Language Affects Reality (Part 2: Chaos Magic) [Esoteric Saturdays]

[@rosenblau]

I would like to make a request for a more in depth video about Chaos Magick. You speak about it in a very unique way compared with what I have learned so far from other sources and I am extremely curious about where your point of view comes from. Especially the part about frames of mind and switching from one occult tradition to the other in for example rituals has piqued my interest. Would love to hear some book recommendations too. :)

[@jon...5324]

Read Peter Carroll, and Phil Hine

[@mackd5308]

I am impressed that you make note that some people should or should not adopt beliefs based on the best outcome for them. ... Most recently I have taken into consideration the idea of events happening for a reason (providence, serendipity, synchronicity, etc.) There are instances in which believing things happen for a reasons can have a positive influence; such as proceeding forward with a goal or relationship because you trust things will work out. On the contrary, there are instances in which believing things happen for a reason can have a negative impact on a person; such as believing that God is punishing them when things in life aren't going according to plan. Once a person has adopted the mindset that God & the universe are conspiring against them then moving into a mindset that the universe is a random with no intentional cause can be relieving. Both mindsets have their benefits. And, both mindsets are fraught with perils which to be negotiated.

[@FoolishFishBooks]

Great examples! 😁👍

[@mackd5308]

@@FoolishFishBooks Thanks dude.

[@MrNeo086]

The other aspect of Chaos Magick that I love is the openness toward diversity and experimentation. I believe this is very important, more so in esoteric path than anything else. I recall several of Foolish Fish videos talked about LBRP. I personally also have lots questions about the practice. Prior to adopting Chaos Magick frame of thinking, I often got caught up in finding the "right way" and hesitate to experiment with my own ideas because I'm afraid of doing it the wrong way. Chaos Magick reminds me that our reality is in constant motion and our perception of reality is unique (and VALID). So, experiment, make mistakes and embrace chaos! :)

[@thewizard4200]

Concur! I'll add something, Magick is about developing certainty, so in the practical aspect of Magick, the verb "to be" is a must!

[@JasonJrake]

I agree with your “this is that” usefulness. I briefly did Feng Shui consulting for straight laced skeptics. While they were fine with “there’s nothing magical about moving your couch to make the room feel bigger,” they were less accepting of the totems and talismans I asked them to incorporate into their decoration that didn’t have an obvious association (Chinese coins, compared to human universals like bowl of fake fruit to represent plenty and fertility). It forces me to consider why such things worked, especially since the content of the items is from a foreign culture. Whether true or not, I came up with an explanation that it was “associative intent,” so that every time they un/consciously saw the intentionally placed item, it reinforced their intention, like a passive coach. It sounds to me like this might be what old fashioned “magick” is doing to, separate from any supernatural cause and effect. Either way, I enjoy your reviews, nuggets of info, and patience with commenters like myself 🎩 🌝.

[@FoolishFishBooks]

This is a brilliant example, Thank you! :)

[@arielm3410]

You should look into the the split hole theory and the whole quantum mechanics it is the scientific understanding of Magick

[@irishfairytarot5674]

@@arielm3410 can you expand on this please?

[@rmt3589]

The book is beautiful! I was actually admiring the design work before you called it ugly. Yes it's a terrible color, but they made it work!

[@SageKayDee]

I laughed out loud when he said it's a shame it's so ugly 😅

[@AngieCee1]

Haha I thought it stood out to me.

[@Chickenface12345]

@@SageKayDee well, he just said out loud what most of us were already thinking 😅🤣

[@DasKatze500]

So, rather than being some mystic, supernatural sorcery as depicted in media, magic(k) is the making use of certain ritual, objects, and words to influence our subconscious into helping us, the conscious mind or ego, achieve certain objectives? Is that a fair interpretation? Thanks for any and all responses.

[@FoolishFishBooks]

It's the interpretation that I find most useful, most often, for sure! But it doesn't always fit... Sometime freaky stuff happens too that I just can't explain (see the second ever Esoteric Saturdays video I made).

[@DasKatze500]

Foolish Fish thanks for your reply - I really appreciate it! I’ll definitely check out your other video. Whilst I have you, do you think most practitioners of magick take a more literal interpretation, e.g. ‘When I summon a demon, I am communing with a literal other worldly entity’, and then simply benefit from the placebo effect this kind of thinking would undoubtedly have? (I’m not opposed to the possibility of supernatural occurrences btw, I love the idea - I truly am just trying to understand occult/pagan belief systems) Thanks 😊

[@FoolishFishBooks]

Ok, you really do need to check out my Esoteric Saturday videos XD This is precisely the topic I cover in the majority of them :D My view is that the building block of the universe is consciousness, not matter. Matter arises in mind, not mind in matter. This is the major hurdle in western society where we call this way of thinking the incredibly condescending "idealism". The other view, the view that consciousness is an effect of the right kind of matter coming together with the right chemical processes, we call that "realism". Guess which version Western society prefers ;p But I have found that all of the weirnesses, the unexplainable occurences of the universe become self-evident with an "idealist" approach. From there, it goes that I can't in reality, access any events "out there". My sense relay info to my brain, and my brain reconstructs it all "in here" for me to experience. Our eyes aren't little windows, they're sensors. We only ever get to see the image our brain has re-created. When I see an angel, or a demon, standing before me, or even talking to me. Who's to say if that is an objective "reality" "out there"? Who COULD say? Does it matter? Does ANYTHING occur "out there"? If it's data that my brain is adding to a stream of "objective data", does it matter? does it make the experience any less significant? Does it make the entity any less important? Or powerful? etc...

[@DasKatze500]

Foolish Fish thanks for this reply too. Okay, you have successfully made a subscriber out of me! Regarding the bulk of your comment: I have meditated for over two years now in the pursuit of recognising the illusion of the self, and the idea of consciousness being foundational in some way for creation, the universe, is popular in these circles (I’m unsure if it’s central to Buddhist thought, which I am shamefully still ignorant of). I suppose my hang up is as a result of my generally secular mode of thinking: I accept that phenomena can exist in this universe “beyond” material or strictly rational understanding - that’s the hard problem of consciousness in a nutshell - but I suppose I’m ambivalent to the labelling of these certain phenomena. That is to say, things can exist that are mysterious, ‘beyond’ the senses of your everyday human being - should we not just accept them as thus and not then interpret them as a demon, or a magical spell, or a prayer to a god come true? It feels to me (and goodness, it’s important to note that this just what it FEELS like - I know and am asserting nothing) like people rationalise mysterious phenomenon through spiritual and religious beliefs (This happened because a magick spell; this happened because of my prayer to my particular god), to help them rationalise the currently un-rationalisable (a word I think I’ve made up). They wrap the phenomena up with the trappings of their particular religion or mode of spirituality, and in doing so comfort themselves, but don’t actually come to any closer understanding of the phenomena and why/how it occurred. I suspect I may have misunderstood what you meant in your last paragraph however, so if what I’ve written above seems off base or unrelated, that’ll be why. It’ll be my own lack of understanding! Cheers D

[@1must723]

Thank you for the book review I am going to Amazon to get a copy I have been controlling reality for the last 19 years but but sometimes I get a backfire with some of my projects so hope this will give me more Ballance going forward 🌠🌠🌠peace

[@Lydisquidie]

I could listen to you talk for hours. You've become one of my top creators in such a short amount of time.

[@FoolishFishBooks]

Ah! You're very kind 😁 I'm so glad you're enjoying the content! 👍

[@alexcordero6672]

Excellent summary of Chaos Magick. Thank you!

[@outwardfitness5387]

Amazing content! Thank you so much for sharing. Praise God for the Wisdom he’s giving you in the boulders to be able to bridge this fundamental to the kingdom of God.

[@angelicamaria1995]

Thank you for helping to understand my "thoughts/beliefs" affect my workings. I'm learning chaos magick but couldn't wrap my head around it - until you made the anaology about the "blood of Christ" (grew up Catholic!) Thanks for the "a ha!" moment! New subbie.

[@dakinilover]

I would say that it is also important to remove any previous programing which can be lingering in the mind and in the body, because if you were reinforcing a negative message about yourself like "I am poor" or I am unattractive" for years, the effects of such programing can be an obstacle to your desired result. You may start a "new program", but the old one, which is deeply embedded in you, may put you back into your "default mode". Magic is not always a "quick fix" and to really make it work one needs to make some fundamental changes in the psyche and get rid of old patterns in order for something new to manifest.

[@jsinmcc92]

Ego death is a great start if anyone is looking into this

[@dakinilover]

@@jsinmcc92 I imagine that most people drawn to magic are interested in it, because they want to fulfill their various desires. If someone begins with controlling the ego, he will soon discover that as the grip of the ego loosens, so does desire. And at that point you don't feel the need to use magic to obtain anything, because you no longer desire it and it comes to you naturally, without you asking for it :)

[@arielm3410]

Yes like making sigils you don't say I want love you say I am loved

[@rosenblau]

Yes, it can be very useful to rephrase your old beliefs too. Just adding the words “up until now” and scratching “to be”, can already make a huge difference. Example: “I am poor” vs. “Up until now, I didn’t have as much money as I desired”. The first statement is making the lack of money a static identity while the second one talks about the past and opens up a whole world of possibilities for more desirable change in the future. The way we talk to ourselves and the things we put into our unconsciousness can change our lives. Our brains love to be right and will look for evidence to whatever we take on as our beliefs and identity, missing opportunities and other signs. The end result will only reinforce the negative belief and limited programming.

[@kimberlyporter9555]

Oh man, I feel like we Westerners are so late to the party. In Indian Yogic tradition you don't even identify as your gender. It's simply a description of your current vessel. I just now started getting deep into Indian mysticism since it seems to be the oldest practice still used today. It's blown my mind.

[@ramkitty]

the trend of my canadian govnerment is getting to mandatory recognition of ones individual categorical terms of preference as to not recognize that would be harmful to the shell of those who care. it is becoming a supposed liberal religion of egoism and 'science'

[@ramkitty]

​@@gungh5172 uncertain at the extent as the laws are untested in courts and are written very nebulous but failure to use a chosen pronoun may be construed as hate. I have a feeling my employer may direct us to include pronouns in our signature block as the amount of people including them from managerial roles has dramatically rising over the past 2 years. This is essentially what started jordan petersons media explosion. It is confusing and uncomfortable to even write about it due to the nature of disciplinary actions / investigations that have arisen yet our dear leader can blackface and assault with apology and hair flip. Disagreement is considered bigotry and subject to seemingly welcomed fallacious attacks.

[@ramkitty]

@@gungh5172 a holomorphic categorization of expression mapped to human? that would be the real question that clearly evades me as well.

[@CanVultus]

I’m only guessing but.. I’d guess that it’s possible that some Westerners knew about it all along, only it was expressed through heavy symbolism and taught secretly due to the real threat of death from the orthodoxy in later times. With the great torch of the flame only carried by the few who searched for it and kept it alive for us to rediscover when the time is right. If you’re interested start by taking a look into the Rosicrucians and the hermetic law of Gender. Just remember the Christian and Muslim alchemical texts are highly symbolic as well. The principle of gender can represent different degrees of measurement of vibrational energies or fields in a sense. The principle of polarity can effect this. According to the principle the vessel we are in contains both masculine and feminine. The principle of gender is tied to the other principles like the principle of polarity, vibration/rhythm, cause and effect etc. Always remember as above so below, as below so above, as within so without, as without so within. There is nothing new under the sun. And the lips of wisdom are closed, except to the ears of Understanding.

[@MikeNewham]

I AM a centre of consciousness for the primal will-to-good which eternally creates and sustains the universe.

[@RobAgrees]

Not sure if you are Catholic (living in based Poland) but I take comfort in knowing the roots of Catholic (and hence Christian) theology and practices are actually quite syncretic, drawing particularly on Neoplatonic and Hermetic thought, as well as regional folk beliefs and practices (eg novenas, rosaries, conversion of spirits to Saints). Doctors of the Church themselves were quite learned and well read on many philosophies and often incorporated other lines of thought under the premise that God speaks to all men, but not all men received the full truth. Hence, things such as the Trinity were inspired or directly inherited philosophical doctrines "that made sense" and so were justified into dogma using scripture after the fact. Understanding that, and then the consciousness and linguistic theory of magick, reading Jesus' parables and use of faith suddenly makes much more sense. Anyway, just my take on integrating these paradigms.

[@FoolishFishBooks]

Yes to all of that! 😄👍 But no, not Catholic. Not any church in fact. When Jesus tells me to pray alone in my locked room (mat. 6:5-8), I take that seriously. In fact I take all of his words seriously, which is why I call myself 'Christian'. 😉

[@machietheapachie7214]

​@@FoolishFishBookswould love to hear you expand upon this. I spent the past year with a bunch of friars to see if I were in fact Christian (I hold similar views as yourself) but found its dogma to be institutional

[@ljr6723]

I would agree, belief is a decision. However, while occasionally we can decide what is true and the internal effect is immediate, there are many occasions where the decision was made to the contrary, or at least a belief was established in some cross conflict many years ago, perhaps even in our childhood where many of our core beliefs find their roots. Then we find that the magic is not working and we are not sure why. We may even give up on the magic altogether. The real belief is deep in our subconscious and in order to establish the new belief we must go in there and change the old belief. Occasionally we don't even realize it is there until it stops us, and we often don't know how it got there. Moreover we can't just change it by consciously telling ourselves the opposite. The other question of idealism is a thorny one. Remember the old question "if a tree falls in the forest and nobody is there does it make a sound?" The answer is no because sound is just our interpretation of a wave pattern. Trick question. However, speaking of language, whenever I use the word "we" there is a tacit acceptance of the external, simply because I have accepted the concept of the "other" like myself. The sensory system, the mental filter system, the internal projection, all of that is true of my mind, and I believe it to be true of your mind as well. If not, I am very close to a form of solipsism very akin to what we call psychopathy. From the Hermetic perspective, all is mind, yet my mind is not all. My mind participates in the creative power of mind and in the altering of the flow of externals to me created by the mind of the ALL. What those externals are specifically is a matter for debate, of course, but as long as there is an "other" like me, for my part the existence of externals is settled.

[@kobalt77]

Thank you so much FF. I just bought that book a day ago, so very happy that you give it such a high rating.

[@riverdweller2258]

I think that book is quite stylish!! You are far to critical ○

[@ditzychron]

This is so important to how you set out your work.... brilliant video 👏🏼

[@Seven-mc1pb]

FF dropping nuggets of gold. "If you think that your the type of person who would turn into some crazy fanatic by believing in God then don't do it."

[@oldpondfrog788]

Itchy brain 🧠. Brings back psilocybin memories. 😁

[@ocofficial5481]

What are you resisting?( no need to answer) lol😉 I 👀

[@andysux1]

The title sounds like skme Terence Mckenna shei. Noice!

[@suncat5160]

Oh cool, you’re reviewing a book I actually have read! Bought this years ago back in my late teens, was a really good intro to magical thinking. However, its post modern approach started to feel weirdly industrial/mechanical. Love your channel!

[@FoolishFishBooks]

Yes, industrial/mechanical is right! 😂 It's not my style, for sure, but I'm sure you'll agree the insights are tremendous! 👍

[@suncat5160]

Foolish Fish Absolutely, some of that stuff informs my personal practice at a core level. It’s a great mindset to draw from in general!

[@LagMasterSam]

@@FoolishFishBooks Some people may really hate this idea, but I like to think of magick as spiritual technology.

[@kenallen9601]

Xelent video! Thank you!

[@HIVELESSB]

Got into much of this sort of magic during a portal opening ceremony on halloween last night during a livestream. Feel free to check it out anyone who is interested.

[@jsinmcc92]

Can you do a video on how your journey into magic started and grew and the most important checkpoints with books or different magical experiences

[@FoolishFishBooks]

I have a couple of those on my channel already 😉 You can check out my very earliest videos in the Esoteric Saturdays playlist. You'll get to see my face too 😳

[@morefunnythenU]

Wow so good

[@morefunnythenU]

“Subjective to change” “Objective to change” “Subject to change” “Object to change” I would argue subject is the way to go fast and furious

[@brandoncallaway8835]

I was thinking about your girst video on this last night and how you could use terms in ways to trick your subconscious into a positive association by saying something in reference to what you are in a positive way in terms of introduction. So if you are a teacher and someone asked you what you do for a living, you could say something to the effect of, i am my favorite teacher down at the college as a joke or, i happily teach college students at so and so. If you are using truths, that your mind knows is a fact like being a teacher and associating it what you want to (BE) at that moment of self recognition then it could be a way of telling your subconscious i am a teacher and i am happy teaching.

[@roluchashron]

The Eucharist is a powerful ritual when experienced openly.

[@wishpunk9188]

Transubstantiation of wine into blood. It is a blood consumption ritual, even if only symbolically. And symbols are power. I agree it is powerful. It is the intention i question.

[@billiemiller8953]

adrenachrome muCh 🤮.

[@MightyGuts7423]

@@wishpunk9188 - What does the ritual do?

[@alekid]

Hi Fish. I found a book in my Kindle and I can't remember why I got it, but as I started reading it I found it excellent. I haven't finished it yet, but I've been browsing again through your channel because I thought you had recommended it, but I can't find it anymore. So in case it wasn't your recommendation, here it is: Eight Pieces, by Gordon White. If you haven't read it I think you might enjoy it.

[@FoolishFishBooks]

I like Gordon White very much :) I listen to his podcast "Rune Soup" very regularly. Thanks for the info! :)

[@kiskakuznetsova503]

Hi Foolish, I have been loving your videos. Your explanations really help a novice like me. I have a question which I hope is appropriate for this post: I'm someone who has to vocalize or speak her thoughts, in other words I "think out loud", and that's how I get my thoughts organized and figure out the right plan of action and even how I really feel about a situation. Even though I have always journaled, there's something about speaking my reactions, insights, thoughts, feelings, etc. that helps, too (and often more; journaling seems to be best after vocalizing). Through that, sometimes I say things that I'm sure must hold some ... negative energy? (I'm searching for a better term but one escapes me right now.) If this is how I process, and it seems to be, I've tried other ways and they don't allow me to feel centered, how does someone like me apply this and other similar lessons? I love the principles, they make sense to me, but as someone whose speech is part of her art and life, how can I apply the principles? (I know of several artists -- singers, actors and writers -- who practice Chaos Magick but given their mediums, I'm sure they express themselves and process their thoughts like me so there must be a way!) Thank you for any insight and please keep up your work, you're an excellent teacher.

[@Freddy-Zamora-MX]

Such a shame it is so ugly indeed, hahahaha! And I agree with you 100% it is an amazing book. If it was not for the practicality to consult I would have bought it for Kindle.

[@FoolishFishBooks]

Yes, a kindle version would do just fine ;)

[@jaumepp1975]

Subconscious should never be used equal to Unconscious. In fact, it should not be used. Why? Well, as someone who knows one thing or two about neurophysiology, psychiatry, psychology, neurology, ... I can assure that there's no way of defending the idea that that which we cannot inmediately perceive in our Mind (the Unconscious) is below another more sophisticated layer that's above it (= Subconscious). The brain works both in parallel and in series, and all at the same time, vastly connected momento to moment, the fact that we "realize" somethings (as I said) inmediately doesn't mean that that layer of information is above the rest (nor below, for that matter). Cheers, big fan of the channel and the content (and the man who's behind it), however I still struggle with many ideas, like that of things not being only Physical (state of the art of Science, 4 known forces in he universe -all of them "Physical-, etc).

[@Turningleafbooks]

Hi again, I hope you won't mind my asking another question sort of off-topic. I've been studying Magick and Kabbalah, etc. for about 7 months. I've been reading everything I can get my hands on and absorbing video after video and yours especially are thrilling to me. I appreciate you coming at this from a quasi-Christian perspective. Anyway, in the first few months of practice I experienced I guess what are typical negative psychic phenomena. I worked with the LBRP and other protections and all phenomena has now ceased. Well, now I am missing having some sort of validation for the work I'm doing and wonder if you can point me toward some work which would manifest in positive phenomena? Great work as always!

[@FoolishFishBooks]

Hi! As always, I thoroughly recommend the books by the Gallery of Magick. I'll be reviewing 72 Angels of Magick within the next couple of weeks, maybe even as soon as tomorrow, but no promises. They been quite peerless for me in terms of results. There are quite a few, you can check out the tables of contents on Amazon and see what calls to you 👍

[@Turningleafbooks]

@@FoolishFishBooks Be careful what you wish for....Last night I received a visit and a pounding from a negative entity which I couldn't get to leave. These things don't even flinch at invoking Jesus' name. Any tips? Anyway, I have at least 4 of the GOM books and really like their approach. I'm working with some of their protections right now but yesterday didn't include the LBRP with my usual work so I can't say that their stuff alone is working for me just yet. Thanks again for your wisdom and humility. Eric

[@ganzoo1845]

I would like to here your thoughts on Palo Mayombe, yurba , Congo magic

[@ermit740]

im high but... what if the divine being is .... the phenomenong of being itself? And when the bible warns you not to say the name of the divine being (aka. god) in vain, it warns you about using the word "is" to identify things... identifying as an act itself is rather close to judgement. And it also says that it is only the divine being that has the right to judge. God is being itself and only it has the power to bestow being to things? This video fascinates me :D

[@jsinmcc92]

Yay chaos magic

[@FoolishFishBooks]

Where it's at! 🙌

[@shadowmacxzergrisk8131]

Came here after watching wandavision episode 8

[@artistryalchemy7161]

Same 😂😂😂

[@shauncampbell969]

Cellphone. " A reminder" 7:23

[@shanegadingal2891]

Fun fact: this book was published on my birthday

[@notaboutit3565]

You mentioned “engaging with the world in a more useful way”; it occurred to ask “who/what ultimately is receiving that usefulness. Might seem like the obvious answer is “oneself”, but I’m not so sure. I have a habit of being self conscious about the ways my beliefs can/do put me in the market for the spiritual/mental/physical manipulation of others. Advertising I believe has many hallmarks of this, the essence of propaganda. Curious as to your thoughts on the matter.

[@joaobatistatoledoprado6367]

As I am a linguist... oops!... as I work with linguistic ideas and concepts applied to individual languages (😉), if someone said a statement like “I'm British”, I think it would suggest a whole range of ideas commonly associated to this fact. For instance, it would be implied that this British fellow is part of what is commonly though of ‘British culture’ and that there would be high chances of this one being fond of tea and stopping whatever he or she might be doing to have a cup of it around 5 pm or so (maybe with some scones), as one can see in the album Astérix chez les Bretons 😄. Even if someone would change that statement for “I was born and grew up in UK” the same would undergo implied. Even so, I totally agree with that (high) magick is mostly concerned with and consists of affirming states of being to be operative in an unconscious level. Being that as it may, trying to spare common uses of the verb to be in normal life statements, besides being a great exercise on self attention and awareness, may cause to increase magickal effectiveness too.

[@161157gor]

Persuasive as a Persian Carpet... Articulous Beautifous Credulous

[@Gohliath]

I really like that book. Too bad my copy got destroyed in a fire. I will get a copy soon.

[@himanshuwilhelm5534]

Things tend to go that way when learning 'fireball'

[@BBoldGaming]

I’ve mastered this one lol

[@UltiateAvenger]

Can you do a review of this book?

[@FoolishFishBooks]

I'll get round to it eventually, I'm sure 😉

[@ZestonN]

That's why I thumbed the video down. When I see a video with "Chaos Magic" in the title, I want to hear about Chaos Magic(k). I don't go to a bakery to hear the story of the Cow Who Gave The Milk, What A Wonderful Cow It Was. I Came For The Cake!

[@user-pl7mw3fk4r]

The Scarlet witch brought me here Lol

[@infinitesnail]

the scarlet witch brought you to magick?

[@georgigulliksen2047]

Hey! Do you know any biblioth’eque blue books that you haven’t done a review of yet (and is’t the petit albert)?

[@FoolishFishBooks]

Yes! Absolutely. Waiting for the Black Letter Press edition of the Petit Albert due out within the next few months ;) In truth I'm not sure if the Grimorium Verum counts as a Bibliotheque Bleue grimoire, I have JSK's True Grimoire in SCarlet Imprint's wonderfully named 'Bibliotheque Rouge' paperback edition, but I just haven't had a second to read it yet. Definitely looking forward to it though!

[@georgigulliksen2047]

Wait! Is the true grimoire and grimoirum verum the same book?

[@FoolishFishBooks]

@@georgigulliksen2047 Yes! Well, The True Grimoire was JSK's essay on the Grimorium Verum (Latin for True Grimoire). I'll add (some readers may not know) that the Grand Grimoire and the Red Dragon are also one and the same.

[@oslogutt80]

Great content as always. :)

[@FoolishFishBooks]

Thank you, @Rabagast_! :)

[@jacob133]

The book looks like a nergal cultist hand guide to Magic

[@ConnietheVirgo]

Awesome! Were you saying youre a christian or was that an example? If so are you also a practitioner of magic? I would assume so by what youve said. I have heard of christian witches.

[@FoolishFishBooks]

Heh! No, not an example. I believe that the words attributed to Jesus of Nazareth are a perfect guide for living an empowered, good, fulfilling and useful life. Where I get in trouble with most other people who like to call themselves 'Christians' too, is that I am absolutely not interested in what other people say about what Jesus may or may not have meant, including (and chiefly), Paul of Tarsus, any Pope, any priest or pastor, C.S. Lewis, 'St.' Augustine, Thomas Aquinas, Billy Graham, or your average Sunday School teacher. When I read Jesus's words in the canon gospels and then further confirmed what I'd understood from them by reading the gospels that were rejected in the Nag Hammadi Library, that formed the basis of everything I do and believe. If doing or saying or especially believing something contradicts the words directly attributed to him, I don't do it. It's probably as arbitrary as choosing Confucius or Mohammed (p.b.u.h), but his words are my compass by which I calibrate my world. That approach has served me very well so far. Extraordinarily well in fact. But as a result, when I say 'I am Christian', I don't mean what most people understand by that.

[@ceesno9955]

@@FoolishFishBooks which books are referring to? I am interested in these please.

[@theemptyatom]

reminded me of the saying, "why is a carrot more orange than an orange?"

[@GreeneMotionPictures]

Orange you glad I didn't say Banana?

[@yqafree]

Your perspective is very interesting, the way I think of it all, the grand hermeneutic of truth that is, all things and thoughts are spiritually profitable in the right perspective as is all things and thoughts can be spiritually indebting from the wrong kinds of perspectives, therefore try to connect with the omni-mind as much as possible to work closer towards the totality of truth knowing as long as we're this way in the world we're all just waiting for the revelation of all so might as well liv well and true

[@jakebodnar2797]

So the difference between magick and meditation is just the wrapping paper.

[@SlowPursuit]

Great content again (as someone else said). I have wanted to read that for a while- but 22.50 for a paperback is extortion! Having the book in your hands, what is your opinion on the pricing?

[@FoolishFishBooks]

Esoteric books always tend to be a bit on the pricey side because the reader base is so small, they don't get the economies of scale that the more popular fare enjoys. I think 22.50 is a reasonable price for this actually. The content is very high quality, information rich, not just some self-proclaimed mystic using words he only partly understands like I often see. It's a strong recommendation, and I think the price is right for the content.

[@SlowPursuit]

​@@FoolishFishBooks Its interesting- I notice that the "Chicken Qabalah..." is up to £33 for the paperback! Seeing that is a 'classic' and is 80,000 in the Kindle sales... Still rankles a little- I fully understand the pricing of - say- some of the Scarlet Press stuff that you show on here- very high quality print runs of very niche grimoires,, but seems a bit steep for these more general specialist tomes. I want this, Chicken & son of Chicken, and a Robert Antone, so ... £70+ for three (paperback) books? Ca ne m'a pas fais bander, quoi...

[@FoolishFishBooks]

XD But yeah, don't go paying that much for Chicken Qabbalah. While you could argue the information is worth that price, it's definitely not the RRP. Have you looked around? bookdepository.com? abebooks.com?

[@SlowPursuit]

@@FoolishFishBooks good call - a mere £16 there - dunno why Amazon & Google were giving such silly quotes!

[@omegablackzero]

"To be" is an example of logos then?

[@atmakali9599]

Yes

[@20xx26]

I don’t find the cover ugly :(

[@Deepfake820]

I am skeptical of a person's ability to change beliefs. To be fully committed to a belief system also means vowing never to leave it

[@FoolishFishBooks]

(is what you currently believe)

[@Deepfake820]

@@FoolishFishBooks then the belief is not genuine if person says they "truly believe" but changes that belief. I am drawing on my experience of once being a "born again Christian" for over 20 years and that belief system took years to completely abandon so I could develope a different epistemology. I think unless you have been so completely committed as devote to a particular faith you would not know how impossible it is to consciously step out of that belief system at will. The only way would have what is sometimes called a multipersonality disorder or some kind of neurological condition or memory loss. When you are convinced of the truth of a belief that your entire sense of self is built around it, your way of life, your relationships etc it cannot be changed that simply. Hence why I would be skeptical of a person actually believing something and besides belief and faith are demonstrated by actions not just words. Ask anyone who has been in a cult or a life long devote and I think you will find they agree. And those who claim various beliefs I will say "I don't believe you"

[@FoolishFishBooks]

@@Deepfake820 having also been a born again Christian, I know exactly what you're talking about. I also am telling you that this thing that you assert is impossible, is in fact possible. The fact that you can't imagine it doesn't make it any less so.

[@hukes]

How can you reconcile being a Christian and being a magician? (honest question, I am neither).

[@hukes]

@Aurora O. Yes, the moons sound kinda pagan, but because of agriculture/time-tracking. And yes also about the seal/sigil, but then that is paganizing the Christian god, which is like a big no no to Christians. But still, doesn't the Bible say that men shouldn't put wooden images as gods?

[@hukes]

@Aurora O. And that's why I ask. I've read books about magick and I've read the Bible, I am no magician nor Christian, but I can see that Christianity wouldn't be in agreement with magick practices.

[@hukes]

@Aurora O. It is a magick ritual, but it is approved by the Bible. Approved. Heck, Catholic mass is a magick ritual, but again, approved by Christianity.

[@walterduncan6067]

He explained this in another comment. In short, he follows the word of Christ, not the teachings of the church.

[@hukes]

@@walterduncan6067 Oh, thank you!

[@RaiderNation86]

I could never get into these things because if they are real id end up mastering it, and thata what keeps me away.

[@nigelbruce8963]

I think you missed a trick by choosing the first person for the heart of your illustration of E-Prime. So when you spoke of the 'inherent' implication - which goes to the heart of E-Prime - the focus on yourself, 'I', offered only an intellectual rather than a social or psychological motivation for avoiding the use of 'to be'. Had you used 'You', 'S/he' or 'They', you would have inevitably had to confront the more pernicious labeling and stereotyping impact of using the essentialist verb 'to be'. Then, you could have played with the rich seam of contrasts between the adjectival, nominal and verbal forms. E.g. the 'present continuous' & adjectival forms could then have nicely contrasted statements like 'You ARE stupid; with 'You are BEING stupid'. The first is accusing someone of being inherently - congenitally really - 'stupid'. The 2nd is a criticism of some action, utterance or behaviour, which can invite elaboration, advice, reply, etc. But the really pernicious use of 'to be' is when it is applied to the 3rd person plural, to entire groups, minorities, ethnicities, etc. Nuff said...

[@jasoncoker1625]

🤘

[@bigblackbutthole]

Thank you. A very satisfying breakfast for my mind. (((((((((((((0)))))))))))))

[@brandoncallaway8835]

Right? Siri box on the wall, what's the news today? Lol

[@jacob133]

Whenever I hear the word chaos magic or see the chaos magic symbol I think of Warhammer 40K why is this

[@bobbybrooks4826]

Except when it doesn't

[@mommason3596]

to be or not to be. lol

[@mUbase]

2 or !2

[@braddrac]

Is that the question?

[@stevengagne7015]

Quarter

[@bewitchedchannel]

People think that being a Christian is to believe in Jesus.... Its not. Being a Christian is to follow the moral and ethical principals that Jesus left for us.

[@lauriebutt7862]

In a more compassionate way.

[@AngieCee1]

I like the look of the book, actually. I own it and it's really easy to spot from far away lol. I'm not finished yet but it's great so far. Thanks for your take on this one!

[@zeke3103]

Isn't Thai just being verbose in a way?

[@cfhillen]

יהוה

[@charliehansen7832]

Being Christian isn’t believing in god. It’s believing in Jesus Christ

[@MykTheOccultist]

tbf most christians believe jesus is god

[@Doubledig]

Leave off 'tbf' there's no need for it!

[@zeke3103]

Isn't this just being verbose in a way?

[@FoolishFishBooks]

I'm sorry, can I check that understand correctly what you mean? To my knowledge, being 'verbose' means to use a large quantity of words in speech or in writing. It's usual connotation in everyday language is negative, as in using many words when few would have been sufficient. Do you mean it in a different way?

[@zeke3103]

@@FoolishFishBooks Not sure how to explain it. It seems to me this is just explain more in depth. But not quite that. I'm gonna have to ponder on it. Thank you for not just calling me stupid. I like to come up with new thought - forms without being judged to adhere to a certain way of understanding.

[@FoolishFishBooks]

I think coming up with new thoughts is the right measure of intelligence, not how skillfully we use words. That's education. Most politicians have amazing education, but not the slightest shred of intelligence. I know which I'd rather have 😜

[@zeke3103]

@@FoolishFishBooks Yes, yes, I feel I'm intelligent but I'm not very well educated. The problem becomes when education becomes hijacked to mold people for certain agendas. Thank you for that, helped me realize some reflections.

[@1fnklown]

Sandy hook and gun anti commercials, no common sense about leaving guns around the wrong people though