Urban Animism

What is animism? No it's not the worship of superpowered, , 2-dimenional, vaguely oriental huge-eyed people. Animism is the belief that every non-human thing is a supernatural being or at least possesses a spirit or soul. It is a belief that is prevalent in most indigenous and folk religions including Shinto, and some forms of Hinduism, Buddhism, Pantheism, Christianity and Neopaganism.

I've always had animistic tendencies. In fact, most humans have animistic tendencies. I'm pretty sure that there's at least one instance like when you treat your toys like best buddies back when you were a child or when you name your own car in a later stage of life. Me? I have a laptop named Johnny 5 and I feed him by rubbing rhum on the cover. I think he likes the rhum.

I think humans have animistic tendencies due to genetic memory. It could be a throwback to prehistoric tribal culture. Back then, everyone believe that anything that is awe-inspiring (such as a magnificent mountain or a tremendous tree) surely must have a fraction of a great supernatural force residing in them. However, especially these days, any object (be it a child's favorite toy, an endearing automobile or a respectable laptop) tend to be alive to us. Perhaps intuitively or instinctively, we recognize these powers.

Then again, I'm probably just a sentimental weirdo with unusual attachment to things. Then again, absurdity is one of my source of power. This animistic paradigm I've adopted may be quite useful. I don't know why but it just felt right with me. Deep down inside, I honestly believe that everything has a spirit.

Weh-Oh-Weh! Lico's Shamanic Approach to His Chaos Magic

My earliest exposure to shamanism was through pop-culture. Back when I was a young warthog, I enjoyed watching the cartoon series Bravestarr where the hero summons the powers of animals in an intergalactic wild west.

In these more recent times, I'm using the shamanic approach to my chaos magic practice. I've had success with divining stones as prescribed by Nick Hall in Chaos and Sorcery. It's the closest I could get to the divining stone traditions of African tribal magic. More than ever, I've been invoking the spiritual essence of animals especially that of the crocodile when I need to get shit done. I'm beginning to believe that I, somewhat, had something to do with the summoning of the recently captured giant crocodile Lolong.

Even more recently was the use of shamanic rattles for invocation and banishing. I got a few ideas from Michael Harner's Way of The Shaman. Basically, I sing improvised songs while dancing and shaking two maracas. It makes a good exercise too. Instead of Taebo, why not Shamanic Cardio? Heck, I could do it to Shakira's Waka Waka

Another throwback to atavistic magick I do is the use of a wooden toy snake for healing. According to Nick Hall's Chaos and Sorcery, live snakes were used as wands for healing the afflicted. Although I'm sure it's a psychosomatic effect but I definitely feel better when I use the wooden snake. I just hope Samuel L. Jackson doesn't find out. He's not so fond of snakes.

So yeah... shamanism. I think it's cool. As for hallucinogenics, I don't think I'd be ingesting peyote. Besides, I'm like I'm high all the time. Herbalism? The only herbs I'd more likely to collect are the ones in KFC's original. Below is a reenactment of an actual shamanic experience caused by the ritualistic consumption of fried chicken.

The Onion - Do Glass Pipes, Incense Prove Teens Are Practicing Shamanism?

OH HOW I WISH THAT THIS IS TRUE but it's not. The Onion is a satirical news site dedicated to funny journalism. Man, Coyote is up to his tricky tricks again. Pass the peace pipe please.

Brujo Fantastico

Back in the last night of the UP Fair 2011, I came across some people selling old books along the sidewalk in the campus. To my delight, I've found a copy of Carlos Castaneda's The Teachings of Don Juan: A Yaqui Way of Knowledge (1974 edition) among the books and it only costs 100 pesos. It's an account of the anthropologist Carlos Castaneda time as an apprentice under the Yaqui Indian brujo (sorcerer) Don Juan way back in the early 1960's. After a harrowing experience, Castaneda ceased his training, wrote a book about it and went back to continue his apprenticeship under Don Juan. It is a tale of sorcery, shamanic journeys and peyote.

I said "peyote". You know, the hallucinogenic plant.

Yeah sure it was heavily debated whether Carlos made the whole thing up or not but that book started the shamanism craze back in the 60's. In fact, anything mystical was a huge thing back in the 60's. Heck, Marvel Comics' Doctor Strange was created in the 60's.

"By the Hoary Hosts of Hallucinogens!"

Whether or not the experiences of Carlos Castaneda were fabricated, it matters not to me. Nothing is true, everything is permitted. If it works for me, yippee-kay yay. However, I don't need the use of hallucinogenic plants thanks to the use of certain trance-inducing techniques. Another thing that intrigued me was the use of lizards for information-gathering. The parts about sewing up their eyes and mouths sounds very iffy though.

"P-pardon me?"

I could just create a lizard-based servitor just for that purpose. Another thing that interests me is Carlos' transformation into a crow. In astral form of course.

For the last time I'm not Heath Ledger.

The Teachings of Don Juan may be very controversial and hardly useful in magical instructions but it inspires me. The Little Prince in Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's book of the same name said "What is essential is invisible to the naked eye." The Teachings of Don Juan may be hardly of use to many but I see the essential in it.