Why Chaos Magic Rocks

A few years back I wrote a few pieces critical of bits of Chaos Magic. I stand by those five criticisms, but I think it gave the impression to many people that I was anti- chaos magic in general. That is not the case. It’s SO not the case that I am writing a short commentary to Carrolls Liber KKK for use by the Strategic Sorcery Group.

Dubious Monk’s recent post in response to Aaron Leitch prompted me to comment a little further on Chaos Magic and why I think it has a bright future.

I stand my by “5 Criticisms”. but especially now, Chaos Magic is so much more than that.
A few years ago I suggested it was heading to towards “Post Chaos” but that was a bad projection, and I was wrong. If anything it is a fuller embrace of Chaos and Animism that arises from it as the cosmological model rather than a neat and tidy emanationist order with a designer at the helm that is taking us forward.

While I loathe the “fantasy/fiction” based gods, I LOVE the re-embrace of Mystery Gods and Magicians Gods. Carroll’s Apophenia and Pareidolia are great examples. This has a lot more resonance with ancient figures like the Headless One and the lion Headed Serpent, and even Abraxas than many people like to give credit for. For me these symbolic beings should arise from states of Gnosis rather than deliberate construction, but it’s still pretty cool.

Chaos Magic is not Tidy and neither is the universe. Even in studies of traditional magic and religion when things are Tidy its almost always a false picture that you need to cut through. Chaos magic does this by cutting through to what lies underneath and focusing on results that matter. In bad hands Chaos Magic prompts people not to ignore history and tradition in favor of whatever the hell they feel like doing or whatever is easiest. In great hands however it asks for deeper digging and engagement, cutting through some of the Byzantine Bullshit that gets layered on through the ages, and getting back to the sparks that lit the fire in the first place.

I am still not a chaos magician, but it played an important role in my formation. People like Gordon White and Tommie Kelly and Andrieh Vitimus are taking it to the next level.

Speaking of the next thing in Chaos Magic, have you heard about the Pieces of Eight?