Part 1: Magic & Ritual in CoC - What is Magic?

Introduction

In the early part of 2003, I asked the SA list a quick question based on my experiences as a Keeper; could modern Investigators with no religious beliefs successfully use a 500-year-old Christian prayer/spell designed to repel a Nightgaunt? What followed was a fascinating discussion about the nature of Magic and Magick in CoC. At Agent Donald’s kind invitation I’ve gathered the strands, roughly divided into four areas, and put them in to some kind of order. Although Part 1 and Part 2 naturally follow on from each other, Parts 3 and 4 should bee seen as slightly separate but have been included as they were interesting at the time.

Part 1: Magic & Ritual in CoC - What is Magic?

Magic can be seen as merely the twisting and reshaping of the energies that make up the 'real' universe(s). To reshape the energies, to alter the universe, to create magic all you have to do is create a powerful enough energy source, direct it in the correct way and the rest follows naturally. This energy source can be created in many different ways but the most pure & simple is by thought.

If a Great Old One decides to alter the universe around it then, in theory at least, all it has to do is apply enough thought energy. Humans are no different, just a hell of a lot less powerful and therefore we find that to create enough energy to affect the universe we must do 1 of 2 things:

1) Create one of the following:
a) an artificial aid to boost ‘natural’ ability (for example, a form of RNA type drug designed to rapidly develop brain capacity),
b) a machine-type-thing to generate the energies for us (for example, the 'spaceship' in the film "Contact"), or
c) a tap into the real nature of reality (for example, a complex mathematical function that opens a doorway to a non-Euclidean dimension or unravels timespace around us).

2) Create a way of generating & directing the energies required with just people. This means concentrating enough thought power to warp our own natural reality and punch through into the true reality.

I'll concentrate (no pun intended) on the latter. Humans are have messy, fleshy minds that are easily distracted (look – baby wolf over there! Ahhhh, isn’t it cute? See?) so we devise many and varied ways of concentrating our minds in order to develop the energies needed and these ways can include training, ritual, symbols, complex 'sciences' etc., etc. etc. The bottom line being that all of the ways we try to develop our magical abilities come down to one thing - creating enough energy to alter reality.

Now, things like ritual, symbols, sciences, etc. can mean something different to every culture throughout history. There are still tribes today working with Shamanistic beliefs and rituals that would feel familiar to humans living 10,000 years ago and there are new systems of hybrid magic being refined and developed the world over in an evolving fashion. The key thing is to realise the difference between the importance of the spell & the importance of the casting of the spell:

A) Spell - This is just how the directed energy alters the universe. This is the same whatever system is being used to cast it.

B) Casting of the Spell - This is how humans generate & direct the energy to alter the universe and this varies almost infinitely. The form of the ritual doesn't really matter, the shape of the symbol or icon isn't really important but what is important is that the humans (or deep ones, ghouls, etc.) can use them to generate & direct enough energy.

Rituals can be thought of as following the following pattern (but note that this is only a guide and the actual details will not be applicable to all cultures, time periods, etc.).

1) Choose a time & place. In Real World (RW) terms this would mean any of the times & places relevant/important to whatever system the magic is using, from the Golden Dawn to Native American to whatever. In CoC terms this could mean whatever your fevered little minds can conceive (imagine the challenge having to a call a Byakhee in the Oval Office – without anyone finding out!).

2) Hold a pre-ceremony ceremony to 'clean' the area (removes unwanted 'energies'). Mucho chanting and symbolic actions to help begin generating energy for the main event.

3) Prepare the containment, protection & sacrificial areas - the first for whatever you are calling, the second for you and the third for your 'guest' who probably won't be going home. This could involve drawing circles or stars, etc using salt, water, fire or whatever.

4) Start the main ceremony to call, hold & instruct whatever you are calling. Mucho chanting of whatever double-dutch you can come up with & it is often repeated often to further build up energy. Offer up the sacrifice as a deal-sweetener.

5) Try not to go mad or vomit when it arrives & munches on your 'gift'.

6) Depending on what you've asked for, you should now either hope to whatever you still hold holy that it your gift is pleased and sated it and that it now carries out your instructions before buggering off.

7) Hold a pre-ceremony ceremony to 'close the energies' of the area down. More chanting and symbolism (and some mopping up no doubt).

8) Go home and wash your robes (unless you were Skyclad, you dirty bugger).

The conclusion, is this kind of ritual needed? Well, sort of is the answer. The ritual isn't important but the goal of concentrating & directing energy to call the Byakhee or whatever is.

To be continued in Part 2: Magic & Ritual in CoC - A Question Of Belief.


Credits: By David Bollenberg with help from the folks on the Strange Aeons mailing list.