Liber Null & Psychonaut: An Introduction to Chaos Magic - Peter J. Carroll 1987

Divination
Liber LUX

Space, time, mass, and energy originate from Chaos, have their being in Chaos, and through the agency of the aether are moved by Chaos into the multiple forms of existence.

Some of the various densities of the aether have only a partial or probablistic differentiation into existence, and are somewhat indeterminate in space and time. In the same way that mass exists as a curvature in space-time, extending with a gradually diminishing force to infinity that we recognize as gravity, so do all events, particularly events involving the human mind, send ripples through all creation.

Various methods of intercepting and interpreting these ripples constitute the mantic art or divination. These ripples through space and time can only be received if they strike a note of resonance in the receiver and are not drowned out by noise or suppressed by the psychic sensor. Some forms of resonance exist naturally, as between a mother and child, or between lovers. Otherwise, they have to be established by concentrating on the object of divination.

The general level of mental noise can be suppressed by silencing the mind by some gnostic method. This also assists with the concentration. The inhibitory mode of the gnosis is most frequently used. Sleeplessness, fasting, and exhaustion may cause prescience through visions, but as with drugs, there is always the difficulty of maintaining concentration. Any form of magical trance can be adapted for divination by first directing an intense concentration toward the desired matter of divination (or some sigilized form of it) and then allowing impression to arise into the Vacuous state of consciousness.

Many of the excitatory techniques can be used, but some with difficulty. Augury may be made by sacrifice, and men have tortured themselves for knowledge, but sex is the easiest. Eroto-comatose lucidity (or sex-trance) describes a condition brought about by continually stimulating and exhausting the sexuality by any possible means until the mind enters the borderland state between consciousness and unconsciousness.

So far, only direct prescience, the ideal of divination, has been discussed. This is not always possible, and recourse must often be had to the use of symbolic intermediaries. These can augment the practice of divination greatly or ruin it utterly.

Assuming that the magical perception can forge some sort of tenuous connection with the answer to a question, symbols are shuffled, drawn, or selected in some manner to carry the answer into the conscious mind. Then a further effort must be made in the interpretation to get that magical perception to come into complete manifestation. Symbols are easy to come by; any system can be used—the difficulty lies in forging the magic link. In obtaining the symbolic result, the magician tries to let the magic slip through below the level of conscious control, but must not let the process become merely random. For example, in cartomancy or Tarot divination, one should look through the pack first and then shuffle but lightly, or the result will be completely random, and the chances of the spread being able to stimulate the magical perception will be reduced.

Once the symbol has been obtained, it should be used to help the magical perception crystallize more fully. It should become a basis for lateral thinking (or intuitive guesswork) rather than as a final answer to be mechanically interpreted.

Astrology is not a valid form of magical divination because it assumes a causal relationship between events which are linked only very weakly if at all. If the relationship were strong, then astrology would be an ordinary secular science. As the relationship is very weak, astrology owes whatever success it has to the natural prescience of its practitioners and obscures its failures with imprecision, evasiveness and ambiguity.

The best methods of obtaining symbolic intermediate results are those which are just below the threshold of deliberateness, but above the threshold of pure randomness. Shamanistic type methods involving the casting of bones, stones, or sticks marked with runes are simplest and best. As methods involving the fall of coins or dice, the separation of yarrow stalks and their rules for interpretation became progressively more complex the more remote the prescient ability became. Highly complex mathematical systems represent decadence of the art.

Of all the forces which obstruct divination, none has more power over the civilized consciousness than what is called the psychic censor. This is the same factor which denies us access to most of our dream experiences and prevents us from being overwhelmed by the millions of sensory impressions which bombard our body ceaselessly. Although we could not function without it, it is useful to be able to turn parts of it off at times. Hallucinogenic drugs knock it out unselectively and are not much use.

The magician must begin to notice all coincidences which surround him, instead of dismissing them. Often one notices that just before somebody said something, or an event occurred, one knew it would happen. This can happen several times a day, but we somehow, almost unbelievably, manage to dismiss it each time and not connect the occurrences together. If a definite effort is made to consciously note these occurrences as well as to record them in the magical diary, they start to become much more numerous. So many coincidences occur that it is ridiculous to use the word coincidence at all. One is becoming prescient.