AbouttheAuthorGordonWhite(London)runsoneoftheleadingchaosmagicblogs,RuneSoup.Hehasworkednationallyandinternationallyforsomeoftheworld’slargestdigitalandsocialmediacompanies,includingBBCWorldwide,Discovery

Channel,andYelp.GordonhaspresentedatmediaeventsacrossEuropeonsocialstrategyandthechangingbehaviorsand

prioritiesofGenerationY.Duringthistime,hehaspartiedwithprinces,dinedincastles,beenmentoredbyaformerdirectorofaprivatespyagency,andevenhadabillionaireknightbuyhim

bottlesofchampagne.

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ManufacturedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

1:RecognizingtheBars

2:AProbabilisticUniverse

3:BecomingInvincible

4:ArmiesoftheDead

5:AmbivalentAllies:TriggeringSync

6:TheMagnificentGameoftheKing

7:WishGrantingSquiggles

8:HowtoWageaMindWarCONCLUSION:THETEMPLEATTHEENDOFCAPITALISM

APPENDIX:THEGRIMOIRETHATWASN’T

BIBLIOGRAPHY

INTRODUCTION

Theproblemisnottofindtheanswer,it’stofacetheanswer.

TERENCEMCKENNA

SometimesIgototheHallofAsianAntiquitiesintheBritishMuseum,sitonabench,andthinkabouttheKaliYuga.AccordingtotheMahabharata,thegreatHinduepic,thisistheageinwhichwecurrentlylive.Asatwo-thousand-year-old description of themodernworld, it is unsurpassed in its dismal accuracy.Spiritualteachersaremocked,rulersnolongerseeitastheirdutytoprotecttheircitizensandbecomeadangertothewholeworld,dramaticclimateshockskillusbythethousands,millionsdiehungry.Thereareevendescriptionsofgreatmetalbirdsbringingdeaththatweassumedwereairplanesbutareprobably,withthebenefitofunenviablehindsight,militarydrones.Accordingtotheyugasystem,to be born during the Kali Yuga is to have the most challenging incarnationpossible.Yethereweare!Congratulationsonyouramazingtiming.The Asian Antiquities Hall is a particularly unloved corner of the British

Museumanditshows.Itstreasuresarealmostsheepishlydisplayed,underglassandwithquiet littlecardsnext to them,as if the lasthundredyearsofculturalstudies never happened. The hall has none of the inspiring confidence orwonderful bombast you see in themuseum’s otherwings. There are no touchscreensorholographicprojectionshere.Thesearerelicsnotonlyfromaculturethatthoughtitwouldlastforeverandisnowvanishedbutarealsodisplayedbyaculture that thought ithadworkedouthowtoavoidvanishingand isalsonowlargely obliterated. Sitting on the first floor at the back of themuseumwherecomparativelyfewpeopleventure,thereissomethingawkwardlyhand-wringingabout the collection. It reminds me of those alarmingly racist relics from adifferent era, like the inherited objet your family hides away in your

grandmother’sattic—toocontroversialtoputinthesittingroom,toovaluabletoputoneBay.Tome, this says everything about themodern era. The BritishMuseum is,

withoutquestion,myfavouriteplaceonearth. It is free toenter.Millionspassthroughitsdoorseachyear.Pastitsthreegiftshops,tworestaurantsandupthebackstairsaresomeprofoundobjectshidinginplainview.NogreatquestsintotheHimalayasarerequired.Theseartefactscouldnotbemorereadilyaccessibletoanyonewhoisinterested.Ifyoubuttakethetimetojustlookandthinkthenyourlifemightjustchangeforever.Fewtakethattime.Youmay be aware that the term samsāra refers to the continuous circle of

incarnations through the various worlds for those that have not yet reachedenlightenment. Its original etymology means “perpetual wandering.” Likevisitors through a museum, we wander from gallery to gallery. I’ll be happywhenIget thatpromotion.I’lldevotetimetomyspiritualitywhenIhavepaidoffmycreditcard.TheBuddha’ssolutionisforustogiveupattachment,togiveupstriving.This issoundadviceinaworldwhereyouwouldstayapeasant ifyouwerebornapeasant.Noamountofdesirecouldturnyouintoaprince.Butwe live in aworldwhere, at least in theory, one can accomplish great thingsregardless of their birth status. A new method of dealing with perpetualwanderingisrequiredinaworldwheretherestillmaybeeventheslightesthopethatyoucanaccomplishgreatthingswithyourincarnation.Magicisalwaysthetacticoflastresortforthosewhorefusetogiveuphope.

YoudonotsummonCthulhutohelpyoufindtheTVremote.Youonlyvisitthewitchat theedgeof thevillagewhenallotheroptionshavebeenexplored,forshe is the loan shark of the gods. It is only a certain kind of person who iswilling to take the road we are about to walk. This book is written for thatperson.Forthepersonwho,whenlifegivesthemlemons,offersthoselemonsatthecrossroadsandgobuysthemselvesaginandlemonadesimplybecauseitisTuesday.“Lastresort”isjustanotherwayofsaying“lastdrinks.”Evenifthisistheapocalypse,thatisnocalltoavoidmakingthingsinteresting.Theaboveattitudenotwithstanding, there really isnoway to sugarcoat this.

Wedoliveina“lastresort”world.Abiosphereincrisis,awealthgapnotseen

since the age of empires, levels of youth unemployment that have previouslytriggeredrevolutions, totalsurveillanceandtheerosionofcivil liberties,robotscompeting for middle class jobs that were once safe for life, an unelectedoverclass rigging thegameatourexpense,aglobaleconomybuiltoncriminalbankingandcontinuouswar.Thebalanceofprobabilitysuggests that ifyouarenotalreadyrich,youwill

almostcertainlyneverbeso.Moderncivilisation’sfundamentalpromisewillgounfulfilled in your lifetime.But sowhat? It’s time for a newpromise. If yourdeepestdesireistolivetheliferapperspretendtohave,thenyouarereadingthewrongbook.Thisisabookforpeoplewhorealisetheycanonlyplaythehandthey are dealt andhave every intentionof doing so.This is a book for peoplewho can disassociate personal meaningfulness with generating the wealthrequired to achieve it. This is a book for people who realise success isindividuallydefinedandindividuallydelivered.Itmaysoundsurprisingtobringthisupasearlyastheintroduction,butIwas

and remain fairlyunambitious. Idida filmdegree inSydney,Australia. Itdidnotevenhaveexaminations.Iamnotabanker,IamnotsomeTVhost,beamingthrough porcelain teeth, telling you to put your credit card in the freezer.Whisperit,butIactuallyfindmoneytobeabit,well,boring.That’swhythisisasuccessmagicbookratherthanamoneymagicbook.Thegeneralideaisthatoneinevitablyfollowstheother.Inmyearlytwenties,my“planA”wastobeafilmmaker;ifnotafamousone

then at least one that can pay the rent. There really was no “plan B,” but Isuppose itwould have been somekind of retail sales ifmy student jobswereanything to go by. Fortunately for everyone involved—especially the cinema-going public—the universe appears to operate exclusively on “planC.”Or, atleast,itcertainlydidandcontinuestodosoinmycase.WhatIwilltellyouisthatmakingpeacewithplanC,learningtorollwithandadapttoit,hasturnedoutreallyquitewellforme(sofar!).Ihavelivedinmultiplecitiesonbothsidesof the planet, seenmuch of the parts in-between andworked for some of theworld’s largest and most-loved media companies. When one of these mediacompaniesmademeredundant,astheyarewonttodo,Ievenmanagedtostarta

moderately popular chaos magic blog called Rune Soup, the maintenance ofwhich has providedmewith some lifelongmagical friendships and led to thebookyouholdinyourhands.AlongthewayIfoundlove,areasonablelevelofwealthandmanagedtoabsolutelysmashthroughmybucketlist.Viewed over a longer timeline, what magic has always offered and what I

hopetobeabletoimpartinthisbook,awaytomaximiseplanC.Magicdepartsfrom mysticism because it proudly proclaims its unshakeable intention to donoteworthy things in thisworld, rather than seekingmerely to transcend it. IfyoucomparetheGreekMagicalPapyriofthefirstfewcenturiesoftheCommonEra with the Neoplatonism of the same time period you see a view of theuniversethatislargelyidenticalandtwoentirelyseparatewaysofapproachingthatuniverse.TheGreekMagicalPapyriarefilledwithspellstoendmarriages,find treasure, cure livestock, banish demons, and find employment among thepowerful.Themagiciansoftheclassicalagelivedthroughaneraofzerosocialmobility andwide-ranging cultural collapse.With the assistance of the spirits,however, theywerenotgoing to letsuch triflingmattersget in theirway.Oneneednotlivepermanentlyinthisworldviewbutonemustbewillingtoatleasttemporarily inhabit it.GrahamGreeneoncewrote that allwritersmusthave asplinteroficeintheirheartssothattheycanbeinvolvedintheworldandalsoslightly removed,makingobservations.Theheartsofmodernmagicians livingthroughtheKaliYugamustcontainglaciers.Thisiswhereadoptingachaosmagicalperspectivemaybecomehelpful.We

haveaboutseventyyearsofpsychologicalresearchthatdemonstrateskeepingapositive attitude despite the prevailing challenges is associated with eventualsuccess or goal achievement.At this point in time it is pretty hard to argue acontrarycase.Staypositive,keepyourheadinthegame,anddon’tgiveup.Wemayaswellpinabadgesaying“full-blownscience”onthisstatement.Toborrowatermfrommathematics,such“fullblownscience”is“necessary

but not sufficient.” A cold, unblinking stare into the reality of our situation,howevergrim, isanessential first step, lestwerun theriskofdescending intofantasy and escapism. Cognitive dissonance has scuppered many magicians’shipsbeforetheyhaveevenlefttheharbour.Itisforthisreasonthattheopening

chapterofthebookyouareholdingis—puttingitpolitely—stark.Andifmuchof the information isnewtoyou, then itwill feelstark likeanuclearwinter. Imake no apologies for this. The good news, the hacks, the optimisationstrategies, all follow in the subsequent chapters. If any of them strike you asparticularly extreme, go back and read the first chapter again and remindyourselfweareundergoingaonce-in-a-civilisationeconomicevent.Chaosmagic is not tied to a fixedmodel of reality or,more specifically, it

neednotbe.Itmerelyoffersatoolkitofideasandpracticesthatyoucanusetoeffectchangeinyourmaterialcircumstances.Chaosmagicislargelyinteroperable with whatever belief system youmost regularly inhabit, even ifthathappenstobestringentmaterialism.Therearenomandatoryinterventionarydivinebeings,thedestructionoftheAmericanmiddleclassisnot“God’swill,”andthelastthirtyyearsofwealthharvestingbytherichdonothaveanythingtodowithseasonalcalendarsorkarma.Youmayconsiderchaosmagicasasortofmanagement consultancy exercise. The book is written from a chaos magicperspective because it is probably themost usefulworldview for anyone of aspiritual bent to optimise the reality of their situation given the prevailingeconomic headwinds. It provides us with the opportunity to examine theinterplay of magic and opportunity without having to fold it back into anexplanatoryframework.First and foremost, you are required to at least temporarily adopt a chaos

magicheadspace:Realitymustbeapproachedmore fromapirateangle thananavalone.Asweshallsoonsee,therulesofthisworldweresimplynotbuiltforyourbenefit.Andinaneraofextremeeconomicchangewhoseonlycorollaryisthe first Industrial Revolution, there are no safe harbours left, only thecomparativesafetyoftheopenocean.Yourgoalisnottofindaquiet,securejobsomewherenearanaffordablesuburb,settledownandthenwaitfordeath.Theeconomythatsupportedsuchunambitiousgoalsisending.Thedevelopedworldisnow inastateofpermanentstructural instability.Seekingafterstability isarecipeforhomelessnessinyourlatemiddleageyears.Intoday’sworld,securityonly comes from embracing opportunity. And opportunity is not randomlydistributedineitherspaceortime.Itmustbepursuedandseized.

Entermagic.Thereisaveryspecificbraverythatcomeswithmarshallingtheforcesoftheuniversetoachievemeaningfulnessandprosperityinyourlife.Itisabraveryyoumustfind.Magic’sonlyotherrequirementisthatyoualwaysputaquestion mark after the word “reality” and truly own the responsibility thatcomeswithdoingso.IfthereisoneupsidetolivingintheKaliYuga,itisthis.AccordingtoHindu

belief,because theworldhasfallensofarfromitsoriginal,elevatedstate,youneedonlychantLordKrishna’snameoncetoeventuallyachievesalvation.Thegapbetweenapersonand that firstmantra isgreater than thegapbetween thesecond and the ten millionth mantra. Adapting this belief to a magicalworldview, the gap between never having performed a practical enchantmentandperformingyourfirstpracticalenchantmentisgreaterthanthegapbetweenthatfirstenchantmentandachievingthestatusofMagus.Yourresultswillalsoreflectthecomparativesizeofthesegaps.Fullyengagingwiththeworldasitis,on both amaterial and spiritual level, will quickly show you just how flimsyconsensus reality actually is. One little push and materialism falls away likespring snow sliding off a roof. So there is an inherent paradox in using thespiritual toaccomplish thematerial. Incorporating themagicalworld intoyourphysical world will quickly show you which one is real and which one isdelusion.Andthatrealisationismorevaluablethanalltherichesoftheearth.

[contents]

1

RecognizingtheBars

Allthetotalitarianschemesadduptothesameintheend,andtheapproachissoinsidious,theargumentssosubtleandirrefutable,theadvantagessoobvious,thatthedangerisveryreal,very

imminent,verydifficulttobringhometotheaveragecitizen,whoseesonlytheimmediategain,andishoodwinkedastothepricethatmustbepaidforit.

ALEISTERCROWLEY

Weoftenthinkofeconomicsasadrysubjectofspreadsheetsandinterestratesbutitisactuallyaschoolofphilosophy.Economicsisthestudyofvalue.Itisthestudyofwhatweconsiderworthwhile,wherewelocatemeaningonapersonalandcultural level.Badeconomists think it is thestudyofcurrenciesand tradeimbalances, but these are only the outward manifestations of a much, muchbigger economic sphere:what is going on in our heads. Probably theworld’smost famous transgender economist, Deirdre McClosky, prefers the term“humanomics”forthisveryreason.Muchofwhatgoesoninourheadsdoesnotbelongtous.Itisinheritedfrom

ourfamilyandourculture.Thisisnowheremoreevidentthanineconomics.Weinherit a system of value that is mostly unaligned to our spiritual or magicalvaluesbecausetheycomefromaneconomythatisjustsimplynotbuiltforourbenefit.Assuch,anyjourneytowardfindingmeaningorvalueinourlivesmustbeginwithanunderstandingofthevaluesystemwehaveinherited.ThemysticandsciencefictionauthorPhilipK.Dickreferstothisasthe“blackironprison.”

This is his description of the worldly forces of government, economics, andculture, all largely invisible, that trapus ina small and fixedvisionof reality.Butthebordersofourcellarearbitrary.Theyonlyimprisonusifweallowthemto.Andsothefirststepinfreeingyourselffromprisonisrecognisingthebars.Sopouryourselfastiffdrinkaswegobarbybar.(Littlebartenderhumourforyouthere.Butseriously,pourthatdrink.)Today’s economic landscape is and will remain extremely unstable for a

numberofreasons.Inthebackofourminds,weallhavethisnotionofboomsand busts coming in cycles and that we just need to grit our teeth and ridethroughthedownturnuntilitbecomesanupturn.Afterthat,wecangobacktobuyingpreposterously large televisionsandfuel-inefficientcars. In reality, thisbusiness cycle represents only about 20 percent of the instabilitywe currentlyfaceandabout100percentofthegovernmentpolicyresponsetoit.Thatalonemakesthingsmoreunstable.Theremaining80percentoftheinstabilityisdowntosomehugestructuralchangesgoingonunderthesurfaceandawayfromtheflappingheadsyouseeoncablebusinessnewsprogrammes.Somepartsoftheworld’s developed economies are permanently shrinking because they areobsoleteandhugelyinefficient.Otherpartsareexpandingdramaticallybecauseof the efficiencies and cost savings they bring. This is how you end up withbankrupt,collapsedcitiesinonecornerofthecountryandteenagebillionairesinanother. It is easier in the short term to thinkof themas twoentirely separateeconomies occupying the same geographic space. It is no exaggeration to sayyouarelivingthroughthesecondIndustrialRevolution.There is an unfortunate tendency among spiritual seekers for their eyes to

glaze over whenever a discussion turns to macroeconomics. A number ofpossibilitiesofwhythisissopresentthemselves.Firstly,whetherasanaccidentof design or through the influence of actual, full-blown conspiracies thatoccasionally showup in history, our educational systemutterly fails to impartfinancialliteracy.Ifthisfailureremainsunaddressed,wesimplytransferitintoourmetaphysicalworldview.Secondly,thereisoftenanunexaminedpersistenceofaChristiansuspicionofthebodyandthephysicalworldintoanoccultbeliefsystem,althoughthisinfluenceappearstobedecreasing.Finally,learningabout

demons is just more fun than learning about consumer price inflation, eventhoughonlyoneofthemisabsolutelyguaranteedtonegativelyaffectyourlife.Leavingall these aside, themain reason there are so few richwizards ismostlikelybecausetheyhavebetterthingstodothanaccruethevolumesofpointlesswealthrequiredtobuyayacht.I understand this. At first glance, the machinations of Wall Street, various

world governments, or their central banks do not appear relevant to someonewhose dreams amount to having a meaningful career that provides for theirfamily whilst leaving them enough time to pursue spiritual development. Butunderstandinghowtheglobalfinancialsystemworksdoesnotimplyyouintendto scale to the very top of it, nor does it constitute any kind of endorsement.Failingtorecognisethatthemacroeconomicispersonalguaranteesourhumble,admirabledreamswillgounfulfilled.Guaranteesit.Tosuggestthatthesewidertrends and shifts are not affecting us simply because we have no interest inlearningaboutthemistolietoyourselfandcheatyourselfoutofyourbestlife.Becausethisisamagicbook,letususethemetaphorofastrology.Whenwe

thinkofpersonalfinancialliteracy,wetypicallythinkofbalancingthepersonalchequebook,managinghouseholdbudgets,eliminatingdebtandgenerallybeinga prudent consumer. These are all essentialmicroeconomic skills that we canliken to the fast-moving, smaller, frequently retrograding planets of the innersolar system. The larger, slower-moving outer planets are themacroeconomicforcesofcapitalflows,commodityprices,bondmarkets,andequities.Boththeinnerandouterplanetsaffectyourchartandeachother.Toignorehalfofthemasirrelevantistonavigatewithhalfamap,oreventodivinewithhalfadeckoftarotcards,asthemacroeconomicforceswillalwaystellyouwhatwillhappentothemicroeconomicforcesinthecomingmonths.Justlookathowgaspricesfluctuate.To render your economic fate over to a frequently unelected power elite

becauseyoudon’tthinkyouhaveaheadfornumbersisafearresponseandanexcuse. This provides the power elite with a strategic advantage known asinformationasymmetry. Ifyourcompetitorsknowmore thanyoudo, theywillconsistentlyoutmanoeuvreyou.Upskillingourfinancialunderstandingremoves

this advantage.Yes, the learning curve can be steep.But if you have steppedinsideasupermarketatleasttwiceinthelastfiveyears,thenyoushouldreallybemoreafraidofignoringtheseissuesthanconfrontingthem.Givingyourselfaglobalperspectiveonhumanomicsisessentialfortheacquisitionofwealthandmeaning in your life.As the old gambling saying has it, if you can’t spot thesuckeratthetable,youarethesucker.

TheDollarUndertheCandleLetusbeginwithapottedhistoryofthehumbledollar.Traditionally,thestoryofmoneyisbegunwithSumerandtheInduscivilisation,butthisisadeliberateobfuscation ofwhat the dollar actually is today.We do not need a history ofeconomics;weonlyneedtofindouthowthingsgotthewaytheyaretoday.From the beginning of Western civilisation right up until the end of the

seventeenthcentury,moneyandwealthweremoreor lessthesamething.Youcouldexchangeyourgoldandsilverforotheritemsofwealth;cattle,property,cinnamon,otherhumans,andsoon.Ifyoudidnotexchangeyourgoldorsilverfortheseitemsthenyoustillretainedyourwealth…thegoldandsilverinyourcurrency. Even in a barter system, you are effectively swapping one store ofwealthforanother:twogoatsforyourcamel,forinstance.Certainly,therewaslending and credit before this date, but “wealth for wealth” was largely howmoneyworked.Thevery idea thatpiecesofpaperheldvalueseemedalien. Infact, legendary explorer Marco Polo could not quite believe it when heencounteredanearlycurrencyonhisadventures.HewroteinhisdiaryaboutthepeculiarmonetaryexperimentoftheGreatKhan:

Hemakesthemtakeofthebarkofacertaintree,infactoftheMulberryTree,theleavesofwhicharethefoodofthesilkworms,—thesetreesbeingsonumerousthatwholedistrictsarefullofthem.Whattheytakeisacertainfinewhitebarkorskinwhichliesbetweenthewoodofthetreeandthethickouterbark,andthistheymakeintosomethingresemblingsheetsofpaper,butblack.Whenthesesheetshavebeenpreparedtheyarecutupintopiecesofdifferentsizes.Thesmallestofthesesizesisworthahalftornesel;thenext,alittlelarger,onetornesel;one,alittlelargerstill,isworthhalfasilvergroatofVenice;anotherawholegroat;othersyettwogroats,fivegroats,andtengroats.ThereisalsoakindworthoneBezantofgold,andothersofthreeBezants,andsouptoten.Allthesepiecesofpaperare[issuedwithasmuchsolemnityandauthorityasiftheywereofpuregoldorsilver;andoneverypieceavarietyofofficials,whosedutyitis,havetowritetheirnames,andtoputtheirseals.Andwhenallispreparedduly,the

chiefofficerdeputedbytheKaansmearstheSealentrustedtohimwithvermilion,andimpressesitonthepaper,sothattheformoftheSealremainsprinteduponitinred;theMoneyisthenauthentic.Anyoneforgingitwouldbepunishedwithdeath.]AndtheKaancauseseveryyeartobemadesuchavastquantityofthismoney,whichcostshimnothing,thatitmustequalinamountallthetreasureintheworld.Withthesepiecesofpaper,madeasIhavedescribed,hecausesall

paymentsonhisownaccounttobemade;andhemakesthemtopasscurrentuniversallyoverallhiskingdomsandprovincesandterritories,andwhithersoeverhispowerandsovereigntyextends.Andnobody,howeverimportanthemaythinkhimself,darestorefusethemonpainofdeath.1

DescribedbyMarcoPolo,fiatcurrencyreallydoessoundabitpreposterous,likeoneof thosemeandering thoughtexperimentsyouandyourbuddiescameupwithonenightwhilestonedincollege.Butastraightfiatcurrencyisnotquitethesystemwehavetoday.Ifanything,oursisevenstranger.Oursreallybeginstoward the end of the seventeenth century, in the heart of London and inEurope’slowcountries.Goldsmiths and jewellerswould storedeposits of their customers’wealth in

theirvaultsandissuethemreceiptsforthestoredvalue.Thesereceiptsbegantobeswappedandtradedasamoreconvenientmethodofpaymentthantakingthereceipt back to the vault, extracting your gold and paying with that. Whatquicklybecameapparenttothesevaultownerswasthatonlyasmallfractionofdepositorsevercamebacktoextracttheirgold.Andsoforbetterorworse,theybeganissuingmorereceiptsthantheyhadgoldinthevaults.Thevaultownerscouldeitherspendthesereceiptsorloanthemtoindividualsorbusinesses.Theprofitsfromtheinterestontheseloanswassubstantial.Fromthispoint,thefinalstepwas inevitable. These vault owners couldmakemuchmore from lendingagainst these receipts than they could in charging vault fees, so they beganpayingpeopleandbusinesses tostore theirwealth,which ishowweendedupwithinterestbearingsavingsaccounts.Andso,takentogether,whatweknowofas fractional reserve bankingwas born.You put one hundred gold coins in a

vault and they hand out receipts for eight hundred gold coins. The systemcompoundsagainifthesereceiptsaredepositedinanotherbankwhokeepsonlyasmallfractionofthereceiptsandlendstherestofthemout,whilesayingtheystillhavetheinitialdeposit.Infact,thisprocessofdepositingandre-depositingreceiptswhich are also lent backout accounts formore than90percent of allmoney in the global economy today. (Whenyou take out a loan, you literallydebtmoneyintoexistence.)Itwouldonlybeamatteroftimebeforethishighlysuccessful,legallydubious

butessentiallyprivatepracticewas takenupbykingsandgovernments. In the1690s, to pay for their increasingly expensive Continental wars, the newlycreated—andtechnicallyprivatelyowned—BankofEnglandbeganissuingbanknotesaslegaltender.ThesewereeffectivelyIOUsforaportionofthephysicalwealthstoredatthebank’shomeonWalbrookinthecity(builtovertheremainsofanoldtempletoMithras,thegodofcontracts).Intheory,youcouldfrontuptotheBankofEnglandwithyourbanknotesand

exchange them for thewealth storedwithin.Over the next two centuries, thisreallywasmore theory thanfact.Notescontinued tobeprintedevenwhenthegoldwasbeingspentonwars.LawswereevenenactedthatpreventedtheBankfrompayingoutgold.Whereonceweusedtopayforthingswithlittlepiecesofwealth,webegantopayforthingswithlittlepiecesofdebtintheformofIOUs.AndtherewerealotmoreIOUsthantherewasgoldinthevault.Thisincreasedthemoney supply relative to the actual amount ofwealth in the economy andmoved control of the money supply from the market to the government.Monetarypolicybecameintertwinedwith thefunctioningof the imperialstate.Moderninflationwasborn.To give credit where it is due, the central banking model was hugely

successful. Britain raised a national debt, crushed her enemies and built thegreatest empire the world ever knew. The policy continues to this day in theform of America’s numerous oil wars. Catherine Austin Fitts, formerUndersecretaryofHousingandUrbanDevelopment,referstothisas“thecentralbankingandwarfaremodel.”Youinvadeacountryandforce it toacceptyourprintedcurrencyinexchangeforitsnaturalresources,leavingthevictorwiththe

harvestedwealthaswellascompletecontroloverthevalueoftheIOUswhicharenowstronger thanks to the resourcesyouhave just extracted.SinceNixonleftoffice,thelargestforeignbuyersofUSbondstendtobebanksincountriesthatwehaveeffectivelyoccupiedmilitarily.Niceworkifyoucangetit!JustastheRoyalNavydidbeforeitinIndiaandtheCaribbean,sotheUSmilitaryanditsNATOalliesdotodayinEurasia.Asecondaryhiton the statusofmoneyaswealthhappened in the twentieth

centurywith thecomplete abandonmentof thegold standard.The storyof thesecondaryhitbeginsin1913andendsin1971.WhentheFederalReservewasfirstcreated,itkepttothemonetarybestpracticethathadbeensosuccessfulinCentral Europe, known as the classical gold standard. If you look at dollarsprintedpriortotheFirstWorldWar,youwillseeitclearlywrittenonatwenty-dollarnotethatitcanbeexchangedfortwentydollarsofphysicalgold.This redemption facility was suspended during the war as the “civilised”

countriespaidforkillingpeopleinothercivilisedcountriesbyprintingmoreandmore currency. Governments also learned that they could mobilise the entirefinancial wealth of countries toward political ends through huge spendingprojects that were funded with dramatic increases in taxation. In between thewars,theclassicalgoldstandardwasreplacedwithwhatwasknownasthegoldexchange standard. In theUS, thatmeant that theFederalReserve could printfifty dollars for every twenty dollars of gold it had in its vaults (a 40 percentreserveratio).Eventhiswasnottolast.AftertheendofWWII,EuropewasfloodedwithUSdollarsandcompletely

outofgold.Infact,theUShadtwothirdsofalldeclaredgoldintheworldatthatpoint,andEuropehadalmostnone.TheBrettonWoodsAgreementwasquicklysigned. Given that the world was already awash with dollars which wereultimatelyconvertibleintogold,itwasagreedthatalmosteverycurrencyintheworldwouldbebackedbyUSdollars…whichthemselveswouldbebackedbygold.However, no reservepercentagewas included in the agreement, as therehad been between the wars. The Federal Reserve was free to print as manydollars as it pleased, figuring—just like those jewellers in London centuries

before—thatnoteveryoneintheworldwouldwishtocashinalltheirdollarsforgoldattheonetime.Over in France, Charles de Gaulle soon realised that there were too many

dollars,or“receiptsforgoldstoredintheUS,”comparedtotheamountofgoldactuallystored.SoheaskedforFrance’sgoldback.Almostimmediately,othercountriesstartedaskingfor theirgoldback.TheUSlost50percentof itsgoldfrom1959 to1971.Buteven then, therewerestill twelve times theamountofdollarsouttherethantherewasgoldtobackitup.2EnterNixon.Heabandonedthegoldstandardandinstitutedthedollarstandard,thusdetachingeverysinglecurrencyintheworldfromanyunderlyingrelationshiptophysicalwealth.Thevalueofacurrencybecameanexpressionofconfidenceinthegovernmentthatissuedit.Nixon’smainreasonforabandoningthegoldstandardwasduetohisandhis

advisors’misunderstandingoftheso-calledbalanceoftrade,whichiswhetheracountry exportsmore than it imports.Having thedollar pegged togoldmeantthatcompetingexportercountriessuchasGermanyandJapancouldlowertheircurrencyvalue inaway theUScouldnot,giving themaperceivedadvantage.ThisisanunfortunatemisunderstandingofAmericanhistory.Therealityisthattradedeficitsorsurplusesdonotreallyreflectmuchaboutunderlyingeconomichealth.TheUnitedStateshasrunatradedeficitforthreehundredandfiftyofthelastfourhundredyearsduringwhichtimeithasrisentobecomethelargestandmostsuccessfuleconomyinhistory.3(Historically,risingtradedeficitsaremorelikely to correlate with decreasing unemployment.) People in other countrieswanttoselltoAmericansbecausethenation’seconomyislargeandsuccessful.Transactionsdonot takeplacebetweencountriesbutbetweenpeople. If I sellyouapencil,youareinatradedeficittomebecauseIhaveyourmoney.Butyounowhaveapencil.Goandwriteabest-seller.America’shistorictradedeficitisa reflection of the same phenomenon on a much larger scale. Steve Forbeshimself,of theeponymousForbesmagazine,pointsout thata largepartof the2008UStradedeficitinChinawas$2.74billionin“oilcountrytubularpipes.”4

This “deficit”doesnot reflect the feckless spendingof a coddledmiddle classbut theneedsof a growing economy.So in this as inmost things,Nixonwas

very,verywrong.Thereisnodeficitwherethereisareciprocalexchange.Itisalsoworth pointing out that exporter countries’ obsessionwith debasing theircurrencies as a way to improve exports is largely useless in improving thedomesticeconomy. In theUnitedStates,exportsaccount forapproximately10percentofGDP,whereasconsumptionaccountsforaround70percent.Erodingconsumer wealth thus probably does more harm than good. (A strong dollarreducestheinternationalprofitformultinationalcorporations,however,astheirforeignearnings areworth less inUS terms. I suspect this isoneof themain,undeclaredreasonsforcurrencydebasement.)Until1971,thevalueofthedollarwaspeggedtoafixedamountofprecious

metal just as it was at the beginning of fractional reserve banking.When thefamousVoodooistMarieLaveauandherdaughterwerealive in thenineteenthcentury, a dollarwas eithermadewith a guaranteed amount of silver, orwasconvertible into a specified amount. This fixed the value of a dollar intosomethingreal.SoifeitherLaveauseniororjuniorhadusedthecustomaryfolkmagical practice of putting a dollar under a candle, she would have beengrowingwealthfromafixedamount.Ifyouhavetriedthissamepieceoffolkmagicanytimeafter1971thenyou

are doing the opposite. In today’s money, you need almost $5.78 to buy theequivalentofwhatadollarcouldbuyyouin1971.Suchamagicalactencodesanerosionofwealthratherthananaccumulation.Theatomattheheartofyourfinancialuniverseisnolongerareliableunitof

wealthanditdoesnotexistforyourbenefit.Savingsarecertainlybetterthannosavings, but until they are converted back from IOUs into wealth, their facevalue is notwhat it appears, and this is beforewe even consider the rise of aglobaldigitalcurrencyloominginthemediumterm.Evenasthewesternworldflirtswiththepossibilityofmilddeflation,itisworthrememberingthatsincethecreationoftheFederalReservein1913,thebuyingpowerofasingleUSdollarhasdeclinedby95percent.5Itisadodgy,imperfectindicatorofwhatwevalue,butitiswhatwehave,sowemustunderstanditifwearetouseiteffectively.

TheAmericanDreamIsanAdvertisingCampaign

Wehave convinced ourselves that the brief twenty years after thewarwere astate of normalcy, when America was in its industrial ascendance and all itscompetitorslayinsmokyruins,theirworkforcesdeadonbattlefieldsorburnttoash in concentration camps. Unencumbered growth was there for the taking.Politicians win elections by promising a return to this world of the postwardreamstate.Viewedoverthelifetimeofthecountry,however,youcanseeitisnot thenorm—it is a unique, lucky aberration.Thinkof it like assumingyournormal life isdrinkingcocktailson thebeachbecauseof those twoweeksyouspentinCancunafewyearsago.The postwar era was characterised by rapid economic growth driven by

industrial expansion rather than consumption, universal employment, freeeducation,andaboveallisthe“holyofholies”wearetoldwedesire:propertyownership.Let us be completely clear as to why hundreds of millions of dollars of

advertisinghavebeenspentoverthreegenerationstoconvinceusthatpropertyis a good investment: so banks can sellmortgages and governments can printGDPgrowth.TheEnd.The restof it, like“puttingdown roots”or“havinganinvestment”isgenuinelyalladvertising,asevidencedbyyourPavlovianoutrageasyouread thesewords.Triggeringanemotionalattachment tomortgagedebthad the beneficial side effect of anchoring an industrial workforce around amanufacturingbase,andadrivethroughtheoutlyingsuburbsoftoday’sDetroitshouldindicatehowsuccessfulthiswas.Encouraginganownershipsocietywasnot a scam, however. Much like the Central Banking and Warfare model, itworked quite well for a couple of decades. The housing industry contributedaround 20 percent to GDP through real bank profits, construction, and thecreationandpurchaseofallthethingsyouputinahouse:fridges,couches,andso on. The fractional reserve banking system created by those goldsmiths andjewellers centuries before allowed for capital to centralise aroundworthwhileinvestments. Your relationship to the bank was relationship-based: the bankwouldassesswhetheryouwereagoodinvestmentandwhetheryouwouldbothmakemoney.

Aslongasmortgageswerekeptataratioofbetweentwoandthreetimesyourannual salary and energy remained cheap enough to commute in from thesuburbsandfirsttimebuyersmadeupatleast40percentofallsalesandaslongas the economy provided the volume of stable jobs needed to support themortgage approvals, then the whole system working together was verybeneficial.Butwhichpart of thepicture I have just painted looks like today’sworld?Before we answer that, we need to pinpoint the major turning point in the

system, preciselywhen things began to go awry. In the 1970s, the concept ofsecuritization was introduced into the mortgage system. Simply speaking, asecurityisaclaimonafuturepaymentofmoney.Soamortgagebackedsecurityis a claim on the future payments from a bundle of hundreds or thousands ofindividualmortgages.Banksbegansellingthese tootherbanks,pensionfunds,and other financial institutions. From this point, the prospective Americanhomeowner became doubly useful. Firstly there was the GDP impact of thegrowing housing market. Secondly—and significantly more profitably for thefinancial industry—an individualmortgagewasno longer seenas somethingabanksoldthewayabakersellsbread.Individualmortgagesbecamethe“wheat”that became the flour that became the bread that gave the bank its profits.Bankingmovedfrombeingrelationship-based(whichenabledrealinvestmentinarealeconomy)tobeingtransactional;bankerschangedfrombeinginvestorstobrokers.Bundling upmortgages into financial instruments was not some conspiracy

perpetratedbyacabalofcigar-smokingNewYorkers.(Thatcamelaterwiththebankbailoutsandtheavoidanceofjailtime.)Intheshortterm,“securitization”didsomethingremarkable. Itallowedpoorerpeople tobuyhousesbecause thebankscouldspreadtheseriskiermortgagesinamongstlowerriskonesandthenmake enoughmoney off the bundle ofmortgages to offer loans tomore poorpeople. The intention was almost laudable: find a way to remove risk fromoffering loans to low-income customers so thatmore peoplemight be able toown their ownhome.Butwhat is it they say about the road toHell andgoodintentions?

Pouringsomuchextrademandintothehousingmarketwaslikepouringfuelon a fire. Prices took off, causing people to take out bigger and biggermortgages,whichmadethedebt/assetsevermorevaluabletothebanksastheyfinancializedthemintoderivativesandmortgagebackedsecurities.Wewenttoofar.Byalongway.Asweallknownow,givingsecondinterest-

only mortgages to the permanently unemployed for houses that were alreadyover-valuedwhowere living in economically depressed areas broke the entireworld.By2008,thefinancialinstrumentsthathadbeenbuiltonthesebadmortgages

—and more importantly the derivatives that were constructed around them—weretechnicallyworthdozensof timesmorethantheentireplanet’seconomicoutput.Whenthiswholemonstrouszeppelincamecrashingbackdowntoearth,twothingshappenedthatnobodylikestotalkabout:thebankswerebailedoutofalltheirdefaultedmortgagesbythetaxpayer,andtheyalsoreclaimedthehousesofthosewhocouldnolongerpay.Itwasawin-win.Inthemeantime,millionsofAmericanswere forced from their homes and of thosewho stayed, just underhalfwerestuckpayingmortgagesthatwereworthmorethanthevalueof theirhouses. Ten million jobs were lost and the banks received $11 trillion inbailouts.ItisworthnotingthatthetotalmortgagedebtoftheUnitedStatesatthetimewasapproximately$9trillion.Itwouldhavebeencheaperforthetaxpayerto pay off every singlemortgage in the country and let the bankswho placeddodgybetsfail.Goaheadandletthatsinkin.The results of all these misdealings are plainly evident. According to the

Brookings Institute, the nation’s poor are nowmore likely to be found in thesuburbs than in inner cities or regional areas.6 With the evaporation of well-paying jobs and the increasing cost of energy—the cost of the average dailycommute climbed50percent between2005 and2012—millions ofAmericansarenowtrappedinanewformofdebtfeudalism.7 It is tooexpensivetotravelforbetterpayingjobs,andtheonesavailablelocallypayconsiderablylessthanbefore the crash. Forty-nine million Americans are now classed as “foodinsecure.”8

In today’s housing market, properties that are worth more than a milliondollars are selling at an increased rate of about 10 percent a year. Propertiesunder$250,000—representing two-thirdsof the totalmarket—aredecliningby12percentyearonyear.9RealtyTracreportedthat42.7percentofallhousesalesinthefirstquarterof2014wereall-cashpurchases…meaningnomortgagewasrequired.10Readingbetweenthelines,whatwedefinitelyarenothearinghereisthe sound of young couples’ feet getting onto the property ladder. This is thesound of long-term investors chasing property prices to the moon where theaverageAmerican cannot afford to follow. At the time of writing, first homebuyer volumes have collapsed to 27-year lows, and housing’s contribution toGDPisthelowestsincetheendofWorldWarII.Despiteallofthismanipulation,financialdestruction,andruinousamountsof

personaldebt,Americanscontinuetobelievethatpropertyownershipisthebestpossible investment. And yet, according to the Washington Post, homeownership yielded only 0.3 percent per year over the last century when youremoveinflation.11Inthatsameperiod,theS&P500hasyielded6.5percentperyear.Herewereturntohoweconomicsismostlyaboutwhatisgoingoninsideyour

head,ratherthanwhatisgoingonintheeconomy.Notonlydowecompletelymisunderstandhow inflationworksby failing tomake theconnectionbetweenthepriceswepayinthesupermarketandtheaskingpricearealtorwillquoteus,wehavebeen trained tovaluehomeownershipasan indicatorof securityandadulthood even though anyone on theNobel committeewill tell us otherwise.Thisvalueisarbitrary.It is crucially important to realise that the desire for property ownership is

emotional rather than strategic because in almost all areas of the country it islittlemore thananinflationhedge,not thesupremewealth-creating investmentwewishittobe.Anditisonlyaninflationhedgeifyoudonotbuy“toomuch”house and get stuck servicing too large amortgage.When you stop and viewproperty-maniaona longenough timeline, thisall starts tomake sense.Prettymuchsincewestartedbuildinghousesabouttenthousandyearsago,theyhavebeenmulti-generational dwellings.However, in the latter half of the twentieth

century,wewere toldwe could keep three households solvent—grandparents,parents, andyou—wherepreviouslyweonlyhad tokeep theone solvent.Theeconomicsunderpinningthisgamble—anditwasagamble—areonlybecomingevidentnowasthethirdgenerationlooksaroundandfindshousingunaffordable.Single-generation,owner-occupieddwellingsareaneyeblinkinthehistoryof

thehumanrace,notaneternalcondition.Findabetterway.

Capitalism’s“Bug”Itmaysurpriseyoutorealisethatwedonothavealotofcleandataabouthow“normal”capitalismworks.Wekeephavingtosuspendso-calledtruecapitalismtogoandfightwars,collapseempires, incorporateothergendersintotheworkforce,createfiatcurrencies,defaultonourgovernmentbonds,andrebuildentirecontinents.Weare learningaswegoalong.Wearenot even really surewhattriggered theparticularbrandofnorthernEuropeancapitalismthathasbeensosuccessfulinliftingbillionsofpeopleoutofpovertyoverthelasttwocenturies,creatingaglobalmiddleclass.(Whichisn’ttosayitisperfect,obviously.)Theclue should have been in the name, but one of the key areas where we havelimitedinsightishowcapital—wealthintheformofmoneyandphysicalassetsthat is available for investing—works over time.Much of this is down to ourfocus on credit. Credit or available debt is not inherently bad. Whilst “truecapitalism”couldotherwisebecalled“riskism”becauseit requiresparticipantsto put accrued capital at risk through investment, a functioning credit marketenablescurrentinvestmenttoberepaidwithfutureprofits.Intherightscenario,thisworksexceptionallywell.Creditandcapitalare theyinandyangofcapitalism.Their interplaycreates

theentireuniverseandsodevelopinganunderstandingofwhattheyareandhowtheywork isanessential step in recognising thebarsofourblack ironprison.According to Deirdre McClosky, the humanomist name-checked at thebeginningofthechapter,itwasacultureofcelebratinginnovationandinventorsalongwiththeabovelawchangesthatallowednorthwestEuropeanditscoloniestopullaheadoftherestoftheworld.12Itcertainlywasnotjustavailablecredit,whichtheMuslimworldhadbeenusingforalmostathousandyears.Norwasit

technical prowess as China had been significantly more technically advancedthanEuropefortheprevioustwothousandyears.Norwasittheimperialprojectas the Mayan, Ottoman, and Mughal empires were all better established.(Empiresenrichemperors.Westaypoor.JustaskDickCheney.)Indeed,fromafunctional perspective, if you looked around the globe at the end of theDarkAges,westernEuropewouldhavebeenthelastplaceyouwouldhavechosenforaneconomicandcultural transformation.McClosky’sguess isasgoodasany.Whatever happened, it allowed personal capital to grow faster than it wouldthrough the simple re-investment of profit. She calls this the beginning of theGreatEnrichment, thestartingpointofmankind’sbuild-outofaglobalmiddleclass, an event that triggered the greatest ever decentralisation and creation ofwealthever.French economist du jour Thomas Piketty has studied the accumulation of

capital in western countries over the last two centuries. Some surprisingobservationshavecome to light that appear tobe features of capitalism ratherthan bugs. In the twentieth century it was largely hidden by the extreme re-organisation brought about by theGreatDepression andWorldWar II but incapitalist economies, capital accumulates over time in bigger and biggeramounts insmallerandsmallersetsofhands.Piketty’sabsolutenumbershavebeen challenged because he failed to account for wealth transfers such asgovernment payments and housing subsidies, a huge source of wealth for thelowestincomebrackets.Dropthembackintothemetaphoricalspreadsheetandmuch of the rate of change in wealth growth vanishes. However, the generaltrend of increasingwealth centralization is hard to argue against. The popularunderstandingofthisisevidencedintheOccupymovement’spromotionoftheideaofthe1percent,anotionowingnosmallparttoPiketty’spreviousresearch.Whilst it is true that literallyallof theeconomicgains since the2008crash

havegonetothetop10percentandmostofthishasgonetothetop1percent,even these vanishingly small numbers of people hide quite how centralisedglobalcapitalhasbecome.Yes,thetop10percenttakehome50percentofthecountry’s income… indeed it is the only part of the economywhose incomegrowthhasexceededinflationoverthelastfourdecades.Butmeasuringthe1/99

percentsonincomeratherthancapital—that is, money earned rather than wealth owned—is what everybody butThomasPikettymissed.Thenumberslooklesscatchyonaplacard,buttherealconcern is the 0.1 percent. Thanks to the erosion of incomes for the vastmajority, the 1 percent now includes doctors and even some universityprofessors,neitherofwhomyouarelikelytoseesplashingoutonprivatejets.The general assumption about capitalwas that it is re-invested into the real

economy,forexample,intheformofindustrialistsbuildingnewfactorieswhichcreate additional jobs andhave service sectors springup around them.Capitalgrowthwasbest achieved through judiciouscapital expenditure.Thiscertainlyhappened and still happens.HoweverPiketty has observed a general trend forthe increasing centralization of capital in fewer and fewer hands, leading to adisastrous scenario where a few dozen people can effectively buy the entirepoliticalprocess,anddosowithanamountofwealthsosmalltothemitwouldbeakintowhatyouorIfindbetweenthecouchcushions.AccordingtoOxfam,in2012alone,thetophundredrichestpeopleonearthearnedenoughmoneytoendworldpovertyfourtimesover.13

Ithasonlybeeninthelastfewyearsthatwehaveevenbeenabletovisualisejust how small such a group of people actually is. Regarding themost recentfinancialcrisis,muchofthevitriolhasbeendirectedatthebanksasthecauseofthemeltdown.Thisisblamingthehandgunratherthanthegunman.Overthelastthreegenerationswehaveseenahugeshift inbusinessandcapitalownershipsfrom independent operators into a centralised, transnational world. You onlyneedtostrolldownyourmainstreettoseethis.The real story in the centralisationofwealth andpower is inwhoowns the

banks and the world’s largest corporations. These are called institutionalinvestorsandtheyincludepensionfundsandotherprivatepoolsofcapital.Theyaretheleviathansinthefinancialoceanandtheirmovementstriggerkingtides.Thelargestthirtyinstitutionalshareholdersofthetop299corporationsonearthown 51.4 percent of all shares. Of these thirty, only nine are sovereigngovernments or their wealth funds.14 In recent years, some complex systemtheorists working out of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich

havecalculatedthat40percentofthewealthintheglobalcapitalistnetworkiscontrolledbylessthanonepercentofthecompanieswithinthatsamenetwork;asuper-entityof147corporationswithinterlockingboardsofdirectors.15MostofthesewerefinancialinstitutionsandthetoptwentyincludedBarclaysBank,JPMorganChase,andGoldmanSachs.The futility of protesting Bilderberg meetings or Bohemian Grove quickly

becomesevidentwhenyourealisethattrillionsofdollarscanbemovedintoandoutofmarketsasaresultofasingleconferencecallofuptotenpeople.Andthatismoreorlessexactlywhathappens.Centralisedcapitalcanmoveveryfast.This situation sets up a peculiar imbalance in incentives which favours the

hugelywealthyatourexpense.Firstly,thereistheimpactontaxrevenuewhichhas tobemadeup inwhat is leftof the realeconomy.Halfofallglobal tradenowpassesthroughtaxhavensandanestimatedonethirdoftheworld’swealthresides there permanently. In themean time, you and I are left to pay for theroadsand theschools from thedeclining incomewemake inaneconomy thathas been drained of almost all capital investment now that it has been put togooduseinTaiwanandBrazil.Theseincentivesbecomeevenmorebizarrewhenyouconsiderpensionfunds,

someofthelargestinstitutionalinvestors.Thinkonthis.YouspendyourentirecareerpayingmoneythatyouearnedinAmericaorBritain’srealeconomyintoapotthatisthentakenoutofthecountryandinvestedinanemergingmarket…with the result that it destroys jobs in the economy you worked in, makingeveryonepoorerandincreasingyourtaxobligationasmorepeoplehavetorelyonsocialprogrammes.And why is this money taken out of the country? Because you want your

pensionfund tohave thehighest returnon investmentso thatyoucanactuallyretireonedayinacorneroftheworldthatisnoweconomicallydepressedasaresult of this poolingof capital you contributed toyourwhole life.Sodoyouwant thecompaniesyourpension fund invested inpayingmoreor less tax? Ifthey pay less tax, you have a bigger pension, but you pay more for roads.Whetheryoucallthisaconspiracyor“justgoodbusiness”isirrelevantbecausenotonlyis ithappening,but itsets theagendaforhowyougenerateyourown

wealth.Becausemakenomistake,yourpensionfundcurrentlycannotaffordtopay out what it has promised you. To use a small change analogy, the babyboomers’pensionpayoutisaclaimofonedollarayearononlyfifteencentsinsavings.It thus emerges that capitalism itself is not the problem. Far from it.

Capitalism triggered theGreatEnrichment andwill goon to lift billionsmoreout of poverty in developing countries in the coming five decades. It doeshoweverhaveabug,andthatbug’snameiscentralization.Everyoneisgettingricher,butsomepeoplearegettingrichfasterthanothers.Thisprocesswouldbenoneofourbusinessifitdidnothavehugepoliticalimplications,whichsadlyitdoes.TheboardonwhichwehopetoplaythegameofLifeissetupandpackedupbasedonwhichcorneroftheworldpromisesthebestreturnoncapitalforafewdozenunbelievablywealthypeople.Actuallybeingawareof thisprovidesyou with a strategic advantage in wealth generation and also in providingpersonalmeaning.Pagans typically focusonpreventingecologicaldebasementasacorespiritualactivity,butthemovementofcapitalisattheveryheartofallthis. Your pension funds are investing in energy companies that are burningdowntheAmazonsothattheycanpayyoutoretireinacornerofAmericathatisbeingdestroyedbyfracking—depressinghousepricesandruiningyourlocalecosystem—because that very same capital was not invested in local green energyinfrastructurelikewindorsolarpowerdowntheroadfromyou.

DebasementFormostpeoplelivingintheWest,incomeshavenotgrowninrealtermsforthelast forty years. How is it then that an average income forty years ago couldsupport anentire family, twocars, andpropertyownership?Theanswer is forthesamereasonthateveryonethinkstheirhouseshaveincreasedinvaluewhentheyhaven’t:inflation.IrecallreadingArchiecomicsasachildandmarvellingat thecostJugheadwouldpayforhishamburgers…twenty-fivecents!Andamilkshakeforadime.Goodluckfindingahamburgerfortwenty-fivecentsinanindependentdinertoday.(Andgoodluckfindinganindependentdinertoday.)Itisacommonmisconceptionthatinflationmeanspricesgoingup.Thisisnot

so.Inflation,toborrowthedefinitionfromtheAustrianSchool,isanincreaseinthemoneysupply.Higherpricesarejustonepotentialresultandaresultthatistypicallyunevenlydistributed. Increasingmoneydoesnot flowevenly into thereal economy but instead inflates particular assets… such as housing in the2000s or dot-com companies in the 1990s. (Or it just sits as reserves in bigbanks,reducingthevelocityandactuallytriggeringdeflationinstead.)Thedualeffectof this increasingmoney supply is anerosion innormal savings/earningpotentialformiddleeconomiesandanincreaseinthevalueofassetsthosesamepeoplecannottypicallyafford,suchasequitiesandinvestmentproperties.Thismeansthatthegapbetweentherichandpooractuallygetswiderasasideeffectof the “normal”monetary policy that is supposed to be designed to boost theentire economy. This is why I will use the word debasement rather thaninflation,because itmoreaccuratelycaptures the systemic impactofmonetarypolicyonyourlife.Themostimportantwealthcreationstepyoucanevertakeistocometogripswithdebasementandfindwaystoameliorateit.Howdidwegetintothissituationinthefirstplace?Withthecurrenciesofthe

world no longer fixed to a finite commodity—gold or silver—we create newmoney simply by printing it. (More accurately, someone enters a few morezeroes into a spreadsheet somewhere.) Putting aside the Federal Reserve’sconstitutionallydubiousstatusasaprivatebank,itisimportanttorealisethatitsprimarypurposeistofundthegovernment.Briefly,theTreasuryworksouthow

muchmoneyitneedstopayforthegovernment’svariousprojectsandthensellsbonds to banks to cover this amount. Now the Treasury has the money thegovernment needs and the banks have these bonds. So the banks take thesebondsandsellthemtotheFederalReserve.Itisthisactofaprivatebanksellinga government document to the Federal Reserve that creates money. The Fedmagics up the amount needed to buy the bonds from the banks, hey presto,moneyexists…andthebankshaveit.TheFedcanalsopushtheinterestratesdownfurtherbypurchasingbondsdirectly,whichithasdoneinthepast.Abondisapromisetopaybackaloanofmoneyplusacertainamountmore

attheendofanagreedterm.Butitisnotlikealoanthatanindividualmaytakeout which requires some form of asset to borrow against. The government inquestionsimplypromisestopaythemoneyback.Thisiswhytheinternationalmarket uses bond sales and yields as ameasure of confidence in a particularcountry’s economy or governance. If the market is uncertain about thegovernment,thegovernmentinquestiondropsthepriceofbondsandpromisestopaybacksubstantiallymoreattheendoftheterm,whichdrivesupthebondyield.Havingthelargestpoolofpotentialbuyers isagoodthingforagovernment

because the increase indemandmeansyoudon’thave topromise topaybackquite somuch.Asa result, some fairlydubiouspolicydecisions endupbeingimplemented,suchas lawsbeingpassedthatclassedgovernmentbondsas100percent“safeassets.”Thisincentivisedlargefinancialinstitutionstoholdmoreof themaspart of theirminimumcapital requirementsneeded to lendagainst.Yes,youreadthatright,bankscanissueloansagainstgovernmentloansandcallthemassets.Likesomanyofthepoliciesinthischapter,runningagovernmentdebt based onmoney that is invented out of thin air worked quite well for awhile.Withagrowingtaxbasefromalow-unemployment,productiveeconomy,itisaverygoodwaytorapidlyinvestininfrastructure,education,andhealthcareto further grow the productive economy which further grows your tax base.Inevitably, thingswent awry.Peoplegot electedon expensivepromises, blackbudgetspendinggrew,greatchunksoftheproductiveeconomywereoffshored

to developing markets … all of which reduced the tax base and increasedgovernmentobligationsthroughwelfareandwarfare.Whenthesegovernmentpromises(bonds)weredue,itbecameeasieratfirstto

pay theseoutby issuingmorepromises rather thanpayingoutof the taxhaul.Thenitbecameessential.Governmentdebtballooned.Where government debt actually is like private debt is in the servicing of

interestpayments.Whenyouborrowmoney,someportionofyourincomeneedstobeallocatedtopayinginterestonyourdebt.Weallknowthisfrompersonalexperience.Themoreyouborrow,thelargertheamountofyourincomeneedstogotopayinginterest.Ifyourincome—ortaxhaul—doesnotgrowfasterthanyourinterestpayments,youhaveaverybigproblem.Doyouknowthefastestwaytogetoutofdebtwhenyoucontrolthemoney

supply?Debasement.Printingmoremoney—reducing thebuyingpowerof thedollar—allowssomeonetopaytoday’sdebtintomorrow’sreducedcurrency.Ifyou borrow$100 today and spend it but that $100 is onlyworth $80 in threeyears,youarewinning.Whenyoucombinethiswithkeepinginterestrateslowyou end up with what many people now call financial repression; which iskeeping interest rates below the rate of inflation so governments can “inflateaway” their debt. In the meantime, this exact same process erodes personalsavingsastheyareworthlessinthefuture.Themoneywearetalkingaboutisfarfromchumpchange.Accordingtothe150-year-oldSwissinsurer,SwissRe,American savers have lost $470 billion in interest income since the 2008financialcrisis.16

Debasingthecurrencyhasothereconomiceffectsthatbenefitpeoplewhoarenotyouorme.Wearetoldthataweakdollarisimportantforexportgrowth,butexportsonlyaccount foraround10percentofUSGDP.Aweakdollarallowsfor companies to inflate the value of their international profits which boostsstockprices.Infact,graduallydebasingthevalueofthedollarmeansthatstockprices and other assets appearmore valuablewithout any underlying businessimprovementduesimply to the Jugheadhamburgereffect.Whenyouconsiderthefactthatthebottom90percentofAmericansownlessthan20percentofall

stocksandmutualfunds,itisquiteclearwhothispolicyhelpsthemostandwhoithurtsthemost.The effect of these policies on the average person has been deliberately

masked over the last twenty years. Have you ever had the experience ofwatching a news programme tell you that inflation is too low and trying toreconcilethatwithyourexperienceatthegrocerystore?Well,youarerightandtheyare lying.Sinceits inceptionrightupuntil theearly1990s, theConsumerPrice Index (CPI) measured the cost of living by checking the prices of anidentical basket of goods over time, a practice dating back to the 1700s.However, in the second half of the twentieth century, academia becameconcerned that the measurement was inaccurate because it did not trackconsumersubstitutionforcheapergoodswhenonebecamemoreexpensivesuchasswappingsteakforchicken.Assuch,inflationmaybeoverstatedinwhatwasmeasuredandwouldleadtointerestratechangesthatmaybeunnecessary.Nothingwasreallydoneaboutthisuntiltheearly1990swhenpolicymakers

“suddenly”becameconcernedthattheCPIwas“inaccurate”because it did not allow substitution. Thanks largely to the efforts of NewtGingrich and Alan Greenspan, the CPI began to be calculated with amarvellouslytechnocraticterm:“hedonicqualityadjustment.”Inrealterms,thisnot only allowed for a substitution of steak for chicken, it allowed for buyingless chicken, it assumed bulk-purchases of perishable items from discountoutlets,anditchangedtheweightoffoodstuffs.Essentially,itcompletelybrokeatwo-hundred-year-oldwayofmeasuringthecostoflivingbyallowingpolicymakerstogerrymandertherateofinflationtowhatevertheyneededittobe.Whywould anyonewant todo this?Well, youwill recall that itwas in the

1990sthatGreenspanpouredvastamountsofcheapcreditintotheeconomytoinflatebothahousingbubbleanda techbubble.Youcanonlyaccomplishthisby fully detaching your setting of interest rates from the real economy. Thesecondary reason is even more insidious and was of particular interest toGingrich.Pretendinginflationwaslowallowedpolicymakerstoclaimthaton-paperwage increases—whichwerea resultof theirowndollarprinting—were

“real.” This inflated more households into higher tax brackets and reducedSocialSecuritypaymentsaseveryonewasnow“richer.”Let us put this all together. Policy is set based on the belief that you can

technically swap out genetically modified chicken for dog food to feed yourchildreninordertobalanceoutcontinuousmoneyprintingandthismeansyouaregettingrichersoyounowpaymoretaxandreceivelessgovernmentsupport.ButjusthavealookattheS&P500,eh?Bringingituptothepresentday,thosespuriouswageincreasesarenoteven

happening.Medianhouseholdincomeisdown7percentsince2000.Itisdownsubstantiallymorewhenyoustrip the top10percentofhouseholdsoutof thatnumber.Infact,themajorityofAmericansarenow40percentpoorertodaythantheywerein2007.AccordingtoGabrielZucmanatUCBerkeley,almosthalfofAmericans have zero wealth (their debts equal or exceed their assets). In themeantime,thetop16,000familieshave12percentofit.17

Catherine Austin Fitts, former Undersecretary of Housing and UrbanDevelopment,regularlyuseshertunafishexampletoillustratetheeffectofallthis:eachyearacanoftunacosts10percentmore,has10percentlesstunainit,andis10percentmorelikelytomakeyousick.Debasementinacan.

DemographicsToday, ten thousand Americans will retire. The same thing will happentomorrow.Thesamethingwillhappenthenextdayandeverydayafterthatuntilthe year 2030. The departure of the baby boomers from the workforce is ademographiceventunprecedentedinthehistoryofmankind.Congratulations to them. Congratulations and good luck because there are

currentlytrillionsandtrillionsinunfundedpensionliabilitiesinbothpublicandprivateplans.Youwill recall that thebankbailoutsamounted toa“mere”$13trillion. The combined public and private pension liabilities are difficult tocalculatebutsitbetween$80and$90trillion.Thosearesomebigpromises.Thisis beforeweget to the dramatic increase in healthcare costs associatedwith adoubling of the number of senior citizens in the developed economies of theworldinthenextthreedecades.Itisnotreallytheirfault,butthebabyboomersaretheeconomicequivalentof

a biblical locust swarm. When they were born, there was a huge growth indiapers and prams.They received largely free healthcare and educationwhichprepared them for the abundanceofmiddle class jobs thatwere available in asuccessfuleconomy.Theybenefittedfromeffectivelyfreehousingaspropertiesinflatedalongtheirentireworkinglives.Theimpactoftheirpresenceintertiaryeducation and the property market made both considerably more expensivewhich led to funding cuts for the generations that came after them. (Heavenforbid the taxes from the jobs they received by virtue of their free educationshouldbepaidbackintothecollegesystem.)Thestoryof thewesternconsumereconomy is really the storyof the things

baby boomers buy. We actually know quite a bit about the life cycle of aconsumer now. People buy houses at around the same age, 31. People buyinternationalvacationsintheirforties.Peoplebuyluxurycarsataroundtheageof53oncethekidshavegraduatedcollegeandbeforethedriversgettoooldtoenjoythem.Thepeakageforpotatocrisppurchaseis42yearsold,bytheway.18

Sothisisquitegranularinformation.

Whatdoretireesbuy?Prettymuchnothing.Whilstitmayinitiallylooklikeagood news employment story that the baby boomers are vacatingwell-payingmiddle-classjobs,whatthisactuallymeansisthatthebiggestsourceofdemandin an economy that is 70percent basedon consumption is evaporating,whichobviously puts the jobs they are vacating at risk. This means the consumereconomyisshrinkingjustatthetimewhenweneedittobeabouttwentytimeslargertopayfortheincreasedsocialwelfareandhealthcarecostsassociatedwithhavingadramaticincreaseinseniorcitizens.Weknowhouseholdconsumptionpeakswhenitsheadis46yearsold.Fortheboomers,thishappenedin2007.Ona demographic basis, the consumer economies ofNorthAmerica andWesternEuropeareshrinking.Sixty percent of Americans say they have less than $25,000 saved for

retirementand56percentof retireesarestill indebtwhen theyretire.19Aswesawafewpagesback,thisdemographicinevitabilityhasledandwillcontinuetolead to erraticbehaviourby thepension funds, someof thebiggest sourcesofmoneyontheplanet.Whatwouldyoudoifyouwereapensionfundmanagerandyouknowyouonlyhaveabout10percentof thecapitalyouneed to fundyourobligations?Youwouldsloshyourmoneyaroundtheplanetlookingforthehighestpossibleyieldopportunitiesbecauseyoudonothavethetimeortheriskappetite to invest in the productive economy. Many of the highest yieldopportunitieshavebeeninemergingmarkets,meaningtheinvestmentsmadebyUSpensionfundsdonottendtobeassociatedwithahighgrowthinwell-payingdomesticjobs.Combinedwithdebasement,thesloshingaroundofthesetrulyenormoussums

ofmoneyintonewtechnologieswillbethedefiningeconomicstoriesofthenexttenyears. It is in the demographics thatwe seemost clearly the old economywhichisgoingawayandtheneweconomywhichisemerging.Itmaynotlooklikeittousrightnow,butthisneweconomyisactuallymuch,

muchbiggerthantheold.ThestoryofthemiddleclassinEuropeandAmericaisoneofdecline,but themiddleclass isgrowingrapidlyonaplanetarybasis.Ourdeclineispartofawiderrebalancingwhereonceweweretheonlygameintown and could consume all the resources and opportunities. Now we are

movingintoaworldwherecompetitionforresourcesandopportunitiesistrulyglobal.Demographyisdestiny.Demographyandrobotics.

FollowingtheRobotHerdsHumans have a number of important cognitive blind spots when it comes toassessingeconomicrisk.Thefirstistheassumptionthattomorrowisgoingtobemore or less like today. The second is a limited ability to think in terms ofexponentiation. We use the word “exponential” all the time, but we use itincorrectly as a synonym for “more.” A duck can count her ducklings. Amonkey can become visibly upset if anothermonkey receivesmore food thanhim. We can process numbers and we can process more versus less.Exponentiationeludesusbecausewetypicallyonlyencounteritinalgalbloomsorcancercells.An example of this bias in action comes from Brynjolfsson andMcAfee’s

highlyrecommendedbook,TheSecondMachineAge.20ThegameofchesswasinventedinthesixthcenturyintheGuptaempire.Soimpressedwastheemperorwith thewisemanwho invented it thatheaskedhimtonamehis reward.Thewisemanaskedonlyforsomericetofeedhisfamilybutsuggestedtheyusethechessboard to determine howmuch.A single grain of rice placed on the firstsquare,twograinsofriceonthenext,fouronthenext,eightonthenextandsoon.Halfwaythroughtheboard,thewisemanisuptoaboutfourbilliongrainsofrice—aboutonericepaddy—andtheemperorsuddenlyrealises towhathehasconsented. Filling the second half of the chessboard would require eighteenquintilliongrainsofrice,morethanhaseverbeenfarmedbefore.Thepileofitwouldbesolarge,itwoulddwarfMountEverest.Asistypicallythecasewhenyou tanglewith the elite, the emperor kept the rice and thewiseman lost hishead.In terms of the impact of automation on the developed economy we are

halfway through thechessboard.Wehavearrivedat the inflectionpointwherethetechnologyisalreadyinplaceandhasalreadylargelydestroyedwell-payingworking class jobs. In 20 percent of today’s American families, everyone isunemployed.21Thesecondhalfofthechessboardiswherethemiddleclassjobsare,andtherobotsarecomingforthemnow.

There is a tendency to assume that automation only affects repetitive taskssuchas factoryprocesses,but robotsarealreadybeingused insomeEuropeancarehomes.Youonlyneedtolookatyoursmartphonetorealise this isaverylimitedunderstandingoftechnologyandinnovation.Sciencefictionhasalreadybecome science reality.Professions suchas accountancy, law, andmedicine—anywhere that relies on an expert understanding of a largely fixed body ofknowledge—areat risk.Mostmedicaldiagnostic functionswillbe fulfilledbytechnology instead of people; eventually your own home will diagnose you.Thinkofwhatarobottoiletcouldlearnaboutyourhealthbeforeemailingover-the-counter treatment suggestionsbeforeyouevenknowyouareunwell. (Andthinkofhowprofitableacompany thatcanengineerbillionsofdollarsofcostoutof thehealthcaresystemwouldbe.Then thinkofhowmuchwealthieryouwouldbeifyouinvestedinitratherthanamortgage.Welcometothefuture.)It is perhaps not very obvious to us because we value “expertise,” but the

majorityoftheworkperformedbydoctors, lawyers,andaccountantsislargelyrote.WouldyoupaytendollarsforanaccountancyAItobeletlooseonallyourfinancial information,orwouldyoucontinue topayahundreddollarsanhourforahumanaccountant?Theeconomicimplicationsofthisbecomeclearwhenyou realise that anaccountancyAIdoesnotneed tobuyahouse,vacation,orevenacoffee.Andtheunemployedaccountantwillnotbeabletoaffordone.Attheotherendofthescaleyouhavetruckdriversandtaxidriverswhowill

beimminentlyreplacedwithdriverlesscarsanddrones.Automationwillimpactthe entire spectrum. According to Oxford University, financial accountmanagers, local government administrators, retail bank employees, and NGOofficersare95percentlikelytobeautomatedinthenextdecade.OverathirdofallBritishjobsmaywellbeautomatedby2030.22

Lookingatthatlistofat-riskjobs,themostimportantfactortheyallshareisthattheycomefromsectorswhoseprincipalcostiswages.ThisisespeciallythecaseforgovernmentandNGOroles.Returningtotheexampleoftherobottoiletand its role in the US healthcare industry. Healthcare currently consumes 20percent of GDP and this percentage is rising as the population ages. Fortypercentofhealthcarecostsareadministrativerather thanfrontline;makingand

reviewinginsuranceclaims,etc.Juststreamliningthepaymentsystemalonewillsavebillions.Itwillalsopermanentlyremovehundredsofthousandsofmiddleclassjobsfromtheeconomy.It is so important tounderstand that theprimarycost in theservicesector is

labour.Youmay think it is just your salary, but it is alsoyourhealthcare andretirementobligations thataddanotherhalfontowhatyoucostyouremployer.Inmanufacturing, the largestcostused tobe labour.Manufacturedgoodshavereducedinpricebyabouthalfbyreducingthiscostbythesameamount.(Nowenergyistheprincipalcostinmanufacturing,andeventhatiscomingdowndueto the massive investment in shale and fracking—for better or for worse—aswell as themanipulation of the global energymarket so as to hurtAmerica’sallegedenemies.)Intheservicesector,ifyouwanttoreduceyourcostsbyhalf,theonly thing tocut is labour.Historically,wecansay thatsuchacompellingopportunityformargingrowthwillnotgoignoredforlong.Thesuggestion that technologypermanently removes jobs fromaneconomy

rather than just shifts them is usually called the Luddite fallacy. As you canprobablytellfromitsname,itisnotpopularwitheconomists.Or,atleast,witheconomistswhocan’tcountorprefertofocusonthefirsthalfofthechessboard.AscomputersciencepioneerJaronLanierpointsoutinWhoOwnsTheFuture,whenKodakwasattheheightofitspowerithadamarketcapitalisationof$28billionandemployed140,000people,allofwhomcouldaffordcarsandhousingand families and so on. When Instagram was sold to Facebook for a billiondollars,ithadthirteenemployeesandhadnotmadeasinglecentinrevenue.23

Yes,therewillalwaysbedentistsandnurses.Therewill justbeoneofthemwhere there used to be one hundred. We tend to fixate on the impact oftechnology on the technological sector, such as the replacement of personalcomputerswithsmartphonesas theprincipalmeansofaccessingtheweb.Butthe same technological change is transforming every sector of the economy.Duringthenineteenthcentury,asCharlesHughSmithpointsout,approximatelyhalftheworkforcewasemployedinagriculture.24Nowthatisaround2percent.At the beginning of the twentieth century, the largest employment sectorwasdomestichelp,whichshouldtellyoueverythingabouttheeffectofautomation.

Hidden in those data about the collapse of agricultural employment and theriseofdomesticserviceisatrendthatisdecliningtoday:willingnesstorelocatefor economic reasons. Specifically in these numbers you see the effect ofurbanisationaspeoplemoveintothecitieslookingforwork.Todayinthewest,weseemtohaveconfusedcomfortforhappiness,butourancestorswerenotsostupid.Historically,Americansundertheageof35weretwiceaslikelytomoveasthoseoverit.AccordingtotheBrookingsInstitute,31percentdidsoin1965,duringthepeakofAmericaneconomicdominance.Today,withfewerjobsandmoregraduates,only20percenthavedoneso.25Awillingnesstomove—atasteforadventure—isitselfalargestrategicadvantage.

ConclusionSothosearethebars.Howisthatdrinklooking?Whatwearewitnessingisnotsimply the after-effects of a severe recession. We are living through somepermanentstructuralchangestotheoldindustrialeconomyasanotherhyper-growtheconomyemergesandoccupiesthesamegeographicarea,bywhichImeanthewholeplanet.Meanwhile,theworld’sbiggestworkforceisheading out of the consumer economy and into retirement while the rise ofautomationandnewtechnologyappear todrasticallyalter theworkinglivesofthegenerationscomingupbehind.Thesegenerationswillhave tocompete foraccess and opportunity with the emergence of a global, connected, educatedmiddle class. Oh yes, all of this is happening against a backdrop ofenvironmentaldegradationandanincreasedriskofwar.We are off the map here. If someone tries to tell you otherwise, or that

economicandfinancialpolicyistoocomplicatedforyoutopossiblyunderstand,that person is attempting to rob you. I know it does not sound like it, but thegoodnewsisthatnooneknowswhatisgoingon.When a currency is manipulated as dramatically as the US dollar is

manipulated—anditisthelotofaglobalreservecurrencytobeusedinsuchaway—itbreaksitsabilitytoaccuratelymeasureprice.“Price”ishowvaluableaproductorserviceistoyou.Weliveinaworldwherethenumberofinchesinafoot and the distance each inch measures are constantly changing to suit theneeds of the 0.01 percent. It thus falls to you and you alone to assess value,somethingyoucannotdowithoutanunderstandingofcurrencyandmoney.Thesearethemacroforcesswirlingaroundyourownindividualquestforyour

bestlife.Theyaffecteverythingfromwhichsideoftheearthyouchoosetoliveontothepriceyouarewillingtopayforfarmers’marketjamactuallymadebyhumans.It is important torealise that thosewehaveelected todealwith thesechallenges are all reliant on economic policies from the nineteenth century orbefore. Capitalism, liberalism, Marxism, and socialism all emerged in a timewhenwe did not even have cars, let alone space robots on other planets. Thefinal policy, Keynesianism, originated in the 1930s. The way we view

economicsthen,thewaywemeasureandallocatevalue,istheverydefinitionofbringing a knife to a gunfight. It is simply not up to the challenges oropportunities the twenty-first century presents. You alone have to meet thosechallengesandopportunities.All these changes are going to elevatemany people and are going to leave

evenmorebehind.Andifyouareexpectingsomeformofpolicychangetosaveyou, then you will be waiting a long time. According to a Princeton studypublishedinearly2014,thewishesoftheaverageAmericanhavepreciselyzeroimpactongovernmentpolicy.26Andeachdayyouwait forapolitician tosaveyoubringsyouonedayclosertoanunfundedretirement.Thereisnoavoidingthefactthatwearenowsolelyresponsibleforourown

economicdestiny.Takingthelongviewofhistory,wealwayswere,butthishasbeen obscured by the fact that for a brief thirty-year period after thewar, oureconomicbestinterestwasalignedwiththatofthestate.Nowitisn’t.Nowwehavetoeducateourselvesandbecomewhole.Thefirststepineducatingourselvesistoseethroughwhatthelate,lamented,

roguepoliticaltheoristJoeBageantcalled“theAmericanhologram.”

AllAmericans,regardlessofcaste,liveinaculturewovenofself-referentialillusions…Asimulatedrepublicofeaglesandbigboxstores,agoodplacetolivesolongasweneverstrayoutsidethehologram.27

The good thing about holograms, of course, is that they are by definitionillusory.Youdonotneedtochoosethemforyourmaps.Youcanfindabettermap.Andifyoucanmaptheworld,youcanprobablyrunit.

[contents]

1“TheTravelsofMarcoPolotheVenetian.”AccessedApril12,2015.archive.org/details/marcopolo00polouoft.

2JamesTurkandJohnA.Rubino.TheMoneyBubble.WavecloudCorporation,2014.

3SteveForbesandElizabethAmes.Money:HowtheDestructionoftheDollarThreatenstheGlobalEconomy—AndWhatWeCanDoAboutIt.McGraw-HillEducation,2014.

4Ibid.5Forbes,ibid.6AlanBerube,ElizabethKneebone,andJaneWilliams.“SuburbanPovertyTraversesRed/BlueDivide.”BrookingsResearch.AccessedApril12,2015.www.brookings.edu//media/research/files/reports/2013/08/06-suburban-poverty/suburban-poverty-by-congressional-district.pdf.

7JenniferMedina.“HardshipMakesaNewHomeintheSuburbs,”NewYorkTimes.May8,2014.8HunterStuart.“49MillionAmericansGoHungry,DespiteSo-CalledRecovery.”AccessedApril12,2015.www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/05/08/food-insecurity_n_5250592.html.

9RealtyTracQ12014ForeclosureMarketReport.AccessedApril12,2015.www.realtytrac.com/content/foreclosure-market-report/q1-2014-us-institutional-investor-and-cash-sales-report-8052.

10Ibid.11CatherineRampell.“AmericansThinkOwningaHomeIsBetterforThemThanItIs.”WashingtonPost.April21,2014.

12DeidreMcClosky.“Measured,Unmeasured,MismeasuredandUnjustifiedPessimism:AReviewEssayofThomasPiketty’sCapitalintheTwentyFirstCentury.”ErasmusJournalforPhilosophyandEconomics.Volume7,Issue2.Autumn2014.

13“TheCostofInequality:HowWealthandIncomeExtremesHurtUsAll.”OxfamReport,January18,2013.www.oxfam.org/sites/www.oxfam.org/files/cost-of-inequality-oxfam-mb180113.pdf.

14AndyCoghlanandDeborahMacKenzie.“Revealed—TheCapitalistNetworkThatRunstheWorld.”NewScientist.October22,2011.

15Ibid.16“FinancialRepression:TheUnintendedConsequences.”PublishedMarch28,2015.www.swissre.com/media/news_releases/nr_20150326_financial_repression.html.

17NoelKing.“AbouthalfofAmericahaszeronetwealth.”AccessedApril12,2015.www.marketplace.org/topics/wealth-poverty/about-half-america-has-zero-net-wealth.

18KyleSmith.“AgingAmericaheadingfordisaster.”NewYorkPost.February8,2014.19MichaelSnyder.“22FactsAbouttheComingDemographicTsunamiThatCouldDestroyOurEconomyAllbyItself.”AccessedApril12,2015.www.theeconomiccollapseblog.com/archives/22-facts-about-the-coming-demographic-tsunami-that-could-destroy-our-economyall-by-itself.

20ErikBrynjolfssonandAndrewMcAfee.TheSecondMachineAge:Work,Progress,andProsperityinaTimeofBrilliantTechnologies.W.W.Norton&Company,2014.

21“EmploymentCharacteristicsofFamilies—2013.”BureauofLaborStatistics.AccessedApril12,2015.www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/famee.pdf.

22CarlBenediktFreyandMichaelA.Osborne.“TheFutureofEmployment:HowSusceptibleAreJobstoComputerisation?”September17,2013.www.futuretech.ox.ac.uk/sites/futuretech.ox.ac.uk/files/The_Future_of_Employment_OMS_Working_Paper_1.pdf.

23ScottTimberg.“JaronLanier:TheInternetdestroyedthemiddleclass.”AccessedApril12,2015.www.salon.com/2013/05/12/jaron_lanier_the_internet_destroyed_the_middle_class.

24CharlesHugh-Smith.GetaJob,BuildaRealCareerandDefyaBewilderingEconomy.CreateSpace,2014.

25WilliamH.Frey.“MillennialandSeniorMigrantsFollowDifferentPost-RecessionPaths.”BrookingsResearch.AccessedApril12,2015.www.brookings.edu/research/opinions/2013/11/15-millennial-senior-post-recession-frey.

26MartinGilens,andBenjaminI.Page.“TestingTheoriesofAmericanPolitics:Elites,InterestGroups,andAverageCitizens.”AccessedApril12,2015.journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract?fromPage=online&aid=9354310.

27JoeBageant.“TheGreatAmericanMediaMindWarp.”AccessedApril12,2015.www.joebageant.com/joe/2007/08/the-great-ameri.html.

AProbabilisticUniverse

Whenyoudevelopyouropinionsonthebasisofweakevidence,youwillhavedifficultyinterpretingsubsequentinformationthatcontradictstheseopinions,evenifthisnew

informationisobviouslymoreaccurate.

NASSIMNICHOLASTALEB

Success is aheadgame.More specifically, it is aheadgameofchance ratherthan one of skill or strength. If there is good news in the grim story of thepreviouschapter,itisthattheentiresystemisahumanconstruct,anoverlayonaprobabilisticuniverse. It is flimsy, ahologram inside anotherhologram.Themostinsidiouswaytheholographicbarstrapyouisbyconvincingyouoftheireternal,physicalreality.Oneof themostpracticablewaysofbreakingoutof thesebars is througha

diligentexplorationofconsciousnessandprobability.Marchinginlockstepwitha centralised, extractive late capitalist economic system is the religious faithknown as scientific materialism. If only the physical exists, then only thephysicalhasimportance.Ifyouarejustabagofchemicals,ifyourbrainisthesamethingasyourmind,ifyouaresimplyameatrobot,thendespitethelivedpersonal experience of every human who has ever existed indicating thecompletecontrary,theworthandvalueofyourlifecanbepreciselymeasuredinphysicaltermsbasedontheobjectsyoumanagetoaccruearoundyou.The hypothesis of materialism is extremely weak. A single example of the

nonphysical in action, be it telepathyor psi effects, a religiousmiracle of anyflavour, a provable example of divination or precognition, and RichardDawkins’shouseofdrearycardscomescrashingdown.Therearethousandsand

thousandsofexamplestochoosefromandyouarewell-servedcollectingthosethataremostpersonallymeaningful toyouover thecourseofyour lifetime. Itcouldbetheotherwise-impossiblepastliferecollectionsofchildren,itcouldbethe 120 years of university studies into telepathy and other psi results. Findsomething that simply cannot be but is and get really knowledgeable about it.These data points become talismans to ward off the demon hosts of thematerialisttyranny.The inherentweaknessof thematerialist hypothesisneatly explainswhy the

scientificestablishmentremainswilfully,deliberatelyignorantofandvigorouslyopposedtofieldssuchasparapsychology.Invitingitintothecanonofapprovedknowledge, even just as the unloved ginger stepchild of psychology (which itisn’t), breaks the rest of the college. In the words of notorious BritishmetaphysicianDavid Icke “they defend the first domino.” Themagicianmustflickandflickuntilittumbles.At times of economic transition, old maps no longer navigate through

unfamiliarstreets.Chaosmagichelpshere.Ifyoubelieve,asIdo,thatitismoreor less mandatory for magicians to have adventures, then we can extend themetaphor by suggesting that a well-prepared adventurer always travels withmorethanonemap.Theremayindeedbearestingworldviewyoupreferforthequieter moments in life or their most important milestones such as births,romance,andthedeathsoflovedonesandenemies.Thesemapsmaynotbebestsuitedfornavigatingthecorporatesphere,especiallynowthatitappearstohavegonecompletelyferal.(WhoistheEgyptiangoddessofhighfrequencytrading,forinstance?Whoisthesaintofdownsizedworkers?Whatistheherbalcharmagainsthavingyourjobautomated?)Inordertonavigateawealthcreationsystemthatisnotbuiltforourbenefit,

themostappropriatemapsareoffensive rather thandefensive.Pokingholes inthedominantnarrative robs itofmuchof theunconsciouspower itholdsoveryou.Visitswith thebankmanager suddenlygenerate significantly lessanxietywhen their absurdity is laid bare. They emerge as ameeting of holograms todiscussthingsthathavenoobjectiverealityinaprobabilisticuniversefilledwith

chaotichighstrangeness.Honestly, it’s likeasurrealist theatrepiecewhenyoustoptothinkaboutit.There is, however, a danger in building out an adventurer’s map that must

charttheadvantagesandshortcomingsofscience.Themagicianmayfindhim-orherselfaccidentallybelievingthatthemapisinsomesensetrue.Alltoooftenpeopleseekto“prove”thisorthatmysticalworldviewbyrecoursetoscientificfindings. This is a fool’s errand, asmysticism is fundamentally irrational andthatisitsgreatpowerandsolace.“Proving”mysticismwithscienceislikeusingaslide-ruletomeasurewindspeed.Ineithercase,inallcases,thebestwecaneversayisthatsomemapsoverlap

more than others, which may be useful in navigating a particular metaphoricmountainrangeormangroveswamp.Neithermapactually is themountainsortheswamp,andneithermap isparticularlyusefulon theopenocean. Iamnotsellingandwillneversellyouaworldview.ImerelywanttohelpyoufindthespotmarkedX.

QuantumAbuseThespiritualandoccultworldssubject themselves to twodifferentversionsofwhatIrefertoasquantumabuse.Thefirstistoslaptheword“quantum”infrontofsomerecycledNewThoughtclaptrapandstartrunningclassesabovealocalbookshop.Thisformofabusebothersmetheleastastheinexorabilityofmarketforcestendstorunsuchgroupsoutoftownfairlyquickly.It is the second form of quantum abuse I find the most troubling. At the

moment it is apparently fashionable to declare that quantummechanics don’treallytellusanythingaboutmagicorthatitsinfluencehasbeenoverstated.Thisis intellectually lazy (not tomention highly inaccurate), and it emanatesmostoften from the corners of the field that intend to stick doggedly to whateverreligious explanation of the universe they prefer.As famous twentieth-centuryphysicistNielsBohronceremarked,“Ifapersondoesnotfeelshockedwhenhefirst encountersquantum theory,hehasnotunderstoodawordof it.”Becausequantum theorydoes tell us something important aboutmagic, something thatmaybehugelyimportant.Ittellsusthat,atleastinsomesituations,probability—orthenonphysical—hasanobjectivestatus.Itmaybesomethingthat isrealwithacapitalR.Ahybridformofquantumabuseistorelyontheoriesofquantummechanics

thatareapproachingalmostacenturyoldortounthinkinglycleavetotheleastlikelyinterpretationofexperimentalresults.Themostegregiousexampleofthisisthemetaphysicalcommunity’sattachmenttothemanyworldshypothesis.Letusbeclearastowhatthehypothesisactuallyis:amathematicalfudgecurrentlybeing used to cling to scientific materialism in the face of quantumindeterminacy results. As you are probably aware from high school scienceclasses,anelectronexistsinastateofprobabilityeverywhereinitsprobabilityfield surrounding the nucleus. It is only when we seek to measure it that itcollapsesdowntoasinglelocation.Thesearetheexperimentalresultsthemanyworldshypothesisseekstoexplain.Thisexplanationreliesonthecompletelyuntestablehypothesisthateachtime

ameasurement of the electronhappens, our entire universe actually splits into

two(orhowevermanyuniversesarerequiredtosatisfythepossiblelocationsoftheelectron).Itsoundsniceandmagical,maybeevenalittlebitsciency,butitisbothbadmagicandbadscience.Whatthemanyworldshypothesisissayingisthat probability definitely does not have an objective existence. Quantumnonlocalitydoesnot reallyexistand thatallpossible locations for theelectronare occurring simultaneously in other dimensions… thismeans that scientificmaterialismisstill“true”andtheonlythingsthatexistarephysical.Itisjustthatalltheseotherphysicalthingsnowexistinaninfinitenumberofdimensionsthatwecannotcontactoreverproveexist.Mylittlenephewhasanimaginaryfriendwhoexhibitsmanysimilarproperties.Thewholethingishighlyconvenientand,frankly, highly religious. But “religious” is probably the best descriptor formaterialism,anyway.As thephilosopherThomasNagel remarks, “materialismisapremiseofscience,notafinding.”28

Forthepurposesofachievingourbestlives,wearenotreallyinthemarketforexplanations of how quantum mechanics may really work. We are merelylookingforobservationsofscientificdatathatleadeithertogreaterideologicalfreedomor to improvedmagical results.Chaosmagic isas single-mindedasalocustswarminthisregard.Youarefreetofoldbackwhateverresultsyoufindintoyourwiderspiritualworldview.Theaggregateobservationof the last centuryofquantumresearchbegins to

paintapicturethatisbothveryoldandverynew.Webegintoseethe—darewesay it—provability of not only the existence of consciousness but also itsprimacy. If the implications that consciousness is the fundamental stuff of theuniverse sounds Vedic, there is probably a good reason for that.Most of thefounding fathers of quantum theory were dedicated Vedantists. Heisenberghimselfstatedthat“quantumtheorywillnot lookridiculoustothosewhohavereadVedanta.”29AsforMaxPlanck:

Iregardconsciousnessasfundamental.Iregardmatterasderivativefromconsciousness.Everythingthatwetalkabout,everythingthatweregardasexisting,postulatesconsciousness.30

Observer effects suggest a fundamental interrelationship betweenconsciousnessandmatterwhichiscalledinquantumpanpsychismchaosmagic.FromTheOctavobyPeterJ.Carroll,chaosmagic’sfounder:

Quantumpanpsychismsuggeststhatweturnthewholeargumentonitsheadandinterpretparapsychologicaleventsasevidencefortheabsenceofspiritormindasphenomenaseparatetomatter.Miraculous,parapsychological,magicaleventstendtooccurrather

capriciouslyandinfrequentlyonthemacroscopicscale.Howeveronthequantumscaletheyoccurfrequentlyandinamuchmoredependablefashion.Thequantumlevelofrealityseetheswithweirdness,quantaappeartoteleportbydisappearingatoneplaceandappearingatanother,theyappeartocommunicateinstantaneouslyacrossspaceandprobablytimeaswell,sometimestheyappeartoexistintwoplacessimultaneously,orintwocontradictorystatesatthesametime,andtheymaytravelbackwardsintime.31

The influence of consciousness at a subatomic level has been observed foralmost a century. It ismypersonal suspicion that practical enchantment is thescientificevidencetheeffectofourconsciousnessscalesupfromthesubatomictothephysicalworld.Whataremagicalresultsbutamanipulationofreal-worldprobabilities,afterall?Themostimportantcontributionquantumphysicsofferstheworldofmagicis

that it overturned centuries of discretism. It ended forever a materialistclockwork universe. And as Dean Radin, senior scientist at the Institute ofNoeticSciences,pointsout,itachievedthiswithsurprisingrapidityandease…inonly threeor four experiments.Thewhole industrial edificeof the ImperialAgewasknockedoverwithafeather.Somuchforthoseprisonbars,eh?

GodPlaysDicewiththeUniversebutSheUsesD20s

We move now from the chaos of your subatomic parts to the impact ofprobabilityonyoureverydaylife.FrenchphysicistOlivierCostadeBeauregard

wrote, “Itmust be in the nature of probability to serve as the operational linkbetweenobjectiveandsubjective,betweenmatterandpsychism.”32Thequestionofwhy the physical universe expresses itself probabilistically is a deeper onethanmost.Developingacoherentanswertoitqualifiesyoutofoundyourownreligion—and you will recall that I promised not to sell you a worldview.However,inbetweenmetaphoricbongrips,itismysuspicionthattheuniverse’sinherent optionality allows it to experience itself in the most effective way.“Dividedforthechanceofunion,”andallthat.PerhapsthemainreasonwhyWesternmagichandlesprobabilitysopoorlyis

thatmost of its constituent parts predate probability, sometimes bymillennia.Given that the Greeks gave us so much mathematics and geometry, it issurprisingtheydidnotdevelopatheoryofprobability.Apossibleexplanationastowhyistwofold:theirphilosophicalover-relianceonabsolutetruthprovenvialogicandaxioms,aswellasamoregeneralsense that the future unfolded according to thewill of the gods. Thus, to usemathematicianLeonardMlodinow’sexample,ifanastragalustossmeantthataparticular Greek boy would have to marry the stocky, plain Spartan girl hewould not view the toss as lucky or unlucky but as the will of the gods.33

(Today’smoresophisticatedmagicianssplitthedifferenceandseethewillofthegods expressed probabilistically. Spousal selection techniques have alsoimproved,albeitonlymarginally.)Wehavethusinheritedspiritualsystemsthatfailtoaccuratelymeasureriskor

probability because they rely on spiritual beings as explanations rather thanactors.Thataccountsformaybealargeminorityofourcompletemispricingofriskand reward.Themajorityof it appears tobeawholescaleadoptionof the“special snowflake” myth from the monoculture. This notion that you are insomesenseentitledtoadestinyorthatyouautomatically“deserve”tohaveyourdreamsfulfilledisnotwell-supportedinmagicorPaganism’sclassicaltexts.Wehave diluted what is probably our most powerful asset, magical thinking, byconfusing it with the advertising slogans you heard during the televisionprogrammes of your childhood.Nowhere is itwritten that you are guaranteedmiraclesondemand.

Whenitcomestoselectingordeterminingpreferredoutcomes,therearetwoessentialconceptsthatarefrequentlyconfused:possibilitiesandprobabilities.Itispossible that abillionairewith aheartofgoldwill leap fromhis limousine,dart throughfive lanesof trafficandproposemarriage toyouonyourwalk towork.Buthowprobableisit?Failuretodistinguishbetweentheseconceptsisattherootofwhythelotterymaybelegitimatelycalledataxonpoorpeople.Itisalmostinstinctivetobelievethemostdesirablepossibilityisalsothemost

probable.Thestarlet-to-bewhogetsoff thebus inHollywoodcannotbuthelpbelieve that international fame ismereweeksaway.Buthasshemispriced theriskinherpreferredoutcome?Thereisquiteastringof low-probabilityeventsthatneedtohappeninpreciselytherightorderoroverlaptodepositheronthered carpet out the front ofMann’s Chinese Theatre.Wewill return to how amagician may best take advantage of this mathematic truth, but for now payattention.Theprobability that twoeventswillbothoccurcanneverbegreaterthantheprobabilitythateacheventwilloccurindividually.This is one of the three laws of probability and whilst it sounds

counterintuitive,themathisreallyquitesimple.Sayyouaretryingtocalculatehowmany respondents toa surveyhappen tobe fathers.Yourequationwouldlooklikethis,withPasprobability:

P(bothmaleandparent)=P(male)+P(parent)–P(eithermaleorparent)

You see how if you do not subtract the “either” component then you aredouble-counting the respondentswho fall intoboth categories.Mathematicallythismeanstheprobabilitythatourbuddingstarletisbothafamousactressandlives inLosAngeles is less likely thaneitheroneoccurring individually.Howshe achieves both outcomes in her life is best served by an awareness of thisprobabilistic reality.Secure, stable, low-costhousing inLA:oneevent.Securecareeroptionality in termsofsalary, flexibility,andgrowthpotential:asecondevent. Enchant continuously for an expanded network of theatrical andproduction people in a social capacity, at the very least. Then start thinking

aboutauditions.Gettingoffthebuswitha“makemefamous”goodluckcharmtuckedintoherpocketisnottherecommendedapproach.Very much related to this challenge is what Nassim Taleb calls “the

teleological fallacy.”34 This is the dangerous illusion that you know exactlywhereyouaregoing, and thatyouknewexactlywhereyouweregoing in thepast,andthatothershavesimilarlysucceededinthepastbyknowingwheretheyare going.Across themagicalworld the teleological fallacy persists under theguise of one’s “TrueWill.”Apparently it is themagician’smain challenge tomerelyfindwhathisorherTrueWillordestinyorwhateverhappenstobe.The associated error in the teleological fallacy is the mistaken beliefs that

othersknowwhattheywant,wheretheyaregoing,or—worstofall—whatitistheywillwanttomorrow.Talkingdestinyorfatalisticoutcomeswithmagiciansistheverydefinitionoftheblindleadingtheblind.(Butknowingthisinadvancemakesgoingtopartiesthrownbyoccultistsreallyquitefun.)Hopefully by now you will have perceived that a more effective map is

emerging, one that relies on an understanding of the probability of individualeventsversus their combinationsand the inhibitingbelief thatyouknow, rightfromtheoutset,whereyouaregoingandhowtogetthere.Movinginsmaller,lessdefinedstepsoffersyousomethingthatcarriesatremendousamountofin-builtmathematicalenergy:optionality.Anoptionisnotwhetheryouchoosethecakeor the icecream.Viewedfromtheperspectiveofpure theory,optionalityallowsyou tobenefit from thepositive sideof anyuncertain situationwithoutexposingyoutoanydamagefromthenegativeoutcomeofthesameuncertainty.Thekeybenefitofwealthpeoplealwaysciteisthatitconfersfreedom,when

what they probably mean from a more precise perspective is optionality. Afailure tounderstand thisnotioncan lead toanover-accumulationofmortgagedebt that traps you in unsatisfying employment to service an oversized debtburden in apart of theworldyoudonotwish to livebecauseyoubelieved—thanks to the teleological fallacy—that’s how one builds wealth … whichconfersfreedom.However,youhaveendedupwiththecompleteopposite.Anystoredoptionalityhasbeensystematicallydestroyed.

TheEmeraldHologramofHermesTrismegistus

TheEmeraldHologramofHermesTrismegistusGoetheoncewrote“hewhocannotdrawon three thousandyearsofhistory islivinghandtomouth.”Thisisamuchmoresophisticatedwayofthinkingaboutwhich aspects of historic spiritual practices can enrich our modern lives thanusingtermssuchas“ancientwisdom.”Becauseitisquiteclearthatanynumberof excellent ideas or concepts have tumbled down to us from the past.Aswecloseoutthechapter,ouradventurer’smapcomesintoview,anditlookslikeauniverse in which consciousness is fundamental. Out of that first fundament,fizzingintoexistencefirstatthesubatomiclevel,isaprobabilisticallyexpressedphysical universe over which it appears we have some little control, asevidencedby thewealthof tantalisingpsiexperimental results. InaJune2014podcastinterviewwithDiscloseTruthTV,Dr.RussellTarg:

Afterfortyyearsofresearch,therealityofESPissostrongitwouldbestatisticallyunreasonabletodenyit.TheevidenceforESPistentimesgreaterthantheevidencethataspirinpreventsheartattacks.35

Thedemonstrableimpactofconsciousnessacrossdistancesbothtemporalandspatialhasaprofoundimpactonhowwedescribereality.Forpsieffects tobeachieved—and they are regularly achieved—there must be some operationalconnectionbetweenyouandtherestoftheuniverse.AndIdomeanmust.Thereisnoquestionmarkafterthestatement“psieffectsarereal.”Andsoanymodelof physics excluding the existence of consciousness/psi effects is bothincompleteandinaccurate.ConsiderNagarjuna’sdescriptionofrealityasIndra’snet; an infinite web of diamonds where each individual stone contains andreflectsan imageofeveryotherstone.It looksforall theworld likea200CEversion of the increasingly popular holographic universe theory. As mostesotericists now know, every tiny piece of a hologram contains a completeversionof thewhole image.Here, then, isapossible interpretationofhowpsieffectsmayworkacrossbothtimeandspace:whatevereventyouareseekingtoinfluenceorviewis,insomemetaphoric/holographicway,containedwithinyouinitsentirety.

Forthosefamiliarwithit,thisdescriptionbearsastrikingresemblancetothevisionofcreationdescribedin theHermetica:eachmicrocosmicconsciousnesscontains in miniature a version of the macrocosmic mind of God. One caninevitablygetcaughtinaninfinitelooplookingforscienceto“prove”amysticalworldview, or have amystical worldview “validate” scientific findings. In allcases theseparadigmsare, toparaphrase theBuddhists, fingerspointing at themoon, rather than themoon itself.What is important from the perspective ofpractical enchantment is that consciousness and the physical world appear tohaveareasofoverlappingresults.Consider Dean Radin’s famous experiments on mind/matter interaction at

Burning Man festivals. Random number generators positioned around thefestivalrecordedenormousdeviationsfromthemeanduringpeakeventssuchastheburningofthemanorthetemple.Theoddsofthishappeningbychanceare106,420to1.Inhisbook,TheNoeticUniverse,ponderstheimplicationsofpsiexperimentresults.

Afteracenturyofslowlyaccumulatingscientificevidence,wenowknowthatsomeaspectsofpsychicphenomenaarereal.Theimportanceofthisdiscoveryliessomewherebetweenaninterestingoddityandanearth-shatteringrevolution.Ataminimum,genuinepsisuggeststhatwhatsciencepresentlyknowsaboutthenatureoftheuniverseisseriouslyincomplete,thatthecapabilitiesandlimitationsofhumanpotentialhavebeenvastlyunderestimated,thatbeliefsaboutthestrictseparationofobjectiveandsubjectivearealmostcertainlyincorrect,andthatsome“miracles”previouslyattributedtoreligiousorsupernaturalsourcesmayinsteadbecausedbyextraordinarycapabilitiesofhumanconsciousness.36

Whenitcomestonavigatingaconsciousness-basedprobabilisticuniverseforfun andprofit, a numberof recommendationspresent themselves.Firstly, leanintooptionality rather thanchargingoffafter loftygoals froma standingstart.Take single steps rather than multiple steps to maximise your startingprobability.Ateachstepon theway toyourgoal,maximisingoptionalityalsomaximisestheprobabilityofapreferredoutcomeforthenextstep.Makepeace

with thecognitive reality thatyoubothprobablydonot reallyknowwhatyouwantanddefinitelydonotknowthecorrectwaytoachieveitfromtheoutset,sore-examineyouroptionsateachstepandbeopen to thehitherto-unanticipatedroute.Human consciousness clearly has an impact on the physical realm, but it is

morereliableinnudgingsmall,high-probabilityeventsthanbringingdownthewallsofJerichoby thepowerofwill. Ina1901 letter to fellowGoldenDawnmagicianFlorenceFarr, thepoetW.B.Yeatswrote“whateverwebuild in theimaginationwillaccomplishitselfinthecircumstancesofourlives.”Whichbecomesespeciallytruewhenyoubuildonebrickatatime.Andwhile

thebricksgetsmallerandsmallerasyoubuild,thenextone—thecornerstone,ifyouwill—isanabsolutedoozy.

[contents]

28JohnHorgan.“Isscientificmaterialismalmostcertainlyfalse?”ScientificAmerican.January30,2013.blogs.scientificamerican.com/cross-check/2013/01/30/is-scientific-materialism-almost-certainly-false/.

29DavidStoroy.“DidtheVedicPhilosophyInfluencetheConceptofFreeEnergyandQuantumMechanics?”ScienceandNonduality.AccessedApril12,2015.www.scienceandnonduality.com/did-the-vedic-philosophy-influenced-the-concept-of-free-energy-and-quantum-mechanics/.

30QuotedinTheObserver(25January1931).CitedinJosephH.Fussell,“WhereisScienceGoing?:ReviewandComment,”TheosophicalPathMagazine,JanuarytoDecember1933(2003),199.

31PeterJ.Carroll.TheOctavo:ASorcerer-Scientist’sGrimoire.MandrakeofOxford,2010.32OlivierCostadeBeauregard.TheSecondPrincipleoftheScienceofTime,Entropy,Information,andIrreversibility.Seuil.,1963.

33LeonardMlodinow.TheDrunkard’sWalk:HowRandomnessRulesOurLives.Penguin,2009.34NassimNicholasTaleb.Antifragile:ThingsThatGainfromDisorder.Penguin,2013.35DisclosureTruthTV,“RussellTargProofofPhychic[sic]Abilities,”publishedtoYouTubeJune6,2014.www.youtube.com/watch?v=X9cEpxXg3pA.

36DeanRadin.TheNoeticUniverse.Corgi,2009.

BecomingInvincible

Thepurposeoflifeistofamiliarizeoneselfwiththisafter-deathbodysothattheactofdyingwillnotcreateconfusioninthepsyche.

TERENCEMCKENNA

Properly used,magicwill destroy your life.This is a feature, not a bug.Eversincemodern humans first emerged into full consciousness thosewhoworkedwith spirit, be they shamans or witches or magicians, moved into their tribalfunctiononlyaftersomekindofOtherworldtraumaexperience.Someeventhastooccurthatprovidesthemagicianwithalasting,visceral,unshakableknowingthattheuniverseextendsbeyondwhatcanbephysicallyobserved.Pragmatically, Idonotmuchcarewhat thatevent is.Thevery fact thatyou

arereadingthisbooksuggestsyoumayhavealreadyhadone:aUFOencounter,a poltergeist attack, a near death experience (NDE), a profound visit from adeceasedrelative.Reallyanyeventbeyondcommonconsciousnesseffectssuchassiblingtelepathywilldo.Asyoucanseefromtheabovelist,theydonotevenneed to be pleasant. If you feel the need to spend the night in an abandonedmentalhospitalwithnothingbutaOuijaboardforcompany,gorightahead.Formost of human history, shamanic initiations were—and still are—hugelytraumatic.IfyouhavebeenabductedbyaliensorDiscoveryChannelhasmadeaprogrammeaboutghostsinyourhouse,thenyoucanprobablyskipthischapter.Otherwise,readon.

“True”Initiation:BecomingInvincible

You are certainly free to join whatever nineteenth-century swingers clubmasquerading as a magical order you like, but do it on your own time. Thepurpose of this chapter is to provide options for “true” initiation, or what weotherwisemightcallbecominginvincible.Why?There is no greater defence against the grim, uncompromisingwasteland of

thelatecapitalistworldthantheunshakeableawarenessthatitwillendandyouwillnot.Oneofthemostpopularpostsonmyblog,RuneSoup,iscalled“Thereis the Rescue Mission and the Salvage Mission.” Just as our Palaeolithicancestorshadtoheadoutontotheiceorintotheseaintinyboatsregardlessoftheweather, there is something simply and profoundly stabilising in knowingthat you are so much more than your circumstances or your job that makesgetting up at 5 am to go do some telemarketing a little bit more bearable.Becoming invincible is the process of immunising yourself against themonoculture.Yourworldbecomespermanentlybigger…sobig that theshrillhowlingsofmarketersandpoliticiansgetsofaintthatyoucanbarelyhearthem,letalonebelievethem.Fromamythologicalperspective,becominginvinciblebeginswiththeinciting

incident.Viewedinthiscontext,aninitiationritualdoesnotactuallyinitiateyoubutrathertriggerstheprocessofinitiation.Itistheactofdiallingtheuniverse,notthemomentwhentheuniverseactuallypicksup.Youcannotsimplydrawabath,lightafewscentedcandles,anddeclareyourselfawitch.Takeyourbath,butyouareonlyawitchafter thedemonshavecomecalling,whichtheymostcertainlywill.

TheFastestRouteIt’sbesttonotsugarcoatthis:themosteffectiveroutetobecominginvincibleistotakeahighdoseofpsychedelicsinasuitableritualenvironment.AndIdonotmean most effective for you, because I don’t even know you. I mean mosteffective overall. This was mankind’s initiatory method of choice for at leastthirtythousandyears.Addedtogether,allnonpsychedelicmethodsofshamanicinitiation represent a small fraction of the whole. The so-called PalaeolithicRenaissance may represent the largest, longest psychological experimentmankindhaseverperformed,lastingtenmillennia.The last twentyor soyearsof archaeologyare finallybeginning tooverturn

theVictorianprudishnessthathaspreventedusseeingthesesubstancesmakethejumpfromhunter-gatherers to settledsocieties. Indeed, it appearshumans firstgreweinkornwheattoturnintobeerratherthanbread,andviticultureappearstopredateagriculture. It isour thoroughlymodernviewof thepast thatobscuresthisreality.Wethinkofmarijuanaoropiumas“drugs”andleeksorcarrotsas“vegetables,”buttheclassicalworldsawthemallasplants.Someyouate,somestoppedstomachcramps, somerelievedpain.Theirviewof theplantkingdomwasmuchbroaderwith agreater rangeofoutcomes that couldbe achieved intheirdealingswithit.Wehavemissedthisentirely.ConsidertheopinionofDr.D.C.A.HillmaninTheChemicalMuse.

ImaginehowourviewsofthepastwouldchangeifweknewthatPlatoenjoyedusingpsychedelicsasadevoteeofcertainmysteryreligions,orthatAlexanderdrankopiumathisrowdybanquets,orthatJuliusCaesarsmokedweedwhilepreparingtocrosstheRubicon…[F]ewacademicianswouldevenconsiderthepossibilitythatthecollected

thoughtsoftheClassicalworldhadbeenheavilyinfluencedbytheuseofpsychotropics.Despiteinnumerablereferencesintheliteraturetoplantscontainingmind-alteringchemicals,despiteprecisedescriptionsinthesameworksoftheeffectsofpsychotropicsubstancesonhumans,anddespitethedocumenteduseofnarcoticsinClassicalmedicine,modernscholarsofall

strainsareculturallyunitedbytheirunwillingnesstoadmitthatdrugshadasignificantimpactontheevolutionofWesternliterature.37

ItwasonlyinthedecadesimmediatelyfollowingWorldWarIIthatitbecamelegallyproblematictodoso,asthemoleculesbecamethesubjectoflarge-scalehuman testing by intelligence networks, their assets (including countercultureheroes Timothy Leary andAndrijah Puharich) and also became a cornerstonesourceofblackprojectfunding.Magicalpublishinginthelastthirtyyearshasbeensignificantlyhamstrungby

thewaypsychedelicshavebeenusedasgeopolitical footballs.Asanauthor, Icannot legallyadvocateareaderbreakanylaws,andpublisherscan, in theory,beheldliablefordamagesarisingfromactionstakenasdescribedintheirbooks.This state of affairs has detached a generation of magical seekers from theirpalaeolithicbirthright.Fortunately,thedruglawsofthewesternworldareslowlyreturningtosanity

overtheprotestsofapharmaindustrythatwouldmuchrathersellyoufiveyearsof antidepressants than have you cure yourself with a mushroom. So I canlegallysuggestyouinvestigateanayahuascaretreatintheAmazonconductedbya responsible local shaman. And I can legally suggest you consider a SantoDaimechurchexperienceorapsychedelicdrummingcircleoutsideAmsterdam.You can even visit one of the growing number of states that have legalisedmarijuanaandspendasupervisedeveningcampingoutinthewoods,intoningamantraofyourchoice.Toooften I hear that sucha solution isunaffordable.This is anopportunity

cost error. What is more important than becoming invincible? You mayotherwise take fiveyearsofdedicatedmagicalpractice to achieveaneffectofcomparableprofundity.Thinkofwhattheinitiatedyoucouldhaveachievedwiththose fiveyears.Whenpeople say“unaffordable,” theymean“Idon’twant tochange a single thing aboutmy life, but please can I be awizard?” Sell yourtelevision, move in with friends or family, sell your car. To paraphrase DocBrown,whereyou’regoing,youwon’tneedroads.

TheSecond-FastestRoute

Youmay consider a self-initiation ritual to be a safer choice than a ritualisedpsychedelicexperience.Youwouldbewrong.Falloutfrombecominginvincibleis impossible to predict. Even if you are in the snake-and piranha-infestedAmazon,atleastyouareinthesafehandsofanexperiencedshaman!Boileddowntoitsessence,aself-initiationisadeclarationtotheuniversethat

youhaveaseatat the table, thatyourHighest isunitedwithyourLowest,andyouexpectthecosmiccroupiertodealyouin.Itisafundamentallyradicalact,atransgressive move. It runs counter to almost two thousand years of social,economic,andreligiousdiktat.Thereisalottoburnthrough,whichiswhyyoumustpersistinyourtransgressionuntilthevolumeofHighStrangenessinyourlifeissoextremethatitcannotbeinterpretedasanythingotherthancontact.One of the most notorious, simple and widely used methods of triggering

initiation is found in Paul Huson’s classic Mastering Witchcraft. In it, hesuggests the aspirant light a candle just before bed for three successive nightsand recite the Lord’s Prayer backwards. The speaker is required to visualiseshackles being struck off his or her arms as the incantation is read. Such aseeminglysimpleapproachbeliesitspotentpsychologicaleffect.Eventhoseraiseddecidedlygodlesswillstillbalkatsuchaninversionofculturalnorms.Itisadepatterningexerciseparexcellence.Beyond depatterning, the violation of taboo or the transgression of cultural

norms is an ancient and essential component of practical magic. In LauraMakarius’sseminalarticle“TheMagicofTransgression”(1974),shepointsoutthat tribal taboos reflect cosmic limitations imposed by the spirit world. Forinstance, itmaybe forbidden to eat the flesh of a certain animal because it isinvolved with a creation story. To temporarily break a taboo is to unleashtremendous power because the sorcerer steps outside the rules or conditionsgoverningtheproperfunctionofreality.ReturningtoPhilipK.Dick’smetaphoroftheblackironprison,transgressivemagictemporarilybendsthesebarssothatthewitchmaycomeandgoasshepleases.Makariusexplainsfurther:

Inmagicbasedontheviolationoftaboo,theindividualseeshimselfplacedinanewrelationshipwithregardtonature:insteadofsuggestingtonatural

forceswhatheexpectsofthem,byrelyingonimitativeacts,hewrestsfromthemthepowertocoercethemintoyieldingtohiswishes.38

Aswehaveseen, theeconomicsofour realityareconstructed inaway thatfavours a tiny elite at our expense. That leaves us with two metaphysicalchoices.First,use sympatheticmagic to imitate the tinyelite in thehopes thatsuchan imitationwilleventuallystick,but this isagambleofvery longodds.Second, use transgressive magic to break the system of economic harvesting.YouknowwhichoneIamgoingtosuggest.InthespiritofPaulHuson’ssimple,transgressivetrigger,belowyouwillfind

asuggestionthatmorecloselyalignswiththeeconomicchallengeswecurrentlyface.Theunderlyingfunctionisidentical.

TheHeadlessRiteTheassociationbetweenheadlessnessand thespiritworldstretchesbackup tofifty thousandyears.Burials have beendiscoveredwith the skulls of the deadsmeared in red ochre or detached entirely.Decapitation is themost importantcomponent of the shaman’s metaphoric dismemberment. Symbolically thislikelyrepresentsashamanorwitchhavingherheadinanotherrealm.Itsurvivestoday in folklore acrossmuch of the planet.One need only think of John theBaptist, he who initiated Jesus Christ and brought God down to earth … aquintessentiallyshamanicact.Hisheadwasremovedbythegoddess(theQueenof Sheba) and has become one of the cornerstone treasures of westernesotericism.One of the more obvious continuities of African neolithic shamanism into

dynastic Egypt is the story of Osiris. His is an archetypal shamanic role:dismemberedanddecapitated,hid ina tree to furtheremphasisehisvegetativeassociation,andthenrestoredbacktolifethroughthemagicofhissister/queen,to become the lord of the underworld—the home of the spirits—who alsoappearsintheskyastheconstellationOrion.There is thussignificantprecedent for folding this imagery intoan initiatory

process. Fortunately for us all there is a ready-made, solo-rite version of thisimagery hiding in plain sight of the western esoteric tradition. What is nowknownasThePreliminaryInvocationorBornlessRitewasfirsttranslatedfromacollectionofGreekMagicalPapyrihousedattheBritishMuseumin1852andwas subsequently discovered by magicians involved in the High Victorianrenaissance—namely Samuel Mathers and Aleister Crowley. Despite someclumsyretranslationwhere theword“headless”wasswappedout for theword“bornless” thanks largely to their penchant for playing fast and loose withHebrewwordswhen it suited them; theHebrew resh canmean, among otherthings, “head” or “beginning,” but the original Greek, akephalos, is clearly“headless.”Even with its transliteral damage, The Stele of Jeu—its other commonly

known name—has still managed to accidentally trigger some of the most

significanteventsinthelast125yearsofWesternmagic.Crowley,forinstance,performed it inside theGreat Pyramid (which is probably a stonemap of theOrionconstellationonearth)duringhishoneymoon.HethenperformeditagainwhenpassingbackthroughEgypt;bothactsprecededthereceptionoftheBookoftheLaw.Dating in itscurrent formtoaround the thirdcentury, theritecontainsvivid

elements of the Egyptian tradition—through the use of terms such as Osiris,Pharaoh(paphroinGreek)andgeneralreferencestojudgementandhatingwhenunjust things happen—as well as the Hebraic tradition through the use ofconceptssuchasMosesandIsrael.Weshallcomeontothisinlaterchapters,butit is during these centuries of extreme Hellenic hybridity that western magicbeginstotakeonitsrecognisedform.Asaself-initiationrite,then,itticksalltheboxes.Given thatmoreaugustsorcerers thanmyselfhavemessedaroundwith it to

great effect, Ihaveprovidedamodification that includes the fourkingsof thegrimoires. My reasoning behind this is, I think, sound. Directionality—specifically the honouringof directions—is another obvious continuation fromNeolithicshamanism.Ratherthansimplyoptingforthemoremilquetoastoptionof“the fourelements,” the fourkingsareabettermatch for the rite’soriginalspiritual goal. In conversationwith the author Jake Stratton-Kent, theworld’sforemostauthorityonGoetia,hesuggestedthattheriteisdesignedtoassociateitsperformerwithaverylargeandpowerfulspiritthathastherequisiteauthorityover lesser spirits. It orients the magician in a higher position relative to anambivalent spirit world. There is much to recommend this interpretation,especiallywhenonereadsofOsirisaskingofthespiritsoftheLandoftheDeadinthePyramidtexts.Also,Mosesisthetypological“lawgiver.”Hisword—andthusthemagician’sword—isthewordofGod.Ifanyof this sounds toomuch likebullyingspirits, I recommend taking the

ayahuasca/shamanismroutementionedatthetopofthischapterinstead.Itmayserve to re-frame your opinion away from cartoon fairies at the bottom of anEdwardiangardenmoretowardtheintenseandoccasionallyunpleasantrealitiesofextradimensionalcontact.Thespiritworldiscertainlyholy,butthatdoesnot

meanit isnice.Shamanism,forinstance, isbetterdescribedas“wranglingandtrading”withthespiritworldthananythingwemightconsiderworship.Besides,thesebombasticphrasesaremoreforthemagician’sbenefitthanthespirit’s.Weannounceourselvesloudlyandthenwemakefriends.Thesecondaryreasonforsuggestingthisriteasameanstotriggeringinitiation

is that it is largely interoperable with whatever your resting belief systemhappenstobe.Alltoooftenwhenreadingamagicbook,theauthorseemshell-bentonconvertingyou tohisorherbelief system. Ihaveno such inclination.TheHeadlessRitedealswithspiritsandthespiritworld.Theseconceptsareforallintentsandpurposesuniversal.Youdonotneedtoswapoutanyofyourgodsorfestivalstoworkit.YoucouldtakeyourselfofftomassorasabbatorDiwaliimmediatelyafterwards.Perform once and then see what happens over the ensuing couple of days.

Then perform several more times, randomly and/or as needed. The rite maytriggerinitiation,butitisnotaninitiationrite.Likeanoldfriend,youcanreturntoitwheneveryoufeellikeit.

Preparation:HeadlessRite1.Theonlyrealrequirementsisapieceofpaperorparchmentonwhichto

writethewordsofpower:

AŌTHABRAŌTHBASYMISAKSABAŌTHIAŌ

2.Beclean.Beinaspacethatisclean.(Optionalifyouaredoingthissomeplaceatmosphericlikeanabandonedtraintunnel.Whateverfloatsyourboat.)

3.Asforcandlesandincense,thesearelargelytheatrical.Usenewcandlesifyouaregoingtohaveanyandprobablysticktofrankincense.FortheFourKingscomponent,ifyouareperformingthisoutside,Irecommendsomerumtopouroutasanoffering.Ifthisisunachievable,thencarrytheincensewithyoutoeachquarter.

4.LocatetheconstellationOrion.Iuseoneofthemanyavailablestargazingappsforthis.Evenduringthedaytime,justwaveyourphonearound

pointingatthegrounduntilyoufindit.Ifanything,havingthestarsundertheearthismoreappropriateanyway.YouwillperformtheriteinthedirectionofOrion.

TheHeadlessRiteFace north, touch your left temple and then your right temple with theparchment,andreadaloudwhatiswrittenonitsixtimes:

AŌTHABRAŌTHBASYMISAKSABAŌTHIAŌAŌTHABRAŌTHBASYMISAKSABAŌTHIAŌAŌTHABRAŌTHBASYMISAKSABAŌTHIAŌAŌTHABRAŌTHBASYMISAKSABAŌTHIAŌAŌTHABRAŌTHBASYMISAKSABAŌTHIAŌAŌTHABRAŌTHBASYMISAKSABAŌTHIAŌ

Thensay:

Subjecttomealldaimons,sothateverydaimon,whetherheavenlyoraerialorearthlyorsubterraneanorterrestrialoraquatic,mightbeobedienttomeandeveryenchantmentandscourgewhichisfromGod.

(Note: Ifyou invest in anicepieceofparchment andput someeffort into thewriting, the first part of the Headless Rite can be used in any number ofsituations,andtheparchmentitselfbecomessomethingofanapotropaiccharm.)

MovefromfacingnorthtofacingthedirectionofOrionandcontinue.

Isummonyou,HeadlessOne,whocreatedearthandheaven,whocreatednightandday,youwhocreatedtheLightandtheDarkness;youareOsoronnophriswhomnonehaseverseen;youareIabas;youareIapos;youhavedistinguishedthejustfromtheunjust;youhavemadefemaleandmale;youhaverevealedseedandfruits;youhavemademenloveeachotherandhateeachother.IamMosesyourprophettowhomyouhavetransmittedyourmysteries

celebratedbyIsrael;youhaverevealedthemoistandthedryandallnourishment;hearme.IamthemessengerofPharoahOsoronnophris;thisisyourtruename

whichhasbeentransmittedtotheprophetsofIsrael.Hearme,ARBATHIAŌ

REIBETATHELEBERSĒTHARABLATHAALBEUEBENPHCHICHITASGOĒIBAŌTHIA;subjecttomealldaimons,sothateverydaimon,whetherheavenlyoraerialorearthlyorsubterraneanorterrestrialoraquatic,mightbeobedienttomeandeveryenchantmentandscourgewhichisfromGod.Icalluponyou,awesomeandinvisiblegodwithanemptyspirit,

AROGOGOROBRAŌSOCHOUMODORIŌPHALARCHAŌOOO.HolyHeadlessOne,delivermefromallrestrainingdaimonsandmisfortune,ROUBRIAŌMARIŌDAMBAABNABAŌTHASSADŌNAIAPHNIAŌITHŌLETHABRASAXAĒŌŌY;mightyHeadlessOne,delivermefromallrestrainingdaimonsandmisfortune.MABARRAIŌIOĒLKOTHAATHORĒBALŌABRAŌTH,delivermefromallrestrainingdaimonsandmisfortune,AŌTHABRAŌTHBASYMISAKSABAŌTHIAŌ.HeistheLordoftheGods;heistheLordoftheInhabitedWorld;heis

theonewhomthewindsfear;heistheonewhomadeallthingsbycommandofhisvoice.Lord,King,Master,Helper,Icalluponyou,IEOUPYRIOUIAŌTIAĒŌ

IOOUABRASAXSABRIAMOOYYEYOOYYADŌNAIE,immediately,immediately,goodmessengerofGodANLALALAIGAIAAPADIACHANNACHORYN.IamtheHeadlessDaimonwithsightinmyfeet;Iamthemightyonewho

possessestheimmortalfire;Iamthetruthwhohatesthefactthatunjustdeedsaredoneintheworld;Iamtheonewhomakesthelightningflashandthethunderroll;Iamtheonewhosesweatfallsupontheearthasrainsothatlifecanbegin;Iamtheonewhosemouthburnscompletely;Iamtheonewhobegetsanddestroys;IamtheFavouroftheAion;mynameisaHeartEncircledbyaSerpent;ComeForthandFollow.39

Atthispoint,movetofaceeastandcontinueonwiththeinvocationoftheFourKings.It isworthmentioningthatyoucaneffectivelycuttheperformanceintotwocompletelyseparatestandaloneritualsatthisjuncture.IuseavariantoftheFourKingsritualbelowaspartofmyregularofferingpractice(moreonthatin

later chapters). If you have rum, pour out a quarter of it as you begin theinvocation,otherwisetakethejossstickorcenserwithyouasyouperambulatethedirections.

IinvoketheFourKingsofthefourcornersoftheearth.Mostnobleandancientspirits,bewithmenow.OEasternOriens,mostshining,mostexcellentKing,whoreignsoverand

commandstheEasternRegions,whoseKingdombeganwiththefoundingoftheworldandshallendureuntiltheendofAllThings.IconjureandinvoketheebythemosthighandholyNamesofGod,dothouheremanifest,clothedwithallthypower.Oriens,Iconjurethee,bythevirtueandpoweroftheCreator,andbythevirtueofvirtues.

Turnaroundandfacewest.Pouroutsomerum.Continue.

OThouPaymon,Kingmostglorious,whoholdspowerfuldominionintheWesternRegionsoftheHeavens.IconjureandinvoketheebythemosthighandholyNamesofGod,dothouheremanifest,clothedwithallthypower.Paymons,Iconjurethee,bythevirtueandpoweroftheCreator,andbythevirtueofvirtues.

Turnbacktothenorth,poursomerum,andcontinue.

OThouAriton,Kingmoststrong,whoseMightyEmpirereachesintothecoldregionsoftheNorth.IconjureandinvoketheebythemosthighandholyNamesofGod,dothouheremanifest,clothedwithallthypower.Ariton,Iconjurethee,bythevirtueandpoweroftheCreator,andbythevirtueofvirtues.

Facethesouth,pourthelastoftherum,andcontinue.

OThouAmaymon,Kingmostnoble,rulerofthesouthernrealms.IconjureandinvoketheebythemosthighandholyNamesofGod,dothouheremanifest,clothedwithallthypower.Amaymon,Iconjurethee,bythevirtueandpoweroftheCreator,andbythevirtueofvirtues.

ReturntofacethedirectionofOrionandfinish.

IinvokeyouallwithpowerandIpraytoyouwiththeauthorityoftheOnewhospokeandwhohathmadeall,andwho,withonesolewordgavebirthtotheworldandwhomallCreaturesobey.BytheSeatofhisMajestyandbythegreatandaugustnamesoftheCreator,mostnoblekings,Iaskforyouraidandblessing.BytheholynameofIAŌSABAŌTH,whosevirtuehathnobeginningand

willhavenoend.Sobeit.40

WhatHappensNext?Goodquestion.OnethingIwillsaywitheveryconfidenceis thatyourdreamswillcertainlygetalotmoreinteresting.Beyondthatitwillreallydependontheconditions of reality around you. Expect the most unbelievably remotecoincidencestobeginmanifesting.Alsoexpectthatanyattempttoexplainhowamazingthesecoincidencesarewill fallondeaforunsympatheticears.This isalwaysthecasewithmagic,asevenwhenthepreferredoutcomemanifestsinthephysicalworld,somuchofitssignificanceisinsideyourhead.In my own life, following on from regular, albeit sporadic practice of this

exactrite,family-ownedhouseshavesoldforoveramilliondollarsontheotherside of the earth immediately after performing Four Kings offerings here inLondon.Ihavehad—andturneddown—joboffersfromoutofthebluewithouteven an interview, from theworld’smost desirable company. (Yes, that one.)Thesensationisdifficulttodescribe;itisalmostasifyouhavedroppedadepthcharge into theoceanof the spiritworld.Some thingsget clearedaway, somethingsgetshakenlooseandsomethingscomeswimming.One of the most persistent fallacies of wealth magic (or “probability

enhancement magic,” as I prefer) is that the witch or sorcerer will workbackwardsfromasuccessfulresultinherlifeanddecidewhatevercombination of colour, scent, and godformdoes that thing. As such, I cannotpromiseyou specificmiracles as a result of this practice.All I canpromise isthat thestackofmostlypositive,highly improbableeventswillonedaygetsoheavythatallotherexplanationsforhowtheyhappencollapseundertheweightoftheirownmathematics.Thenyoucandeclareyourselfinvincible.

Infact,thequestionofhowonebecomes“truly”initiatedinmagicisperhapstheoneIamaskedmorethananyother.Myanswerisalwaysthesame.Inevitably.

[contents]

37D.C.A.Hillman,PhD.TheChemicalMuse:DrugUseandtheRootsofWesternCivilization.ThomasDunneBooks,2014.

38LauraMakarius,“TheMagicofTransgression.”AnthroposIssue69.1974.39JakeStratton-Kent.“TheHeadlessOne.”Equinox.Number6.1991.40JakeStratton-Kent.TheTestamentofStCypriantheMage.ScarletImprint,2014.

4

ArmiesoftheDead

Iwishtodebatethematteronthegroundofexperimentsandobservationssuchasareappealedtoinotherinquiriesfordefiniteobjectiveproof.

FREDERICW.H.MYERS,FOUNDINGMEMBEROFTHESOCIETYFORPSYCHICALRESEARCH

Thischapterhaspoppedinandoutofthebookseveraltimes.Mypromisetoyouwastosellyouaslittleofmypersonalbeliefsystemaspossible.Workingwiththeancestorsisprobablythecornerstoneofwhatyoucouldconsidermy“restingbeliefsystem.”Therearetworeasonswhythechaptereventuallymadethecut.Firstly,ancestorvenerationseemstobehumankind’sfirstspiritualpracticeandremainsthemostwidespreadsoitishighlyunlikelytoupsetanyone.Thesecondreasonprobablywill,however.Considerthattheprimaryformofenchantmentassociatedwithsuccessmagic

istodowithhavinggoodluckthroughthewearingofluckcharmsoroilsandsoon.Achapteraboutdealingwiththedeadmadeitintothebookbecauseyouwillnever find a more effective, broad-based, “luck” practice than providingofferingstoyourancestorsandthedead.Thedifferencesitwillbringtoyourlifearenightandday.I haveno simplistic explanation forwhy thismightbe the case.Therehave

beennumerousstudiesonthepsychologicalbenefitsofgenealogyandbecomingmore aware of your own family story. Typically these are stress and anxiety

reducing effects as your sense of self and identity becomes embedded insomethingbiggerandmoremeaningful—anessential salve in today’s isolated,modernworld.Theseeffectsarecertainlyreal,buttheyareonlypartsofamuchgreatersum.Properlyenacted,chaosmagicallowsyoutoiteratethroughvariousmagical forms until you land on ones that actually work, and incorporatingancestorsandthedeadintoyoursorcerouspracticescertainlyfulfilsthatcriteria.

ImmortalRemainsItpositivelydefinesstuffwhitepeopleliketosuggestthatothercultureshaveasomehowdeeperunderstandingof ancestral spirits.Thismaybenarrowly truetoday,butitisamuchmorerecentphenomenonthanmostpeoplerealise.Mostpeople involved inwesternmagic are aware that at least someof theCatholicsaints are direct adoptions of pre-Christian gods and goddess. Saint Brigidsprings immediately tomind.However, viewed in their entirety, the saints areveryobviouslyacontinuationoftheclassicalvenerationofthehonoureddead.Whenyouconsiderthatwhentheywerealive,manylocalsaintswereeffectivelyholy men and women—very useful in Dark Age communities—who arecommemoratedwiththeparadingoftheirearthlyremainsorwithspecificfoodsandfeasts,youcandiscernwherethisspiritualpracticeoriginates.Addingtothisaretheregularmassessaidfordeceasedrelatives,theexistence

ofbothfamilyandcommunityrelics,andthepersistenceoffolkloresurroundingghostsandspiritsofplace—itbecomesapparentthatwehavebeencollectivelyignoringourdeadforonlyaverybriefperiodoftime.Mypersonalsuspicionasto why these practices never filtered intomodern Paganism is that they werecaughtup in the identitypoliticsof thepostwarerawhereanything todowiththechurchwasabandonedinfavourofnewgenderandecologicalperspectives.Whilsttheseperspectiveswereprobablynecessary,wethrewthebabyoutwiththe bathwater and ended up paying for flights to Finland to have a shamanintroduceustoourgrandparentswhowereinfrontofourfacethewholetime.Today’smagiciansmustpossessthesophisticationtoseparatethepaedophile

bankingcomponentoftheVaticanfromthecontinuousculturalpracticesofourancestors.Whatwemightcall“ruralfolkCatholicism”bearsasmuchsimilaritytowhathappensbeforethethroneofSaintPeterastheexperienceofflyingonAirForceOnehastoyouwalkingtoyourmailbox.Atthefolklevel,youhavethe continuous survival of Mithras, Isis, the stars, the planets, and your owndeceased relatives. Anyone looking to connect with an authentic, continuousmagicalpractice reallyneeds togetover theirunexaminedobjection tochurchtrappings and realise that this is the form that western European ancestral

veneration(andeastern,forthatmatter)tookforalmosttwothousandyears.Itisahistorical to ignore it and “jump over the top” back into the classicalworld.Suchanactionis,bydefinition,amodernrecreation.Oneofthemostpotentwaysofre-enteringthisancestraltraditionisthrough

thelargelyignoredCatholicnotionofthelonelysoul,astandinforallthesoulstrappedinpurgatory,trappedbetweenthisworldandthenext,anheuristicforallthespiritsfloating“outthere,”waitingforcontact.ThankstotheworkofwriterssuchasJakeStratton-Kent,wecanseethatthereisalong-standingviewofthesespirits that has informed the entire western esoteric tradition. From theperspectiveofthemagician,havingthespiritworkwithhimorherispartofherspiritualprogress.Wecanreadinnumerousgrimoiresthatthesorcererpromisestoprayforthesalvationofthewanderingspirittheyareseekingtosummon.InDiscoverie ofWitchcraft, a ritual to summonwhat is effectively a fairy queenfirstrequiressummoningthespiritofacriminalonthepromiseofprayingforitssalvationanditisthatspiritwhofetchesthesibylforthemagician.“Salvation” in an early-modern context is closer to the exhortations of

television psychics that soulsmust “move towards the light” than it is to anyattempted post-mortem conversion to Christianity. There is a quid pro quocomponenttotheseinteractionsthatisevidentlyveryvaluabletobothsidesandgoesbackthousandsofyears,perhapseventensof thousands.InJoséLeitão’struly excellent The Book of St Cyprian: The Sorcerer’s Treasure, the authorpointsoutthatthereisanimplicitrelationbetweenthespiritsthesorcererfreesfrompurgatoryand thesorcererhimorherself.Theybecomebound tohimorher. Functionally, this is near-identical not only to the acquisition of magicalassistants in the ancientworld but alsowith the shamanic acquisition of spiritallies that must date back to before the Neolithic. Viewed from such aperspective, itbecomesclear that thewesthasnotreallylost itsspiritwisdom.Wechangedtelephoneprovidersbutkeptouroldnumber.The simplest way to beginwith the spirits of the dead is to buy anAnima

Sola/Lonely Soul statue or card, light awhite candle before it and offer themspringwatertoquenchtheir/his/herthirst.(Springwatermakesthebestofferingforthespiritsofthedeadbecauseitcomesfromundertheground.)Incidentally,

thissimplepracticeisalsoaneffectivewayto“cool”minorpoltergeistorspiritphenomenainahouseorbusiness.Apotentiallymoresubstantialwaywouldbetovisitacrossroadandbegina

relationshipwithSaintNicholasofToletino,a thirteenth-centuryItalianmysticwho spent years praying for and having visions of the souls in purgatory,ultimatelybecoming their patron.Muchofhishagiography involves storiesofghostsandfetches.Myfavouritemiracleattributedtohimwasthesavingofninesoulscaughtinaseastorm.Theyprayedtohimandheappearedfloatinginthesky,wearinghisblackAugustinianrobes,witha lily inhis lefthand,radiatingblinding,goldlight.Hewavedhisrighthandandcalmedthestorm.Rockstar.Unlikesomanysaintswhohavemadeitintothewesternesoterictradition,we

knowthatNicholasofToletinophysicallyexisted. (Not thata lackofphysicalexistence implies a lackofmagicalutility.)Thatmay seem likea smallpoint,butitissignificantforthesectionsofthemagicalcommunitythatmayhaveanaversion to Christian symbology. The practice of visiting the graves of deadmystics andwizards or otherwise asking for their aid predatesChristianity bymillennia.WhilstNicholas’s own beliefswereChristian,when viewed from amagicalperspectiveweseeadeadnecromancerwhocontinuestoworkforandwith thedead.Youcouldnotaskforabetter intercessionarybeingtobeginorcontinueyourrelationshipwiththem.Hisobscurityintheoccultworldneedstoberectified.

TheRiteofSaintNicholas1.Takesomespringwatertoacrossroadsoneevening(orbuyabottleonthe

way).ExtrapointsifitistheeveningofNovember1,whichislateonAllSaints’DayandthenightbeforeAllSoulsDay.

2.Besureyouarealone,thentapthebottlethreetimesontheground.

3.Recitethefollowingincantation.Youarecertainlyfreetode-churchitifyoulike.Butremember,eventhoughwemaynotbeChristian,Nicholascertainlywas.

OmercifulGod,InyourprovidenceyouhavechosenSaintNicholasasaspecial

intercessoronbehalfofthedeparted.

TakepityonthosesoulswhohavenoparticularfriendsandintercessorstorecommendthemtoThee,Who,eitherthroughthenegligenceofthosewhoarealive,orthroughlengthoftimeare

forgottenbytheirfriendsandbyall.

Sparethem,OLord,andrememberThineownmercy,whenothersforgettoappealtoit.

LetnotthesoulswhichThouhastcreatedbepartedfromthee,theirCreator.

4.Pourthewateroutonthegroundinthefourdirectionsandcontinue.

MostholySaintNicholasMaythisofferingbringrefreshmentandhopetothesoulsinyourcare.

Maythespiritsofthedeadrememberandlookfavourablyuponme

AsIrememberandlookfavourablyuponthem.

Maythesoulsofallthefaithfuldeparted,throughthemercyofGod,restinpeace.

Amen.

HiddeninPlainSightItisdifficulttoconceiveofjusthowdisorientingtheappearanceofelectriclight,the beginnings ofmodern science and the eventual rise ofDarwinism had onwesternworldviews.Beforeelectriclighting,therewasthesunorfire.Foreverysingle prior evening in all of human history, night was a time of dancingshadows.Itseemedasif theworldofmagicwastobepermanentlyobliteratedbythemarchofscience.LeadingVictorianartcriticJohnRuskinputitthusinalettertohisfriendatthetime:“Ifonlythegeologistswouldletmealone,Icoulddoverywell,butthosedreadfulhammers!IheartheclinkofthemattheendofeverycadenceoftheBibleverses.”41Butthedeadarenotsoeasilybanished.In 1882, the Society for Psychical Research was formed in London and

continues to thisday.At the time theyadvancedan ideawhose radicalismhasfadedas thepremiseofmaterialismappears tobe running itscourse.The ideawasthatyoucoulddevelopascienceofreligion,thatthespiritualexperiencesofthe last thirty thousand years could be explored—if not quite explained—byrecoursetothesenewscientifictechniques.Spiritualism is what happened when those early pioneers dragged a clunky

electric light to the crossroads and illuminated the bones of our ancestors. Itemergedintheyearsthatoverlappedthespiritcustomsofthepre-industrialageandthesteam-poweredambitionoftheindustrialone.Itisapivotalmomentintheentirestoryofthewesternesoterictraditionthatwehavelargelymistakenasbeing the end of it. The magical community’s view of spiritualism has beenshaped by the opinions of Victorian occultists such as Aleister Crowley—forwhom it must be remembered spiritualism was competition—and the generalsexism that it is littlemore than ahobby forgrievingwidows. It isn’t.FrenchKardecismwouldgoon tohaveahuge impacton thecolonial spiritualitiesoftheNewWorld.OuijaboardsoutsoldcopiesofMonopolyin1967.TodismissSpiritualismistodismisstheuninterruptedthreadofwesternspirit

relationships tracing back thirty thousand years. It is also to dismiss somesupremelyusefulevidencethathearkensbacktothepreviouschapter’sgoalofbecominginvincibleandmayevenhavemagicalpraxisimplications.

TheScoleExperimentsIf ever the Society for Psychical Research had a case that deserved yourundividedattention,itwouldbetheScoleExperimentsinthe1990sintheeastof England. It is widely regarded as the society’s most important case ever.(There are numerous, full-length documentaries onYouTube, and the book isreadilyavailablesecondhand.)Observedphenomenaincluded:

Writingandsymbolsappearingonfactory-sealedrollsoffilmleftonthetable.Apportedobjects,includingnewspapersfrom1944thatwereprintedinprocessesnotusedsincetheseventies,onpaperthatwaslackingchemicalsitwouldotherwisehavecontainedbutdidn’tbecauseofthewar.RosepetalsappearingoncameraatséancesattheBacciCentreinItaly.Overtheseveralyearsthatthesessionsoccurred,theywereattendedbyastrophysicists,NASAscientists,mathematicians,criminologists,andlawyers.(Theastrophysicistswentontoformtheirownstudygroup.)

Fromamagicalperspective, twocomponentsof theScoleExperimentshaveescapedwider notice and they seem significant tome. Firstly, the core groupengaged in twice-weekly séances for more than a year with just minorphenomenabeforetheextrememanifestationsbegan.Secondly,theentitiesmakingcontactwiththegroup—whocametobeknownas“thespiritteam”—required this initial sustained contact and chose to escalate thecommunication for their own reasons … which were to provide definitiveevidencethathumanconsciousnesssurvivesphysicaldeath.Rightherewecandiscernthemagicalneedforregularcontactwiththespirit

world. It enables us to boost the fidelity of the signal. Somewhere in the onehundredandthirtyyearsofSPRexperimentswebegintoseethe“evidence”thatsustainedcontactwiththespiritworld“worksbetter”thansporadicrequestsforassistance.Thismaywellbethekeytowhyincorporatingtheancestorsandthe

honoured dead has such a beneficial impact on the probabilistic outcomes ofyourlife.

Near-DeathExperiencesIfitseemstoyouthatneardeathexperiences(NDEs)areamodernphenomenonthenyou are largely correct.We can find examples in historical literature thatmatchtheaccountsthatarenowcommonlyreported,buttheyarescarce.Thereare also individual retellings such as the ones that temporarily capture thepublic’simaginationintoday’sworld.Individualexperiencesarecertainlylife-changingforthosewhogothroughthem—andlegitimatelyqualifyasbecominginvincible—but they remain anecdotal for the rest of us, interesting, notdefinitive.However,wearenowclosinginonfivedecadesofaccumulateddatafromwhichwemaydrawsomefairlyfirmhypotheses.Five decades?Prior to 1967, if youhad a heart attack, you almost certainly

died. But from 1967 onwards, portable defibrillators began to be used inemergencymedicine.Sincethattime,thecauseofdeaththatisthemostlikelytotriggeranNDEiscardiacarrest,because it is thecauseofdeath thatcanmosteasily be reversed in a triage situation. It was only from 1975, when Dr.RaymondMoodypublishedhisbestsellingLifeAfterLife,thatweevenhavetheterm“neardeathexperience.”ThemostcommonwaymaterialistsdismissNDEevidenceis toclaimthata

brain starved of oxygen begins to hallucinate lights and colours, similar inexperiencetowhenjetfighterpilotsblackoutduringextrememanoeuvres.Evenfromamaterialistperspective,suchdismissalsdonotholdtheslightestvolumeofwater.Firstly,asingleincidentinwhichitcanbedemonstratedthatapatientundergoinganout-of-bodyexperience(OBE)orNDEreturnswith informationthey could not possibly have—such as in caseswhere the patients leave theirbodies in operating theatres and travel to their family homes, returning withaccountsofwhat transpired—obliterates theoxygen-starvationhypothesis.Andthere have been thousands of such incidents. Secondly, OBE/NDEs haveoccurredwhenpatientshavebeeninsideMRImachinesthatcanprovetherewaszero brain activity, so how could the brain be hallucinating? As for

hallucinations—which certainly do happen during medical procedures—thedefining characteristic of an NDE is that it is the most vivid and most realexperience of the patient’s life … which does not sound like a sputteringhallucinationofadying,anesthetisedbrain.DutchcardiologistPimvanLommel—whostudiedNDEsinaclinicalsetting

for more than twenty years and published his data in the esteemed medicaljournal The Lancet—explains the challenge to the “brain hypothesis” in hishighlyrecommendedConsciousnessBeyondLife:

Westilldonotknowhowitispossibleforpeopletoexperienceanenhancedconsciousnessduringacardiacarrest,thatis,duringaperiodwhenthebraindisplaysnomeasurableactivityandallbrainfunction,suchasbodilyandbrain-stemreflexesandbreathing,hasceased.Lookingattheinteractionbetweenconsciousnessandthebrain,weconcludedthatconsciousnesscannotbeseenastheproductofbrainfunction.Infact,sometimestheoppositeseemstoapply:themindinfluencesbrainfunction,bothintheshortandlongtermasaresultoftheempiricallyprovenprincipleofneuroplasticity.Ourcurrentscientificknowledgecannotaccountforallaspectsofthesubjectiveexperiencesreportedbysomecardiacarrestpatientswithcompletelossofallbrainfunction.42

Because of improvements in medical resuscitation, the number of NDEs isactually increasing. Dr. van Lommel estimates that 4 percent of the totalpopulation has experienced one, which is about 9 million Americans and 20millionEuropeans.FromamagicalperspectivethisishugelyfascinatingastherehasneverbeensuchahighnumberofOtherworldambassadorsinallofhumanhistory.Althoughthemetaphysicalcommunityhaslargelyignoredtheavailabledata,anyofourwizardlypredecessorswouldhavepositivelyleaptattheinsightsafforded by them.According to linguist and authorGeorgiMishev,Bulgarianfolkmagic—amoreorlesscontinuousevolutionofThracianmagicalcustoms—treatswhatwe callNDEs very seriously.43Of all theways one can become ahealer in the Bulgarian folk tradition, being close to death through illness ortrauma and then returning is the most potent. In Bulgarian, they are called

preneseni,whichliterallymeans“transferred.”Thosewhoare“transferred”backarebelieved tohavepowersofhealing andprophecy, often taught to thembyancestors, saints, the Blessed Virgin, etc. Whilst the research that modernpatientswhohaveundergoneNDEshavesignificantlifeimprovementsintermsof happiness, reduced anxiety, and so on is very robust, the contemporaryWesternworldisnotreallyinapositiontoquantifywhether theseexperiencesresultinimprovedmagicalability.Itstrikesmeasamissedopportunity.Although such a term would presumably cause mild discomfort to the

hundredsofmedicalpractitionersaroundtheworlddiligentlyresearchingNDEs,we really must see the field as a continuation of the Western tradition ofspiritualism. Near death experiences sit in that liminal zone between theestimable achievements of modern science and our shared spiritual heritagepertaining to the dead and their influence on our lives. From a chaos magicperspective,thedatatheyofferaffordusanunparalleledopportunitytocalibrateour necromantic practice with some seemingly quantifiable evidence. On apersonal level, the final nail in the coffin of “the brain as generator ofconsciousness”formewaslearningthat therearecasesofblindpeoplehavingNDEswholeavetheirbodiesandareabletovisuallydescribeobjectsandfacesintheoperatingtheatre.Explainthatonetomeifthesephenomenaaresimplyacaseofwakingupduringsurgery!HerearesomeoftheotherinsightsfromDr.Lommel’s2001studypublished

in the Lancet, which encompassed 344 patients in ten Dutch hospitals over athirteen-year period.44 Eighteen percent reported some recollection of the timeduringwhichtheywereunconscious.Ofthat18percent:

12percenthadsignificantNDEsand21percenthadwhatwasdescribedas“superficial”NDEs(inthesensethattheywerelight).Thelong-termlifeeffectsthataroseamongthosethathadNDEswereoverwhelminglypositive,includingagreaterappreciationforloveandfamily,reducedanxiety,andmore.50percenthadanawarenessofbeingdead.24percenthadOBEs.

31percentreportedmovingthroughatunnel.13percentexperiencedalifereview.31percentdescribedmeetingwithdeadrelatives.

Beyond the actual awareness of being dead—which is presumably aprerequisite for entering the Otherworld—the greatest percentage experiencewasmeetingdeadrelatives…meetingancestors.Imaginethat.

AncestralAltarYou probably already have an ancestral altar. Paintings or photographs ofdeceased relatives sitting upon amantle are a direct continuation of a 20,000yeartraditionoftheremovalofskullsofthedeadtobesetinthedwellingplacesofourpalaeolithicancestors.Viewed insuchaway, it isonlypolite tomaybemakethemalittlebitnicer:perhapsacloth,someflowers,andsomeglasswareonlyusedtoprovideofferingstoyourancestors.Availableevidencesuggestsitis thesebeingswhowillmeetyouon theothersideof the tunnel.Whoelse ismorelikelytohaveyourbackinthislife?Ancestor veneration does not rely on either thematching of blood types or

moving sequentially back up your family tree. Adoption, for instance, was acommon classical custom and—when it came to highborn families—wasregularly undertaken specifically so that the adoptive parents would havesomeonetoperformancestorrites.Youalsodonotneedtoknowallorevenanyofthenamesofyourancestorstobeginsuchaprocess.Modernadopteesarebynomeans excluded from ancestorwork. In fact, they technically have arounddoubletheancestorsasnonadoptees.(Twofamilytrees,yousee.)Insituationsoffamilytraumaorchildhoodabuseitisimportanttorealisethat

youareundernoobligationtoincludeallfamilymembersorancestorsonyouraltar.Thereisanunbrokenchainofbloodstretchingfromyourightbacktothefirsthumanonearth.Skipentiregenerations ifyou feel it appropriate.Havingone’snameormemoryerasedafterdeathasa resultofmisdeeds in lifewasavery common and truly terrifying punishment in ages past. It remains verysatisfyingtometeout.

HermanubisAh, Hermanubis, the most magically useful god you have never heard of.Emerging from the sometimes-literally psychedelic period of Greco-Egyptiansyncretism,HermanubisisahybridformoftheEgyptianfunerarygod,Anubis,and the Greek messenger-trickster, Hermes. The combination of the twoprovides a psychopomp par excellence. He is depicted as having the body ofHermesandtheheadofAnubis.HismostfamoussurvivingstatueisviewableintheVaticanMuseum.Cynocephalic (dog-headed) gods are supremely ancient andwidespread. As

forHermanubisspecifically,hisoriginissomethingofamovingfeast.Plutarch,for instance, identifies Anubis with Hermes and with the star Sirius (the dogstar).Butthedog/messenger/SiriusconnectionisfoundatleastasfarbackastheearlyNewKingdomwhereweseecynocephalicfiguresgreetingtherisingsunatthefourdoorsoftheeasternhorizonononeofRamsesII’sobelisk.TherisingofSiriusmarked the beginning of at least two of Egypt’s simultaneous calendarsystems.Firstly, the returnofSirius to theeasternskies in latesummerafteraseventy-day period (the same length of time as themummification procedure)heralded the flooding of the Nile, the natural phenomenon responsible forEgypt’sbounteousagriculturalharvest.Secondly,Egyptiansacredcalendarsranon a much longer year, the Sothic year—named for the heliacal rising ofSirius/Sothis—lasting1,461solaryears.This calendric notion survives into the Egyptian concept of the decans—

mighty spirits that hold sway over sections of the night sky. The sequence ofdecans beginswithHermanubis, and herewe can see his role as psychopompandopeneroftheways.Heappearsfromtheunderworldandtravelsacrosstheskyattheheadoftheentireparadeofstargods.Fromhere,thewholenotionofSirius/dog/initiatorandthelatesummerskies

isabsorbedintothemythologyoftheearlyEuropeanchurch.IfyoulookatthecalendarofsaintsfromtheendofJulytothebeginningofSeptember,itisfilledwithdogs.MostfamouslyisSaintChristopher,belovedofmadtaxidriversandmothers with large prams the world over, on July 25. His hagiography states

explicitly thathewasagiantfromthe landofChananeans/canineswhoseonlyformof communicationwasbarking. In southernFranceyou findSaintRoch,August 17, and Saint Guinefort, who was/is an actual dog, on August 22.AnotherdirectcontinuationofHermanubis is foundviaSaintBartholomewonAugust24.InMythsoftheDogManbyDavidGordonWhite(norelation),weread:

[W]efindaversionoftheCopticActsofBartholomewwithaLatincodicil…Thecodicilreads:“ThesearetheactsofBartholomewwho,uponleavingthelandofIchthyophages,wenttoParthoswithAndrewandChristianus,thecynocephalicman.”Asimilarcodicilisfoundmuchearlier,intheapproximatelyfifth-centurySyriacversionoftheactsofMatthewandMarAndrew:itsaysthattheapostlesconvertedthe“CityofDogs,whichis‘Irqa,’”situatednorthoftheCrimea.45

Giventhatthereiszeroarchaeologicalevidenceforanyofthesepeopleandagrowing academic theory suggesting that much of the Christian story is aretellingof star lore (twelveapostles, twelvezodiacalhouses,andsoon), then“converting the City of Dogs” could represent the incorporation of the Siriancorneroftheskyintotheemergingreligion.SaintChristopher’sfeastdayfallson the ancient ritual known as thekunophontis, the “massacre of the dogs,” asacrifice performed to appease the restless dead ancestors of Apollo’s son,Linos, who was killed and eaten by dogs. It was quite common to seecynocephalicstatuesofChristopheratthegatestoEuropeancitiesrightupuntiltheMiddleAges.Herewehavethe“wayopener”meetthedog-headedcrosserof boundaries and spiritual insight. Before our very eyes, Hermanubis hascontinuedalongwithusinthemarchofwesternculture.Christopheristheonlycynocephalicbeinginthepost-Christianwesternworld

to be given a name, although there have been dog “races” and “people” forcenturies.ThesepeoplesarefromLibya,Egypt,northernIndia,andtheHornofAfrica, which most of the time was considered the same place. Thuscynocephalywasavisualshorthandforeasternspiritualinfluence.Interestingly,itcurrentlyappearsthatdogswerefirstdomesticatedinsoutheastAsia.

Otherdirectcontinuitiesare found inOrigen’saccountsof thebeliefsof theheretical gnostics. He writes that the gnostics believe “men … [after death]assumed the shapesof these theriomorphic spirits andwerecalled lions,bulls,dragons,eagles,bearsanddogs.”46Note thatall theseanimalscanbefound intheconstellationsof theclassicalworld,givingusaverypoignant indicatorofwhere thegnostics locatedtheirafterlife—amongthestars.ReturningtoDavidGordonWhite:

ThecynocephalicHermanubisandErathoath(Hermes-Thoth)areproductsoftheGreco-Egyptianastrologicaltradition,andwemayfurtherglimpse,intheCopticcommemorationofBartholomew’smartyrdomonthefirstdayofthemonthofThot(August29),anevocationofthatanimal-headedEgyptiandeitywhosesymbolismwascarriedoverintotheHellenisticworldinthefigureofHermesTrismegistus.Second-centuryAlexandriancoinsdepictHermes-Thothtogetherwithcynocephalicapesandthecaduceus,andanotherOphitesource,an“Abraxis”gemstone,depictsthecynocephalicHermanubisholdingasceptreineachhandandstandingbetweenahalfmoonandastar,ontheothersideisthearchonMichael.TheseHellenistictraditionswerethesourcesofChristianzoomorphicdepictionsofthefourevangelistsaswell:thesefirstspreadfromAsiaMinorandtheCopticChristiansofEgyptintoSicily,VisigothSpain,MerovingianSouthernFrance,andCelticIreland,withthecynocephalicChristopherhardontheirtails.

Why dogs, death, and late summer?Why would this be my recommendedroute into magical dealings with the dead? This is a very, very old Indo-European association … possibly a dozen millennia old. In numerous Indo-European traditions, the dead are compared to a herd or flock, with a divineshepherdandhisdogordogsmanagingtheherd.Weseeechoesofthistraditionwith Hekate—to whom dogs are sacred—hounding lost souls; we see it withCerberus guarding the threshold to the underworld; we see it in the Romantraditionofhouseholdgodsandspirits,Lares,oftendepictedwearingdog-skins.In book XXII of The Iliad, Homer describes Sirius as the hound of Orion.

During the dog days, Orion’s hound “redoubled the fiery heat of the sun,bringing,intheafternoon,sufferingtoalllivingcreatures.”Suffering and illness are consistently associatedwith thedogdays and their

presidingspirits.Theoriginsofthisconnectionarelikelyfunctional.Eventoday,highsummerisatimeofmosquitoes,viraloutbreaksandwater-borneillnesses,the baking heat leading us to drink from smaller and more dubious watersources. Thus the threshold between the former year and the new year wasfraught with sickness and danger. It was and formuch of theworld still is adangerous,liminaltime.LiminalitygavebothHermesandAnubissomeoftheirmany titles. In some places,Anubis held the title ofApherou,meaning “way-opener.” Hermes had many similar titles such as Psychopompos, meaning“conductor of souls.” You could not find a better hybrid to deepen yourinteractionswiththedead.Followingareseveralwaysyoucandothat.

WorkingwithHermanubisOneofthepurposesofrunningyouthroughcynocephalichistoryatsomelengthis to announce that you can get yourself a statue of Saint Christopher fromalmost anywhere and have a ready-made, almost-hoodooized home forHermanubisonyouraltar.(Ideally,trytofindonewithalamp,asacredsymbolofHermes.)ItradeduptoaSaintChristopherfrommypreviousprint-outofthestatueofHermanubisfromWikimediaIputinadollarstoreframe.Bothwork,butChrislooksbetteramongmyothergoddollies.Suggested offerings include spring water (obviously), rum, and aquavit.

Suggestedincenseisstoraxormyrrh.Jobdone.

1.Open/banishasyouseefit.TheHeadlessRitefromtheearlierchapterfitsextremelywellhereonaccountoftheconnectionbetweenOsirisandAnubis.

2.Fireupthecandles,incense,etc.Haveasmallshotglassinfrontofthestatueandyourliquidofferingtohand.(Theshotglassandliquidofferingcanbereplacedwithabowlandwineasdescribedbelow.)

3.RecitethismodifiedspellfromBetz’stranslationoftheGreekMagicalPapyri:

HailHermanubis!Cometome!

Ohighone,Omightyone,OmasterofsecretsforthoseintheUnderworld,

OPharaohofthoseinAmenti,OChiefPhysician,OGoodSonofOsiris,hewhosefaceisstrongamongthegods.

YoushouldappearintheUnderworldbeforethehandofOsiris.

YoushouldservethesoulsofAbydosinorderthattheylivethroughyou,thesesouls,theonessacredtotheUnderworld.

Cometotheearth!Revealyourselftomeheretoday.

YouareAnubis.YouareHermes.Youaretheonewhowentforthfromtheheartofthegreat

Agathodaimon,thefatherofthefatherofallthegods.

Cometothemouthofmyvessel/indwellinthisformdedicatedtoyou47

Andreceivemyofferingandpraise.ForIamIsistheWise,thesayingsofwhosemouthshallcometopass.48

Somenotesonpossiblyunfamiliarterms:AmentiistheWesternLands(oftheDead). As for Agathodaimon, it was originally a Greek presiding spirit ofvineyards and wine, but by this point in history had been syncretized withSerapis and the Logos, thus stitching together wine, dying, resurrecting gods,and the creation of the universe,which should sound very familiar. (ConsiderJesusdescendingintohelltofreeallthePaganswhodiedbeforehisappearanceonearth,forinstance.)HereisahighlyfruitfullineofenquiryIcommendtoyoubutsitsoutsidethescopeofthisbook.The spell indicates the invocation should be repeated seven times. That is

certainlyrecommendedforyourfirstfewrun-throughs.Eventuallyyouwillgettheshipintheairfasterthanthat,sotospeak.Fromhere,theritesplits.Ifitisastandardoffering,thencontinueasbelow.Ifitisthebowlspell,jumptothenextpoint.

Hermanubis,bringinatableforthegods.Letthemsit.

Hermanubis,bringinatablefortheHonouredDead.Letthemsit.

Hermanubis,bringinthebreadandwineforthegods,bringinthebreadandwinefortheHonouredDead.

Letthemeat,letthemdrink.49

HereisthepartwhereHermanubisbecomesextremelyusefulanddirectionalwhen it comes to speak with specific groups of the dead. For example,“Hermanubis,bringinatableforthespiritsofthepriestsofHeliopolis”or“thespiritsoftheancestorsalongmyPortuguesebloodline.”

Youcanalsousethisinvocationatthebeginningofaséance,forinstance.Oryou can call in a particular group of spirits simply to feed and honour them,and/orcommunicatewiththemviacartomancy.Note:Offeringsshouldbeleftonthealtar/intheritualspaceforarespectable

length of time, such as overnight. Remove any foodstuff before it spoils.Ancestralofferingscanbedisposedofasyouwouldany leftover foodstuff foryourfamily(which iswhat theyare).Erron thesideofcautionwithofferingsforotherspiritsandleavethematcrossroads, ingraveyards,orotherbetween-spaces not located on your property.Much as on theAfrican plains or in theopenocean,thereissomethingofafoodchainwhenitcomestospiritofferings.The big ones eat first. Then the others do.You do notwant to be feeding orattractingtheotherstoyourhouse.

AnotherOfferingRiteAnotheradaptationfromtheGreekMagicalPapyri.Thespellcallsforbrass,butI picked up a copper curry bowl on Brick Lane in East London and use thatinstead.I’mnothingifnotopportunistic/cheap/hungry.

1.PaintoruseasilverpermanentmarkettoinscribeAPHEROU(Way-Opener)ontheinsidebaseofthebowl.

2. Ifyouwishtouseitfordirectscrying,lightthecandles,putthebowlonyourlap,pourinspringwater(orseawatertoreachthesoulsofthedeadlostatsea)followedbygreenoliveoil,oronlygreenoliveoilwithnowater,andaskHermanubistoshowyouwhatyouseek.Thisworksbestinthelowlightenvironmentthatonlymagicalcandlescanbring!

3. IfyouwishtoaskHermanubisforsomethingspecificliketheblessingandsupportofthespiritsofthePhoeniciandeadinyourinternationalbusinessendeavour,thenhavewineratherthanwateroraquavitonhand.Pouritintothebowlandrecitethefollowing:

Youarewine,youarenotwineButtheheadofAnubis.

Youarewine,youarenotwine,ButthefeetofTheMessenger.

Youarewine,youarenotwine,ButthegutsofOsiris,

ThegutsofIAOSABAOTHAPHEROUABRASAX.

ThenspeakyourrequesttoHermanubis.Once done, be sure to bid all assembled beings depart in peace andmutual

respect.Disposalof theofferings is as above.Often I just let the springwatercompletelyevaporate.

TheGratefulDeadofBaarI appreciate some fairly bold claims regarding the continuity of practicespertaining to the dead and ancestors havebeenmade in this chapter, so let usclosewiththestoryoftheGratefulDeadofBaar.Theearliestversionofthistaleis from a thirteenth-century German book of miracles, the DialogusMiraculorum.OncetherewasamanfromBaarwhowouldalwaysstopandofferupaprayer

forthedeadeverytimehewalkedpasthislocalchurchyard.Itcametobethathewaspursuedbyarmedbanditsoneevening,soheranintothechurchyardtohideamong the tombstones.Thebandits followedhim in,whereuponall thegravesflungopen, thedead roseandcame to thedefenceof themanwhoprayed forthem,wieldingswordsandgreatstaffs.Thebanditsfledinterror,nevertobotherthemanfromBaaragain.This storywas popular right across Europe for several centuries. The scene

wasregularlydepictedinchurchesasfarawayasSweden.Itservedasapotentreminder to the faithful that the dead are never quite gone. In the twenty-firstcentury we are fortunate enough to have more than one hundred years ofempiricalobservationssuggestingthesamething.Thecombinationofknowingthat you survive death, along with your ancestors and the heroic dead, is animmovablebackstopthatprovidesyouwiththecouragetomoveforwardinallfieldsoflife.And sure, you could probably pursue success without a skeleton army, but

whereisthefuninthat?

[contents]

41DeborahBlum.“ThoseDreadfulHammers.”Wired.AccessedApril12,2015.www.wired.com/2010/11/those-dreadful-hammers/.

42Dr.PimvanLommel.ConsciousnessBeyondLife.HarperOne,2011.43GeorgiMishev.ThracianMagicPastandPresent:Avalonia,2012.44Dr.PimvanLommel.“Near-deathexperienceinsurvivorsofcardiacarrest:aprospectivestudyintheNetherlands.”TheLancet.Volume358,No.9298.December2001.

45DavidGordonWhite.MythsoftheDogMan.UniversityofChicagoPress,1991.46White,Myths.47Ifmakingastandardoffering,usefirsthalfofthisphrase;ifdoingthe“bowlspell,”usethesecondhalf.48HansDieterBetz.TheGreekMagicalPapyriinTranslationIncludingtheDemoticSpells.SecondEdition.UniversityofChicagoPress,1997.

49Ibid.

5

AmbivalentAllies:TriggeringSync

Thebeliever’smistakeistoascribemeaningandcredencetothesecondaryperception,thementalimagecreatedbyourbraintoaccountforthe

stimulus.Theskeptic’smistakeistodenytherealityofthestimulusaltogether,simplybecausethesecondaryperceptionseemsabsurd.

JACQUESVALLEE,CHALLENGETOSCIENCE

InJulyoftheyear1085,someshepherdsonamountainintheSpanishregionofNavarrawitnessedsomethingveryunusualinthenightsky,somethingwemighthavecategorisedslightlydifferentlytoday.TheBlessedVirginand“agreatstar”descendeduponthem.Theareaquicklybecameasiteofpilgrimage.ThekingofAragonandNavarre,SanchoRamirez,paidtohaveashrinebuiltonthespot.Asignonthechapelreads:

ThisistheStarThatcamedownfromtheSkyToEstellaToobserveit.

Creepy,right?Creepyandsuggestiveoftheunavoidablerealitythatwhateverthephenomenawecallgodsorangelsactuallyare,theydemonstratetremendousfluidity in their chosen manifestations … fluidity to the point of deception.Philosophers includingPatrickHarpur refer to these experiences as “daimonicphenomena,” that is, phenomena that sit in the overlapping space betweenmythology,realphysicalmanifestations,andpsychicorparanormalexperiences.

Faeries, angels, and the Blessed Virgin Mary are probably the best westernexamplesofthedaimonic.ConsiderthisobservationfromDr.Roney-DougalinTheFaeryFaith:

TheDaimonicislinkedtoourworld,butnotofthisworld.Thisisillustratedbythecuriouslinkbetweenaperson’sexperiencewith[faeries]andtheprogressofhumantechnology,thedaimonicalwaysbeingdifferentintheirtechnologyfromus.Theyareeithermoreadvancedthanusinsomeway,asintheirabilitytoappearanddisappear,orlessadvanced,asintheirmedicaltechnology.Forexample,thefairfolkalwaysseemtodressandhaveaculturefromatimeearlierthanours,andtheir“superiority”liessolelyintheirmagicalabilities.50

ForwhatIcanonlyassumearepersonalreasons,alotofoccultistsshyawayfromobservingtheirgodsinthemuchwidercontextofglobalparanormal,psi,andUFOphenomena.Butwearerequiredtolookatthedatasetasanoverlayonboththeprobabilisticnatureoftheuniverseandindeedthechangedprobabilitiesof manifesting wealth and success in our current regime.We are looking forareasthatcanbepushedoroptimised.Themost common answer youwill hear to the question ofwhich spirits or

godshave thebest affinitywithwealth accumulation in thewest areoften thesamebeingsassociatedwith lawsand royalty. Imagine that.Wewent to somelengthexplaininghowwealthgetsharvestedupward through themachinationsoflawmakers,taxcollectors,monarchs,andsoon.Jupitermaywellbethegodofwealth, but he is not the god of you—he is a king’s god, and his inherentconflict of interest did not go unnoticed amongst theRomans, either.As theymovedfromamonarchytoarepublic,theconsulswouldstillswearanoathtoJupiter; the ancient god of kingship and highborn families. It is an ancientversionof“themorethingschange,themoretheystaythesame”anditpresentssomeoperationalchallenges.Modernmagichasalsomistakenthemuch,muchlater astrological Platonic system—a long-defunct explanatory model of theuniverse—for an eternal conception of Jupiter (or Hermes, et cetera). This isakintothinkingtheguntotin’cowboyJesusoftwentieth-centuryAmericaisthe

same Jesus the Christian apologists were trying to embed into Europeanphilosophy.Do these political complicationsmeanwe should avoid such beings?Perish

thethought.Whatisrequired,however,isalittlediscernment.Ifyouchoosetogofullconspiracyonyourgeopolitics,theworldiscontrolled

byatiny,kinglyelitethatisnotrunningtheplaceforyourbenefit.Ifyouchoosenot to go full conspiracy, the world is a chaotic morass of unbalanced andcompeting agendas fighting over dwindling resources and vanishing jobs.Howeveryousliceit,anorderly,lawful,presidingdeityofwealthaccumulationisnotthebestallyandmayevenbeasleepatthewheel.Youneedanallywhoiswilier,whoisambivalent.Youneedsomeonewhocantrick.FromTheTricksterandtheParanormal:

Tricksterfigureshaveparticularappealtomarginal(lowstatus)groups.InancientGreece,aristocratsviewedmerchantsandcraftsmenwithsuspicionanddisdain.NormanBrownnotesinhisHermestheThief(1947)that“Hermessymbolizedtheaspirationsofthenon-aristocraticclasses”;infactHermeswasthepatronofmerchants.AsimilarsituationwasseenintheMiddleAges.Asfeudalismbegantocrumble,someofthenobilitynolongerenjoyedtheprivilegestheyoncedid.Themerchants’plightimproved,buttheirsocialpositionwasunsettled,becausetheirstatuswasnotboundtotheclassoftheirbirth.Thefeudalandchurchauthoritiesdistrustedthem,andfittingly,ReynardtheFox,atrickster,wastheirsymbol.Allthisillustratesthenexusofmerchants,liminality,unsettledstatus,andthetrickster.51

Inaprobabilisticuniverse,anambivalentallyaccompanyingyouontheclimbismuchmoreusefulthanalawful,cosmicthronebeforewhichyouareexpectedtobeg.Shootforluck,notpower;shootfortricks,notclout.Toooftenweprayfor theproverbialmiracle, thevery lowprobabilityoutcome,when insteadweshouldbenudgingandswappingforsmallergoalswithnearbyspirits.The advent of affordable computing over the last forty years has uncovered

somefascinatinginsightsintohowwereallygoaboutachievingobjectives.The

most important of these insights has to do with the limitation of top-downcontrol.FromObliquitybyeconomistJohnKay:

Ingeneral,obliqueapproachesrecognisethatcomplexobjectivestendtobeimpreciselydefinedandcontainmanycomponentsthatarenotnecessarilyorobviouslycompatiblewitheachother,andthatwelearnaboutthenatureoftheobjectivesandthemeansofachievingthemduringaprocessofexperimentanddiscovery.Obliqueapproachesoftenstepbackwardstomoveforwards.52

In your own lives you will know that the big goals never go even slightlyaccordingtoplan.Just thinkbacktowhatyouthoughtyourcareerwould looklike before it even began. Oblique approaches not only accommodate suchinevitable chaos into your journey, they often draw strength from them. Werequirenimble feet.Winged,even.Wherehaveweheard thatbefore?Ohyes,theclassicalpantheon(andtoalesserextentthelogoofalargeflower-deliverycompany).ThenameHermesderivesfromtheancientGreektermforthesmallpilesofstonesusedtomarkoutthebordersbetweenproperties.Hestandsontheboundaryandcanmovefreelybetweenthem,betweentheworlds,sotospeak.This is a common characteristic of the Trickster; his or her unpredictablelocationaswellaswhatheorshebringsbackfromthatotherPlace.Hermeshashisownpowerofprophecy,butunlikesomeofthemoreupstandingdenizensofOlympus, his manifests through games of chance rather than profoundstatements fromon high.This is the quintessence ofHighStrangeness, of theparanormal,ofmostlybeneficialcoincidences.Trickstersareoftenpossessedoftheknowledgeofthewholeearthaswellas

themeanstosubverttherulesthatkeepthemagicianawayfromwhatheorshewants.StoriesofBrerRabbit in the folkloreof thesouthernUnitedStatesandhis regular triumphs over much more powerful animals come to mind.Wakdjunkaga, the Winnebago trickster, refers to every object and animal onearthas“youngerbrother.”Hepredates themand is thuspossessedof the fullknowledgeofeverythingincreation.Asimilarbeliefisattachedtothedevilin

Iberian magic. According to José Leitão, the devil’s capacity to intervene inpeople’slivescomesnotfromsomeinherentevilpower,butfromhisgreatage.Tricksters rule the liminal space, the territory of the shaman. Between the

manifestandtheunmanifest,nightandday,maleandfemale.Justastheshamandoes, the trickster crosses boundaries for us and if it so chooses, returnswithsomethingweneedorwant.Tricksters represent a highdegreeof uncertainty,unpredictability,andobliquity.Askilledmagiciancanridea trickster tohisorherlifegoalswithouthavingtospelloutthehundredsofdrearystepsinbetween(whichwillbewronganyway).PeteCarrollputsthisobliquityquitesuccinctlyinTheOctavo.

Conjurethen,forneedsifmust,butpreferablyforopportunityandqualityofexperience,butnevermerelyformoreofthesame.Conjurenotforwealth,butfortheexperiencesthatyouwouldspendthe

wealthonifyouhadit.Anynecessarywealthwillthenmaterialiseasasideeffect.53

Practicalenchantmentmanifestsmostoftenasbeneficialsynchronicitiesratherthan bombastic,miraculous appearances of gold bars falling from the sky. Soyour objective should always be to increase the total volume of positivesynchronicities in your life. These are both simultaneously the signals of andopportunitiesofferedbyourambivalentallies.Theymaynotbringyouwealth,buttheywilltriggersync.Whatisimportanttorememberisthattheseentitiesarenotreallyyourfriends.

JesusmaybeyourhomeboyandmommyGaiamayloveyounomatterwhat,butthe beings of the crossroads are ambivalent; they are capricious. Thecombination of modern service culture and the Judaeo-Christian idea of apersonal creator have given rise to some fairly alarming errors in magicalthinking.ManyofushavesomeunthinkingexpectationthattheentirespiritualworldexiststohelpyougetthatnewiPador2percentpayrise.Thebalanceofevidence and the last fifty thousand years of human history suggests this isprobablynotthecase.

TheTricksterandYourCosmologyIf there is not a trickster in your personal cosmology, it is of limitedpsychological use to you and probably a bit unbalanced for the purposes ofpracticalenchantment.Typically these beings are found at the crossroads, so look there first.Even

someaspectsofHekatefulfil thisfunction,for instance.Sheisassociatedwithcrossroads, as well as Hermes. The fact that she predates the rest of theOlympianpantheonmeansshe isnotboundbythediktatsofZeus. (Recall thesame notion of predating exists among the Winnebago and Iberian folkmagicians.)Religion ingeneraldoesnotoverly interest the jobbingsorcerer. Indeed, the

historical evidence suggests that they largely fitted into whatever dominantbeliefsystemwasknockingaroundatthetime,focusingmoreonacquiringandusing practical techniques.Modernmagic has confused classical relationshipswith thegodsbasedonavailablearchaeologicalevidence…whichnecessarilyfavours“highchurch”relationshipsbecausesuchevidenceismuchmorelikelytosurvive.WelookatDelphiorthePantheonanddiscerneitherpriestlyorroyalapproaches to the divine, but they tell us little about how thewider populacebehaved. The scant pieces of the common approach to the gods suggest anentirely different, low-tech, more transactional relationship. A similar ethosinformsthisbook.Wearenotheretofoundasci-fireligionorroleplayingcircle.Pickanambivalentallyandmoveon.Herearesomesuggestionstogetyoustarted.

TheDevilattheCrossroadsForcenturies,thedevilhasfulfilledtheroleoftricksterinthewesterntradition.Ourexpectationthatheissometerrifyingmonsterdeterminedtodestroyorruletheearthisarecent,cinematiccreation.InearlymodernEuropehewascertainlyunpredictablebutstillentirelyunderthecontrolofGod—justaseverythingelsewas.Hewasbothersomeratherthanevil,likeafriendwhodrinkstoomuchorthatneighbourhoodcatwhokeepsgettingintothehousesomehow.Thecore“sin”thatarosefromassociationwiththedevilwasidolatry,notsoul

lossor recruitment into thearmiesofhell.Thus, throwingvotiveobjects inanoldholywellbecameassociatingwiththedevilbecauseoftheinherentidolatryinbelievingthatthewellhadcapacitiesGodcouldorwouldnotfulfil.IntheNewWorldinparticular,thephrase“dealwiththedevil”becameasort

ofcatch-allforanyagreementundertakenbetweenahumanandthespiritworld.Perhapsthemostfamousexampleofthisisearlybluessinger-songwriterRobertJohnson,whotookhisguitartothecrossroadsandplayedseveraleveningsinarow.Eventuallya“large,blackman”showedup,tunedhisguitar,andhandeditback.For therestofhisshort life,Johnsonwasanundisputedmusicalmaster.Hespokequiteopenlyabouthisdealwiththedevil,buttheconsensusopinionappears tobe thathisactualagreementwaswith the loa…probablyLegba inparticular.Ifthatisyourroad,youdonotneedmetoshowittoyou.Fortherestofus,it

strikesmeasabouttimewereopenedthisroute.ThecrossroadritualbelowcallsonLuciferratherthan“thedevil.”Thereareanumberofreasonsforthis.Firstly,the“devil” is somethingofa semanticmoving target.Sometimes it isLucifer,often it is a lot more. Lucifer’s pre-Christian origins associate him with theplanet Venus, the morning star (and/or evening star); thus he presides overliminal, crepuscular times—dawn or dusk. There is also his later Prometheanassociations inbringing light toearth;hebrings things from theunmanifest tothemanifest.(Ifyouarestillalittleuncomfortable,recallthatJesusisalsocalled“MorningStar.”Figurethatoneout!)

STEP1

Thefirststepisobviouslyfindingaquietcrossroadwhereyoucanbealoneforseveralevenings.ItiseasiersaidthandoneifyouliveinWestLondon,asIdo.(Thefirst timeIperformedavariantof thisritewasinsometidalbushlandonSydney’s Parramatta River. Much quieter.) You will need to return severalnightsinarow,sofactorthatin.

STEP2Onthefirstevening,writethefollowingsquareonapieceofreasonablyrobustcard.Remember,itcanrain!

LUCIFERUNANIMECATONIFINONONIFINOTACEMINANUREFICUL

Go to thecrossroads, conceal this square somewhere itwillnotbe foundorotherwisedisturbed,clapyourhandsthreetimes,andcallouttoLuciferandsayyouwishtospeakwithhim.ThenwalkawayWITHOUTLOOKINGBACK.

STEP3Thenextpart isquitevariable.Onsuccessivenights,go to thecrossroadsandfeel.Thereisnoneedtorepeat theinvocation(unlessyoudeterminethat thereis),merelyholdtheintentionofcontactinyourhead.Eventuallytherewillbeasensationofawarenessorexpectation.Ifitisnotthere,comebackagainthenextnight.Iappreciatethismaybenonstandardprocedureforthoseofyouwithsomemagical experience, but the goal here is to calibrate the crossroads for yourreality…andhis.

STEP4Onenight, thepresencewillbeunmistakable.Then,rubyourhandswithsomeof the dirt from the crossroads and say the following. (Have it written down

beforehand.)

Lucifer,Ouyar,Chameron,Aliseon,Mandousin,Premy,Oriet,Naydru,Esmony,Eparinesont,Estiot,Dumosson,Danochar,Casmiel,Hayras,Fabelleonthu,Sodirno,Peatham,Venite,Venite,Lucifer,Amen.54

Atthispoint,speakaloudaboutwhyyouarehere,whatyouintendtogetoutofthisarrangementandwhatyouarewillingtoofferinreturn.Offeringsincludefood,alcohol,praise,artworkdedicatedtothespirit,andsoon.Youcertainlydonotneedtoofferyoursoul.(Thefactthatyouarereadingamagicbooksuggestsitsresalevalueisalotlowerthanyouprobablythink,anyway.)Whenyouhavecompletedyourexchange,thankthespiritforattendanceand

onceagainwalkawaywithoutturningback.

FinalNoteIf you are more comfortable with “the devil” as a specific being rather thanLucifer,omitthemagicsquareandtheinvocation.Clapandsummoneachnightuntilyouexperienceachangeinthefeelofthecrossroads.It is also worth noting that you now have yourself a power place for the

regularleavingofofferings,quietcelebrations,ordiscussionswithaspiritofthecrossroads.Theserelationshipsbuildovertime.Youwillgetnowhereinmagicor in lifewithout a robust relationshipwith theLordof theCrossroads inoneform or another. Do not be a stranger; remember what I said about“ambivalence.”

HermesandHermanubisIn terms of liminal, transgressive trickster allies, do not forget there are somereasonably extensive techniques for reaching Hermanubis in the previouschapter. He can certainly fulfill this role, too. I tend to call Hermanubisexclusivelyfornecromancybutonlybecauseitishowmypersonalpracticehasevolved;theruleisfarfromuniversal.As for Hermes/Mercury, there are any number of resources out there for

achieving contact. Begin with classical sources and hymns. In either case, asmall statue of Saint Christopher provides a subtle, suitable home for thesebeings(andwillnotalarmhouseguestsquitesomuchasastatueofthedevil!).

OtherAlliesThereissomethingquitecrudeabouttryingtofitoverviewsofgodsintooneortwochaptersofoccultbooks.Ifdivineconceptscouldsoeasilybeapprehendedthentherewouldbenoneedforoccultbooksinthefirstplace.Itbecomesevenmore difficult when attempting to convey some notion of Trickster beings orthosethatpresideoverHighStrangenessandsynchronicity.As such, the following beings are representative.Much can be gained from

furtherstudyofanyorallofthem.Noteverythingyoureadaboutneedstoenduponyouraltar.

AnansiOurLadyofFatimaManuLokiRabbit

FamiliesAreAlwaysRisingandFallinginAmericaThe single biggest cause of bankruptcy in the United States is a bad healthdiagnosis. Our cognitive error inmistaking the postwar decades for “normal”meanswe have largely forgotten that Fortune, as a force or a goddess, bringsboththegoodandthebad.Thehistoricalrecordisfilledwithhymnsandspellstopropitiatethisbeing,toensurethatshebringsgoodfortuneratherthanill.Infact,theearlychurchfoundthispracticeamongthemostdifficulttoerase.Shewas treated as a separate being—you could almost say worshipped——rightthroughuntiltheearlymodernperiod.Ourancestorswereevidentlypreparedtotolerateachangeofreligiousregime,buttheywerenotstupidenoughtoleaveFortuneunappeasedforlong.Wordstoliveby.There is much equanimity, wisdom, and insight to be gained through

meditating on this personification of probability.Always, always have a go-topropitiation for Fortune/Isis Fortuna/Tyche, etc. I use a comparatively simpleOrphichymntoTycheperformedwiththeuseofachaplet;akindofminirosaryblessedby thePope,no less. (Long story.)Because every enchantment in this

bookhasbeenpersonally,thoroughlyroad-testedoveranumberofyears,IhavetotellyouthattheritualasitstandsrequirestheJohnsHopkinsUniversityPresstranslationoftheOrphicHymns.55Asotherwritershavefound,thispublisherissomewhatchallenging togetquoteclearancesoutof, soyouwillhave to seekout the fullversionyourselves. (I suggest froma library.) In the interim, thereare some excellent classical mentions and invocations found on the extensivetheoi.com that may provide a standin. But a ritual is more than a randomassortment of words and funny smells, so I will not do you the disservice ofsimplymakingupahymnwhilecarryingonwithadifferentoneinmypersonalpractice.Once you have sourced a satisfactory invocation or hymn to Tyche, simply

lightsomefrankincenseincense,andifperformingthisoutside,digasmallholein thegroundandpour inmilk,honey, andwine.Repeat for eachbeadof thechaplet.Like so much magic, you can really only tell if it is working when it is

working. Expect curious synchronicities and chance encounters on theway toyourgoals.Thegeneralideaistopositionyourselfsomewherewheretherearegreater probabilistic ranges of outcomes and find an ally whowill helpmorethanhinderyou.Call it theportfolio strategyof religion:you justneed towinslightlymoreoftenthanyoulose.Asforidentifyingpotentiallosses,thatisthesubjectofthenextchapter.

[contents]

50SerenaRoney-Dougal.TheFairyFaith.GreenMagic,2003.51GeorgeP.Hansen.TheTricksterandtheParanormal.Xlibris,2001.52JohnKay.Obliquity:WhyOurGoalsareBestAchievedIndirectly.ProfileBooks,2011.53Carroll,TheOctavo.54JakeStratton-Kent.TheTrueGrimoire.ScarletImprint,2009.55ApostolosN.AthanassakisandBenjaminJ.Wolkow,translators.TheOrphicHymns.JohnsHopkinsUniversityPress,2013.

6

TheMagnificentGameoftheKing

Oneofthemostinterestingfindingsofprecognitionandpresentimentresearchisthatpeopleseemtobeinfluencedbythemselvesinthe

future,ratherthanbyobjectiveevents.Precognitionsarelikememoriesofthefuture.Presentimentsseemtoinvolveaphysiologicalback-flowingfromfuturestatesofalarmorarousal,aflowofcausation

movingintheoppositedirectiontoenergeticcausation.

THESCIENCEDELUSION,DR.RUPERTSHELDRAKE

Dedicated to the most powerful woman on earth at the time—Catherine deMédici;theFlorentineprincesswhobecamequeenofFrance—abookappearedinBologna in1551. ItwascalledOneHundredLiberaland IngeniousGamesand contained rules and instructions for various dice and card games, both ofwhich were extremely popular in northern Italy. One was listed as theMagnificentGameof theKing,wherein the foursuitsof the traditional Italianplaying cards represented the four cardinal virtues of prudence, justice,temperance,andfortitude.Herewasagamethatwasalsomorethanagame.Itwasapastimethattoldtheplayerssomethingaboutthewideruniverse.Inwhatisamildlyamusingcircularmetaphor,preciselydatingwhenthetarot

appeared in Europe is something of a Fool’s errand. Western esotericism’scurrent views of the tarot are shaped more by late-eighteenth- and early-nineteenth-centuryFrenchmysticsseekingtotieeverythingbacktoEgypt.(Thiswaseasier todo ina timebeforehieroglyphshadbeen translated.)SubsequentVictorianoccultiststhenoverlaidChristiankabbalisticconceptsandtheHebrew

alphabet over the astrological correlations developed by their Frenchpredecessors.Whilst this is a pleasingly coherent system—reaching its apogeewithAleisterCrowley’sBookofThoth—it lacksanyhistoricalveracity furtherbackthanitscreators.Thebroadconsensusappearstobethatcardgameshadarrivedincentraland

southernEuropebythe1300sfromtheNearEast,iftheadmonitionsofvariousholymenatthetimeareanythingtogoby.Thesegamestypicalhadfoursuitsincludingmirrors,acorns,swords,andplantsbuthadyettocoalesceintotoday’srecognisablesetofplayingcards.Differentregionshaddifferentvariantsanditwasonlylaterthatthetrumpcardswereadded.(EarlytrumpscontainedafemalepopewhichisnowtheHighPriestess,andmuchofthereligiousconcernaboutthe cardsmay have sprung from this blasphemy.) These trumps appear to bebasedonthepopularmedievalmysteryandmoralityplaysthattravelledEuropepromotingCatholicandbiblicaleschatologytoamostlyilliteratepopulace.PaulHuson,inhisexcellentMysticalOriginsoftheTarot,suggeststhatthepresenceofDeathinthetrumps,aswellasthegeneralmovementofthetrumpstoryfromthe physical to themetaphysicalmay have served as amementomori for thewealthy ofEuropewhen itwas being ravagedby thePlague. In any case, theimagery that would have been instantly understood by the medieval mindbecameobscure and “mystified”only a fewcenturies later as theRenaissanceblewawaywhat it sawas thecobwebsof the ignorantworldviewof theDarkAges.Sortilege—from the Latin sortilegium—as opposed to cartomancy has been

aroundsincemankinddevelopedtoolmakingcapabilities.DatingbacktotheriseofChristianity,cardswereusedtogeneraterandomnumbersreferringtophrasesintheBible,Virgil,orHomer,forinstance.Sowehavetwobehaviouralstreams,gaminganddivination,comingdowntousfromthedistantpastinawaythatisnowimpossibletodisentangle.And why would we want to? As we saw in the probability chapter, a

mathematicalunderstandingofriskandprobableoutcomesisanextremelylatedevelopment.Thedifferencebetweenagameandaforecastwasfarlessdefinedforourancestorsthanitisforus.Bothdealtwithafutureeventthat,atthetime,

wasentirelyoutofyourhandsandinthehandsofFortune.(“Oh,IamFortune’sFool!”)Wouldshefavouryouorno?Thuswefindourselvesonceagainintherealmof the trickster, in that liminal spacebetweenwhat is realandwhat isagame. Divination in general and cartomancy in particular can only ever haveemerged in an environment of illegal tavern games, marginal cultures andforgottenfearsofPlaguedeath.Thoseeighteenth-centuryFrenchoccultistswerecorrectinsayingthatthetarotcontainsthehighestsecretsofmagic,justnotinthewaytheythought.

TheScienceoftheMagnificentGameAlongwith telepathy, precognition is themost studied andmost common psieffect. Over a century’s worth of data has been generated in laboratoryconditionsonwhichwecandraw.AsDr.RussellTarg says, froma statisticalperspectivetheevidencefortelepathyandprecognitionistentimesgreaterthantheevidencethataspirinpreventsheartattacks.Getting your head around precognition and getting good at divination are

probably the two steps you can take tomagically improve your life over anyother.Cartomancyhasmanaged to accrete several centuriesofmythologyandfolklore,muchofwhich is unhelpful if you are in the business of, you know,gettinganaccurateviewof likelyoutcomes.Thefastestway toburnoff theseaccretions is to hold them to the light of precognition’s scientific andpsychologicalevidenceaswellastheirsubsequentimplications.Firstlyandmostimportantly,whatisthemostcommonformofprecognition?

For this,wemust return toCambridge biologist and personal heroDr.RupertSheldrakeinhisScienceDelusion.

Onmydatabasethereare842casesofhumanpremonitions,precognitions,orpresentiments.Ofthese,70percentareaboutdangers,disasters,ordeaths;25percentareaboutneutralevents;andonlyfivepercentareofhappyevents,likemeetingafuturespouse,orwinningaraffle.Dangers,deathsandcatastrophespredominate.Thisagreeswithasurveyofwell-authenticatedcasesofprecognitioncollectedbytheSocietyforPsychicalResearchinwhich60percentconcerneddeathsoraccidents.Veryfew

wereofhappyevents.Mostoftheothersweretrivialorneutral,althoughsomewereveryunusual.Inonesuchcase,thewifeoftheBishopofHereforddreamedthatshewasreadingthemorningprayersinthehalloftheBishop’sPalace.Afterdoingso,onenteringthediningroom,shesawanenormouspigstandingbesidethetable.Thisdreamamusedher,andshetoldittoherchildrenandtheirgoverness.Shethenwentintothediningroomandanescapedpigwasstandingintheexactspotwhereshehadseenitinherdream.56

Rightawayyoucanseethat thesedataarehighlyinstructive.Thefirst thingthat leaps tomind is that theevidence for successfulprecognitioncomes fromthecompleteoppositeendofthequestionspectrumtowhatdivinerscommonlyask. Divination tends toward positive questions: “Where is my soul mate?”“How can I makemoremoney?” Indeed, it is a common topic of discussionamongprofessionaltarotreaderswhethertosugarcoatnegativereadingsandbyhowmuch.It appears that precognitive accuracy increases when it comes to avoiding

negative outcomes to possible actions. We may speculate a mechanism forunderstanding this: a future state of discomfort may be easier for ourconsciousnesstodetectinthepresentthanafuturestateofcomfortastheyarenot only more rare, but as Duke University’s Dan Ariely’s researchdemonstrates,humansaremoreconcernedwithavoidingnegativeoutcomesthanseeking positive ones regardless of the probabilities involved. There ispotentially a very real opportunity to use our own cognitive biases to genuineadvantagehereinwaysthathavesofarbeenunder-explored.Positive or negative, it seems that having a fixed outcome at the time of

divinationworksbetterthanhavinganindeterminateone.HereisPeterJ.Carrollagain,fromhisclassicessay“MagicalTheory”:

Whenthemagiciandivinesheinteractsprimarilywithfutureversionsofhimself.Indivinationhebasicallytapsintowhathemayknowinthefuture.Acuriouscircularityseemstoexistindivination;itonlyseemstoworkifatsomepointinthefutureyouwillendupknowingtheresultbyordinary

means.Thisexplainswhythebestresultsindivinationseemtooccurforeitherveryshorttermdivinationsaboutunlikelythingsthatwillhappeninthenextfewseconds,orforeventswhichareheavilydeterministic,butnotyetobvious,inthefurtherfuture.57

Carroll’s observations align with the findings of the notorious Stargateprogram; aNASA-andCIA-funded series of experiments into remote viewingthatlastedformorethantwentyyears.BeginningduringtheheightoftheColdWar, the project successfully located down Soviet aircraft in the jungles ofAfrica, kidnapping victims, the rings of Jupiter (before Voyager had beenverified them),anddozensmore.Over thecourseof itsexistence, the findingsfrom thousands of experiments led to the development of some fairly robustprotocolsdesignedtomaximisetheaccuracyofaremoteviewingsession.Mostpertinenttoclassicdivinationarethefollowingtwo:Firstly,what isknownas “feedback”: the remoteviewer is toldwhether the

informationheorshegave—–andspecificallywhichpartsofit—wereaccurateor ultimately useful in achieving the objective, i.e., was the plane eventuallyfoundornot?Thisisfunctionallyequivalenttodiviningforafixedeventinthefuture whose outcome you will eventually know. Not only does providingfeedbackimprovetheaccuracyoftheindividualsession,itimprovestheoverallaccuracyof the viewerover time. If youwant toget better at divination—andwhodoesn’t?—keepthisinmind.Providingfeedbackisliftingbarbells.Secondly, contemporary magicians should consider what is known as

“analyticaloverlay.”A termcoinedby theStargateProgram’smost successfulremoteviewier,IngoSwann,itreferstothemind’snaturaltendencytointerprettheimageryit isreceivingas it isreceivingit.Interpretationappearstorequireusing a different part of the mind to precognition. Attempting interpretationduringtheprecognitivepartofasessionleadstotheimposition—theoverlay—of the reader’spersonalopinionsofwhat aregoingon rather than the clearestpossibleviewofafutureevent.Thisratherdefeatsthepurposeofdivination,ofcourse.Ifyouwantyourownopinionofwhatisgoingtohappeninthefuture,justputdownthecardsandaskyourself.Frompersonalexperiencecartomancy

hasaninbuiltcapacitytoshort-circuitanalyticaloverlay.Aslongasyoumerelylookattheimagesonthecardsas you turn them over and resist leaping to an interpretation until you haveoverturnedthemall,youlargelyavoidgettinginyourownway.Finally,andprovingthatmyownlackoffashionabilityextendsfarbeyondmy

wardrobe (don’t judge, I’m not the one reading a chaos magic book!), is theclassicnotionofobliquestrategies.Itisperhapsabitdisingenuoustoincludeitunderasubheadingthatcontainstheword“science,”smellingfaintlyasitdoesofsmiletherapy,fondueparties,andotherlong-since-dismissedconceptsfromtheseventies,obliquestrategiesareneverthelesshighlyinstructive for the improved performance of cartomancy, particularly forbeginners.Thegeneralidea,sodeliciouslyandrepeatedlyskeweredinthe1991filmSlacker, is that randomised and typically counterintuitive suggestions canleadtobreakthroughsincreativethinking’.Whetherthatisapplicabletoyourownlifeorno,thereismuchtobegained

even from what would otherwise be considered failed divinations—i.e.,predictions that subsequentlyprove tobe inerror.Consideran individual tarotreading tobeabrainstormingsessionforone.Typically themagiciandoesnotresort todivinationexcept insituationswhereheorsheisstuckorunawareofthe best course of action. Often the layout or interpretation of the cards willsuggest an approach that can unstick the magician regardless of whether thereadingwasaccurateornot.In these situations,note thepredictionnonetheless (for feedback,yeah?)but

lendmorecredence to theunstickingsuggestion thathas justappeared inyourmind.Abigpartofthisapproachis“givingyourselfpermission”(forwantofalessannoyingterm)toexperimentwiththeformofcartomancy.Youotherwiserun the risk of frontloading yourmindwith outcome-anxiety andmissing thesession’s most valuable component. Unless your life goal is to become theworld’smostgiftedpsychic,whatyouactuallywantfromadivinationisnottoenvisionyourpreferredoutcome,buttoactuallygettoit.

ForecastingSo it would seem that the human capacity for precognition is better used inavoidingnegativeoutcomes,anditappearsthattheprobabilisticnatureofrealitymakesthelikelihoodofpredictiveaccuracydiminish thefurther intothefuturethequerentlooks,especiallyincaseswherefeedbackisunlikely.Howarewetocohere these consciousness effects into a workable predictive system forgeneratingpreferred lifeoutcomes,especiallywhere it comes towealth?Entermonthlyforecasting.

AstrologyAstrologyisabitlikehairdressing.Notonlyisitlikelyyouwillhavetoadmitdefeatandvisitanexpert rather thanattempt ityourself, itcan takeawhile tofindonewhodoesn’tmakeyou look likea just-escapedmentalpatient.Whenyoudofindone,cleavetohimorherforaslongasyoucan.Evenifyouconsiderastrologytobelittlemorethanarandomisedcorrelation

betweensevencommon topicsand theperspectiveerror thatgiveshumans theimpression thatourneareststellarbodiesappear tomoveregularly throughtheearth’s night sky—which is perfectly reasonable, by the way—as a sort ofchecklistforregulardivinatorysubjects,itworksbetterthanmostothersystems.As toastrology’spredictiveefficacy, Iwill justhighlight inpassing that the

onetimeCSICOP—theso-calledCommitteefortheScientificInvestigationintoClaimsoftheParanormal—actuallydidsomescientificinvestigation,itwasintothe predictive power of natal charts correlated with sporting prowess. Theyfounda(small)correlationthatledtoresignationsandclaimsoffalsifyingdatain an attempt to prove no correlation.58 They stopped investigating and havespentthepastfortyyearsshoutingfromthesidelinesinstead.Thegroupactuallycompletelydropped“scientificinvestigation”fromitsnamein2006.Themoreyouknow,eh?Even somethingasvanilla as amonthly sun signhoroscopecanprovide the

catalyst foran improvedmonthlyforecast.Forexample, inaddition toabroaddivination such as “What are the top challenges facing me in the month ofMay?”onecanadd:

Iwishtoknowmoreaboutthepotentialconflictwithaworkcolleague.WhatisbehindtheargumentsIamhavingwithmypartner?Iwishtoknowmoreaboutmychestproblems.

Youwill note that thesequestions,while not specificallynegative in andofthemselves,givethedivinerawidercontextfor loomingchallenges.Theyalsoverymuch leave the door open for full feedback.Whether it “works” in any

objective sense, astrology can indicate those Rumsfeldian “known unknowns”thatmayotherwiseslipby.

MonthlyReportingMuchofthisprocedurecanbeperformedonasmartphone.Iactuallydomostofit on the bus on the way to work the morning my monthly horoscope ispublishedonline.IreadSusanMiller’sastrologyzone.com,butyoumaybeafteradifferenthairstyle.Firstly, start a Google doc or similar that will be used for your monthly

forecast.Overtimeyouwillendupwithareversechronologyoftheyear.Thenmakesomenotesunderthefollowingheadings.

You:Bulletpointyourthoughts,opinions,milestones,unexaminedpredictionsforthecalendarmonth.Thisisnotaclairvoyantexercise—itisalmostthecompleteopposite,infact.Startwiththisonebecauseitcanserveasyourcontrolgroupfortheothersystemsofforecasting.Youbasicallywanttojotdownyourunassistedguessofwhatthenextmonthhasinstoreforyou.Thenyouwanttocompletelypushitoutofyourmind.Genuinelyvisualiseaniconofscrunchedpaperlandinginawastebasket,thatsortofthing.Thestars:Summarisethepointsthatseempertinentfromyourmonthlyhoroscope.Incidentally,youwillbemostlywrongastowhichpointsseemrelevantatthebeginningofthemonth.Thenhopefullythenextmonthyouwillbealittlelesswrong,andsoonastimegoeson.(Suchisthetheory,anyway.)Thecards:Bulletpointthepertinentpointsfromamonthlytarotreadingasdescribedabove.Ifyouhaveasmartphone,takeaphotoofthespreadbecausejustaswiththehoroscope,thepartsthatseempertinentatthebeginningofthemonthwillseemlesssoattheend.

Onlyoncethisisdoneshouldyoureadoverthepreviousmonth.Considerityourfeedback.Nothinginthemonthlyforecastprecludesdoingsituation-specificdivination.

If anything, it helps to correlatewhich parts of your lifemay require either alittle divinatory or sorcerous assistance, but it is a supremely helpful baseline.

Some entirely newperspectives emergewhen you beginwith youropinion ofwhat will happen that month and then layer over several different divinatorysystem.Afewfriendsincludeamonthlygeomanticreadingaswell,apparentlytogreateffect.Whicheverlayersyouchoose,theaimistofrontruntheuniverseasmuchaspossible.

CartomancyTechnically, you can use any sufficiently complex system of divination thattakesyourfancy.Thesecanincluderunes,geomancy,ortheIChing.But let me tell you something about me. If you couldn’t tell from the

introduction to this chapter, I love the tarot. Love it.Not just tarot either, butprettymuch any formof cartomancy. I havedozens of decks.Some arewornand filthy frommore than two decades ofmagical campaigns, and others areunbelievablyexpensiveandtooprecioustouseregularly.(Forinstance,ahand-printedSibillaOracle I got fromoneof the few remainingoriginal printers inFlorence … a city that was famous for magic, cartomancy, and printing forcenturies.)Neverletanyonetellyouthatyoucannotbuyyourowncards,thatyoucannot

readforyourself,thatonlyamateursusetheaccompanyinginterpretations,thatonly some tarot systems are valid, that you should never read for people youknow,or thatyoushouldnever readwhenyouareunwell.Humanshavebeendiviningforatleastthirtythousandyearsandwearestillworkingouttherules.Theseobjectsneedtointerfacewithyourconsciousness,afterall,andyouwillalwaysbethesupremeexpertinthatparticularfield.

WhyandWhichTarot?Whytarot,specifically,ratherthananyothersystemofcartomancy?Well,thisisa bit glib, but a game based on medieval courtly life filled with pitfalls anddeception,zeroopportunity forupwardmobility that isn’t assignedviadestinywhereyoubeginwithabsolutelynothingandhopefully endwithnothingmorethanagooddeathmorecloselymatchestoday’seconomicsituationthanIthinkmostofuswouldcaretoadmit.Asforwhichdecks,letmeimmediatelycontradictmyselfregardinglistening

to other people’s tarot advice and suggest, humbly, that beginners select tarotdecksthathaveimagesandclearmeaningdescriptionsoneachcardratherthanjust the trumpsandthecourtcards.At thevery least, this leads toquickerandpossiblymoreefficientmeaningrecall.

Thesecondconsiderationistoensurethatifyouareselectingathemeddeckithas sufficient emotional range. I have several tarot decks on the theme ofArthurian mythology and the Grail cycle, for instance. These stories have asufficientamountofsex,death,misfortune,andtriumphtobeabletospeakthenonlinguisticlanguageoftheunconscious.“TheFlowersofWestWalesTarot”probablydoesnot.Youareeffectively teachingyourmindtospeakto itself inimageslikeazoologistwouldwithadepressedgorillaorprecociousdolphin.

CalibrationThereisanelementofthatChristmasmorningfeelingwhenonereceivesanewtarotdeck.Typically thecardsarepulledout, looked through,brieflyshuffled,andthentakenfortheirfirstroadtest.Thisisfine;itisyourmoneyandtheyareyourcardsafterall.Thenextstep,however,reallyshouldbeworkingoutwhichcombination of image and meaning matches your own interpretation andunconscious.Thisprocessiscalledcalibration.Beginwiththedeckandaccompanyingbooksittingbesideyou.Liftthefirst

cardandseeifyoucandiscernitstraditionalmeaning.Checkthebooktoseeifyouarecorrect.Ifyouarecorrect,placethiscardtotheleftofthemainpileandtotherightifyouarenot.Moveontothenextcard.Continuetheprocessuntilyouhaveexhaustedthemaindeckleavingyouwith

twopiles,oneofcardswhosemeaningsyourecallandonewhosemeaningsyoudo not. Shuffling the pile of cards whose meanings escaped you on the firstroundandrepeat,checkingeachmeaningagainstthebookasyougo.Eventually—inlesstimethanitappearswhenwrittenoutlikethis—youwill

haveafulldeckofcardswhosemeaningsyouknow.Atthispoint,shuffleandrun through them onemore time, then put them away for the rest of the day.Interleavingor interleavedpractice is amethodof studyingusedas amemoryrecall booster.Rather than cramming, recall is higher in instanceswhere therearegapsinstudyormemorisation.By no means does calibration imply that book interpretations are the only

validones.Instead,consideritlikelearningyourABCsbeforeyoucanbegintoread andwrite. Similarly, it does not imply that you cannot begin using yourcards until you havememorised theirmeanings… this is akin tomemorisingmusic rather than learninghow to read it—youare trying to squish thewrongthing into your mind. It is impossible. Each sitting and each querent will bedifferent. Personally, I can barely remember allmy email passwords; Iwouldhavenochanceofmemorisingeachandeverymeaningofeachandeverycardofeachandeverydeck.Consultthebookregularlyandunashamedly.Manyof

my favourite companion volumes are of such a high standard of research thattheyfunctionasindependentsourcesofinsightanyway.

NestedDivinationWhenyouhavemultiplecardsetsandusethemregularly,certaincharacteristics,shortcomings,andareasofexpertisebecomeapparent.Justastherearedifferentgolf clubs for different shots, youwill discover that certain oracles are bettersuitedtospecificsituations.Forexample,mySibillaoraclesaredeeplyparanoid,concerned with surprise visitors, double-dealing business associates, familymemberswiththeirownagendas,illicitloveaffairs,thatsortofthing.Assuch,they make excellent “classic fortune telling” decks because they deal withmundaneissuesthatwouldleadyoutotheproverbialgypsywagonparkedattheedgeofthetownfaironeevening(assumingyoulivedinaracistcartoon/Chermusicvideo).Other decks deal with loftier or at least larger issues to do with personal

destiny,lifegoals,andthewidermovementsoffatethataremorelikelytomarkcornerstonesinyourincarnation.Thenthereareeitherthe“darker”deckswhose“good” cards aren’t actually all that good and their interminable opposite, thelighteroracleswhereevenacancerdiagnosisispresentedwithanabundanceofkittens.Youwillonlyfindoutthelimitsofyouroracles’emotionalrangesbypushing

pastthemandthrowingareallybadorinappropriatespread.Thegoodnewsisthistendstoonlyhappenonce.Afterthat,youbegintodevelopanappreciationfor which oracles work best in each situation. And that allows you to dosomethingreallyquiteneat.Commeςa:Insituationswhereacardspread—typicallyonethrownusingyourmost-used

set—surfaces a card that you know has a very specific meaning such asmaliciousofficegossipor familyhealthproblemsyoucan“jump”upordowninto another oracle system that is bettermatched to the challenge.The classicadvice is to pull a few additional cards for clarity from the deck you arecurrentlyusing,butthisstrikesmeasaskingtheuniversetotypeyouupanewletter after you have removed at least ten keys from the keyboard. (The keysbeingthecardsthatarealreadylaidout in thespread.What if theyareneededfor the clarifyingmessage?)Granted, this is a bit unwieldy for a professional

cardreader(althoughIhavecertainlyseenitdone),butthefocusofthisbookisyou.Takeyourtime,getthebestreading.As for which specific spreads to use, concerns regarding space and also a

generalpointlessnessindoingsoleavelittletimefortheirdiscussion.Eachdeckworth its salt will come with variations of classic spreads such as the CelticCross or three-card spread, and the Internet abounds with thousands of moresuggestions. If the images on the cards are the letters forming thewords yourunconscioususestospeak,thespreadisthegrammarthatbuildsthesentences.Theprocessofspreaddiscoveryisasuniqueasmeaningdiscovery.

CartomanticRitualBynowitshouldbefairlyobviousthatwithsuchalongandenigmatichistory,the notion that there is one right way to perform cartomancy is balderdash.Howeverthenotionthatoneshoulddemarcatethecardsandthespaceinwhichtheyareusedasseparatefromeverydaylifeisprettyclosetouniversal.Thiscanbeassimpleasvisualisingthembathedinablindingwhitelightthatremovesallpreviousenergeticimprints.Another option, one with a little more drama, is inspired by the western

Iberian folk tradition of calling on Saint Zachariah for acts of divination andfortunetelling,bywayof theBookofStCyprian:TheSorcerer’sTreasure. IntheBiblicallegend,Zachariahwasthetemplepriestwho,inhisoldage,receivedamessagefromGabrielthatheandhisbarrenwifewouldgivebirthtoJohntheBaptist.Heisstruckdumbasaresultofhisdisbeliefoftheangel’smessageuntiltheday thechild isbornandnamed.Assuch,he is related tonotionsofspiritcommunication, prophecy, and its fulfilment on earth. The eagle-eyedmythographersamongyouwillalsospythatthisparticularsaintandinvocationfoldsbackintotheHeadlessRiteearlierinthebookbyvirtueoftheconnectionbetweenZachariah and John theBaptist. (Stickwithme, baby.Oh, the placesyou’llgo!)

ConsecrationSTEP1Gathersomeincense,evenajossstickwilldo,andhavethecardstohand.

STEP2Recitethefollowingasyoulighttheincense:

MaythemercifulGodentertheHolyPlaceandacceptwithfavourtheofferingofhispeople.

For context, in the vanishingly unlikely scenario in which Zachariah was ahistoricalperson,thisisthebestguessastotheprayerhewouldhaverecitedinthe temple just prior toGabriel’s appearance.But events do not need to havehappenedinthephysicalforthemtodripwithpowerandutility.

STEP3Wavethecardsthroughthesmokeandsay:

MostholySaintZachariahThouwertdeafandmute,

ThouhadasonAndthoucalledhimJohn,

Declaretomethetruepropheciesofheaventhroughthemediumofthesecards.

WiththepermissionofIAOSABAOTH,Amen.

That’s it for consecration. Any time afterward when you wish to use yourcardsyoucaneitherrecitetheZachariahprayerorsimplycallonhimtorevealtheprophecies/willofheaven.

ConclusionDivination, in conjunctionwith enchantment, formpractical sorcery’s one-twopunch.Fromastrictlychaosmagicperspective, theavailabledatasuggest thatone should always enchant long and divine short. Our consciousness seemsbetter built to spy future negative events whilst simultaneously preferring toassume positive outcomes are more likely to occur. It also appears to besignificantlybetteratpredictingfutureeventsthanchangingthem.Thus we arrive at an inevitable extension to chaos magic’s classic axiom,

especiallywhenitcomestowealthandsuccessmagic.Enchantlongforpositiveoutcomesanddivineshorttoavoidnegativeones.Thedataalsosuggest,paraphrasingRussellTarg,thatifyoudonotcommonly

dreamofairplanecrashesbuthaveonethenightbeforeyouareduetofly,youare better off skipping the flight than attempting to change the outcomewithmagic.When it comes togetting the seatwithextra legroom,however, Ihavesomethingelseinmind.

[contents]

56RupertSheldrake,TheScienceDelusion.Coronet,2012.57PeterJ.Carroll.“MagicalTheory.”AccessedApril12,2015.www.specularium.org/wizardry/item/114-magical-theory.

58ChrisCarter.ScienceandPsychicPhenomena:TheFalloftheHouseofSkeptics.InnerTraditions,2012.

WishGrantingSquiggles

Magicworksinpracticebutnotintheory.

PETERJ.CARROLL

Ifyouhavepickedupthisbookforreasonsotherthanfamiliaritywithmyblog,RuneSoup,thenIshouldprobablytellyouthatsigilsareitsaccidentalspécialitédelamaison.Ifyouhavepickedupthebookbecauseyouarefamiliarwithmyblog, then this is likely thechapteryouskipped towhile standing in thestore.Buythedamnbookalready.For better or for worse, sigil magic has come to be seen as the defining

technique of the chaos system. Formuch ofmymagical career, Iwasn’t thatinterested in it. Firstly, the most famous—but by no means only—method ofsigilactivationinvolvedmasturbationandthisseemedtomyteenagemindtobeawasteofagoodwank.(IfIonlyhadtimeforfiveorsixaday,whyspendoneonmagic?)Secondly, I had sunk all thismoney into pendants andwands andincense and trinkets—you try getting High John the Conquerer in regionalAustraliapre-Internet—sowhywouldIputallthateffortasideforjustpenandpaper?Itseemedsounwizardly.The thread running through my misconceptions was probably due to a

personalfailuretoconsidersigilmagicinitswiderhistoricalcontext—afailurethat remains visible in the occult world to this day. We shall endeavour tocorrectthatbybeginning—inevitably—atthebeginning.Leavingasidetheirmyriadwaysofconstructionandenchantment,whatasigil

ultimately“is”isapictographicrepresentationofanideaoroutcome.Therearerepeatingpatternsofredochrepaintfoundincaves insouthernAfrica thatare

one hundred millennia old, giving us our earliest known evidence of what iscalledsymbolicthinking…whichmeanshavingonethingrepresentsomethingelse.Onthesurface,thatmaysoundlikeasimplisticdevelopment,butitistheoriginalactofsorceryfromwhichallotherscomeandisasgoodapointasanyfromwhichtodatetheemergenceofhumansintofullconsciousness.Havingathingstandinforanotherthingisadeliberateactofcreationthatisexceedinglyrare. The Pacific octopus may be highly intelligent and possessed of its ownlanguageofbodymovementsandpigmentchanges,buttheydon’ttendtowritetoomanyoff-Broadwayshows.(Iwouldspendmoretimeatthetheatreiftheydid!)Thus sigilmagic techniques asmost commonly found in chaosmagic are a

direct continuation of that first act of sorcery.Theyhave been rendered downandhad the intervening thousands and thousands and thousands of years—thehieroglyphsofEgypt, thedefixionesofRome, thesealsof thegrimoirespirits,thesymbolsoftheplanets—cookedoff,leavingonlythemagicianandhisorhersymbolic capacity. In many ways it is an outrageous act of vandalism andprobablyoneof themain reasonswhysigilmagic—andchaosmagic—remainsopersistentlyunpopularinthewideroccultdiscourse.Unpopular though it may be, it possesses a huge advantage over any other

form of popular enchantment: iteration speed. It was the realisation of thisadvantage that triggeredmycome-to-Jesuswithsigilmagicand led to—mayIhumblysubmit—myowncontributiontoitsongoingcanon.LetmeexplainwhatImeanbyiterationspeed.In1959,British IndustrialistHenryKremer founded the eponymousKremer

Prize,administeredby theRoyalAeronauticalSociety,whichcontinues to thisday(therearetwoprizesremaining).Thefirsttwoprizeswerebothforhuman-poweredflight:oneforthefirstmachinethatcouldflyafigure-of-eightbetweentwomarkersahalf-mileapartandthesecondforonethatcouldcrosstheEnglishChannel. More than a decade of failed attempts went by before a would-becompetitornamedPaulMacCreadyturnedhismindtothechallenge.MacCreadyrealised that the problem that needed to be solved was not human-poweredflight.Theproblemwasthatnooneunderstoodtheproblem.Previousapplicants

wouldspenduptoayearbuildingaflyingmachineonlytohaveitfailandsendthemquite literally back to the drawing board.The speed of learningwas tooslow.Otherapplicantswerenotbuildingonenoughnewdata inbetween theirattempts.MacCreadydiscoveredthattherealchallengethatneededsolvingwasoneofiterationspeed:howtobuildamachinethatcouldattemptflight,failandbequicklymodifiedtotryagain.Pursuingabiggoalinlarge,singleattempts—withonlya limitedunderstandingofall the interveningcomplexities—wasnotgoingtogetthejobdonefastenough.SoMacCreadysolvedadifferentproblem:how can you design a flying machine that can be rebuilt in hours instead ofweeksormonths?Heandhisteamwentontosolvethischallengeandinthelateseventies won both the figure-of-eight prize and the English Channel prize,nettingtheequivalentof$3.8millionintoday’smoney.Inthemodernworld,whetheryouachieveyourgoalsornotdependsonhow

younavigatetheinterveningcomplexitybetweenwhereyouareandwhereyouwant tobe.Processesandoutcomeshavebecome infinitelymorecomplicated.Inprevious erasyouwould enchant for agoodharvest, a largelybinary eventoverwhich you haveminimal intervening control (hence recourse to sorcery).Getting yourself from the family home in the suburbs of Arizona to a super-yachtmooredoffaCroatianislandorwhateveryourgoalhappenstoberequiressignificantlymorestepsandahealthyappetiteforiteration.Sigilsoftenprovidethebestopportunitytosolvetherealproblem.

SigilsandPsychologyAspracticedtoday,sigilmagicisamodificationofasystemcreatedbyAustinOsmanSpare,atwentieth-centuryLondonoccultistandonlylatterlycelebratedartist.Hewasexploringsomecutting-edgepsychological theories thatarenowmore thana centuryoldand require revisiting.Spare’shypothesiswas that allmagicmanifestedviaprocesses in theunconsciousmindwhichonlyspoke thelanguageofsymbolsandemotions.Theconsciousmind—possessedoflanguageandartifice—merelygotintheway.Thusthegoalofmagicwastooccupy theconsciousmindwhilesneakingasymbolicrequestintoyourunconsciouswhere,left unmolested, it would eventually manifest. Once this was completed, themagicianneedonlyensure theynever recall theirgoaleveragainbecause thiswould bring it back up from the unconscious into the consciousmind.Unlessyouareanalcoholicorsuffer fromaseveremental illness, this is functionallyimpossible…particularly if thegoal is something like“money tobuy food tofeedmy children.”Your consciousmind has a tendency to noticewhen thesekindsofgoalsgounfulfilled.Withthedubiousbenefitofanextracenturyofpsychologicalandpsychiatric

research, Spare’s operating hypothesis can be improved upon… although heshould certainly be congratulated for getting more right than he did wrong.Firstly, the divide between the unconscious and the conscious is not nearly asclean-cutasSparepresumed.Manypsychologistswouldgosofarastosayitisan entirely illusory—albeit convenient—heuristic. The practical implication isthat you will not break the world if you accidentally recall the goal of yourenchantment. Indeed, theunencumberedmovementof a conceptup fromyourunconscioustoyourconsciousandbackagainmayevenimprovethelikelihoodthatyourenchantmentwill stick in the samewaymovingavisualor a fact inbetween your short-and long-term memory improves overall recall. Iunashamedlyofferyouanecdotalevidence,frommyownlifenoless,thatthisisindeedthecase.Thereisacaveattothatfirstpoint,anditisactuallytheentiretyofthesecond

point:whenitcomestotheunconsciousonlyspeakingthelanguageofsymbols,

Sparewasdefinitelyontosomething.Hisisaverywell-corroboratedhypothesiswith supporting evidence from studies in sense memory, colour therapy,psychotherapy,neuroscience,aswellasprettymuchtheentirehistoryofart.Foroccultists, themost useful evidence comes from the kind of experiments intonon-localconsciousnesseffectswehaveencounteredinpreviouschapters.WhenDr. Russell Targ ran an experiment using remote viewing to correctly predictsilver futures on the commodities exchange nine weeks in a row—making$120,000and the frontpageof theWallStreetJournal in theprocess—hedidnothavehisremoteviewersattempttopredictthepriceswingdirectly.59Remoteviewing, like all non-local consciousness effects, appears to work better withtextures,shapes,andfeelingsthanwithnumbersandletters.Instead,hegothisviewerstodescribetheobject thetraderwhoactuallymadethesilver tradeforthemwouldhandtohimattheendoftheweek:abottleofchampagneifsilverclosedupalotoracoldpancakeifitcloseddownalot.The practical implications of this for magicians working principally via

manipulationoftheirownconsciousnessistoputsomeeffortintotheaestheticsofyourspellworksoasnottotriggeran“ick”reactionfromyourunconscious.Here’sthatword,again—findanobliqueroutetoyourgoal…likeasigil.In whatever tradition you belong to, there is much to be gained from the

detailedstudyof thesekindsofexperiments. Iamof theopinionthat themostimportantmagicalresearchperformedinthetwentiethcenturyhappenedoutsidetheinsularworldofceremonialmagicandithasonlybeeninthelastdecadeorso that this has started to come to light. The surface remains almost entirelyunscratched.

ClassicSigilConstructionNeverinmylifedidIthinkIwouldbeinasituationwhereIcouldquotemyself(speakingofmasturbation),butseeingasthepostonRuneSoupinquestionhasbeenviewedalmostaquarterofamilliontimessincepublication,whyattempttocatchlightninginabottletwice?

“Classic”ismeantintheloosestpossiblesense,ofcourse.Whatitreallymeansis “post-Spare.” There is no better introduction to classical sigil constructionand chaos magic in general than Grant Morrison’s late nineties gem, “PopMagic.”Hereiswhatyoudo:

Writeoutyourdesire/goalCrossoutallthevowelsCrossoutalltherepeatedletters

Mashtheremaininglettersintoasingle(hideous)glyph.Thenstartamendingthisglyphuntilitstartstolookmorepleasing.Itrytomakeminelookorganicorpetroglyphic, but that’s a personal preference. Your unconscious is differentfrommine.(Probably.)Youreallycan’tgetthiswrong.Ofcourse,you’llthinkyouaredoingitwrong

thefirstfewtimes.Commonconcernsinclude:

“Thisstilllookstoomuchliketheoriginalletters.”“Thislooksnothingliketheoriginalletters.”“Thisdoesn’tlookvery‘magical.’”

Well, it doesn’t need to look like anything. But it works better if it lookspleasing.Andonlyyouwillknowwhenyougetto“pleasing.”TherearesomerecommendedchangestotheclassiccopyconstructionIhave

picked up from years of hoodwinking people into buying things they probablydon’tneed.

Usepositivewordsratherthannegativewords.

Havefixedorcleargoals.Usethepresenttense.Describethecompletedsituationratherthanthedesiretogetthere.

Those of youwho are familiarwith the piecewill seemy intentionwith thischapteristofillinsomeofthebackgroundresearchandthinkingthatledtothecreation of my sigil creation method. Ensuring your sigils look pleasing, forinstance,isbasedonmyinterpretationofStargateProgramresearchsuggestingthat“enjoyable”and“unenjoyable”areeasiestfortheunconscioustorecogniseratherthanapersonalpredispositionforprettythings.If Iwere to take thisbookfromyourhandsandstartunderliningpartsof it,

what ismost important to keep inmind is using the present tense to describecompletedsituations.Exampleswouldinclude“Iamasize8”ratherthan“Itismywill to loseweight.”You see how the latter encodes a lack rather than asuccess.Using the“loseweight”sentenceeffectivelyenchants thedesire tobeonadietratherthanlivingatyourgoalweight!Andwhileweareatitplease,pleasequititwiththe“itismywill”claptrap.

The notion of will is a monumentally misunderstood Victorian atavism thatbearsnorelationtowhatthepreviouscenturyofpersonalityandconsciousnessstudieshasgivenus.Itmakesyousoundlikeastroppy,pompoustoddler…andthisiscomingfromaguywhojustquotedhimself.

ShoalingandProbabilityA shoal is a group of fish.When they all swim in the one direction, they areschooling. When they are hanging out for reasons of safety, hydrodynamicefficiency,andgeneralsocialreasons,theyareshoaling.Havinggrownupinahouse overlooking three beaches, been wreck and shark diving all over thePacific, shot a documentary on a sunken city, and previously worked forDiscoveryChannel,using“shoal”asmygroupnounforsigilswasprobablyaninevitability.The whole notion of launching multiple sigils at once emerged through

experimentation with complex magical targets. We presumably have fantasyfiction to thank for the belief that larger goals (more specifically, “lowerprobability goals”) require the input of larger amounts of sorcerous energy,longer rituals, more expensive sacrifices, and so on. Such a belief, althoughpleasingly dramatic, does not align very well with what we understand aboutprobabilityand theveryrealbutsmallchangesconsciousnesscaneffect in thephysicalworld.PeteCarrolldescribesoursituationthuslyinTheOctavo:

Dauntingprobabilitesoftenappearforcomplextaskslikewinninginwarorbusinessorlovefromaweakinitialposition;howeverallofthosestepsinvolvedinwinningmaynotactuallylooksoimpossibleindividually.Theprobabilityofthrowingadozenheadsconsecutivelycomesoutata

desperate0.000024,soonlyonepersoninfourthousandmightachieveitonaverage.Howevereachindividualstephasa0.5probabilityandamagicianwithanysensewillchoosetoattacksuchstepsindividuallyratherthangoheadtoheadagainstsuchformidableodds.60

Shoalingasaprocesscameoutoftherealisationthatachievingabiggoal—such as complete financial independence—was best achieved through thesuccessful eventuation of dozens of smaller, higher probability outcomes.Taking “financial independence” as a hypothetical example, these smallercomponents could include a promotion for your husband/wife/partner, theresignation of a colleague you are in competition with, improved visibility

within your wider industry, improved physical health, and so on. After eachsuccessfulshoal,theprobabilistic“criticalpath”tothemagician’sbiggoalshiftsandheorshereloadsandgoesagain.ConsiderittheKremerPrizeapproachtopracticalenchantment.If itweresimplyamatterof throwingmoreenergyatabigproblem,thennotonlywouldtheAzteccivilisationstillbearoundbutyouwouldnotbereadingthisbookbecauseyouwouldalreadybewealthy…oratleastyouwouldbereadingitonthedeckofyoursuper-yachtinCroatia.Rightaway you see how shoaling works in concert with divination: divine for thepitfallsandshoalsigilstonudgeforbeneficialprobabilisticoutcomesthatavoidorskirtaroundthem.IfIhadtoputthesecretofmysuccesssuchasitisintoasinglesentence,itwouldbethepreviousone.Theinitialresultsofshoalingmultiplesigilsintheoneactivationsessionwere

orders of magnitude better than anticipated. Based on nothing but personalopinion, I attribute this to an inevitable reduction in lust of result. Recall thatSparebelievedthatkeepingyourgoal,yourneed,inyourconsciousmindwhileattempting to communicate it to the unconscious immediately scuppered yourattempt.Whenyoucreatefiveorsixsigilstolaunchintheonesitting,itismucheasier to consciously forget which particular sigil is encoded with whichparticulargoal.Toyoureyes,theysimplybecomewishgrantingsquiggles.With practice, shoaling also improves your magical target selection as you

developanintuitiveunderstandingofthehighandlowprobabilitiesofpreferredoutcomesinyourlife.Forinstance,ifyouarestrugglingwithself-imageissues,itmaybebetter toenchantfora torrid,extramaritalaffair thanabetterhaircutandwardrobebecausetheaffaircanonlyeventuategivenfiveorsixinterveningpreferredoutcomes.Overtimeyourimprovedcapacitytoassessprobabilityandriskbleedsintootherareasofyourexistence.Thisisthelife’sworkofachaosmagician:fine-tuningprobabilisticdialsforfunandprofit.

RobofishContinuingmyentirelyarbitrarymarinemetaphors,weturnnowtotherobofish.Thetermcomesfroma2010UniversityofLeedsstudyintofishbehaviour.Theresearchers created a robot stickleback fish and placed it among some livesticklebacks.Whentherobofishmadeboldorfastmoves,theotherfishtendedto follow it, providing insight into how shoals form and schools move… itappears that having the robofish behave in a decisivewaymakes the real fishthinkitknowssomethingtheydonot,andsotheyfollowsuit.Foldingthisideaintosigilmagic,ineveryshoalbesuretoincludeasigilfor

aneventthatishappeningorisguaranteedtohappen,suchas“Ieatspaghettitonight” or “I am in my house.” This sigil is the robofish. In my personalexperience, the improvement in preferred sorcerous outcomes is simply nightandday.Wemayspeculatesomemechanismastowhythismaybeso.Ifwearein fact communicating requests to our unconscious, sending a simultaneousrequest for something that is completed or in the process of being completedwithsomegoalsthathaveyettobecompletedmayserveasatriggerofwhere—the physical—and when—the now—the results are expected. Indeed, it wasseekingtoimprovethewhenthatledmydiscoveryoftherobofishtechniqueinthe first place. I was looking for a way to hasten the arrival ofmy preferredoutcomeswhichatthetimewerebehavingfartoomuchlikestandardshippingformyliking.

SigilActivationAsshouldbeevidentbynow,Iamaproponentoftheoperatinghypothesisthatsigils work through some little-explored function of human consciousness(which is not to say I am exclusively a proponent of psychologicalmodels ofmagic).Fromapracticalperspective,thatmeansanysuggestionsastohowyoucanactivatethemwillnecessarilybelimitedbecauseitisyourunconscious,notmine,thatweareseekingtoinfluence.Thereisastereotypicalimageofamid-ninetieschaosmagicianspray-painting

sigilsinapost-industrialwastelandandamoreupdatedstereotypeofchaotes—horror of horrors—reblogging each other’s sigils on tumblr. Experimentalmethodsarefineasfarastheygo—whichisoftennotveryfar,hencetheneedforexperimentation—butifoneistotakethistechniqueseriously,amorestableandreliablelaunchprocedureisrequired.Firstly,youneedaspacethatisdramaticallyandaestheticallypleasing.Ifyou

resonatewithaneldritch, tentacledmise-en-scène thenlet that informhowyoudressandprepareyourritualspace.Thisisnotanoff-the-shelfconsideration;itwill be unique to you. My own preference is for a visual style I might call“SouthPacifichoodoo”ifIwereinthemoodtomakethewholeInternetangryatme.Youcanonlygetthiswrongbyoverthinkingit.

Step1PRE-RITUALPREPARATIONTypicallyIuseanyoldpenandpapertogeneratethefiveorsosigilsIintendtolaunch.OnceIamhappywiththeirdesigns,Iinscribeeachfinalisedsigilonanindividualpieceofblackcardorartpaperusingagoldpaintpen.Again,thisisforaesthetic reasons.They look lovely in the low lightofcandlesand incensesmoke in a darkened room, as if they are positively squirming to get off thepaperand into theether.Definitelyvisityournearestartsupplystoreandpickout your own iteration of what “nice” sigils will look like to you. This willdependlargelyonyourownartistictalent.Mineisnonexistent,hencethepaintpen.

Once you have your finalised sigils, gather themwith the candles, incense,lighters,andanythingelseyouwillneedinyourritualspace.

Step2

RITUALOPENING

It goes without saying that both you and the private space you are using arephysically clean. (Or possibly deliberately dirty if you are going for aConstantinevibe.)Lay out and light your candles and incense and arrange your sigil cards in

frontofyou.MostoftenIdothissittingorsquattinginfrontofawovenFijianmatonthefloorofmyritualspace.Closeyoureyes,turnalittletoyourrightandsweepyourhandinfrontofyou,

visualisinggreydustandmiasmabeingswepthundredsoffeetawayfromyou,through roofs and walls, as if blasted with a leaf blower, before ultimatelydissolving.Atthesametime,say

HEKAS,HEKAS,ESTEBEBELOI

Continuearound ina full circle, sweepingwithyourhandand repeating thephrase.Goroundagainifyoufeeltheneed.Returnto/sitinfrontofyoursigilsandcandles.

Step3

INVOCATIONEverymagicianneeds amagician’sgodorgoddess.Find abeingorbeings inyourpreferredpantheonwhoareuniversallyregardedformagicalprowess.Youdonotneed to selectonebasedon rulershipofyourmaingoal; youneedonewho is all about the magic. We are creating a manifestation space here.Depending on the project and my headspace, my two go-to beings—at leastwhen it comes to gods—are either Isis or the Abrahamic God (reached byaligningoneselfwiththesuper-poweredfolksaintsandmythicalpersonalitiesoftheOldTestament).LetusstartwithIsis.IregularlyuseaninvocationbasedonanIsisaretalogy

translated in the mid-twentieth century by the biblical scholar Frederick C.Grant.Youcaninstantlyfinditonlinebylookingforeither“CymeInscription”or“IsisAretalogy.”Thenitisasimplematterofreplacingtherepeatedinstancesof“Iam”with“thouart.”Nevertheless,onceagaindemonstrating theextremedisconnect between much of the legacy publishing and digital worlds, thecopyrightwasmorethandifficulttotrackdownsoitwon’tappearinprinthere.Instead,IcommendtoyoutheopeninglinesoftheAveMarisStella,firstwritteninthesixthcentury,soweareprobablyfineonthecopyrightfront.Whilst thedebate regardingwhetherMary is or is not Isis will have you up arguing tillsunrise at Pagan parties, Our Lady, Star of the Sea is a fairly transparentborrowingoftheIsisoftheLatePeriod.Forourpurposes,theAveMarisStellaplugsintothesamecurrentinaconvenientlycopyright-freeway.

AveMarisStella.

DeimateralmaAtquesemperVirgoFelixCœliporta.

Sumensillud“Ave.”

GabrielisoreFundanosinpace,MutansEvænomen.

SolvevinclareisProferlumencæcisMalanostrapelleBonacunctaposce.

OptionBisthePetropolitanusAcademicusinvocationastranslatedbyIoannisMarathakis in his edition of the Hygromanteia. You do not need to use bothinvocations.Infact,youprobablyshouldn’t.

LordourGod,Adouni,Elisabaoth,Lamekh,Sante,Lamantou,Khamatan,Tetragrammaton,BeginningandEnd;holy,holy,holyLordSabaoth,thewholeheavenandeartharefullofyourglory;ourfatherwhichartinheaven,upholduswithyourholynames,holyLordGodSabaoth;bytheprayersoftheholyforefathersEnos,Cainan,Mahalaleel,Methouselah,Seth,Enoch,Noah,Melchizedek,JoshuathesonofNun,Abraham,IsaacandJacob,DavidandJesse,SolomonandRehoboam;bytheprayersofyourssaints,OLordourGod,bemysaviour,mercifultome,mydefenderandmyassistant.Amen.61

Step4

ACTIVATION

Bynowyoushouldbeinamildlyalteredstateofconsciousness.Sit,relaxsomemore,andlookdownatyoursigils.Thisisapassiveactivationmethodakintoamandalameditation.Sitandbreatheuntilyouarereadytoproceed.Pickupeachsigil card in turnandhold it acomfortabledistance fromyour

face. Stare at it. Do not rush. Just as inmeditation, if your thoughts wander,gentlybringthembacktotheformofthesigil.Lookatitasifyouareseeingitfor the first time. Let your eyes unfocus so that its lines begin to warp anddouble.Afteranindeterminatetime,thesigilyouareholdingwill…thisisdifficultto

describe…deflate.Thesensationwillbeas if theobjectyouareholdingwaspreviouslymagicalandhasgonebacktobeinginert,justapieceofcard.Whenthathappens,saythefollowingphrase,putitdownandpickupthenextsigil.

Doesnotmatter.Neednotbe.

Continuealongthislineuntilallyoursigilshaveactivated.Veryoccasionallyyouwillfindonethatdoesnotappeartoresonateorrefusesto“deflate.”Putitdown,pickupanotheroneand return to it at theendof the launch. Ihavenoexplanationforwhythishappens,butitdoes.Closeasappropriatetowhateverbeingyouinitiallyinvoked.

Step5

THEAFTERMATH

Austin Spare suggested destroying your sigils once they had been activatedwhich is certainly an option for you if it feels appropriate. But there is aphenomenon I have encountered working in media and advertising known as“low attention processing.”Essentially, it iswhen you are being advertised towithout your conscious awareness that it is happening, and it is probablyhowmostadvertisingworks,aswellaswhysomanyadexecsdrinksoheavily.Evenwith a single, background exposure to an advertisement, brand preferenceincreases. I knowyou are thinking thiswouldn’t happen to you, but everyonethinksthataboutadvertising.That’scalledthe“thirdpersoneffect.”(Mypeoplehavewordsforeverything.)Instead of destroying your sigils, I recommend putting them up somewhere

visiblewheretheywillquicklyfadeintothebackgroundofyourdailylife.Formethisistypicallyonthemirrorinthebedroom,orblu-tackedtoawindowyouwalk past every day. If low attention processing is a method of unconsciouscommunication, we may as well attempt to utilise it. There is potentially anadditionalbenefittothisapproachwhichisthat,eventually,yougenuinelywillcompletelyforgetwhateachofthosesigilswasfor.IamlookingatafewpasteduponthewindowinfrontofmeandIhonestlyhavenoideawhattheyareabout.Thesecanberemovedovertimeoratrandom.Onefinalnote.Giventhatwedonotreallyknowthemechanismofactionby

which sigils actually work I am perhaps being overly superstitious, but usingthem for curse work or malefica is not recommended. There is a commonlyunderstoodpsychological conceptcalledprimingwherebywhatyou lookatorexperienceinfluencesyourstateofmind.Sopeoplewhoareexposedtowordslike “elderly,” “retirement,” and “hip replacement” when filling out surveysactuallymoveslowerandwithmorepainaftercompletingthesurveysthanthosewho were not exposed to the same words. However it works, a vengeful orviolentphrase,eveninsigilisedform,probablydoesn’tbelongfloatingaroundinyourownunconscious.

FurtherImplementationAs sigil magic is such a pared-down technique, it naturally lends itself toexperimentation. One of the first ones to consider is further altering yourconsciousnesswhenactivatingyoursigils.Acommonmanifestationofthisistoturnyourintentionintoanonsensicalmantraratherthananimageviaasimilarprocessofremovingrepeatingletters,vowels,andthenshiftingaroundwhatyouhave left over until it sounds right. Repetitions of the phrase then replace thevisualactivationmethod.Anextensionofthisprocesswouldbeto(legally)alteryour state of consciousness via entheogens and other intoxicants. Marijuanaworkswellwithmantras,forinstance.InBuddhist areas of theHimalayas, you can often findmani stones, stones

inscribed with mantras and left as offerings to spirits of place or to provideprotection.Sigilscanbeusedinasimilarfashion.SeveraltimesIhaveusedmytrustygoldpaintpenwithstonescollectedontheholyisleofAngleseyandleftthese along theThamesnearmyhouse.Mythopoetically,Thames comes fromThamesis or “Isis”which is actuallywhy I adapted the above aretalogy in thefirst place; she is the patron goddess of London’s great river. Be considerategoing down the mani stone route. Genius loci have their own agendas andexistences to lead. They may react ambivalently to you leaving yourenchantmentsaround.OneofthemorecommonquestionsIamaskediswhattodoifyouonlyhave

oneortwosigilsyouwishtoactivate.Hereiswhereyoucanindulgeinsomeofthe flippancy that gives chaos magic such a bad name. There are alwayspointless things to enchant for: spotting celebrities when you are out on thetown,gettingaseatonthetubeorbus,freebiesinrestaurants.Iftheseideasdonottakeyourfancy,thentryforsomethingalittlemorelofty.Considersigilisingholy or empowering phrases such as “everyman and everywoman is a star.”Evensonglyricswilldoatapinch.Itisyourheadafterall.

[contents]

59RusselTarg.TheRealityofESP:APhysicist’sProofofPsychicAbilities.QuestBooks,2012.60PeterJ.Carroll.TheOctavo.61Marathakis,Ioannis.TheMagicalTreatiseofSolomon,orHygromanteia.GoldenHoardPress,2012.

8

HowtoWageAMindWar

“Icameheretochewbubblegumandkickass.AndI’malloutofbubblegum.”

JOHNNADA,THEYLIVE

Managementtheory,aswehavecometoknowitandbesubjecttoit,beganontheslaveplantationsintheCaribbeanandsouthernstates.AccordingtoHarvardBusiness School researcher Caitlin Rosenthal, it was the request for regularreportsbytheabsenteelandlordsofJamaicanandBarbadanplantationsthatledtothemodernseparationofmanagementandownership…oneofthehallmarksof modern capitalism.62 It was in this milieu that managers first kept detailsrecords of a human’sworth and cost.A strapping youngmanmay pickmorecotton but also eats more than a couple of cheaper, older women. Whichpurchasewasthemostcosteffectiveovertime?Slaveownerscouldcollectdataontheirworkforcesthatnooneelsecouldbecausethe“employees”werelockedin fromcradle to grave.Northernworkers subject to such extrememonitoringwould have simply quit. The increase in data led slave owners to experimentwithoutputoptimisation techniques like small cashprizes forwhichever slavepicked themost cotton—call it the “slaveof themonth”programme—that arestillinusetoday.ThisghoulishoriginstoryisoneofthemanyreasonsIrejecttheword“hack.”

Business hacks, like so-called life hacks, inevitably boil down to silly little

habitsdesignedtofitmoreworkintoyourday.Theyaredescendantsofahighlydubiousfamilylineandcontributenothingoftruevaluetoyourlife.Thereisareasonthereisnosuchthingasa“meaninghack”anditisbecauseyoucannotshort-circuitthequestforlife’smeaningbylearningafewnewtipstooptimiseyourinbox.Four-hourworkweeks,keepingyourcubicleclean,wearingatieonFridays…thesearealldemonicdevicesthattrickyouintothinkingtheillusionofcontrolisthesamethingaslifemeaning.InthesameboatastheseappallinghackswecanplaceanyofthosesingleBig

Idea books that became popular about a decade ago—ones to do with beingfooledbyuncertaintythatare,atbest, inflatedversionsoffeaturearticlesfromSundaypapers.Eithertheyarebasedonrapidlydismissedscientific“evidence”or they are published by out-and-out liars. Jonah Lehrer was proved to beplagiarising. Malcolm Gladwell’s name appears on an early 90s third-partymessagedevelopmentlistfortobaccolobbyists,i.e.,alistofjournalistswhocanbe relied upon to create sympathetic content. This is around the time he waswritingpro-tobacco industrypieces in theWashingtonPost. Imagine that.Anyoftheseso-calledbusinesssuccessbooksappeartoonlyprovideadviceinhowtobesuccessfulshillingbusinessbooks.Youhavetogobackalmostacenturybeforeyoufindpopularfinanceadvicethatisn’tworsethanuseless.As for the Internet’s consensus on how to achieve financial success in a

knowledgeeconomyorcreativeeconomyorwhateverwordweusetodescribeaneconomywithahollowed-outmanufacturingbase,thisappearstoonlyhaverelevancetocollege-educatedwhiteboyslookingtofoundastartupdescribedas“Uberforscooters”whiletheirgirlfriendsfinanciallysupportthembyworkingatsocialmediaagencies.What is so astounding about this entire industry is that it is selling you

unachievablewaystogetalifeyoudonotevenwantinthefirstplace.Seriously,let’slookatthelifeyouaresupposedtohave.

ARecommendedLifeEveryonewants aunique life.Theywantoutcomes that aredifferent from thenorm: wealth, health, longevity. And yet the approach to getting outcomesdifferent from the norm appears to be by approaching life in the same wayeveryoneelsedoes.Thisisbadstrategyandbadmagic.Herearethephasesofarecommendedexistence.

1.Applyyourselfdiligentlyinaschoolingsystembuilttoturnoutfactoryworkersinthenineteenthcenturythatnowcannotevendothat.

2.Earnacollegedegreethatguarantees“good,safeemployment.”

3.Havea“career”workingyourwayupthroughlarge,stablecorporations.

4.Useyourbelow-inflation-growthsalarytoacquireamortgageforasuburbanhomefromwhichyoucommutetoyour“career”usinghighamountsofincreasinglyexpensiveenergy.

5.Fillyourmortgagedhousewithappliancesandoffspringsothatthecyclemayperpetuate.

6.Allowinflationtoconvinceyouthatyoursuburbanhousehasappreciatedinvaluesothatyoucansellitandmoveeithertoalargeroneifyoustillhaveoffspringorasmalleroneifyoudon’t.

7.SeeEuropeonacoachtourwithotherAmericansatsomestage.

8.Die.

Right away you can see some problems. Firstly, the life on offer is awful!Secondly, thepartsof theplan thatrelyonsociety’spromise toyouhavelongsince gone. The education system is a mess, the college system is the verydefinitionofextortion,stablewhite-collaremploymentnolongerexists,energyis prohibitively expensive, and housing is not an investment but at best aninflationhedge.Whythendoesitmelteveryone’sfacesifyoudaretosuggestthattheremight

be another way to achieve a life different to this one? The answer inevitablycomesdowntooneofthosetrendyBigIdeasyoucouldwriteabestsellinglife

hackbookabout—herdbias,especiallyifyouuseevolutionarypsychologytotieitbacktoourevolutionoutofmonkeytroops.Herdbiasisanunbecomingtraitinamagician.Onedoesnotmeetthedevilat

thecrossroads tobuild a life that looks like everyoneelse’s.Toooftenpeopleconfuse their current circumstances for their fate. To be sure, our currentcircumstances are not all that rosy but that just gives us our starting position.Hereiswheremagicdepartsfromthereligiousbeliefs—suchasPaganism—thatfrequently house it; it has an unavoidable moral ambiguity to practicalenchantment that I am anything but ambiguous about. Your current lack ofsuccessmightbethewillofthegods,butyouarestillgoingtodoeverythinginyourpowertochangeit.Ioftenthinkaboutourmagicalancestorsandthesocialandeconomicupheavalstheyhadtogothrough.Considerwhatlifewaslikeforthe wandering sorcerer during the collapse of the Roman empire or thePembrokeshire cunning man during the industrial revolution and let them beyour inspiration. Yes, the world is changing—possibly even collapsing. Wewouldallpreferabettereconomicenvironmentinwhichtothrive,butthisistheonewehave.Itdoesnotchangethegame,onlytheplays.Asforwhatthischapterisdoinginabookaboutmagic,letmegiveyousome

medicaladvice.Neveraskyourdoctorwhatheorshethinksyoushoulddo.Askthemwhat theywould do in your situation.The suggestions below arewhat IwoulddoinyoursituationbecauseIaminyoursituationandthisiswhatIhavedone.Magic,likethecosmicequivalentofmedicallubricantitreallyis,hasbeenliberallyappliedateveryprobabilisticfrictionpointinmyworklife.Andithasturnedoutquiteallright,tobehonest.AdamBraun,whosenonprofitbuilt150schoolsindevelopingcountriesbeforehisthirty-firstbirthday,says“bigdreamsstartwithsmall,unreasonableacts.”63

For any of these unreasonable acts to appear palatable, something needs tobreak in themagician’smind. It typically happens sometime after having thatfirstincitingincidentorinitiation.Therearisesthepermanentrealisationthatthepromiseof theworld isnotonlybullshitbut is alsoempty.Tonot acton thisrealisation, to not deploywhat you have learned about themalleability of themanifestuniverse,istobeamechanicwithoutacar.What’sthepoint?

A defining characteristic of the most prominent magicians of fiction andreality is that theymeddle. Dee, Crowley, Merlin, Gandalf, Morgan Le Fay,Bruno.Whatevertheweather,theywentouttoremaketheuniverseinawaythatsuited them better. We must do the same. Whatever the macroeconomicconditions, themagicianmustalwaysheedtheadviceofFirefly’sCaptainMalReynolds:aimtomisbehave.

BeBrave,NotRecklessWhilst writing this book, I met an American corporate lawyer in a castle inFranceandattemptedtoexplaintoherwhatIwaswritingabout.Shetoldmeshewould never buy it for her nieces because it sounded too grim. In her mind,nothinggoodcouldcomeoftellingherniecesthetruthoftheeconomicrealitytheywouldfaceastheyenteredadulthood.Fine.Frankly,Idon’tthinkitsoundsgrimenough.Idon’tthinkitisgrimenoughbecauseitoffersahugeadvantage:knowledge.Youradvantageisknowledge,andnoonecantakethatfromyou.Knowledgeinthiscaseisaconfidentunderstandingoftheprobabilisticnature

of the universe, a reasonable understanding of your current probabilities ofsuccessfuloutcomesandthecapacitytounblinkinglyactonthecalculatedrisksthatflowfromboththeseunderstandings.Isay“calculatedrisk”butactuallyyoucannotcalculaterisk,notreally.What

you can instead calculate is fragility. An object or person can be defined asfragile if it responds negatively to volatility. Nassim Nicholas Taleb uses thefamousexampleof the teacup.64Teacupsdonot likevolatility.For the fragile,shocksbringhigherandhigherharm.Nothinghappenstoa teacupmostof thetime, butwhen it does happen, it is overwhelmingly negative: it breaks. (Theimpactofvolatilityalsorarelyshowsupinthehistoryoftheproduct:youcan’ttellthatateacupwillsmashbylookingatitsbehaviourbeforeitdoes.Similarly,volatileeventslikeredundanciesrarelyshowupinthehistoryofyou.)Thegoalofthemagician,particularlythechaosmagician,istopositionhisorherlifesothat it respondspositively tovolatility rather thannegatively.Volatility shouldmake your life better, not worse, just as the thousands of microtears in yourmuscles during weight training lead to larger biceps. Be the bicep, not the

teacup! It’s easier than it sounds, and it gets easier the further you stray fromsociety’srecommendedlife.As for those who do not consider themselves risk takers, this reflects a

fundamental misunderstanding of both risk and their own personalities. Theappetite for risk exists on a spectrum, it is not binary. You may be socomfortable takingcertain risks thatyoudonotconsider themrisksatall, likesmokersattheairportworryingabouttheirflight,orpatronsexpressingconcernover terrorism in the pub before driving home drunk. The other side of thisinability to see risks you are comfortable with as inherently risky is thepropensity to see risks thatmakeyouuncomfortableasmuchriskier than theyare.Considerthefollowing.Youmaythinkthesestrategiesareabittooextreme,a

bit too risky, and decide that getting massively into debt to buy an inflationhedgeyoucan live inon theoutskirtsofyourhome town is“moreyou.”Youdon’twanttobedoinganythingwithalltheseriskystrategies.Thethingabouthoweconomieswork is thatnot takingaposition is still takingaposition.Byrefusingtoadjustyourstrategyfromtherecommendedlifeofferedtothebabyboomersfortyyearsago,whatyouaresayingisthatyouhaveeveryconfidenceinthesystem;thecurrentchallengesarejusttemporary,andsomeonewillcomeandsortitalloutforus.Thatstrikesmeasextremelyrisky,riskierthanputtingitallonblack. Is toeing the linebeingbraveor is itbeing reckless?Youcannotduckrisk.Therearenociviliansinamindwar.Hereisthedifferencebetweenbraveryandrecklessness.Ifyouarenottaking

risks, you are failing to find the opportunities you are looking for, you aredenying yourselfoptionality. In a career setting, this looks like taking on sideprojectsatnightandonweekends,beingvisibleatindustryevents,puttingyourhand up for international assignments, applying for jobs you think you areunder-qualified for, or even just asking the boss for extra work that stretchesyou.Bravery,whencombinedwithalertness,manifestsinthehighlydesirablestate

ofbeing“lucky.”Itisnotjustthechancemeetingwithapotentialemployeratafriend’s birthday party, it is following through on that initial contact. It is

replyingtoablogcommenterwhohadanobservationaboutsomeindustrynewsyou had posted. The executive director of the Stanford Technology VenturesProgram,TinaSeelig,observesthatbeingluckyisactuallyawayofbeingintheworld.65 It is also one that you can cultivate through the combination of risk-taking and observation. “Lucky” people aremorewilling to try things outsidetheirusualexperiencewhich—anditsoundsobviouswhenitiswrittendown—ishowtheyendupwithatypicallifeoutcomeslikegreaterwealthandhappiness.Stayopen to theunexpected,be ready topounceonunusualopportunitiesandalwayskeepabottleofabrecaminooiltohand.To be brave implies taking actions that have inherent risk, thatmay not go

yourway.Thisisasitshouldbe.Recallthatanothernameforcapitalismmightas well be “riskism.” The economic system is—or at least was—designed toreward capital that is placed at risk through investment. The problem ismostpeopleconfuseriskwith“toomuchrisk,”especiallywhenitcomestoachievingtheir so-called dreams. People confuse taking a risk with risking it all.Particularly for those with creative aspirations, doing only what you love isterribleadviceas itexposesyoutomuch,muchmoredownsidefromriskthanthere is upside. Achieving financial success through creativity is a very low-probabilityoutcomethatinmanycasesisultimatelyself-defeatingasitbecomesincreasingly difficult to sculpt or write a novel when you are worried aboutbeinghomelessattheendoftheweek.Instead,considerthefollowing.Trialanderroristheintelligenceofchaos.If

youwishtoincreaseyouroptionality, ifyouwishtobuild“lucky”behaviours,then you are going to need to be placingmultiple bets onmultiple successfuloutcomes.You cannot do this for very long if each of the bets are too large.Investinmultiplebetsthatexposeyoutoonlyasmallamountofdownsideandagreaterpossibilityofupsidethanonelargebet.Donotquityourjobtofoundadesign agency, volunteer your design skills one evening a week for threeseparatecharitiesornonprofits.Trial and error is the intelligence of chaos because your mistakes are

information. Themore of them youmake, the more information you have tomake the next round.Aim for asmanymistakes as possible that cost you the

least amount possible. Almost any situation you find yourself in can beimproved and even turned around with a combination of persistence andincreasedinformation.Optionality is applying the intelligenceof chaos.AsTalebobserves,youdo

notactuallyneedtoknowpreciselywhereyouaregoingifyouhaveupside,ifan unexpected event benefits you more than it harms you. This is a hugelybeneficialwayoflivinginaprobabilisticuniverseifyouexperimentwherethelossescanbeminimisedandthegainsareverylarge.Returningtomypersistentheresyagainsttheonetruereligionofpropertyownership,anexcellentexampleis the real estate landscape inLondonorNewYork.The salaries onoffer areordersofmagnitudegreaterthananywhereelseintheirrespectivecountries,butthe multiple of those salaries for the average property price is higher still.Moving to a high income economy enables you to shoot for much moreindividual wealth than in a smaller economic area. You minimise the riskassociatedwithhighsalary/highriskcareersbyrenting.Yes,rentsareextremelyhigh,butyoustillhavenotsurrenderedyourpersonaloptionalityinbeingabletoreduce rental overhead or even leave the city if you lose your high salaryposition.(Youcanalsotakehighersalarypositionselsewhereintheworldmoreeasilythansomeonestrugglingwithpropertydebt.)Overtwentyyears,exposuretoaneconomywithextremelyhighsalariesmakesrenttheinvestmenteveryoneseemstothinkitisn’t.Ifyouwanttoberich,movetowherepeoplegetrichandthendonotgetinto

debt. If you want something different for your life, the same unemotionalexaminationisrequired.

HousingWehavealreadycoveredwhythemortgageindustryexistsanditisnotforourbenefit. We have also shown that as an investment it performs very poorly,offering you an inflation hedgeat best. This ismore aboutwhere and how tophysically live—an unavoidable subject for all but the most ardent modernnomads.SothatIamnotmisunderstood,propertyownershipisaneffectivestoreofvalueoverthelongterm.Acquiringveryhighamountsofdebtinaneconomyundergoingpermanent, structuralchanges is too riskyand too limiting.This isthegreattabooofindividualwealth.HereiswhatauthorandentrepreneurJamesAltucherhastosayaboutitonhisblog:

BuyingcoffeeonthestreetinsteadofinaStarbucksisthepoorman’swaytogetrich.Inotherwords,youwillnevergetrichbyscratchingouttencentsfromyourdollar.Peoplesave10centsonacoffeeandthen….overpay$100,000forahouseandthendoreconstructiononit.Ortheysave10centsonabookandthen…buyacollegedegreethattheyneverusefor$200,000.66

Havingsomewhere to live isobviouslyessential to livingyourpreferred lifeandinmarketswherethecustomerhastoparticipate—health,housing,food,andthelike—dangers,cartels,andcomplexitiesrule.Soletusconsiderthefollowingthoughtexercise,basedonascenariooutlinedonCharlesHughSmith’spopulareconomicsblog,OfTwoMinds:.

Afamilywithahouseholdincomeof$80,000sitsjustinthetop30%ofallhouseholds.Ifthishouseholdboughtatthetopofthemarket,ithasahugemortgage,creditcards,autoloansfortwocars.Servicingthisdebtinadditiontocombinedutilitiesleavesverylittlefordiningoutorgoingonvacation,especiallyiftheparentsarecontributingtocollegeeducationfortheirkids.Measuredintermsoftheitemsthisfamily(currently)legallyownstheyappearwealthy.Howeversubtractingtheirdebtobligationspaintsapictureofafamilyonthebreadlinethatspendsmuchoftheirincarnationservicingdebtwithlittlemoneytoactuallylivetheirlivesover

thefortyyearsofdebtservicing.Thisisafamilythatisonenegativehealthdiagnosisorevenminorautoaccidentawayfromdisaster.Thisfamilyisateacup.

Analternative is not only possible, canwe even call it an alternative in theworldthathasemergedaroundus?Trythese.

Americansbuytoomuchhouse.Theaveragehomesizehasincreasedby50%inthelasttwodecades,mostlyinanefforttogetpeopletotakeoutlargerandlargermortgages.TheyarenowmorethanthreetimesthesizeoftheaveragehouseintheUK.Youdonotneedthismuchhouse!Youalsoneedtobeawareofhowmuchofyourfuturewealthwillbeabsorbedbypropertytaxesonahousethatiseitherunnecessarilylargeorinanover-valuedarea.Thatiswealththatcouldgotomakingartormagicorhavingadventures.

Considerinsteadmulti-generationalormulti-familyownership.Forallbutthelast sixty years, the entire history of human habitation has been multi-generational.The notion that a “real”American families lives on its own in alarge house in the suburbs is a fifty-year-oldMadison Avenue creation for asingularnationalmarket.TheDanish, for instance,havebeendoingcohousingformorethanhalfacentury.Multi-occupancyormulti-ownershiparrangementprovide additional redundancy if one person loses their income or has a poorhealth diagnosis. Multi-ownership should ideally shorten the mortgage perioddowntothreetofiveyears,beyondwhichyoubegintoskewyourrisk.Italsoprovides additional flexibility should one or more person need to movetemporarily for work. Additionally, it kickstarts a return to intergenerationalcapitalpooling,whichhasbeenthesecretofwealthyfamilies’successsincetheriseofcitiesmorethanfivethousandyearsago.ReturntoCharlesHughSmith:

Thesolutiontotheerosionofthemiddleclasslifestyleistodestroydebtandotherfixedcostsandeliminateself-sabotagingdiscretionaryconsumptionthatcripplesthehousehold’sabilitytoaccumulatecapitalthatgeneratesincome.Thereisnothingmagicalaboutthevaluesandbehaviorsthat

enablethis;itboilsdowntochoosingtoleavethepermanentadolescenceofdebt-basedconsumerismbehindandmoveuptoamoreprosperous,productivewayofliving:doingmorewithless.67

Thirty-fivepercentofAmericanshavedebt incollection.Three-quarters livepaychecktopaycheck.Almosthalfcannotcovera$400expensewithoutgoingintodebtorsellingsomething.68Youreallyhavetoaskyourselfwhetherlivinginsuchaprecarioussituationisweirderthanbuyingahousewithyourbrotherandhiswife.On a related note, it is regularly reported that one in four college graduates

still livewith theirparents in theyears after college.What isunclear tome ishowthisisabadthingforanyonebutlandlordsandmortgagesellers.Sincewestarted living inhutswehavebeen living inmulti-generationaldwellings.Areyoungpeopleexpectedtodotheopposite justas theyfaceincreasedeconomicheadwinds? (I left homewhen I was eighteen, by the way. And havemovedcountries several times since then. Lest you think this is an exercise in self-justification.)Thesecondessentialtransformationofthedomesticspacecomeswiththerise

ofediblelandscapes.Nothingwouldmakemehappierthandrivingthroughthesuburbsandseeingthelawnsandhedgesreplacedwithout-of-controlpumpkinand cucumber vines. An unavoidable reality of life in the early twenty-firstcentury is that the cost of food is increasing even as its quality in decreasing.Collectively, we need to get over the white people cringe that growing one’sownfoodis“somethingimmigrantsdo.”Hereisanotheractivitywhichisalmostentirely upside. Learn about, grow, and eat your own food. No space is toosmall.

EducationAfterthehousingcrashof2008,thebanksterswereinneedofanewsourceofdebt to impose onAmericans and then securitize into financial instruments ofmassdestruction.Theyfoundit.CollegedebtexceedsthatofallcreditcarddebtandautoloansintheUS.Itisalsotheonlyformofdebtthatfollowsyouafterbankruptcy.Thisdebtisnowbeingsecuritised,justassubprimemortgageswere,because it remains the only sufficient quantity of debt the general populationappearswillingtoaccrue.Thewholesituationisghastly.Tuitionfeeshaverisen300percentversusthe

(alreadymanipulated) Consumer Price Index between 1990 and 2011. Thirty-sevenpercentofstudentsfailtofinishwithadegree,meaningtheyareburdenedwith unavoidable debt for a product they never actually received.69 As statespushthroughmorefundingcuts,universitiesraisetheirratesforaproductthatisgettinglessandlessuseful.Even the FederalReserve itself is suggesting a college degree is not be the

universalpanaceaeveryoneonceconsideredit tobe.InMay2014, theFederalReserveBankofSanFrancisconotedthatincomesforthebottom25percentofall bachelor’s graduates do not outperform the incomes of those without acollegedegreeandgiventheadditionaldebtburdenthegraduateshave,collegebecomesapoorfinancialperspectiveforthissegment.70Theygoontosuggestthatthenumbersdonotholdfortheincomesoftheremaininggraduates,butthisisamisunderstandingofmathematicsthatcanonlycomefromacentralbanker.In fact, once the costs of attending college are considered, it is likely that

earningabachelor’sdegreewouldnothavebeenagoodinvestmentformanyinthe lowest 25 percent of college graduatewage earners.Of course,what goesunsaidisthatthesenumbersrepeatuntilyouonlyendupwithonestudentleftinthewholecountry.Ifthebottom25percentdidn’tgotocollege,thenthebottomquarter of the remaining 75 percent would be in the same situation when itcomestoaveragewageswhichwouldhavenowrisenforthosewhodidn’tgotocollege.

In any other category of business, to have such high costs and such anastoundinglypoorsuccessratewouldquicklyleadtomassclosures.Insteadthehighereducationindustryinsistsitiscost-effectiveandhelpfulforstudentsevenas all evidence points to the contrary. As Charles HughSmith notes, tertiaryeducationfunctionsinanidenticalfashiontoanyothercartel:collegesmaintaina monopoly on accreditation.71 There is no accountability for a poor productbecauseyoucannotbuyitanywhereelse.Andit isaproduct.Auniversitycanonlyissueacredential that isseenasa

proxy for knowledge. Its relationship to any underlying knowledge is tenuousand its stamp of authenticity is largely redundant in a post-LinkedIn world.Google, for instance, no longer asks job applicants for GPAs or academictranscripts because they do not predict anything. There is no measurablecorrelationbetweensuccessincollegeexamsandsuccesslaterinlife.Whenitcomes to successful peoplewho have been through the college system, Talebrefers to this as “teaching birds how to fly.” 72 Imagine a business professorstandingupinfrontofanauditorium,teachingaroomfullofbirdsaboutflight.Attheendofhislectureheflingsopenthedoorsandallhisstudentsflyout.Hethinkshehastaughtthemaboutflying,buttheywerealreadybirds.Ifyouarefromaverywealthyfamilythen,byallmeans,gotoanelitecollege

andmilkitfornetworkeffects.Giventhatyouarereadingthisparticularbook,itisunlikelythatisthecase,sothinkaboutthefollowing.Whatwehavewiththetertiaryeducationsectorisamisunderstandingofscarcity.Collegedegreesusedtobescarcewhenin-persontuitionandtheoraltransmissionofknowledgewasrequired. There were fewer people with degrees than there were jobs thatrequired them. Today the opposite is true. Fewer jobs, more degrees thanneeded.Thisleadstodegreeinflation,whichcompoundsthestudentdebtburdenandmakes theentiresystemappearmoreessential.Whereoncea jobrequiredonly a high school education, now it requires a bachelor’s degree. Jobspreviouslyrequiringabachelor’sdegreenowinsistonamaster’sdegree,andsoon.Thusthecartelthatcausedtheproblemalsoappearsasitsseemingsolution.Yourvastamountofstudentdebtdidn’tgetyouthejobyouwant?Thencomebackandhavesomemoredebt!Niceworkifyoucangetit.

What’sscarcetodayisreal-worldexperienceoreven,itturnsout,real-worldpreparedness. The number of students exiting the college system with poorliteracyskillsisamazing,tosaynothingofthoseenteringit.Shouldyouwishtopursue interests that require specific degrees, then a strategy that is equallyradicaltotheabovehousingsuggestionisrequired.

Ifyouarenotfromarichfamily,thendonotdothenextbestthing.Dotheoppositething.Makeyourcollegeexperienceascheapaspossible.Anonlinedegreeisfineifitisjustabulletpointonarésuméotherwisefilledwithsuccessfulprojectsandproofofcapability.Peoplewilltellyoueducationisgettingexpensive.Educationhasneverbeencheaperormorereadilyavailableinhumanhistory;acollegedegreehasneverbeenmoreexpensive.Beemployedorminimiseyourdebtasmuchaspossible.Graduatingwithtoomuchdebtseverelyaffectsyouroptionality.Ifyouarepayingallthatmoney,youshouldusetheexperienceasanexcusetolaunchabunchofprojects.Upongraduation,youmustbeabletoproveyourexperience.Isthedrycleanerstillusingthelogoyoudesigned?Isthesoupkitchenstillusingthelogisticsplanyoubuiltforthem?Internships,properlyused,deservetheirownbulletpoint.Muchinkhasbeenspilleddecryingthemaszero-costlabourandwhiteprivilege.Theyareprobablybothofthosethings.Theyarealsoadvantageousifusedcorrectly.Infact,accordingtoalarge-scalerésuméstudybyUniversityofWisconsineconomistJohnM.Nunley,havingabusinessdegreelistedonarésumédidnotimprovethechancesofgettingacallforaninterviewatallbutlistinginterningexperienceimprovedthechancesby14percent.73

Ifyoucanmeetthedevilatthecrossroads,youcanchokedownyourdignityforaspotofinterning.

Useyourtimeatcollegetonetwork.Wealthyfamiliescomewithbuilt-innetworks.Therestofushavetobuildthemourselves.Ifyouarea

wallflower,toobad.Getbetteratit.Thatiswhatalcoholisfor.

NowthatIhavegottenthatoffthechest,letustalkaboutlearningratherthansimplycollege.GiventhatIdidafilmdegreethatdidnotevenhaveexamsontheothersideof theworldfromwhereIcurrentlylive, letmesaythatIregretalmosteveryminuteofit.ThefewminutesIdonotregretarewhenIinternedatFox Studios and learned how to do audio post-production by listening toChristopherLloydsaythesamehalfalineoverandoveragainuntilIfoundthecorrectone.(Ithadbeenmislabelledduringproduction.)OritwaswhenIshotadocumentary about a sunken city and had to work out how to convince twoseparatekingsandonegovernmentministertoallowmeaccesstothesites.Projects and continual learning are the stakes plunged into the ground that

demarcate your area of expertise. I have not been asked about my universityexperience in almost fifteen years. In the meantime I have presented globalmedia and content strategy all over Europe and been acquired by a publiclylistedAmericanmedia company.My degree probably taughtme nothing.Myexperienceonthedocumentaryhelpsmeeveryday.Thisbookemergedfromthesuccess—suchasitis—ofmyblog.Andtheblog

emergedfrombeingmaderedundantfromDiscoveryChannel.IfigureditwouldbegoodtoimprovemyunderstandingofwebpublishingandIhadsometimeonmyhands.ShouldIdoacourseorshouldIjustdoit?ContinuallearningisnottheprocessofaccruingagrowingpileofcertificatesinprojectmanagementandMSOffice proficiency and so on—although they can help.Continual learningariseswhen you refuse to let circumstances or other people’s opinions of youstand inyourway.Likebeing lucky, it livesentirely inasingularmindset:donotworryaboutbeinggoodatsomething.Focus insteadongettingbetterat it.Therestisupside.

ExposuretotheNewEconomyWhen Chinese ecommerce platform Alibaba submitted its IPO paperwork inadvance of its 2014 stock market listing, it had 231 million active buyers, avolumeofbuyersgreater than the adult populationof theUnitedStates.Morethantwobillionpeoplehaveaccesstothewebviamobiledevices,andthetotalnumberofusersisgreaterindevelopingcountriesthanitisindevelopedones.In all of human history there has never been so large a market of potentialcustomersandbusinesspartners.Allof this is tosaythatyousimultaneously live inmore thanoneeconomy.

Historicallywehavemeasuredeconomiesexclusivelybasedonplace—thereisarecessioninNewZealand,youthunemploymentisdeclininginParis—becauseall economies were based around place almost by definition. Today, multipleeconomies overlay the same geographic area. There is the economy of travelagents and newspaper printers that is dying and there is the rapidly growing,multi-trilliondollareconomythatisfastemerging.Itfallstoyoutodecidewhichoneyouwouldprefergreaterexposureto.Forgettheunemploymentfiguresyousee on the news. According to the CEO of Gallup, the number of US adultsemployed for more than thirty hours a week is only 42 percent. “Official”unemploymentdatawillsuggestonlyaround8percentunemployment.Butthereare 93million considered not in the labor force.A report prepared byGlobalInsight for the 2014United States Conference ofMayors shows that the newjobsbeingaddedpay23percentlessthanthejobsbeinglostatanationallevel.74

Youarebeingintellectuallydishonestwithyourselfifyouthinkthatpocketsof hyper-growth occurring in places beyond where you currently live areirrelevant.Theyarenot.Averyobviousopportunity isstaringyouin theface.Move.Itissurprisingthatthisoptiondoesnotoccurtopeoplemoreoften.Duringour

lifetime—infactinthelastfewyears—wehaveexperiencedoneofthebiggestdemographicchangesinthehumanjourney:forthefirsttimeeverwearenowamajority urban species. Economic migration is the reality of the humancondition. Opportunity is not evenly distributed and if you happen to live

somewhere where there is less of it then you need to move. As with alleconomics,not takingaposition is still takingaposition.Refusing tomove istaking the position that youwillmake dowith the reduced or entirely absentopportunitiesintheareawhereyoucurrentlylive.One of the benefits of living in an age of Big Data is that much of the

intellectualheavyliftingsurroundingmovinghasbeendoneforyou.Aneveningspentwithabottleofwineandasearchenginewillresultinanopportunitygridofpotentialnewlocations.Oftentheselocationsarecounter-intuitive.Yes,NewYorkwillseethehighestgrowthinlow-wageservicerolesbutpartsofFlorida,Washington,andTexasmetroareasoffer thehighestpotentialformiddleclassjobgrowthinthenextdecade.Raleigh,NorthCarolina,hasbeenidentifiedasanemergingtechhub(alongwithEindhovenintheNetherlandsifyouarelookingfurtherafield).Atlantabasicallyalreadyisone.Therehavebeenperiodsinourrecenthistorywhereourancestorsdidthings

likewalkacrosstheDustBowltofindworkasgravediggers.Today,inanageofaffordableair travel andhigh speed Internet access, thepropensity tomovefor employment is actuallydeclining.Only 20 percent of today’s 25–34-year-oldsmovedforwork,downfrom31percentin1965.75Ina2014interviewwithBloomberg,CarseyInstitutedemographerKennethJohnsonsaid,“MigrationisakeyadvantageoftheAmericansystemhistorically.TheabilityofgrowingareastoattractmigrantsfromalargenationallaborpoolhashistoricallyhelpedtheUSadapttochangingeconomicconditions.”76

Acommonpushbacktotheideaofmovingforworkisthatitisdisruptivetoone’s children. Maybe so, but the life outcomes are significantly worse forchildrenwhowere raised inpovertyversus childrenwhomoved several timesduring their schooling. If that is your only excuse, it is flimsy. Think verycarefully on the possibility that you are using children’s natural resistance tochangeasacoverforyourownunwillingness.Between1990 and2013, disposable income rose0percent and rent rose15

percent.77Awillingnesstomoveoffersyouadditionalvalvestoreduceyourcostoflivingpressure.Italsobecomesclearerhowthemindwarstrategiesworkinconcert:movetoahighgrowthareawithclosefriendsorfamily,rentandlive

together,diversifyyourincomes,sharecosts,stayoutofdebt.Aworldinwhichopportunity isnot randomlydistributed thatalsohasaworkingagepopulationdisplaying less interest in chasing after it presents a significant strategicadvantage for the ambitious magician. Resist the atomizing effect ofmonoculture’s celebration of the fiction of the individual. This is how tribeswork,thisishowithasalwaysbeendone.Nomadismishumanity’snaturalstateandadventurismiswizardry’snaturalone.

SeekConvexityConvexwork is simply the sort ofwork that has thehighest revenueupswingpotentialfromtheinitialinvestment.IfyouopenadivebarinSaudiArabiayouwillbeconfrontedwithanimmediateandfairlylowrevenueceiling.IfyouopenoneinHoxton,London,youwillnot.Thesamegoeswithpersonalorvocationalinvestment.Giventhedemographicchangesfacingthewesternworldinthenexttwenty years, is it better to specialise in gerontological nursing or adolescentnursing? For the same initial investment, which option has even the tiniestchance of you owning a network of old folks homes and retiring to a privateisland?Acaveat to seekingvocational convexity relating also to choosingwhere to

live is to be aware ofwhether there is an oversupply in themedium term. Inchallenging economic times,masses of people retrain… typically in “soundsgoodonpaper”pointlessnesses likeMBAsor lawdegrees.Because theworldneeds more of them, eh? Just be aware that the oversupply may hit the jobmarketbeforeyoucanevengetthere.Next,robot-proofyourself.Thiscannotbeover-emphasised.Yournewhobby

needs tobekeepingupwith roboticsnews.Theonly typeofwork thatcannotcurrently be robotised is thatwhich has an unknown point of completion.Anoperationwhereadentalfillingisreplacedhasaknownpointofcompletion:anew filling. A new summer menu or a garden design does not. In the nextdecade, roboticswill affect themiddle incomeworkforce a lotmore than youcurrentlythinkbutslightlylessthanyoucurrentlyfear.Fortheopen-eyed,thereis opportunity here: when asked how hewould prepare for amatch against acomputer, Dutch chess master Jan Hein Donner said, “I would bring ahammer.”78Janwillprobablystillhaveajobintenyearstime.Mercifully,seekingconvexitydoesawaywiththepreposterousanddangerous

fictionthatyoumustonlydoworkthatyouarepassionateabout,thatyoumustfollowthispassionatallcosts.Ifthiswereinanywayasolutionwewouldnothaveteenagersandkids in theirearly twentiesdroppingoutofcollege—asthemajorityof themdo—with incompletedegreesandmassivedebtburdens.The

assumptionthatachildhasapre-existingpassionisasflawedastheassumptionthatsuchpassionsalignwithwaysofmakingmoneyeithertodayorinthenearfuture.On an individual level, seeking convexitymeans “developing rare andvaluableskills.”Scarcityalwayscarriesapremium.Ifyouhavein-demandskillsthenyoucan leverage themtoengineereither the typeofcareeror the typeoflifeyouwishtolead.Noteveryoneconsidersthelargestpossiblesalaryastheirprimarygoal.MyaccountantdoesnotworkFridaysbecausehe likes tosurf. Icannot do what he does, so I don’t get accounting services on Fridays.“Developingrareandvaluableskills”lackssomeoftheromanceoffindingyourdestiny in a lifetime role that brings you happiness andwealth, but it has thestrategic advantage of actuallyworking. Especiallywhen you combine itwiththemindwarstrategyoftakingchargeofyourowntrainingandexperience.Justaswithhousingandwhereyoulocateyourself,mindwarsareinvariablyfoughtonmultiplefronts.

FromConvexitytoMasteryAcommonandhighly suspectobjection to the strategyof cultivating industrynon-specific“rareandvaluableskills”isthatitsmacksofdilettantism.Hardly.Youhaveonlyafinitenumberofyears in theworkforce(and inyour life!)soyoumustbehighly intolerantof stagnation. If aprojectorabusinessora jobdoesnotturnoutthewayyouwantorneeditto,abandonit.Increativewritingthisis“killingyourdarlings.”Inbusinessthisisgoodbusiness.OneofbusinesswriterSethGodin’sbestyetleast-understoodbooks,TheDip,describeshowyoushouldabandonanythingyouarenotgoingtobebestintheworldatassoonasyourealisethisisso.Hyperbole,perhaps,butstillaverygoodwayofassessingwhich skills and projects you choose to focus your time on. Thus is masteryachievedwithenoughtimetoputittouseengineeringthelifeyouwishtolead.

IntheWorkplaceMore or less every piece of workplace advice you have been given is eitherwrongorsuitedtomorepredictableeconomictimes.Workplaceadviceisreallyhumanbehaviouraladvice:howtoregulateyourownandhowtoshapethatofothers.Giventhatearlytwenty-firstcenturyworkplacesrunthefullgamutfromAlaskan crab fishing fleets to the International Space Station, there are asurprisinglyhighnumberofuniversalapproachesworthincorporatingintoyourmind war. Here are some personal observations from reasonably successfulcampaignsacrossmultipleindustriesinfiveseparatecountries(sofar).

Personalfinances.Youaresunkbeforeyoubeginwithoutaworkingknowledgeofyourownfinancesandtaxlaws.Iknowitisboring.Toobad.Projectmanagement.Everythingisaproject.Yourwholeincarnationisaproject.ThereisanabundanceoffreeprojectmanagementresourcesandtrainingavailableontheInternet.Considerinvestingincertificationasitonlycostsafewhundreddollars.Thereisn’taworkplaceonearththatcouldnotbenefitfromabetterunderstandingofprojectmanagementamongitsemployees.Opportunitycost.Learnwhatitisandalwaysbecalculatingit.Especiallyintheoccultworld,therearetoomanymicro-businessesthatallegedlybreakevenbutconsumehugeamountsoftimeandenergythatcouldbebetterallocatedelsewhere…thusfreeingupmoretimeforthehobbiespeoplearesodesperatetoturnintobusinessessotheycanspendmoretimeonthem.Activelyseekproblemstosolve.Completeorsolveproblemseitherinyourworkplaceorforreal-worldgroupsifyourcurrentjobstatusdoesnotallowforindependentproblemsolving(thoughIwouldstruggletofindexamplesofsuchworkplaceseveninlowskillindustries).Donotshowupandexpecttobetoldwhattodo—thatiswhatrobotsarefor.

Jobtitlesareatrap.Experienceismoreimportant.Engineeringyourrésumétoreflectaprogressionofjobtitlesyouthinkareindemandisahugelyriskystrategy,asthejobyouareaimingformaynotexistintwoyears’time.Focusinsteadonwhatyouwanttoaccomplish.“Launchinganm-commercestoreinBrazil”isvastlymoreimpressivethan“MobileProductManager:LatAm.”Ineveryrole,askyourself,“WhatproblemamIsolving?”Ifyourjobdoesnotofferscopeforadditionalresponsibilities,volunteeratachurchorfoodbank.Thedaysofjuniorsbeing“groomed”forseniorpositionsarelongover.Itisquestionablewhethertheyexistedatallbeyondthelimitedsphereofnepotisminfamily-ownedbusinesses.Nooneisgoingtospendmoretimethinkingaboutorcaringforyourcareerthanyou.Noone.Behealthy.Thismeansmorethan“donotbefat,”butitalsomeansthattoo.Peoplewhoareoverweightarepaidlessthanthosewhoaren’t.Idislikethisasmuchasthenextguywhohasstruggledwithhisweighthiswholelife,butthenumbersdonotlie.Asforawiderdefinitionofhealth,theevidencethatregularphysicalactivityimprovesmentalandemotionalperformanceisoverwhelming.Spendingtimeatthegymisthesamethingasputtinginextrahoursattheoffice.Additionally,Americansmakeuponly5percentoftheplanet’spopulationbutconsumemorethanhalfofallpharmaceuticals.Thisrisesto80percentwhenitcomestoprescriptionpainkillers.Behealthysoyoudonotneedtobestonedatwork.Thatalonewillleapfrogyouovermostofthecompetition.Learntocompartmentalise.Thereasonbusinessiscalledbusinessratherthan“fun”isthatsometimesitisn’t.Especiallywiththeloomingdemographicandeconomicchangestheeconomyisundergoing,youwillneedtobeverygoodatcompartmentalisation.Achaosmagicapproachtomultipleselvesisparticularlyusefulinseparatingyourworkfromyournon-worklife.Bewarned.Itgetsmurkyoutthere.

Generalrolesarepreferabletospecialistoneswhenitcomestopromotion.Gettingcaughtin“functionalsilos”likelegalorcommsorhumanresourcesismorelikelytocapyourpromotionalopportunities.GetawidevarietyofoperationalexperienceandensureyouhaveP&Lresponsibility.Gaininternationalexperience.Mosttopexecutiveshaveinternationalexperience.Plusit’sfun.Marrywell.Thisdoesnotmeanmarryaboveyourstation,itmeansfindaspouse/partnerwhocanfunctionasasolidsupportsystemathome.Topexecutivesmaynotalwayshavechildren,buttheyalmostalwayshaveasupportivespouse.Avoidtheworkplacepariah.Youwillrecognisetheworkplacepariahastheonewhobefriendsyouthesecondyoujoinabusiness.Justlikeinagameofpoker,ifyoudon’tknowwhotheworkplacepariahis…guesswhat?Nevercomplainaboutyourboss.Ever.Similarly,beaboveofficepolitics.Ifyouwanttocomplainaboutpeople,getatherapist.Beawareofyourclassindicators.Peoplepromotethosewhoaresimilartothemselves.Tablemanners,whichtelevisionprogrammesyouwatch,whereyouholiday,whichsportsyouplay,thesearehugelyimportant.NottoomanyseniorexecutiveseatpizzaattheirdeskwhiletalkingwiththeirmouthfullabouttheNASCAR-themedcruisetheytooklastyear.Americanshaveanunfortunatetendencytoconfuseclasswithwealth.Wealthisnotrequiredforthemostimportantclassindicators.Haveagameplan,butkeepitsecret.Ithasneverbeencleartomewhysomepeoplethinkvocalisinghowambitioustheyarewillassistthemwiththeirambition.Itwon’t.Seeaboveaboutclassindicators.

TheNetworkPeoplewhodonotunderstandnetworkingthinkitishandingoutbusinesscardsat conferences or retweeting industry opinion makers. Networks are notmeasured in the volume of people that you have met. Networks are anaccumulationofsocialcapital.Forinstance, thetruevalueofeliteeducationislocatedintheadvantageofmatriculating—anddrinkingandcommittingsexualassault in fraternity basements—with the scions of hyper-connected, wealthyfamilies.Thusarefuturepresidentsselected.Itisamistaketothinkthatyouarehiredbyacompany.Inactuality,youare

hiredbyaperson.Allopportunityflowsthroughpeople.Theunderlyingspiritofthenetworkisgenerosity,notreciprocity.Anunthinkingapproachtonetworkisto assume a tit-for-tat response to somebody doing you a favour. TheROI ofyournetworkisfarlesspredictable.Helppeoplewithnoexpectationofrewardbecause,asExecutiveDirectorofHarvard’sSaguaroSeminar,ThomasSanders,notes: the underlying network science suggests that it is theweak links ratherthanthestrongoneswhodeliverthebestreturn.79Itisthefriendofthefriendofthe friendwho happens to have your perfect job opportunity. Youwill neverknow in advancewhich permutation ofweak linkswill deliver this.Trying tokeepsomekindofSantaClaus-stylegrudgelistisawasteoftime.ThisishowglobalnetworkingexpertSunnyBatesexplainsit:

It’sveryeasytothinkthatsomebodyknowsyou.Andthatiftheyknowyou,theywillthinkaboutcallingyou,oraskingyou,orwantingyouforsomething.Butpeopleforget.Iwasaheadhunterformanyyears,andIwasalwaysamazedbecauseeasily20percentofthetime,thefinalpersonwhowashiredwaswell-knowntotheclient.(Theyjusthadn’tthoughtaboutthem.)Thatmeansthat,foreveryfivepeopleyouknow,oneislikelytohaveanimpactonyouorhireyou—thatshouldmakeyouwanttoexpandyourcircle.80

Inamindwar,networkingextendsfarbeyondhavingmorethan500LinkedInconnections.Correctlyused,itisprobablyoneofourgreatestadvantages.From

amagicalperspective,Ihavemyprofessionalnetwork,butIconsideritasubsetofsomethinglargerandmorevaried.Iconsideritpartofmytribe.Itistooearlytopredictjusthowdisruptivetheriseofcrowdfundingandthereturnoflocalismis going to be, but they are hugely positive signals thatwe aremoving into aworldthatcanbeconsciouslydecentralised.Ahealthynetworkmeansyoucanavoid the bottlenecks of restrictive bank financing or angel investors oracquisition editors or any of the other gatekeepers that emerged out of thelegacy, centralised-industrial model. For this larger network/tribe, two thingsmustbekeptutmostinmind.Firstly,anetworkisnotadigitalasset!Youcouldhavethemaximumnumber

of friends Facebook allows and still not have a healthy network. Digitalplatformsfacilitatecommunicationwithinanetwork.Thatisall.Youstillneedtohavecoffeewithpeopleandbirthdaycardsarealwaysappreciated.(June25,sinceyouasked.)Secondly, if you are amechanic,make sure your network consists ofmore

thanothermechanics.Havechefs, teachers,painters,waiters,navalofficers…whatever. Varied networks provide more useful weak link effects inunpredictabletimes.Iliketothinkofthisasthevillageinmyhead.Inpreviouserasyouwouldknowyourbakeroryourschoolteacher;youwouldknowwhoto speak to about livestock issues or how to fix the roof of your barn. Theeconomicsofthemodernworldmakeithighlyunlikelythatyouhaveaccesstosuchavariationinskillswithineasywalkingdistance.Thepositivesidetothedigitisationofnetworksisthatinpreviouseras,IwouldnothavehadanOxfordastrophysicistoramarinebiologistinmyvillage…butIdointhevillageinmyhead.A healthy network is one of the best ways to gain exposure to the new

economy.Collaborationandsharedownershipofincomestreamsareemergingasthenewfundingmodel,replacingtheolddebt-basedmodelofbusinessloansand interest payments. Instead of founding companies, groups and collectivescan dynamically appear that share necessary skills or access to potential newmarkets:don’tspeakGermanbuthaveaproductorserviceyouwishtomarket

inGermany?Does your network contain anyGermanswith comparable skillswhowouldbeinterestedinanequitypartnership?Intheend,effectivenetworkingcomesdowntoasciencefictionversionofthe

tribalmodel.Youdon’twinamindwaronyourown.

WealthintheMediumTermEven ifyouhappen tobegoodatmakingmoney,youprobablyaren’tgoodatkeepingit.Fewpeoplerealisethisisanentirelyseparateskill,anditisbecauseofthislackofrealisationthatmostpeoplestruggletoretaintheirwealth.Onceitispointedout,itisobvious.Asuccessfuldentistmakesalotofmoneybecauseheorsheisgoodatdentistry.Butwhatdoteethhavetodowithinvestingandwealthpreservation?Unlessyouractualjobisinvestmentadvisor,Iamheretotellyouthatyouneedtolearnabrandnewskill.Asyoumayhaveguessed from the “Recognising theBars”chapter, I ama

proponent ofmeasuringwealth in terms of their real asset value. Story ofmylife,but thismeansinevitablykeepingcompanywithsomespectacularlyweirdfringedwellers.Alltoooften,thewordsoutofsomebody’smouthimmediatelyfollowing “physicalwealth” have something to dowith burying gold coins inyourbackyardbecausetheUSdollarisgoingtocollapse.Itisn’t.Andthegoldstandardisnevercomingback.(Myguessiswewilleventuallyreplacethefiatsystemwithsomesortof“basketofcommodities”standardadministeredbytheIMFwhichmayormaynotincludegold.)What this means is it is useful to be a physical wealth theorist, if not a

physical wealth proponent. We have seen how our crony currency systemdistortspricesignalsandinterfereswithourabilitytoassesspersonaleconomicvalue. It ismore difficult for the system to distort the value of the home youwereborninoryourtriballyinheritedwateraccessrightsastheybothhaveanimmovable physicality. In many ways, a preference for physical wealth orinvestmentisphilosophicalandfindscommongroundwithmuchofthemagicaland Pagan communities. For instance, I personally believe permaculturalfarmland is more valuable than mortgage-backed securities or taxi cab apps,regardlessoftheirrelativevaluations.Rememberthetermhumanomics.Youarealways in control of what you choose to define as valuable, even if that isnominallymeasuredincurrency.Assumingyouplantoremainincarnateforthenexttwentyyears,youwilllive

through the most dramatic changes to the monetary system ever. That makes

determining value even more challenging. Historically, when huge monetarychangesoccur,thebestruleofthumbistocontrolasmanyrealresourcesasyoucan.Thesecanincludepreciousmetalsifyousodesire,butitalsoextendstotheabove water-rights, energy production systems (solar, geothermal, etc.), andfarmlandorotherarableland.Formuchoftheworld,itmaybetechnicallysaferto keep these assets outside the banking system, especially since widespreadpolicychangesmeanyoumaybeforcedtobailinyourownbank.Intermsofwealthcreationstrategies,ourchangingworldpresentsanumber

of new possibilities. Before we describe them, I cannot stress enough thatnothingin thischapteror indeedtheentirebookconstitutes investmentadvice.The fact that it contains guidelines for a crossroad pactwith the devil shouldreallybethegiveawaythere.CastyourmindbacktoDeirdreMcClosky’snotionof the Great Enrichment; themiddle classifying of the whole planet.We canobservethisprocessplayingoutintheworld’sstockmarkets.Inher2014annualwrap up, Catherine Austin Fitts observes that the total value of every stockmarketonearthin1990was$11trilliondollars.81Todayitis$70trillionandisontrackforatleast$150trillionasmorecountrieslaunchtheirownexchangesandtheemergingonescontinuetogrow.Fittscallsthis“aonce-in-a-civilisationevent,”thesecuritisationoftheentireplanet.Itisahugegrowthopportunityandit is presenting itself—indeed is powered by—the increase in access andparticipationinmarketsthankstotheriseofmobileanddigitalcommunications.Wealreadyseethebeginningsofthisincreasedparticipationwiththeemergenceof crowdfunding, micro-funding and investment concepts such as motifinvesting,whereparticipantscanbuytrendssuchas“cleanenergy”or“Americaonthemove.”As for retirement strategies, theworld has changed somuch that if you are

under forty the social and capital infrastructure, pension funds, and so onwillhave been largely or completely dismantled by the time you come to retire.Therearecurrentlymorethan$60trillioninunfundedpensionliabilitiesaswehead into the largestmassretirement inhumanhistory.Consider thefollowingPonzimathemathics,courtesyonceagainofCharlesHughSmith.(Buyhisbookandsubscribetohisblog.)82

1retireeconsumesthetaxespaidby5workers.Those5workerswhentheyretireconsumethetaxespaidby25workers.Those25workerswhentheyretireconsumethetaxespaidby125workers.Those125workerswhentheyretireconsumethetaxespaidby625workers.Those625workerswhentheyretireconsumethetaxespaidby3,125workers.

Superannuation and pension schemes rely on harvesting the wealth of theworking age population, “investing it wisely,” and paying for the retiredmembers of the schemeswith the profits from their canny investments.Don’tknowaboutyou,butIthinkI’llpass.Given the supreme unpredictability facing the economic system, let an

understandingofphysicalwealth informyour retirementdecision-making. It isalsoaverygoodideatokeepyournetworkhealthyasyouapproachretirementage, a practice that has been humankind’s tried and true approach to our lateryears.Inevitably,whatconstituteswealthandhowmuchof ityouactuallyneed to

achieveyourpersonalvisionofsuccesscanonlybemeasuredonanindividualbasis.Iftherewereadefinedstrategy,everyonewouldbewealthy.Complicatingthis further is that the triedand truestrategiesof thepreviousfivedecadesarenot a good match for the changes the world is currently experiencing. Thesechangessuggestsomenovelapproachesarecalledfor.

Housing:Leveragingyourselfbymorethan300percentforasingle,illiquidassetthathasreturnedlessthan1percentperyearoverthepastfiftyyearsisnotagoodidea.Takeseriouslythepossibilityofmulti-generationallivingorlivingwithagroupoffriends.Thisreducesoverallfinancialriskbothintermsofdebtservicingandanypossiblejoblosses;itreduceschildcarecosts,expenses,anditprovidesalternativevectorsforretirement.Whydoyouthinkwelivedthiswayforcenturies?Geography:Matchyourwealthstrategytoyourlocation.Rentinareasof

highincomeandhighpropertyprices(majorcities).Movetoareasthatpresentthecorrectmixofopportunityandcostforyou.Inshort,adapttoyourenvironment.Weallknowwhathappenstocreatureswhodon’t.Health:Fewpeopleconsidertheirhealthtobeacomponentoftheirwealthportfolio,butabadhealthdiagnosisisthesinglebiggestcauseofbankruptcyinAmerica.Thishastremendousimplicationsforhowyouviewfoodspending—it’saninvestment—andshouldhaveyouthinkingextremelyseriouslyaboutconvertingpartsofyourpropertyintofoodproductionareas:vegetableplots,aquaponics,etc.Healthisabsolutelynotanareainwhichtocutcosts.Debtandinvestment:Ifyouareindebt,considerradicalpossibilitiestogetoutofitasfastaspossible:sellingpossessions,movinginwithfriendsandfamily,andsoon.Onceyouareoutofdebt,stayoutofit.Debtcompletelyskewsyourriskprofilejustastheglobaleconomyisundergoingsomedramaticchanges.Notonlydoesdebtincreaseyouroverallrisk,servicingdebtmeansyouarereducingyouropportunitytoparticipateinotherinvestments;whetherthatbeyourownbusiness,securitiesandotherassetclasses,andsoon.Neverforgetthattheplanet’seconomyisactuallygrowing,evenifthelocaloneisnot.Participate!Career:Makepeacewiththerealitythatyouwillhavemultiplecareersoverthecourseofyourlifetimeandthattherereallyarenosuchthingasstablejobsanymore.Bepreparedtomove,bepreparedtoseizeopportunities,andneverstopupskillingyourself.Ifyouaredebtfreeandpreparedtobegeographicallydynamic,theworldisyouroyster.Education:Ifsomeonerichispaying,goexpensive.Ifyouarepaying,goascheapaspossible.Thestudentwiththeonlinedegreeandayearofinterningwillalwaysbeatthestudentwithadegreefromamid-levelcollege.Thedifferenceissostarkthatyouareprobablybetteroffgettingintodebttosupportayearofinterningthanyouaregettingadegree.(NotthatIwouldrecommendthat,ofcourse.)Hugestructuralchangesareloomingfortheeducationsector.Thinkofhowangryyouwillbeifyou

wereoneofthelaststudentstogetsodeeplyintodebtbeforeeverythingchanges.

Finally,thereisoneotherfactortobeaccountedforinyourquestforsuccess.Themostimportantfactor…soimportantitmadeitintothetitleofthebook.

ChaosThere is the old saying that men plan and God laughs. You will haveexperienced this inyourown life.Success as it transpireshasvery little todowith planning and very much to do with having a stomach for chaos, forunpredictability.Outsideofsomehighlyartificialscenariossuchaschessorthemoreboringsports, the tenthousandhourrulepopularisedbytobaccolobbyistMalcolmGladwellhasseverelylimitedapplicability.Forlife’smoreimportantgoals—makingart,findinglove—thereisneithera

minimum or maximum hour rule. Instead you have the permanent state ofunpredictability: you probably will not find love tomorrow. This will happeneverydayuntilyoudo.I say “stomach for” chaos but actually you need to learn to love it. If your

work life reaches a dead end, dismantle it! If times get tough in your area,assembleawagontrainoffriendsandfamilyandleavethatoldlifebehindforpastures new. If you findyourself in a situationwhereyou are not cultivatingrareandvaluableskills,walkaway.Anyofthesestrategiestriggerfearreactionsinthemajorityofthepopulation,buttheyarealreadywalkingcasualtiesinthemindwar.Youhavediscovered thatnot evendeath can stopyouand—armedwithspiritalliesandancestors—adventureawaits.Everystrategyandeverystepon theadventure requires risk.Taking risks is

aboutbeingbrave,notreckless.Fearandvictimhoodarerejectionsofrisk.Theyareanti-chaosandpro-statusquo.Fearisthefirstandmostimportantfrontinthemind war. Pulitzer-nominated journalist John Rappoport says, “Defeat is aprogram.It’samind-controlprogramandit isplanet-wide.”Thegoodnewsisyourfingerhasbeenhoveringabovetheoff-switchyourentirelife.

[contents]

CONCLUSION:THETEMPLEATTHEENDOFCAPITALISM

Asuccessmagicbook isacurioushybrid. It isbeyond its scope—andbeyondthe scope of any book ever written—to declare one is in possession of themeaning of life. (I am afraid you will have to consider that homework.)Similarly, no one explains to you how difficult it is to demonstrate enoughpersonalsuccesstojustifytakingupthereader’stimewithoutsoundinglikeanappallingpersonintheprocess.Sothishasbeenthemostchallengingchapterofthebook.Figuring thatnewvistashavea tendency to inspirecreativity, I triedwritingitallovertheworld.IntheskyoverChina;inNewYork’sEastVillage;in Auckland, New Zealand; in South Beach, Miami. I even worked on thebibliographyinRome.(YouseewhatImeanaboutsoundingappalling?)Piecesoccurred tomeonmy journeys,but theoverall shapeof the chapter remainedelusive.Perhapsflyingalmosttwicearoundtheworldinlessthanamonthsuggestsa

shape.WritingthisovertheAtlanticonthewaybacktoLondonrightnow,Iamnotat the frontof theplane,butneitheramIat theback.FromacoalminingtowninregionalAustraliatoanaccidentalcareerontheothersideoftheplanetprovides interest challenge, globe-trotting excitement… and isn’t in banking.Formagicians, theanswer to the successquestioncannotbe“Hey, let’s allbebankers.Thatwillsolveeverything!”SuccesscomesfromsuitablyincorporatingMeaning (with a capitalM) into one’s life.We require a more sophisticated,more nuanced sense of the term than what is crudely expressed in a bankstatement, but we also need to know how those curious glyphs on the bankstatementcame tobeandhowthey relate to the restof theworld. IamhappythatIhaveenoughmoneytopursuewhatisimportanttomeinlifeandgrateful

thatI(currently)enjoythewayImakethatmoney.YoucankeepyourLearjet;I’dratherhaveapenandanicenotebook.ThepursuitofMeaninghaschangedforboththeworseandthebetter inthe

last two decades. Socialmobilitymay be declining, but creativemobility hasneverbeenmoreachievable.Beginningwiththebadnews,Meaningisinshortsupplyinourcurrentandmediumtermsocioeconomicfuture:

Weliveinabiosphereundergoingcollapse.Acombinationofdemographicchangeandtheriseofrobotisationdonotbodewellforthestabilityofmiddle-incomecareers,asgrowingseculardeflationbecomesapermanentfactorinassessingopportunitiesforadvancement.Theeffectofextremepersonalandgovernmentdebthasyettobeadequatelyforecastbutwillhavelong-termimpactsonculturalandsocialinstitutionssuchashealthcareandthearts.Cronycapitalism:theflagrantmanipulationoflocalandglobalmarketsforthesolebenefitofatinyeliteattheexpenseoftherestofus.Theerosionofcivillibertiesandtheriseoftotalsurveillancemeansdeviationsfromapprovedbehaviour—anincreasinglynarrowconcept—moreandmorechallenging.

Nowtothegoodnews.Whilewemaybelivinginthelastdaysofcentralisedcapitalism,wealsoliveinanageofwonders.Allthegreatestnovelsinwesternliterature can fit on your phone. You can have real-time video conversationswithpeoplelivinginAntarcticresearchstationsatzerocost.Yes,mostdaysthedigitalworldmayseemtoconsistentirelyofcatpicturesandpornography.ButamongstthepussiesyoucanalsofindtheNagHammadilibraryorrecordingsofSiberian shamans singing to the ancestors. Private space programmes, gaymarriage, cameras on mobile handsets that are far more sophisticated thananything I had access to in film school. Would you trade that for a stable,postwarfactoryjobandahouseinaraciallysegregatedsuburb?

Tobeclear,thisisnotabookofdigitalutopianism.Wecannotconcludethatyoushouldbehappywithyourminimum-wagejobbecauseatleastyouhavetheInternet.Chaosmagicfirstaroseintopopularconsciousnessduringatimewhenpeople believed the digital age presented a future of free expression and fluididentitylikesomeeternalBurningMan.Thisturnedouttobeverynaïve.IhopeI have demonstrated a willingness to stare at what is frankly an extremelychallengingincarnationwithaslittlesugarcoatingaspossible.Wewillnotlivehappily ever after in the Cloud. However, you can now order seeds for rare,medievalvegetables—fardenserinnutrients—andplanttheminthebackyardofthe foreclosed home next door, sharing the bountywith neighbours found vialocation-based services.You can hear about a genuineAmazonian shaman onTwitterandbooktheentirejourneytomeethimorheronasingledevicewhilewaitinginlineforyourlunch.Youcanfinallyfindanaudienceforyourthroat-singing albums (probably). The learned networking behaviours of the digitalworld—such as sharing and mutual interest—are now being taken offline. Adigital utopia isonly legitimately expressedwhenyou take thebestofwhat itofferstointegrateitintoyourphysicalexistence.For the first time evermore of us now live in cities than not as a species.

Consider the following urban trend: After the Boomers, the next-largestdemographic cohort is Generation Y, the so-called Millennials. Far fewerMillennials drive. Far fewer express a desire to live in the suburbs, preferringinsteadwhat is known as “urban light” in developer-speak. Thismeans livingclosertothecentreandexistinginwalkablespheresofeconomicinfluence.Itisimpossibletooverstateorpredicttheimpactofthistrend,butIwouldnotwanttobethebigboxretailerattheedgeoftownintwentyyears—Iwouldwanttobetheindependentgreengrocer.Aquarterofallpeoplewhohaveeverlivedarealiverightnow.Inthewestat

least, thismeanswearestaringatadramaticculturalchangebroughtaboutbythe first generation to have been raised with a very digital sense of sharing,community, and economies based on networks. The news media paints thesechanges inanegative light:Millennials livewith theirparents,Millennials aretoocoddledtodrive,Millennialsaren’tbuyinghouses.Thisistheviewoftheir

automotiveandrealestateadvertisers,ofcourse,andtheyshouldbeconcernedbecausetheirworldisgoingaway.By2025,Millenialswillmakeup75percentoftheworkforce.AsCEOsandbusinessleaders,theywillbringaboutchangesineconomicpracticeasgreatastheriseoftheassemblylineortheInternet.HereistheviewofoneoftheoldestthinktanksinWashington,theBrookings

Institute:

ThedesireofMillennialsforpragmaticactionthatbringsresultswillovertaketoday’semphasisonideologyandpolarizationasBoomersfinallyfadefromthescene.ThisculturalshiftwillbefeltinallaspectsoftheAmericaneconomyfromitsmarketplacestoitsworkforceandfromitsboardroomstothedailydecisionsofitsCEOs.83

Athree-yearstudyofMillennialattitudesbyAccenturefoundthatoftheirtenleast-likedcompanies, fourbelonged to thecountry’smostpowerfulbanks: JPMorgan&Chase,Citigroup,BankofAmerica,andWellsFargo.84Butisitreallysobadathingthatconsumption-basedcapitalismisending?AstheoldworldofstablemanufacturingjobsshufflesofftoretirementwithitsBoomerdevotees,anewworldisemergingthatisaskingthequestionofwhatworkisfor.Whatwillbewrittenonyourtombstone?Whatisitaboutyouthatisperishableandwhatisimperishable?EvenifyouarenotpartoftheMillennialgenerationyouwillstillbelivinginaworldbuiltbytheirhandsandtheirvalues,anditisverydifferent.Blinkandyouwillmissallofthis.Itisalltooeasytogiveintofearandslip

backintothecontrolmechanism.Thatiswhytheritualsinthisbookmayappearextreme on first read-through. Finding Meaning and success in the post-apocalypse requires apermanentvalue adjustment. If youpicture subjects likewealth, employment, and property ownership as slow-moving planets in anastrologicalchart, theyarecurrentlymovingintoanewconfigurationtowhichwemustallrespond.Itfeelscounter-intuitiveatfirst,butfindingsuccessalmostbydefinitionrequiresyoutodotheoppositeofwhateveryoneelsedoes.Itcanbesoeasytoloseyournerveatthelastmomentandfollowthecrowd.Crowdscoherearoundfailure,notsuccess.Followatyourperil.

“Degrowth”ratherthangrowthisnowthecuttingedgeofculture.Itisawayofbeingintheworldthatvaluesaccessoverownership, thatdoesnotmeasuresuccess or prosperity in terms of consumption. I first moved to London twoweeksbeforeLehmannBrotherscollapsed.Thiswasprobablytheworsttimeinathousandyearstoseekemploymentinthecity.(Althoughthatfiretheyhadafewcenturiesbackprobablywasn’tgreat,either.)AndsoIwouldapplyforopenpositions in themorningand spend the restof thedaywalking the streets andcanals,visitingthe(free)museums,readingsecondhandbooksinRegent’sPark,buyingcheapfoodatmarketsjustastheywereclosing,watchingdocumentariesonlineonceitgottoocoldtobeoutside.IbeganwithmoresavingsthanIhadever had before and—because this is how fate works—eventually started myfirstdayofanewjobwithzeromoneyleftinmyaccounts.Ihadonepoundleftand themeal I ate the night beforewas a supermarket sandwich that cost onepound.Itwasanawful,stressfultime,butitwasalsosomehowwonderful.Theexperience permanently de-coupled money and status from my sense ofpersonhoodormycapacitytoappreciatewhatisactuallyvaluableinhumanlife.YoudonotneedasinglecenttoyournametoappreciateMonet’sWaterLiliesor to pick up a pen and startwriting a short story. Todaywe live in aworldwhereyoumayultimately loseyour teaching job to a robot, but youhave theopportunityforexplorationandexpressionoftopicsandpeoplethatwouldhavegotyouburnedatthestakeafewcenturiesago.HowyoumaximisetheopportunitiespresentedbyourchaoticKaliYugaisto

first become invincible. Your distinct advantage over the majority of thedenizens of the west is an unshakeable awareness that the physical realmrepresents a small sliver in the spectrum of your actual existence. Becominginvincible takes away everymap you have ever owned and replaces them allwithcold,brilliantfreedom.Therearenoproscribedstepsbeyondsuchapoint.For example, it is patently impossible to reverse-engineer thedecisions I havemadeintoatwenty-pointplantoachievealifethatresemblesmyown…inthevanishinglyunlikelyscenariothatanyonewouldevenwantit.Suchaplanwouldnot read well: be born in a regional Australian coal mining town, do a filmdegree,move countries on awhim, spend the next decademaking a series of

incandescent mistakes, get made redundant fairly consistently… profit.Whoneedsthis?Becomeinvincibleandhaveadventures.Therestisdetail.Since the end of the Great Recession, the amount that the wealth of the 1

percenthasgrownisgreater than thecostofeverysinglesocialprogrammeinAmerica. We watch the last days of crony capitalism with the same grimfascinationthattheearlygothicsobservedthecultoftheruin;thecentralisationofwealthandpowerinfewerandfewerhandscallstomindthecivilisationsthathave fallen before our own. Let us return to theBank of England, one of theepicentresofourcurrentmonetaryculture.Whenitssurveyor,SirJohnSoane,reopenedamuch-expandedBankofEnglandfortifiedagainstriotingLondonersand doubled in size to accommodate the new force of debt to drive imperialgrowth,heheldanexhibition that showedhisgleamingnewbuilding in ruins.EvenitscreatorcouldnotlookupontheBankwithoutfindingitmonstrousandrealising it—alongwith the British Empire—will one day end. (Sir John waspretty much full wizard. Be sure to visit his museum when you are next inLondon.)Wizards have always thrived in periods of acute cultural and economic

change. Indeed, the western magical tradition as we recognise it today wasformedbetweenthefirstandfourthcenturiesasempiressplitintwo,newgodsarrivedfromtheeast,distantprovinceswereabandonedtotheirfate,currenciesweredebasedtopayforimpossiblylargearmies,andthelibrariesoftheclassicalworld were scattered to the winds. We appeared again during the economictumult of the union of Scotland and debt-ridden, Catholic-haunted EnglandunderJamesI—thefirstandonlymonarchtowriteabookonwitch-huntinganddemonology.WeappearedagaininthecaneandcottonfieldsoftheNewWorldwheremerchantsbecamericherthankingswhilehumanswerekeptasproperty.Wewaitintheshadowsforthingstogetroughandthenstepintothelightlikesmilingloansharks.Todowhat,exactly?Inevitably,aregimeofpracticalenchantmentisjudged

onthephysicalresultsitmanifests.Idonotshyawayfromthis.Successmagicshould bring you success. If not, you are doing it wrong. We cannot makesuccess bewhatever youwant it to be lest we rob the term of its usefulness.

What, then,doessuccess look like inaworldwhere thepreviousyardsticks—expensivecars,suburbanhouses—arenolongerrelevant?Whataretheoutwardmanifestations of ameaningful,magical life? Success is not aMcMansion innegativeequity.SuccessiscampinginaLanguedocfieldforasummer,drinkingpastisandplayingbouleswiththelocals.Successisgettingsomeonetobuyoneofyourpaintings,evenifitisforadollar.Successisextractingsufficientwealthfromadysfunctionalsystemwithoutthestatusanxietythatsooftenaccompaniesit.Ultimately,successisaheadgame.Itisbringingyourbestarmytothemind

war. Decades of happiness research have revealed that employment is poorlysuited to making you happy and that, in fact, humans are extremely bad atpredictingwhatwillmakeushappyinthefirstplace.Somewhereinthenascentscienceofconsciousnessresearchandhowourmindsinteractwiththephysicalworld is the secret the hermeticists and yogis of the past seek to impart to usfrom beyond the grave. At some fundamental level you are creating andchanging the universe. Practical magic can only amplify this pre-existingfunction.Itcannotevensupplythewisdomtoknowwhentouseitandwhentoholdoff.Suchwisdomishardwonandonlyarrivesaftermanycampaigns.Youwill recognise itsarrivalwhenyourcreative, imaginalcapacityknowswhentochangethechangeableandwhentofindanotherwayaroundtheunchangeable.Success is being satisfied with an outcome you set out to achieve. Stop at

nothing and youwill eventually get there.Welcome to theKaliYuga.Happyhunting.

[contents]

APPENDIX:THEGRIMOIRETHATWASN’T

Youmayhavenoticedthatbooksonmagick,howeverinterestingtheyare,eventuallygetontoboringexerciseswhichapparentlyyouhavetodoeverydayinordertoactuallygetontotheinteresting

magickalheightsscaledbytheexperts.They’reusuallyauthoritarianaboutit,andtheexercisestendtobedeadlydull.Theynearlyputmeoffmagickforlife!

GENESISBREYERP-ORRIDGE

Intheextremelyunlikelyscenarioinwhichthisisthefirstmagicbookyouhaveever picked up, common courtesy dictates I offer you some baseline magicalskillsandspells.Thispresentsanumberofproblemsinourpost-Internetworld.Firstly, yes, you probably should do nothing but twenty minutes of daily

meditation every day for sixmonths before you start enchanting. You won’t,however. I certainly didn’t. It took me more than ten years to begrudginglyadmit tomyself thatmeditation is the singlebest thingyoucando to improveyour health and your magic and that I should probably do more of it. Yourmileagewillnotvarymuch,thatIpromise.Secondly, I am innately suspicious of any sort of list of baseline practices

because it can resemble, in themindof the reader, a trainingcourse.Disavowyourselfof thisnotion immediately. Iamnota teacher, Iamasharer.Also, ifyoudohappentobenewtomagic,youwillskipoverallthebeginningstuffandjump straight to thedemonology anyway.As a teenager, I leaptwithyouthfulconfidenceoverallAleisterCrowley’sboring,drearychaptersonyogaandwentstraight to thebitsaboutdrugs, sex,anddemons. Itwouldbechurlish todenyyouthesamemisadventure(whichitmostcertainlyis).Finally,theroleofthegrimoireorbookofshadowshasnotonlychangedin

ourpost-digitalage,ithasalsohadnewlightsheduponitbytheveryexistenceoftheInternet.IfyoureadtheworksofJakeStratton-KentorOwenDavies,you

willseethatgrimoiresandothermagicaltextsarenecessarilyincomplete,appearindifferentversions,are translatedwithvaryingdegreesofaccuracy,swapthegenderofsomeoftheirprincipalspirits,etc.Therearenodefinitive,dustytomescomedowntousfromhoaryantiquitythattellusthisisHowMagicWorks.Inallcases it issomeone’sbestguess, it is thepersonalworkbookofaparticularpersonataparticulartime…thespiritsandincantationsthatheorshefoundtobeefficacious.Inpointoffact,itisthisverycustomofindividualcollationthatisthewesterntradition.AsHansDieterBetzpointsoutintheintroductiontohisdefinitiveGreekMagicalPapyri,themagiciansofthelateHellenicworldwerewandering craftsmen and women, picking up spells and hymns that appeareduseful.They no longer understood themeter of the incantations, they bundledtogethergods,goddessesandangels, theyblurred thenatureandpronunciationofthespirits.Thewholethingisamess.Adelicious,chaoticmess.Ourmagicalancestorsforevertestednewformulaeandinvocations,retainingonlythosethatworkedforthem.Thuswasbornthewesternmagicaltradition.Wehaveanevengreateropportunitytohybridiseourworkingthaneventhose

magicians working at the end of the Roman empire. Today we have newlytranslatedAkkadianandSumeriantextsappearingonuniversitywebsiteseveryday, online botanicas that ship worldwide, and we have an explosion ofpractitioners publishing their own experiments and findings on thousands ofblogs and websites around the planet. Whilst it is true that any half-decentmagiciancouldlaywastetoentireeconomieswithjustPaulHuson’sMasteringWitchcraft or the SimonNecronomicon, today we can and do drink from thefirehoseofpracticalmagic.AndsoitisinthespiritofourmagicalforebearsthatIpresentacollectionof

personalpracticalenchantmentsfocusedonsuccessmagic.ThisisnotmyBookof Shadows; I possess no such object. These are merely a few gulps from afirehosethathasbeenleftrunningformillennia.Drink,thencontribute.

MeditationForgive the arrogance of attempting to summarise mankind’s most importantconsciousnesstechnologyinafewwords,butherewego.

1.Sitcomfortably,donotliedown.

2.Focusonyourbreath:inthroughthenose,outthroughthemouth.Breathein,thenhold,thenout,thenhold,allforthesamelengthoftime.

3.Whenyourmindwandersontootherthoughts,assurelyitwill,gentlybringitbacktothefocusonthebreath.

That’s it. Do it daily, even if just for ninety seconds to start with.We arecoming up on about three decades of medical and scientific research thatsuggestsmindfulnessmeditationhasamiraculouscascadeeffectonyourentirebody. It can reduce or completely cure depression, it improvesmetabolism, itlengthensyourtelomeres.Iftherewasanywaybigpharmacouldturnthisintoapill, meditation would be declared a more significant medical discovery thanantibiotics.Successfulpeoplemeditate.Doit.

TheChaosphereConsiderthisachaosmagicequivalentofchakras,whichIalsoworkwith.Thechaosphere, however, is more interoperable withmoremagical paths and canalso function as an instant protective barrier in psychically uncomfortablesituations. Chakras are nevertheless worth investigating too. (That’s what theInternetisfor.)ThechaosphereisbasedonaritualfirstdesignedbytheEnglishartist andgrandfatherof chaosmagicAustinOsmanSparebywayofStephenMace’s excellent Stealing Fire FromHeaven.Modifications andmistakes aremyown.

1.Closeyoureyesandimaginealineofbrilliantwhitelightextendingdownfromtheheavens,throughthetopofyourheadrightthroughthepointofviewbetweenyoureyes.

2.Vibrate“Baph—o—met”asyoudoso.

3.Withthemstillclosed,pictureabrilliantpointoflightfloatingabouttwofeetinfrontofyoureyes,likeanangry,coldTinkerbell.

4.Picturethispointoflightorbitaroundyourheadandthenspiraldowntobelowyourfeet,forminganiridescentsphere.

5.Havethepointoflightperformthesamefunction,startingatyourfeet,runningupbehindyou,overyourhead,andbackdowntoyourfeet,formingasecondsphere.(IpersonallypicturethishappeningsixtimessoIcankeeptrackofitlikeaclockface.)

6.Picturethecolumnoflightdescendingfromtheheavens“landing”insidethesphereandbegintoexpanduntiltheentiresphereisfilledwithpurple-inflectedwhitelight.

7.SaywordstotheeffectofthelitanyfromthenotoriousMassofChaosB:

Inthefirstaeon,IwastheGreatSpirit.

Inthesecondaeon,MenknewmeastheHornedGod,PangenitorPanphage.

Inthethirdaeon,IwastheDarkone,thedevil.

Inthefourthaeon,MenknewmenotforIamtheHiddenOne.

Inthisnewaeon,IappearbeforeyouasBaphomet.

TheGodbeforeallgodswhoshallenduretotheendsoftheearth.

8.Takeseveraldeepbreathsandfeeltheglowingspheresolidify,thenvibrate“baph—o—met”oncemoreandpictureeightpleasinglysteampunkarrowsjuttingoutofyoursphere.

AUniversalConjurationOneinevitablylandsonapreferredgo-toconjurationaftertakingafewofthemfor a spin. The Prayer of the Salamanders seems particularly popular. It iscertainly quite evocative, but I prefer the faintly shamanic undertones of theHarleianus5596MagicalTreatiseofSolomon,albeitwithafewmodificationsIcommendtoyoubelow.

Iconjureyou,ohspirit(s),byGod,whomtheAngels,Archangels,Principalities,Thrones,Dominations,theCherubimandthefulleyesoftheSeraphim,VirtuesandPowersareservingandnotceasingtocryandsay“Holy,holy,holyLordSabaoth,theheavenandeartharefullofthyglory.”Iconjureyou,spirit(s),bytheheavenandtheearthandtheholymysteries

ofGod.Iconjureyou,spirit(s),bythesevenplanetsofheaven,whereveryoumaybe,cometomeatonce,withoutdelay.Iconjureyoubytheair,thefire,thewaters,theearth,bytheseaandtherivers,whereveryoumaybe,whetherinheavenorundertheearth,inamountain,ahill,aplain,anopensea,alake,farorclose;whereveryoumaybeandwhereveryoumaydwell,comeherewithoutdelay.85

I have used this to great successwith your classic goetic spirits but also inwhatwemight cheekily call “archaeologicalmagic”—summoning spirits frombarrowsandcallinguponspiritsofplace.Ithasthebenefitofbeingamongtheleast-bullying or hectoring conjurations found in the grimoires. Typically theyarefarlesspolite.Youcatchmorespiritswithhoney.(Thisisbothliterallyandmetaphoricallytrue,incidentally.)

SaintColumba’sPrayerforVictorySaint Columba was one of the first—if not the first—spiritual teachers tointroduceChristianity tomainlandBritain from Ireland.ModernPaganismhaslabouredunder averypoor readingofhistory thatwould consider thiswhollynegative.IfyouhaveevervisitedIonaintheoff-season,youwillseejusthowdifficulta taskColumbasethimself. In the interveningcenturies,hisstoryhasaccumulated all manner of folk customs and tales that paint him as the

archetypal wizard: dealings with kings, having magic battles with Pagans,brokeringwars andmarriages, protecting the innocent, curing livestock, flyingthroughtheair,andsoon.Hehasevenendedupwithafewtitlesthatpointtohisinvolvement—posthumousornot—withthefairyfolksuchas“ColumbaoftheGravesandTombs.”Whatneeds tobeborne inmind is thatmanyof these instancesof religious

conversion relied on the incomers having better magic than the incumbentpriesthood. Columba convincingly won. Think of him as Gandalf in a purplecloak.

Mouthofthedumb,Lightoftheblind,Footofthelame,

Tothefallenstretchoutyourhand.

Strengthenthesenseless,Restorethemad.

OColumba,hopeoftheScots,Byyourmerits’mediation,Makeuscompanions,Oftheblessedangels.

BythebloodofourLordJesusChrist,GrantustheVictorythatGodalonecanbestow.

Amen.86

AnAdaptiveConsecrationThis is a fairly simplebutpotent charm for consecratingobjects tobeused inritual,modified fromJoséLeitão’sTheBookofSt.Cyprian.Make the signofthecrossateach+.

Agla+On+Tetragrammaton+Abraxasperdominumnostrum+fiat-Deusluxunus+intenebris-trinus+.

RestrictingAngerUnless it is just my abrasive personality, it appears to me that we have atendency to underestimate the impact of gossip and petty-mindedness on ourcareers,evenifweareunawareitisgoingon.(Tip:Itisalwaysgoingon.)Ifyouhappentolivenearabotanica,thereareanynumberofanti-gossipcandlesandcharmsyoumay finduseful. Fire seems to suit these kinds ofworkings.Sanscandlevendors,hereisanadaptationfromtheGreekMagicalPapyri:

1. Ifyouhaveaparticularpersonyouwouldliketobind,writetheirnameonapieceofpaper.Ifnot,leaveitblank.

2.Write“CHNEŌM”diagonallyacrossthename,thenfoldthepaperinhalf.

3.Lightacandleorstandinfrontofanopenfireofsomesortandsaythefollowing:

Irestraintheangerandgossipofall,especiallyof(name),whichisCHNEŌM.

4.Burnthepaperinthecandleflameorthrowitinthefire.

BanishingandProtectionItwillsurpriseyoujusthowmanysupermarketspicesareefficaciousinmagic,particularly protection and exorcism. Simply burning asafoetida on a charcoalbriquetteandwalkingroomtoroomwillremoveallbutthemostpotentnegativespirit influences. (It will also clear your home of humans too, because itcompletely stinks.Maybe file that away for the next time you throw a dinnerpartythatgoesontoolong.)AnotherfolkmagicalpracticeIhavefoundtobeusefulistoplantrosemaryin

youryard topreventhauntings. Ifyouaregoing topursuenecromancy in anyseriousway,itisnicetohavean“alwayson”solution.PoursomeredwineoveryourrosemarybushonSt.John’sEveasatraditionalthankyou.Mygo-toprotectionamulet,whichcanbeworn,placedunderthebed,above

doors, etc, comes from theNordic svarteboken tradition.Although this one isfromDenmark,itisacontinuationofanamulet-manufacturetraditionthatdatesback to the classicalworld, if not before.Namely, the inscribingof amagicalword repeatedon each linewithdiminishing letters.Thisone is knownas theKalemaris.Writeitonpaper,carveitintowood,pipeitontopastry.Uptoyou.

KALEMARISKALEMARIKALEMARKALEMAKALEMKALEKALKAK

Forfurther informationorassistancewithprotectivemagic,JasonMillerhaswritten the definitive book on the subject: Protection and Reversal Magick.Highlyrecommended.

CitySpiritsThispresumesyouactually live inacity,ofcourse.Aspreviouslymentioned,for the first time inhistorymoreofusdo thandon’t, so it is agoodbet.Cityspirits aremore complex than, say,waterfall spirits. It is rare forwaterfalls todeclare war, invent democracy, or unleash fractional reserve banking on theworld.Thebiggerorolderthecity,thelessitisinfluencedbyofferings.London,for

instance, merely expects them the way an absolute monarch expects tribute.Your offerings will not change its mind should it wish to crush you. (TheThamesismoreamenabletoofferingsifyouhappentoliveintown.Theyhavea“goodcop/badcop”thinggoingon.)Considertheofferingsasacoverchargerather than a transaction.Your ability to achieve success orwealth or love orwhatever will rely in no small part on the location you have selected. Thispaymentmerelygetsyouthroughthedoor.If you are honestwith yourself, you already knowwhere your city spirit is

most easily found. It is the place where you feel the most “London-ness” or“Chicago-ness,” etc. As for offerings, many of the common suggestions—feeding the homeless, volunteering at a shelter—are not going to move theneedleverymuchwithcityspiritsandindicateaverypoorunderstandingofthehistoryofurbanisation.Therearecertainlymanyfinereasonsforvolunteeringata foodbank, but if the spirit ofLondon cared about homelessness Iwould notwalkpastsomanypeoplesleepingroughinSohoonmywaytowork.Shouldyoustillwishtouseserviceasanofferingthenvolunteeratagraveyardorassistthedeadinsomeway.Forwhateverreason,cityspiritscaremorefortheirdeadthantheydofortheirhomeless.(Aworkinghypothesisherewouldbethatacityspiritisatleastpartlycomposedofthedeaditcontains.)Moredirect,physicalofferingsareappropriate.IthrowcoinsintheThamesas

offerings, largelybecauseIfinditpleasingtorealisetheRomansdidtheexactsame thingalmost two thousandyearsago.Butyoucanevendosomethingassimpleaspouringoutsomeofyourdrink(thefirstpartofyourdrink!)inapark

duringyourlunchbreak.Coinsinfountainsarealsogood.Whateveryouchoose,consideraritualshapesimilartothis:

1.Sitorstandsomewherethatfeelsvery“oftheplace,”withyourofferingheldinyourhands.

2.Mentallyreachoutforatleastafewblocksineverydirectionaroundyou,callingonthespiritofplace.

3.Rapidlycollapseyourattentionbackfromallthesedirectionstowardtheofferinginyourhands,thenpouritout,throwitintheriver,etc.

4.Repeatreasonablyoften.

EmergencyFlashlightThesecondtimeIwasfired/performance-managedoutofajobwastheworstsofar. I had only recentlymoved toNewZealand andwasworking at a fashionretailer.Thenewstoremanagerloathedmeonfirstsightandmadeithermissiontoremoveme.Iwasoffered theusual things likeunionor legal representationfor theperformancemeetings, all ofwhich I refusedbecause Ihad two thingsgoing for me: the unshakeable self-confidence of youth and an impenetrableforce field. I have retainedonlyoneof them.Duringwhatwas a franklyveryhostilemeeting,thecompanyHRdirectorsaidhehadneverseenanyonehandlethis type of meeting quite so well. But of course. Genuinely none of theirhostility was getting through the force field. Inside the bubble it felt like adispassionatebusinessdiscussion.Life in general and business in particular is a veritable rat king of sudden

nastiness, ulterior motives, and manipulation. You will never find a “clean”game for the same reason youwill never findwarm snow. The conditions ofreality simply do not allow for it to exist. This is why you need a magicalemergency flashlight. In many respects, this technique is a companion to thechaosphere because it is a method of instantly switching it on in thoseunexpected moments. Mine takes its inspiration from The Lord of the Rings,whichwillcomeasnosurprisetothoseofyoufamiliarwithmyblog.Youwillrecall the part in the third film (which is actually in the second book) whereFrodousesthevialofwatergiventohimbyGaladrieltobrieflybanishthegiantspider, Shelob. He says a few words and the water inside begins to glow,sendingthespiderpacking.Thesearethewordshesays:

AiyaEärendilElenionAncalima!

Beforeyoudismisstheideaofusingfictionalenchantmentsassomuch1990schaos magic claptrap, let’s consider the origin of the phrase. In Tolkien’smythology,EärendilwasanElvishmarinerwhosailedthenightskywithajewelknownasaSilmaril.HeisMiddleEarth’sEveningStar,i.e.,Venus.Thenamecomes from an obscure Old English angelic name, Earendel, meaning “star

dawn.” Professor Tolkien found the name in an anonymously written ninth-centurypoem,CristI:

HailEarendel,brightestofAngels!AboveMiddleEarth,sentuntoMen.

So the real version of Eärendil is an angel, the Morning Star—and thusremainsVenus—andisalsoJohntheBaptistinthecontextoftheoriginalpoemasVenus heralds the rising of the Sun/Son. That is quite a lot of punch in asingle line of amade-up language! Plus you have a handy visual reference inyourfilmcollectionshouldyouneedit.Memorise thephraseandvisualise theblinding,protectivewhite lightof the

Silmarilemanatingoutfromyourheartcentre.Itcanbeusedwhenencounteringunexpected hostility or negativity or any situation that doesn’t allow for alengthierritualresponse.Iuseitonsomesectionsofthetubewherethelinerunsthrougholdplaguepits,forinstance.Tryitout.Practicemakesawesome.

AnnunakiGodformAssumptionThistechniqueIcommendtoyoureservedly.Italmostdidnotmakeitintothefinaldraftbecause it is,withoutquestion, themostdangerous technique in thebook.But it is hugely effective if youhave the stomach for it.Twopieces ofcontextarenecessarybeforewecontinue.The modern western practice of assuming godforms originates with the

Golden Dawn and is in and of itself a very worthwhile activity to explore.Briefly,youlearnasmuchasyoucanabouttheattributesandmythologiesofaparticulargod/dess,fillaritualspacewithobjects,colours,andsmellsassociatedwith thegod/dess and then sit there visualisingyourself transforming into thisbeing.Thinkofitlikecosmictheatresports.Secondly, when I say “annunaki,” I do not mean the actual beings from

Sumerian mythology. I mean the beings posited by ancient aliens theoristZechariah Sitchin. I mean the space lizards who came to earth on nuclearpoweredrocketshipsandgeneticallyengineeredmankindtominegoldtoshoreup the atmosphereof their homeplanetbeforegetting into anuclearwarwitheachother,appointingsomebloodlinefamilies toruleon theirbehalfand thenleavingagain.Toputitmildly,thisisanextremelyunlikelyhistoricalscenario.AndbythatI

meanitemphaticallydidnothappen.Butafterthelastthirtyyearsofalternativearchaeologicalbooksandtelevisionprogrammesweallhaveaveryvividmentalimageof the“godsashostilealiens”motif. Ithas spunoff intoaboutadozenreptilianoverlordconspiracytheoriestoboot.So,severalyearsago,afterlargelyconfiningmyselftowesternEuropeforaboutfiveyears,Iwassuddenlyflyingallovertheworld.NewYork,Fiji,LosAngeles,Hamburg,Tuscany,etc.Itwasthe Fiji leg in particular that got me thinking about a potential godformexperiment. It is one of those holiday destinations where the staff are sodeferential it makes you feel awkward. They all but bow as you walk past.Tropical islandholidays tend tobe thingsofalmostobscene luxury,especiallygiven that they invariablyhappen incountrieswith fewotherviableeconomic

sectors. It is not hard to imagine that if the planetwere ruled by hostile alienoverlordsthisishowtheywouldlive.Inthiscase,beginthegodformassumptionwhenyouareonanairplaneasit

beginstospeedupandtakeoff.Pictureyourhandsandfeetmorphingintothree-taloned claws, your second set of eyelids blinking, your height extending byseveralfeet,andallowacold,calculating,uncaringpersonality toarise…likeyouarebeingdispatchedtosortofarecalcitrantprovinceofdisposableapemen.BecomeaninterlopingLordoftheEarth.Itallseemsfairlyinnocuousuntilyoutryit.Theassumptiontriggersinmea

metallic,influenzatasteinmymouththatismyindicatorIhavewanderedintoalesssalubriouscornerof the imaginalrealm.Retain this impressionuntilaboutcruisingaltitudeandthenletitmeltintothebackground.(Forsomereasonthisworks better for me on take-off rather than landing. But I am usually prettydrunkbythetimeweland.)Thepersonalitychangeisremarkable,particularlyinsomeonewhoisnotoverlymisanthropic.No,really.AndIwill justaddthatitwas a mere several months—perhaps six flights in all—of trialling thisassumption before the startup I was working for was acquired by a large,publiclylistedmediacompany,nettingmethesinglebiggestwindfallofmylifesofar.

AbreCaminoOntheblog,Ionceaskedwhetheraroadopenerwastheonlyspellyouneeded.ThequestionrelatesbacktoNassimTaleb’sconceptofoptionalityandseizingopportunities.What is a love spell but a request for new romantic roads tobeopened?Whataboutjob-huntingspells?Abrecaminocandles,incense,andoilsaretheonesImostoftenhavetohand.

Iuseabrecaminooilwhenconsecratingnewstatues,toopentheroadforaspirittoindwellinit.Theincensealsogetsusedfairlyoftenwhenshoalingsigils.Anopenroadisaroaddevoidofobstacles.Viewedfromthisperspective,you

couldalmostsayGaneshaistheonlysuccessgodyouneed.Assuch,itisworthconsidering 108 recitations of OM GUM GANAPATIYEH NAMAHA as acheeky auditory equivalent of a road opener. YouTube will assist you withproperpronunciation.

PowerfulSpelloftheBearAnothervictoryspell,thistimefromtheGreekMagicalPapyri.

1. Intheevening,arrangeatablewithseventealightcandlesandasmallofferingbowlofcuminseedsandhoney.

2.UseyourNightSkyapptoarrangethetablefacingUrsaMajor(effectivelyfacingnorth).

3.Writethefollowingonapieceofpaperandhaveittohand.Thisisthehundred-letterednameofTyphon.

ACHCHŌRACHCHŌRACHACHACHPTOUMICHACHCHŌCHARACHŌCHCHAPTOUMĒCHŌRACHŌCHAPTOUMIMĒ

CHŌCHAPTOUCHARACHPTOUCHACHCHŌCHARACHŌCHPTENACHŌCHEOU

4.Lightthecandles,thenrecitethefollowing,preferablywhileholdinganEgyptianwalkingonion,ifyoucanfindone.

Icalluponyou,holy,very-powerful,very-glorious,very-strong,holy,autochthons,assistantsofthegreatgod,thepowerfulchiefdaimons,youwhoareinhabitantsofChaos,ofErebos,oftheabyss,ofthedepth,ofearth,dwellingintherecessesofheaven,lurkinginthenooksandcranniesofhouses,shroudedindarkclouds,watchersofthingsnottobeseen,guardiansofsecrets,leadersofthoseintheunderworld,administratorsoftheinfinite,wieldingpoweroverearth,earth-shakers,foundation-layers,servantsinthechasm,shudderfulfighters,fearfulministers,turningthespindle,freezingsnowandrain,airtransversers,wind-bringers,lordsofFate,inhabitantsofdarkErebos,bringersofcompulsion,sendingflamesoffire,bringingsnowanddew,wind-releasers,disturbersofthedeep,treadersonthecalmsea,mightyincourage,grieversoftheheart,powerfulpotentates,cliff-walkers,adversedaimons,ironhearted,wild-tempered,unruly,guardingTartaros,misleadingFate,all-seeing,all-hearing,all-subjecting,heaven-walkers,spirit-givers,livingsimply,heaven-shakers,

gladdeningtheheart,thosewhojointogetherdeath,revealersofangels,punishersofmortals,sunlessrevealers,rulersofdaimons,almighty,holyunconquerableAŌTHABAŌTHBASYMISAKSABAŌTHIAŌIAKŌPMANARASKORTOURIMOTROUMEPHRAULATHREERSA87

Then describewhat youwish the spirits to achieve for you.Once you havedonethis,takethehundred-letterednameofTyphonandburnitinthecandles.Attempttohaveitburnedbyallsevenofthecandlesandhavetheashdropinthebowlwiththecuminandhoney.

DreamingFollowers of the blog will know that I have been banging the drum forintermittentfastingforyears.Initiallyembarkeduponforaweightmanagementsolution that can fit a lifestyle of someoneworking in foodmedia, one of theimmediatediscoverieswasjusthowpotentyourdreamsareonfastdays.Theyaresovividtheyborderonentheogenic.Here is what Peter Grey wrote about dreaming in our modern world in

ApocalypticWitchcraft:

Iftherecanbeawarondreaming,Iproposeadevastatingcounter-strike.Recognisethatsomethingsinisterhasbeensculptingthelandscapeof

dream.Weareseeinganunprecendentedcolonisationandcolonialisationofthedreamworlds.WhenwediscussedincubationitwasmadeclearthattheAncientWorldunderstoodtheimportanceofdream,andsincethenithasbeenaccumulatinggreysilt.Thedreamworldisbecomingaspollutedasthenaturalworld,asdespoiled.BeforeweevenreachtheAsclepium,ourmindsarechorusingwithchatter,assailedbydemands.Thepreviousstrategyofthoushaltnothaveunauthoriseddreamshasbeensupercededbyamoreterriblestrategy.Itisnotsimplydreamwhichisderidedasmeaningless,buteveryaspectofourlives.InaparodyofHassanISabbah,nothingistrueandthusnothingispermitted.Weparadeourinnerselveswhicharerevealedtobenomorethanloyaltytoasectofcompatiblebrands.Whenweseeourselvesandtheworldarounduswedonotrecognisethesacred.Ourculturehasdevoureditself.88

Dreaming is a cornerstone magical practice the world over. It is thecommonest route into the spirit world. Yet today we go to sleep filled withartificial foods, with a carcinogenic cellular device less than a foot from ourheads,surroundedbyWiFisignalsanddeviceswhoselightsneverseemtoturnoff. One way or the other, you must take back your own dream state. Thisinvolves:

Keepingyourmobilephonefarawayfromyouandreturningtoanold-timeyalarmclock.Ensureyourbedroomisproperlydark:i.e.,decentcurtainsandnoelectricaldevicessuchaslaptopsthatallseemtohaveatleastthreelightsyoucanneverturnoff.(Note:thiswillalsomakeyoulivelonger,apparently.)Fasting.Ithasbeenanessentialmysticalprocessforcenturies.Yousimplywon’tbelievemeuntilyoutryit.Aswiththebelowsuggestion,alwayscheckthatfastingisnotcontraindicatedforaparticularmedicationorcondition(suchaspregnancy).Herbalallies:Valerianroottea,mugworttea,oratinctureofEgyptianbluelotusareallworthwhile,legalherbalsupplementstotryjustbeforebed.Beespeciallycarefulwiththefirsttwoandanymedicationyouareonthataffecttheliver.Definitelydonotgoanywherenearmugwortifyouarepregnant.

In many ways, dreaming is an excellent place to end this appendix as itinterfaceswithall theenchantmentsnotonlyinthischapterbutthroughoutthewholebook.Havingthecleanestroutepossibleintothedreamrealmisessentialforspiritguidanceandinspirationinresponsetoaparticularworkingorritual.New spirits, gods, allies, and possibilitieswill also present themselves to you.Properly activated, your dreaming is one heck of a strategic advantage inachievingyourdreams.Goto.

[contents]

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62CaitlinRosenthal.“PlantationsPracticedModernManagement.”HarvardBusinessReview.September2013.

63AdamBraun.ThePromiseofaPencil:HowanOrdinaryPersonCanCreateExtraordinaryChange.Scribner,2014.

64NassimNicholasTaleb.Antifragile:ThingsThatGainFromDisorder.Penguin,2013.65JocelynK.Glei.MaximizeYourPotential:GrowYourExpertise,TakeBoldRisks&BuildanIncredibleCareer.LakeUnionPublishing,2013.

66JamesAltucher.“TheSecretsofPersonalFinance.“AccessedApril12,2015.www.jamesaltucher.com/2014/09/the-secrets-of-personal-finance/

67CharlesHughSmith.“TheSolutiontotheDecliningMiddleClass:DestroyFixedCostsandDebt.”AccessedApril12,2015.charleshughsmith.blogspot.co.uk/2014/05/the-solution-to-declining-middle-class.html.

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81CatherineAustinFitts.“2014AnnualWrapUp.”AccessedJuly5,2015.www.solari.com/blog/wrap-up-ready.

82CharlesHughSmith.GetaJob,BuildaCareerandDefyaBewilderingEconomy.Createspace,2014.83MorleyWinogradandDr.MichaelHais.“HowMillennialsCouldUpendWallStreetandCorporateAmerica.”May2014.www.brookings.edu//media/research/files/papers/2014/05/millennials%20wall%20st/brookings_winogradv5.pdf.

84Ibid.85IoannisMarathakis.TheMagicalTreatiseofSolomon,orHygromanteia.GoldenHoardPress,2012.86GeoffHolder.GuidetoMysteriousIona(MysteriousScotland).TheHistoryPress,2007.87HansDieterBetz.TheGreekMagicalPapyriinTranslationIncludingtheDemoticSpells.SecondEdition.UniversityofChicagoPress,1997.

88PeterGrey.ApocalypticWitchcraft.ScarletImprint,2013.

BrainMagickExercisesinMeta-MagickandInvocationPhilipH.FarberRecentdiscoveries

inneurosciencesuggestthatthemagickalpracticesofevocationandinvocationarerelatedtonaturalbrainfunctions—thisbookisthefirsttopresentatheoryofmagickbasedonthenewresearch.Theultimategoalofinvocationistoinfuseyourlifewithmoreexcitement,meaning,andpassion.BrainMagickispackedfullofexercisesthatillustratetheprinciplesof

neuroscienceandmagick,andhaseverythingyouneedtoquicklydevelopskillintheartofinvocation.

Thiseasilypracticedformofritualtechnologyisappropriateforbeginnersandadvancedstudentsalike.For those familiarwithanykindofmagick—Wiccan,Thelemic, Golden Dawn, Goetic, Chaos or Hermetic—this book will provideopportunities to consider their practice in a new light, and take their magicalexperiences to a new level. Even complete novices will be able to startimmediately.

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LowMagickIt’sAllInYourHead…YouJustHave

NoIdeaHowBigYourHeadIsLonMiloDuquette

Take a fascinating journey into the life of one of themost respected, sought-after,andnotoriousmagiciansalivetoday:LonMiloDuQuette.Asentertainingastheyareinformative,theoutrageoustruestoriesinthisone-of-a-kindmemoircontainauthenticmagicaltheoryandinvaluabletechnicalinformation.DuQuette tells how a friendwas cursed by awellknown foreign filmmaker

and how they removed that curse with a little help from Shakespeare. Heexplainshow,asasix-year-old,heusedtheLawofAttractiontogetadatewithLindaKaufman,themostbeautifulgirlinfirstgrade.DuQuettealsorevealsthein and outs of working with demons and provides a compelling account ofexorcisingademonfromaprivateCatholichighschool.

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MoneyMagicMasteringProsperityinitsTrueElementFraterU.:D.:

Europe’s best-known ceremonial magician and contemporary occult author,Frater U:.D:., presents the definitive guide to money magic. Previouslyunavailable in English, this advanced guide will be welcomed by ceremonialmagicians,mages,andhermeticpractitioners.MoneyMagicstartswiththerevolutionarypremisethatmoneyisanelemental

energy.Bytransformingtheideaofmoneyinyourpsyche,youinvitewealthtoflowmorefreelyandeasilyintoyourlife.Thiscomprehensivecoursegivesstep-by-step instructionsonhow tomasterprosperity in its true elementusingnewparadigms,magicalinvocations,rituals,sigils,andpathworkings.

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