Prime Chaos: Adventures in Chaos Magic

by Phil Hine

Prime Chaos explores some of the lighter and darker aspects of modern occultism. The author considers the advantages and disadvantages of working in groups and presents new ideas for developing... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1561841374
• ISBN13: 9781561841370
• Release Date: May 2004
• Publisher: New Falcon Publications
• Length: 240 Pages
• Weight: 1.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.6" x 8.4"

Customer Reviews

Excellent book on Chaos magick

I was surprised to see this book got mixed reviews. I wonder if those people understood the concepts presented in this book. For me personally, Phil Hine put into words everything I could not articulate about the psychological aspects of magick and really got me moving down the chaos mage path. It's certainly not a beginner's guide or magick-101 book. This delves into the very essence of what magick is, and the mindset needed to be an effective mage. This book won't teach you spells, but it will give you an essential framework for creating your own rituals. This is one of the most important books I've ever read on magick, and will help develop the greatest magickal tool in one's arsenal. The mind.

Group Chaos

Prime Chaos is the first book I ever read about chaos magic. It serves as a great way to introduce a reader to the ideas and concepts of chaos magic. Despite its relatively small size it contains and highlights all the ideas a chaos mage can play with.This book is geared towards group work and a large section is dedicated to it. As a lone wolf mage you might not find it satisfying and I would suggest "Condensed Chaos" by the same author, Phil Hine. However if you are interested in learning and experiencing magic as a group Prime Chaos will definately be a very valuable assistant with its approach and ideas.

3 good books in one

I found this a superb introduction to practical magic - the sort of book to lend to interested, doubting or downright skeptical friends. Phil so obviously writes from experience that he wins immediate respect. He maintains that respect by writing intelligently, without posturing and with a light touch of humour.The book is divided in 4 parts. The first is an outline of chaos magic that could easily stand on its own under the title `Prime Chaos' rather than the given title `Chaos is Everywhere'. This provides a clear summary of principles with practical advice and instructions. Definitely one to lend to intelligent friends who want a grasp of the principles, but it is also a highly practical book for an experienced magician because it encourages open-ended experimentation rather presenting step by step instructions like a dedicated `beginner's guide'.Part 2 is about ritual. Again this could well stand on its own as the core of a general book on magical ritual. The theortical background, the discussion of elements and equipment, and the examples given would all be useful for the sort of pagan or occultist who would run a mile from the title `chaos magic'. In part 3 the scope is even wider as it addresses group dynamics. Although there is an attempt to focus on the specific problems of a magical group, I felt that the general advice was so sound and so obviously based on experience that once again it could easily be the basis for a third booklet with advice on running any sort of group.Part 4 is really an appendix, looking more closely at two contrasting examples of chaos work - Liber Nice is about the hilarious Erisian current and Liber Nasty addresses the Cthulhu mythos. Between them they illustrate the breadth of possibilities in chaos working and the scope for causing offence via both iconoclasm and `evil'.This book does a good job of directing chaos into mainstream culture, not just because it is so clearly sane and perceptive. Phil says that for him magic is about "learning to experience your world in different ways"; he describes the point where "one ceases to believe in magic as something `separate' to (sic) the rest of one's familiar world. rather the world is becoming magical." To me this is the real place of magic in the 21st century: we live in a shrinking world of limited resources, and the future lies with those who can re-experience and sanctify what is around them rather than rely on new conquests and further exploitation of resources to satisfy the need for growth and novelty. In a similar vein Phil questions the desirability of mastering the skills of dream control, when the great joy of dreams lies in their very unpredictability and wierdness.In a very important section `The power of discrimination' he challenges those who believe that chaos magic demands a complete lack of judgement or values. "It is the process of moving beyond merely accepting other peoples' models and theories, by doing your own research/magical work." It is t

Pragmatic Chaos? Absolutely!

Prime Chaos by Phil Hine is one of the most intelligent, pragmatic, and straightforward books on magick that I have read, possibly ever. First, Hine approaches thoughts on magick as one of a very personal perspective, and the importance of the focusing of Will and inspiration, rather than following the dogma of any particular school of magick. He also gives some very useful examples of methods of discovering personal inspiration for correspondences, rituals, etc, rather than saying "Pagans should do this" or "Cabalists should do that" or whatever other by rote teaching most books follow. Make no mistake, this is a very modern approach to magick, unlike many books which profess to be modern, but merely rehash celtic rites, the Golden Dawn, or so forth. The references span ancient mythologies to the more modern icons of comics or rock'n'roll - which is exactly what makes this book appealing to me. Additionally, Chaos magick is one of the only magickal paths that truly trancends gender roles, ignoring completely the old traps of "male" or "female" energy and treating it simply as energy, period. Hine also includes practical advice for things like starting groups, conducting rituals, and steps for building sigils, which chaos magick has popularized. Finally, Hine stresses the importance of not losing touch with the rest of life whilst pursuing magickal knowledge, a consideration I found both charming and realistic. I wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone interested in magick, especially those looking for alternatives to what is commonly presented as modern magick.

Convicting

Prime Chaos challenges me. This book is on a par with _Visual Magick_ by Jan Fries and _Chaos Ritual_ by Steve Wilson. It is full of ideas, which it communicates eloquently and explores thoroughly.