What is chaos magick?

Question

What is chaos magick?

Answer 1

read "Liber Null and Psychonaut" by Peter Carroll. It is a relatively easy read and an excellent first book on the subject. Chaos magick though is a realization of the natural chaos of the apparently ordered multiverse. It applies aspects of Chaos Math and Quantum Physics to the art and science of magick.

Answer 2

Chaos magic is a form of magic which was first formulated in West Yorkshire England (uk) in the 1970s. Through a variety of techniques often reminiscent of Western ceremonial magic or neoshamanism, many practitioners believe they can change both their subjective experience and objective reality, though some chaos magicians dispute that magic occurs through paranormal means.

Although there are a few techniques unique to chaos magic (such as some forms of sigil magic), chaos magic is often highly individualistic and borrows liberally from other belief systems, due to chaos magic having a central belief that belief is a tool. Some common sources of inspiration include such diverse areas as science fiction, scientific theories, ceremonial magic, shamanism, Eastern philosophy, world religions, and individual experimentation. Despite tremendous individual variation, chaos magicians often work with chaotic and humorous paradigms, such as the worship of Hundun from Taoism or Eris from Discordianism.

Personally, I think that the most striking feature of chaos magic is the concept of the magical paradigm shift. Borrowing a term from philosopher Thomas Samuel Kuhn, Carroll made the technique of arbitrarily changing one's world view (or paradigm) of magic, a major concept of chaos magic. An example of a magical paradigm shift is doing a Lovecraftian rite, followed by using a technique from an Edred Thorsson book in the following ritual. These two magical paradigms are very different, but while the individual is using one, he believes in it fully to the extent of ignoring all other (often contradictory) ones. The shifting of magical paradigms has since found its way into the magical work of practitioners of many other magical traditions, but chaos magic remains the field where it is most developed. Changing belief systems at will is also sometimes practiced by followers of Discordianism.

One of the most frequently cited tenets of Chaos magic is that "Nothing is True and Everything is Permitted," a quote attributed to Hassan-i Sabbah and used by Friedrich Nietzsche in his work Thus Spoke Zarathustra. Like Crowley's "'Do what thou wilt' shall be the whole of the law," this phrase is often mistakenly interpreted in its most literal sense to mean that there is no such thing as objective truth, so people are free to do whatever they choose. However, "Nothing is True and Everything is Permitted" is more widely interpreted to mean "there is no such thing as an objective truth outside of our perception; therefore, all things are true and possible."

The idea is that belief is a tool that can be applied at will rather than unconsciously. Some chaos magicians think that trying unusual, and often bizarre beliefs is in itself an experience worth having and consider flexibility of belief a form of power or freedom in a cybernetic sense of the word. Other chaos magicians suggest that we don't need any "belief" to work magic.

The idea that belief is fluid is also popular among adherents of Discordianism.

Hope this is of some help to you .

If you need anything else.. just ask :-)

Answer 3

Wow...Hard to compete with the above answer...it was quite comprehensive. Those who practise chaos magick - called chaotes - believe that any magick is only limited by the mage's or witch's imagination and creativity. Free from the restrictions, rituals and ceremony of some magical groups like pagans and wiccans, many are solitary practitioners and students. Consider moving into a new job...you're trained to perform it in a specific way that ensures all tasks are accomplished. As you become more familiar with your position, you'll likely see ways to streamline your efforts, cut off a few minutes here and there with some planning, but still get the same or better results.

That is essentially the heart of chaos magick...having the internal freedom to pick and choose magick from other systems and modify it to suit our needs. Important characteristics of chaos magickians include having an extremely open mind and the willingness to push the boundaries and enjoy the process of trial and error in creating.

Chaos magick is not a religion or belief system but does borrow heavily from them in their own practice. A theme adopted by most chaotes to describe their approach and attitude towards magickal workings was actually spoken centuries ago by the The Old Man of The Mountain...his motto had been, "Nothing is true. Everything is permitted." Quite the pessimistic view but a reasonable one, when working with magick.

Chaos magickians seek out spells and rituals and take great pride in adopting them to suit their own needs, free from guilt. What I find particularly appealing to this approach is that new knowledge is gained, especially from the spirit realm, free from the restrictions and confines of any type of organized religion.

Think about it...the hairstylist shows you how to get your hair "just right" in 15 minutes. Very quickly you realize that with some alterations, you can shave a few minutes off that time and get results that are just as appealing. That's chaos magick...a type of distillation process that eliminates unnecessary components of a particular spell so one ends up with a very refined spell or ritual. And there are no limitations to the type of magick one uses.

Just a quick example...a recent move required some specialized magick, at both addresses. At the one I was leaving, I needed to dissolve the protection barrier that was in place and at the other, I needed to put a ritual together to both smudge it and then perform the protection ritual. I'd never combined smudging and placing an energy barrier in the same ceremony before, nor had I ever dismantled a barrier, so I had write my own spells, based on several others I had come across. I obtained information from a number of sources but modified it all to suit my particular situation and needs.

Chaotes are the wizards of the 21st century, with more access to information than ever before in history. With global awareness turning to equal rights more and more, I see choas magick as simply an extension of this.

Blessings.