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                             THE PACT (IOT) - The Story So Far 

                                      by Pete Carroll



          In 1976 in an abandoned ammunition dump dug deep into a mountain

          somewhere in the Rhineland, two magicians, one English, one German

          announced the formation of a magical order with the celebration of a

          Mass of Chaos in the company of a couple of dozen other magicians.

          Soon after we emerged from the bowels of the mountain a localized

          tornado hit immediate area. This was but a small portent of things

          to come.



          We left the mountain with no particular idea other than to form an

          Order such as had never existed before, that would break the

          existing mold and provide a vehicle for Chaos Magic. A year later

          some of us met in a splendid Austrian castle and formally arranged

          ourselves into the Magical Pact of the Illuminates of Thanateros,

          using as a basis a simple structure of four grades and five offices

          that I had devised in the meantime. Since then the Pact has evoked a

          veritable whirlwind of activity, and at the time of writing counts

          some sixteen temples in the UK, Germany, Austria, Switzerland,

          Australia and the USA. A meeting for all members is now held

          annually, usually at the same original castle (Burg Lockenhaus,

          Austria, 2.-6.August 1991 followed by an Exercitium open for all).

          It is always a wild experimental gathering during which plenty of

          hard work is being done. In devising a structure I sought mainly to

          avoid the mistakes of previous established orders such as the Golden

          Dawn and the Ordo Templi Orientis. A certain division of labour is

          essential just to ensure that people take responsibility for

          organizing that which needs organizing. Beyond that it seems an

          absurdity to form an order on the basis of one or a few persons


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          adopting the role of great guru almighty. Their bluff must

          eventually be called, and such organisations are unlikely to advance

          beyond whatever set of ideas they start with. Crowley had to break

          with the Golden Dawn to make his own contribution to magic, and

          Austin Spare had to break with Crowley in his turn. Such progress

          through schism is an idiotic waste of time and effort. Any

          contemporary order which wishes to remain alive, exciting and

          innovative requires a structure or at least a communication network

          to exist at all, but dogmatic ideas, rigid hierarchies and fixed

          teachings and beliefs will kill its creative spirit rapidly.

          Thus in the Pact, the individual temples, which are its basic unit,

          experiment with whatever techniques, rituals and ideas they please,

          and exchange results and inspirations through newsletters,

          magazines, a computerized electronic mailbox system, inter-temple

          visits and the annual Pact meeting. There is thus a natural

          selection of ideas. Techniques, Spells and Rituals which are found

          to be really useful become used and expanded upon whilst the less

          effective material is forgotten. Those members who enter the Pact

          bubbling over with ideas are encouraged to put them into use

          immediately. Naturally in an organisation such as this there is less

          emphasis on discipline than on enthusiasm and creativity. The Pact is

          more interested in those who can experience magic as a living thing,

          than in those who can merely follow instructions. Indeed the only

          power the Pact reserves over its members is the right of expulsion

          for extreme non-fraternal behaviour or for bringing the Pact into

          danger. The Pact has but two aims. Firstly the pursuit of the Great

          Work of Magic and pleasures and profits attendant to this Quest.

          Secondly to act as a Psychohistoric Force in the Battle for the

          Aeon. To fulfill the first aim we provide communication facilities

          that enable us to work together and develop our own magics through


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          the exchange of ideas and information. Esoterics should also be fun.

          If you don`t enjoy doing magic you are probably doing something

          wrong. The profits are entirely whatever rewards individuals can

          make from their own magic. There are no membership fees and the

          annual Pact meeting is free and funded by seminars and exercitiums

          that some members hold for the general public plus any members who

          wish to attend. The somewhat grandiosely phrased Psychohistoric

          action in the Battle for the Aeon, consists mainly in spreading the

          philosophy of magical paradigm where we can, in print and by word of

          mouth, although we occasionally perform acts of magic to hasten

          things along.



          The magical techniques and philosophy of the Pact are mainly Chaoist

          in inspiration. Chaos Magic calls for a concentration of the actual

          mechanics at work when planning acts of evocation, divination,

          enchantment, invocation and illumination. It is techniques and

          intention that are important in successful magic. The most Important

          Techniques are those which adjust subconscious belief. Subconscious

          belief controls both the self or selves and the world. So long as

          this is never forgotten one can structure a ritual or spell with

          just about any form of symbolism from Tibetan Tantra to Icelandic

          Runelore. And indeed, where else but in the Pact could you find

          magicians experimenting with Runic Sex Magic? Well perhaps you will

          find other examples. I notice the eclectic approach becoming ever

          more pervasive in esoterics. Insights and ideas are now poached

          shamelessly from one so-called tradition to another, but this is how

          it should be, and Chaos Magic boldly encourages the meta-tradition

          which takes anything and everything that is effective from all

          traditions to create an explosive mixture.




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          So, on with the pursuit of the Great Work of Magic, with whatever

          forms of Techno-Shamanism, Tantric Goetia or Greco-Egyptian Quantum

          Physics we can make work for us. There are worlds within us, and the

          universe is infinitely more weird, I`m sure, than all our theories

          put together. Hopefully, some of the explosives the Pact cooks up

          can propel us a little further into these strange domains. I have no

          idea how this years Pact meeting will unfold, except that there will

          be magicians from many lands seated in a huge circle ready to offer

          their specialities in everything from Buddhist sorcery through Norse

          wyrdcraft and Chaos mathematical investment schemes to Voodoo and

          Ice Magics. We have the technology and we`re crazy enough to use it!



          The Pact may be contacted in the US care of:

          Temple Oblivion, P.O.Box 18514, Encino CA 91416-8514


































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                                                                            1402


                                 Blackout and Sigils 
                                   Fra.: Apfelmann

          The blackout or as it is commonly referred to, the death posture, is
     the technique that the late Austin Osman Spare refined for  his own magical
     use  and which has been adopted by chaoists,  solo and group, world wide as
     its  popularity has been increased  by the works  of the IOT  over the last
     decade or so.  

          The  normal procedure, as many will undoubtedly be familiar with, (and
     this is only one  of its uses) is that  a sigil/glyph of desire is  held in
     the mind`s  eye whilst in what we  all refer to as  the death posture e.g.,
     stood on  tiptoe, arms locked behind the head, body stretched to its limit,
     deep spasmodic breathing, until total exhaustion  and inevitably one blacks
     out, the sigil is  then lost to the mind  of the inner and the  banished of
     laughter is evoked to prevent the resurfacing of the said sigil.

          Anyone who has used this technique for the above said purpose, will
     have  at sometime or another experienced, even if just slightly, difficulty
     in holding  the posture long enough  for the desired gnosis  to take effect
     sufficiently  for  blackout. And  due to  this  difficulty, a  well planned
     ritual  can be a  well planned waste of  time as the  desired result is not
     implanted properly.  

          A  technique that  has  been repeatedly  employed  by myself  on  such
     occasions is based upon  the same principles as the death  posture but as I
     have found,  a little easier and  without pitfalls that one  can experience
     with A.O. Spare`s technique.  

          This  technique is  a  strange mixture  of  inhibitory and  excitatory
     gnosis, forced  overbreathing, dancing or  spinning, and of  course exhaus-
     tion.  The end result is of necessity  for this process the blackout, which
     is  as we  know, of  the inhibitory  gnosis. I  will  now explain  how this
     technique  is employed  by  one for  the insertion  of sigils  for whatever
     purpose one feels the need.

          First one has to sigilise the desire in any form that one may wish,
     but in all cases and especially this  one, it must be very easy to  visual-
     ise. Once that has  been achieved, one may then begin  to design the ritual
     for  that particular  purpose in  mind. Banishings  and invocations  may be
     employed,  if so  wished, this is,  however, not  a necessity  for the suc-
     cessful  outcome  of this  process.  At  the culmination  of  the rite  the
     individual starts  the overbreathing, panting deeply  and spasmodically and
     at  the same  time visualising the  sigil as  vividly as  you possible can,
     bright,  intense and very clear  as the overbreathing  continues. Then when
     you feel that the time is right, start your spinning round and round, still
     overbreathing and still holding  your visualised sigil in your  mind`s eye.
     Music  can be played for a background to the dancing, tom toms or any other
     drum  is rather  excellent  background sound  for  this purpose.  When  the
     individual  has reached a state  of sheer exhaustion,  very dizzy, sweating
     and ready  to drop, he or she then, still spinning and overbreathing and of
     course holding the visulised sigil  in mind, works their way to  the centre
     of the circle or working area.


                                                                            1403


          There  a partner,  either  active or  passive to  the rite,  (in other
     words,  if a solo worker,  try to get  someone to help you  with this part)
     stops you spinning and grabs you in  a bear hug lifting you off the  ground
     and squeezing you about the  solar plexus, where a large network  of nerves
     lie.  At  this precise  moment  the music,  if  any has  been  employed, is
     stopped, and death-like silence is kept. The practitioner  holds his or her
     breath whilst being squeezed and the sigil is visualised as if burning with
     bright, white heat as its image is burnt into your mind. Within seconds the
     blackout will occur and the sigil is lost to the mind. At this point it is
     important that your partner lets  you drop to the floor, unless that is you
     wish to return to primal chaos!

     On  coming round, in  most cases, you  should evoke laughter  to banish the
     sigil and all thoughts thereof,  your laughter breaks that silence  and the
     rite is finished in whatever manner wished.

     With fractalic greetings and laughter  * Fra.: Apfelmann *


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Next: Chaoism and Chaos Magick (Pete Carroll)