I updated my biography with mythical elements that are not true in a ‘flatland’ logic sense. But they are true in the sense that they reveal the way my ‘dream self’ conceives reality. And in our days of gross materialism and spiritual illiteracy we forgot the language of Myth, Magic and Mystery. “Nature is a Language. Can’t you read?”, Coil once asked. And I ask myself, if I can read the language of my psyche and if I can learn to speak with her? I believe yes. I believe that this, in many ways, is part of practising magic. And I believe that such a language is encoded in the Runes. The Runes are far greater and far more mysterious than these 24 ‘letters’ look at first glance (or more or less than 24 depending on the Futhark you use; and there were many variations of each particular Rune). And, of course, our psyche speaks every night to us. Sometimes answers come in dreams. And most, if not all, spiritual philosophies emphasized that life itself is dream-like (that’s why they want us to wake up!). Others again purported that they can dream things into reality. Sometimes my life has been like this. Not really that I were dreaming things and then they happened (though I once dreamt that my grandmother will die a half year before it happened), but that I was longing for things or wanted some things to happen in a really strong way and then they happened. One thing was that I wanted to write about magic and other things that I feel deeply attracted to and – hocuspocus abracadabra – a guy named Henry asks me, if I’d like to write something for Elhaz Ablaze. Things like that, you get the picture. Life can be full of such coincidences. That doesn’t mean that life is about fulfilling every desire or that with magic ‘anything is possible’ like some New Age dreamers believe (or some newcomers to magic – no, not me, I never believed such childish nonsense :-). But what I’m talking about is that daydreams, secret desires, fantasy identities or other aspects of ourSelf can tell a great deal about where we want to go, who we want to be and what NEEDS to be done, if we are to become successful in our lives (a success defined by ourselves, not some normative ideas society holds). This in many ways is what Crowley called ‘the discovery of one’s True Will’. A Will, I believe now, that is more to be understood as a dynamic force and a PROCESS, not a static aim we have to get to. Matt Anon is such a ‘creation’ of my ‘dream self’. He is something my ‘everyday self’ (my persona) is not, but he embodies qualities to which I aspire. Anon is a ‘future self’ that functions as an attractor, a magical self that can do things ‘I’ couldn’t normally do. (At least, this is the ‘trick’ here.) And this is one of the definitions of magic: ‘Magic is a way to make things happen that ordinarily would not happen.’ (Flowers 1997: Lords of the Left Hand Path, p. 3) However, the test for the aspiring magician is mundane reality. A reality that must not be rejected, but one that is our arena and our playground. With work, discipline and one-pointedness it is possible to reach a sense of destiny, a destiny created by the magician – not karma, fate or chance.
“One thing was that I wanted to write about magic and other things that I feel deeply attracted to and – hocuspocus abracadabra – a guy named Heimlich asks me, if I’d like to write something for Elhaz Ablaze.”
When I read articles like this one I feel very proud of myself for inviting you to start writing for this site! You are a great teacher…
And vice versa. I learn from your insights, too. Great to be here and I’m looking forward to spread the word in Germany and Europe, i. e. distributing Hex Magazine in Europe!
Fearless Honesty – Elhaz Ablaze!
Matt,
I really like this short reflection. I think about these themes a great deal. What I often wonder, to respond to your musing on the Will vs. fate, is this…how our wyrd influences what we choose to dream about. Can you really disconnect your Will from the divine tapestry of fate? Or are you doing the Will of the divine without even realizing it, for it directs your heart to dream what it Wills.
And really in the end, I’m finding I don’t care what is guiding me, I am learning to trust it either way. Something I muse on ad infinitum…thanks for the thoughts.
One last thing… I do believe that the quote “Nature is a Language. Can’t you read?” originates with Morrissey not Coil. I know it’s not as mysterious to quote Morrissey :) but the truth will out. You are human after all. :)
cheers!
Love the new bio, dude, and the last interview. Great work.
Thanks for your comment Arrowyn. I have attended a course on Soul-Lore at Arcanorium College at the moment and interstingly enough it was taught there that noone – even the Gods – cannot escape ‘fate’ (encoded in the concepts of Orlög and Wyrd and Germanic conceptions of time). There is a small window though: Verdandi. But all this is embedded in a larger whole – something you are talking about. So when you ask “Can you really disconnect your Will from the divine tapestry of fate?”, my answer is certainly “No, I can’t.” (Even the Gods cannot do it as the Edda tells us in the Ragnarök story.) And Sweyn has written once that it’s not about forcing your Will upon the Wyrd, but to dance elegantly with it. This again reminding me of the Dao. There are many mighty Runes hidden here I certainly do not grasp yet.
As far as the quote is concerned: This idea – that Nature Is A Language – is probably not very original (in the sense that it’s universal), as you or Heimlich or me or most Heathens will have experienced that Truth in some way. In that vein Coil AND Morrisey seem to have experienced it, too. I know it quite well as I’ve been listening to that song of Coil ‘on repeat’ whilst having written the article above. :-)
Warmly,
Matt.
Thanks Clint! And thanks for directing my attention towards Arcanorium College again. I knew of it, but shortly after you wrote about the College in an e-mail Ian has announced a course of great interest to me. Learning online doesn’t replace meeting a Master in person, but it’s still a great MODERN tool to learn. We’ll hear from eachother!
Matt
PS: I must admit I don’t know who is Morrissey and I checked him out on wiki: he isn’t uninteresting – a further example of the English eccentric. And the English are bonkers, an English gentleman once said. :-)
Ah Verdandi…I wonder if she can influence the weaving as she does it? But then I bet even her dreams are influenced by the collective Örlog. Yes, the dance is where it all comes back to. Letting the conscious mind slip away and let the soul direct you.
I have thought about writing an article about this for Hex…but then I have my hands full. But someone should :)
:) and…oh I thought that everyone knew who Morrissey was, but then that dates me, I guess, to being a “new waver” in high school. The Smiths played a large role in my teen psyche in the late 80s.
I just read that JB encountered those words written on a bathroom wall and didn’t realize they were Smiths lyrics…which cracks me up :) cheers, ~A~
Listen to the song “Ask” circa 1986: http://www.google.com/url?url=http://s0.ilike.com/play%23The%2BSmiths:Ask:18924:s1598094.9141883.50662.0.2.137%252Cstd_b38bc9193612411f809eebccd2aceaf7&rct=j&ei=hmL9S5XeLoK8M86thd4H&sa=X&oi=music_play_track&resnum=1&ct=result&cd=2&ved=0CBMQ0wQoADAA&q=ask+lyrics&usg=AFQjCNE_cFsOYL-YwGbZOQHZisA5eqW1pQ
It’s a great song. I like this British sound. Thanks for the link. It seems to me that this band (or that sound) was recently played at a friend’s place when I visited him. More wyrd?
I don’t know, but it seems that the Three Norns were at work when they let Balance read those words. However, you were right that Morrissey is the origin of these poetic words. I found this post by someone somewhere on the wwweb:
“… there is a track entitled “Nature Is A Language”, featuring the lyric:
‘Nature Is A Language, Can’t You Read?’
As both a longtime Moz and Coil fan, I was pleasantly surprised to find this connection. :)”
Cheers!
Love the new bio, dude, and the last interview. Great work.
Indeed there is such a thing as spiritual hunger, which is greater than our desire for food and sex, because it is primordial to being itself. The spiritual is the primordial.