The Master Works of Chaos Magick: Practical Techniques For Directing Your Reality - Adam Blackthorne 2016

Olympic Chaos Magick

This chapter is a book within a book — a complete system of magick for contacting the Olympian spirits (which are usually thought of as angels). You can use this magick just as it’s written, but in the next chapter I’ll show you how this magick was constructed from an ancient system. We cut out the bits we didn’t need, to make something innovative and effective. Once you’ve seen how it’s done you can make up your own rituals. You don’t have to, but if ever you really want to work with a particular spirit or entity, this will give you the indispensable tools you need for creating your own magick.

You might not know it now, but one day I bet you’ll be digging your way through some old magick manual and you’ll find a spirit that appeals to you. How to get its help? God knows how; there are no instructions, anywhere in the world. What to do? Using the ideas in the next chapter, you’ll be able to contact that spirit.

But, let’s leave that for the next chapter and get on with this chapter, which is the actual magick.

The spirits you’ll be working with are Arathron, Bethor, Pahel, Och, Hagith, Ophiel and Phul. They are known as the Olympic spirits. Here’s how to say the names. (The ah sound is used a lot, so what does it sound like? Ah sounds like the ah you say when you sit down after a big day, or the sound you make when the doctor flattens your tongue to look at your tonsils. Ahhhh. Or, if you want to get a bit more technical, it sounds like the ah in father. Faaahhhhhther.)

ARATHRON is pronounced

AH-RAH-THRON

BETHOR is pronounced

BETH-ORR

PHALEG is pronounced

FAH-LEG

OCH is pronounced

OWE-CH

HAGITH is pronounced

AH-GITH

OPHIEL is pronounced

OH-FEE-ELL

PHUL is pronounced

FOOL

When I say the name Phul I picture the letters P-H-U-L, even though I pronounce it ’fool’, because the word ’fool’ has a meaning that doesn’t fit with my magickal aims. A small point, but there’s merit in ironing out anything that makes the magick feel wrong to you.

The CH in OWE-CH is the CH you get in German ACHtung or Scottish LoCH. It sounds a bit like you’re clearing your throat. You say the word OWE followed by this throat-clearing sound. If that sounds too difficult, just say OAK, which is near enough.

For GITH use the G sound you’d find in give, rather than the J sound in jive. And, before you think it’s a misprint, that H in HAGITH is silent. AH-GITH.

You should know that these names could also be written and pronounced as Aratron, Bethor, Phaleki, Ock, Hageeth, Offiel and Full. These work as well. Magick just tends to work. We’ve picked our names and pronunciation, so now we work with the spirits like this:

Step 1. Choose a time, a place and a spirit.

Go to the place where you do magick and choose a single Olympic spirit that is best suited to your task. The place can be outside, inside, in a café (if you don’t mind looking like a crazy person) or in front of the TV, so long as the TV is off. No temple or altar needed.

The best time of day is within the first hour after sunrise, but if you can’t manage that, any time is ok, day or night. Work alone and make sure nobody’s going to burst in on you. If you’re in the café, sit where you won’t be disturbed and ignore everybody.

Here’s a menu of spirit powers to get you started and make your choice, along with each spirit’s sigil:

ARATHRON

Arathron is associated with the powers of Saturn, and can:

Stop something in motion, whether it be a person, project or idea.

Destroy the wealth of an enemy.

Discover hidden sources of money.

End a project (yours or somebody else’s).

Bind a person.

THE SIGIL OF ARATHRON

BETHOR

Bethor is associated with the powers of Jupiter, and can:

Give you great dignity.

Attract money from afar.

Make you appear valuable to those you encounter.

Increase luck when in conflict.

Increase your authority over others.

Aid in healing the self.

THE SIGIL OF BETHOR

PHALEG

Phaleg is associated with the powers of Mars, and can:

Fight disease with vigour.

Strike fear into an enemy.

Defeat the efforts of an enemy.

Help you respond to attacks with cunning.

Attract others through calm authority.

Weaken the competition.

THE SIGIL OF PHALEG

OCH

Och is associated with the powers of the Sun, and can:

Help you discover your true desires.

Inspire creative work.

Find new ideas related to business.

Bring the warmth of gentle healing.

Improve your reputation.

Enable you to work in peace.

THE SIGIL OF OCH

HAGITH

Hagith is associated with the powers of Venus, and can:

Improve sexual expression.

Change the mind of one you care about.

Attract those who can help you.

Attract love.

Attract friendship.

Cause lovers to part.

THE SIGIL OF HAGITH

OPHIEL

Ophiel is associated with the powers of Mercury, and can:

Improve artistic expression.

Improve trade.

Ease mental suffering.

Enable good communication.

Spread the word.

Help you speak clearly.

THE SIGIL OF OPHIEL

PHUL

Phul is associated with the powers of the Moon, and can:

Enhance magick.

Improve intuition.

Slow the passage of time.

Cause another to dream about you.

Ease anxiety and fear.

Create sexual attraction.

THE SIGIL OF PHUL

You have to make a choice — which spirit and which power — and that compels you to use your intuition. Intuition means working with the intangible, so it’s always a good warm up for magick.

The power to ’end a project’… does that mean you end a project peacefully, like finishing the decorating on a Sunday afternoon, or does it mean that you bring an end to a project no matter what? This is Saturn we’re talking about, which can be a heavy, destructive planet, so make your own guess!

When I say ’aid in healing the self’, does this mean you can heal a physical illness you have, or does it mean you heal your inner self? It can mean whatever you want it to mean. When I wrote this down, I meant that it was used for self-healing. But, this grimoire has been used for a fair while and I know that others have used it in other ways, so you can usually be flexible in your interpretation of the meaning. It’s Chaos Magick, not ceremonial ritual.

This is the way of grimoires. Things are left a bit loose, to give you room to use your intuition. Even though I was one of the people who created this system, I still have to look at this list of powers and have a think-and-feel about which would work best. I know loads more about Saturn, and I’ve read a lot about Arathron, but looking at this list and using your intuition — that is a time-tested way of doing magick.

Step 2. Confess your sins (Not really).

If confessing your sins to God works for you, go ahead. If not, this step can be skipped; but, why not be brave and take a moment to account for darkness and regret? I think of this as a little space in time where you can release pain, regret and guilt. You’re not confessing and saying sorry to God, but handing your troubles over to the Universe and saying, ’I’m done with all that now. Can you make me innocent all over again, so that I can go play? Thanks.’ And then you do magick.

This is Chaos Magick so how you go about this is up to you, but my method is to think about my problems — my guilt, the things I feel bad about right now, today, and anything else that’s still bugging me from years ago. I put my magickal goals aside and spend a minute or two feeling like crap about everything. Then I think about how stupidly tiny I am when I think about this street (because there are lots of people suffering here — I can just look out the window and see that on their face), and then I think about how small I am compared to this city, and then this country, and then this planet. And then, I think about the billions of stars and all of space and time, and I take that crappy feeling and just say, ’Thank you Universe for taking my troubles,’ and I sort of act as though I’m handing over my heart — I physically move my hands forward — and it’s done.

Instead of ’Universe’ you can say God, EE-AH-OH-EH or any other Divine name that occurs to you. If you’re not religious, you still have to get that feeling of the size of the Universe. Hand your feelings over to that and you’re purified. (Some people confess to a tree or teddy bear, or some other thing they feel safe with. It’s your life, so use a teddy bear if that appeals, but I think you get a bit more relief from the Universe.)

You’re not going to completely absolve yourself of sin and regret, so don’t expect this to make you pure and innocent for more than a jiffy. But for the sake of the ritual you’re about to do, take a bit of time to let go of your troubles and pain and regret.

Step 3. Find Your Power.

This is all about authority, not energy. You can use the Magickal Chaos Energy before, during or after this ritual, but the power I’m talking about is the power to command. Angels, demons and the rest — they might like good manners, oh yeah — but they respond best when you speak to them as though you have the right to speak to them. If you plead with them they’re going to wonder why you think you have the right to even ask. But, have a feeling of authority, and you can get a response. You have the power and authority to tell them what you want. It can feel uncomfy ordering an angel around because you don’t know what might happen next time you cross the road, but you can trust me when I say that you’ll do better magick if you take on some authority. The moment you say, ’By the power of EE-AH-OH-EH,’ the spirits sit up and pay attention. It doesn’t matter that you didn’t actually check with God to see if this was ok. You’re saying that it’s OK by God because you have free will, and that is authority enough.

There are loads of variations, but for this ritual, this is what we settled on:

“In the name of ADD-OH-NIGH, SHAH-DYE and EH-AH-YEAH, I call on ________.”

Have a look at the spirit’s sigil. Let your eyes rest on the lines in the middle of the triangle, because that’s the important bit.

The call of authority is so short and breezy that it doesn’t have much power unless you say it like you mean it, and act as though God (or the Universe or whatever else you like) granted you this power, and you’re saying it proudly. Make the magick words vibrate, so you can feel the word in your chest. If you’re performing this ritual while sitting in the café you’re doing this all in your head, so keep your mouth shut! Just imagine that it’s really growly and makes your chest tingle.

Step 4. Call out to an Olympic spirit.

You called the name of the spirit when you did the authority bit, but there’s nothing like repetition. Say the spirit’s name while looking at the sigil; three times is enough. You can say is 333 times if you like, and then sit in peace until you feel the spirit’s presence. That takes too long for me, so I say the name three times and believe the spirit’s there. They find that difficult to ignore. It’s like when you talk to somebody who’s three rooms away and they can’t really hear you, but because you say their name they come right across the house to hear what you have to say. It’s the same with spirits; say their name a few times and they listen. Say it the same as you said the divine power bit, with the word so deep and powerful that you actually feel it in your chest. You might feel daft, or you might feel something change as the spirit becomes present — cold, warmth, pressure in the air. It doesn’t matter if you don’t see the spirit or if you don’t feel anything magickal. Do what’s written and then whatever happens, or doesn’t happen, get to the point by taking the next step.

Step 5. Tell it what you want.

Keep your eyes on the sigil, without staring; just keeping it in sight and tell the spirit what you want. Just say it in plain, short, simple English (or whatever language you speak). Don’t mime or use metaphors. Be clear; start with the spirit’s name. Remember to tell it what you want with emotions. Tell a story. Start with the problem, and feel the problem. End with the solution and how that feels.

’Hagith, I do not know anybody who can help me develop my business. Hagith, I ask that you attract to me those who can help my business to flourish.’

Start every sentence with the spirit’s name to make it clear you are addressing the spirit. When you say the first sentence, feel the problem. I’ve got not friends to help… Feel it! As you say the second sentence, imagine that Hagith has helped you find the friends that will help with your business. That’s going to make you feel something. Feel it! It’s OK to smile at this point.

Two sentences are enough. If you start going on about who’s to blame and how this came about and different ways it can be solved, you’re not going to get through. Make it short; pretend you’re using Twitter. You’ve got one chance to make your point, so make it and feel it. Feel the change that you want to happen, and don’t look forward to it, or you seal that feeling of hope into your future, which means that months from now you’ll still be hoping. Feel it like it’s already happened. Yeah, this takes some imagination, but that’s what you need for magick. Your emotions don’t have to be ultra-real and mega-powerful. The whiff of an emotion is enough fuel for the fire.

Step 6. Offering Up

Some say you don’t need to offer up a thing, and most of The Gallery books agree with that. Sometimes, however, to get a spirit to pay attention to the physical world, it can be a lovely thing to offer up something physical. Right? You might want to give the spirit some cake or beer. How do you give cake to something that isn’t there? You might build an altar, put a couple of candles there with the cake, and then throw it in the bin a day later assuming the spirit’s had its fill. If this lights your fire, go for it. I avoid this style when I can, because I don’t like to leave cake around the house — I may be tempted to eat it. Or it may go moldy. Or attract rats. However, some people just don’t feel right about doing this sort of stuff without giving the spirits something to munch on. If you want to, go ahead. In Chaos Magick you are meant to be inventive, which means that if you want to know the rules for this, there aren’t any. Make up your own. You can eat the cake, and pretend that the act of eating is your offering. Or leave it on a plate and assume the angel will descend for a bite at some point, or even throw it in a fire. Make something up.

What I prefer is to make a sacrifice or a promise of some kind. If I’m working with demons, this might be more of a bargain. “Give me this and I’ll tell ten people that your magick works.” For angelic beings, or spirits such as the Olympic spirits, I’ll make a promise about a habit, thought or mood I want to change. Doesn’t have to be life-changing, but still a change. Which makes it a win-win. If you’re a smoker, don’t offer to give up smoking just to get a date, or $100. Too difficult and you won’t stick to it. Offer up something else. This week I am really sodding angry at bad drivers, so I’m going to give that up. I say to the spirit, ’Hagith, I sacrifice my anger at bad drivers.’ Does it need more detail? No. I know what I mean, so Hagith knows what I mean. Keep it dead simple, and then stick to your side of the bargain. That driver pushes into your lane, you better be smiling. Why would Hagith care about this sacrifice? I sure as hell don’t know, but this act of sacrifice is something that just about every spirit responds to.

Then there’s good old gratitude. It sounds lame and makes you feel like you should be down at the crystal shop buying incense and rainbow bandanas, but gratitude seals the deal. You can offer it in advance by feeling grateful for the spirit’s help. Nothing’s happened yet, so you pretend. You can just feel it or you can say, straight out, ’Take my gratitude for life, and for the result you bring me.’ And, if you ever want to work with the spirit again, feel gratitude, big gratitude, when you get your result. That should be the case even when you offer up something else. If you want to keep it simple, gratitude is the only offering you need.

Step 7. Get normal.

Talking to spirits doesn’t feel altogether normal. Even when you’ve been doing this for a handful of decades, the moments of magick can feel a bit out there, a bit strange. When it’s done, you must get back to normal life.

At this point, tradition insists that you issue a license to depart, telling the spirit that it may go and do what you’ve already asked it to do. If you want, you can make a long speech about thanking the spirit for coming in peace, and letting it go in peace. A quick ’Thank you, Hagith,’ will do the job nicely.

You then stand up (if you were sitting down) and splash cold water on your face, or open the window, or jog around the room. Something to feel normal. Well, not quite normal, but back in the real world. If you don’t, the magick can be tainted by your thoughts and feelings, so you need to snap out of the magick and back to reality.

Afterward, tackle your problem as though magick doesn’t exist. If you’re trying to find inspiration for a song you want to write, sit at the piano and make music. Some spirits don’t give a toss about the effort you put in, but most do, so get on with your life as though you can solve the problem without magick, and then let magick give you a surprise when it does work. If you sit there waiting for the jack-in-a-box to open, it will stay resolutely shut. Forget about the magick and let yourself be surprised.

Some magick you perform once, some eleven times, some thirty-three times. How many times do you want to do this? If once feels like it’s not enough, do it a few times, but don’t keep nagging the spirit with the same request. If you feel like you do it well enough to make your point then you’re done, whether it’s three days or twenty.

Stop asking questions. Stop worrying about why it won’t work. Pick a spirit to bring you something you desire and do the magick.