"A Big, Goofy Magic Nerd"
An introduction to this space
Hello! My name is Manaz (he/they). I am a writer in the mid-Atlantic United States looking for a new way to practice my craft, to explore my beliefs, hobbies, and interests, and to engage in projects, and perhaps conversations, expressing the same. So, let me begin by telling you a little bit about myself.
I am.
I am an atheist. I cannot prove a god does not exist, but I see no compelling evidence of such a being, so I live my life accordingly. I believe rationality and the scientific method are the most accurate and consistent tools humans have for describing the universe at this point in time, so I tend to reject supernatural explanations for just about everything. That said, as a believer in the scientific method, I will always reexamine any of my views when confronted with compelling evidence that could contradict them.
I am an anarchist. I believe that hierarchical structures almost always turn into tools of oppression. As such, I am anti-authoritarian, and anti-capitalist. I believe humanity should enable itself to live free of coercion in order to thrive authentically, and as such, human institutions should ensure the basic needs of life such as food, shelter, medical care, and general safety and security, be made as freely available and accessible to all, as possible. The phrase “no masters above, no slaves below” succinctly summarizes these beliefs.
I am a satanist. I believe in Satan, not as a literal being, but as an inspirational literary figure who is a rebel against injustice and a fierce advocate for the downtrodden. In our modern day, the most prominent downtrodden groups include people of color, women, and the queer community. I strive to be an ally of downtrodden groups to which I do not belong, and an active, valuable influence on the groups to which I do belong. The symbols of satanism and participation in symbolic satanic ritual is an important part of my satanic practice, which helps me align my body and mind towards constructive, and positive thought and action.
I am a chaos magician. I have observed that human belief influences reality, and in many ways, actively creates it, not in a metaphorical way, but in a literal, tangible way. Our beliefs inform our actions, and our actions influence reality to such an extent that even “false” or “incorrect” beliefs can become “true” within the right context. Communities that act on their beliefs make those beliefs true, within their spheres of influence, regardless of the “facts” of those beliefs. This means, we can use the power of belief, and its mutability within our minds, to influence reality. This is the essence of chaos magic(k). Magic does not “exist” as a supernatural force influencing our world, but if we use the trappings of the occult (ritual, evocations of supernatural beings) to align our minds to useful beliefs, we essentially make magic real by literally using it to shape our actions, and thus, reality.
“No above, no below.”
An example of belief influencing reality is the concept of “egregores.” An egregore, sometimes called a thought-form, is essentially an entity that arises from the thoughts, emotions, and actions of a group of people. People who believe in a certain concept, say for example, the Abrahamic god, literally create that being because they live their lives in accordance with the belief that the god exists. A strong enough egregore (which the Abrahamic god is) can develop an emergent “consciousness” or “will,” independent of the people who created it, based on subconscious thoughts and actions of its believers. This creates a sort of feedback loop in which the believers in an egregore influence the egregore at the same time as the egregore influences its believers.
Magic in certain traditions is often described by the phrase: “as above, so below.” This is a paraphrase of the Latin translation of a verse found in the Emerald Tablet, a late eighth or early ninth century Hermetic text. In English the verse reads: “That which is above is like to that which is below, and that which is below is like to that which is above.” In a nutshell, this means that the macrocosm influences the microcosm, and the microcosm influences the macrocosm. This expresses itself in practices like thaumaturgy where influencing a symbolic representation of a thing influences the thing itself. This is the basis of much occult practice.
Yet, as it turns out, this Latin translation is a mistranslation of the original Arabic. In English, the passage should read: “That which is above is from that which is below, and that which is below is from that which is above.” This translation fits more neatly to the description of egregores I gave before. We might even paraphrase it as “above is below is above.”
As an anarcho-satanist, though, I would like to take that paraphrase one step further, and align it more with my own beliefs. An egregore isn’t “above” its believers, nor are its believers “below” it. In fact, the believers are the egregore, and the egregore is its believers. I would prefer to use the phrase: “no above, no below.” There is no hierarchical relationship between magic and a practitioner of magic. The one would not exist without the other, and so the two are the same.
Ars Egregoria
This brings me to my first project. The Ars Goetia (“the Art of Sorcery” - otherwise known as the Lesser Key of Solomon) is a book containing the description and abilities of 72 demons, and the sigils (identifying symbols) used to summon them. I intend to create the “Ars Egregoria” - a digital grimoire describing as many of the major egregores acting within our modern world as I can, and suggestions on how best to engage with them in order to bring about change for a more just and free world, according to my beliefs.
Under the paradigm of “no above, no below” we would not “summon” an egregore in order to engage with it, but rather we act as the egregore in order to influence it. Join communities with belief in an egregore, and you can change it from within. An egregore’s power comes from belief, repetition, and participation, so, another way to influence an egregore is to stop feeding it. Limit your engagement with a belief system, encourage others to do the same, and the egregore weakens. You could also subvert an egregore through alternative thought and action; act and believe in a way which subverts an egregore, and you can influence it towards better outcomes. Another way is to change believers’ perception of an egregore. If enough believers change how they believe, the egregore shifts. These are just some initial thoughts. More will come as the project matures.
In order to spread the influence on these egregores, I intend to create a sigil representing each one, as the Ars Goetia does for its demons. For those of you familiar with chaos magic, these will not be the same as typical chaos magic sigils. Typical sigil work involves creating a sigil based on a desire or outcome, “charging” that sigil through a process called gnosis - essentially, imprinting that symbol into your subconscious - and then eventually forgetting the meaning of the sigil. This removes conscious thought about the results of the sigil, and allows your subconscious to direct your actions more fluidly.
The sigils of the Ars Egregoria by necessity must be remembered. When you see or think about the sigil, you will be reminded of your desire to influence that egregore, and it will inspire you to action, whatever form that may take. I also intend to create stickers of these sigils, along with a QR code linking to the page on which its description and suggestions for engagement are located. The hope is that placing these sigils out in public will create curiosity, drive people to the Ars Egregoria, and encourage them to engage with the egregores themselves.
Eventually, I would like to sell these stickers to empower others to spread the symbols and their influence, perhaps through a site like Redbubble. I do not intend to make money off of these, but instead I will donate any money above the cost of producing and shipping the stickers, to a worthy charity. I will also be very transparent about where that money is going, and how much.
With that, I will close this post. I hope this project interests you. In addition to the Ars Egregoria, this space will include explorations of many other things that interest me, so if you’re so inclined, stay tuned!
Hail Satan, Hail You,
Manaz Matthew Lefthand