THE LAWS OF CHAOS MAGIC (by Gerald J. Schueler)
Chaos Magic, like any school of magic, works according to a set of laws. The laws defined here are derived from the results of today's chaos science as they apply to magic. We have split the universe into two poles. On the one hand is the god Kaos representing masculinity and chaos. On the other hand is the goddess Kosmos, representing femininity and order. We begin by listing six general laws of systems. Since everything in the universe, including the universe itself, can be viewed as a system, these laws are universal.
THE SIX LAWS OF SYSTEMS
Every system in our universe obeys certain laws. The Six Laws of Systems are:
1. To permanently
change a system, you have to change its structure.
2. Every system has special points where small changes can bring about
lasting changes to the system.
3. The more complex a system, the farther away are cause and effect.
4. The more feedback loops in a system, the harder it is to predict behavior.
5. How to find the special points and how to stimulate them to the desired
goal are never obvious.
6. When we find and stimulate a special point toward the desired goal,
the results usually get worse before they get better. Immediate good results
are suspect.
These laws can be used to bring about magical results. Magic works because the laws upon which it is based have validity. Of course, results require some degree of intuition, as in the case of finding the 'special points' of a system. This is why virtually all leading occultists have called magic both a science and an art. The laws or principles pertain to the scientific aspect, while the application of those laws pertain to the artistic aspect. The 'cause and effect' mentioned in the third law implies karma. This law says that karmic causes to our problems are not always clear. Because every human being is a highly complex system, the cause and effect relationship for why and how things happen to us, is 'far away,' which is to say, present but seldom obvious. We should be slow to judge others, because even when a karmic cause appears obvious on the surface (i.e, via the psychic senses) it is seldom as clear-cut as it appears. The sixth law is especially interesting. It seems to imply that a "dark night of the soul," as described by Christian mystics, is a natural process for all developing systems. This law says that we should not be overly concerned if positive results are not immediately forthcoming. In point of fact, we should become suspect if good results are evidenced immediately. These six general laws of complex systems were used to derive what could be called the Nine Laws of Chaos Magic which are discussed next. A comparison of the scientific Laws of Systems with the magical Laws of Chaos Magic will show the striking similarity that exists between these two disciplines. Probably the biggest difference is that science views living systems as a special category while Chaos Magic sees virtually all systems as alive.
THE NINE LAWS OF CHAOS MAGIC
Chaos Magic works on laws which may be either known or unknown. Magic and occultism do not accept the supernatural. They do not accept miracles, or unexplainable phenomena. Everything in the universe functions according to laws. There is a new system of magic that works in accordance with nine laws. The Nine Laws of Chaos Magic are as follows:
1. Kosmos and Kaos
self-manifested together. Stability and change are mirror images of each
other. The actions of Kaos are those of Kosmos with an infinite number
of possible paths.
2. The condition of complex systems over time depends on their initial
conditions.
3. All complex dynamic systems have Magic Points - critical points where
a small change can have large consequences. Magic Points are seldom obvious.
Stimulation of a Magic Point usually gets bad results before it gets better.
4. Complex systems are not reversible.
5. All living systems are dependent upon cooperation. Life creates the
conditions for its own existence.
6. The more independent a system, the more feedback loops it requires.
7. The future of any complex system is unpredictable.
8. All creative activity is the result of tension between Kaos and Kosmos.
Creativity, discovery, and invention result from the conjunction of two
or more distinct frames of reference.
9. Complex systems at equilibrium are not really at equilibrium.
THE FIRST LAW, THE GREAT MIRROR
Kosmos and Kaos self-manifested
together.
Stability and change are mirror images of each other.
The actions of Kaos are those of Kosmos with an infinite number of possible
paths.
Nuclear particles are known to enfold and unfold in endless processes within their quantum fields. Elementary particles have self-referential iterations (repetitions) which create/destroy themselves from a vacuum state. According to modern quantum mechanics, there is no such thing as a vacuum. What was once considered a vacuum is now known to be seething with the creation and destruction of 'virtual particles.' Virtual particles cannot be detected directly, but scientists know them from their effects. They are born and they die so fast that they cannot be detected. In essence, they represent a 'quantum foam' where Kaos and Kosmos struggle together ceaselessly, the one coming out of the other, over and over, forever. The modern findings of nuclear and particle physics have clearly demonstrated the truth of the First Law of Chaos Magic. The Perfect Circle, a symbol for linearity, uses 'pi' for its circumference, and 'pi' cannot be calculated exactly - it is nonlinear, and therefore a number of Kaos. The circle, one of the primary symbols of all magical schools, therefore is a good example of how Kaos and Kosmos work together in perfect harmony. The root of our universe lies in the order of Kosmos. Yet the order of Kosmos has an infinite number of degrees of freedom. Therefore the root of the universe lies in Kaos because order with infinite degrees of freedom is itself chaotic. Here again we see an intimate interplay between order and chaos, even at the core of the universe. The disorderly behavior of simple systems acts as a creative process. It generates complexity. Thus complex systems emerge from simple systems. In this way, the forces of evolution emerge directly from Kaos.
"Suggestions of structure can be found in the midst of apparently random behavior."
Let's look at water flowing through a pipe. At low speeds, we have a nice smooth condition, which scientists call laminar flow. If we speed up the flow of the water, a critical point will be reached where the smooth conditions of the water will be given over to a chaotic one - laminar flow will transition into turbulence. Turbulence is often considered to be a purely random disorder or noise. However, such is the case only on the macroscopic level. At the microscopic level, turbulence appears highly organized. The behavior of the individual water molecules is quite coherent. For this reason, we can say that the transition from laminar flow to turbulence is an initiation of self-organization - it is the creation of order from chaos. It is a good example of how molecular order can be obtained from what we outwardly observe to be disorder. Water flows through a pipe in accordance with the First Law of Chaos Magic. Let's look at one more example, known as the Benard Instability. Let's heat up a pan of water so that a temperature gradient (i.e., a continuous temperature difference) exists - the water at the bottom of the pan is hot while the water at the top is still cool. At first, heat will travel upward smoothly in the heat-transfer process called conduction. Now let's increase the gradient by turning up the heat. A critical point will be reached where conduction gives way to more drastic heat-transfer process called convection. When convection occurs, the rate of heat transfer will speed up. The entropy (a thermodynamic term which is a measure of a system's energy) production will increase. The convection current, which includes an irregular production of bubbles as the water begins to boil, is a nonlinearity. However, it is actually a form of self- organization because the water molecules form what can be called 'hexagonally patterned convection cells' which are orderly. This new pattern of self-organization is a typical example of what is called a Dissipative Structure. We have now seen two rather typical examples of how order can be produced from chaos. The chaos that appears to exist on the macroscopic level (i.e., to our eyes) is order when seen at the molecular level (i.e., through a microscope). These example are demonstrations of the First Law.
"It is not always a question of whether we will have either Kosmos or Kaos. Under certain conditions, the two will appear together as if dancing, one following closely after the other."
Modern science now recognizes that systems can cascade toward chaos through a series of bifurcations. The Feigenbaum sequence is a good example. In this sequence, for a range of parameter values, a system is orderly and has a period with a fixed value T. Beyond this range of values the system is chaotic until the period reaches 2T (this is called period doubling). Beyond this value, chaos begins again until we reach another threshold - the system becomes orderly again when the period reaches 4T. This sequence can then be repeated at 8T, and so on. The system behaves as if it undergoes a series of bifurcations having successive period doubling. In this way we see incidents where order is sandwiched between chaos, and where chaos is sandwiched between order. This waffling between Kaos and Kosmos can also be seen in the development of the foetus:
"As an embryo develops, we notice very irregular jumps in between periods of relatively smooth growth. These jumps result in radical reorganizations, and yet they take place in a manner that is highly repetitive."
Life is an expression of both Kosmos and Kaos. Our lives consist of a continuous series of good and bad experiences as evidenced by the modern concept of biorhythms. This is true whether we are male or female, young or old, and is irrespective of our race or religious convictions. When life goes well, our spiritual growth tends to stagnate. The trials and tribulations of daily life give us the impetus to grow.
THE SECOND LAW, THE BUTTERFLY EFFECT
The condition of complex systems over time depends on their initial conditions.
This law is known today under the name of the Butterfly Effect. The Butterfly Effect suggests that a butterfly that beats its wings in Peking today, can transform a storm system next month in New York. This is now known to have some validity with weather, but the magician applies this law to his body and to his life.
"We must be extremely sensitive to nuances of feeling, perception, and thought."
A nuance is a small shade of meaning, or a subtlety of perception, for which we have no words or mental categories. Nuances are seed-ideas which germinate in the mind until they burst forth into creative expression. Nuances exist in the fractal spaces between our categories of thought. They circulate through the emotional and perceptive centers of the brain; from the mental and astral planes down into the physical. Systems in far-from-equilibrium conditions are extremely sensitive to external environmental fluctuations. For this reason, far-from-equilibrium systems can adapt to their environment better and faster than those in equilibrium. According to magic, this is the key to understanding evolution.
In 1961, Edward Lorenz discovered that his computer gave him a different answer if he started at the beginning of his calculations, than if he took a 'short-cut' and started near the midpoint. Intuitively it should not have mattered, because the differences were so very small, they should have been negligible. But the final result, he discovered, was highly dependent on the starting conditions. In one computer run, he started with the number .506127. The short-cut run began with the number .506, a rounded-off number. The rounding off made all the difference. The calculations had to do with the weather, and the rounding off error should not have made the difference of a small puff of wind, yet the results of the two calculations were totally different. One of the practical conclusions from his discovery is that long-range weather forecasting is doomed to failure. This is not because we can't measure good enough. But rather, like the uncertainty principle of quantum mechanics, there are distinct limits to how far we can predict future events with certainty, even in our everyday macroscopic world. For every event that occurs, small uncertainties multiply over time, cascading upward into unpredictability. Every human being is a complex system. According to the Second Law, our birth, and early development as a child, will largely determine how we find ourselves as adults. According to magic, this is because we do not enter life as a 'blank slate.' We enter life with a karmic burden from past lives. Israel Regardie, one of the foremost leaders in the magical circles of this century, argued that anyone seriously desiring to study and practice magic, should first go through at least a year of professional psychoanalysis. He intuitively realized the validity of the Second Law. He believed that one could advance faster and farther in magic if one first understood where one came from, and came to grips with one's childhood. Although we do not necessarily recommend professional psychoanalysis, the Second Law of Chaos Magic strongly suggests the importance of remembering your past and assimilating all of your childhood experiences. Carried one step farther, this also suggests the importance of remembering your past lives. The magician must learn to detect nuances. For example, when you go before checkout counters of a large supermarket, enter a bank to transact business, or whenever you must stand in a line of people, where several lines are available, nuances will tell you which line is likely to move faster. In our example, nuances can be found by observing the cashiers, and by observing those who are already in line before you. The shortest line is not necessarily the fastest. By a proper observation of nuances, that exist at the beginning of an action, you can help guarantee the outcome of that action.
THE THIRD LAW, MAGIC POINTS
All complex dynamic
systems have Magic Points - critical points where a small change can have
large consequences.
Magic Points are seldom obvious.
Stimulation of a Magic Point usually gets bad results before it gets better.
A tiny change in an iterative process (such as the weather) will have drastic results toward chaos. For example, a number that is rounded off. Such a number, if multiplied by itself many times, will cause a chaotic resultant series of numbers depending on how we round off each number.
"When we have detected a nuance, we must then amplify it to the point of obtaining an unexpected reaction, to gain insight into its ramifications."
A cell is a subsystem of our body. Each cell replaces itself in our body. A tiny change, in an iteration of just a few cells, will have chaotic effects in time. These effects often take the form of aging, disease, and death. The type of fluctuation that is present in a system, when it confronts a bifurcation point, will determine which branch the system will follow. When a system crosses a bifurcation point, which is a type of Magic Point, it undergoes a stochastic (unpredictable) process. The sensitivity of tiny numbers to iteration is called 'sensitive dependence on initial conditions' which is the subject of the second law. Thus the Second and Third Laws are closely related. The second law points out the existence of Magic Points in the form of nuances, and advises you to learn to detect them. The third law suggests that these points, once detected, can be used to your advantage. Iteration makes microcosmic effects to have an observed effect on the macrocosm. As a magician, you must find the Magic Points of your own life, and stimulate them in ways that are according to your True Will. The Third Law helps us understand the paradox of having free will in a deterministic world. Prior to a Magic Point, we are under the sway of determinism. The Magic Point establishes a 'window of free will' which allows us to change, to break away from the powerful forces of determinism that exist at that point. Afterwards, determinism sets in again, and maintains its influence until the next Magic Point. However, because of the Seventh Law, it is impossible to determine with certainty which way our free will will take us. The mathematical Law of Large Numbers says that for large numbers, fluctuations are negligible. However, this law only holds for equilibrium conditions. At far-from-equilibrium conditions, small fluctuations can no longer be ignored. A classic example is the physics experiment of a gas in equilibrium. The gas has a volume V, and in this volume it has a large number of molecules, X. We divide the gas in half, so that there are two equal volumes. If we counted up the molecules in each new volume, we would expect to find X/2 molecules occupying each volume, V/2. The error in our count, E1, will be so small that for all practical purposes we can ignore it. We can repeat the experiment using a gas that is in far- from-equilibrium conditions. We will find that we no longer can get an equal number of molecules in the two volumes. The random motion of the gas molecules makes it impossible to get an equal number of molecules into the two volumes. The error, E2, can not be ignored. The value for E2 will be much greater than the value that we found for E1. In equilibrium conditions, we have errors in our observations of the order E1 which are very small. In far-from- equilibrium conditions, E1 has increased to E2. This increase in our error has brought about an entirely new outcome. We no longer have X/2 molecules in the two volumes. If we look at the errors in our measurements, E1 and E2, as inherent nonlinear fluctuations, then we can say that such fluctuations can be ignored for systems in equilibrium. But for systems in far-from- equilibrium conditions, fluctuations within the system can determine the outcome of the entire system. Molecules behave as independent entities when in equilibrium. However, in far-from- equilibrium conditions, molecules take on a coherence, and arrange themselves in a quite dependent manner. Change, as a result of practicing this magic, will not always appear at first to be a 'good' thing. Quite often, stimulation of a Magic Point gives poor results, or none at all, at least for a time. However, the results intended will manifest after a time if you don't give up. In many magical operations, faith will be needed until you learn how the Third Law operates. In many cases, the results that you desire will be postponed, or will be different from what you expected. This is a side-effect of karma. Whether results are immediate or delayed, as you expected or a surprise, depends on your personal karma. It is well known among spiritual healers, for example, that a patient will often get worse before a healing takes effect. "The lion roars loudest just before he dies," is old saying that is supports the Third Law.
THE FOURTH LAW, IRREVERSIBILITY
Complex systems are not reversible.
All things are interwoven, nothing is truly reversible. Linear equations suggest reversibility, but this is an illusion. Instability breaks up symmetry, which is never completely recovered. According to the Fourth Law, nothing in our universe is truly reversible, although simple systems can be assumed to be reversible for all practical purposes. Time flows in only one direction. The Arrow of Time points to irreversibility. For example, the Big Bang gives us an irreversible history. All things in our universe move through time from the Big Bang, where the physical universe began, to the end, which may be a Big Crunch, or simply a soupy nebulous sea of cold formless matter. The Entropy Barrier is the name of a special Ring-Pass-Not for all complex systems. This barrier prevents complex systems, such as man, from going backward in time. Beyond this barrier, the path of a system is chaotic.
"Beyond a certain threshold of complexity, a system will go in unpredictable directions. They lose their initial conditions and cannot be reversed or recovered. Ultimately, this is a recognition of creative possibilities."
The unidirectional flow of time is suggested by an Arrow of Time. This implies time's irreversibility. The past is fixed. The future is a world of possibilities, and therefore it is similar to the subatomic world of nuclear particles - both are probabalistic. The Fourth Law implies that closed systems are reversible, while open systems are irreversible over time. Irreversibility is the state of Becoming - but it is not a universal phenomenon.
"There is no one overall time-directed evolution. Kosmos and Kaos remain constant over time."
There are numerous evolutions on-going, simultaneously over time, throughout the world, and their net effect is an overall constancy. In a very real sense, every Dissipative Structure undergoes its own unique evolutionary processes. Dissipative Structures have coherence. The molecules of these systems each act as if they know the overall state of the system.
"Physics and mathematics want us to believe that all physical processes are reversible. A world in which events are reversible is a strange world indeed."
An irreversible thermodynamic change is a change toward states of increasing probability. Reversible systems can be predicted. The future of irreversible systems (and all open systems are irreversible) cannot be predicted. The idea of irreversibility should not be carried too far. If we are sick, we can recover our health and become well again. In some degree, after a period of aging, we often can regain our youth and our youthful vigor. But once you become an adult, you can never become a child again, not during this lifetime. While the physical body can sometimes be made to reverse its conditions and some of its characteristics, true reversibility, in the sense of actually going backward in time, is impossible. The practitioner of this magic, must keep in mind that the fourth law, like all of the laws of Chaos Magic, applies to systems in time and space. Consciousness, per se, cannot truly be considered a system, at least not in the thermodynamic sense. Thus consciousness, which obeys its own laws, is not necessarily subject to the laws of magic as defined here.
THE FIFTH LAW, SYMBIOSIS
All living systems
are dependent upon cooperation.
Life creates the conditions for its own existence.
Symbiosis is the mutual interdependency of two biological systems. Magic extends this definition to the exterior Kosmos (the universe as a system) and all living systems, as well as between all living systems themselves. Sex is an expression of symbiosis, which is sometimes called the 'mix-match principle,' where two organisms combine, react to each other, redefine themselves, and readapt to each other and to their environment, and then something new emerges. Sex is thus an expression of the cooperation between complex living systems.
"The cells of our body develop in cooperation with each other - all life is a form of cooperation. This cooperation arises from feedback from the Flux of Kaos."
The process of Phase Locking occurs whenever the chaotic actions of the individual shifts to the ordered actions of a collective system - when individual behavior shifts to a collective behavior. For example, women living together tend to synchronize their menstrual cycles. Individual spirichute bacteria tend to undulate in the same rhythm when they come together at a food source. Brain Phase Locking, a special technique of this magic, allows us to 'tune in' on the collective unconscious of others. Success requires that the body work in harmony as a collective unit. The individual and the collective are two poles of a duality. They are both required, and each needs the other for its own successful growth. Too often, individuals forget this important fact of life, and think that they are more, or less, important than their society. Because of symbiosis, under certain conditions, individual behavior of a subsystem can effect the collective or overall behavior of the entire system. For example, when the heart stops beating, the entire body dies. The death or retirement of a corporation president can effect the organization of which he was but one member. The more complex a system, the greater the number of fluctuations that threaten its stability. Yet complex systems somehow avoid chaos. This is due in part to the stabilizing effects of various diffusion processes, and on the system's ability to communicate. Communication assists stability while fluctuations assist instability. The net effect is a competition of tension which establishes a stability threshold for the system.
"Kaos seeks disintegration. Kosmos seeks stability. The Great Incoherence sends out Waves of Kaos, fluctuations that would overwhelm systems except for the ability of systems to communicate. Communication is the Glue of Kosmos. All systems maintain themselves over time by their natural ability to communicate."
The natural ability of living systems to communicate together is the result of telepathy. For example, you are in constant telepathic contact with other people. You are probably unaware of this on the conscious level, but nevertheless, it is so. This natural sharing is expressed in psychology as the collective unconscious. A favorite example of yoga is to look at people as waves on the sea. Each wave rises up from the sea and then sinks back again. In the same way, each person is born, lives for a time as if s/he were an independent individual, and then dies. Rebirth is like the wave rising again from the sea. Is it the same wave, or a new wave? The wave only appears to exist as a separate unit, yet it is actually connected to all of the other waves through its roots in the sea. In the same way, we each seem to have a separate ego, but this is an illusion. We are actually all connected, and we all continuously share ideas and experiences. The Fifth Law emphasizes the need for awareness of our environment, and for taking good care of our environment. The science of ecology, and modern environmental impact statements, required by most governments for new projects, are the result of society's intuitive awareness of the Fifth Law.
THE SIXTH LAW, THE AUTOPOIETIC PARADOX
The more independent a system, the more feedback loops it requires.
This law is a paradox. By definition, an independent system does not require environmental feedback. However, this law holds because in real life, there truly are no closed or independent living systems. All living systems are open. Thus all living systems have feedback loops. A system can only appear to be independent, by knowing exactly what is going on around it, and this implies the need for feedback loops. This law implies that individual independent systems are an illusion.
"All systems are dependent. All dependent systems seek their independence and evolve toward that goal by the addition of feedback loops. The illusion of independence is the Gift of Kosmos and the ability to see through this illusion is the Gift of Kaos."
The human mind reduces the diversity of nature to a web of illusions. In the East, this phenomenon is called 'maya.' Because of the nature of the human mind, everyone has a mind-set of values and opinions, or what lumped together may be called one's 'world view.' We each have a unique world view. Your world view is simply the way in which you perceive your environment. Although this appears to be a simple enough concept, it has several complex implications. For example, it implies that your experience always tend to substantiate your world view. We all have the tendency to think the world is a certain way because of our experiences in it. Our world view is always based upon our experiences. Yet the truth is that other people live in the same world, and have completely different world views, which also are substantiated by their experiences. World views tend to be inertial. That is, they only change under great pressure. The energy that would be required to change our world view is produced by what is called a 'Significant Emotional Event (SEE).' This occurs naturally whenever our observations are at odds with our world view. These special events are nothing less than the Magic Points of the Third Law. A SEE occurs when nature stimulates our Magic Point by showing the limited nature of our world view. The result is mental turbulence followed by a new world view to account for the new observation. Such 'natural stimulation' is not desired because it is unconscious, and usually occurs with little or no preparation. The result of natural stimulation of a Magic Point is that the direction one's life takes afterward is totally unpredictable. The magician or occultist seeks conscious control over such events. We all like to think that we are independent. However, it is well known that the person who stays home all day will not be healthy. He or she will be susceptible to both physical and mental problems. Boredom and loneliness often result in alcoholism, drugs, or promiscuity. The human brain, like the muscles, need outside stimulation. The person who spends time helping others in some way, whether paid or not, will be healthier for it. The 'rat race' of modern business provides an excellent milieu in which to stimulate one's Magic Points, become creative, and grow. The hermit who retires to a cave may learn to look within himself, but he will probably not be creative because creativity demands stimulation, and few people are self- stimulated. We all need external stimulating experiences in order to grow. Our growth towards independence itself depends upon such experiences. The hustle and bustle of daily life (an effect of Kaos) is required in order to maintain healthy development (an effect of Kosmos). The next time you feel the desire to escape from the stress and strife of daily life, remember the Sixth Law, and allow your chaotic surroundings to provide creative stimulation for positive growth.
THE SEVENTH LAW, UNPREDICTABILITY
The future of any complex system is unpredictable.
All that we can ever know of the future is in terms of probabilities. The future of any complex system can only be known totally (i.e., with certainty) by its moment-to-moment expression in the present.
"Kosmos is predictable. Kaos is unpredictable. Because all systems evolve over time gaining in complexity, all systems will reach a Magic Point where their futures become uncertain. At this point, they touch the Boundaries of Kaos."
This passage touches on several of the laws of Chaos Magic. It directly addresses the Seventh Law, while indirectly addressing the Second and Third. Basically, this law says that the future is a world of possibilities. Every future event is associated with a probability of occurrence. We cannot even say that the sun will rise tomorrow morning with 100% certainty.
"Attractor Demons attract systems toward certain predictable resultant states. This is the cause of continuity. However, living complex systems can rebuke these Demons and escape at any time. Thus their future states are unpredictable."
This passage speaks of unpredictability in terms of the Attractor Demon, a special type of demonic entity that resides in Phase Space. The region of Phase Space is said to be located between dimensions, and thus these demons are invisible to us, although we often feel their effects. Our ability to avoid these demons constitutes the rationale for the probabalistic nature of our future. The biosphere of our Earth as a whole, and all living systems within it, at times exist in far-from-equilibrium conditions. Life, as we know it, is an expression of the self- organizing processes that occur under these conditions. When far-from-equilibrium living systems revert to equilibrium, when they embrace Kosmos, their life becomes regular, and therefore, temporarily predictable. Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle is known to be true on the subatomic level. According to this magic, an element of uncertainty is present in all frames of reference, even in our everyday lives. This is most clearly seen in far-from- equilibrium systems, but remains true for all systems. Man is a complex dynamic system. According to the Seventh Law, our lives are inherently unpredictable, at least in their details (for example, death itself is a certainty, but how and when are generally unpredictable). This unpredictability ensures free will, and without it our futures would be forever fixed according to the doctrine of predestination (the concept of predestination is opposed to the seventh law, and therefore has no place in this magic).
THE EIGHTH LAW - CREATIVITY
All creative activity
is the result of tension between Kaos and Kosmos.
Creativity,
discovery, and invention result from the conjunction of two or more distinct
frames of reference.
Creativity is order condensing out of chaos. The limit cycles of habitual thinking prevent creativity. These are identical to what H. P. Blavatsky, the founder of the modern theosophical movement, called the 'grooves of the mind.' In time, everyone's mind gets stuck in these grooves. We all tend to succumb to habitual thinking. To release the mind from these grooves, a stimulus is required.
"The Magic Lever is used to pry the mind from its normal everyday thinking, to free it from its hypnotic dreams of Kosmos, to point it in the direction of the dark and terrible realms of Kaos."
Creativity implies the ability to shift data from one frame of reference to one or more other frames. This is reminiscent of the story of Archimedes. He was commissioned to determine how much gold was in the king's crown. While contemplating the problem, he stepped in a bath of water and cried 'Eureka,' which is to say, 'I have found it.' He noticed that as he lowered himself into the bath water, the level of the water rose accordingly. He then changed his frame of reference from himself to the king's crown, and realized that the crown, which was too complex to measure accurately, would displace an equal amount of water which could be measured accurately. By shifting his frame of reference, Archimedes created a method for measuring complex objects. Far-from-equilibrium structures are systems bordering on the domain of Kaos. It is here that we see transformations from Kaos to Kosmos, order out of disorder. New dynamic states of matter originate here, which we have called Dissipative Structures. When we approach far-from-equilibrium systems, we are actually approaching the specific and the unique.
"The key to understanding how Kosmos builds from Kaos is the element Fire. Fire dissipates Water, consumes Air, and transforms Earth. Fire causes chemical reactions. It causes melting and evaporation. It makes fuel burn and in that process, it releases heat. But there is another side to Fire known to the Servitors of Kaos. This Occult Fire does not destroy, but rather it creates."
This passage mentions the four elements of the ancients: Earth, Water, Air and Fire. It is well known that these elements symbolically represent the cosmic planes of manifestation. For example, the element Fire corresponds to the Causal Plane. The Fire of the Causal Plane is highly creative. As the name itself suggests, this plane contains the creative causal forces and energies that sustain our physical Earth. Magic uses this Occult Fire in its creative operations. This Occult Fire can be used to trigger Magic Points in such a way that a desired result can be attained with high probability. Even with Occult Fire, karma remains as a potent force for unpredictability. It is not until one's karmic burden is alleviated to some degree that this magic can be used safely and with a high probability of success (as is true for all types of magic).
THE NINTH LAW - EQUILIBRIUM
Complex systems at equilibrium are not really at equilibrium.
Systems damped by friction, and driven by some kind of energy input, while appearing to be at an equilibrium state, are not really at equilibrium at all. Tiny variations are present which can send the system into chaos at any time.
"Kosmos places systems in the world, but Kaos eventually receives them. We like to think that systems are orderly and function in equilibrium. However, such is not the case. Kaos will not be thwarted."
This law suggests that the entire universe is a form of illusion, somewhat like the maya of Buddhism. It appears to be self-sufficient, but in reality is not. The world appears to exist with independence, but does not.
"The Laws of Kosmos and the Laws of Kaos are universal. But when you are in the realm of Kaos, you need obey only his laws. When you are in the realm of Kosmos, you need obey only her laws. To obey the god's laws when in the realm of the goddess, or vice versa, is foolishness indeed."
The laws of equilibrium and linearity are universal. However, systems only obey those laws when they are close to equilibrium. Such systems are said to have repetitive behavior. But systems that are far-from-equilibrium obey the laws of nonlinearity, and can give rise to new Dissipative Structures through the process of self-organization. The types of Dissipative Structures produced depends on the initial conditions when they are formed. For example, external influences, such as the magnetic and gravitational fields of the Earth, can have significant influences.
"Systems that are in harmony are blind. Systems that are in disharmony can see."
Matter, that is in equilibrium, is under the Law of Kosmos, and for that reason has little desire other than to continue in its present condition. It is under strong inertial forces. Matter, in far-from-equilibrium conditions, is under the Law of Kaos, and can escape the inertial forces of order, and can self- transform into something else. It is almost as if the physical particles could collectively 'see' a new path to take. This is also true for systems. Near-bifurcation systems present large fluctuations. They seem to hesitate, in front of the bifurcation that faces them, until a small fluctuation carries them over the edge of their own indecision. Once over the edge, they flow willingly enough into an entirely new evolution that changes the entire behavior of the system. The Ninth Law suggests that we can progress farther under stress than when things are going well. This idea is expressed in Mahayana Buddhism by the doctrine that the human condition is better than the divine, that being a man is preferable to being a god. According to the Buddhist Masters, this is because man can spiritually progress, while gods tend to 'tread water' for many aeons without any spiritual growth. Man partakes of both matter and spirit, standing approximately midway between the two polar opposites. As such, the human condition allows a better chance for spiritual growth than any other. Gods exist in perfect harmony. They are at equilibrium, while the human condition, by comparison, can be considered a far-from-equilibrium state. The Ninth Law says that we will never have heaven on Earth. Man is a complex system, and as such, can never exist in true equilibrium (i.e., in perfect harmony). However, we are more than human. According to the Magic of Chaos, divinity is a state of perfect equilibrium, and every human being has a spark of divinity at the core of their being.
FUNDAMENTALS OF THE NEW MAGIC
"At the beginning of time there was Kaos and Kosmos. Kaos was happy, and reveled in dark cold places. But Kosmos was not happy. She did not like the dark cold places of her brother. She decided to create the world. When the world was first formed by Kosmos, her brother was wrath, and he attacked her creation and slew it. Kosmos waited a while, and then she created the world a second time. Again Kaos attacked the world and slew it. In desperation, Kosmos tricked her brother by casting a deception. By the time Kaos realized that he had been tricked, the world had already come into being. Kosmos ruled over her world from her silver throne, in the beautiful Palace of the Silver Star, which lies in the enchanted Land of Bliss. Kaos established a throne of gold, in the dark Palace of Becoming, which lies in the dread Land of Incoherence."
This story underlies the thrust of the magic. The Magic of Chaos looks at the universal behavior of complex systems such as man. It points out that complex systems are not predictable. There is always an element of chance, randomness, and chaos. The magic looks at how things are created, how order comes out of disorder. For example, it explains that even though the universe is flowing toward ultimate chaos (second law of thermodynamics) nevertheless, order (evolution) comes about. The magic addresses Magical Bifurcation Points. These are special points along the flow of our life in which choices can be made for which future possibilities we will take. We all have these Magic Points. Magic teaches us to find them, and to take advantage of them. This implies the concept of 'probable selves.'
"Systems at their Magic Points will branch into future identities which depend on so many parameters that we can say they are unpredictable. However, a slight nudge toward a desired goal at the right time can bring about positive lasting effects. This is our great task."
Each decision, at such a point, involves an amplification of something small. The ability of a magician (and we are all magicians, consciously or unconsciously) to deliberately amplify a small change can be called a Magic Lever.
"In the arsenal of the magician, no weapon is as powerful as the Magic Lever. The Magic Lever is used to turn weakness into strength, failure into success, Kaos into Kosmos."
Consciousness has a direct effect on the subatomic particles of the body, especially those within the brain. A tiny change within the system/body can result in a vast change to the overall system/body because of amplification through feedback loops. This idea is outlined in Enochian Physics (Llewellyn Publishing, 1988) where it is suggested that conscious control over gravitons can produce levitation, conscious control over W and Z bosons can produce psychic heat, conscious control of photons can enhance the Body of Light, and so on. Nonlinearity exists at many scales throughout the brain. This increases the likelihood that bifurcation and amplification at some point in the brain will take place. Brain activity in its details is unpredictable - but it does have tendencies. New thoughts/stimuli are chaotic but after repetition, become orderly. This process is called recall or memory through neuron feedback coupling. The brain can be considered to have three basic input channels and one output channel. Information comes into the brain by way of the five physical senses and/or memory. However, a second input comes into the brain from Kosmos at the cortex, aaat the bottom of the brain. Also, at the bottom of the brain, a third input comes from Kaos through the brain stem. Essentially, the inputs of Kosmos and Kaos represent the sense of order and disorder that is present in virtually all brain activity. The inputs of Kosmos and Kaos cause a tension throughout the brain that is mandatory for proper and healthy growth. Without the input from Kosmos, the brain falls into insanity and irrationality. It dreams too much. Without the input from Kaos, the brain falls into stereotyped 'grooves' or habitual modes of thinking, and functions like an automaton or robot, without any real creativity. It no longer dreams at all. The output, our thoughts as well as our behavior, depends upon a proper blending of Kaos and Kosmos. A magician must be able to jump from reference plane to reference plane while coupling together their similarities for specific magical purposes. This is only possible with balanced inputs from Kosmos and Kaos. The magician must develop a Bud-Will. The Bud-Will is a magical term used to denote the psychic projection of one's magical will, followed by the animation of that projection so that it becomes autonomous. Like a psychic automoton, a magical child, the Bud-Will tirelessly seeks to carry out the will of the magician who created it. The magical Bud-Will of the magician is an important aspect, and powerful technique, of his or her creativity.
"We must seek out a nuance, and then amplify it in our mind. This initially results in uncertainty and wonder. More amplification results in branching to new planes of reference with feedback loops. Gradually it takes on definition and form, and obtains self- organization - the nuance becomes embodied."
Every physical object is an embodiment of an idea, or mental object. Nothing comes into the physical plane without first coming downward through the Cosmic Planes of Manifestation. The magical Bud-Will is a special driving force that precipitates an idea into physical manifestation. It does this through amplification over time. The magician acknowledges the uncertainty in life. The magician has a reverence for uncertainty. This reverence leads to a personal vision - the True Will.
"Our True Will is in turn linked to our ability to foster the collective action of many individuals. Thus we gain authority and accumulate great creative power."
The chaos magician is opposed to the Reductionist. He opposes linearity with the concept of Wholeness. The Reductionist is the magician who thinks the world is a machine, who seeks for the smallest 'building block' of matter. He reduces the universe to a collection of parts. The chaos magician, on the other hand, sees all parts only exist in relation to each other, which is Wholeness.
"The Reductionist seeks to control nature. We seek to live in tune with nature. The Reductionist seeks stability. We seek change. The Reductionist seeks domination. We seek cooperation."
The chaos magician takes a holistic approach to life and sees patterns in variety, the chance for progress in change, life in death, and order in chaos.
OUR LIVING EARTH
"Life is not physical, but it expresses itself physically in the form of highly improbable complex structures."
The planet Earth is a living being. It is a complex living structure which includes the biosphere, the atmosphere, oceans, and soils. This idea is detailed in the Gaia Model of J. E. Lovelock, where Gaia is the name given to our Earth as a single, albeit large, living organism. Gaia is a feedback system whose goal is to find an optimal physical and chemical environment for life. She (Earth, as the Great Mother, is traditionally considered feminine) uses feedback to maintain controlled conditions which nurture and sustain life.
"Our Earth tries to keep conditions constant to support life. She has organs which are expendable, and she has organs which are vital. However, the control mechanisms used are relatively slow, some requiring thousands of years. We have respect for the control systems of Kosmos, which let in just enough Kaos to prevent stagnation."
In general, any time we find a highly improbable molecular distribution, we will probably find life, or one of its direct expressions. Molecular structures that are 'normal,' which is to say, that are found everywhere, have a low probability of life as we know it. As a general rule of thumb, an organized system of molecules that stands out from its surroundings, and therefore is easily recognized, is probably a vehicle of life. The Earth is not in thermodynamic equilibrium, and thus has such organized molecular structures everywhere. The presence of oxygen and methane in the air, and wood in the ground, for examples, assure that large parts of the Earth have a highly improbable distribution of molecules. Cybernetics was used by the American mathematician, Norbert Wiener, to describe the study of self-regulating communication and control systems in both living and nonliving complex dynamic systems. The main function of cybernetic systems is to find and travel along optimum pathways, through changing conditions, toward a fixed predetermined goal. Chaos Magic teaches that the Earth itself is such a system.
"The Earth, as a system, operates on a global scale. Its goal is to establish and maintain optimum physical conditions for life."
Oxygen is maintained in the atmosphere at a constant rate of about 21 percent. Our carbon-based bodies need oxygen to maintain life. If the amount of oxygen in the atmosphere is allows to vary by only a few degrees, dangerous consequences would set in; Kaos would have domination. For example, the likelihood of a lightening bolt starting a forest fire increases by 70 percent for every 1 percent increase of oxygen in the air above the current 21 percent. Oxygen greater than 21 percent would result in the destruction of our forests by fire. The current oxygen content in the air is therefore a maximum optimal amount. The oceans act as large energy converters. They absorb solar radiant energy from sunlight and cause large amounts of air and water to move around the globe. In this way, The energy and heat, received by the sun, is evenly distributed to all parts of the Earth to help maintain a relatively constant temperature. The temperature of the atmosphere and the salinity of the oceans are both relatively constant. Geological evidence suggests that the salinity of the oceans and the temperature of the atmosphere have remained constant ever since life began, thousands of millions of years ago. These two parameters are examples of the Earth's feedback control systems. About 1.5 billion years ago, the Earth had billions of tiny living viruses, called 'anaerobes,' because they did not need oxygen. These tiny organisms commonly grew in the absence of oxygen. When oxygen was thrown into the atmosphere, a terrible atmospheric catastrophe for the anaerobes, they were effected in at least three ways:
(1) Many died,
(2) Some were driven into regions where the poisonous oxygen could not
get to them, such as the mud at the bottoms of lakes and rivers where
they can still be found today, and
(3) Some adapted to the new environment.
They became a new strain which was resistant to the poison of oxygen. These were the forbearers of all oxygen-breathing beings on Earth today. It is interesting to note that one group of those that fled from their environment can be found today in our digestive tracts, and that without them we would not be able to convert food into energy. Oxygen, which began as an atmospheric pollutant, is now indispensable for life as we know it. Pollutants are relative. Almost all exist naturally somewhere in the world. It is as hard to define 'pollutant' as it is to define 'life.' Pollutants are the cast-offs of Kosmos and, as such, they are often the new building blocks of Kaos. Oxygen was a pollutant to the anaerobes that existed prior to oxygen in the atmosphere. The Earth, as a complex dynamic system, uses pollutants. Living beings adjust to them, and thus they evolve by growing into new forms. Most pollutants are so small that they have little effect on life. However, when they become large enough, life adapts in both an individual and a collective sense. A case in point is the English Peppered Moth. During the Industrial Revolution, great quantities of black sooty pollutants were cast into the air. They stuck to trees and most building surfaces. The Peppered Moth was originally grey in color. In only a few decades, this moth changed its color to black. As black, it was camouflaged against predators on trees that were blackened by the waste products of industry. However, modern society has recently cleaned up its act, and the black pollutants of yesterday are no longer being thrown into the air. The trees have turned back to a natural grey color. Already, the moths are becoming grey again as they adapt to their changing environment. The Earth is alive. As such, it changes, and the living beings on it must either adapt according, or die out. All life is intricately joined together, and what effects one will effect every other.