All the great mystics who have left substantial traces behind have consistently preached a direct, personal contact with the higher (or deeper). These ecstatic moments themselves may have been violent or peaceful, but what unites these mystics is a kind of self-imposed distance that defies the norms of their times. They have intuitively felt that the time is ripe for something new and they have followed that intuition until the illumination appeared. The collective structures that followed suit have all been defined by their own contemporary needs and expressions, for good and bad, but that still doesn’t cloud the essence of pivotal personal moments and mystical impressions that, if the individual takes them seriously, will contribute constructively to the multifaceted mosaic called life.
Despite the fact that everything may eventually just be a big cosmic joke or an illusion, I still believe it’s worth taking seriously. That’s why I’ll say good-bye with a hope that your third eyes will now reawaken to new, enthusiastic, and flirty life.
19
Challenging Inertia and Entropy
Originally a lecture delivered at the OTO Croatia Conference in Split, Croatia, 2014.
WE KNOW, or at least assume with certainty, that everything is in flux, movement, motion. Our senses and interpretations provide us with this data, as does our immediate memory. We also have a tendency to ascribe cyclical directions to the movements in question. Energies revolve and life force is exactly that: a revolving force that helps or initiates further movement. On very tangible levels most of us have seen, heard of, or perhaps experienced that death means exactly the opposite: a lack of force and thereby movement. And when that process sets in, new energies are immediately set in motion to decompose the formerly so-alive vehicle or body. So in a sense, there’s no real stasis even in death.
In the history and mythology of magic, terms like energy and direction have always been essential. It seems that extroverted and directed energy, set in motion by will, is the common denominator in all systems, schools, and traditions. Even mystical systems, schools, and traditions are involved in the very same thing; the only difference being that the direction of the energy has been changed, going inward instead of outward into the cosmos.
Can we then simplify and say that magic is (a) a knowledge of the energies in question, and (b) a harnessing of these so that they can be directed as willed? I think so. Most of what we can see in the history of magic is schematically the same. There may be different names and motivations and degrees of complexity, but we’re still talking about consciously willed use of what already exists within and around us.
But what happens when routine sets in? Lack of motivation and will? When a formerly effective ritual turns into a dutiful ceremony? When a formerly pleasing situation turns into mere run-of-the-mill diluted experience? When an organism merely exists, apparently without meaning?
Here’s where and when we encounter the terms entropy and inertia. They always set in sooner or later, perhaps as a necessary movement of decay before an actual decomposition, or, if we’re lucky, as an eye-opener and instigator for change. When we are alive and somewhat conscious, we can make decisions about the direction of the energies. That’s a beautiful trademark of what it means to be a human being. But still, far too many humans accept defeat, decay, and decomposition far too easily, although it’s not at all necessary.
Entropy is a word that comes from thermodynamics and means, in simplified terms, energy that is isolated, unconnected, nonmoving. Following the second law of thermodynamics, the entropy of an isolated system always increases. This is not exactly the same as stasis, in which everything is still, but signifies energy that is contained and thereby not creating heat anymore.
Inertia is also a term borrowed from classical physics and, again simplified, means that a thing continues in its motion and direction, in a kind of unwillingness to change—or an inability to change.
Many people suffer from entropic states as well as from states of inertia, and sometimes these can be found in combination, for instance, in someone who is self-contained and therefore just keeps moving in the same direction. This situation might just as well be called a lonely force of habit. And of course, this phenomenon can also exist in groups or societies.
One way of angstfully repressing an approaching state of inertia and entropy is by positional rigidity, meaning that the person in question sticks with what was once meaningful and valuable to him or her, and gradually devalues everything else. This process can be seen in any kind of fundamentalism, as the views and perspectives become more and more narrow in the glorification of the safe haven that perhaps once provided a necessary fuel for a continual personal development.
Any kind of fundamentalism is always a sign of inertia and entropy on the individual level. On the larger scale, though, active mindlessness and active obedience from the, for instance, religious or political parts can greatly vitalize the larger group, entity, or even state. But it’s still fed by elements of individual inertia and entropy.
I believe that the individual has the power to change things, and that collectives are essentially void of power unless there is one individual perspective that is commonly or communally backed up. That said, an individual could then potentially change an entire collective or organization suffering from inertia and entropy. But, sadly, that is more of an exception than a rule.
When do inertia and entropy set in? I’m sure a million answers could be given, but one of the most relevant could be “When the will to change on one’s own terms becomes subservient to personal comfort, relying on ideals and systems based on other people’s authority and inherent responsibility.”
So how does creativity fit into this puzzle? Well, it’s not as simple as saying that all you have to do to break a force of habit is start painting or write a poem. That can surely be therapeutic for some but also constitutes a kind of escapism if you’re not really inclined to paint or write.
Everything begins with an idea and all ideas come from somewhere. Regardless of whether it’s immediate solutions to everyday problems, big inspirational waves, or the big bang of a holy guardian angel encounter, the blooming of an idea is probably the most joyful and potentially habit-breaking phenomenon we experience in life.
If we allow ourselves to generalize, we can say that there are four main instigating moments:
Stillness, as we know it in meditation or hypnagogic states.
Sidetracking or diversion, as we know it from those moments when we look for something forgotten and temporarily leave that frustrated train of thought.
Transgression, which is a more forceful variant of number 2, and means being aware of something that lacks an idea and yet working on something completely different, for instance something diametrical.
The third mind; for example, in conversation and troubleshooting with others, the creative feedback generated and shared can make unforeseen ideas manifest, as if a third creative party or mind were present.
It seems that ideas are not very likely to appear when pulled, but rather want to push themselves, which is quite a beautiful symbol. This is elegantly conceptualized in Taoism by the method or attitude of wu wei, confusingly translated as “doing by not doing.” This means basically working away at something but not overzealously or with too big a pulling effort; in a way, it’s not attaching too great a rational energy to whatever needs doing. The resulting pleasant work mode is today usually called a flow.
Both inertia and entropy are hard nuts to crack. One requires a nudge or perhaps a smack and the other a break of isolation. It seems then that number 3, transgression, would be the most appropriate method for both. Not only is it challenging to do something that is not “you”; doing so most definitely sets things free within you. It’s a chaos generator, if you will. This in no way means that you should go against your will for the sake of it, but rather look at it as a technique that makes you more aware of what your will actually consists of. Because true will is never embedded in inertia or a static p
osition. It changes along the years, just like your physical organism-vehicle does. There is a light that never goes out, of course, a center of your universe, but it’s very important to keep questioning yourself and your motives in the process. Because the processes of yesteryear are not the same as the present ones. If you cling dogmatically to what was once magical, you are likely to suffer from inertia and an entropic state of mind, which, in a worst-case scenario, can bring dogmatism or fundamentalism.
Originally, I had in mind to not mention Crowley or Thelema at all in this lecture. That in itself was quite a huge challenge. Perhaps it’s a form of entropy to always have to rely on good old Uncle Al in Thelemic settings. In a way, I believe that’s actually true. However, when we’re on this subject there is such a brilliant example of the attitude I’ve touched upon in one of Crowley’s greatest and most entertaining texts. I’m referring to an essay in Konx Om Pax with possibly the greatest title ever: “The Synagogue of Satan.”1
Basically, the text is a humourous display of practical advice based on what we can call diametrical dynamics, meaning that if you’re prone to or compulsive in one kind of behavior, you need to at least try the exact opposite in order to break any kind of entropic or stagnant state of mind, or lifestyle. Put another way, the goal is to eventually unite the opposites, energized by the transcending or transgressive movement.
The real title of the piece is “Thien Tao.” It is interesting that this philosophical treatise hints at Taoism, as does the text in itself in many ways. Konx Om Pax was first published in 1907, eleven years before Crowley’s major Taoistic enlightenment on Esopus Island on the Hudson River that was so overwhelming that he, the very logos of loghorrea, couldn’t express what he had experienced properly—probably for the first and last time of his life. But there was a reason for the Taoist presence. The year before, in 1906, Crowley had spent time in China and was well acquainted with both the Tao Te Ching and other Chinese classics.
The story is very simple: A sage, Kwaw, as in Kwaw Lee, we can assume, gives good advice to a comfort-zone-inclined ruler. Everyone in his ruling classes is recommended to go in an opposite direction for two months each year.
There are men who make a fetish of cleanliness; they shall work in a fitter’s shop, and learn that dirt is the mark of honourable toil. There are those whose lives are rendered wretched by the fear of infection; they see bacteria of the deadliest sort in all things but the actual solutions of carbolic acid and mercuric chloride with which they hysterically combat their invisible foemen; such would I send to live in the bazaar at Delhi, where they shall haply learn that dirt makes little difference after all. There are slow men who need a few months’ experience of the hustle of the stockyards; there are businessmen in a hurry, and they shall travel in Central Asia to acquire the art of repose.2
Crowley wrote that the text “gives my solution to the main ethical and philosophical problems of humanity with a description of the general method of emancipating oneself from the obsession of one’s own ideas.” This is pretty radical I think, for a Crowley post–Liber AL reception but prior to any major Liber AL analyses. And it ties in pretty well with what I’ve touched upon, namely that any situation, moment, or phase will turn to inertia and entropy if not eventually challenged and kept in motion, so to speak. The force of habit is enormous in the human psyche, and the greatest compensation for all ills and weaknesses is seeking comfort. I’m not saying everyone has to go completely crazy from time to time and oppose their own wills—that’s absolutely not the point—but sometimes it’s better to give oneself an active wake-up call than to receive it from someone or something else.
So how does creativity help in all of this? Does everyone need to try his or her hand at painting, like Crowley actually did? Of course not. I’m not saying that art in itself is the key to this. But creativity is. No matter which field you work and perhaps occasionally get stuck in, being creative is always an option. This means sometimes taking some time off, standing back, looking at things from a new perspective, “outside of the box,” as people say nowadays. In a mind frame completely diametrical to what you’re used to, new things appear. These things and insights can then be applied to your normal life and work. That’s being creative.
An artist is used to being inside associative mind frames and intuitive flows. But that does not in any way imply a perfect mental health or balance. Even artists or traditionally creative people can be victims of inertia and entropy. They often are. They should allow a new method that is rational, strict, divided, stratified, and so on, to see what comes out of that. Perhaps nothing at all. But the mere jolt of looking at the world with new glasses should bring plenty of insights to integrate into one’s own creative process.
Most of us, even devoted magicians, are stressed human-being ants, going from here to there and often forgetting to stop at times and evaluate. The contemporary human being needs a huge dose of stillness and quietude to be able to even focus a thought or two. And focus, we should always keep in mind, is not the same as singlemindedness. Meditation and yoga are invaluable in this regard, as is sleep of course. And being in nature, where chi is flowing freely.
The stillness and silence most of us desperately need should of course not be confused with either inertia or entropy. Balance never means passivity. Although the physical system may temporarily shut down, the inner meditations may drift in active flights of fancy. Or, if the meditation is actually totally still, deeper strata will be activated and leak messages and ideas to the higher strata. This could be called an ultra-creative state. As mentioned before, everything we create in any field of life stems from ideas, and ideas come from somewhere. When you find that link, use it well.
You can’t force ideas to appear. If you can, you’re probably too advanced for us here. Even in the magical process there is an analogy to this. Once the seed of will has been sown in ritual, it’s always best to focus on something completely different, to let it bloom in peace. Great ideas usually pop up like flowers when you’re not thinking about the problem or challenge in question. It’s almost as if it’s a force that needs to be rerouted to appear. It should push itself from the inside and out, and not be pulled from outside.
If there are signs of fundamentalism or demagogic stagnancy in someone or something, you can rest assured it’s a matter of inertia and/ or entropy. If no one or nothing challenges this, sooner or later a crisis point will emerge, in which a kind of death occurs and decomposition sets in. My suggested remedy, as from Crowley and many others, is simply to stay aware of these mechanisms and keep them at bay with continual personal challenges. Of course, the same attitude should be encouraged in group dynamics too.
All of this sounds simple. But in real life it is very hard indeed to not succumb to the already known and comfortable. The more we think about that, the more painful it usually becomes.
It’s wrong to be specific on a personal level when it comes to other people. “Every man and woman is a star,” and so forth. Pointing the finger at someone else is usually a blunt camouflage of one’s own inadequacies. The same goes for groups of people. If there are no challenges within the group structure to develop on an individual level, one should cock a very critical eye toward possible ulterior collectivisms, which are always un-Thelemic by definition.
There is a lovely book called The Tao of Art by Ben Willis that I can strongly recommend for those who are interested in these dusty and abstract topics. I would like to end this talk by quoting from that book. It sort of sums it up, and even hints at our own cherished proto-mysteries. That is, if mysteries can actually belong to one specific entity:
Every act of true creativity is the utilization of Tao energy and of the Tao nature which is inherent in the intuitive mind and foundational being of man. Indeed, such creativity is indistinguishable from that spiritual mind and from the Tao, for they are one, and of the same substance and nature. The creative force is the energy and flow of life—it is life itself.3
&nb
sp; 20
Memes or Schemes
Originally a lecture delivered at the Occult Humanities Conference, New York City, United States, 2016.
THIS WONDERFUL CONFERENCE is very symptomatic of the times we’re in.*7 One thing leads to another, and people’s appetite for phenomena and expressions beyond the merely causal and rational seems insatiable. But are we looking at a meme, that is, a small or large contagious building block in a large construction of a potential future, or a scheme, that is, a conscious strategy that has already been willed? That is something I will humbly address today.
The occult is a romantic and fascinating part of our cultural history. It has also been the breeding ground for ideas and concepts that have later on been integrated in the natural sciences, religion, and psychology. The occult is also a cluster of promises containing a small, valuable signal of transformation at the center of an enormous nebula of symbol-induced noise and psychological compensation. If not impossible, then at least one could say it’s very difficult just to say what it is. However, as a keyword or catchphrase in contemporary culture, we have seen it take more and more place both within fiction and fact.
Pop culture has been heavily immersed in occult and fantastic themes of various kinds, via Hollywood and TV, in literature, and in music for more than a decade. Exactly parallel to that, academic interest in predominantly Western esotericism has boomed, with relevant chairs appearing at universities almost yearly. Ditto within the sphere of art, where the fantastic, mythological, spiritual, and intuitive is more and more visible on a larger and larger scale. And the sphere itself, that is, magic and occultism as a mix of philosophy and behavioral techniques, some traditional and some entirely new, is also on the increase via the Internet on one hand and beautiful publishing of both old and new works on the other. There is no longer a heavy stigma, and there’s certainly no shortage of information for those who are interested in these fascinating areas of human existence.
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