Magic 003: The Circle, the Star, and the Moon

[jorn@MCS.COM (Jorn Barger)]

[this one is pretty technical, a sop for the scientismicists.  there's a 
bibliography at the end for the last two parts, too.]

So, what sort of energy is 'psychic' energy?

Conventional science recognizes energy as kinetic or potential, mechanical, 
gravitational, chemical, electromagnetic, nuclear, etc.  Biologists have 
strong evidence that *all* biological energies are equally reducible to the 
chemical energy stored in ATP, a sort of 'blasting cap' molecule that 
provides power to muscles and enzymes alike.  Certainly, the phenomena we 
call psychic energy must have a generous supply of ATP-fuel underlying 
them, at some level.

Energy in the conventional sense is thought to be *conserved*, neither 
created nor destroyed, but only transformed from one form to another.  This 
model fits quite well with the idea of 'energy theft'-- in order for person 
A to gain energy from person B, B must lose as much as (or more than) A 
gains.  (This idea is often referred to as 'zero-sum' economics because the 
two sides of the equation sum to... zero!)

But this *doesn't* fit very well with the idea that energy has a moral 
dimension: if doing good helps you have more energy, where has that energy 
come from?  And why don't the people who *consume the most calories* have 
the best energy?

Clearly, saying someone has lots of energy is *totally* unrelated to saying 
they have lots of stored calories. { :^)  A closer fit might be found in 
the concept of endorphins, or adrenaline: someone whose body is producing 
these *signal molecules* will show behavior much closer to the high-
psychic-energy pattern we're looking at.

But if high-energy is just a state of having the right signal-molecules 
turned on, then any notion of *energy conservation* goes out the window... 
doesn't it?  At best, these signal-molecules might sometimes *mimic* the 
zero-sum laws, especially where the high-energy feeling is tied to any sort 
of neurotic I'm-better-than-you logic, so that you feel better about 
yourself only when you succeed in making those around you feel worse about 
themselves...

Another model that might prove useful is quite the opposite of zero-sum: 
the idea of *resonance*.  A tuning fork, set vibrating, will set up 
sympathetic vibrations in nearby forks of the same frequency, without 
ceasing to vibrate itself.  Similarly, at least subjectively, a high-energy 
person makes those around her *feel better* just by her presence, and ditto 
in reverse for low energy...  (Do people still talk about the phenomenon of 
"contact high" with drugs, LSD and marijuana especially?  Once I answered 
the door for a friend in the middle of the night, and *instantly* had to 
ask, are you tripping? (she was) because my endocrine system shifted 
instantly into parallel panic...)

But this could easily be 'simulated resonance' in the same way that the 
I'm-better-than-you neurosis is probably 'simulated' zero-sum.  Even the 
LSD contact-high was very likely, I'd guess, a question of her *scent*, 
like the supposedly-contagious scent of panic...

The human organism is highly attuned to cues that signal the energy level 
of others!  Think how you can see a tiny speck of a person, blocks away 
even, and intuit by their gait and posture whether they're in a good mood 
or bad...  *Fashion-sense* also involves crafting outfits with 'eye-appeal' 
that suggest high energy.

I think a major part of learning to *paint or draw* is learning to control 
this 'subliminal' level of the imagery, so that each tiny portion of your 
image conveys the right *mood*.  The surest sign of an amateur artist is 
when the image as a whole is of a cheerful subject, yet every twist of 
every line conveys instead a horrible depressing blocky awkwardness...

This ascii image of Kate treads a very fine line in the regard, especially 
given the (unknown) range of possible fonts it may be viewed under! (Note: 
if your monitor uses light characters on a dark background, but allows 
*highlighting* in inverse video, you can view this highlighted to get the 
right pattern of greys.)  Portrayals of the human face are especially 
sensitive to bad subliminal effects:

(((&(&(&(&(&(((&%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%((((((((((((((((((((((((((%
((&(((&((&(&((%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%&((((((((((((((((((((((((%
(&(&((&(&&((%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%&(((((((((((((((((((((%
((&(&(%&%&%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%&&((((((((((((((((((%
&(((&&&%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%((((((((((((((((((%
(&(&(%%%&&%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%5::""=%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%&(((((((((((((((((%
((&(&&%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%:::::::m88CCC8%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%&((((((((((((((%
(&(&%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%#88%%88b_::::::mm%9998C8%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%(((((((((((((%
((%&%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%#L""#58%%%)::..8<"_%%9>"C%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%&((((((((((%
(%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%3::))::)%%:::  :Yh":::::C%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%m((((((((
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%33:)::::(%%:::.   :"?::::C%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%(%((K(((((((
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%3)::::::d%%|::.    ..::::C%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%(%((%((((((%
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%3J)::::/J%%|::..   ..:::(C%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%((%%&(((((%
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%3J)::::6%C8:=)..   .:::::%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%&((((%
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%33J):;;cO8::::.... :::::_%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%&((((%
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%833O8mm%%m888mme_=;:::_%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%&%(((%
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%88OOOO:%%%88P":::::::w%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%(%%%%%%(%((%
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%88OOJJ):::::::::::_%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%(%%%%%%(&((%
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%&&88888):::::__wm%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%(%%%%%%%((%
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%&&88888 %%%%%&&%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%(%%%%%%&((%
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%&8%888883 888888%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%&%
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%&%&8&8888833 88888&%%&%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%&%%


I introduce this example primarily as an apology-in-advance for the odd 
quality of these ascii symbols for neutral energy, good energy, and bad 
energy:

                             ,!.                4hy_  
         _+m"m+_             j't                 T 'h 
        Jp     qh        K=-=:: -=->             2  3i
        O       O         "=i.: [-'             ,Y  3I
        Yb     dY          /;:":.\         ZksnY'  ,Y/
         "Y5m2Y"          ;}'   '(,         'YbnndYY  


(I apologise too for the apparent insult to the Moon, associating it with 
bad energy.  Realise that it's not the heavenly body that's impugned here, 
but rather its *shadowed*, sinister, hungry, incomplete crescent form.)

These energy-icons can be used to tell 'energy stories' in comic-strip 
form:



     =============================================================
     |                           |                               |
     |                 ,!.       |       ,!.           ,!.       |
     |   _+m"m+_       j't       |       j't           j't       |
     |  Jp     qh  K=-=:: -=->   |   K=-=:: -=->   K=-=:: -=->   |
     |  O       O   "=i.: [-'    |    "=i.: [-'     "=i.: [-'    |
     |  Yb     dY    /;:":.\     |     /;:":.\       /;:":.\     |
     |   "Y5m2Y"    ;}'   '(,    |    ;}'   '(,     ;}'   '(,    |
     |                           |                               |
     =============================================================

    a neutral-energy person          contact high!
        and a high-energy person





     =============================================================
     |                           |                               |
     |                  4hy_     |       4hy_          4hy_      |
     |   _+m"m+_         T 'h    |        T 'h          T 'h     |
     |  Jp     qh        2  3i   |        2  3i         2  3i    |
     |  O       O       ,Y  3I   |       ,Y  3I        ,Y  3I    |
     |  Yb     dY  ZksnY'  ,Y/   |  ZksnY'  ,Y/   ZksnY'  ,Y/    |
     |   "Y5m2Y"    'YbnndYY     |   'YbnndYY      'YbnndYY      |
     |                           |                               |
     =============================================================

                                     bring-down
                                   ('contact low')






     ============================================================
     |                           |                              |
     |      ,!.                  |                    ,!.       |
     |      j't       _+m"m+_    |     _+m"m+_        j't       |
     |  K=-=:: -=->  Jp     qh   |    Jp     qh   K=-=:: -=->   |
     |   "=i.: [-'   O       O   |    O       O    "=i.: [-'    |
     |    /;:":.\    Yb     dY   |    Yb     dY     /;:":.\     |
     |   ;}'   '(,    "Y5m2Y"    |     "Y5m2Y"     ;}'   '(,    |
     |                           |                              |
     ============================================================

                                       rip-off
                                       zero sum






     =============================================================
     |                           |                               |
     |                           |       ,!.           ,!.       |
     |    _+m"m+_     _+m"m+_    |       j't           j't       |
     |   Jp     qh   Jp     qh   |   K=-=:: -=->   K=-=:: -=->   |
     |   O       O   O       O   |    "=i.: [-'     "=i.: [-'    |
     |   Yb     dY   Yb     dY   |     /;:":.\       /;:":.\     |
     |    "Y5m2Y"     "Y5m2Y"    |    ;}'   '(,     ;}'   '(,    |
     |                           |                               |
     =============================================================

                                       the magic of love!






     =============================================================
     |                           |                               |
     |       4hy_         4hy_   |       ,!.           ,!.       |
     |        T 'h         T 'h  |       j't           j't       |
     |        2  3i        2  3i |   K=-=:: -=->   K=-=:: -=->   |
     |       ,Y  3I       ,Y  3I |    "=i.: [-'     "=i.: [-'    |
     |  ZksnY'  ,Y/  ZksnY'  ,Y/ |     /;:":.\       /;:":.\     |
     |   'YbnndYY     'YbnndYY   |    ;}'   '(,     ;}'   '(,    |
     |                           |                               |
     =============================================================

                                  the *healing* magic of love!!!


Bibliography:

Gurdjieff

The most popular intro to G's thought is "In Search of the Miraculous" by 
PD Ouspensky.  Ouspensky was a Russian mathematician who became G's leading 
student, and this book introduces G's system while telling the story of 
their relationship.

Another book by Ouspensky, "The Fourth Way", is in Q&A format, and for me 
contains more useful observations on human psychology-- ISotM is *very* 
wacky stuff by comparison.

Gurdjieff's own "Meetings with Remarkable Men" is funny and readable, but 
doesn't really give a picture of G's system, being an anecdotal, often 
implausible autobiography of his early teachers.  The movie version sucks, 
I think, except for some amazing dancing at the end, performed by real 
G-students.

Many books by G's students are also reasonable places to start.  You can't 
really go far wrong with any of them, that I know of.  Colin Wilson has 
also written a bio which I haven't read, but he's a fun and intelligent 
commentator, usually.

Wilhelm Reich

My intro to Reich was "Me and the Orgone" by Orson Bean, who was a familiar 
face in the 60s, from TV game shows.  It simply describes his therapy with 
a Reichian therapist, in an easy, readable style.

Reich's own books are rougher going.  There's also bio I haven't read 
called "Fury on Earth", and Colin Wilson again has done a Reich bio, I 
think.

And of course, you *must* read "A Book of Dreams", which is extremely 
subjective but deeply moving.  (Peter Reich actually ordered the game 
"Flight Simulator" from me back when Cloudbusting had just come out, and I 
was doing phone sales for PC Network!  He said he'd only talked to Kate on 
the telephone, but that she was very nice, and he liked Donald Sutherland's 
portrayal a lot, though not especially the little hand-gesture...)

Energy

The 20th century guru who's explored the idea of psychic energy more than 
any other is Stephen Gaskin, who led a huge commune in Tennessee during the 
70s, called The Farm.  His books are hard to read if you haven't heard him 
speak, but I recommend them anyway.  "Haight-Ashbury Flashbacks", at least, 
is still in print and widely available.

Muktananda and Rajneesh were also into (traditional Hindu) energy-magic, 
calling the energy 'shakti' and the guru's gift of energy 'shaktipat'.

Psychic attack

There's a weird and wonderful book about schizophrenia written by an 
awesomely honest and literate woman under the pseudonym of Barbara O'Brien, 
called "Operators and Things".  She suffered a breakdown in the 1950's, as 
a result of witnessing some incredibly malign corporate-ladder-climbing 
while employed at some hot hi-tech firm of the period.  Her description of 
the *real* power-games that triggered her later hallucinations are unique 
in literature, still, and the imagery of her delusional structure during 
the period of the breakdown and recovery offers an additional, rich set of 
metaphors for this sort of psychic attack.

Ascii art ;^)

My ascii art FAQ appears every so often on alt.ascii-art.  If you can't
get this group, complain to your site administrator-- it's a lot of fun!
(the group... not complaining :^)