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Old 11-20-2002, 05:24 AM   #1
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Chaos magic.

A while ago I had listened to this song and then read the opening pages of Peter Carroll's Liber Null & Psychonaut: An Introduction to Chaos Magic.

Those opening pages tell of the relationship between a master and a new student in chaos magic called LIBER MMM The Studentship Syllabus of the FourDegrees IOT. The Four Degrees symbol is used as it is in the song's title.

Key points from the first page:

"Masters will, at various points in history, inspire adepts to create magic, mystic, religious, or even secular orders to bring others to mastership."

"Students strengthen their magical will against the strongest possible adversary--their own minds. They explore the possibilities of changing themselves at will and explore their own occult abilities in dream and magical activity."

From the beginning of the song [Get up and free yourself from yourself] the band seems to be telling you to look deeper within yourself and to change your true will--your subconsious. [locked up inside you, like the calm beneath the castle, is a cavern of treasures, no one has been to, let's go digging] These lines further that, deep inside you is your subconsious and therein lies to the power to do what you want, to do what you love, and you have the ability to change these desires at will, and they're trying to help. The forceful nature of the song is in direct relationship to the master/student relationship [lay back and let me show you another way, kill what you want me to, take what's left and eat it, life's too short to push it away] all refer to the sort of process one goes in learning something like this. There's going to be self-doubt, there's going to be emotional and belief based resistance to something like this. It's sort of the same ideals one experiences when learning a martial art, of sorts [knock me down, i'll just come back runnin'] is a strong example of that. The reference to anal sex--as some see it--is another example of that resistance. A lot of people are afraid of anal sex, and even when they try it there's a lot of resistance, so most won't enjoy it, so they stop, and give up. This song is about giving up fears, letting someone show you something new that will allow you to be who you want, in a sense.
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Old 11-20-2002, 01:06 PM   #2
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I always thought that this song was about anal sex but after reading this I'm not too sure. If I'm not mistaken, the band is interested in chaos magic and that would lend itself very well to this explanation. Thanks for giving me another viewpoint.
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Old 11-27-2002, 11:06 AM   #3
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"Initiation"

If you're not acquainted with Magickal philosophy, this may (i.e. will) seem a) a little dense, and b) total bollocks. My apologies.

The reference to 4* in the FAQ as an Army term for a Cadet with a year's experience and progress behind them (1) complements your observations.
This evolution via breaking through one's inner-walls and defences to leave yourself vulnerable gives one the ability to experience life. As every magician knows, your greatest enemy is yourself; The only boundaries which exist are those limitations you impose upon yourself [a gross oversimplification, I know, but there it is].
Personally, this interpretation means a lot to me, as the song actually helped me overcome a group of fears which had restricted me for far too long... Which really frightens me at times. Oh well.
Another thought which plays across my mind is that 4* is referring to the 4=7 grade of G.D./R.C. systems(2); That the figure is in Netzach, and the song has a heavy element of the necessity to take action... Also, it is here that the [insert agreeable phrase for a practicing student of Magick] of this system prepares to leave the Outer Order of the G.D. and enter the R.C. and Tiphareth i.e. Starts to seriously break himself down in order to attain KCHGA(3). Just a thought. I could ramble on about Horus as the Initiator and the struggle of the Initiate but I think I've talked enough shit for one evening.
These are just random musings. I don't visualise myself at Netzach every time I listen to the song. Thought someone might find it interesting.


(1)"Maynard was at West Point Prep School / United States Military Academy Prep School for a time, hence references to the Honor Code ("I will not lie, cheat, or steal, or tolerate those who do"), to the term for first-year cadets (4 degrees) and to the term for brownnoser (tool)." -Tool FAQ

(2)Golden Dawn / Order of the Rose Cross

(3)Knowledge and Conversation of the Holy Guardian Angel


Opinions section does indeed rule. If you're reading this, thanks for creating this forum. A fuck of a lot of people seem to be using it. Thankyou.
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