Making A Path Out Of Fiction

[Venefica]

Fiction have been a part of human life since we first developed some sort of language, and who knows if not animals to spin stories for them self or even manage to tell them to other animals. We know they can communicate other things, like run there is a predator near by. Interesting concept but animal communication was not the topic of this article. Where was I, yes fiction. Some of it is meant as just entertainment, but much of it are meant to teach or or make a point. Some scholars say that the entire Bible is made as a fable to teach the Christian values. I do not know if I believe that, however it do illustrate that the concept is well rooted in pepole, the concept that fiction can be used to illustrate or as a carrier for real teachings. One of the first books on Wicca, High Magic's Aid was a work of fiction with real philosophy and knowledge about witchcraft backed in. Many of our time's most celebrated occultists have written works of fiction which is meant to teach. Dion Fortune for example with her Sea Priestess and several other works.

Perhaps the best known and best loved fiction which carry hidden teaching is the books by James Redfield the Celestine Prophecy series. The books are exiting novellas about murdering cults and great secrets. But inside it all are very real and very useful wisdom. I think that there are very few New Agers who have not read at least the first Celestine Prophecy book and white a few other occultists as well. I can safely say that the book gave me allot in my occult practice, even if it is in it's basic a fiction novel.

Now I could go on and on about authors who have hidden their teachings in the form of fiction, or who have just written fiction but their entire being having been so filled by their teachings that even such works have ended up guidebooks to their occult path. But what this article is really about is those who take pieces of fiction who was never intended as other than amusing entertainment and made it into a useful Spiritual or philosophical path.

I got a mail from the Jedism religion to day. I am in a group they host on facebook, that is how I got the idea to write this. Now Jedism is just that, pepole who have taken a piece of fiction and made a real Spiritual path out of it. Now some of you might think that the followers of this religion only follow it for shit and giggles, and I am sure that is the case for some. But for others they have found something that moves them in the Star Wars fiction and are true believers, if you want to use that term. I have also heard of a less known, but no less dedicated trekkie group who host regular prayer meetings to try to make the world as similar to Star trek as they can. They see Star Trek as a religion, the series society as a Divine goal and they pray, donate money to charity and work as volunteers in attempts to reach that goal. I could go on and on with this to as there are many such group who have found what they are looking for in fiction. But let me move on with this little text.

In Chaos magick it is very common to use fiction sources for real life rituals. Praying to D&D Gods, summoning Cthulhu Mythos monsters or making whole Paradigms based of some fiction source or another. In Chaos magick it is believed that nothing is completely real or true, so nothing is completely untrue either. Therefore in some ways fiction is as real as reality. Others say that what are a real magick system? Well it is the ideas, knowledge and philosophy of it's creator combined, but well the same is fiction. Off course many other occultists shake their head at the Chaotes when they summon the Spirit of Mickey Mouse. But why not? Think of it like this. What is Gods? Many think Gods are thought forms which is then given power by pepole believing in them and thinking of them. Well what are fiction characters, they to are thought forms and just imagine how many think about them if they are in a popular movie or book or TV series or whatever. Many Chaotes think fiction characters are Gods given life by the power of their fans minds. Other occultists say that all that is created with the mind get a existence in the Astral, and all that is in the Astral sooner or later must get a physical reality, in this universe, or in another. This is a popular theory on how magick works, that when I say imagines money for myself in a spell, then I create the riches in the Astral plane and then eventually it finds a way to become physical reality. Well fiction is just that, creation on the Astral plane. Some say all fiction is real in the Astral or in some other dimension and as such is forces a skilled occultist can draw on. Another theory I like to mention here is the concept that an author or story teller never creates, that everything exists in some dimension or another, and that all a author or movie maker or comic book drawer do is channel what is already out there.

No matter the theory, and there are quite a few other ones out there to, it is no denying that fiction have a huge impact on the real world, and that when dealing with the Spiritual the line between fiction and reality get a bit thinner. There was an experiment on poltergeist activity done once where the scientists made their own ghost. They made up a story and a personality and soon poltergeist activity would start to happen, with their imagined ghost. In a way magick is creating fiction and then making that fiction real. So the relationship between fiction and reality is at the core of magick.

Personally I have worked with the magick systems of Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series and Terry Goodkind's Sword of Truth. Now that is not the most impressive as they are both basic Energy model systems. But they have worked surprisingly well. One thing you should keep in mind however when working with fiction magick systems is that you get the whole package, both the good and the bad. When I first started working with the Wheel of Time system I got symptoms as is described for untrained female channelers. I would feel like shit one moment and then be well the next. And that night when I first started using this system, I was so nauseous and sick I did not know what to do. Just be aware of that when working with things like the Cthulhu Mythos, when you make something real, you make all of it real, and it might be dangers. Do not be more frivolous with fiction based magick than with the magick you find in a standard occult book. Also when working with fiction based magick you need to keep your feet on the ground. It is still this reality you are living in. If you want to work with the concepts found in Charmed, do so, but do not get paranoid that there might be warlocks after you, do not assume you will be able to toss fireballs anytime soon. Direct magick like that is just as hard with a fiction system as with a real one. Make sure not to loose sight of reality while you explore the realms of fiction and you will be fine.

A article about making a path out of fiction would not be complete without mentioning the Goreans. They are not an occult group, but they have taken their philosophy from fiction. Namely the Gor Saga books by John Norman. Often they are called BDSM junkies or ridiculed for getting their beliefs from fiction. But I say what is wrong with it. Living Goreans, that is what Gorean lifestylers call themselves, do not believe they live on the planet Gor, they do not think that there will swoop down trailer sized eagles and eat them. What they do believe is that John Norman have managed to make a perfect blend of different old philosophies, Viking, ancient Rome and several others and given them a fiction frame which make these ideal accessible. In a way, while the author only intended to entertain he have made philosophy which is kind of like a best of bag of his own ideas and old philosophies and set in a system which make it easy and elegant to create rules and values to live by from it. Like I have said before, much wisdom can be found in fiction.

Fiction is dreams put on paper, screen or other media for others to enjoy. But dreams are magick and as such can be used for real works here in this reality. Whatever fiction made real is a way to psychologically tap into archetypes, or it is channeled from other dimensions or given reality by our thinking of it, or exist in the astral world or is inspired writings from authors who are in touch with the occult and do not even know it themselves or a thousand other explanations, fiction remain a useful tool to teach, to dream and to do magick with. Keep your feet grounded, but your mind in your dreams and that is the way to reach far with magick. Do not care that much where the lines between fact and fiction go. What is important is that you find the occult tools which work for you, whatever an occultist or a comic book creator thought of them first.