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1993-02-05
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Law of Polarity
The Law of Polarity, which states that
(1) anything can be split into two
wholly opposite characteristics; and
(2) each of these polar elements
contains the potentiality of the other
within its essence. If you have seen
the Chinese Yin-Yang symbol, you will
have a picture to associate with this
law. Mystics (and physicists!) talk
about "the whiteness of black" and the
"blackness of white," "the soundless
sound," etc. Physicists talk about
"the wave nature of particles" and "the
particle nature of waves," "holes in
space," etc. Related to this law is
what the Emerald Tablet of Hermes
expresses as "as above, so below."
"The macrocosm is contained in the
microcosm." A key phrase to remember
is: "Everything contains its
opposite."
Law of Dynamic Balance
This is the law of survival: in order
to survive, to say nothing of advancing
along the spiritual path, you must keep
all parts of your universe and yourself
in balance. All excess is dangerous.
Flexibility is the keyword, and
extremes are to be avoided. Remember,
however, that EXTREME FLEXIBILITY IS AN
EXTREME. What is needed is a DYNAMIC
balance rather than a static one. This
is a balance in movement, so to speak;
it is a hemeostatic balance, one that
constantly shifts to account for
changes in the surrounding conditions.
If you detect a paradox in this law,
you are not mistaken. This is one of
several laws that seem paradoxical.
But what the hell, the universe is just
made that way.
Law of Infinite Data
This law is less reverently called the
Law of Infinite Elbow Room. Simply
stated, this law tells us that we never
run out of things to learn. "There is
always something new." All human
knowledge is simply a series of closer
and closer approximations of "The
Truth." This situation is not unlike
that of an engineer faced with a "black
box," which, let us say, contains an
electrical circuit. The engineer can
make any number of measurements,
applying signals to the input terminals
and observing what comes out. He can
then make a guess concerning the
contents of the box, devising a circuit
(a "theory") which behaves in accord
with his experimental data, and he will
probably choose the simplest solution
which fits his data. Note that no
matter how many measurements he takes
he can never know for certain the
actual contents of the box. He has no
guarantee that some future measurement
will not force him to re-evaluate his
assessment of the box to fit the new
data. After all, the box might even
contain a little man with a laboratory
full of equipment who observes and
measures the input and decides on a
corresponding output. (And inside the
little man's box...). This law should
inspire caution in the student (but
avoid an extreme of caution -- see the
previous law), as you can never tell
when something new and/or threatening
will occur in your experiments.
Law of Finite Senses
Our senses detect only a small portion
of what is "out there." Our eyes, for
example, detect only a small portion of
the electromagnetic spectrum. Imagine,
if you can, how different the world
would appear to us if we saw, rather
than what we call "visible" light, by
x-ray frequencies. We can't even begin
to imagine what sight by gamma rays
might be like. All of our senses are
similarly limited, not only to portions
of the entire range of a kind of
stimulus, but they differ in the KIND
of stimulus to which they respond. We
have no proof that the data we gather
through our senses is all the data
there is. In fact, we know it is not.
There is more to the Universe than we
can detect, therefore we know by the
Law of Pragmatism that the principle of
there being an infinite amount of data
in the Universe is a "true" principle.
In one sentence: "We can't see
everything.
Law of Infinite Universes
This law tells us that there an
infinite number of ways to view the
Universe andd therefore, by the Law of
Pragmatism, there are an infinite
number of universes. Stsated more
formally, "the total number of
universes into which all possible
combinations of existing phenomena
could be organized is infinite;
anything is possible, but some things
are more probable than others." Each
of us is made up of an unimaginable
number atoms and molecules, all of them
arranged into a unique and complex
pattern of energy that makes up the
physical body. Changing any one of
these will change "you." Now consider
this: while you were reading this you
have just changed. Cells have broken
down, others have been born, you have
breathed in innumerable oxygen
molecules and exhaled countless carbon
dioxide molecules. Even thephysical
structure of your brain has changed.
The sensations you have received from
the various parts of your body have
changed you -- including these words as
you read them. What is it that
experiences that sense of continuity
you know you feel? Your METAPATTERN, of
course! Its built-in conservatism
allows you to retain a sense of
identity.
Your sensory system is unique. NO TWO
ENTITIES SENSE THE WORLD IN THE SAME
WAY. You have no way of telling, for
example, what my experience of the note
c-sharp might be. Maybe my sensation
would be the taste of catsup to you.
Or the color red. Or the smell of
roses. We live in different universes.
Remember your universe depends
upon your sensations and how
you classify them. The former
is a matter of your physical
equipment; the latter, of your
cognitive organization. CHANGE
EITHER ONE AND YOU MOVE TO A
DIFFERENT UNIVERSE. People
who are blind or deaf live in
universes where there are no
such things as light and sound.
If you change your metapattern,
then you also move to a dif-
ferent universe. (P.E.I.
Bonewits, REAL MAGIC).
Law of Pragmatism
"If it works, it's true." If something
allows an organism to survive, then, as
far as the organism is concerned, it
has acted on "the truth." If a datum,
pattern, or metapattern hinders
survival, then the organism must reject
it as "false" -- or die. Combining
this law with the Law of Infinite
Universes, we find: TRUTH CAN BE
DEFINED AS A FUNCTION OF BELIEF.
Law of True Falsehoods
Actually a law of the Law of
Pragmatism, this applies to data which
contradict your regular metapattern but
which work nevertheless. Your
metapattern is "true," your world view
is "real" because you have survived.
Now you come across something which
doesn't fit your world view (like
magick, perhaps?). This can result in
great anxiety (The Amazing Randi and
Martin Gardner, for example, when faced
with the paranormal), or even insanity
for some people. We can resolve an
apparent contradiction with the Law of
Synthesis, but until we do, we can live
with paradox by invoking the Law of
True Falsehoods. "If it is a paradox,
it is probably true."
Law of Personification
This is an important law in magick. It
states that any phenomenon may be
considered to be alive and to have a
personality. This is often useful and,
therefore, true. Actually, we do this
all the time. You strike your head on
an objectand then curse the object as
if it were alive. Phenomena may well
not be alive, but the fact remains that
THE UNIVERSE BEHAVES UNDER CERTAIN
CONDITIONS AS IF THEY ARE.
Laws of Invocation and Evocation
These we may consider together as
they are similar and are both sublaws
of the Law of Personification. These
laws state that we can conjure up,
within our metapattern (invocation) or
outside it (evocation), real entities.
As Crowley has remarked, "It is [often]
MORE CONVENIENT to assume the objective
existence of an 'Angel' who gives us
new knowledge than to allege that our
invocation has awakened a supernormal
in ourselves (italics his).
Law of Synchronicity
Two or more events which happen
"together" or "at the same time" have
more in common than their temporal
relationship. All events are related;
some have more relations with other
events than others. "Coincidence"is
merely a word of power used by
fundamentalist materialists to exorcise
such "demons" as magic, psi talents and
so on.
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