The Apophenion: A Chaos Magick Paradigm Paperback – August 8, 2008

Apophenia is the seeing of connection between event that others fail to see. In this small but intense book Peter J.Carrol one of Chaos Magick's supreme mages gives forth to the reader a philosophy that is much different then that offered by any other other magical system. It is totally non theistic in it's own way, challenges assumptions and throws in a whole bunch of science. Chaos philosophy views magic as a technique and regards religion as important only so far as it helps the practitioner reach their goal.Pan psychism is the author's philosophy. It is a philosophy which tackle first the concept of identity. Things like stones, physical matter and ourselves are not this mass of inert matter. Rather we are doing constantly. In a state of action. The atoms and molecule that comprise the stone or human are in constant motion. So are we. To stop doing means to stop being. There is no state of being on a state of doing. Everything also has a mind and consciousness of sorts. Whether it be tea cups, rocks trees or human beings. The mind or consciousness is tied solely to the body and cannot exist independently of the body. Free will or the illusion of the ability to choose is nothing more than a combination of predetermined factors and randomness. Identity is another factor that needs to be examined. Exactly who are we? Our some total of personality is comprised of influences derived from other personalities that we see in the news, media, parents and friends. All are equally real in our subconscious mind. In effect there is not one self but many selves housed within the physical carcass of our body. To get through life the different selves have to compromise with each other.Chaos magick has a very do it yourself philosophy and that include making a do it your self religion. This making of a new religion is called neo pantheism. Neo-Pantheism has eight component parts of it's philospophy. 1) Nothing is true and everything is permitted. 2) Belief and intent create reality. 3)Alchemy 4)Female perspective 5) Psy or sky faeries 6) synchronicity and meaning . 7) personal mythos and narratives and 8) Cosmic holism and transcendence.The author believes deeply in deeply in Quantum theory. In Quantum theory an object can be in more than one place at the same time. Things are made up of particles and waves and while it is not possible to catch a wave it is possible to catch a particle. Time is three dimensional which means that it does not go just forward and backward but that it can move sideways as well. This ultimately that means that while there is one present there can be a numerous possibilities of the past and numerous various of the future. One can change the future by changing the past but only so long as it does not alter the present. Get your mind around that if you can. The author posits that the universe is four dimensional which is why it is able to hold itself together.The author give the reader his theory on the universe which is based upon physicist theories. The universe is in the shape of a hypersphere which at it's furthest point is antipodal. All points of the universe touch the antipodal point at one time. This movement could be compared to the kneading of dough. The universe is 11 billion years in diameter.The author does believe that there is life on other planets and that there are superior life forms. The thing is would they care one wit about life on Earth? The author tends to think not. We are too insignificant. If we made progress and evolved instead if destroying ourselves the author thinks that maybe they would be interested.The Goddess Apophenia was born May 26,2005. She was birthed along with her twin. To find out about her twin you will just have to read the book. The book comes complete with a ritual devoted to Apophenia and the required tools. Enjoy your journey into the profound yet practical world of Chaos Magic.

Peter Carroll was the first author I read who made magic magical and one of the few whose writings have repaid close repeated reading. Carroll is to be congratulated for writing this book and Mandrake for publishing it. The Apophenion is a gold mine of Carrollisms, and I could cite a score or more, even if few of the insights are original and some have been phrased more elegantly. That said, their power is undiminished and their application to magical working as timely as ever. No one with the slightest interest in magical theory should miss this book.Much of the work is a description of Carrollian physics. I know barely enough physics to keep my tires inflated and not a whit more, so any attempt by me to evaluate "the maths" would be idiocy in its most literal sense. Indeed, I can barely even picture the simplest of Peter's demonstrations and I suspect I have a great deal of company. If you figure yourself among the numerically disabled, be warned. It may well be that Peter Carroll is the Giordano Bruno of our era and that he has demonstrated the elusive physics of magic, and if so, I am exuberantly pleased if ultimately quite unenlightened in spite of it. I'm just saying...The artwork: first rate cover and the Muses (pg 112) are suitable for framing.Two quibbles: either the proof reading of the book or the software used to compose it is deplorable. There are there are annoying repetitions of repetitions of words and the punctuation occasionally appears derived from an alien-as-in-not-of-this-world grammar.

Make sure you have a previous knowledge of quantum physics, have practiced some form of magic, and have been in some state of trance. Drop everything as you read and participate of the magnus invitation of godliness. Enlightening read.

An interesting approach to reality that will require much time - I suspect - to verify and/or integrate into my current collection of probable reality paradigms!

I read Peter Carroll's work years ago. Revisiting him and his ideas was a pure pleasure. The majority of this book may not be was the cover alludes to. If you are looking for the pages to be filled with rituals to reenact then this may not be the book for you. This book is a scientific critique on the dogmas of materialism. If there is one thing classic chaos magic initially taught students, it was to question everything. This book will make you appreciate the fragility of belief systems and how you play a part in this reality drama.

Apophenia is to me a means of sifting through your mental forces for as much of a seperate, objective standpoint as we humans are capable of conjuring at this point in time. I believe Chaos is the only way to truly unite the polarity of Rauch into a single, sublime conduit for the Kia of this existance, and Peter J. Carrol KNOWS HIS CHAOS. Just try not get too touchy on how you FEEL about his points. Swallow your immediate reaction and hold the idea on your tongue for a bit to really see how it tastes. If you still disagree after at least attempting to put as much thought into understanding it as Pete did in concieving it, then you disagree. Fun stuff.

The 4-d analogy was worth the price of the book plus more. One of the best books I have ever read about Chaos, The Universe and Everything. I have been a student of Pete/IOT for a good 25 years now and so do have a good working & practical knowledge of what this book is about.Showing it to the new-agers is always very entertaining, to say the least.Now to find the time to participate in the Arcanorium College and some of the courses there. I'll get there soon.Thanks, Pete!!!

Since I read this book last month I have recommended it to a number of friends as it has to go down as the most useful, contextualised and informative book about applied magic across which I have ever had the good fortune to stumble. I have no formal background in the study of particle physics, and consequently my understanding of such things has been entirely dependent upon that which has been made available to me by such authors as have in the service of illustrating something profound and cosmic, made accessible to me that which might otherwise have appeared to be permanently out of my reach. I literally had no idea that so much was specifically understood about the interplay of forces on a microcosmic and macrocosmic scale which constitute the underlying structure of the universe, our experience of space-time, and the scientific viability of magic. Interdisciplinary works such as this are of particular interest to me as no matter how open minded we become, and regardless of what the more enlightened part of us may know to be the case beyond the need for proof, coming from a Western European background there will perhaps always be a part of me that is reassured to see the subtler processes of nature described in such a way as would present even the most pragmatic scientist with no alternative but to update their understanding of the subject in hand.

As ever Wordery does it! Super fast post an good service. I received a really good copy of the book an I am enjoying immensely. Thank you again Wordery.

What a book, read it yourself and make your judgementHe who desire knowledge finds itLove every bit of this book

Bought as a present, and constantly told how awesome it is.

excellent