My previous discussion of Pagan practice was purposefully lacking in a specific sub-straight known as Dark Paganism. I waited until now to introduce this specific subject because it exemplifies a subject of magic that bears elaboration. The prefix "Dark" and it's connotations are of the most broadly misunderstood and misgiving concepts in the magical world.
The prefix "Dark", as in Dark Magic, Dark arts, Dark Paganism, etc. is a highly controversial branch of the already controversial tree of mysticism and magical thinking. What constitutes a practice or philosophy as being Dark will vary from person to person. Depending on who you speak to one tendency to burn a specific color of candle might be dark to one person yet white to another. Most connotations are centered around the idea of Greed effecting the practitioner's intentions, resulting in spells cast for the purposes of personal gain or revenge against another party.
Distinctions like white and dark or black magic are considered arbitrary by most dedicated magicians. The effort to demonize or subjugate a specific set of practitioners much the same way all magic is demonized and considered heresy by orthodox religion. My personal view on this subjective argument is that Just because one shade of blue is darker than another does not mean one is cobalt and the other is cyan.
To be frank, as elaborated upon in Coughlin's writing, Darkness usually denotes an element of morbid fascination. Dark imagery, as in images of mortality, animal spirits, nightscapes, torture, sacrifice, bodies and other dismal motifs pervade Dark Magic material, betraying a preserved influence of folk religion with savage imagery and ritualistic themes. Coughlin claims these themes are not so much evil as they are intrigued by the subject matter. These are the images mainstream culture often associates with discourse on the Occult, and then regards the system as evil.
The spectrum of wholesome to unseemly magic becomes confused with the spectrum of morality and ethics associated with orthodox religion. This is further confounded by the insistence of some groups to refer to them as the left and right hand paths. Madame Blavatsky discussed in the 19th century her travels in Southern Asia where she gained teachings from foreign mystics. Of this material she reported learning of the left and right handed paths of Tantra.
In Hinduism there is a claimed parallel in the divide between Left handed Tantra and Right handed Tantra (this set of beliefs and philosophy is very concerned with body parts and functions). Where on the right hand you have asceticism, vegetarianism, celibacy, etc. you have the inclusion of forbidden material and the breaking of taboo (eating meat, engaging in sexual activity) as a major concern of the Left hand path to gain deeper experiences. This is not considered inferior, unsightly or evil by Hinduism but condoned just the same as the Right hand path, save for the idea that it is far faster and more dangerous to experiment with due to its potency.
If you refer to discourses on Vodou and Voodoo, You will again notice the idea of having a brand of ritualistic official considered more sinister or personally involved than the norm. From the Dark Pagan, Vodou and Tantric perspective the perception of greediness may stem from the fact that these traditions are much more focused on the personal development and empowerment. This is in contrast to those "Lighter" worship states involved in exterior deities, power structures and social cooperation. This in turn gives Dark Magic the image of power-hunger, irreverance and antagonism respectively.
It is encouraged to refrain from judgement. People often like to have materials explained in terms of that which is correct or incorrect, corrupt and pure. Remember that all magic, no matter the altruism associated with its use, was demonized and punished as ethically unsound by orthodox religion. Remember also that all pedagogical mystic practices both divine and occult are considered morally bankrupt by the psychology of modernity. The psychology of modernity is considered wicked by ecologists and this person and that person. This chain goes on indefinitely and in infinite cycles.
I am not promoting relativism in the slightest I simply hope to show the often misunderstood black sheep of the mystical family in perspecive. A good example of this is a question I recently recieved on why this Blog is titled as Occult rather than with other more palatable adjectives, Arcane, Esoteric or Mystical. I seek in this set of posts to reseach and delve into subject matter and bring that which is shrouded, heterodox, and obscure into context with other matters of magic.
Friday, June 13, 2014
Sunday, June 8, 2014
The Legacy of Magical Thinking
When applying the prefix "Neo" to a group, for example the neo-pagans I will discuss, understand that this prefix denotes a seeking to emulate a previous group whilst being inexorably separated by context. To this point I assert that neopagans, neodruids and other groups all seek to reconstruct the bodies of practitioners from antiquity but are forever restrained by inhabiting the contemporary era.
Paganism was a single label applied to a multitude of different belief systems. It is the only successful attempt at labeling the myriad different religious belief systems, and even varying levels of dedication to mystical doctrine in general. Early Christians adopted the label of Pagan to categorize the seemingly hedonistic and uncivilized tribes that abounded during Christianity's rise.
For this reason the title Pagan is very ambiguous and open to interpretation. Today it is considered to pertain to many indigenous belief systems that focus on nature, polytheism and ritual where in fact there were tribes under the ancient umbrella of paganism that were monotheistic, some that were not concerned with rituals and some that were more focused on family and politics than natural atunement.
Neopaganism is a collective effort at spirituality that broadly describes a similarly numerous arrangement of sub-groups, categories and divisions of worshiping practice and belief systems. Neopaganism is concerned with the reconstruction of old world theological systems and adopting ancient gods and especially goddesses for modern religious practice. Many neopagan groups heavily research their ancient counterparts to gain a legitimate and well realized reenactment of these practices.
Some of these subgroups I want to discuss are:
-Wicca, one of the largest sections of the neopagan population
-Neo-Druidism, second largest and more nuanced
-Heathenry, Associated with Scandinavia more than the Gaelic world
There are countless other neopagan movements but I will restrict myself to the three largest. The ancient pagan ideals, though widely varied, mostly share a regard for nature as being a manifestation or indicator of divinity or benevolence. In recognition of this these movements are often characterized by an ecological motivation.
But from here I can hear you asking what this has to do with the occult, which one might assume is the focus of my writing from reading the title of the blog. The occult literally relates to that which is obscure, shrouded or mysterious. These groups are widely connected by a share propensity for magical thinking, or even outright belief in magical operations. These sensibilities were not well met by the rise of orthodox Christianity, and were often demonized and classified as untoward or malevolent. The word Occult can even be considered a pejorative term to describe heterodox practices as dark or unseemly.
Paganism was a single label applied to a multitude of different belief systems. It is the only successful attempt at labeling the myriad different religious belief systems, and even varying levels of dedication to mystical doctrine in general. Early Christians adopted the label of Pagan to categorize the seemingly hedonistic and uncivilized tribes that abounded during Christianity's rise.
For this reason the title Pagan is very ambiguous and open to interpretation. Today it is considered to pertain to many indigenous belief systems that focus on nature, polytheism and ritual where in fact there were tribes under the ancient umbrella of paganism that were monotheistic, some that were not concerned with rituals and some that were more focused on family and politics than natural atunement.
Neopaganism is a collective effort at spirituality that broadly describes a similarly numerous arrangement of sub-groups, categories and divisions of worshiping practice and belief systems. Neopaganism is concerned with the reconstruction of old world theological systems and adopting ancient gods and especially goddesses for modern religious practice. Many neopagan groups heavily research their ancient counterparts to gain a legitimate and well realized reenactment of these practices.
Some of these subgroups I want to discuss are:
-Wicca, one of the largest sections of the neopagan population
-Neo-Druidism, second largest and more nuanced
-Heathenry, Associated with Scandinavia more than the Gaelic world
There are countless other neopagan movements but I will restrict myself to the three largest. The ancient pagan ideals, though widely varied, mostly share a regard for nature as being a manifestation or indicator of divinity or benevolence. In recognition of this these movements are often characterized by an ecological motivation.
But from here I can hear you asking what this has to do with the occult, which one might assume is the focus of my writing from reading the title of the blog. The occult literally relates to that which is obscure, shrouded or mysterious. These groups are widely connected by a share propensity for magical thinking, or even outright belief in magical operations. These sensibilities were not well met by the rise of orthodox Christianity, and were often demonized and classified as untoward or malevolent. The word Occult can even be considered a pejorative term to describe heterodox practices as dark or unseemly.
Tuesday, June 3, 2014
Vodou
I mentioned the Vodou symbol of a Veve in the post of abstract symbolism earlier this week. While I focus on Hermetic ideas in other posts I would like to take a brief moment here to mention a forum I came across recently that is an effective heuristic for discovering more a bout a tradition that has a strong presence to this day all over the world.
A reedit user aptly monikered "Anthropology_nerd" does a wonderful "Ask Me Anything segment" Including extensive tought-out answers Here. They also recommend a large book available Here.
Though a lengthy review of vodou and the practice's relation to other concepts on this blog are not in the works, as the blog grows and I become more interested in further content It will receive more consideration.
A reedit user aptly monikered "Anthropology_nerd" does a wonderful "Ask Me Anything segment" Including extensive tought-out answers Here. They also recommend a large book available Here.
Though a lengthy review of vodou and the practice's relation to other concepts on this blog are not in the works, as the blog grows and I become more interested in further content It will receive more consideration.
Sunday, June 1, 2014
Essential Concepts
The time comes to discuss what magic is. In the context of these posts we will refrain from the trendy reformative tendency of spelling the idea as "Magick" because my focus is chiefly on how the older concepts are obvious in the mainstream. Magick is actually a comparatively recent development in the history of the anthropological phenomenon and is acquainted with fringe culture. The ubiquity of the spelling Magic is not deniable in popular fiction, commerce and miscellaneous modern language. This spelling is therefore the version most recognizable and descriptive of magical thinking in modern culture.
The best working and broadest definition I have attained comes from the Hermetic Tradition. To begin with, remember that in ancient times Fate was considered an unstoppable force that even the ruling Gods could not control and were subject to as well as humans. The Idea is that human beings can change fate, and that the act of changing fate necessitates and is characterized by an act of magic. An example of methods used is Sympathetic Magic which operates on the understanding that certain compounds, frequencies and objects correspond to it's larger representative on a broader scale. An example of this we are most familiar with is the vodou practice of doll making, in which small effigies are constructed to influence the wellbeing of the larger version who it represents.
A more topical example is the correspondence of the metal Gold with our Sun. Since the Sun was thought to be the perfect god of the planets, wearing gold was said to call down the perfect kingly energy and improve the health and livelihood of the wearer. The operating of certain small time props to beckon the powers of the stars, fate and spirits is the ancient root of magical performance.
Hermeticism is where I begin this set of writing rather than the even older standards of ritual, indigenous magic and mythology because of some vocabulary I want to assert. The first are the three pillars of Hermeticism.
-Theurgy
-Astrology
-Alchemy
In an attempt at simple english I will define these concisely.
Theurgy is the quintessential ritual act in which participants wish to solicit the aid, visitation or council of divine, otherworldly beings.
Astrology is the famous use of the charting of constellations to calendar the cycles of the year and associate happenstance with celestial movement, in hopes of Prognostication.
Alchemy is the meditative workbench pastime in which mystics invested time in trying to evoke the divine presence, the perfect stone, from the refuse of human existence.
Systematically I would associate each of these three constructs with words more broad used to describe phenomenon present in religions, systems of ritual and meditations.
I would liken Theurgy to Henosis, the act of atonement, "At-one-ment", of being at one with God, gaining a unity with one's deity and dissolving the barriers between a worshipper and their divinity.
Then connect Alchemy with Kenosis. Kenosis is the replacing of one's inner structure, complete with inflated ego and malfunctioning neurosis, with the divine will. As the alchemist sought to banish the dross, shit, and rarify from this waste the uncorruptable ore of infinity, and replace their own broken and cursed mortal selves with perfect, unstoppable ascendant souls. Again wittiness the manipulation of basic props and small objects to influence the behavior and nature of larger corespondents, the alchemists being represented by their stone. Upon successful attainment of the Magnum Opus would also gain perfection. This is equated here to Kenosis, which is the perfect will of one's higher power operating through them. This is associated with Catharsis, the act of purgation of excess pessimism and anguish, reducing pity and fear like one reduces sauce on a stove. Through ultimate tragedy one might be purged of their bloated negative feelings and once relieved be filled with positive feelings.
Finally I connect Astrology is the seeking of knowledge, Gnosis. Gnosis in its most literal form is simply knowledge, and Gnostics refer to to it as the competency, the insight necessary to move forward into the realms of religious life. This is similar to the prospect of Henosis in that it establishes a connection between the individual and their grander context, asserting the recognition of a wondrous infinite background lessens the cognitive effects of the horrors of the transient foreground.
Systematically again I would associate these three concepts with Christian counterparts.
Alchemy/Kenosis Is associated with the Cathartic, purging experience accompanied by the contemplation, or prayer, of Theoria.
The aims of Theurgy/Henosis and Astrological prognostication are aligned with the above experience in the aim of achieving Theosis, the central goal of all people's lives. Theosis is the complete boundary dissolution between man and God and can only be realized after completing the previous steps. It is provided by the definition I originally put forward that the union between man and the powers of deities was the basis of all magic henceforth .
The best working and broadest definition I have attained comes from the Hermetic Tradition. To begin with, remember that in ancient times Fate was considered an unstoppable force that even the ruling Gods could not control and were subject to as well as humans. The Idea is that human beings can change fate, and that the act of changing fate necessitates and is characterized by an act of magic. An example of methods used is Sympathetic Magic which operates on the understanding that certain compounds, frequencies and objects correspond to it's larger representative on a broader scale. An example of this we are most familiar with is the vodou practice of doll making, in which small effigies are constructed to influence the wellbeing of the larger version who it represents.
A more topical example is the correspondence of the metal Gold with our Sun. Since the Sun was thought to be the perfect god of the planets, wearing gold was said to call down the perfect kingly energy and improve the health and livelihood of the wearer. The operating of certain small time props to beckon the powers of the stars, fate and spirits is the ancient root of magical performance.
Hermeticism is where I begin this set of writing rather than the even older standards of ritual, indigenous magic and mythology because of some vocabulary I want to assert. The first are the three pillars of Hermeticism.
-Theurgy
-Astrology
-Alchemy
In an attempt at simple english I will define these concisely.
Theurgy is the quintessential ritual act in which participants wish to solicit the aid, visitation or council of divine, otherworldly beings.
Astrology is the famous use of the charting of constellations to calendar the cycles of the year and associate happenstance with celestial movement, in hopes of Prognostication.
Alchemy is the meditative workbench pastime in which mystics invested time in trying to evoke the divine presence, the perfect stone, from the refuse of human existence.
Systematically I would associate each of these three constructs with words more broad used to describe phenomenon present in religions, systems of ritual and meditations.
I would liken Theurgy to Henosis, the act of atonement, "At-one-ment", of being at one with God, gaining a unity with one's deity and dissolving the barriers between a worshipper and their divinity.
Then connect Alchemy with Kenosis. Kenosis is the replacing of one's inner structure, complete with inflated ego and malfunctioning neurosis, with the divine will. As the alchemist sought to banish the dross, shit, and rarify from this waste the uncorruptable ore of infinity, and replace their own broken and cursed mortal selves with perfect, unstoppable ascendant souls. Again wittiness the manipulation of basic props and small objects to influence the behavior and nature of larger corespondents, the alchemists being represented by their stone. Upon successful attainment of the Magnum Opus would also gain perfection. This is equated here to Kenosis, which is the perfect will of one's higher power operating through them. This is associated with Catharsis, the act of purgation of excess pessimism and anguish, reducing pity and fear like one reduces sauce on a stove. Through ultimate tragedy one might be purged of their bloated negative feelings and once relieved be filled with positive feelings.
Finally I connect Astrology is the seeking of knowledge, Gnosis. Gnosis in its most literal form is simply knowledge, and Gnostics refer to to it as the competency, the insight necessary to move forward into the realms of religious life. This is similar to the prospect of Henosis in that it establishes a connection between the individual and their grander context, asserting the recognition of a wondrous infinite background lessens the cognitive effects of the horrors of the transient foreground.
Systematically again I would associate these three concepts with Christian counterparts.
Alchemy/Kenosis Is associated with the Cathartic, purging experience accompanied by the contemplation, or prayer, of Theoria.
The aims of Theurgy/Henosis and Astrological prognostication are aligned with the above experience in the aim of achieving Theosis, the central goal of all people's lives. Theosis is the complete boundary dissolution between man and God and can only be realized after completing the previous steps. It is provided by the definition I originally put forward that the union between man and the powers of deities was the basis of all magic henceforth .
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