The White Collar Warlock

[Rustig]

Howdy folks. I figured I'd share with you the beginnings of an idea I had at work last week, that I intend to put into practice this week.

The White-Collar Warlock

The concept of the office environment has become a modern-day archetype, and so too have the people that occupy the place - the quintessential notion of the White Collar Worker is an up-to-the-minute complex of ideas that incorporates sharp, smart dressing, executive decision, computers, personal effectiveness, pursuing goals in a timely, concise and professional manner... all admirable traits for another archetype that has not yet been thrust into the modern limelight: the Magician. S/he has long been associated with bedraggled hair, flowing hooded robes and outre accessorising. It's time to bring them up to date - and so, the concept of the White Collar Warlock was envisaged.

Of course, I wasn't the first, nor will I be the best. "Seth", in his book "Postmodern Magic" introduces the paradigm of the Principal, a man or woman who performs wealth magic reimagined in the form of a occult businessman using his will to manipulate the market. But this White Collar Warlock is slightly different - his focus is not wealth. Her focus is her workplace, manipulating the circumstances of her job, her workflow, her colleagues, and shaping her career with her understand of magick.

The Little Black Book

An idea taken from Seth's "Postmodern Magic" is that of the Little Black Book - a plain, ordinary leatherbound black book that would not look out of place on any office desk. This book, though, operates as the modern-day equivalent of the warlock's grimoire. Inside, the spells and rites are geared towards making work as efficient as possible - or for introducing a little strife in accordance with your goals. The White Collar Warlock builds Audit Tulpas that check for inconsistencies and errors, but also utilise Scandal Servitors that incite tawdry office romances and watercooler rumours.

(to be continued - replies, ideas, feedback and discussion are welcome).  

[Abbot_Natalis]

So, when you say "put into practice", you mean that you're going to take advantage of your occult knowledge and talents in your workplace?

Being that I'm primarily focused on researching and testing the possibilities of things related to psionics, I've just naturally let what I've learned seep into my everyday life. (Though at times it's more like it's a part of my life that goes on beyond my direct control)

I think the idea of making use of your experience in such an environment is not only an effective way of supporting one part of your life with what you've learned in another part of your life, but it's also an effective form of constant practice.

What caught my attention, was the OPPOSITE idea of applying things such as the White-Collar values to our work with Magic and the Occult in general. Imagine a think-tank of the most talented minds in the occult world "stressing personal effectiveness and pursuing goals in a timely, concise, and professional manner".

Occultists, as a whole, view their occult lives as secondary to the front they put on in the "real world". We lack focus and professionalism. We lack efficient communication. We lack the motivation to do what is necessary to truly make breakthroughs. Seen in this light, I'd say that this guild is an achievement in and of itself, being that I've never seen such a high concentration of people who seem to truly desire these things anywhere else. (Though we are still so few.)

For a great many of us, Occultism is private research with limited communication via the computer. Imagine if our collective resources and minds were pooled together into an organization of some sort... If our only assets were not just the limited collection of published work, and the few bits of information on the net that was most likely never truly tested beyond what the author 'felt' was correct.

I apologize for getting off-topic. I just can't help but feel that, although our we may benefit alone in our workplace through our private research, we'd benefit so much more-so by doing the reverse.  

[Aegis_Gainsborough]

Why not try the exact opposite? Your experiment is to use your spirituality to influence manifest existence, but why not use manifest existence as a casting tool to benefit your more significant goals?

To cast, I use only mental symbol assignment and will; absolutely no manifest tools. Therefor, with enough concentration, everything you touch could be casting towards something important to you. Every piece of paper passing through your hands could become a sigil; every room you're sitting in could become a circle of protection; every little social interaction could be further understanding a part of the personae that are your Jungian shadow.

It is interesting to try different archetypes to break the old magician mold though. Well done indeed.

Wouldn't keeping a little black confession of your socially unacceptable methods and intentions in your work place be an unnecessary risk if not well-guarded?  

[Rustig]

Abbot_Natalis

So, when you say "put into practice", you mean that you're going to take advantage of your occult knowledge and talents in your workplace?

Being that I'm primarily focused on researching and testing the possibilities of things related to psionics, I've just naturally let what I've learned seep into my everyday life. (Though at times it's more like it's a part of my life that goes on beyond my direct control)

I think the idea of making use of your experience in such an environment is not only an effective way of supporting one part of your life with what you've learned in another part of your life, but it's also an effective form of constant practice.

What caught my attention, was the OPPOSITE idea of applying things such as the White-Collar values to our work with Magic and the Occult in general. Imagine a think-tank of the most talented minds in the occult world "stressing personal effectiveness and pursuing goals in a timely, concise, and professional manner".

Occultists, as a whole, view their occult lives as secondary to the front they put on in the "real world". We lack focus and professionalism. We lack efficient communication. We lack the motivation to do what is necessary to truly make breakthroughs. Seen in this light, I'd say that this guild is an achievement in and of itself, being that I've never seen such a high concentration of people who seem to truly desire these things anywhere else. (Though we are still so few.)

For a great many of us, Occultism is private research with limited communication via the computer. Imagine if our collective resources and minds were pooled together into an organization of some sort... If our only assets were not just the limited collection of published work, and the few bits of information on the net that was most likely never truly tested beyond what the author 'felt' was correct.

I apologize for getting off-topic. I just can't help but feel that, although our we may benefit alone in our workplace through our private research, we'd benefit so much more-so by doing the reverse.

No need to apologise, it's relevant to the idea, so I appreciate your contribution. Forming magical groups is nothing new - we have the Golden Dawn and A.'.A.'. all the way up to Domus Kaotica/Marauder Underground nowadays, so the idea of a group dedicated to magical pursuits is nothing overly novel. That said, the idea of a boardroom of magicians who are looking to excel, meet quotas and profit from their strategies is something relatively unheard of (most likely given the fact that it's difficult/impossible to quantify magic in a meaningful way that targets and goals such as what executives use could also be used by executive magicians). Still, your idea's intriguing - if you want to build and elaborate on it, by all means, go ahead.

Aegis_Gainsborough

Why not try the exact opposite? Your experiment is to use your spirituality to influence manifest existence, but why not use manifest existence as a casting tool to benefit your more significant goals?

To cast, I use only mental symbol assignment and will; absolutely no manifest tools. Therefor, with enough concentration, everything you touch could be casting towards something important to you. Every piece of paper passing through your hands could become a sigil; every room you're sitting in could become a circle of protection;every little social interaction could be further understanding a part of the personae that are your Jungian shadow.

It is interesting to try different archetypes to break the old magician mold though. Well done indeed.

Wouldn't keeping a little black confession of your socially unacceptable methods and intentions in your work place be an unnecessary risk if not well-guarded?

The bolded section almost sounds like something someone who has played SMT: Persona 3 or 4 would say. =P

Intellectually, I agree with you - it'd be amazing to be able to use anything to power a ritual or rite of some description, but in my experience, the connotations and significance that particular items tend to have limits or prevents my ability to make use of them. Again, the idea isn't an explicitly new one -- in fact, it seems that recently there's been a move towards "hands-free magic" -- but my premise is that if you can use tools to better focus your will, then by all means use them. I don't feel quite as into magic when I'm standing empty-handed in a shopping mall with a shirt and jeans on than I do with my little black book, dressed in appropriate attire behind my desk/altar.

Lastly -- yes, potentially hazardous. But there's certainly enough stuff on my desk that I could hide mine, and my intention was always to write it in a cipher anyway, or else, keep it inside my jacket pocket.  

[Abbot_Natalis]

Mitsh

No need to apologise, it's relevant to the idea, so I appreciate your contribution. Forming magical groups is nothing new - we have the Golden Dawn and A.'.A.'. all the way up to Domus Kaotica/Marauder Underground nowadays, so the idea of a group dedicated to magical pursuits is nothing overly novel. That said, the idea of a boardroom of magicians who are looking to excel, meet quotas and profit from their strategies is something relatively unheard of (most likely given the fact that it's difficult/impossible to quantify magic in a meaningful way that targets and goals such as what executives use could also be used by executive magicians). Still, your idea's intriguing - if you want to build and elaborate on it, by all means, go ahead.

The key difference between those other groups, and what I was thinking of, is their nature. Most of the magical groups in existence limit themselves too much. They seem to become like the Ouroboros in the way that they are forever stuck in a state lacking progress, and where the only priorities are in the introduction of new members, and in the selection of the leaders. Nothing changing unless a new sect breaks off with a new way of doing things.

The kind of group I'm thinking of is striving for something more... The group would place progress above all else. People seem to get in to this mind-set that, because none of this occult stuff seems to make sense (even contradicting itself at times), that it is truly beyond the scope of understanding at it's roots. Too many Occultists place increasing their skills and knowledge of the methodology before focusing on the fact that: there are reasons why things like this certain magical methodology works, why this supernatural event happens, and why that psionic occurrence influenced the course of your entire day. We place too much faith in intuition guiding our talents. We don't even think about the "why" in things. These organizations wouldn't be inclined to making a profit, so much as they would be more like a think-tank of scientists. They would constantly be researching and testing. We, as a collective, would stop putting the creation of the light-bulb before the discovery of electricity. Rather than profit, we would all benefit from the knowledge and propagation of ideas.  

[Rustig]

Abbot_Natalis

Mitsh

No need to apologise, it's relevant to the idea, so I appreciate your contribution. Forming magical groups is nothing new - we have the Golden Dawn and A.'.A.'. all the way up to Domus Kaotica/Marauder Underground nowadays, so the idea of a group dedicated to magical pursuits is nothing overly novel. That said, the idea of a boardroom of magicians who are looking to excel, meet quotas and profit from their strategies is something relatively unheard of (most likely given the fact that it's difficult/impossible to quantify magic in a meaningful way that targets and goals such as what executives use could also be used by executive magicians). Still, your idea's intriguing - if you want to build and elaborate on it, by all means, go ahead.

The key difference between those other groups, and what I was thinking of, is their nature. Most of the magical groups in existence limit themselves too much. They seem to become like the Ouroboros in the way that they are forever stuck in a state lacking progress, and where the only priorities are in the introduction of new members, and in the selection of the leaders. Nothing changing unless a new sect breaks off with a new way of doing things.

The kind of group I'm thinking of is striving for something more... The group would place progress above all else. People seem to get in to this mind-set that, because none of this occult stuff seems to make sense (even contradicting itself at times), that it is truly beyond the scope of understanding at it's roots. Too many Occultists place increasing their skills and knowledge of the methodology before focusing on the fact that: there are reasons why things like this certain magical methodology works, why this supernatural event happens, and why that psionic occurrence influenced the course of your entire day. We place too much faith in intuition guiding our talents. We don't even think about the "why" in things. These organizations wouldn't be inclined to making a profit, so much as they would be more like a think-tank of scientists. They would constantly be researching and testing. We, as a collective, would stop putting the creation of the light-bulb before the discovery of electricity. Rather than profit, we would all benefit from the knowledge and propagation of ideas.

To be fair, the DK/MU are anything but stagnant. If you haven't heard of them, give them a google sometime - they're on OccultForums.com as well, and they post a lot of really interesting stuff.

The irony of all this is that I quit my job yesterday. Nonetheless, it gives me plenty of time to help work on the concept and bring the ideas to the foreground before starting a new job (which will most likely be another office job, so).  

[Abbot_Natalis]

I'll give the groups closer look. As for the irony, I personally think that's hilarious. razz  

[Abbot_Natalis]

Upon closer inspection, I'd agree with your claim of the DK/MU being "anything but stagnant". They've got some nice ideas, and they've got the will to spread them. It's a good start I'd say.  

[Viscerim]

Mitsh, I just wanted to let you know you've inspired me. I don't have a desk available to me, but in all placed I go, I usually have a private bathroom. I find a sink and a mirror are more than enough help to me, and reaffirming the symbolism of things' usefulness repeatedly make the restroom an increasingly helpful (and awkward sounding) place for my work.  

[Rustig]

Viscerim

Mitsh, I just wanted to let you know you've inspired me. I don't have a desk available to me, but in all placed I go, I usually have a private bathroom. I find a sink and a mirror are more than enough help to me, and reaffirming the symbolism of things' usefulness repeatedly make the restroom an increasingly helpful (and awkward sounding) place for my work.

Woot, glad to hear it gave you some ideas after all. : D

(Incidentally, and entirely tangentially, I'm playing in a Persona 3 RP on Gaia just now, if you're interested, Viscy: the link's in my sig).