Thursday, January 31, 2013
Magus Magazine: Assembling the Supernatural: Quantum theory and th...
Magus Magazine: Assembling the Supernatural: Quantum theory and th...: Hello everybody! Here is a little ditty concerning the Paranormal and ideas of the Quantum. Give it a look.... ASSEMBLING TH...
Assembling the Supernatural: Quantum theory and the Paranormal
Hello everybody! Here is a little ditty concerning the Paranormal and ideas of the Quantum. Give it a look....
ASSEMBLING THE SUPERNATURAL
The study
of the supernatural begins with a sense of awe. Something spectral, outside the
norm or different. Often times, the supernatural defies the empirical and is
based solely on experiential happenings. And always it is attached to a sense
of wonder. However, anthropologists, folklorists, and students of religion
sometimes disagree as to whether the supernatural is in a system or if the system is made up of the supernatural. It is the classic macro/micro debate. For
example, a scholar of the supernatural needs an office, a place to investigate,
laboratory, tech equipment, an archive of narratives, cameras, witnesses, an
audience, and ‘evidence’ or variances of the phenomenon. This structure is
formed from local narratives that are collected, classified, changed, and
performed in a myriad of ways. the supernatural begins at the local level then moves globally as it shifts and traded
through dissemination.
What this
means is that a student of the supernatural has a choice of routes and can
focus on either the local or the global aspects of the supernatural. We can
either study the spirit of the
phenomenon as a whole or render an inquiry into a local paranormal investigative
team. Just as Capitalism has a ‘spirit’ but no plausible opposite since its
everywhere, a trading room on Wall Street has many competitors in Shanghai
This idea
of faraway entities interacting on the local arena also finds its place in
quantum physics. According to Capra, “In the framework of quantum theory,
distinct physical entities are therefore idealizations which are meaningful
only to the extent that the main part of the interaction has a long range”
(Capra, The Tao of Physics. 137). In
other words, each transaction involves effects extending over great distances.
This was the essence of the Einstein/Bohr debate of the 1920s. Einstein was
convinced that there are no nonlocal connections. He believed that there must
be some external reality consisting of independent spatially separated events.
Bohr opined that nonlocal connections do exist. In quantum theory, particles
transcend usual information transfer and two separated particles (even by space
and time) can influence one another. John Bell settled the matter once and for
all. He devised an experiment where two electrons are brought close to each
other. At the instant we perform a measurement on particle 1 and set its
rotational spin, the second particle automatically began to spin along its
opposite axis thus giving the pair of total spin of 0. But would this happening occur if the electrons were
separated by long distances? Einstein said ‘No’ because since no signal travels
faster than light, it is impossible that a measurement on 1 will ‘instantly’
determine spin on the other. There must be some lag time. Bohr posited that a
two-particle system is an indivisible whole. Even if their separated, the pair
of electrons will continue to act on one another. Bells’ theorem proved
consistent with Bohr’s theory and showed that electrons, and by extension the
universe, is interconnected.
The
paranormal also shows ideas of interconnection or unification. If we postulate the
probabilities of potentialities based upon measurement, we can surmise the
legitimacy of paranormal phenomenon. It’s not hard. Television is full of
ghosthunting investigators utilizing a potential ‘Haunted House’ as a
laboratory. Experiments are run in a myriad of ways to capture evidence of some
supernatural entity. Often times, the ghost or specter is used as an
ethnographic informant and structured interviewing is implemented to form a
dialogue with the unseen. If we postulate that consciousness of spirit has some
corresponding mechanism in our ordinary sphere of influence, the system can be
seen as a pair of interconnecting parts. For example, if we use a voice
recorder to measure the probability of spirit talking and we capture an
anomalous recording on the device, can we find a corresponding sound vibration
or band-width to use as a mechanism or catalyst for the happening?
Probabilities can be mustered by using quantum thinking in areas of the
paranormal. Sure, its difficult to verify. But is difficulty a justifiable reason
to not explore these potentialities?
Inherently,
the problem of the supernatural is one of Existence. The whole point of
studying anomalous entities is to come to grips with our wanting to believe in something outside normal circles of space and
time. We conjure narratives of myth and folklore. We apply reason and
rationality in an attempt to explain scientifically what the anomalous
re-presents to us. Probabilities and potentialities are the new symbols of the
paranormal entity. More than an estimation of an occurrence or true statement,
probability has become synonymous with the entity itself. Furthermore, the
entity sits betwixt and between Being and Nothingness. Like the appearance of
Schrodinger’s Cat, the supernatural creature cannot be said to ‘Be’ or ‘Not Be’
really there. As our perspective changes, so does the behavior of the entity.
As Capra remarked, “The introduction of probability waves, in a sense, resolves
the paradox of particles being waves by putting it in a totally new context;
but at the same time it leads to another pair of opposite concepts which is
even more fundamental that of Existence and Non-Existence. We can never say
that an atomic particle exists at a certain place, nor can we say that it does
not exist. Being a probability pattern, the particle has tendencies to exist in
various places and thus manifests a strange kind of physical reality between
Existence and Non-Existence” (Capra, Tao of Physics. 154). The particle recalls
the supernatural entity in that it enjoys a liminal existence. As it is
measured or as it is ethnographically studied, the particle sits without a
status and is inbetween shifts in agency. Is it a limbo or purgatory existence?
It is process of becoming and the state just before objective knowledge and subjective
experience is unified into a new assembly? It is all these things and more.
The quantum
is a sufficient metaphor for the supernatural. After all, many supernatural creatures
can only be said to be perceived indirectly. Such in the case of the voice
recorder or shadow on film. Particles exhibit similar behavior. Again Capra
remarks that there are “Other particles that belong to a category called
resonances. They live for a considerable shorter time, decaying after a few
‘particle seconds’, so they can never travel farther than a few times their own
size. This means they cannot be seen in the bubble chamber; their existence can
only be inferred indirectly” (Capra 228). Supernatural creatures also show the
tendency to be indirectly perceived. For example, ceremonial magicians perform
highly ritualized and formal invocations of the anomalous. Sometimes the rite
consists of a complex magical circle, liturgy, and intense visualization. As
the invocation progresses, sometimes a change of air pressure or strange sound
is all that announces the entrance of the desired Being. Like the particle, the
existence of the entity can sometimes only be inferred indirectly. A resonance
and a supernatural entity cannot be said to be objects or events. They are an
experience or happening…..
Thursday, December 13, 2012
Magus Magazine: DISCORD HAPPENS: THE SECRETWAR BETWEEN THE ROSE-CR...
Magus Magazine: DISCORD HAPPENS: THE SECRETWAR BETWEEN THE ROSE-CR...: DISCORD HAPPENS: THE SECRET WAR BETWEEN THE ROSE-CROSS AND ILLUMINATI “Facilis descensus Averno ; noctes atque dies patet atri ...
DISCORD HAPPENS: THE SECRET
WAR BETWEEN THE ROSE-CROSS AND ILLUMINATI
“Facilis descensus Averno ;
noctes atque dies patet atri ianua Ditis;
sed revocare gradum superasque evadere ad auras,
hoc opus, hic labor est.”
noctes atque dies patet atri ianua Ditis;
sed revocare gradum superasque evadere ad auras,
hoc opus, hic labor est.”
It’s been a rollicking few months. Most of Syria Serbia North America , Illuminati are being chased down with machetes. Some
people know. Most can’t make the connections. But it’s there. The unending
struggle between the Rosicrucian brotherhood and Illuminati has been dotting
the political and economic landscape since the 18th century. A quick
glance at any tabloid headline reveals how both groups have been displaying
like baboons, whooping it up while the whole world sits stupidly unaware that
the BIGGEST decisions in business and global politics have been made under the
pretense of a Spy vs. Spy comic strip. Both the head demon of the Illuminati
conspiracy and the twelve reptilian aliens of the Rose-Cross have been filled
with such a righteous hatred that for the last 200 years, an underground war
for control of the human-race has been right under our noses. Even the
conservative Christians stand aside in this one. After the lashing Swaggart
took for getting uppity and the shaming of Heaven’s Gate, December 21,
2012 is a possibility for
some real righteous hysteria.
It’s gonna be up to us to hunt these heathen like dogs and
take back our country. Jesse Ventura understands. It doesn’t take long for
Jesse “the body” to whip suspected Illuminati like mules. And he isn’t
Rosicrucian. I’m not even sure he’s Republican. Governor Ventura comes from the
old times-ex seal-spit-in-your-face-and-stomp-you-like-an-insect-school of
political righteousness. It was soldiers like him that rolled up on Osama like
a pyroclastic flow of stars and stripes. I was witness to a “Jesse’ism” outside
the San Jose County Courthouse when ‘The Body’ cornered a poor Rosicrucian like
a dumb animal. For those of you not privy to AMORC or the Ancient and Mystical
Order of the Rosae Crucis, they are a secret initiatory fraternity bent on the
perfection and evolution of human consciousness. They cast their lot with
groups such as Freemasonry and Ordo Templi Orientis and they are clearly the
wrong ilk for someone such as Jesse Ventura. The look of struck-dumb terror on
this young initiates face when the billowing form of the Governor rose up like
something from the abyss was frightening even to me. And I was standing feet
away and out of the line of sight. I had seen the look before. It’s the
panicked expression of a lion tamer at the moment his cracking of the whip
conjures a deep-seated and reverberating animal rage. I could smell the fear
and so could Jesse. The neophyte recognized at once that the television cameras
and microphones were NOT his friend. I could only assume he expected to be
beaten. He backed up the courthouse and with trembling voice muttered, “Hello
brother, are you ready for the new world?” “Why not?” Jesse said with clear
disdain. “I had nothing better to do today.” There followed an awkward silence
as the fledgling Rosicrucian rocked on the balls of his feet and began to blink
wildly. “Have you come to see the temple and research our fabulous archives?”
Jesse ignored this and drawled, “So…I heard you Rosicrushans have some interest
in taking over the American government.” He took a step forward. “Do you
understand the meaning of ‘Born Free or Die’?” He dragged out the last few
words and stood silent with a dead stare. I think his eyes began to glaze over.
This sent the crazed jabbering of the Rosicrucian to elevate just under
hysteria as he babbled about, “Love, liberty, and fighting the Illuminati…”
Even Jesse paused in his tirade of Nationalism and anti-conspiratorial fervor
to stare vacantly and ask, “What did you just say? Illumi-what?” The man broke
into a literal run and screeched, “Nothing further!” as he sped away.
And this is how the secret got out. This is how the Discord
was revealed or unveiled to the world. What seemed lamely like an outburst by a
peculiar little man driven mad with fear was in actuality, a tightly-sealed
secret held in the underground by a cabal of businessmen, politicians, artists,
and scientists. The secret history of the world really was the history of
warfare between secret societies. This is nothing new. It was all business. In
any given city, Rosicrucian and Illuminati propaganda pamphlets littered
street-corners along with political manifestos and store front advertisements.
People knew about these ultra-secret groups but their intricacies were left a
mystery. And just as nowadays, competition was grounds for a savage end to
normal sensibilities. People who snitched were liable to be beaten, labeled an
opium fiend, and left to be picked up with the rest of the rubbish. Even
friends would smirk and say they always knew you were weird. From the very
outset, the Illuminati considered the Rose-Cross to be a bunch of pigs. They
constantly whined that the new reason-inspired age didn’t need any archaic
superstitions from the past. They were doing just fine without magic,
fairies, or even God. One of their early pamphlet headlines declared:
Rosicrucian
magicians exhume plague-ridden
corpses for vile Necromancy Ritual!
This sparked such a vile and
public outcry that a twelve man investigative committee made up of a few
priests, a city official, doctor, scientist, and disguised reptilian alien
found that not only was the bloated body a plague hazard but probably a vampire
and definitely smelled bad. When the Rosicrucians went to pieces and
claimed that the entire inquiry was anti-reason and based on superstitious
conjecture, Weishaupt simply stated that he knew necromancy was real
because his Illuminati was really just an Illuminized Freemasonry. He claimed
that there existed an Illuminati Lodge in London
It is said that the Illuminati
was created in 1010 AD in the Middle East when Hassan : Sabbah founded the
Hashishim but really came to fruition in Bavaria May 1, 1776 . It is said that Adam Weishaupt, a student of the occult reached
illumination yet created his entire order on the ‘Enlightenment’ tenets of
reason and rationalism . This one went beyond smoke and mirrors ectoplasm
regurgitation or spirit knocking. This one was elevated to shaman. A real
medicine man or Merlin. In him were the teachings of ancient Assyria and Babylon , Egypt Persia Germany
It’s been publicly documented
that Weishaupt dodged more throwing knives, poisons, and prisons than any
member of MI-6 or covert CIA spy. In his Christian Rosenkreutz persona, this
super-agent was both friend and adversary to himself. He delighted in
writing an anti-Rosicrucian rant just to rebut it with equal gusto on behalf of
all esoteric groups. He took his job very seriously and would forget
himself at times. There has been instances when Weishaupt wrote a scathing
criticism of Illuminati just to have Rosenkreutz step in with pro-Illuminati
jabbering. This created in Weishaupt a new hubris that he embraced during his
travels. Eventually members of the Illuminati began to notice word choosing and
sentence phrasing that seemed eerily like what they’d read in despised
Rosicrucian manifestos. It was decided that Weishaupt was a menace and should
be flogged and fed to the dogs. He haggled his case but in the end was labeled
positively ghoulish and the once all-powerful caliph was buried to his neck
in sesame oil.
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
Magus Magazine: Evolution and Deities Part One
Magus Magazine: Evolution and Deities Part One: Hello everybody! Here is a portion of Evolution and Deities. I'll be adding another bit concering the falsity of Ontological Relativism ...
Evolution and Deities Part One
Hello everybody! Here is a portion of Evolution and Deities. I'll be adding another bit concering the falsity of Ontological Relativism next week before really getting into the 'economy and power relations of Deity Evolution' but here's a taste. Enjoy!
EVOLUTION AND DEITIES:
PART 1
Discussing
non-humans has many more implications than just anthropomorphism. As Latour has
remarked, “Non-humans have not been emerging for aeons just to serve as so many
props to show the mastery, intelligence, and design capacities of humans or
their divine creations. They have their own intelligence, their own design, and
plenty of transcendence to go on, that is, to reproduce” (Latour, Bruno. Will
Non-Humans Be Saved? 2009). Although many non-humans do have human-like qualities
or tendencies, they are autonomous entities that have their own trajectory and
hold their own agency. Attributing only anthropomorphism to deity production is
like trying to play a three-note guitar chord with only two strings. Although
there is a familiarity with the sound, something seems missing. This something
in terms of non-humans is evolutionary and experiential.
Truth be told, non-humans aren’t so much ineffable or
infallible as incommensurable. Much like biological organisms, there is an
evolution of the supernatural. Deities that are fittest or created with
a favorable evolutionary trait tends to be more successful over time. These
genetic variances may mutate and shift as in the case of the Holy Tree.
According to what is known as the “Golden Legend”, the true cross came from
three seeds from the ‘tree of mercy’ in the Garden of Eden. These three seeds
were placed in the mouth of Adam’s corpse by Seth. After many centuries, wood
from the tree was used to build a bridge that was used by the Queen of Sheba on
her travels to meet King Solomon. When she walked across the bridge, Sheba
The narrative shows how non-humans have an evolutionary
trajectory. The tree (object) went from being a seed, to a tree, bridge,
crucifixion cross, and holy relic. But its symbolization, or what it means
epistemologically, also evolved as centuries passed. This non-human’s meaning
changed as it was imbued with the numinous. In fact, the severity of its
numinous qualities ebbed and flowed through time. It was certainly a sacred
object when it was in seed form and placed in Adam’s mouth. However, it lost
some of its sacred power when Solomon buried it underground. Not till it was
fashioned into Christ’s cross did the object reach its evolutionary potential.
As a religious determinate, the true cross underwent an epistemic trajectory
wherein its power as a religious symbol changed.
Self-determining deities also show evolutionary prowess as
they move through time and space. However, there is an incommensurable aspect
to the trajectory that keeps us from making oblique comparisons of sacred
narratives. Because of its experiential nature, interactions with deities are
necessarily incommensurable and must be examined as autonomous but
non-comparable events. Its like comparing an entheogenic psilocybin experience
with the visitation at Fatima by the Virgin Mary. Both
are numinous events but they cannot be compared in any way. The experience of
psilocybin-its affective qualities and pure unmitigated surrealism cannot be
compared to any other numinous experience in any way because every
experience of the sacred is new. Every numinous event is different in
every way from other religious events due to the subjective experience in a
sacred event. After all, we’re not comparing the experience of going to a
baseball game or a movie. An experience of the deity is something
extra-ordinary. It can be wholly beautiful or awful and terrifying. But the
interaction will be unique and the experience new. And these are the qualities
that are renewed or re-embodied through religious ritual.
Although the experiences are incommensurable, they can be renewed subjectively
to foster a change of state.
In the work of trajectories, the re-presentation of gods are
a form of ritual economy. The rite of passage involves Man and the Deity to be
successful. As Chris Knight and Camilla Power have remarked, “The gods do not
just appear and then replicate themselves autonomously through being
‘attention-grabbing’. Rather, the immortals need organized communal help”
(Journal of Royal Anthropological Institute. 4(11) March 1988. pp 129-132.
Comment). Through the rite of passage sequence, the Deity and Man exhibit a
ritual exchange of goods and services. But it is Man that performs the
high-cost activities of conjuration. It is Man that does the dancing, and
chanting, and trance exploration. They must in order to be embodied. And every
occult knows this…..
PART II
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
Magus Magazine: RITUAL AND TRANSITION STATES IN NON-HUMANS: HOW TH...
Magus Magazine: RITUAL AND TRANSITION STATES IN NON-HUMANS: HOW TH...: Hello everybody, here is the promised second part of deitic rite of passage. Since my lunacy is something both expected and irritating, ...
Hello everybody, here is the promised second part of deitic rite of passage. Since my lunacy is something both expected and irritating, I'll let you enjoy the article and welcome all comments. I've been flailing around trying to develop the idea for a few months. Feel free to be openly disgruntled.
btw currently working on the 'evolution of deities' but I'll annoy you with that in a few weeks.
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