Where is the magick?

From doktorsleepless

Where is the magick?

Posted by eschatonic.water on June 22, 2008 at 12:37amFor consideration:

John Reinhart left Heavenside in search of magick. His memories of the Tentacle Event(s) suggest that someone (his parents?) had done at least one major magickal working in the mansion atop Scartop Mountain when he was a child. John himself (the one in St. Thomas's) suggests that he (or Doktor Sleepless) has used magick to create a tulpa. Doktor Sleepless's Grinder symbol (666, the number of the Great Beast) suggests a possible connection to Aleister Crowley, the notorious ceremonial magician (who claimed both number and title).

(Additional thought: The "666" in the Grinder symbol could just as easily be "999". Maybe Dok - or Mr. Ellis - is saying something about perceptions?)

Yet in the narrative so far, Dok hasn't overtly used magick; indeed, his focus has seemingly been entirely on technology. He has told the tale of Don Bastardos - which may or may not be a fable - but even there, the shaman is tech-savvy and almost dismissive when speaking of magick.

Ceremonial magick is a sort of esoteric technology, an occult science: Perform these prescribed actions, utilizing these specific symbols, and these results should occur. Will and intent are important, refined and focussed through the medium of symbolism. Chaos magick - which is probably better suited to Doktor Sleepless's purported agenda - also utilizes symbolism to focus the will in order to achieve results, but the symbology, rather than rigidly defined as in ceremonial magick, is far more personalized and free-form.

I see suggestions of magick in Doktor Sleepless's actions, so far. He's using symbols all over the place, to create an atmosphere and a particular mind-set. He's using masks, which are extremely powerful symbolically, and have a long occult tradition. His radio broadcasts are sermons/spells, cast out over Heavenside, placing his perspective - or at least, the perspective he wants the residents of Heavenside to experience - into their minds. He's shaking them out of their comfortable routines, and forcing them to look at themselves and their world anew. "Changing the world is as easy, and as hard, as just changing the way everyone thinks about their world."

This is magick; transformation within, creating a change in our perception of ourselves and our world, leading to transformation without.

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