City Magick: Urban Rituals, Spells and Shamanism - Christopher Penczak 2001

Walking The Web
Techno-Temples

The first tool of navigation in this sea of magical information is the World Wide Web—a series of electronic documents, called Web pages, that can be viewed from something called a Web browser. When you type in a location, called a URL-usually one of those names starting with a “www” and ending in “com”—of the Web page you want to visit, your browser brings you to it. The Web browser usually comes as part of your Internet Service Provider (ISP). Each Web page contains “links” or connections to other pages. Some pages are by the same author, others connect you to different locations, by different authors, that may be of interest to you. Moving from page to page is called “Web surfing.” I love the image of an actual electronic web, since I resonate with the spider totem so strongly. It generates images of creativity and magick within me.

All kinds of Web pages exist out there in the magical world. Some are personal pages, people sharing their lives and traditions with the world. Others are teaching pages, giving out general information on magical traditions or specific lessons and techniques. You can find pages on covens and lodges, stores, and community networking. These pages are found through the use of a search engine, typing in key words to get pages containing those words in their descriptions. There are many search engines, and new ones are being created all the time. Your Internet Service Provider (ISP) often has a default search engine. Some are even strictly related to pagan or magical groups.

Usually, the information exchange is one-way on Web pages. You can read the pages published. Often, authors will provide an e-mail address so you can communicate personally with them. If you want to have your voice heard, you can publish your own Web pages. You simply have to get a space on which to post them. Many groups give access to such space free or at a nominal cost. Then you either learn a Web publishing language, like HTML, or use a program that will convert your graphically created pages into a publishing language. You, too, can publish anything you would like on the World Wide Web.

Search Engines

A search engine is a page that links you to a database of Web-page listings. When you type in some key words for a search criteria, the engine brings you all the listed pages that match your criteria. Most people on the Internet have a favorite Web engine for general surfing. Some engines are topic-specific and have more on a given topic than the mainstream engines. Some engines are strictly pagan, spiritual, or occult.

Web Rings

Web rings are groups of Web sites, some commercial, some private, that are linked together by a particular topic. This allows more traffic between sites, exposing them to more viewers who are interested. It’s a great way for many personal sites to be seen that might otherwise end up lost on the larger search engines. Once you find yourself on one page, there will be a link to the Web ring where you can move to another site, or two sites, or sometimes five sites along this chain of Web pages. All you know about them is they will all be on a general topic. There are many active Web rings in the pagan and New Age communities.

Messages in Electronic Bottles

The information exchange on Web pages is usually one-way. You read a page, you receive the information. For those looking for something more interactive, you have many choices. Two of the most popular are newsgroups and message boards. Newsgroups are simply electronic “places” dedicated to a particular subject. Those interested in the subject can post messages about various topics within the larger category. Others visiting the newsgroups can read these messages and post their responses or start their own topic. The collected responses to one topic are often called a “thread,” creating a string of related messages you can follow like a discussion. Some are moderated, meaning the moderator or owner of the group removes messages that do not pertain to it, while others are a free-for-all, where the topics serve as a guideline, but anyone can post anything. Message boards are very similar to newsgroups except in location. Some are located on a specific Web site, making that site more interactive. Others are located within a particular service provider’s area, such as America Online (also known as AOL), and are for members of that service only.

The advantage of such groups and boards is their interactive aspect, which allows questions to be asked and answered. The disadvantage is that the process is much like sending a message in a bottle, casting it out to the seas and not knowing who will receive it. It goes to no one specific and you are never sure who is responding. Such posts and responses can truly provoke your powers of discernment and your own thought processes on the topics at hand, forcing you to think about what you truly believe and why, because you may have to explain it. Here are some newsgroups for the magically orientated practitioner:

alt.magick

alt.magick.chaos

alt.magick.marketplace

alt.magick.order

alt.magick.sex

alt.magick.tantra

alt.mythology

alt.pagan

alt.pagan.contacts

alt.pagan.magick

alt.religion.asatru

alt.religion.druid

alt.religion.goddess

alt.religion.shamanism

alt.religion.wicca

alt.tarot

alt.tarot.friendly

alt.traditional.witchcraft

alt.witchcraft

soc.religion.paganism

soc.religion.shamanism

talk.religion.newage

tx.religion.pagan

Magical Mail

Taking interaction a step further than newsgroups is e-mail. E-mail simply means electronic mail. It is a new way for people to converse, much like writing a letter, but the delivery is instantaneous. The only delay is in waiting for the person to go to their computer, sign on, and retrieve their e-mail. Most do it fairly regularly, from once a week to once an hour, and everywhere in between. No longer do you have to wait for the world’s postal services. With the click of a button, your note can be halfway around the world.

To be able to send e-mail to someone, you must first have their e-mail address. People now trade e-mail addresses at parties as they do phone numbers. Some people, myself included, are far easier to reach via e-mail than by phone. If you know the person, they can simply give you their address. When surfing the Web, many page creators create a link at which you can mail them. Some have guest books where you “sign in” with your name and comments and can leave your address for others to contact and network with you. When posting to newsgroups, usually your e-mail address is printed. When responding, you have the option of responding to the group, or to the individual that posted the message. You can thereby make new contacts for individual discussion. Many service providers give you the opportunity to fill out a member profile and others can search this directory of profiles for people with similar interests, locations, or needs. Some of these directories are for members only, while others are open to the public.

Personally, I’ve found that the best way to “meet” people on-line is to join a mailing list. A mailing list is a group you voluntarily join by subscribing to the service through a list server, a computer server dedicated to maintaining the functions of one or more lists. Through this list, a large group of people can discuss and share information on a given topic. All new “posts” and responses are sent to the list server, which automatically duplicates the e-mail and sends it to all subscribers. As with newsgroups, groups of messages pertaining to one topic are collected into threads. Most lists are organized around a specific topic, enticing those interested in that topic to join. Some lists are closed, however. New members must be recommended by current members and go through an approval process. Like newsgroups, some lists are moderated and some are not. I’ve found moderators, also called list managers, to be extremely beneficial on such mailing groups.

Internet mailing lists are as varied in topic as everything else, ranging from comic books to precious gems. Many spirituality, pagan, and magical lists exist. My own particular attraction to mailing lists came from a spirituality-based mailing list. While all mailing lists can foster a sense of community, I feel that spirituality-based lists foster that feeling even more. Through these groups, people share very intense personal experiences and look for validation, to know they are not alone, that someone is listening, that someone understands. If you are studying anything even remotely considered “New Age” or “alternative,” and know absolutely no one in your area, you can feel isolated. For those having shamanic or psychic experiences, questions of sanity can start to arise. To find others with similar feelings and experiences is a true blessing. Those further down the path can help those just awakening, and many find peers on the same level of experience. New tricks, techniques, spells, and meditations are shared. Through this intensely personal work, bonds of friendship, and even love, form. This is not typical, since all lists, spiritual or otherwise, are not always like this. When it happens, however, it is truly magical. As silly as it sounds, I’ve felt as close to some of my on-line friends as to my “inperson” friends. Some I have later met in person, some I will probably never meet in the flesh, but that doesn’t change our relationship.

Lists have grown, flourished, and withered away. Some I’ve been on for years. Others have moved out of my life as my own path has changed. Some have been a support, while a few have been a source of aggravation and learning. The gifts I have received from the process, however, have made the journey worthwhile. I recommend it to anyone, at least for a time.

Although some Web sites sponsor their own mailing lists, the best place to look for new mailing lists fitting your interest are certain sites that manage a variety of mailing lists on various topics. You can search each site to find a list that is good for you, or you can start your own. With the growing popularity of paganism, witchcraft, magick, and shamanism, the number of such lists is sure to grow.

Space Beyond Space

One of the most interactive forms of electronic communication must be the chat room. The chat room is, quite literally, a space beyond space, a nonexistent, nonphysical room residing somewhere in cyber space where individuals can log on to “see” and “be seen” by others currently in the room. Here messages scroll across the screen in real time to be read by everyone in the room. Discussions take place with no delay. The trick, of course, is to get everyone involved to log into the room at the same time. Some rooms are open, allowing anyone access. Others are private, by invitation only. Like mailing lists, chat rooms are often organized by topic, so that only those interested in such topics enter. Some rooms are sponsored by the Internet Service Provider, for members only, while others are, in general, free to the public. Some of the very private rooms are hosted by the moderator of a mailing list, and information on how and when to enter the room is sent only to those on the list. This synchronous chat gives a real-world feel to those who have been corresponding solely through e-mail. It provides a great way to share even more.

Magical Netiquette

“Netiquette” is a new word, meaning etiquette for those on the Internet. As mentioned before, there is no Internet police force, or any agency for controlling the Web, for that matter. Users are bound only by the rules to which they agree, and by stipulations put in place by service providers any any on-line groups you may join. For this reason, lists of proper etiquette, codes of conduct, and behavior can be found on the Internet. In this way, the on-line community polices itself. If someone breaches this netiquette, or just ignores it, others in the community simply send a polite reminder. After repeated breaches, the notes may not be so polite, depending on the individuals involved. Although some of these courtesies may seem obvious, some address perils and pitfalls particular to magical communities. As with everything else, these are simply suggestions, like the magical redes of many pagan traditions. They are ways to conduct yourself-guidelines. Ultimately, it is up to the individual.

FAQs

A FAQ is a collection of Frequently Asked Questions that contains information basic to a group. Most newsgroups, message boards, and mailing lists have some sort of FAQ file. Read it before participating in a group. It will answer your easy questions and let you know what is acceptable. It should give you a basic goal or mission statement for the group. Once you join a group, it is always polite to “lurk,” or listen without participating, for a bit, until you get a feel for how it works. Then introduce yourself in your first message so people know that you are a new participant, who you are, and a little of your background. FAQs read now can save a lot of future trouble.

Flaming

When someone is “flaming,” they are posting information intended to upset others, to antagonize, and, often, to ridicule. Baseless arguments between two or more individuals, leading nowhere, are often called “flame wars.” Most moderated groups do not allow flaming. Be respectful of the communities you join. In many ways, spiritual groups should be shining examples of tolerance, respect, and love. Too often, however, they quickly devolve into arguments containing the sentiment, “my God is better than your God” or “my tradition is older/better/more authentic than yours.” Such words are reminiscent of the childhood taunt, “my dad can beat up your dad.” Remember, there are many paths up the mountain, many roads to enlightenment and power. What is correct for you is not correct for all. There is no need to disparage someone else’s beliefs. If someone is a phony, they will reveal themselves in time, usually by the things they say. They don’t need you to unmask them, since such attacks simply make you look foolish. For those on the receiving end of such messages, don’t take it personally. Many say on-line what they would never say to someone’s face, since no one can see them, touch them, or hold them ultimately accountable for their words. It is easy to get involved in such dramas, easy to succomb to the need to prove yourself and your line of thinking. If you start getting wrapped up in the experience, remember, it’s only a game. You wouldn’t get angry at a book if it expressed an opinion you didn’t like. You would simply stop reading that specific book, or that author, and move on to another. Do the same thing here. Let it go and move on.

Sources

When discussing anything with a measure of authority, cite the sources of your information. This is not to turn all magical discussions into high-brow intellectual banter, but rather to lend credibility to what you say. If your source is a book or article, name it, so others may confirm your point. If your source is your own experience, that is just as valid—if not more so, in my mind—so tell people that. No one can call your own personal experiences invalid. On-line discussions should be an opportunity for education. When you document your sources, you give people the chance to educate themselves and avoid the guru-seeking mentality. You also give credit where credit is due, and what goes around, comes around!

Ask Questions

By the very nature of magical work, much information is kept hidden, kept secret. Occult means “hidden,” information not for the general public. People can come from many different magical backgrounds. If someone is talking about something of which you have not heard, but acts as if it is elementary, ask about it. What is the source, where did this person learn it, and how is it used? A basic foundation stone in one magical tradition may be completely alien to another. There is no shame in asking questions. Sometimes, you may even get a good answer. Often you won’t, so be prepared. If someone is asking you a question, remember what it was like to be a novice and have no experience or knowledge on which you can draw. Remember, as well, that there are differences in traditions and that not everyone uses the same words for the same concepts. Be open to other people’s experiences.

Age

When discussing topics like spirituality, paganism, witchcraft, shamanism, and magick on-line, try to be aware of the age of your conversational partners. Although there is no way to verify your impressions, most people are intuitive about age in general. Be sensitive to the fact that discussion of such topics can cause sparks among parents. Intelligent teens everywhere are getting involved in witchcraft and paganism, but there are also those interested because they saw it in the movies or on TV and want to be hip and cool. When young people seek you out and start asking questions, it’s hard not to want to give them the truth about what you know and practice. Most reputable teachers and coven leaders will not teach minors. Minors are only allowed to participate in ceremonies and rituals if their legal parent or guardian is with them. I’ve been lucky enough to teach quite a few Introduction to Witchcraft classes to which mothers brought their teenagers to learn more about it. If a parent is unaware of such education, however, problems can arise. I think such matters should be dealt with in the home, in a family setting. I’m always happy to answer questions, but only when asked.