MAGICAL WEAPONS


"Your mind and body are precious tools."
--Bene Gesserit axiom

Enough has been written of the 'traditional' weapons of magick, so we will not add to the verbiage. In general, a magical weapon is a focus for will and perception - a vehicle for astral/etheric energy (whatever that is). Physical form is a secondary consideration. A weapon is any instrument which is imbued with power. Some 'shamanic' instruments - dolls, masks, rattles, drums etc., have their own history, personality and charisma - they are quite likely to 'bite' the unwary, and are considered by their owners to be sentient. The relationship between such a weapon and its owner is similar to that between a human and a cat - a true weapon of power owns itself and is quite likely to decide when it should be passed on.

Perhaps the foremost weapon is the body. In Magical Combat, projection of the bioaura can disrupt the field of another person, the 'push' resulting in psycho-physical trauma. Eastern yogis are reputed to be able to cause death by application of mantrayoga. The way we experience our bodies tends to reflect our world-experience - see the body as a machine and it is liable to break down. We L.O.O.N.'s prefer to view the body as a biosystem, a microcosm of the biosphere, itself a microcosm of the Universe. Thus the body becomes a weapon for understanding the greater systems in which it is enmeshed.

Rather than holding that weapons A, B, C, D as necessary before one can begin to practice magick, we set out upon our paths and let the weapons declare themselves to us. As Don Juan says, there is no such thing as 'an accident' to a 'man of knowledge' - everything is out there, waiting to happen. Thus, rather than seeking a weapon out, or popping around to the nearest occult supermarket and buying one, we attract the necessary instruments to us by our works - it may manifest by being 'found', given as a gift, or appear as an inspired 'entity' from some other dimension.

An example of this latter approach is a horned staff owned by SKaRaB, who was inspired to draw during a moment of vacuity (watching TV) and hours later, sought it on the astral:

"...retired about 1.45am. Proceeded to visualise the image of the staff in an Egyptian temple. Found the staff stuck in a recess in the floor so that it stood upright. Grasped the staff with my right hand and a burst of very strong energy flooded through me, starting at the base of my spine - breath-taking but not violent. Vibrated the god-names of the staff [received earlier]: Ra, Isis, Ma'at, Hathor, Sekhmet - with each vibration, the ripples increased. Changing (physical) posture did not interrupt this. Let go of the staff and assumed astral form of Osiris slain. Felt calm, clear, but tired. Grasped the staff again and felt physical vibrations run along my right arm. Invoked Hathor and mentally said "Enough - I can't take any more." The energy flow ceased abruptly. 'Left' the astral form of the staff in the temple. Closed at 5.35am."

SKaRaB notes that the subsequent assembly of the physical staff was a transformation in itself, though the aetheric form and personality had been to a large extent, already established. When watching SkaRaB and the staff in action, it is sometimes hard to decide who is wielding who. The weapon has knowledge and its own attendant familiars, and may yet abandon SKaRaB if it finds someone else who can effect its purpose with greater precision.