Majokkid - Magia Records

Why I am a Materialist

It be surprising or confusing to some that I am both a materialist and practice magick. I believe that comes from a misconception of what materialism means. Wikipedia gets us off to a start:

"Materialism is a form of philosophical monism which holds that matter is the fundamental substance in nature, and that all things, including mental states and consciousness, are results of material interactions of material things."

To this I say yes, but where I differ is what follows:

"Materialism directly contrasts with idealism, according to which consciousness is the fundamental substance of nature."

To this I say no, there is no conflict. The apparent conflict is the result of a kind of category error. Consciousness produces material and then binds itself to it. At one level of emanation consciousness is fundamental and at the next the material is fundamental.

But what is the material? Well, physics is essentially mathematics. The physical/material is whatever can be described by mathematics. Absolutely anything that exists and can be shown to exist can be described by mathematical equations. Anything with a stable predictable nature can be described by math. We mistake the map for the territory when we assert this means that the entities in these mathematical models are "real".

If anything non-physical could be proved to exist it would be physical by the definition by whatever proof could be provided. The proof itself is a type of mathematics.

Now, what may be more surprising and confusing is that I don't think magick is real, and yet I practice it. The confusion again is a type of category error. Magick is what makes reality. It isn't real because it isn't the sort of thing that would be real. Magick isn't a thing and it can't be described. Magick can only be performed and no explanation can explain it.

Banishing

Okay, so let's talk banishing. What it is and how to do it.

What is banishing?

This is admittedly confusing because the standard banishing rituals are not intended for banishing. A banishing may cleanse a space but often it is a side effect. More on this at the end...

A banishing ritual is a ritual that prepares you to do magick.

Think of it as your badass magical girl transformation sequence. It calls together all your robot lions. It readies your tools. It calls in the energies you will need to do the work.

Some solid aspects of a banishing ritual:

Knock you out of normal consciousness

Mark out your working space

Invoke something into yourself

Evoke entities/forces that you may work with

Use tools you will use whether they be physical, astral, or just hand gestures.

Examples of banishing rituals include the Gnostic Pentagram Ritual, Lesser Ritual of the Pentagram, the Star Ruby, and calling the quarters... but I recommend that you develop your own banishing ritual to suit how you work and whatever paradigm you work in. It's good to start with some established rituals, but then adapt them. Don't call on angels if you don't work with angels. Your banishing should call on whatever you actually work with.

How to banish?

Practice. I can't repeat this enough. Practice your banishing. A well put together banishing that includes aspects above becomes the foundation of your work. It is how you develop the power of your magick.

Now, you'll need to figure out the details, but here's the gist of it.

Do something to mark that the banishing has started. A shout, a clap, taking a stance, picking up a tool, making a gesture... the ways are endless, but have something that you do that marks the start. With practice you may find that just this one action may by itself carry the full weight and association of the full ritual!

Next turn focus inward. Do something to bring energy in or open yourself up. Classic approaches are bringing energy down from above or up from below. Both if you like. Or you could make gestures over you body. Touch your forehead, throat, heart center, etc.

Next turn focus outward. Turn to the quarters or physically walk around your space. The stuff you are working with is out there. It can be a central altar or four quarters, or divide it up however makes sense to fit in the elements you intend to work with. Some people add above and below, or within and without.

If you have too many things to work with to sort into four quarters then you might be working with too many things. It is okay to have multiple banishing rituals or mix it up depending on the work at hand.

Once you have done whatever outward motions are needed, bring it back to center. A finishing gesture is good here to connect up with the opening and tie it all together.

But what about actually banishing?

So, here's the thing. Once you get started with work like this you will likely find that whatever you might want to banish just disappears. You sense bad energy or a spirit with ill intent and so you ready your tools and find that they just got the fuck out of there.

Bad woo woo shit also tends to prey on or be attracted to people who are vulnerable. It's the classic formula like demon that feeds on fear starves when you stop being afraid. Practicing a daily banishing that focus on building up your power is a great spiritual immune system.

A word of warning

The primary danger of this work is becoming ungrounded from reality, the world, and the people in your life. Magick requires a bit of obsession to get good at it so it is easy to get wrapped up in the work in an unhealthy way. Beware identifying with a delusional egomanical version of yourself. If you are on the right path you should find the work helps you be more secure, engaged, and connected, not less.

Transforming item/magical key concept, pendulum form. Design given to me in a dream.