textfiles/internet/FAQ/alt-magick_faq.txt

In the absence of a declared ipsissimus, this lowly one presumes to provide
another edition of the irregularly submitted alt.magick FAQ list...

  What is this newsgroup about anyway?
        This is a group which exists to discuss magickal theory, art, and 
        technology.   (see definition of magick, below)

  What is this newsgroup *not* about?
        This newsgroup is not about specific religions (pagan, satanist
        christian, new age, whatever).  It is not about stage magic.
        For info on the Necronomicon, ask Colin Low (cal@otter.hpl.hp.com) 
        for a "Necronomicon FAQ."
        These topics have their own newsgroups, with the exception of
        the necronomicon.

  What kind of inquiry is appropriate here?
        Try to be a little clueful, and we will try to be a little kind.
        It's not an easy topic to broach, and I hope both the newbies and
        the (*ahem* *cough*) old hands can get along here.

  How do I even start to figure out what to say?
        It is important to remember that many of us come from differing
        backgrounds, so please do not assume that we have terms in common.
        If people react to your posting, it is very likely on the grounds
        of some semantic misunderstanding.  Semantic misunderstandings beat
        out cold fusion as a source of boundless cheap heat.  Do your best,
        and we will try to sort it out.  Communication is an unending 
        miracle, which we renew every time we read something on the net.
        None of us are perfect at it, so don't worry *too* much, and never
        take anything personally if folks react to it.  (Even if they tell
        you so...)  Anyone taking themselves too seriously here is missing 
        the point...  Primary prereq for the group is a broad sense of 
        humor.

  What is magick, and why do you use a 'k'?
        Magick is any of a variety of life-practices which devote the 
        practitioner to self- and (thereby) environment-transformation.
        Methods and schools of magick vary.  This group discusses all
        sorts of alchemy, kaballah, western ritual magick, renaissance
        neoplatonism, eastern mysticism, neopagan magick, and occasionally
        a bit of commentary on new age practice.  The general viewpoint
        here is to try for a dogma-free approach to magick, which precludes
        a lot of religious discussion, although we draw religious and 
        mystical vocabulary in *all* the time, since we are too short 
        lived to reinvent all the symbols in the world.  Personally,
        I like to think of us as agnostic gnostics...
        We spell it with a 'k' to differentiate from the art of presti-
        digitation, which has it's own group 'alt.magic'.  The closeness
        in spelling has resulted in some amusing unintentional cross-
        postings...

  Who is Aleister Crowley?  Why should I care?
        It is frightening to this humble reader that Aleister Crowley
        (Uncle Al, the Beast 666, and various other terms of endearment)
        has written the most readable and concise magickal theory texts
        produced in the past couple centuries.  This is frightening largely
        because they are as obscure as hell, the style is usually atrocious,
        and his assumptions about the background of his readership are vast.
        Magic_Without_Tears is a good starting place for the neophyte.
        Magic_in_Theory_and_Practice is a good starting place for someone
        who thinks they might already have a little background.  The general
        "school" of Crowley's style of magick is referred to as Thelema,
        a word which means "Will" in Greek.  Those who study this canon 
        are referred to properly as Thelemites, and improperly as Crowley-
        ites (much as it is not proper to refer to Moslems as Mohammedans).
        Me, I'm not a fan, I just read the stuff...
        In this group, there seem to be a preponderance of Thelema-literates
        who submit to the group, therefore you will often find Thelemite
        vocabulary used as the lingua franca.  
        It is probably a prereq to about a quarter of the discussions in
        this group to understand Crowley's technical meaning of the term
        Will, and the terms Love, Law, and a general literacy couldn't hurt.

  What's a good beginning reading list for a person interested in magick?
        NON-FICTION:
        Magick Without Tears            Aleister Crowley
        Angel Tech                      Antero Alli (sp?)
        Real Magick                     Isaac Bonewitz
        The Golden Bough                J. G. Frazer
        The Prince                      Niccolo Machiavelli
        The Politics                    Aristotle
        The Book of Five Rings          Miyamoto Musashi
        The Art of War                  Sun Tzu

        FICTION:
        works                           Robert Anton Wilson
        works                           Robert Shea
        works                           Dion Fortune

  What's a good beginning reading list for a person interested in mysticism?
        A Sociable God                  Ken Wilbur
        The Sacred and the Profane      Mircea Eliade
        A History of Religious Ideas    Mircea Eliade
          Volume 1 especially
        follow topics of interest from the bibliographies of these books...

  Why is this group so pagan hostile?
        This group was partially formed to foment discussion of magickal
        theory and practice outside of the alt.pagan flamefest.  Therefore
        you will find a lot of people who, when they see pagan terminology,
        immediately try to kill it before it grows.  (They've gotten better
        over the months, but still flare up sometimes.)  In addition, there
        is a great debate over whether pagan practice is a modern invention,
        or an ageless traditional religion WHICH DISCUSSION DOES NOT BELONG
        IN THIS GROUP, which causes many Crowley fans to dismiss all pagans
        as dupes of Gardener and Crowley.  If you want to comment on this,
        send me email.  I am a very active pagan, and I'd rather read this
        list than alt.pagan because of the higher signal-to-noise ratio
        (despite our occasional lapses...).
 
  What about Satanism?
        Some of the posters of this group are self-identified Satanists.
        This group does not ascribe to any particular religious philosophy,
        and we try not to make assumptions about other folk's.  Do not
        assume that a Satanist is:  evil; has anything to do with christi-
        an ideas of Satan; subject to flamage sheerly for his/her religious
        beliefs.  This topic has been thrashed to death, and belongs else-
        where.  If you can't be religiously tolerant, please go elsewhere.
        If this is PC, the PC stands for Peaceful Coexistance.  For more 
        info, consult alt.satanism.

  How can I put together a surefire aphrodisiac?
        One that works for me:  Insure a perfectly clean and neat working
        environment.  Bathe.  Burn a little incense, but nothing too strong.
        Artificial light is a real no-no: go for candles, and light from
        the fireplace.  Soft, rhythmical music is a real plus.  Inscribe
        a circle in the air around the bed, and spread an altar cloth
        thereon.  Furnish the altar with champagne (representing air-
        in-water), and a couple cherry-chocolate truffles (representing
        earth-encompassing-fire).  Dress in comfortable, but form-flattering
        garb.  Introduce the subject to the altar area, and share with him/
        her the altar furnishings.  If the aspects are good, your heart is
        clear, and there is any hope at all, it'll work.
        This is not a recipe exchange club.  You are highly unlikely to 
        find spells or specific procedures described, except as subjective
        reports.  Generally, we are interested in (self-)transformative
        magicks, not sorcery, spells, or D&D style handwaving.
        A dear friend also recommends flower magick.  I am unsure of this
        concept, and invite him to empirically experiment on me.

Is there a formal order associated with alt.magick?

        No, but there is a lot of informal disorder (Hail Eris!)  The
        eloquent Rev. J. B. Bell has posted:

> That's right--this humble reporter has discovered that alt.magick is
> in fact the real and true descendant of the original Knights Templar,
> and even the Enlightened Ones of the Lost Continent of Mu before them.
> Amazingly, it hides where its persecutors will least suspect
> it--*right out in the open*.
> 
> Just look at these obvious indicators:
> 
        > 1.  A system of initiation--newbies are subjected to
> mind-cleansing rituals, known as "flaming".
> 
        > 2.  All comers are accepted after initiation, just as in the
> Eleusinian and many other Mysteries, regardless of social class.  The
> only criteria are a willingness to learn and basic composition skills.
> 
        > 3.  All are free to Post as they Will.  Those posting What They
> Want may get flamed though.  Eventually, this reciprocative process
> leads to Enlightenment.
> 
> While there is no official ranking, it is obvious that there are
> Secret Masters at work here.
> 
                          > Well that's about enough of that,
> 
                          > --Rev. J. B. Bell
 
Are there stylistic guidelines?
        Add a few books on General Semantics to your reading list, and also
        Strunk & White, and the guide to using your favorite news editor.
        We do pretty well with bad spellers, and poor grammarians, but there
        is no excuse for folks who can't learn how to use their word wrap
        options in their editor.  It really makes it hard to read your post
        or to include quotes to reply.  Please hit the return key at the
        end of each line, if you can't learn how to use the word wrap.  We
        thank you!  Hope to see you on the net!

Shava Nerad Averett
shava@gibbs.oit.unc.edu
/*  muffled gaffaws resound as Shava contemplates how much most of UNC would
    disclaim most of what she's written for this list... */
-- 

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