Lecture Notes: Chaos Magic

Introduction

• Focus on Chaos Magic, which arrived in England in the late 1970s to early 1980s.
• Key books: Psychonaut and Liber Null by Peter Carroll.
• Discuss Austin Spare's influence and personal history with Chaos Magic.

What is Chaos Magic?

• Experimental form of magic.
• Combines techniques like sigils and belief change.
• Translates esoteric concepts into modern practices.
• Ideas of egregores, servitors, and chaos spheres.

Historical Context

• Origin story and development through zines and publications.
• Mention of key figures like Peter Carroll, Ray Sherwin.
• Introduction to seminal texts in the field.

Personal Journey

• Personal engagement with Chaos Magic and early influences.
• Engagement with the Illuminates of Thanateros (IoT).
• Contribution to magazines like Chaos International.

Concepts of Chaos Magic

• Magical Paradigms: Probability manipulation, morphic field theory.
• Initiation and Hierarchies: Rejection of traditional structures.

Chaos International Magazine

• A platform for sharing ideas in the Chaos Magic community.
• Articles on computers and magic, Tarot, and I Ching.

Influence of Literature

• Influence from authors like H.P. Lovecraft, Robert Anton Wilson.
• The role of novels like The Dice Man.

Notable Publications

• Condensed Chaos by Phil Hine.
• Cybermagic by Peter Carroll.
• Egregores by Mark Stavish, discussing occult entities.

Core Techniques

• Sigils: Derived from Austin Spare's work, method for personal change.
• Egregores and Servitors: Concepts of group or personal spirit entities.

Practical Methods

• Sigil Creation: Simplifying complex thoughts into symbols.
• Belief Change: Using NLP techniques for transforming personal beliefs.

Chaos Magic Philosophy

• Emphasizes experimentation and personal development.
• Challenges traditional occult hierarchies.
• Encourages individual exploration and synthesis of ideas.

Conclusion

• Chaos Magic remains a dynamic and evolving field.
• Encourages a blend of traditional practices with modern interpretations.
• Focus on personal empowerment and transformation.

Additional Resources

• Mention of other Chaos Magicians and texts for further exploration.
• Encouragement to experiment and explore individual paths within Chaos Magic.