We have the magician Peter Carroll, founder of the Chaos Magic school of thought, to thank for this system’s premise. He in turn was inspired by the fantasy author Sir Terry Pratchett, the magician Austin Osman Spare, and the club of high-society magical weirdos that called themselves the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, of whom Aleister Crowley is the most famous. Carroll’s mysticism was a deconstruction of the complex ritual hokey-pokey touted by the ceremonialists, and succeeds at being cosmically irreverent, mind-bogglingly simple, and undeniably chaotic. It is his eight-pointed star that defines the schools of magic that allow us to explore the fundamental mysteries of life:
- Black Magic, exploring the mystery of Death
- Purple Magic, exploring the mystery of Sex
- Blue Magic, exploring the mystery of Prosperity
- Green Magic, exploring the mystery of Love
- Red Magic, exploring the mystery of War
- Orange Magic, exploring the mystery of Trickery
- Yellow Magic, exploring the mystery of the Ego
- Octarine (or Pure) Magic, exploring the mystery of Will
These magics are not ancient; they are not sacred. Every person on Earth is living each one at this very moment. This manual encourages the magician to explore each school of magic as an act of discovery; to become intimately familiar with the places at which your life touches Death, and Sex, and War, and so forth. Chaos Wizardry differs from other forms of chaos magic in that it places compassion for the inherently human part of oneself above the acquisition of power and control.
Each of the eight schools forces us to face a flaw in our design that accompanies each mystery– a form of suffering that presents itself, in some form, in every human on Earth at some point in time. Additionally, we will grow skills both mundane and magical, meet a facet of ourself, and create or acquire a physical item that represents that tool in the kit of the Self.
- When pondering Death, we learn to dispose of actions motivated by fear, and refine our self-confidence. We will obtain a tool of Harvest and symbolically ‘cut’ away dysfunctional habits, meet the personification of our own death, and learn to communicate with the spirits of the world around us.
- When pondering Sex, we learn to dispose of actions motivated by shame, and refine our self-acceptance. We will obtain a receptacle for preparing potions and bringing our desires into ourselves, meet the personification of our self-image, and learn to create and charge sigils that represent things we want and need.
- When pondering Prosperity, we learn to dispose of actions motivated by guilt, and refine our humility. We will obtain a traveling cloak for covering ourselves when we wander and improving our self-sufficiency, meet the personification of our basic needs, and learn to attract our own luck.
- When pondering Love, we learn to dispose of actions motivated by grief, and refine our kindness. We will obtain a symbol of divinity, for dispensing blessings and communicating our devotion to this path, build a mental sanctum, and learn to serve others through magic.
- When pondering War, we learn to dispose of actions motivated by apathy, and refine our sense of justice. We will obtain a weapon, to be used as a magical weapon against forces of suffering, meet the personification of our morals and loyalties, and learn to cast misfortune onto the deserving.
- When pondering Trickery, we learn to dispose of actions motivated by ignorance, and refine our cleverness. We will obtain a personal Book of Secrets, as a reference material for the things we have learned on our journey, meet the personification of the mask we show to others, and learn to glean more information from people than they would otherwise give.
- When pondering the Ego, we learn to dispose of actions motivated by illusion and refine our imagination. We will obtain a tool of divination, used to peer into the inner workings of people, places, and Time itself, meet the personification of our rejected impulses, and learn to see through illusions and lies.
- When pondering the Will, we learn to dispose of actions motivated by impulse, and refine our self-control. We will obtain a ritual crown, used to remind ourselves of our highest virtues and loyalties, meet the personification of our connection to the cosmos, and learn to create entirely new forms of magic.
Each section of this path builds upon the skills of the previous one; so that, for example, humility can inform kindness, and kindness can inform justice; and all the skills we put in our toolbox wind their way back to total self-mastery, in the very end. This is not an easy thing to achieve, and one could hardly blame an aspiring wizard for stopping at Blue Magic or Green Magic and permanently setting up shop, never to ponder any higher mysteries. But you must hunger for knowledge; you must remain curious; you must continue to grow in the face of a challenge! To stop pursuing the path is to leave the work incomplete.
That said, there is no time limit. A wizard may need to spend a great while practicing the Black Art, then find it very easy to move on and up to the Red Art; only to face the challenge of backtracking when they realize how unjust they are being. This process may take years; it may take only weeks; it may take weeks the first time, and years upon returning. Progress at your pace; and remain joyful and playful in your pursuit of this path.
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