In the realm of chaos magick, transcending theory is not just a philosophical concept; it's a call to action. Theoretical understanding is the bedrock, the initiation, but it is the practical application that ignites the true essence of results-based magick, one of the core principles of chaos magick. This means that we don’t care about the bullshit dogma attached to occult practices, what we really care about is whether or not it actually works.
That is not to say theory does not serve its place. Another foundation of the chaos magick paradigm, really the main one, is the use of belief as a tool, which is essentially using theory as a practice in and of itself. By defining and outlining and analyzing our belief structures we can achieve astounding results that defy expectations. It is of the utmost importance for the chaote to possess a deep understanding of the various paradigms of belief they are currently implementing in their practice.
This requires a strong understanding of theory.
But theory for the sake of theory does nothing. We have a term in occult circles for individuals who are all theory and no practice and that term is “armchair occultist”. These are the individuals who pour over ancient grimoires and go down deep rabbit holes of the Greek Magical Papyri yet they never get up from their desk and actually do anything.
And I must say there’s nothing wrong with this. I’m not the type to yuck anyone’s yum, if it’s what you enjoy it’s what you enjoy, you do you.
But for chaos magicians, the call is to be active participants in the magickal process, a paradigm with a heavy focus on practicality. Thus being an armchair occultist is antithetical. As practitioners of chaos magick, emphasis is placed on taking action and experimenting with different models to see what yields tangible results. Theoretical knowledge is valuable, but without practical application, it remains stagnant. Being an active participant in the magickal process involves engaging with belief systems, testing different approaches, and adapting practices based on actual outcomes. By blending theory with hands-on experience, a chaote can truly harness the transformative power of magick in their reality.
The successful application of theory through a thoroughly performed practice leads to life changing results.
Within the ancient archives of chaos magick from yesteryear we find a theoretical framework of magick which is used to explain how it functions, and it does it quite well, breaking down the main belief systems surrounding the way magick functions in an effective yet succinct manner.
The 5 Models of Magick are an elementary breakdown of the different ways magick can be understood and utilized. Each model offers a unique perspective on how belief, intention, and practice intersect to manifest desired outcomes. By exploring these models and experimenting with their applications, chaos magicians can expand their understanding and enhance their magickal abilities. The 5 Models provide a versatile framework for practitioners to navigate the complexities of magick and tap into its limitless potential for personal growth and transformation.
The 5 Models of Magick are as follows:
Psychological Model
Energy Model
Spirit Model
Information Model
Meta Model
Each one of them is an attempt at explaining how magick works at its base level, and quite frankly, they are thorough and expansive explanations that I personally can’t find fault or conflict with.
The problem is, while there’s information abound regarding the way these models operate and the theory behind each of them, we find ourselves starved for any practical applications being written about.
What good does a theory do if it never leaves your head?
What follows is a thorough breakdown of each model followed by examples of how they can be used in a real world application.
The Psychological Model of Magick provides insights into how our mindset and psychological processes influence the manifestation of our intentions. This model, aligned with the chaos magick ethos, emphasizes the influence of mental states, conditioning, and subconscious programming in magickal practice. By viewing magickal workings through a psychological lens, practitioners can better understand the power of their beliefs and thoughts in shaping reality. Exploring the Psychological Model allows chaos magicians to delve into the depths of their own minds and harness the transformative potential of their inner workings.
The Hermetic principle of “all is mind” applies perfectly to this model, as the reality that we experience personally is a totally unique and completely subjective experience for every last one of us. The Universe cannot be experienced objectively for it has to be passed through our consciousness in order for us to experience it. Our entire reality is based upon a combination of incredibly flawed and limited sensory input along with our personal biases and belief systems.
Honestly the psychological model aligns incredibly well with the principles of chaos magick, and in fact, an incredibly large portion of chaotes tend to stick to the psychological model the most, myself included. This model along with the Information Model (because in reality I work within the Meta Model) are my primary ideological systems I work within in my own practice.
The macrocosm is within the microcosm.
As above, so below.
All is mind, everything, when you get down to the nitty gritty.
The chaos magick technique of deliberately using belief as a tool is founded within the Psychological Model, so it’s not wrong to say that the Psychological Model is deeply rooted within the chaos paradigm.
So how can the psychological model be used in real life?
The Psychological Model, rooted in the science of psychology, offers practical applications accessible to individuals, especially those skeptical of supernatural elements. It provides a tangible framework for understanding and influencing personal reality. From shaping belief systems to conditioning the subconscious mind, the Psychological Model becomes a versatile tool for chaos magicians seeking transformative experiences.
In the chaos magick practitioner's toolkit, the Psychological Model stands as a testament to the interconnectedness of mind and magick, offering a pragmatic pathway for those ready to explore the depths of their own consciousness.
The most famous technique of chaos magick can be viewed through the Pscyhological Model, and I am of course speaking on the use of sigils.
Sigils are practically synonymous with chaos magick. Their modern incarnation was developed by the artist and occultist Austin Osman Spare, the “grandfather” of chaos magick.
Spare was a pioneer of the psychological model. He was associated with Crowely and the A.’. A.’. for a period of time, but typical of Crowley the two had a falling out.
But Spare didn’t vibe with the pompous grandiosity and dogmatic woo woo found within the occult circles of the time, a period rampant with fraternal orders of pedantic hierarchies with strict protocols and exclusive membership.
Spare practiced his own personal brand of magick, one that was based on his own psychology and the manipulation of his subconscious. At the time, psychology had just gotten its foot in the door. The theories of Freud and Jung had just taken root in the minds of society, and these ideas heavily influenced his practice of magick.
The idea behind a sigil is to write down your desire in clear words in the present tense while avoiding words like “want” to avoid amplifying the state of “wanting”, an effect that’s not so obvious. You want to write down your desire as if you already have it. Instead of saying “I want to receive extra income.” you instead write “I have extra income.” This is a psychological trick to influence the mind into making it reality.
Once you have your statement you must then make it abstract. This is done traditionally by removing all the vowels and duplicate letters from your statement of intent until you have a mere fraction of the letters remaining. But, while the intent is no longer legible it still holds within it the same meaning. Then, you rearrange and morph those remaining letters into an abstract glyph, a symbol created specifically for this purpose that holds the same exact intent as the original statement. You’ve essentially created a sort of code whose meaning is that of your desire.
You see, the subconscious mind does not speak in words and grammar like our conscious minds do. The subconscious speaks in abstractions, metaphors, and symbols. You cannot simply tell your subconscious what you want, it doesn’t speak that way.
So, by creating a symbol of your desire, the subconscious is now able to understand it and act accordingly. A sigil is a program written for your subconscious that puts it on autopilot towards achieving your desire.
The subconscious works nonstop, 24/7. It is constantly operating and subtly influencing our behavior from the background, and most of the time we’re not even aware of it. The purpose of it is to drive us towards the things we have deemed important for our survival and comfort. It is the tool our brain’s developed that serves as the prime director towards our continued living.
So when we encode it with a sigil we are putting our brain’s on autopilot towards achieving that goal. The sigil will direct our subconscious which will then subtly direct us towards the thing we want.
Doesn’t get much more psychological than that.
The Spirit Model offers a different perspective, focusing on the spiritual aspect of chaos magick. It delves into the belief in external entities and forces, as well as the idea of connecting with higher realms. While the Psychological Model is grounded in psychology, the Spirit Model explores the mystical and metaphysical aspects of magick. Practitioners who resonate with the Spirit Model often work with rituals, invocations, and exploring altered states of consciousness to manifest their intentions. They invoke the energies of various godforms or evoke the presence of demons to do their bidding.
The Spirit Model is all about exactly what it says in its name: spirits.
This includes both spiritual entities such as godforms, demons, angels, thoughtform, and so on, as well as their various energies and planes of existence. A practitioner of the Spirit Model more than likely has a collection of entities that they resonate with and may use techniques such as astral projection and pathworking heavily.
Personally, when I shift into this paradigm, I resonate heavily with the energies of Hekate, Hermes, and King Belial. The archetypes, principles, and personalities of these entities click with me heavily, and while I may not be the most devoted individual, I still have seen insane results from working within this model.
Chaos magicians who resonate with the Spirit Model often engage in rituals and invocations to commune with these spiritual entities. By connecting with higher realms and invoking the energies of godforms or demons, practitioners aim to manifest their intentions through these otherworldly forces. This often involves petitioning and bargaining with spirits where the practitioner asks the entity to fulfill their desire on their behalf, typically in exchange of an offering of some sort.
Astral projection and pathworking are commonly used methods within the Spirit Model to traverse different planes and tap into these spiritual energies. It offers a unique approach to chaos magick, intertwining the mystical and metaphysical realms for transformative experiences that dive into alternate metaphysical planes of existence where these entities are said to dwell.
The Spirit Model is the oldest model of magick. For most of human history humans believed that evil spirits caused sickness and misfortune while sorcerers studied them and wrote detailed grimoires on how to command them to do your bidding.
I highly recommend checking out the book Uncle Ramsey’s Little Book of Demons by Ramsey Dukes, one of the greats of the chaos magick current who extensively uses the Spirit Model in his practice.
Now let’s move on to the next model, the Information Model.
The Information Model is probably the least understood model but is frequently used without prior knowledge. The idea behind is that everything in the universe can be broken down into data, and data can be organized, structured, and manipulated by those who know the system. The Information Model postulates that every aspect of reality can be defined as data, allowing those who comprehend this concept to manipulate the system's structure. This reshaping of information to manifest intentions often draws from computer science, information theory, and linguistics. Practitioners use personal codes, ciphers, or algorithms to encode their desires. The Information Model explores the idea that the universe is inherently interpretable data, enabling individuals to influence outcomes through understanding and manipulating this underlying information fabric.
One of the craziest examples of the information model is memetics, which are tiny bits of data absorbed by your mind the second you see them. Memes are being used for magick, and it’s working incredibly well. Those who are doing it may not call it magick, but so be it. Meme were able to affect the 2016 presidential election to the point Trump got elected (allegedly).
Memes can be defined at their most basic level as byte-sized bits of information that can be easily transmitted from one individual to another. Richard Dawkins has a great piece on memes and how they are essentially psychological viruses, like bits of data that are infectiously transmitted from one person to the next through human interaction. Person A hears something interesting, whether it be positive or negative is up for interpretation, and decides to spread this information to Person B, who is now also “infected” with this new data.
And whether we want to admit it or not, every bit of information we receive, whether we believe it to be true or worthwhile or not, affects us and our lives on a deep, subconscious level we’re typically not even aware of.
This can be used incredibly effectively for magick. Techniques and principles such as subliminal messaging, subtext, inference, and appeals to emotion are so effective at manipulating reality that companies and governments spend billions of dollars on the research and use of them. Corporate logos and slogans are nothing more than memetic magick being used on a mass scale to trigger specific responses amongst the masses. Political slogans are carefully crafted to have maximum impact. Musicians hone their lyrics’ potential to get stuck in their listeners’ head.
This is all the Information Model being used practically, and while this model may be the most under utilized model of magick by traditional occultists, it is one of the most effective tactics of manipulation utilized by the powers that be.
The energy model is one of the oldest ones used in magick. It can be found throughout the world’s history in all different cultures and traditions in various forms by various names, but it all boils down to the simple idea that the Universe is comprised of and/or affected by various energies that can be manipulated by the practitioner to achieve their desired results.
Magick within the Energy Model could involve rituals, ceremonies, or spells that focus on balancing, amplifying, or redirecting different types of energies to influence the physical world. Understanding and working with these energies are fundamental aspects of this traditional magickal approach.
Now, each school of thought seems to have their own energy system that uses some different form of “universal energy” that somehow manages to permeate and influence the entire universe while simultaneously being immeasurable yet somehow able to be manipulated with the human mind. I’m sure you’ve heard many names for energy such as this: chi, prana, kundalini, ki, reiki, chakras, etc.
Each of these systems claims to be tapping into a specific, definable energy yet they all have different methods and ideas behind what, how, and why it works, and they all seem to obtain the results they seek from working with their chosen framework. How is this possible?
Well , the solution is simple from a chaos magick perspective: the belief and adherence to an energy system is enough for it to function as if it is real. Like how one system may say there’s 7 chakras yet another may say there 64. The answer is whichever works best for you. These energies are symbolic in nature, they are an expression of human will being directed through a sensory means.
Energy Model techniques typically involve things such as visualization and specific bodily movements and gestures. Tai chi is a prime example of this, where the practitioner moves their body in a series of motions while visualizing this energy flowing through them. This imbues them with the results they are seeking simply by the very act of performing it.
There are, of course, more grounded applications of the Energy Model, such as the use of electricity and radio frequency within a magickal working, but these practices are poorly researched and material on their practice slim to none.
The final model of magick, the Meta Model, is the model that most chaos magicians will find themselves in naturally. This model is not a singular model in itself, but instead is the practice of shifting between the other four fluidly on a case-by-case basis. The Meta Model of magick is dynamic and fluid, allowing practitioners to shift between the Information Model, Energy Model, and other models as needed.
Chaos magicians often gravitate towards this model as it embraces adaptability and versatility. By combining elements from different models, chaos magicians can create personalized and effective magical practices tailored to their goals. This flexibility enables them to experiment with a wide range of techniques and approaches, ensuring they can manifest their intentions successfully.
There we have it, a simple breakdown of the five models of magick and how they can be used in practice. It’s important to remember that one model isn’t better than the other, that no singular model holds all the answers, but rather there is a kernel of truth in all of them and valuable information and insight can be attained from each.
I hope you found this information useful and educational.
If you’d like to check out more of my work, you can find it on my website at:
https://zero-sum.neocities.org
Until next time,
Stay chaotic,
Yaxel the Manic