Idea for breaking habits (chaos magick)

[Lynx]

I am quite new to this, so tell me what you think. This is an idea I had that I had a while ago and have tried on one of my own bad habits that I've struggled with for a long time. So far it has worked well, but it has been less than I week since I used it. I'm afraid I messed up the casting and introduced doubt into the process, so I might have to redo it.

The idea is to break up the pattern of thought that causes you to lose control over the habit, thus breaking it's power over you. I've found that compulsive thoughts have a strong linear pattern that they follow, and they cannot work if that pattern is reversed or disrupted.

I'll use cigarette addiction as an example. First you would write out a short paragraph that concisely explains the thoughts that give it power:

I know that it is unhealthy to smoke as much as I do, but it helps me through tough times when I might otherwise fall apart. I have good memories of times spent smoking with friends. It makes the whole world seem much more manageable. Besides that, I have tried to quit many times in the past and I know that if I tried now, I would go back to it again in a day or two. I am addicted, helpless, and out of control.

It could be longer or shorter than that as long as it describes the problem fully, but probably no less than three sentences and no more than ten. Next, mix up the order of the words into something that almost makes grammatical sense (punctuation is unimportant):

Besides memories it tried to seem good, I fall through. Many friends do as me. I am, I now know it tried it much, as control of might makes times. Helpless of more when I would, but otherwise the world smoking, helps that I know. Have I two times much that quit addicted? And to it, out to a day I spent unhealthy, if I have smoke that is back apart. Tough and manageable again or in whole, with times I go in the past.

Finally, you identify any important words that still pack a punch and spell those backwards.

Besides memories it tried to seem good, I fall through. Many friends do as me. I am, I now know it tried it much, as control of might makes times. Sselpleh of more when I would, but otherwise the world gnikoms, helps that I know. Have I two times much that quit detcidda? And to it, out to a day I spent yhtlaehnu, if I have ekoms that is back apart. Tough and manageable again or in whole, with times I go in the past.

The last step might not even be needed, or you could spell it all backwards. Alternatively, you could take the original text and run it through google translate a few times. What you end up with is a nice little bundle of gibberish that acts like cyanide on your compulsive thoughts. You could throw the thing like a sigil or just keep it handy and recite it when you feel the temptation.

Opinions, thoughts, feedback?

[DawningSun777]

The ritual is nice but you also have to understand the psychology of it. Before you can be successful with something like this you must know the science. This is what would be considered greater magick as opposed to lesser, getting over an addiction is difficult. Make sure you know how addiction works, why addiction happens, how addiction gets into your mind (specifically yours). For example I was susceptible to addiction for genetic reasons as well as depression. You mentioned cigarettes helping you cope with life, why do you need help coping?

Memories of good times with addiction are going to be around forever, there is nothing to do about that.

To be honest, for me, this ritual would accomplish absolutely nothing. Perhaps it'd help get a song out of my head but I would never have gotten sober with it (my addiction was narcotic pain medication). For me, it was about thinking objectively of how it was affecting my life, looking at the harm it was doing to my mind and body, and seeing into the future of how even longer term addiction would only make things worse. This is me though, my personal opinion.

[Lynx]

I'm not addicted to cigarettes. That was an example, using what I know about cigarette addiction. Mine isn't a physical addiction, so it is a little easier to get rid of. I have enough therapy in my backround to have a pretty good sense of how my psychology works and why I do the things I do. Still, just knowing the negative effect it has on my life hasn't been enough to stop doing it. Part of what reinforces the habit is the belief that I'm addicted, so changing that belief might help.

The one thing I'm concerned about, reading through liber null at the moment, is that mixing up the words like I do here isn't too much different from creating a sigil, so it might just reinforce the habitual throughts rather than running against them. But this hasn't been my experience with it. As long as your intention is to lessen the habit, not reinforce it, and you believe that's what the spell would do, it should work the way you want it to, right?

[DawningSun777]

Apologies for the confusion, late night response haha.

I suppose, in theorh, it would Work. You have the belief in the processes and all. I do notice a major problem though: you're questioning whether it works or not. The argument of whether magick is objective/supernatural or subjective/psychological is irrelevant when it comes to this rule of magick; do not question the power, do not question the results. You can't say it should work, you say it WILL work. Because the fact is magick does work, through the power of belief.

It's comprable to a placebo. No actual medicine but the belief helps it work. In a study on IBS I think it was, one group was given a placebo, TOLD it was a placebo, told placebos were known to help, and their symptoms improved! I'll link it if I find it again.

Anyways, perhaps your shaky "faith" is the problem? That's not bad or wrong, just takes practice.

[The Glass Wizard]

i like the idea.

the time spent on writing out and focusing on the problem, and the more time spent rearranging and working it into something else should cause your subconcious to get to work on it

i think doubt has the opposite effect of what you're thinking it does, as you already are doubting that it works causing you to focus more greatly on what you're testing this out with making you more concious of the problem, so in effect your doubt is causing you to keep on track with your original idea, unless thats not the case in which i have to say to you, "bad baker"

if its not working as intended maybe you should take a look at what the original idea is and what exactly is being left out
maybe giving in to a certain thing, could be laziness or just less will
the important part is to really follow through and be commited

i think it was crowley who every time he had a distracting thought would cut his wrist so he would learn to focus more on what hes focusing on
i could be wrong it might have been somebody else i dont remember

if you dont want to have to deal with the mess of cleaning up your wrist and bandaging it and the pain, then just give yourself no other option, the only one left is to just learn to stop having those thoughts

good luck with your spell it looks good
its not the spells fault if it doesn't work its the magicians responsibility to make it work

[elderos]

I think the debate may be the gravity of the "habit" OP is talking about, like what's been discussed. Habits, like biting one's nails, or not brushing your teeth at night, slouching or WHATEVER, are all physiological habits that have nothing to do with deep psychological or emotional distraught, usually. Thanks for sharing btw, I might try to stop biting my nails now

I personally think the spell is pretty awesome, but agree with DawningSun777 when it comes with more "baggage"