Chaos Magic & Postmodern Occultism

BY NICOLE

Nothing is True, Everything is Permitted

Chaos magic (1970s-present) is the punk rock of occultism—irreverent, DIY, and radically pragmatic. It stripped away the Golden Dawn's elaborate hierarchies, rejected tradition, and asked one question: Does it work?

If it works, it's valid. If it doesn't, discard it. No dogma, no lineage, no robes required.

Chaos magic is postmodern occultism—deconstructing magical systems, treating belief as a tool, and using whatever produces results (including pop culture, technology, and irony).

The Origins: England, 1970s

The Founders:

• Peter Carroll: Wrote Liber Null & Psychonaut (1987), the chaos magic bible
• Ray Sherwin: Co-founded the Illuminates of Thanateros (IOT), the first chaos magic order
• Phil Hine: Wrote Condensed Chaos (1995), making chaos magic accessible

The context:

• Punk rock's DIY ethos
• Postmodern philosophy (Derrida, Foucault)
• Rejection of the Golden Dawn's pomposity
• Influence of Austin Osman Spare (1886-1956), who pioneered sigil magic

Core Principles

1. "Nothing is true, everything is permitted"

• Borrowed from Hassan-i Sabbah (via William S. Burroughs)
• No absolute truth—all belief systems are provisional
• You can use any system that works
• Freedom from dogma

2. Belief as a Tool

• Beliefs are not truths but tools
• Adopt a belief system, use it, then discard it
• "Paradigm shifting"—moving between systems fluidly
• Example: Practice Thelema on Monday, Wicca on Tuesday, atheism on Wednesday

3. Results Over Theory

• Magic is judged by results, not tradition or aesthetics
• If a technique works, use it—regardless of source
• Experimentation over orthodoxy

4. Gnosis (Altered States)

• Magic works through altered consciousness
• Any method that produces gnosis is valid: meditation, sex, pain, exhaustion, laughter, drugs, video games
• No "right" way—find what works for you

Sigil Magic: The Core Technique

Sigils are the most famous chaos magic technique, developed by Austin Osman Spare:

The method:

1. State your intent: "I will get the job" (present tense, positive)
2. Remove duplicate letters: IWLGETHJOB
3. Create a symbol: Combine the letters into an abstract design
4. Charge the sigil: Enter gnosis (orgasm, meditation, etc.), focus on the sigil
5. Forget it: Destroy or hide the sigil, forget the intent consciously
6. Let it work: The unconscious manifests the intent

Why it works (chaos magic theory):

• The sigil bypasses the conscious mind's doubt
• The unconscious is the real magician
• Forgetting prevents interference

Servitors: DIY Spirits

Servitors are thought-form entities created for specific tasks:

The process:

1. Define the servitor's purpose (e.g., "find parking spaces")
2. Give it a name, appearance, and personality
3. Charge it with energy (ritual, visualization, gnosis)
4. Set a lifespan or destruction condition
5. Release it to do its work
6. Destroy it when done (to prevent it becoming autonomous)

This is practical magic—creating tools, not worshipping gods.

Pop Culture Magic

Chaos magicians use pop culture as magical systems:

• Invoke superheroes (Spider-Man for agility, Batman for strategy)
• Use corporate logos as sigils (Nike swoosh for victory)
• Create servitors based on fictional characters
• Treat movies, games, and comics as grimoires

The logic:

• Pop culture has more emotional charge than ancient gods (for modern people)
• Archetypes work regardless of source
• If Superman inspires you more than Horus, use Superman

The Chaos Star

The eight-pointed star (arrows radiating from a center) is chaos magic's symbol:

• Represents infinite possibilities
• No fixed direction—all paths are valid
• Borrowed from Michael Moorcock's fantasy novels

Postmodern Occultism

Chaos magic is explicitly postmodern:

Deconstruction:

• Magical systems are social constructs, not eternal truths
• Dismantle them, see how they work, rebuild as needed

Relativism:

• No system is superior—all are equally valid (or invalid)
• Choose based on effectiveness, not tradition

Irony and Play:

• Magic doesn't require solemnity
• Humor and irony can be magical tools
• Don't take yourself too seriously

The Critique

Lack of depth:

• Superficial—using systems without understanding them
• No lineage, no transmission, no depth

Cultural appropriation:

• Treating sacred traditions as tools to be used and discarded
• Disrespectful to indigenous and traditional practitioners

Narcissism:

• "Whatever works for me" can become solipsistic
• No community, no accountability

Defense:

• Honesty about what magic is—psychological technology
• Accessibility—anyone can practice, no gatekeeping
• Effectiveness—stripped-down techniques that work

The Legacy

Influence on modern occultism:

• Sigil magic is ubiquitous (apps, Instagram, TikTok)
• Pop culture magic is mainstream
• The pragmatic, results-based approach spread widely

Meme magic:

• Internet memes as sigils
• Viral spread as magical charging
• "Meme magic is real" (2016 election, Pepe the Frog)

Influence on technology:

• Technopaganism, cyberpunk magic
• AI and algorithms as servitors
• Digital sigils and virtual rituals

Chaos Magic in Constant Unification Framework

From the Constant Unification perspective (Part 44):

• The pragmatic test: Chaos magic's "does it work?" is the ultimate validation—if different systems produce results, they're tapping into real patterns
• Belief as variable: Chaos magic discovered that belief itself is a parameter—the same technique works with different belief frameworks because the underlying mechanism is psychological/energetic, not theological
• Pop culture as archetypal: Superman and Horus both work because they're expressions of the same archetype—the source doesn't matter, the pattern does

Chaos magic's insight: strip away the cultural packaging, and all magical systems are doing the same thing—manipulating consciousness to influence reality.

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This article is Part 37 of the History of Mysticism series. It explores chaos magic (1970s-present)—the postmodern, pragmatic approach to occultism. Chaos magic concepts (belief as tool, sigil magic, servitors, pop culture magic, paradigm shifting) deconstructed traditional occultism and created a DIY, results-based practice. Understanding chaos magic reveals how mysticism adapts to postmodern culture—irreverent, eclectic, and radically simplified.