Subway Magick

[Rustig]

The underground, not the sandwiches. D:

So, hi. I'm addicted to finding magickal significance out of strange yet everyday things, and as such, I'm recently started thinking about building up a magickal system based on the subway, of all things. I'm pretty sure my fascination with the underground (the Glasgow Subway by the way, though I'd heart to go around on the London Underground someday <3) came from my dad's side of the family, since all the men there seem terminally fascinated with trains.

But yes'm, since I'm on the subway practically every day, and since that feeling of awe at it has never ceased, I want to find any and all existing material relating the Subway to Magick and vice versa. Anything. Everything. I'm talking concepts, ideas, random metaphors, movies and books, interesting parallels, experiences, gematric correspondances, info that could be put to use in magick -- anything like that at all. I realise the response to this will be pretty limited, but if I end up getting something going here, you'll have something nifty packed and ready for the next time you're on the subway. |D

HALP PLS.

Folks over in the Real Magick guild or the Magick and Psionics Research Institute and Learning Centre (both of which I urge serious practitioners to join) will have seen this post before, but this is where I'll be collecting all my information together. For the nonce, I'd like everyone to give me some ideas as to what I could include in this system. Take a gander at the replies I've gathered so far too, if you wish.

(Thread1) (Thread2)  

[Rustig]

Just updating with my latest development - Archetype Cards! I might write up a list of the ones i have so far, and how they fit into the subway idea.  

[Amble]

i don't know whether this will be as useful as i think it could be.

graffiti magick

The first thing that came to mind when you said subways was graffiti and then this article.

I hope it's not a waste of time smile  

[AbrAbraxas]

i have been watching this neat show on the history channel called cities of the underground that goes to underground cities all over the world. iti s not specific to subways though they visit some.
http://www.history.com/minisite.do?content_type=mini_home&mini_id=53900
also i saw a show about the hellfire caves near london that were once the location of an esoteric club whom has since been slandered as the hellfire club or satanists, but it is unknown what they really did there.. i dont immediately jump to the conclusion of satanic worship as many have.
good luck  

[Rustig]

Thanks very much for your help, guys! =D  

[Diana Ishtar]

Amble

i don't know whether this will be as useful as i think it could be.

graffiti magick

The first thing that came to mind when you said subways was graffiti and then this article.

I hope it's not a waste of time smile

This may be a waste too but the first thing that came to my mind was caves. Perhaps you should research cave magick as parellel to subway magick.  

[Dizzy - atari]

if you have every tryed to use geo magic or earth magic you will know that it gets stronger if your underground.

Also the subways are a major hot spot for people and there emotions so any empthic powers would be going haywire there.

most subways run on an electric third track and if you are sencitive to electrical currents this could be of use aswell.

lastly as a pathway connection one place to a nother place. because of this they will kindof act as a lay line for magical energys to flow through.  

[Luciferin Bandit]

This may or may not be related, but I view Magick as a kind of shortcut to something you could do in a mundane fashion.

So, metaphorically speaking, Magick is like a subway.

Sure, you could get to your destination the old-fashioned way, above ground, going through all kinds of streets, making a bunch of turns, going through bad neighborhoods, and you could still get there. It would just take way longer. A subway, however, is basically a straight shot to your destination..

Magick is like this. Say, you want to curse someone. You could just go seek them out and beat them to a bloody pulp, and probably do more damage than a curse can, but it's a lot more difficult to accomplish to a practiced magician. Or you could cut corners, and throw a curse their way.

Sorry if this makes no sense.

EDIT: Also, I always thought the maps of the subways look kind of like complex Sigils.  

[Obscurus]

Luciferin Bandit

This may or may not be related, but I view Magick as a kind of shortcut to something you could do in a mundane fashion.

So, metaphorically speaking, Magick is like a subway.

Sure, you could get to your destination the old-fashioned way, above ground, going through all kinds of streets, making a bunch of turns, going through bad neighborhoods, and you could still get there. It would just take way longer. A subway, however, is basically a straight shot to your destination..

Magick is like this. Say, you want to curse someone. You could just go seek them out and beat them to a bloody pulp, and probably do more damage than a curse can, but it's a lot more difficult to accomplish to a practiced magician. Or you could cut corners, and throw a curse their way.

Sorry if this makes no sense.

EDIT: Also, I always thought the maps of the subways look kind of like complex Sigils.

I tend to think of magic in the opposite way. I'm not really much of a magician though.  

[Luciferin Bandit]

Obscurus

Luciferin Bandit

This may or may not be related, but I view Magick as a kind of shortcut to something you could do in a mundane fashion.

So, metaphorically speaking, Magick is like a subway.

Sure, you could get to your destination the old-fashioned way, above ground, going through all kinds of streets, making a bunch of turns, going through bad neighborhoods, and you could still get there. It would just take way longer. A subway, however, is basically a straight shot to your destination..

Magick is like this. Say, you want to curse someone. You could just go seek them out and beat them to a bloody pulp, and probably do more damage than a curse can, but it's a lot more difficult to accomplish to a practiced magician. Or you could cut corners, and throw a curse their way.

Sorry if this makes no sense.

EDIT: Also, I always thought the maps of the subways look kind of like complex Sigils.

I tend to think of magic in the opposite way. I'm not really much of a magician though.

No, i completely understand where you are coming from.

A well-trained magician can work magic as if it were second nature. In many ways, magic is easier to accomplish than the mundane equivilent (a curse would be easier than punching them, for instance.), if you have practiced it enough.

Magic is both easier and more complicated. It really depends on how you look at it.  

[Obscurus]

Luciferin Bandit

Obscurus

Luciferin Bandit

This may or may not be related, but I view Magick as a kind of shortcut to something you could do in a mundane fashion.

So, metaphorically speaking, Magick is like a subway.

Sure, you could get to your destination the old-fashioned way, above ground, going through all kinds of streets, making a bunch of turns, going through bad neighborhoods, and you could still get there. It would just take way longer. A subway, however, is basically a straight shot to your destination..

Magick is like this. Say, you want to curse someone. You could just go seek them out and beat them to a bloody pulp, and probably do more damage than a curse can, but it's a lot more difficult to accomplish to a practiced magician. Or you could cut corners, and throw a curse their way.

Sorry if this makes no sense.

EDIT: Also, I always thought the maps of the subways look kind of like complex Sigils.

I tend to think of magic in the opposite way. I'm not really much of a magician though.

No, i completely understand where you are coming from.

A well-trained magician can work magic as if it were second nature. In many ways, magic is easier to accomplish than the mundane equivilent (a curse would be easier than punching them, for instance.), if you have practiced it enough.

Magic is both easier and more complicated. It really depends on how you look at it.

I think of it as mundane actions being more "direct" usually, but magical actions can take paths that you would have never thought of in a strictly mundane mindset. Obviously magic is better suited to some situations than it is to others. You're right that it depends on how you look at it.  

[Dizzy - atari]

Personally I have always found that magic should never be relied on in any situation. Though I hold the same view towards violence.

When ever possible and even when its not I try to find a path of lease resistance while still holding strong to my beliefs.

And while it may be easier to curse the person (say hes miles away and there for to far away for you to punch) It will always be easier in the long run to simply forgive the person. then move on with your life.  

[Obscurus]

Dizzy - atari

Personally I have always found that magic should never be relied on in any situation. Though I hold the same view towards violence.

When ever possible and even when its not I try to find a path of lease resistance while still holding strong to my beliefs.

And while it may be easier to curse the person (say hes miles away and there for to far away for you to punch) It will always be easier in the long run to simply forgive the person. then move on with your life.

That sounds pretty reasonable if you're the type that believes in some kind of karmic retribution or cosmic justice.  

[Dizzy - atari]

Its not that I believe in karma or cosmic justice.Nor do I believe in reincarnation. In fact I don't believe in a lot of thing. what I do believe however is that there is no point in escalation, and that no matter what a person has done retribution will only lead to more violence.

An example I have used before is this.

say you and your girl/boy friend are riding the bus, and some other passenger has been making eyes at your significant other. And so you magically trip them as they are leaving the bus. 98% of the time this is as far as its going to go. Odds are this person has no idea why they tripped and likely blame some nonexistent mundane reason for the act. how ever there is a chance that ether this person or a person related to them have some form of magical knowledge. track you down using the magical signature left when you tripped them and starts a curse and hex war with you.

this all could have been avoided had you simply thought about how you will most likely never see this person again and there for any misdeed they may have done you will no longer matter.


This is how I see the world, and the life I have in it. Every one i meet or see/ encounter is insignificant in the overall. and so why waste any amount of energy worrying over the small or big things when you could easily find a better use for both your energy and your time.  

[Obscurus]

Dizzy - atari

Its not that I believe in karma or cosmic justice.Nor do I believe in reincarnation. In fact I don't believe in a lot of thing. what I do believe however is that there is no point in escalation, and that no matter what a person has done retribution will only lead to more violence.

An example I have used before is this.

say you and your girl/boy friend are riding the bus, and some other passenger has been making eyes at your significant other. And so you magically trip them as they are leaving the bus. 98% of the time this is as far as its going to go. Odds are this person has no idea why they tripped and likely blame some nonexistent mundane reason for the act. how ever there is a chance that ether this person or a person related to them have some form of magical knowledge. track you down using the magical signature left when you tripped them and starts a curse and hex war with you.

this all could have been avoided had you simply thought about how you will most likely never see this person again and there for any misdeed they may have done you will no longer matter.


This is how I see the world, and the life I have in it. Every one i meet or see/ encounter is insignificant in the overall. and so why waste any amount of energy worrying over the small or big things when you could easily find a better use for both your energy and your time.

It sounds reasonable in the context above, when the transgression is a simple look. What about something a little bigger than that? Rape. Murder. That kind of thing. Yes, we have a justice system to take care of those things but it is far, far away from perfect.

Personally, I think people have to be taught that they can't walk all over others like that. That's just me though.