372 lines
21 KiB
Plaintext
372 lines
21 KiB
Plaintext
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<20><>۱
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<20><>۱
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<20>۱ <20><>۱ <20>۱
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<20>۱ <20><><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD>۱ <20>۱
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<20>۱ <20><><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD>۱ <20>۱
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<20><><EFBFBD> C H A O S <20><>۱
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<20><><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD> BOX <20><><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD>۱
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<20><><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD>
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<20><><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD> THE MAGICAL <20><><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD>
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<20><><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD> MAILBOX <20><><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD>۱
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<20><><EFBFBD>06257 7966<36><36><EFBFBD>۱
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<20>۱ <20><><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD>۱ <20>۱
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<20>۱ <20><><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD>۱ <20>۱
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<20>۱ <20><>۱ <20>۱
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<20><>۱
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<20><>۱
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The Psycho-Historic Mechanism of the Aeons, by Pete Carroll
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(The Book of -ists and -isms)
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A superficial examination of the paradigms which have dominated
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aeons of cultural development indiicates that three major world
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views have arisen to dominance in succession. These are the magical,
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transcendental, and materialist paradigms. A simple picture of these
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views rising successively to prominence has a certain descriptive
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use but it lacks explanatory or predictive power and cannot account
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for the persistence or resurgence of a particular paradigm at some
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other point in cultural development. For this a more sophisticated
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model is required which includes a consideration of the various
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opposition philosophies which invariably complement the prevailing
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cultural paradigm. If the linear time frame of materialism and
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transcendentalism is combined with the cyclic or recurrent time
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frame of magical philosophy a graph can be derived which represent
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both the dominant and opposition paradigms in a form which exhibits
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considerable explanatory and predictive power, the Psychohistoric
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Model.
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The Psychohistoric Model
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(Imagine these curves round and smooth...)
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Mat. . . * . . + . . - . . * .
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(-) - * + + - - * *
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- * * + + - - * *
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+ + - -
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. - * . . * + . . +- . . - * . .
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*- + - + -
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- + * - + * -
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Magic.* - + - + -
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(*) . +. *. - . .+ .* . .
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- + * - - +
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- + * + * - +
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- - * + -
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. .+ - . .- *. . +* . . -+ .
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- * + -
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+ - - * * + + -
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Trans.+ + - - * * + + -
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(+) . ++ . . - . . * . . + . .
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Animi- Spiri- Pagan Mono- Athei- Nihil- Chaoi- ???
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st tist theist st ist st
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. SHAMANIC . RELIGIOUS . RATIONALIST . PANDEMON .
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This model is qualitative, a quantitative treatment would imply a
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non-linear calibration of the time axis with dates specific to
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particular cultures. At the time of writing, various human cultures
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can be identified as passing through a particular aeon and it can
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be observed that cultures have varied considerably in the length of
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time they have to progress from one aeon to the next. In cultures
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where aeonic development has been rapid it is usual to find both
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remnants of previous aeonic paradigms and evidence of impending
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aeonic paradigms amongst various individuals and sub-cultures. This
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is particularly noticeable in western industrial nations at the time
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of writing. The ebb and flow of the magical, transcendental and
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magical paradigms appears to be partly due to competition between
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them and partly due to certain features of the paradigms themselves.
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Each has a tendency to become an awesome tyranny at its zenith
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whilst at its nadir its absence creates such difficulties that it
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inevitably persists as a rediculed, barely tolerated, or outright
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illegal opposition philosophy.
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Each paradigm expresses itself with a particular physical
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technology. Thus the shamanic aeon is characerised by hunter-
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gatherer technologies, agrarian technologies characterize the
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religious aeon and the rationalist aeon is characterized by
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industrialism. The paradigm of the coming aeon will complement post
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industrial cultures.
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There seems little value in extrapolating the psycho-history model
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backwards in time beyond the shamanic aeon for animistic beliefs
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appear to characterize the earliest forms of anything that can be
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called human culture. The aeons tend to divide quite neatly into two
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smaller phases each as the paradigms underlying them gain or loose
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ground relative to each other. The animist phase of the shamanic
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aeon is dominated by magic and materialsm. Magic supplies the
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insight that all phenomena embody a particular power or mana which
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can be transfered or used to manipulate or anticipate the actions of
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those phenomena. The system is a perfectly rational extrapolation
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from the initial mana hypothesis and it is entirely empirical.
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Certain magical procedures are performed and certain results usually
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follow, apart from that the world is conceived in a simple
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materialistic fashion, as it presents itself to the senses.
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Transcendentalism plays no part in pure animism which has no
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pretences beyond assisting its practioners through this life. There
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would appear to be no purely animistic cultures left on this world
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but anthropologists have observed a few remote cultures in the
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spiritist phase of shamanism into which animism is prone to decay.
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In this phase magical theory becomes baroque as the decline of
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rational empiricism leads to a progressive divorce between magical
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procedures and their desired effects. Magical theories and
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procedures tend to proliferate for a time as their effects and
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explanatory power become less certain. Thus ritual, myth, fetishism
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and taboo come to the fore and begin to accrete transcendental
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overtones.
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...to be continued...
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Pagan or polytheistic cultures arise with a more settled
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agricultural and city state civilisation. Magical theories and
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practices decline as the powers recognised in shamanism become
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anthropomorphized into human deities, synonymous with an increasing
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transcendentalism as the shamanic view of personal power becomes
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elaborated into a personal soul. Ritual negotiation with the gods
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comes to replace direct magical procedures. Materialism is largely
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absent from pagan metaphysical thought wherein the world is
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conceived in largely magical and transcendental terms. Such
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technical progress as occurs develops on a trial and error basis and
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any advances are more often given a mythological rather than a
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rational interpretation. The limited materialist theorizing about
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the world that does occur in pagan cultures invariably begins or
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ends with mythic premises. It is frequently a proscribed activity
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and not a few pagan philosophers paid dearly for their speculations
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if their conclusions differs from priestly orthodoxy.
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Paganism tends to decay into monotheism during the religious aeon as
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magical theories are replaced by transcendental ones. A number of
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factors are at work here. Monotheism equates with the growing sense
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of individual self that transcendentalism stimulates. At the same
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time monotheism readily allows for more widespread and effective
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social control. It is also far easier to train a monotheistic
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priesthood or maintain a monotheistic theocracy. For the magic often
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expected of pagan priests is inherently difficult and unreliable
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except in the most talented hands and is not generally expected of
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monotheistic priests. As the monotheist phase progresses there is
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some increment in materialistic theories of nature but except where
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these are heavily circumscribed by theology such researches are
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conducted at great peril. Indeed, because both material and magical
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theories are in opposition to the prevailing orthodoxy, science and
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sorcery are often inseperable both to their practioners and to the
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priesthood which persecute them in this period. Peculiar hybrids of
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materialism and magic such as alchemy are frequently found in
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opposition to monotheism and magic often disguises itself as theurgy
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partly as protective camouflage and partly out of pure metaphysical
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confusion.
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The gradual ascent of materialist philosophy towards the end of the
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religious aeon is coupled with technological developments. These in
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turn lead to a further decline in the mythical aspects of religion.
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Thus in the first atheistic phase of the rationalist aeon
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transcendental theories are giving ground to material ones. Such
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cultures usually remain nominally monotheist as religion recedes in
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the face of technological achievement and the ascendancy of material
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descriptions of reality. Purely magical theories virtually disappear
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during this phase although some spiritualist occultism often rears
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its grotesque head. This phenomena bears little relationship to
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magic. Any magic which manifests within it is explained away in
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terms of the transcendental materialism of which spiritualism
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consists. Freemasonry is characteristic of the increasing
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materialism and declining transcendentalism of this sub-aeon. Whilst
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nominally monotheistic, freemasonry seeks a mild transcendence
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through reason in its virtual worship of the rational archtect of
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the material universe. It is essentially a child of the old European
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enlightenment and persists on a clubbish basis although its original
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anti-clerical and anti-monarchist purposes are long forgotten. The
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philosophies of humanism, communism and capitalism also have their
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roots in the material transcendentalism of this aeon.
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Atheism is prone to decay into nihilism as the rationalist aeon
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progresses. Transcendentalism becomes progressively less sustainable
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as a world view whilst the explanatory and technical power of
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materialism grows. As the materialist paradigm peaks it becomes
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sterile and tyrannical in its attempt to quantify all things in
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material terms. At the time of writing, many of the world's current
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problems are due to large segments of the dominant Western culture
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entering their nihilist phase. The initial optimism of capitalism,
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science and socialism is fading as faith in the products of these
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systems diminishes and no alternatives seem to present themselves as
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we accelerate into global ecological squalor.
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...to be continued...
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Magic and transcendentalism exist in opposition to the dominant
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materialist paradigm and often become confused for this reason, much
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as magic and science were often confused together in their
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opposition to monotheism in the religious aeon. Magical theories
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tend to proliferate partly in response to the tyranny of materialism
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and partly because although materialism is self evidently
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incomplete, the holes cannot be patched with a transcendentalism
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that is tinged with increasing absurdity. Thus in opposition to
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nihilistic materialism we find the remains of a monotheistic
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transcendentalism which we find the remains of a monotheistic
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transcendentalism which is on the way out and a purely magical view,
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manifesting, for example, in the growth of parapsychology, which is
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on the increase. Strange admixtures of magic and transcendentalism
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in various proportions arise at this time. Neo-paganism, witchcraft
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and white light occultism are characteristic rebel philosophies
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during the cultural dominance of nihilism. Charismatic revival
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movements on the fringes of a decaying monotheism attempt to
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perceive and invoke the supposed magical powers of their deities in
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an immediate way to bolster a transcendentalism which is inexorably
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fading into obscurity. Similarly in the initial phase of the revival
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of magic, transcendental or neo-religious themes tend to become
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mixed with magic. However the psycho-history model predicts that
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they will part company and that the surviving magical traditions
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will be those with no religious components. The model further
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predicts that the nihilist phase of the rationalist aeon will give
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way to a new aeon in which the relative strengths of the three
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paradigms will be in a similar configuration to that of the shamanic
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aeon. Materialist and magical beliefs will dominate the culture of
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the new aeon initially and then magic alone will come to dominate.
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The new aeon has been dubbed the Pandaemonaeon and its first phase
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the Chaoist sub-aeon in recognition of the non transcendental magic-
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materialist theories which will characterize it.
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From the standpoint of the popular rational materialism which
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dominates the nihilist phase it may appear absurd that the
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philosophy of magic will arise first to complement and then surpass
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that of science and materialism. However the most advanced
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scientific theories are already beginning to exhibit magical
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features in their new descriptions of reality. Both in particle
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physics and cosmogenesis a fundamental acausality, indeterminacy and
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observer dependence is now ascribed to reality. These are, properly
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speaking, magical theories, not material ones. It also appears that
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in biology, psychology and medicine materialist theories of strict
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causality must give ground to some form of emergent vitalism for
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organisms are evidently more than the sum of their parts. This
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co-emergent vital principle or morphic field is equivalent to the
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intrinsic power or mana of magical theory.
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The prevailing orthodoxy of the coming chaoist age will represent
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something of a truce between magic and science; although the magical
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aspects may take on heavy scientific camouflage first to make them
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more acceptable. Transcendental theories will virtually disappear
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and magical phenomena will no longer be acknowledged as proof of
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anything spiritual. The word "God" will be both objectively and
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subjectively meaningless except to a few cliques and cranks;
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although towards the end of the pandaemonaeon new forms of magical
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transcendentalism will arise but it would be premature to speculate
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on their precise manifestation. The model does not predict the
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nature of the characteristic post-industrial technology of the
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impending aeon. The decline of materialistic theories throughout the
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aeon does not in itself imply the loss of advanced technology. As
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technology becomes progressively more complex and less
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comprehensible there is a tendency to conceive of it and use it as
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though it were a magical phenomenon. Devices incorporating quantum
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mechanical or direct psi-interactive components may well make any
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distinction between magical and material systems meaningless in any
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case. So the impending pandaemonaeon may be characterized by an
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extremely complex yet rationally incomprehensible high technology.
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Alternatively the model will equally well accommodate a post
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catastrophe technology sufficient to support a new hunter gatherer
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tribalized society resembling the first shamanic aeon when the
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relative strengths of the paradigms were similar. At the time of
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writing it is too early to speculate on the character of the second
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phase of the pandaemoneaon which has been left nameless. It remains
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to be seen whether humanity will spend this phase out amongst the
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stars or squabbling over tinned food in the smoking ruins. Yet any
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credible form of stellar travel will have to be based on principles
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more akin to those currently under investigation in magic than in
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science. Some form of machine enhanced teleportation might suffice,
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reaction-thrust vehicles plainly will not.
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...to be continued...
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The magician's stance towards the aeonic cycle depends on his
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attitude towards change. Progress is merely the mechanism whereby
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humanity exchanges one set of problems for another, often larger,
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set. To campaign for or against change is necessarily to draw
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oneself into strive and conflict. Yet it seems that by nature we
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find it more stimulating to engage in turmoil and contention than to
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abstain. The advantages of having history on one's side are that one
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may enjoy the company of radical rather than conservative minds and
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one may even enjoy the satisfaction of being proved right in one's
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lifetime. The satisfactions afforded by the defense of orthodoxy and
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the bittersweet appeal of vainglorious defeat should not, however,
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be underestimated. Politics, being a mere squabble over the
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secondary codification of the primary values of a society, has
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little effect on the aeonic cycle. All it can do is effect the
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timing. Democracy for example is entirely due to industrialism,
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military technology and the weaking of monotheism; it is not
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something which arises out of politics itself, nor is it by any
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means the ultimate form of social organisation. If there is a tide
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in the affairs of men then it is caused by deep changes in our views
|
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|
|
of self and reality and politics are mere eddies and ripples on its
|
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|
|
surface.
|
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|
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|
|
Armed with the Psycho-historic model of aeonic change the magician
|
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|
|
can readily see what factors he should work on to hasten impede or
|
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|
|
reverse aeonic development in a particular culture or sub-culture.
|
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|
|
For example it is necessary to encourage both materialism and
|
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|
|
transcendentalism and to undermine magical theories when engaged in
|
|||
|
|
monotheistic missionary work with pagans. Conversely to help combat
|
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|
|
the effects of such missionary work or to revive a pagan cabal
|
|||
|
|
within a monotheist or atheist culture one should do just the
|
|||
|
|
opposite. However, one hopes that the primary concern for
|
|||
|
|
contemporary magi is to ensure the safe and speedy birth of the
|
|||
|
|
pandaemonaeon from within nihilist culture. To assist in this
|
|||
|
|
transition, magical philosophy must strive for three things.
|
|||
|
|
Firstly, it must strive to eliminate any remaining transcendental or
|
|||
|
|
religious concepts which still contaminate it. These are destined
|
|||
|
|
for the dustbin of history for a long while and when they eventually
|
|||
|
|
re-emerge it will be in a completely different form anyway. No
|
|||
|
|
useful part of magic ought to be thrown away with them. Secondly, it
|
|||
|
|
must seek to present its ideas and techniques using maximum
|
|||
|
|
camouflage. Magic must enter popular consciousness using a series of
|
|||
|
|
Trojan horses. Thirdly, as a precautionary measure magic should
|
|||
|
|
attempt to undermine the decaying remnants of monotheism without
|
|||
|
|
offering itself as a target in the process. For example,
|
|||
|
|
parapsychology presents an enormous and unacknowledged threat to
|
|||
|
|
fundamentalism; although the existence of various idiotic satanisms
|
|||
|
|
is surely a great comfort to it.
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Dangerous times lie ahead. Millennial apocalyptic beliefs present in
|
|||
|
|
monotheism may still yet trigger disaster during the death spasms of
|
|||
|
|
transcendentalism. A fierce rearguard action may be expected from
|
|||
|
|
materialist philosophies as they slide further into a nihilism whose
|
|||
|
|
adherents will, for a while, demand ever more of what is not
|
|||
|
|
working, ever more luxury and sensationalism in an ecology unable to
|
|||
|
|
support it. The birth of the pandaemonaeon as a generally accepted
|
|||
|
|
paradigm could be a long and bloody business. If things go badly it
|
|||
|
|
could be preceded by a catastrophe which precipitates us into a new
|
|||
|
|
stone age rather than an interstellar age. Although there will be
|
|||
|
|
important niches for magicians in either situation, I would prefer
|
|||
|
|
my descendants to perform their sorceries amongst the stars, rather
|
|||
|
|
than huddled in the ruins.
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Appendix
|
|||
|
|
Eastern Traditions in the Psycho-Historic Model
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
The origins of Buddhism lie in rebellious speculation during the
|
|||
|
|
late pagan sub aeon in the orient. Similar developments during the
|
|||
|
|
first millennium B.C. led to Taoism in China and certain allied
|
|||
|
|
pre-Socratic speculations in Greek civilisation, notably those of
|
|||
|
|
Heraclitus of Ephesus. The core principles of these essentially
|
|||
|
|
non-theistic metaphysical systems have some relevance to an emerging
|
|||
|
|
magico-meterialist synthesis. However, during their subsequent
|
|||
|
|
histories, both Taoism and Buddhism have been heavily coloured by
|
|||
|
|
competing philosophies whilst the Heraclitian philosophy has faded
|
|||
|
|
into obscurity. Taoism has exhibited a strong tendency to regress
|
|||
|
|
into mere superstitious ritual whilst Buddhism has, at times,
|
|||
|
|
appeared in monotheistic guise with the Buddha as a de facto God. At
|
|||
|
|
others it has presented itself as a form of virtual paganism
|
|||
|
|
overlaid with abstruse transcendental theories, whilst the Zen
|
|||
|
|
manifestation of Buddhism attempts to recover the original teachings
|
|||
|
|
by severe austerity measures. In Tibet the fusion of Buddhism with
|
|||
|
|
indigenous Shamanic traditions has led to a graded system of beliefs
|
|||
|
|
called Tantric or Vajrayana Buddhism. At various levels this
|
|||
|
|
incorporates features from most of the aeons. Within it one can find
|
|||
|
|
sorcery, shamanism, polytheism, transcendental monotheism, doctrines
|
|||
|
|
of material causality and nihilism. It is presumably the benign
|
|||
|
|
ethical system developed in response to the harsh Himalayan
|
|||
|
|
environment which has prevented any one of these traditions from
|
|||
|
|
violently asserting itself over its rivals. The rigours of climate
|
|||
|
|
and geography seem to have the development of a high technology; yet
|
|||
|
|
the monastic tradition and the endless winters allowed the flowering
|
|||
|
|
of an extraordinary culture in which the influence of all the aeons
|
|||
|
|
exists simultaneously to some degree.
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
|