(*Astral TV*) I had been granted an interview with one of the most controversial (and convoluted) thinkers in the world of witchcraft, the eccentric magician-philosopher that goes by the name of Fog. Afraid he might attack and destroy what I have been accustomed to call reality, I had armed myself with enough garlic to kill an army of vampires, and in my bag I had concealed a big inflatable crucifix. Just in case.
I met the notorious magician in his cottage on the outskirts of the deserted village where people used to live in blissful ignorance until Fog turned up. Wanting to write something beyond the usual drivel in New Age magazines, while keeping my own sanity, this is what I asked him:
Astral TV: a) Have you ever worked with evocation, (summoning spirits to physical/Astral appearance to do your bidding)? b) Do you see it as an advanced technique only? c) Or do you see it as a bad, bad, bad thing that just silly people would indulge in?
“The reason why you will not get a straight answer from me is that questions in general tend to evoke the worldview, or reality, or a given set of answers belonging to the one asking them. We who are incarnate have obvious problems with language, because ‘the way of putting things’ defines us as individuals and defines the tradition to which we feel we belong".
Astral TV: This actually sounds rather agreeable. Maybe you can just answer the question now, without further ado?
"I like this particular set of questions even less. It implies too much old hat dualism. I know the ceremonial context from which it derives, and I don’t feel at home with it any more. It isn’t my language".
Astral TV: But, how would you put it then?
"It is said that the shaman swims in the same water that the psychotic drowns in, and to prevent drowning people starts out using the techniques (and words) that are known and safe. But as time goes on idiosyncrasy takes over, and evolves a new language from the contact with spirit".
Astral TV: So a readymade liturgy isn’t idiosyncratic enough?
"This idiosyncrasy is in fact the true tradition of witchcraft. (The more personal we try to be, the more transpersonal it gets). But it isn’t necessary congruent with the language of the past, or any known group or trad, and since it is private in nature it tend to stay private. The secrets of the Craft are the private relationship between the spiritworld and the practitioner. (Or group of practitioners)".
Astral TV: But having said all this, how would you respond to my question?
"What I do nowadays I would rather call a steady communion with spirit using spontaneous magic. Being aware that life is one big ongoing ceremony, where we are all engaged in learning to walk, and in which some of us are learning to walk with a conscious relationship with the underlying reality of spirit".
"Everything else is just evocative language. Inner/Outer, gods/archetypes, angels/demons, good/bad. Who cares? As long as it works and evokes your chosen reality? One persons angel may be another persons demon. Reality is elsewhere".
