Randomness
The Power of being Open in Magic
This is refined article of one of my previous posts, published on Right Where You are sitting Now. I expanded the concepts a bit further in it to explain how being open can actually limit the field of possibilities that are accessible.
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Who is speaking? Who is writing? Who is reading? I’ve been reading a book based on Gurdijeff’s techniques around language and it seems he played quite a bit with concepts of self as they are expressed and perceived via language. The book is called The Magic Language of the Fourth Way by Pierre Bonnasse. I’m also reading the Apohenion by Peter Carroll, and Meta-Magick By Phil Farber, as well as Guerilla Marketing by Jay Conrad Levinson and The Fabric of the Cosmos by Brian Greene.
I find such a variety of reading to be very potent in how one considers his/her magical practice. We look at a variety disciplines to learn about the different perspectives for how reality manifests. We look at different magical traditions, but also other disciplines so we can understand how those disciplines inform how others consider the world. A Multi-disciplinarian approach ensures that we don’t limit ourselves or get stuck in the past. It demands we look around and see what others are doing, so that we consider our practices in light of that.
When I started practicing magic at 16 (Do you know I’ve been practicing for half my lifetime now?) I wanted to learn everything I could about magic. Now at 32, I want to learn everything I can about everything. A generalist’s approach. My friend Bill says that specialization is for insects…and I agree. Knowing a lot about one area of study can make you ill-informed and shallow about so much else. And whilst the same argument could be made that focusing on a generalist approach makes for a shallow understanding across a broad stretch of disciplines, I’ve found that as I learn about the different disciplines and ways of structuring life, there’s a lot of cross over and connection. What’s different is the discourse, the jargon, the language we use to communicate with each other.
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I’m now a teacher at the Growing Edge Institute, which is a sister site of Maybe Logic Academy. My first course will start on November 24th and it will be on Pop Culture Magic: an Exploration of 21st Century Mythology. The description for the class is below:
From the mid twentieth century to the present, pop culture has presented us a new mythology for our time and culture. While the beliefs and practices of older cultures are still viable, this class will show you how to integrate the mythology of pop culture into your occult practice. Lessons will include the following:
• How to create a relationship with a pop culture or corporate entity and work with it for a variety of purposes, including letting it teach you a skill, navigate the dangers of the modern workplace, and modernize magical practices.
• How to incorporate pop culture into practical applications of magic, including how to use video games to do practical magic, how comicbook design can be used in magical practice, Pop Astral magic, etc.
• How pop culture is defined in pop culture magic, and how to create your own personal system of magic with pop culture.
• How to create effective collages for evoking people and situations into your life.
• How clothing, video games, and pop culture can be used to hone your invocation skills and change your identity
The ultimate goal of this course is to present you with a pop culture toolbox that you can use to integrate contemporary culture into your magical practices.
And whilst the same argument could be made that focusing on a generalist approach makes for a shallow understanding across a broad stretch of disciplines, I’ve found that as I learn about the different disciplines and ways of structuring life, there’s a lot of cross over and connection.
I’d definitely agree on this, based on my personal experiences. I try to keep things going as much as possible, keep the pot stirred so nothing settles. There is a fair amount of crossover, in fact I notice in some traditions or formats, people bridge connections they weren’t even aware of. It’s these connections that I enjoy greatly exploring and digging out. I always tended to use the term “jack-of-all-trades” due to my information addiction in general…though occasionally I do have an annoying habit of sticking myself in a rut. Thankfully it doesn’t seem to last me too long. Then again, there is something to be said for being too open. Structures and boundaries are useful things and should be put in place. They can always be recalibrated as necessary though.
I started studying magic in my mid-teens as well, although I didn’t really pick things up, so to speak, until my early twenties. Strict Catholic upbringing had alot to do with that. Heh. Funny though…it was my strict Catholic upbringing that actually helped me absorb faster some facets of magic and ceremonial practice earlier on (no doubt due to the Catholic church’s pagan roots)…I am thinking it probably wouldn’t have been this way if I came from, say, a strict protestant environment. All goes to show that writing things off completely doesn’t always benefit. Just to show one example.
[...] I read Taylor Ellwood’s essay, The Power of Being Open in Magic, and began thinking about how lately I have been [...]
Being Open « Magical Journal of Hemlock said this on October 29, 2008 at 1:26 am |