sorcery
Introduction
Quantum Sorcery is a magical system which presupposes that an individual can cause desired effects to be manifest in the physical world via the exertion of will. This system makes no supposition regarding the existence or influence of any sort of divine creator; rather it is based upon the premise that the human mind causes minute changes in the behavior of subatomic particles and energy fields within space/time. These minute changes in turn cause a cascade of events to occur, which ultimately result in the desired effect.
Although seemingly odd at first, this theory is in accordance with the second statement of the Emerald Tablet of Hermes Trismegistus. One translation of this statement, by Idres Shah, reads: “What is above is like what is below. What is below is like what is above. The miracle of unity is to be attained”. Understanding the underlying principle of this statement is an essential part of the manifold magickal processes that comprise Hermeticism, the core of a number of traditional Western magickal systems.
In addition, quantum sorcery also acknowledges the theory of sensitive dependence on initial conditions, also known as “The Butterfly Effect”. Edward Lorenz, a MIT meteorologist, coined the phrase in a 1972 talk based on weather modeling he had initiated in 1960.
Quantum sorcery can be rightly regarded as a subset of Chaos Magick. Like its progenitor, the system is anti-dogmatic, result-oriented, and free-form. The system employs techniques of magick proposed by such authors as Spare, Carroll, Hine, Morrison, and Pesce, alongside of mathematical and scientific theories proposed by Dirac, Lorenz, Heisenberg, Bohr, and Mandelbrot.
What is the Reason?
The origin of this project arose from a simple question that I could not answer: What is the mechanism by which the will can cause physical changes in the observable universe to be manifest? How does magick work? My belief is that the force derives from humanity itself. Myriad religions and magical systems with vastly differing methods are seemingly capable of achieving these results, whether the process is referred to as prayer or spell craft. This would seem to indicate that it is not a particular external force which makes these results possible, or if it is, then it is a force which is universally available to all who seek to employ it, rather than being an insular deity.
Occam’s Razor
William of Occam, a 14th century logician and Franciscan friar, wrote:
Which is translated as:
This became known as Occam’s Razor. I apply this to mean that the explanation for a phenomenon which requires the fewest assumptions to be made is most likely to be correct. In this framework, I theorize that within a physical universe, composed of particles and waves that any force capable of manifesting an observable effect on these particles and waves must be of that physical universe itself, rather than external to it. More plainly stated, there is no need to ascribe miraculous or supernatural effects to an outside agent, when it is more probable that the effects originate within the magickian.
The Psychic Censor
As individuals mature within a culture, they are expected to subscribe, and in fact contribute to, the consensus reality of that culture. This generally includes accepting the dominant spiritual paradigm. James Carse, in Finite and Infinite Games, observes that a society will go to extremes to enforce its world view upon its members.
The acceptance of external definitions of what constitutes the difference between real and unreal contribute to the creation and reinforcement of what Austin Osman Spare referred to as the psychic censor. This is a mechanism of the conscious mind which determines, based on rules which have been internalized from consensus reality, what limits are placed on possibility. In general, the psychic censor tells the conscious mind that magick is a fallacy, and that the power of the mind is insufficient to cause actual change in the universe.
Fortunately, there a number of ways by which this mechanism can be negated. One of these methods, and probably the most frequently employed, is to ascribe magickal power to a higher source, such as a god or demon. This placates the censor by inactivating the self as the causal agent. The desire is passed to the erstwhile higher entity via prayer or evocation. Unfortunately, this method is logically fallible, requiring an even greater suspension of disbelief, and the adoption of a larger complex of assumptions than simply accepting that the self is capable of direct action.
Another way in which the psychic censor can be avoided is by allowing the desire for change to be passed off from the conscious mind to the subconscious. This can be done via a variety of methods, including sigilization, glossolalia, or other methods which compress the linguistic construction of the desire into a symbolic form which can be better actualized by this part of the mind. This method was a hallmark of Austin Osman Spare’s magickal system, which Peter Carroll adapted into his system of Chaos Magick. It is generally effective, but relies on the concept of avoiding a lust for results. If the magickian is unable to expunge the desire from the conscious mind, then the psychic censor will be activated, and will counter the desire with disbelief, guilt, or other undesired processes.
This effect can be lessened by conditioning the censor to accept a greater range of possibilities. There are a number of ways by which this can be attempted, including John Lilly’s metaprogramming, Bandler and Grinder’s neuro-linguistic programming, the Silva Method, hypnosis, meditation, and other systems which attempt to allow direct intervention and control by the self over thought processes. Many of these methods themselves are simply proxies by which the conscious mind is empowered to a greater proportion of its already existing capability.
Quantum sorcery uses awareness of scientific principles, specifically quantum mechanics and chaos theory, to placate the psychic censor. This is accomplished by realizing that at a quantum level, physical reality itself is reduced to a field of probabilities which can be manipulated by the mere act of observation, and that minute changes in momentum and trajectory of subatomic particles can propagate to cause far greater physical effects in the objective universe. Reducing the scale at which an influence needs to be applied in order to produce desired results further helps to convince the conscious mind that such ends are attainable.
A Multiverse of Possibilities
With the discovery in the first quarter of the 20th century that subatomic particles such as the electron possessed the qualities of waves as well as physical matter, an entirely new system of models and theories had to be created to describe the new understanding of reality. One of these was the Heisenberg uncertainty principle. This principle stated that on a subatomic level, that the position and momentum of a particle could not both be measured with a high degree of precision. The best degree of accuracy that can be obtained if one property was measured with a high degree of precision is a probability range for the other property.
One theory that has been proposed as an explanation for this principle is known as the many-worlds hypothesis. This theory posits that the state of a particle is not uncertain, rather that all possible realizations of position and energy for every existing particle actually exist, each one having its own separate and unique universe. This condition is also known as quantum superposition. Based on theories of how many particles there are in the known universe, as well as the estimated size and shape of the universe, the total number of possible universes has been surmised to be approximately 10500. This collective set is also referred to by some physicists as the multiverse.
Watch the butterfly flutter by
Beginning in 1960, meteorologist Edward Lorenz began a series of weather system simulations at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In his modeling, he discovered that very small variations in the initial state of a complex system result in large differences in the end result. He detailed these findings in a paper titled Deterministic Nonperiodic Flow, which was published in 1963. In 1972, Lorenz gave a talk in which he asked the question: Can a butterfly flapping its wings in Brazil cause a tornado in Texas? This gave rise to the more commonly known name for the initial conditions phenomenon, “The Butterfly Effect.”
With regard to magickal practice, this bears close scrutiny. The impetus to change the outcome of a situation can depend on a myriad of factors which would seem at first examination to be irrelevant. Alan Turing, a mathematician renowned for his theories on machine intelligence encapsulated this phenomenon:
In this framework, the question is how to effect the displacement of that single electron, so that the result is the one desired.
Fractal forms reveal infinite scale
Benoit Mandelbrot, a mathematician employed at the time at IBM, investigated a seemingly simple problem in the 1970’s: “How long is the coast of Britain?” What he found was that as the degree of scale employed in the measurement was taken to finer levels, the longer the coastline appeared to be. This was a result of smaller and smaller features appearing as the perspective was magnified. Features which appear to be straight lines on a small scale map are revealed to be complicated and jagged on a large scale map. He referred to these forms as fractal, from the Latin for “broken”. When fractal functions are graphed, the results can be viewed at any level of magnification, and they will appear similar.
What does this mean to the quantum sorcerer? It means that there is no lower limit to the degree of visualization that can be employed when attempting to influence physical reality. In business language, the phrase “drill down” is often used to indicate a focus on the minutia of a given situation. Appropriating the terminology for this instance, the quantum sorcerer must drill down to the subatomic level in order to apply Will where it will be the most effective.
Holographic Universe
In Paris in 1982, a research team led by physicist Alain Aspect was able to verify the theory that particles which have previously interacted with one another will from that interaction forward be connected with regard to the phase of their waveforms. What was particularly of interest about this confirmation was that the exchange of information between these particles occurred at a speed greater than the speed of light. This has led to the theory, espoused by University of London physicist David Bohm, among others, that the universe is in fact a massive and intricate hologram.
A hologram is an image created by reflecting a laser off of an object, and subjecting the reflected light to the light of a second laser. The resulting interference pattern is then captured. This results in a three-dimensional image of the original object. What is most noteworthy is that if a fragment of the image is torn off of the whole, that fragment will still contain a smaller but intact version of the original image. No intelligence is lost in the fragmentation.
Those who espouse the holographic paradigm have suggested that the contact between particles so observed is not due to a signal sent between them, but is due to the fact that it is only our inaccurate perception which interprets the particles as separate, discrete entities. In this theoretical system, such particles are considered to be manifestations of the same underlying fundamental phenomenon. Extracted to its conclusion, the theory suggests that all objects in the universe are infinitely interconnected.
Whether or not this theory has any validity has yet to be hammered out among theoretical physicists, but in any case, it is a useful model for visualizing manipulation of matter and energy for the magickian. As Michael Talbot states in his article on this paradigm, “In a holographic universe there are no limits to the extent to which we can alter the fabric of reality.”
Mechanism
Thus far, I have discussed the nature of reality, and posited that it is subject to manipulation by an individual, but I have not yet addressed how an individual might go about doing such a thing.
Fundamental Forces
There are four fundamental forces in the universe which effect matter. These are gravitation, electromagnetism, the strong nuclear force, and the weak nuclear force. If the momentum or position of a particle of matter is to be modified, it is most likely to be done via one of these forces. It is possible that there are other forces, as of yet undiscovered and unobserved, but these four are capable of explaining the behavior of matter in the current state of the universe. In a younger universe, closer in time to the “Big Bang”, it is thought at that all four forces become one, so it is theoretically feasible to suggest that as the universe continues to cool and expand, that other forces might yet be brought to bear.
Gravity is the attractive force between all particles with mass. Electromagnetic force affects charged particles, as well as particles which possess magnetic attributes. The nuclear forces are those which operate within the atomic nucleus. It is the second of these, electromagnetism, that I believe must be the mechanism by which a human can physically influence reality on a subatomic level.
In quantum theory, the exchange of energy between particles is modeled by the use of force carriers called bosons. In the case of electromagnetism, this force carrier has zero mass, and is known as a photon. Collisions between photons and other particles are fairly frequent events in nature. An example of this is the photoelectric effect, which is the result of a photon colliding with an atom with sufficient force to discharge an electron from its orbit, ejecting it from the atom.
Biophotons
In a 2004 study involving bio-energy healers, who were asked to focus their mental energy, the median increase in the energy output of the volunteers in the experimental group was found to be 8.3 volts, and lasted a median of 3.6 seconds. This was a test of the phenomenon known as biophotonic emission. Still considered a pseudo-science by most of the scientific community, this process has been studied by researchers such as Fritz Albert Popp of the International Institute of Biophysics in Neuss, Germany since the late 1970’s. Biophotons themselves were first documented in 1923 by Russian medical scientist Alexander Gurvich, who named them "mitogenetic rays".
Assuming that biophotonic emission is an actual phenomenon, and that the intensity of emission can be controlled with adequate training, this would provide the physical mechanism by which a human could physically alter the behavior of subatomic particles. If this mechanism in turn can be combined with the visualization of an intended outcome, then the probability of actually causing that desired result to manifest could physically exist.
Conclusion
I have proposed that the phenomenon of magick derives its source not from a supernatural or higher being, but through the process of human bio-energy effecting subatomic particles. I realize that this is a stretch. Practitioners of magickal systems which presume that results are the purview of extra-dimensional entities would no doubt find this theory to be rubbish, as would most traditional physicists. I myself am not certain that this effect is factual or probable. I do believe however, that it is possible, and that is the key. Even if magickal results are obtained through an as of yet completely unknown mechanism, and this theory serves only as the basis of visualization, it is still an effective mnemonic device. Quantum sorcery provides a possible explanation to the psychic censor, and loosens the parameters of what the censor will permit to be manifest in the personal reality of the magickian.
References
Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia
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