Techniques of auric magick

On Techniques of Auric Magick

Auric Magick is the term Pete Carroll (Carroll, 1992) has given to the loose collection of traditions that work with the alleged 'magickal force' or 'magickal energy' associated with the body. Within various magickal-mystical systems, this 'force' has been conceptualized in many ways, with such names as Chi, Prana, Aura, Kundalini, etc. Each of these conceptualizations predict different effects and origins of this force, both within and without of the body. For example, the term Aura is considered by many traditions to be a subtle form of magickal energy that is more widely diffused inside and around the body (Powell, 1969). However the terms Chi, Prana, and Kundalini are said to be energy forms that follow particular nadis or 'nerve pathways' whose structure and function has been sketched out through generations of phenomenological exploration by masters of the arts. In the case of Kundalini, the energy form is said to manifest though nadis originating in the base of the spine. These nadis are conceived as spreading up through the spine into the brain (through the nadi channels Ida, Pingala, and Shushumna) to enervate the rest of the body in a nervous system of lesser nadis (Paulson, 1991). Furthermore in some traditions Kundalini is seen as a particular case of Prana, while in others it is considered a distinct concept.

Carroll criticizes the concept of a magickal force/energy on the grounds that the concept necessitates one assume that the force/energy has properties relevant to the production of such effects. However, the fact that there is little agreement among the various traditions as towards the nature of the force leads him to suspect that something quite different is going on. Carroll concludes that acts of Auric Magick are special cases of enchantment and divination, and posits that Auric magick 'works by an exchange of information (not energy) between the subconscious (not the body) and its environment, which can include the body' (p. 102). Such a viewpoint heralds a growing consensus among many magickians that all magick may be considered as special cases of enchantment and divination. It is interesting to note that in the field of parapsychology, psychic phenomena are generally categorized into two classes: psi phenomena (telepathy, ESP, clairvoyance, precognition) and psychokinesis (Radin, 1997). These two notions are very similar to divination and enchantment, respectively. They both suppose the reception and/or projection of information from sender to receiver.

However a difficulty arises when one tries to visualize a mechanism by which this is all supposed to work. While Carroll's quantum-mechanical metaphysics is a very powerful paradigm to work within in a predictive sense, the present author has found it a little conceptually unsatisfying as he has come to understand both the actual scientific theory upon which it is based, and the attempts to apply the theory to understanding the brain, mind, consciousness, and magick. This does not mean that one should throw out the baby with the bathwater, as there are several key notions in the quantum approach that are essential to a truly satisfactory understanding of the aforementioned phenomena. These notions include the concept of dual-aspected information (the notion that information has material and experiential components, a la the 'mana' concept) as a fundamental building block behind manifestations of force and energy, the existence of nonlocal and/or nonseparable connections between spatiotemporally separated phenomenon, and an inherent indeterministic basis to all events. Furthermore there is a necessity to assume a greater role to the individual and collective observer(s) with respect to the dynamical unfolding of reality. However this discussion will not be centered on the details of a general magickal paradigm; it instead will continue on the assumption that Auric Magick comes down to instantiations of enchantment and divination, which in turn are general cases of nonlocal information projection and reception. So how does one do Auric Magick?

This discussion advocates the view that the procedures of Auric Magick consist of empty-handed techniques whose magickal linkages are actions and visualizations that have been strongly associated with a particular intent. Empty-handed techniques have been well described by Hine (1995) "as acts of sorcery without use of any physical props or formalized settings. Practice in visualization, a quiet confidence which falls just short of arrogance, and the ability to free an established desire from the ties of the ego-complex are requisite skills, all of which are developed through more formal sorcery practice. The advanced sorcerer may only use a series of gestures, rely on visualization and make-believe to create the space he requires for magickal action" (p.103). The performance of these actions are privy to the usual constraints placed upon all magickal activity: high-degrees of gnosis, a satisfactory strong subconscious association between the links and desired outcome, the need to hold the neither-neither attitude with respect to the operation, and of course the elimination of conscious deliberation whilst actually performing the act, and afterwards. The rest of this discussion will examine examples of some of the powers sought after through Auric Magick and various empty-handed techniques utilized in their manifestation. It is important to remember throughout the discussion that results from working with these powers do not come easy. In a sense success with Auric Magick asks one to overcome a lifetime of conditioning about what reality is really like. To overcome such conditioning, one must "be prepared to devote … the rest of one's life to developing these powers" (Carroll, 1987, p.65).

The first power to be discussed is that of immobility. This term refers to the ability to make one's body immobile to external forces acting upon it. This effect is often cultivated among practitioners of the martial art of Aikido. The effect involves a practitioner standing in particular position, working the relevant magick, and then encouraging others to try and lift or move the practitioner from that spot. If the magick is successful, the participants often find it virtually impossible to move the practitioner. The particular empty-handed technique utilized involves the Aikido practitioner visualizing universal energy entering the body via breath inhalation (and mantra "Ai"), mentally transforming the energy (with mantra "Ki") at the power point near the solar plexus and navel, and then extending the Ki from the body into the ground (with mantra "Do"), down to the center of the earth, where it then anchors the persons body into place (O'Leary, 1993). Generalizations of this technique allow the life energy to be extended to other objects, with the intent of changing them in some way producing a change that usually involves the breaking or deforming of the objects (for example, spoonbending). Gnosis is attained through high-inhibitory concentration, and sometimes excitatory techniques that in group contexts include the yelling of power words and mantras (spoon ex: "bend!") (O'Leary, 1993). It can be argued that these techniques instantiate both psychokinetic and telepathic abilities. While the case of breaking or deforming an object seems to be a case of psychokinesis/enchantment, the case of immobility could just as well be explained by telepathic information exchange occurring between the practitioner and the participants. In such an exchange the shared information would consist of subconscious overrides of the participant's musculature, resulting in an inability to lift the Aikido practitioner.

The second power to be discussed is that of making the body impervious to extreme heat or cold. The former is evidenced throughout the world in traditional firewalking ceremonies, as well as Western motivational seminars. The latter is evidenced in such practices as that of Tibetan practice of Tumo. Tumo is a psychic art developed in Tibet in which naljorpas (mystic disciples) seek to keep themselves warm through magickal means. The practitioners of Tumo often live high among the mountains of Tibet, and once trained, many take an oath to live the rest of their lives naked among the snow, or at best clothed in a single thin robe-like garment. An account is given in David-Neel (1932) in which Tumo adepts engage in a competition to see who can dry the largest number of soaking wet cloths (dipped in an icy lake) in a evening via body heat alone. In Tumo, the relevant empty-handed techniques include deep controlled breathing and intense visualization of fire energy pervading the body. These visualizations take variant forms: from a general sense of the body being pervaded by fire to more ritualized visualizations involving the activation of pranic nadis through which course the warming pranic energy.

In the case of attaining imperviousness to extreme heat, such as firewalking, many seminars rely on the 'power of belief to perform the feat. What this amounts to varies from seminar to seminar, but it seems that the basic technique consists of whipping oneself up into a gnostic frenzy coupled with some form of affirmation of the power of the mind over the flames. Some traditional paradigmatic contexts instead utilize a linkage similar to that of the Aikido example mentioned earlier, in which the body force is visualized as being projected outwards to repel the flames (Carroll, 1987), while others rely upon a bhakti yoga type of religious devotion to the pantheon of gods, such as Hindu worshippers in Tamil, Sri Lanka who believe that their gods will protect them (Talbot, 1993). In any event, it can be argued that both the cases of Tumo and firewalking are clear instantiations of psychokinesis/enchantment directed at the interface between the body and the environmental processes the practitioner seeks to overcome.

The third power to be discussed is that of astral projection, also known as the out-of-body-experience, rising on the planes, etc. There is a host of related phenomena that goes along with astral travel, including telepathy, clairvoyance (both of which may manifest through skrying), and to a lesser extent the ability to perceive auras (or what Castaneda's Don Juan might call the ability to 'see' [Castaneda, 1971]). There is not much to say in this discussion about the astral power, as there are already available numerous catalogs of how to acquire these abilities (for example, see Ophiel, 1961; Monroe, 1971). The power is included for the sake of thoroughness, and to make the point that these abilities are empty-handed in that they often rely on internal multi-sensory visualization coupled with extreme gnosis. In addition, astral abilities appear to be best conceptualized in terms of nonlocal information projection/reception manifest through the consciousness of the magickian. Hence these abilities may be considered acts of Auric magick.

The fourth power to discuss seems, like the astral power, to consist of a set of similarly related phenomena. The terms 'hypnosis' or 'glamour' may loosely describe this power in that the practitioner seeks to influence the perception and mental state of another. Such practices often utilize manipulation of dress, speech, and behavior in conjunction with psychic projection of intent into the psyche of the recipient of the glamour. Projection of sexual and/or messianic charisma is often conferred by this power. An example of this is Peter Carroll's Moon Glance, an empty-handed technique that consists of a simple visualization of a silver moon over the forehead, 'energy' projection from the eyes, and subtle behavioral cues like smiling (Carroll, 1992). The power of glamour is also held to confer the ability to achieve subjective invisibility. One invisibility technique is to quiet one's mind to the point that it no longer interacts in a psychic manner with the minds of those surrounding the practitioner (Crowley, 1939). As a consequence the practitioner is ignored and not attended to by others. Patanjali, in his Yoga Sutras, describes a method in which the practitioner achieves one-pointed concentration on the Tanmatras: symbolic representations of the fundamental building blocks of space and time, where the subjective and the objective intertwine (Richards, 1982). Success in this endeavor is held to produce a subtle 'cloud of Akasa', (loosely translated as space, but perhaps more similar to the notion of a nonlocalized information field) around the magickian. Such a cloud is said to have the power to make things visible and invisible. Success in this endeavor is also held to produce the ability to achieve wish fulfillment by mere thought, indicating that the description of this method may be a metaphor for enchantment.

Telepathic projection is another method through which to attain the power of invisibility. In this method, the practitioner directly interferes with the cognitive-perceptual processes of an onlooker so as to render his/her image imperceptible. Telepathic projection may also be used to create perceptions in another. Carroll (1987) has suggested that it is possible to manifest a thoughtform so intensely that others may see it through psychic vision. Such a method may also be behind the famous Indian Rope Trick performed before live audiences in India in the early part of this century. In this trick, a Hindu fakir appears to enable a boy apprentice to climb a levitating rope to the point that the boy disappears. However primitive motion picture recordings of such a performance showed a different story. Instead of recording the trick as described, the camera showed the fakir and his assistant coming out on stage, throwing a rope into the air, and then sitting down into deep meditative positions throughout the rest of the performance (Puharich, 1962). Such evidence suggests that the rope trick is a case of a glamour projected on to the audience by the performing fakir.

Telepathic projection may also be behind the ability to materialize objects and substances. Evidence for this is given in O'Leary (1993), where the author claims to have witnessed a Brazilian psychic materialize perfume out of thin air. Essentially the psychic rolled up his sleeves, extended his bare arm and hand, and yelled the mantra 'HA'! Suddenly everyone present perceived perfume emanating from the psychic's hand. The perception was completely real in terms of vision, smell, and touch. O'Leary offers pictures of the event as proof that the materialization actually occurred. However close inspection of the pictures shows no evidence of perfume being materialized (eliminating the hypothesis that it was a trick of prestidigitation). Instead, the pictures show the author, the other witnesses, and the psychic appearing as if there was something miraculous appearing before them, and behaving accordingly (one picture shows the author emotionally reaching out his hand to 'catch' the materialized perfume). Such anecdotes offer evidence for the claim that what may actually be occurring in at least some cases of materialization is that telepathic projections are shared instead of the actual physical creation of objects and substances.

The fifth and final power to be discussed is that of psychokinesis: the telekinetic influence of objects outside of oneself (both on the large and small scale) and/or the levitation of one's own body. This is perhaps one of the more spectacular powers claimed by Auric Magick, and one that taps into many childhood fantasies as well. A substantial investigation into the techniques claimed to produce telekinetic abilities yields two basic methods. The first method involves the visualization of an appropriately encoded symbolic linkage whilst under high levels of gnosis what has been called the metaprogramming route (Talbot, 1993), but is essentially an extension of the standard conception of ensigilization. Patanjali's approach to achieving invisibility (mentioned earlier) is an example. The second method seeks to develop an expansion of direct and immediate control over what may be called 'the reality-structurer' (Talbot, 1993): that subconscious part of our perceptual-cognitive system that is responsible for producing the reality of which we are consciously aware. This latter method seems to be analogous to Pete Carroll's notion of will-perception (Carroll, 1995).

The metaprogramming method to telekinetic/levitation abilities is very old. A key exemplar is a particular yogic method embedded within the paradigm tradition that began with Patanjali's Yoga Sutras. In this method, the aspirant performs one-pointed concentration upon the pranic nadi Udana, which is traditionally thought to originate in the throat and extend to the forepart of the nose up to the top of the head. Thus Udana is seen as serving as sort of an astral link between the three highest chakras: Visuddhi in the throat, Ajna between the eyebrows (third eye), and Sahasrara at the top of the head. With respect to the body, Udana is thought to be involved in digestion and sleep. However, since its original description in Book 3, sutra 38 of Patanjali's Yoga Sutras in which it is written "By mastery of the Udana, [the yogi acquires] ascension and non-contact with water, thorns, and mire", Udana has been traditionally associated with levitation, the ability to walk on water, and the ability to withstand the gravitational pull of the earth (Richards, 1980). Hence total acceptance of this paradigm causes the Udana to act as a magickal link with its symbolic meaning encoded into the subconscious. Thus all one need do is to perform one-pointed concentration upon the nerve, so as to activate its gravity-defying functions.

Another example of the metaprogramming approach is one practiced by the present author. This method utilizes an abstract magickal link (based in the techniques of Raja Yoga) in which the goal is to attain an experience of a union or merging with the object of one's concentration. There is a documented story of a carnival fire-eater who could run the flame of a blowtorch across his tongue without benefit of any protection (Long, 1936). The fire-eater claimed to have once studied under a magician who had him perform open-eyed object concentration on a sacred butter lamp for several hours a day. Then one day while performing the exercise, the fire-eater perceived the flames of the lamp to grow in stature, at which point they leapt out towards him and engulfed his body. From that day forward the fire-eater felt at one with Fire, and under its protection. In addition he found himself able to perform incredible feats, like the one described earlier.

What would happen if one performed this exercise on other forces of nature, such as light, heat, electricity & magnetism, and most importantly, gravity? Perhaps one could work under the paradigm that performing such an operation would enable the magickian to become one with Gravity, be under its protection, and thus gain access to its powers. However how would one perform object concentration upon a seemingly invisible force such as gravity? At least fire you can stare at and have a clear visual image to wrap your mind around and concentrate on. Perhaps the clue to obtaining a proper magickal link lies in the fact that although gravity produces visual phenomenon in us when we see things fall, our most immediate relationship with it is through vestibular body sense and body position.

Our most immediate encounter with gravity is a feeling we experience in our bodies. This is true of other 'inertial forces', such as the forces we experience in rapidly accelerating vehicles or a spinning merry-go-round. This discussion advocates the view that the proper magickal linkage for object concentration on gravity is not visual, but bodily. Concentrate on the direct and associated sensations that gravitational and inertial forces induce within your body experience and use this as a medium to make contact and merge with them. To this end, the present author has carried out a program of becoming more conscious of the effects of gravity on his body during everyday ordinary activities. One exercise is to have a friend drive around hilly and mountainous roads while the practitioner is strapped in the back of the vehicle with eyes closed, meditating on the sensations induced by the various forces involved in the motion. Another exercise is to rig up a situation in which one's body can safely fall short distances (such as jumping off the high-dive of a swimming pool, jumping on a trampoline, or sky-diving), and then again meditate upon the body sensations of the motion. A milder exercise is to simply hold a small object in one's hand and then concentrate upon the force sensation that is present due to the gravitational influence upon the object. One variant exercise incorporates a visual linkage as well. Take any small object, hold it in one hand, and then gently toss it up and down, all the while meditating on its visual motion. Meditate on the temporal gaps between the sensations of the object being present/not-present in the hand, as well as the sensation of impact as it falls into the hand and the resistance offered as one throws it back up into the air.

The second method to telekinetic/levitation abilities mentioned earlier involves an expansion of direct and immediate control over one's "will-perception" or what may be called "the reality-structurer": that subconscious part of our perceptual-cognitive system that is responsible for producing the reality of which we are consciously aware. This method involves a strengthening of one's will-perception so as to be able to manifest the desired experience thorough direct manipulation of the former. Direct manipulation of will-perception is distinguished from the metaprogramming method in that the linkages are no longer symbolic in nature (such as the Udana link), but instead are the pre-symbolic, raw sensations out of which our reality is constructed. The method generally consists of deliberate sensation cultivation, in which the sensations that are cultivated are those of "lines of force" that emanate from the body, and act as supporters of the body (similar to the case of firewalking). Carroll (1987) describes one particular method in which the aspirant levitator sits in a cross-legged position and attempts to jump like a frog, with the lungs fully inflated; in time one may learn how to exert the "aetheric force" against the ground. However what is actually involved in this learning remains unclear from Carroll's description. I suggest that what is occurring is that the exercise in question trains one's will-perception to create force-like sensations that if projected intensely enough, begin to take on objectively real manifestations (analogous to the case of the creation of Tibetan Tulpas).

The notion of 'lines of force' has also been seen in Carlos Castaneda's account of his sorcery apprenticeship (Castaneda, 1971). Alexandra David-Neel mentions this practice also in her classic book, Magic and Mystery in Tibet, as adjunct training to the art of Lung-gom-pa, which seeks to cultivate excessive fleetness and lightness of foot, and high-paced endurance running for exceptionally long periods. David-Neel relates an interesting test of levitation ability in which a pit is dug in the ground with a depth equal to the height of the practitioner, above which a small structure is built whose height is also equal to the candidate. The structure encloses the pit entirely except for a small hole in the ceiling. The practitioner is then lowered into the pit, and must levitate via the leapfrog method described earlier. The test is passed if the practitioner can levitate up through the small hole in the roof of the overarching structure. Those who pass this test are considered to be proficient in the art.

It is unclear at this point if the will-perception method is the most profitable way to go, at least as far as levitation is concerned. However experiments with this method in attempts at telekinesis seem to show some promise, at least in terms of subjective experience. These experiments involve exercises in which the sensation of touching an object is deliberately created, even though one's hand is located a distance away. The technique consists of first touching the object, removing one's hand, and then trying to recreate the sensation of touching the object whilst performing a touching gesture from afar. With practice, the hope is to cultivate one's perception into a sufficient force-like quality similar in nature and effect as the lines of force concept described above. This method is different from that described in (Carroll, 1992) which requires one to visualize the motion of the object, associate the motion with a symbolic gesture and then perform the gesture under gnosis with no conscious deliberation when actually doing the magick. Some may find the former approach more preferable because it is easier to create the necessary force-like sensations then to try and associate a gesture with imaginary visual images of motion of an object, an act of imagination that severely conflicts with one's initial perception of non-motion of the object.

One question remains with exercises like this: how real are they? Are the experiences gained from success with levitation exercises objectively real, or do they exist only within the mind of the observer? Even if multiple observers collectively claim to witness the instantiation of a telekinetic/levitation phenomenon, the possibility remains that it could be the case that the multiple observers have undergone a telepathic interchange with the practitioner. The practitioner could have telepathically projected his/her experience of the phenomenon into the minds of the other witnesses causing them all to observe the same thing, i.e. a telekinetic/levitation phenomena. Crowley (1939) seems to hold a similar attitude with regards to claims that he achieved levitation during intense meditation periods. Crowley states that although he felt like he was levitating, and others claimed to see him levitating, he " [did] not think it prove[d] anything" (p. 60-61). It may be that in these cases, a so-called "objective" measuring apparatus, such as a camera, would yield no evidence that such a situation has occurred (as in the materialization example given earlier). Scientific tests of psychokinetic ability have yielded strong evidence that the phenomenon does exist on a small scale (Radin, 1997). The prevalence of "true" levitation, telekinetic, and related phenomena on the large scale of everyday existence will remain unknown until individuals gifted enough to perform reliably come forward to share their knowledge.

Coda: There is an afterthought to the ideas expressed in this discussion: why would anyone want to devote their time towards developing abilities like this? Extreme paranormal abilities ('siddhis') come in for a lot of criticism from both magickians and mystics alike, as evidenced by the following story found in David-Neel (1932, p. 216):

"It is said that the Buddha was once journeying with some of his disciples and met an emaciated Yogin, all alone in a hut in the middle of a forest. The Buddha stopped and asked how long the man had been living there, practicing austerities. 'Twenty five years', answered the Yogin. 'And what power have you acquired by such long and arduous exertion?' asked the Buddha. 'I am able to cross a river by walking on the water', the proudly replied the anchorite. 'My poor fellow!' said the Buddha with commiseration. ' Have you really wasted so many years for such a trifling result? Why, the ferry man will take you to the opposite bank for a small coin'."

Most mystics seem to consider the development of the siddhis as a distraction to the ultimate goal of spiritual enlightenment. Many magickians tend to see siddhic developments as a waste of time, preferring to concentrate on practical ends like personal illumination and pragmatic spellcasting (Frater U.D., 1991).

The present author does not share these viewpoints. To the mystics it may be argued that although it is correct that siddhic development is not contingent upon spiritual evolution and vice-versa, spiritual evolution can be made manifest through siddhic development. In a sense, spells of enchantment may be seen as milder instantiations of siddhic abilities; yet as every magickian knows, spellcasting is an effective route towards personal development. To the magickians the argument may be put forward that such abilities may have practical value after all. Crowley (1939) relates a story where the use of psychic invisibility enabled his escape from a mob of people out to get him. There is also an argument for siddhic development that is based in aesthetic considerations: not all magickal development need be practical. It may instead be undertaken for the sheer challenge and beauty of the results. After all, what inherent practical value is there in art, sports, or music, outside of aesthetic value such as entertainment and expressive communication? A final argument for siddhic development lies in the fact that the magickal quest is about knowledge, development, and power. The goal of the quest is to achieve excellence in all three. What greater measure of magickal success is there than to gain the ability to traffic in miracles?

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