I have recently transitioned from being the 1* Sponsor of the British Isles Section of the IOT to becoming an Elder. It’s a transition that’s been going on energetically for some time but now I am formally recognized and established as Elder. One of the last conversations that I had with my insubordinate prior to taking the Elder role was on the nature of that role. I often hear the words “stepping back”, “retirement” and “stepping down” being applied to a person transitioning into Elder. This was completely incongruent with what I was feeling. Becoming an Elder is not a retirement, it’s not a stepping back, and the chances are when I depart this mortal coil I’ll be doing so with my working boots on. Retirement is not for me.
For me becoming an Elder is a stepping forward.
An Elder typically does not have any role within the organizational structure of the PACT. They do not have to organize any events, mentor or sponsor anyone, run any Temples or take part in the work of organizing a section into coherent working groups/ temples. The Elder is able to focus exclusively on their own personal magical practice which they can share with the rest of the PACT if they choose. An Elder can be called upon to advise the 3*, 2* and 1* but it’s up to the individuals whether to act on that advice. Backseat driving is not one of the roles of the Elder.
While my time of being central to the organizational workings of the IOT was truly awesome and I learned a great deal from it, I am pleased to be able to focus once again on my own practice and personal projects. I am able to step forward into the work of transcendence without the trappings of organizational responsibility.
In the month’s prior to my taking the Elder, I spent a lot of time contemplating what type of Elder am I going to be? The IOT is a young organization, young enough for me to be the first 2nd generation Elder in the British Isles. I felt that while this role is a move forward it is not the same dance as the dance made by the Fool from the tarot. Taking that Fool’s leap of faith is more akin to how I felt when I joined the PACT and when I took my 4*. At my stage in proceedings I think it’s more useful to have some idea of what you’re stepping into, which is a philosophy that gains some significance when one is walking through the park and you step into something you wish you hadn’t.
I obtained the first part of my answer on a visit to Bristol. Filled with the need to momentarily seek refuge from mundane responsibilities I decided to take myself on a magical mystery tour to visit the awesome Societas Astris’s mini conference on Divination and Conjuration on 23rd May. A happy afternoon occurred, including George Frasers adaptation of the Ritual of Israfel, an innovation of Thoth; Edwards Ryalls screening of “The Summoning,” a short film about magick; Bethan Bank’s approach to reading the tarot which matches by own approach. Ben Allen took us through an enlightening approach to divination with the hidden runes.
During the innovation of Thoth I could feel the magick cracking in the air and Thoth gave each a tarot card in answer to our silent questions. I ask the open ended question “what do I need for the role of Elder?” Thoth hands me the Emperor card from the Thoth deck. I think I was the only one to get a major arcana card, but of course I would get it as I was about to embark on a major magical shift.
This is the card of structure often seen as the antithesis of the free flowing nature of chaos. There’s a strong romantic element of rebellion and subversiveness in chaos magick. It was, after all, created by a group of magicians during the punk era where “do it yourself” magick and departing from established norms was all the rage. Our founders spurned more traditional types of magick for a deeply eclectic approach and a deep exploration of ones psyche with personal metamorphism taking the centre stage.
The Emperor however is telling me to embrace the order in the chaos, what I need is structure, form and stability. The Emperor is about authority, not authority over others but authority over one’s own life with the ability to create order. Taking the paradigm that the universe was formed from chaos, and as it evolved and diversified order and structure came forth from the chaotic void. The Emperor councils to make the nebulous nature of chaos useful in the mundane world, to create from the chaos force. To manifest chaos energy in a way that is beneficial for people and to use the energy of the chaos void to weave new worlds and possibilities. We learn early on in our chaos magic journeys, that being a chaos magician involves daily mediation practice, intense periods of study and learning to become independent creative practitioners who can forge our own paths. Passively relying on the teaching of others is to be avoided. We learn to be in tune with the chaos force by being creators and producers ourselves.
I am looking forward to The Emperor taking me in new directions of self-control and self-boundaries, in being able to keep to the discipline necessary for effective practice, to build on my inherent stubbornness and use that productively. Order structure and discipline can often be seen as not in keeping with chaos magick path but these things form the basis of magical work. The Emperor is also ruled by fiery Aries, the pioneering spirit who boldly goes where no one has been before, but unlike the Fool plans and navigates. Being subversive and being organized are not mutually exclusive.
The Emperor is half my Magical Lamp for my Elder work. Having taken the role of Elder I felt that I needed a little bit more. There was something missing that needed to be included in my Magical Lamp. The runes gave me the answer, Raidho the rune of journeying boldly, congruent with the Aries energy of the Emperor, Kenaz, the fire of illumination and Wunjo the rune of ecstatic trance. I was not surprised to get these 3, especially Wunjo which is a rune that has called out to me ever since I first discovered the runes. If there was one rune that symbolizes what I am about as an individual and a magician that would be it.
So now I have my map, have my plan, but as we all know the map is not the territory but with the structure of the Emperor, I take my journey to wisdom with the joy of wynjo, as I stand at the beginning of my Elder journey, with the excitement of anticipation and the wonder of the cosmos