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ABSAgrams
01 More than Halfway Home?
Does ceremonial magic, so-called "high magic," "work," and if so, how? In the view of ABSAprime (aka "Dr.Philly Jo," our fearless leader and main source of inspiration [her bio here]), much of what is ascribed to "magical workings" often comes simply from the "magician" being focused and prepared, and behaving that way in the context of the "working." (Now comes the standard disclaimer: none of us here at ABSApundit.com has been initiated into any magical organization, so we must allow for potential input from numerous informed persons who have been initiated to have an opinion about what we are saying here...that is, if they're allowed to speak about it!
We spend a lot of time on this site discussing activity classified as “magick” workings (using Aleister Crowley’s spelling—Crowley reactivated an older form of this word (with a "k") to distinguish his work from that of an illusionist or "stage magician), both in their occult sense and to draw parallels between “magickal” workings and the performances we construct in our day-to-day lives. Since we at ABSApundit consider that nearly our entire daily existence to be performances, it is this last idea, the one about how we have to do "magic workings" all the time, whether we want to or not, that will prove of the most vital importance in our future evolution.
We take the position that a great deal of the success epitomized by esoteric, occult magickal workings lies in what you have to do to prepare for them, and what you have to know, and commit to, in order to successfully execute them.
To see how specific things can get, here’s how the famous occultist Arthur Edward Waite (that's the guy who co-authored the most widely used deck of Tarot cards, the Rider-Waite Deck) described one “basic” operation:
The next operation is the purchase of a virgin kid, which must be decapitated on the third day of the moon. Previously to the sacrifice, a garland of vervain must be wound about the neck of the animal, immediately below the head, and secured by means of a green ribbon. The sacrifice must be offered on the scene of the coming evocation, a forlorn and isolated spot free from all interruption. There, with the right arm bared to the shoulder, having armed himself with a blade of fine steel, and having kindled a fire of white wood, the Karcist shall recite the following words...
And that is just one small part of the total operation. Two things you have to concede to successful ceremonial magicians: they exert considerable effort and they seem to have very high standards. Think of all you’d have to master just in order to do all the things you’d have to in order to perform the ritual correctly.
As perhaps the best example of thorough preparation, Aleister Crowley is said to have required entrants to his abbey to read and understand dozens of classic philosophical texts, comprising the best (read: most difficult) material relating to Western and other philosophical traditions that I’ve ever seen (and in my pursuit of my doctorate, believe me, I’ve seen way more than I have wanted to!). Looking over the list, we felt almost as if we were perusing a proposed reading program for someone seeking a doctoral degree in philosophy. And remember: none of these sources has a vested interest in promoting the so-called "magickal" view: this is (purportedly, but not in actuality) separate, all just preparatory to the really difficult material in the esoteric realm.
All of this is to say that there are vast worlds of inspiration to be found in ceremonial magic. However, it should also be said that these sources can be perused and exploited even if one is not prepared to devote one’s life to the pursuit of that particular form of knowledge. There are things, many details, about the ceremonies that can serve useful purposes, especially in comparison to other avenues of investigation. Yes, it’s true that the systems of ceremonial magic have been well-established over the centuries. However, in today’s modern culture, it is also a work of original creativity to meld the frankly rather rigid elements of ceremonial magic with other domains of ABSA.
To progress in higher forms of magic seems to require (“seems to”--again, we're not initiates, so we can’t speak to the inner details of initiation, but lots of it depends on subordination of one’s will, as well as strict observation of what seem on the surface to be trivial details. It’s a situation similar to that faced by many religions. Where is the boundary between an adventurous spiritual awareness and conformity?
We recall Steve Taylor, probably our very favorite Christian rocker, and his amusingly cynical take (I Want to be a Clone) on the young newly converted Christian who wants to tell his friends the good news, but finds his new Christian comrades are horrified, insisting that he spend the next couple of decades learning the lingo: he’s told that “if you want to be one of His, you gotta act like one of us.”
In similar fashion, you will find people who insist that you are doomed if, in a magick ceremony, you used the wrong incense or inverted key phrases in a complex incantation. Our work is similar in execution, but it all contributes to systems of knowledge which literally will not become "real" until you bring them into existence. But look at what you have to do to bring new, often controversial systems of knowledge to bear on a problem. That's the way of the world, and to paraphrase The Princess Bride, anyone who tells you that’s not serious Is selling something.
The keys to all of this are adaptability and curiosity. The degree that one penetrates into an established group will determine how much freedom one will have to function. It’s like a sliding scale where autonomy increases only after successively onerous requirements have been overcome. It’s strange: in advancing through any structured organization, the more freedom you get the more you have to pay in “dues” to the organization. Not to toot our own horn, but ABSApundit has none of that. Got a target for your exploration? Maybe you know a whole lot, maybe a little, maybe bupkis. With us, you take the various results of ABSAdomains, and you combine them, any of them or all of them, or even contribute new domains from the many, many available.
We are not proposing a rejection of ceremonial magick or any of the ABSA- [or other] domains--quite the opposite, actually--but it should always be your decision as to how far you go with any perspective in which you participate. And indeed, if your impulses, your instinct, the pulse of your personhood--however you choose to call it--inclines you to go further into that realm, and indeed you even come to the conclusion that we here at ABSApundit are full of it and foolish in our enthusiasms--well, to that we'd only say "good on yer."
the reason why that would be precious is because it came from you and belongs to you. If you can modify your view by delving (to varying degrees) in alternate views of reality, obviously that would be great. However, remember that what you come up with isn't going to be close to the same as anyone else's (far less "everyone else's"! (ABSApundit Rule 10: Your religious experience is not even remotely the same as anyone else's, especially those who claim the "same" religion as you).
So charge forward into exciting realms but always keep your eyes open, and never forget the "spiritual" advice provided by the divine Ms. Gladys Knight: "Believe half of what you see and none of what you hear!"
"As Below, So Above"
[Graphics by Descript's Overlord and Microsoft's Powerpoint. Background videos by Wix.com].
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