Chaos Magic: A Satanic Analysis

Having worked within both the IOT and Traditional Satanism for some time now, I believe the following observations may be of interest to magic(k)ians in general. The IOT appears to have evolved out of the various energies existing in the post Crowley/Golden Dawn sense; when there appeared to be a (causal) gap in the written philosophy and practice of magick. What evolved was an attitude of debunking, of demystification; an attempt to avoid evolutionary regression via a descrent into religious mania. Basically, taking the dogma out of magic. Although Chaos Magic at the time expressed an intellectual state, it represented (and still does) a mis-representation, both causally and acausally,of what magick actually is. Take, for example, the preoccupation with dualism, the smatterings of Quantum Mechanics, etc. The Abyss is purely the process where such projections are finally withdrawn,where chaos is experienced as it is, without, as someoneonce said, the pseudo intellectual bullshit. This experience is permanent, the individual emmerging as a nexion: an alchemical stage which chaos magic, at least in part and at this point in time, intellectually understands, aspires to and sometimes claims, but will never practically achieve for the following reasons. In order to progress to and beyong the Abyss an evolution which take many years foundations have to be lain. This constitutes a zone where old Archetypal forms exist. Archetypes and their related rituals are inherent in our psyche, which has evolved over the Aeons in the same way our physical form has evolved. As with the body, aspects of the psyche cannot be experienced to change and evolve overnight. But for an individual following certain principles of Magick, this change may be achieved within a causal lifetime, the effects of which, because the individual (or individuals) acts as a nexion, infect and/or creat a civilization and its subsequent evolution (this collective evolution could take several hundred years to fulfil its Aeonic potential). Archetypes, such as Satan and Baphomet, therefore, serve several important functions on the individual level. In basic terms, they enable the self to be transported toward the acausal via a ritual, their established and practuical nature being beyond causal and therefore limited intellectual understanding; thus, a vitalizing of the psyche occurs, directing it in a purposeful way the manipulation of relevant energies within and without the Temple etc etc. Here Chaos Magic runs into several problems. Firstly the rites are in fact directive only causally; they are works of basic external or low magic, and as such, are concerned only with temporal stimulations of a temporary nature. That is, the Rites do not act as nexions by which the acausal is experienced as it is, when the essence behind the appearance is apprehended. Hardly suprising really, when one considers the dangers of such a rite to hose bound by the illusions of opposites such practices being black to the blond. Hence there is a need to rationalize, codify, and perform silly baniching rituals what emerges us simply eccentric yoga, as opposed to a genuine return to the source. Secondly, Chaos Magic is not in any significant way attuned to Aeonic energiesas they existed (and still do) prior to the Nazarene distortion the essence of which, as for example, exemplified by the Vikings, is not only unacceptable to Society today, but

also to most Occultists despite the pretences of partaking in/re-establishing a pre-Nazarene ethos. And this is the main stumbling block for a corpus that claims to represent Chaos. The rites of ChaosMagic enhance Old Aeon values and archetypes because they provide an illusion within the individual of achievement, understanding and participation in the psyche. Old Aeon values, particularly those adhered to by Thelema, are Nazarene distortions of the Western Tradition consider the hermaphrodite figure of Baphomet. The name derives from the Greek and not as is sometimes said from (the Attic form for wise). Hence Vaphomet (by the use of the term Mother/Mistress) was and is understood, in essence, as female, thus the real power of the archetype in its original form even gnosticism understood wisdom as female. Consider the hermaphrodite image (with strong leanings towards the masculine) as used by the IOT and why-consciouslyand unconsciously it is used. A further illustration is the use of the entity known as Atazoth (or, as it is more inaccurately known, Azathoth Atazoth means an increasing of azoth, Azathoth is simply a jumble of letters). Whilst purporting to work with & understand chaos, certain recent events in the world (Aeonically significant) have been viewed, within the chaos magic corpus from a decidedly moral and thoroughly conditioned viewpoint a viewpoint which did not allow the merest entertainment of anything contradictory, and prevented, by a psyche possessed by illusions, the rational analysis of what was actually occurring magickally. To use Atazoth, for whatever ends, withing such a framework is to seriously misunderstand an entity whose nature and essence archetypally is represented more by a person like Saddam Hussein than any of the so-called allies of the West. Once again the illusions of the causal structures of need surpass an empathy with the acausal. A further problem is encountered when more than two archetypes (representing the male and female aspects of the temple members) are used within ceremonial work; here there is a simple formula IMAGE WORD CHANT. The attitude of uise any form and then discard it is actually counterproductive to anyone who is serious about developing magickal skill and awareness. Its chaos is unformed and disposable, therefore allowing aspects of the unconscious to dominate consciousness without any real effect. Instead of an evolution there is a circular movement, one step forward, discard that, one step back and so on. The Chaos Magician remains constantly in the foundations as opposed to creating a structure to reach a higher stage. This is the misunderstanding of the function of archetypes and the techniques required to use them, such techniques being viewed from a moral perspective, as political or religious mania. Forms such as politics and religion simply provide a means to an end by which magickal desires may be achieved. And, in order to achieve those desires, the form chosen must belived out with a demonic intensity in order toeffect not only the psyche of the individual, but that of other people. This involves living, not playing, a certain role until the associated archetype is exhausted (i.e. it is allowed to disperse acausally, as it is, without form), the desire achieved and therefore, the psyche freed. Those who fail become possessed by that role (believing they are that role in essence); subsequently they fall by the wayside, having lost sight of their original magickal aim. Such is the way, and why magick is essentially elitist. So it can be seen that ceremonial magick, performed with a real understanding of its purpose, constitutes a significant and specific stage in magickal evolution, one which, when transcended can be discarded or continued according to the desires and wyrd of the individual. It is often most helpful to give the Temple a limited life expectancy,during which time, certain goals may

be set and achieved. This would involve the creation of a causal counterpart to the Temple, one which is specifically designed to interact with the outside world (this counterpart may be political, business, creative), the Temple being the acausal aspect. Gradually acausal forces are earthed in the form this form becoming a nexion and, in accordance with Aeonics, the energies manifesting create change, this change being both immediate and long term due to subsequent reverberations and mutations. A further enhancement is to consider oneself as belonging to a tradition: a concept abhorent to Chaos Magicians. What exactly is a Tradition (particularly in acausal terms)? Is a Tradition, in causal terms, directly experienced by middle class college occultists from at least psychically Nazarene influenced backgrounds, or by an entirely different, and considerably small section of society, where there is very occassionally, according to the wyrd of the individuals involved, an intersection? Ultimately does it matter whether a Tradition exists, or is it purely for some, a useful magickal form? Why are almost all so-called occultists unable to perceive the essence behind the appaearance? Nothing is True; everything is debunkable. Internal influences/conditioning tend to survive via a delusion; that externally, by performing magick, and being seen to perform it, one has conquered conditioned values. Most occultists become possessed by this need to externally project mostlythrough a sense of guilt, because internally, they are no more Adept than Joe Soap. That is so, because they have not dealt with the difficult and very lengthy task of destroying internal illusions and returning to the source; this requiring mainly qualities of courage, discipline and honesty. What happens is that weakness, confusion and self-deception fester into bitterness a descent into alcoholism and other such indulgences is not uncommon. At the very least, the psyche is so reinforced by the illusions created to mask inadequacy that the appreciation of other seemingly contradictory ideas, would lead to its destruction (in ceremonial terms, this is the real meaning if the Black Mass). This is perhaps the most vital of magickal experiences yet how many are prepared to take that step? How many will read and in reading understand and un understaning seek practice? As Gilles de Rais once said: Much goes unseen to the unknowing eye Things that lie behind the Earth Christos Beest ONA y.f. 102 e.h.