Cat’s Cradle
Stan Brakhage, USA, 1959, 6 min, Silent

Sexual witchcraft involving two couples and a ‘medium’ cat – Stan Brakhage

Applied Magic(k): Magic(k) Calls by The Center for Tactical Magic
Originally published in Arthur No. 24 (August 2006, available here)

The ancient oracles of Greece, which served as messaging centers between the gods and the mortals, did not shy away from associating metaphysical affairs with technological wizardry. Visitors to the oracles marveled as doors opened, fountains poured forth, and lights flickered all of the their own accord, thanks to an innovative use of hydraulics, pneumatics, levers, weights and balances. Such high-tech engineering (for the times, anyway) not only served to set an appropriate magical tone, but also held the potential to assist in conveying messages from the gods. Although more than 2,000 years old, this blend of magic(k) and tech stands in stark contrast to many of today’s expressions of magic(k). What is it about technology and magic(k) that leaves so many magic(k) practitioners hiding in the folds of their anachronistic robes and tuxedos?

Arthur C. Clarke, author of 2001: A Space Odyssey and the inventor credited with the notion of global satellite communications, once said, “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.” At the surface, such an assertion may seem simple enough; however, there are a few layers to excavate here. Some interpret this to mean we have reached an age where we are quite impressed by our own inventions. The workings of our gadgets have become increasingly imperceptible, if not due to sheer miniaturized size of the parts, then surely due to the veils of specialized knowledge. In the end, we don’t know how a given technology, a cell phone for instance, even works nor do we particularly care so long as we can talk on it when we need to. We take it for granted that there is a technical logic behind the engineering of a cell phone.

For some, that brief insignificant moment of faith in technology is comparable to magic(k)—after all, many (if not most) magic tricks are successfully performed along these very lines. Any enchantment whatsoever is overpowered by the puzzle that remains to be solved. The audience does not wonder if it is “real” magic(k); they wonder at how it is accomplished. While the overall effect may still be enough to satisfy and entertain, the method remains cloaked in secrecy and illusion. Likewise, when a technology performs its prescribed function, we tend not to ask any questions, and thus the mysteries of its inner workings are obscured to all but those with specialized knowledge. This certainly has some parallels with the way some view magic(k), equally in the realms of the occult, entertainment, and perhaps politics as well.

However, the magic(k) of a “sufficiently advanced technology” is not simply manifested solely by its ability to perform its prescribed function without one’s understanding of how it works. Magic(k) teases questions of “what?” and “why” just as much as “how?” Aside from the general mystery of its inner workings, a cell phone appears to be no more magical than a wristwatch or a solar-powered calculator largely because of our familiarity with it and the banal circumstances under which it is used. But when we take a moment to really consider what a cell phone does, we begin to scrape away at another layer of meaning. We act like it’s nothing, but when we use cell phones, our disembodied voices are transmitted invisibly via remote towers networked to celestial satellites (invented by Arthur C. Clarke, remember) floating somewhere in the heavens, before bouncing back to earth to be received by another living person located perhaps thousands of miles away. And this all happens in “real-time.” Is it becoming more difficult to distinguish between technology and magic(k) yet? Well, let’s keep going…

Let’s jump back in time. We needn’t go far. A few hundred years will do nicely. Now here you are: roaming through the public square wondering why all these people are hanging out socializing instead of home watching tv, when all of a sudden your friend from the future calls you, and your Bluetooth ear-set starts blinking and ringing. As you start to chat, you quickly realize that you are now the center of attention. When the barrel-chested blacksmith moseys on over and asks you what’s going on, and you explain what a cell phone does (as mentioned above) do you think the nice folks from the past are going to find the whole affair rather ordinary?

Today, the notion of invisibly transmitting signals to communicate with beings from afar seems rather commonplace. But this is only a recent techno-historical development. In the past, such attempts were sure signs of mental instability, demonic possession or skilled sorcery. BUT they were not unimaginable, nor were they regarded as wholly impossible. Indeed, occult technologies were developed for just such a purpose. Crystal balls, Ouija boards, Tarot cards, and magic mirrors flashed glimpses and whispered insights from unseen communicators. Perhaps most famously, the mystical advisors to Queen Elizabeth I, Edward Kelly and John Dee, deftly divined an entire language (Enochian) with which to converse with angels and demons alike. Although the number of dropped calls from the Enochian Watch Towers was probably much higher than that of your average cell phone, the coverage range was apparently quite extensive, allowing communication to other beings on as many as seven planes of existence.

A few hundred years later, electric forces became harnessed for the first time in human history, and the telegraph, the telephone and the radio soon followed. Such inventions at once confirmed the possibility of body-less voices traveling through time and space, and opened the door to new expressions of magic(k) and mysticism. In much the same way that the invention of photography led to a whole range of spirit photos, trick photography, occult experimentation and illusions projected through the help of a “magic lantern” (an early slide projector), so too did the tech of telecom open the gates to a realm of fantastic enterprises. Stage magicians were quick to develop cunning tricks that relied on the covert and overt use of electric pulses, waves, and signals to convince audiences of the presence of all-knowing spirits and powerful mental faculties. So too did mediums embrace the electro-wizardry of the modern age. Like the stage magicians, psychics enhanced their performances with the covert collaboration of gadgets. In a manner perhaps reminiscent of the Greek oracles, parlor lights would dim and blacken, bells would ring in the distance, and voices would emerge from the shadows. Attempts at otherworldly communication led magicians, mystics and mediums to innovate on ancient divination techniques using new technologies. With the understanding that nearly anything can be used to divine messages, visions and insights, the spirit of electromancy was unleashed. Radios, phones, phonographs, recorders, and all sorts of metering devices began testing the metaphysical waters for evidence of ESP. Essentially, a new branch of extra-sensory perception began to grow: electro-sensory perception.

Although ESP is traditionally expressed as clairvoyance, precognition, and telepathy, at the core of the concept is an emphasis on the enhancement of our innate five senses. Sight beyond sight. Knowing what is hidden. Covert communication. To these ends, technologies have increasingly approached the potential of ESP. We have indeed augmented our senses beyond the ordinary limits of perception allowing us to see and hear over great distances. Although this may seem like a novel notion to the average consumer of communication services, the power and magic(k) of telecom tech certainly hasn’t escaped the attention of the government, corporations, and the military.

Of course we’re not simply referring to the intense battles over public access to the airwaves and widespread demand for public control over the means of production (and communication), which you undoubtedly learned about in history class. Nor are we merely alluding to the fact that you have to pay to talk to your distant loved ones despite the fact that much of the telecom infrastructure was already paid for by tax dollars through government subsidies years ago. And neither are we questioning why it’s illegal to broadcast a pirate radio station on an unoccupied niche of your FM dial. In fact, we’re not even referencing a whole slough of occult conspiracies involving psychic vampires from business and politics who suck you dry of any dissenting desires.

As luck would have it, truth is often stranger than fiction. And it is no longer conspiracy theory but a matter of public record that the CIA and the Pentagon have poured millions of dollars into mind-control experiments like the infamous MK Ultra and the psychic spying programs that resulted in Remote Viewing. In addition, the Department of Defense’s biggest budget-gobbler, DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) actively develops near-invisible surveillance cameras, spread spectrum data beams, spy satellites, “smart dust,” “sentinel plants,” sonar, radar, lidar and a host of “animal familiars” along with their robotic counterparts. Is that distinction between magic(k) and technology sufficiently fuzzy now?

Clearly, we don’t need complicated data dowsers to find evidence of other occult dealings, secret pacts, and strange new powers. Indeed, we only need to look at a small, top-secret military unit of WWII code-breakers who were code-named—you guessed it!—MAGIC. Following the end of WWII, MAGIC ultimately became the NSA. The National Security Agency, which hosts the world’s largest supercomputers and claims to employ the largest number of math wizards, monitors all forms of data transmission in an effort “to understand the secret communications of our foreign adversaries while protecting our own communications.” Although “our” might seem to imply “American citizens” (especially since there are major federal laws prohibiting the NSA from spying on American citizens) apparently there is a sleight (heh) misunderstanding. In December of 2005, the New York Times broke a story detailing the NSA’s monitoring of Americans’ phone conversations. A day later, President Bush confessed to signing the order authorizing the illegal wiretapping. The method behind the trick was clearly exposed, yet the audience remained fascinated by the effects nonetheless. Despite the fact that he was caught with an impeachable ace up his sleeve during a dubious demonstration of ESP, the show (not to mention the war) trudges on. How is this possible? Psychic vampires? Mind control? Hmmm, maybe. Something certainly seems to have dulled our sensory perception.

We find a clue in yet one more layer of Arthur C. Clarke’s analysis of magic(k) and technology. When we engage any “sufficiently advanced technology” we are quickly (and often unknowingly) entangled in a controlling web that covers at least seven planes of powerful, occult bureaucracy of which at least three are apparently governed by Misdirection, Malfeasance, and Machiavellian Machinations. In the end, we begin to understand that technologies can be used to control and oppress just as they can be used to liberate and make life more enjoyable. And if magic(k) is indistinguishable from technology, then the question that remains is, “How will you use it?”

Here are a few easy exercises to get you started. As always, please let us know how it works out for you by emailing us at: goodluck at tacticalmagic dot org.

1) Calls from telemarketers and wrong numbers are usually considered to be a nuisance. Try thinking of them as an opportunity. The next time you receive an unwanted phone call use it as a chance to ask some lively questions. Your impromptu survey can cover any range of topics; however, in our experiences we’ve always had good success asking people about ghosts. Many folks will claim they don’t believe in ghosts, but nearly everyone will tell you a tale of bizarre and unexplained phenomena. Try it out and see.

2) If you happen to be on a no-call list and are rarely haunted by telephone solicitors, try calling the service numbers for your phone company. These numbers are usually free, and more often than not, the person on the other end will appreciate the diversion from complaining customers. The ghost survey mentioned above is a good ice-breaker before asking about the company’s policy for dealing with spooks of a federal nature. If the person you’re talking to can’t tell you the conditions under which your privacy is fed to the feds, ask to speak to someone who can.

3) Peripherally, we may realize that a cell phone is, among other things, a noisemaker; however, it is a characteristic that receives our full attention only when it rings in awkward social situations like during a movie or a lecture. Under ordinary circumstances one tries to avoid such incidents. But perhaps there are other contexts where the disturbing cry of a cell phone can provide a well-deserved interruption. How about the wailing, beeping, and jamming of 10, or 50, or 500 cell phones all ringing at the same time? To cast such a cell spell requires little more than getting an assembly of cohorts to set their cell phone alarms to go off at an opportune moment. Schools, shopping centers, shareholders meetings, protests, parties—you name it; the possibilities are calling!

 

 
The Man We Want to Hang
Kenneth Anger, USA, 2002, 12 min

 

… The Man We Want To Hang, (which) comprised images of Aleister Crowley’s paintings that had been exhibited at a temporary exhibition in Bloomsbury, London…

Applied Magic(k): Sigils, Logos and Lucky Charms by The Center for Tactical Magic
Originally published in Arthur No. 23 (June 2006, available here)

One of the first lessons of magic(k) that we learn as children is that words and symbols have power. Abracadabra. Hocus Pocus. A five-pointed star. A four-leaf clover. As we get older, this primary notion quickly degrades and often becomes the source of one of the first dismissive tendencies towards magic(k) that arises amongst adults. Too many hokey movies and failed attempts to levitate with an utterance conspire against us. Soon the lesson is forgotten; magic(k) words and the power of symbols sneak away to party with Santa and the tooth fairy.

But words and symbols continue to work their magic(k) regardless of whether or not we believe in them. Look at the recent outcry against Madonna singing from the cross or riots in response to Mohammed cartoons and we begin to see that the power of symbols is anything but make-believe. For those who insist that religious sensitivities are an easy shot, consider this secular example: For over 150 years the United States had a Department of War. During much of that time U.S. foreign policy consisted of “neutrality” and therefore the DoW did not lend any direct military support in foreign conflicts. World War II put a definitive end on U.S. neutrality once and for all, and in 1947 the DoW was renamed the “National Military Establishment” or NME (pronounced “enemy”). Realizing the error of their acronym, politicians again changed the name in 1949 to what we know today as the “Department of Defense.” More than half a century after “war” became “defense” the DoD sits deep within the Pentagon planning “pre-emptive defensive strikes” while waving a flag with 50 pentagrams on it.

Okay, so spin-doctoring isn’t exactly the same thing as witch-doctoring. Still, most performing magicians (conjurers) won’t deny the power of language. And few will debate the fact that word choice makes a difference when presenting a trick. Many will even insist that the “patter” makes or breaks the illusion. More to the point, the strength and efficacy of a trick is often closely tied to the audience’s ability to relate both specifically and abstractly to the overall illusion. This is precisely why magic with money tends to hold people’s attention more than tricks with handkerchiefs. Money is already a loaded symbol, whereas how many people revere a silk hanky? If you still maintain your doubts, try first performing card tricks over lunch and then later in the middle of a poker game. Any guesses on which audience gets more riled up when you magically produce four aces from up your sleeve?

Admittedly, the ability to make a scrap of green paper covered in Masonic symbols disappear doesn’t quite live up to our childhood expectations of magic(k). Perhaps this is especially true because we become adept at making dollars disappear all the time. As we grow older, we become initiated into the Church of Consumerism. It is here that we become increasingly distrustful of anything “magical” since we quickly find the mystique tarnished by a barrage of commodities gilded in glitz. Yesteryear’s potions, spells, and apparatuses are hawked as today’s energy drinks, pharmaceuticals, and hi-tech gizmos. Finding ourselves surrounded by “magic” cleaning supplies, “power” tools, and Lucky Charms, it’s easy to concede that there’s no such thing as “real” magic(k). Yet, ironically this is where some of the oldest forms of magic(k) still thrive today.

Emblazoned on nearly every product, within every corporation, and tied to commodities strewn across the globe one finds logos. We tend to ignore them; or at least we think we do. However, too much consideration goes into the creation of an effective logo to be ignored. Beyond mere aesthetics, a logo is designed to perform a particular function quite similar to that of a magical sigil. Specifically, the fundamentals of logo design stress three distinct phases of association: 1) contextual or relative association; 2) direct or habitual association; and 3) autonomic or hypnotic association. In contextual or relative association the logo appears in the same context as the product. Thus, the consumer understands that there is a relationship between the logo and the product, thereby making it easier for the consumer to locate an identical or similar product in the future by seeking out the logo (i.e. look for the golden arches and find the freedom fries). In the second phase, direct or habitual association, the logo increases its scope of influence. Through repeated exposure to the logo, the consumer begins to identify directly with the logo and no longer differentiates between the logo and the product represented by the logo. The logo has become a direct stand-in for the product itself. Through force of habit the logo now represents a standard (albeit an irrational one not often governed by actual quality) by which all other similar products are measured and found lacking. (i.e. why do you favor one brand of electronics over a brand you have never heard of or seen before? And, why is it “cool” to wear the logo of that company on your t-shirt?).

And finally, there is autonomic or hypnotic association. Like Pavlov’s dogs who began to salivate at the sound of the dinner bell, the consumer who has reached a state of hypnotic association will begin to physically manifest a desire for the product upon merely seeing the associated logo. In such cases, the consumer’s willingness to act on this irrational desire happens because s/he has not only come to associate the logo with the product but also with the feeling(s) s/he’s attached to the product (status, sex appeal, satiety, power, success, etc). Even a momentary, peripheral glimpse of the logo may be enough to make the consumer hunger for the product and act towards quenching the thirst of an irrational desire. To the consumer, the impulse will seem completely logical, and s/he may not even be consciously aware of having seen the logo only moments before.

As we lift our gaze out of the marketing primers and PR manuals and flip through the pages of grimoires and spell books [and in the interview with Grant Morrison in Arthur No. 12—Ed.], we begin to see the magic(k) ties that bind logos and sigils. Sigils have been used for thousands of years, but the contemporary use of sigils in ritual magick owes a great debt to the early 20th century artist and occultist, Austin Osman Spare. In its traditional form, a sigil is basically an abstract mark or symbol that is magically charged through a process of association with one’s desires. By reducing an idea to a single design, the concept is mentally planted in a non-linguistic manner and left to blossom over time. This magical seed can be further fertilized by focusing on the design (not the idea represented by the design) during a heightened state of arousal (pleasure, pain, excitement, exhaustion, fear, ecstasy, etc.). A.O. Spare recommends using your orgasm to charge the sigil.

Essentially a meditative tool used to focus one’s conscious and subconscious attentions towards manifesting a specific result, a sigil can be made by anyone for any reason. The sigil has no power of its own, and means nothing to those who have no associations with it. However, a sigil that is unleashed and gains popular recognition can maintain a power that is both subjective and collective. Although Madison Avenue mages now refer to spells, incantation and sigils as slogans, jingles, and logos the effects are just as powerful as ever.

Authority commonly wields power through the manipulation of sign systems which individuals are collectively programmed to accept as valid structures of discipline and control. Fortunately, magic(k) is an open-source technology that doesn’t exclusively belong to advertising execs and policy-makers. Outlined below is a sequence of actions that will effectively illustrate the aforementioned dynamics. Further, the following sequence of actions also serves as a general spell for revealing that “authority” is a subjective force, and that victory is awarded to those who play the ‘Sign Game’ best. While strict adherence to the spell will often yield successful results, an accurate understanding of the underlying principles will allow for delightful adaptations and diverse applications. Have fun & Good luck! And please let us know of your results by emailing us at: goodluck at tacticalmagic dot org

POWER TRANSPOSITION SPELL
or
How to Subvert Institutional Authority through Graffiti and Other Tactics in 13 Steps

1. Choose an institutional target (school, corporation, government agency, town, etc)

2. Create a small label (approx. 3” x 4”) which includes the institution’s seal or logo, as well as the words: Signs or Graffiti Permitted on This Surface (or an appropriate variation of your choosing).

3. Affix the labels to various surfaces within the institution. At first, it is best to target surfaces that have existing postings or writing (e.g. bulletin boards, bathroom walls, pay phones, etc).

4. Begin responding to your own labels by covertly adding signs, postings, and graffiti. Be sure to vary the content and use multiple scripts or different graphic elements. Some gestures, tags, or styles should appear more prolific than others so as to convince the “authorities” that multiple individuals are responding to the labels in no organized fashion.

5. On institutional letterhead, create your own notice harshly condemning the labels, the postings, and the writings. The notice should be brief, but the tone should sound severe and reactionary. Citing non-existent laws or rules that promise extreme penalties should be included to encourage debate. Mis-spelling a key word or two will aid in undermining the voice of Authority, as well as give the impression that Authority is, in fact, a small group of controlling individuals that assert their will on the greater community.

6. Before the institution can respond to the postings and graffiti, covertly distribute this notice as widely as possible. Post it in areas where no previous postings have appeared as well as in the most obvious places. Place notices in employee/student mailboxes, on the windshields of parked cars, or in luchrooms and other meeting areas. The distribution of this notice should appear obsessive/compulsive.

7. Replace any labels that have since been removed and continue to add graffiti and postings. At this point some graffiti/postings should be direct responses to the “institutional notice.” Some responses should sound incensed, while others should appear mocking. Most likely, other anonymous individuals will have joined in at this point and the debate should be widening.

8. Locate a blank section of wall, or an area where graffiti has been allowed to persist. Using a slightly off-color shade of paint, cover a large, uneven section of the wall. Affix a sign alongside reading, “Wet Paint” and another stating that “any graffiti which does not beautify the area will not be tolerated). This will give the impression that the Authorities are ineptly attempting to cover the graffiti, while simultaneously giving a nod to “acts of beauty.”

9. Create a second notice stating that employees/students/community-members may be subject to random searches for graffiti paraphernalia. Distribute it widely. Additionally, signs should be posted declaring rewards for reporting graffiti as well as phone numbers to call (police, management, etc).

10. Continue to add graffiti and postings, but extend the range outside of the proximity of the labels.

11. If the debate has become heated enough at this point, create another notice/email in the “voice of Authority” declaring a “town hall” meeting with attendance required. Be sure to include a sentence indicating that food and beverages will be provided (You may even want to place a large order for pizzas to be delivered). The date of the meeting should give the “authorities” as little time to prepare as possible.
A note on the workplace: If the target institution is the workplace, then give consideration to the scheduling time. A lunch-hour meeting will impose on co-workers and encourage opposition to the institution. A mid-afternoon or mid-morning meeting will result in a period of unproductivity that will provide a much-deserved break for your co-workers. An after-work meeting time should include a promise of overtime wage compensation for all attendees.

12. Have fun at the meeting, but be careful not to take sides in a manner that will draw attention to you. At most, make constructive suggestions or offer compromises such as calling for more communal space or resources (a community center, lounge, or project funding), asking for more community dialogue or representation (push for shared power and self-management), or requesting conditions that are less restrictive/oppressive (more time off, less rules or better use of community funds). Or, just sit back and watch the fireworks.

13. If events haven’t climaxed by this point, create a final notice summarizing the institution’s willingness to respond to concerns raised at the meeting. Declare new policies and promises; be sure to be creative about your desires (designated graffiti/posting zones, slackening of rules or restrictions, school/business holidays, etc.). At this point you and your community are the authorities, so start acting like it by making the necessary changes and organizing for a better tomorrow!

Applied Magic(k): Donut Power by The Center for Tactical Magic
Originally published in Arthur No. 22 (April 2006, available here)

Although people often associate the word “occult” with secret magical orders, demon-worshipers and ancient alchemical scrawlings, its root definition is simply “secret, concealed, or hidden.” But strangely enough, “occult” is rarely associated with those who are perhaps most invested in secrets and concealments: that is, government, military, corporations and even performing magicians. Perhaps this popular tendency to view “occultism” through an anachronistic mist is ultimately a concealment of its own accord.

If we regard an occult force as “that which is hidden,” it should come as no surprise to realize that we are constantly surrounded by the occult. Everywhere we look we don’t see it… at least not at first. Otherwise it wouldn’t be occult; it would be obvious and apparent. Unseen forces are indeed at play all around us. We often fail to recognize their presence for any number of reasons: the forces may seem insignificant to the situation, we are distracted by other factors, etc. Whether one favors ritual magick or performing magic, the first challenge is to recognize which forces are present, hidden or otherwise.

Fortunately, occult forces sometimes have a funny way of revealing themselves. In 2001, members of The Center for Tactical Magic were enjoying a leisurely tromp through downtown San Francisco with a few thousand other people protesting the 21st Century’s first major display of government occultism: George W. Bush’s inauguration. At the end of the trolley line at Powell and Market, the march lost momentum and gradually slowed to a jiggle. Some protesters scurried into cafes to get their latte fixes while others started break-dancing to boom boxes in the streets. Meanwhile, riot police began to huddle in the doorways of the GAP. There were other big department stores and icons of global capitalism nearby, but for reasons unknown the GAP seemed to be getting the bulk of police attention. (Perhaps it was one of those rare instances where Power reveals itself, as if the cops were hinting, “You’re already gathered to fight injustice, you might as well protest conformist fashion produced by sweatshop labor, too.”) At first, no one seemed to care, except possibly the few shoppers who hurried away at the first signs (namely, armored cops) that something might be amiss. Gradually though, activists seemed to take to the idea, and soon a small group settled down at the feet of the police line to sip their lattes and eat their lunches…

Read the full article here.