or for knowing, cognitive: ἡ -κή (sc. ἐπιστήμη), theoretical science (opp. πρακτική), Pl.Plt.258e, etc.; τὸ γ. ib.261b; “ἕξεις γ.” Arist.AP0.100a11 (Comp.); “γ. εἰκόνες” Hierocl.in CA25p.475M.: c. gen., able to discern, Ocell. 2.7. Adv. “-κῶς” Procl.Inst.39, Dam.Pr.79, Phlp.in Ph.241.22.
- ^ In Perseus databank 10x Plato, Cratylus, Theaetetus, Sophist, Statesman 2x Plutarch, Compendium libri de animae procreatione + De animae procreatione in Timaeo, 2x Pseudo-Plutarch, De musica
- ISBN 0-87220-349-2.
- ^ Sherwin, Ray. The Book of Results
- ^ Spare, Austin Osman. The Book of Pleasure
- ^ Baker, Phil. Austin Osman Spare
- ^ Crowley, Aleister. Book 4
- ^ Vitimus, Andrieh. Hands-on Chaos Magic
- ^ Fries, Jan. Visual Magick
Sources
- Baker, Phil (2011). Austin Osman Spare: The Life and Legend of London's Lost Artist. Strange Attractor. ISBN 9781907222016.
- Carroll, Peter J. (1987). Liber Null & Psychonaut. Weiser Books. ISBN 9781609255299.
- Crowley, Aleister (1980). Book 4. Weiser Books. ISBN 9780877285137.
- ISBN 1-869928-57-1.
- Hine, Phil (1998). Prime Chaos: Adventures in Chaos Magic. New Falcon Publications. ISBN 9781609255299.
- Morrison, Grant (2003). "Pop Magic!". In Metzger, Richard (ed.). Book of Lies : The Disinformation Guide to Magick and the Occult. Red Wheel Weiser. ISBN 9780971394278.
- Sherwin, Ray (1992). The Book of Results. Revelations 23 Press. ISBN 9781874171003.
- Spare, Austin Osman (2013). The Book of Pleasure: The Psychology of Ecstasy. Lulu Press. ISBN 9781105502996.
- Vitimus, Andrieh (2009). Hands-on Chaos Magic: Reality Manipulation Through the Ovayki Current. Llewellyn Worldwide. ISBN 978-0-7387-1508-7.