overview:

chaos magick can be described as a union of traditional occult techniques and applied postmodernism. it is more of an attitude or outlook than a formalized system of belief. chaos magick takes an agnostic standpoint on whether or not magick exists as a supernatural force. belief is regarded as an important tool, or the key to creating an active magical force. chaos magick can also be referred to as “results-based” magick. chaos magickians create their own magical systems by sorting through various belief systems, traditions, and practices in order to discern what works for them and what doesn’t. common practices include gnostic state, sigils, servitors, godforms, and synchromysticism. 

terminology:

chaos in the context of chaos magick does not mean “evil and destruction” as one might assume. chaos in this context means formlessness. this terminology is in direct reference to Lao Tzu’s ideas on the concept of Tao: “There was something undefined and complete, existing before Heaven and Earth. How still it was, how formless, standing alone and undergoing no change, reaching everywhere with no danger of being exhausted. It may be regarded as the mother of all things. Truthfully it has no name, but I call it Tao.”

history:

chaos magic was conceptualized in England in the mid-1970s. at the time, British occultism was dominated by Wicca and Thelema. chaos magic arose from a desire to strip away some of the extrinsic details and dogma found in contemporary occultism. emphasis was placed on experimentation with a focus on achieving results. Peter J. Carroll and Ray Sherwin are considered to be the founders of chaos magic and together they founded the Illuminates of Thanateros in 1978. Liber Null & Psychonaut authored by Carroll and The Book Of Results authored by Sherwin are influential and codifying books concerning chaos magick. Austin Osman Spare’s practices largely provided a model for chaos magick theory and practice. Spare developed the use of sigils and the use of gnosis to implement them. chaos magick has always drawn from the symbolism of popular culture. Around the 2000s, Lovecraftian elements were introduced by Kenneth Grant’s work and it was common for British science fiction comics of the time to include references to chaos magick as many artists were practitioners.  

common practices:

sigils - sigils are magically charged symbols drawn with intent. many magick practitioners follow Spare’s model for creating sigils to this day. his model involves choosing a phrase, removing vowels and duplicate letters, and then playing with the shape and form of the letters until the practitioner is happy with the sigil. sigils are then charged using gnostic state and forgotten by the conscious mind.

gnostic state - gnostic state, or gnosis, is an altered state of consciousness used to bypass the conscious mind and implant an idea in the subconscious. there are three methods of achieving gnosis. inhibitory gnosis is a form of deep meditation that can be achieved by breathing techniques, absent thought process, self-hypnosis, sensory deprivation, and/or trance-inducing drugs. ecstatic gnosis describes a mindlessness reached through intense arousal that can be achieved through sexual excitation, intense emotions, intense physical stimuli, chanting, sensory overload, and/or hallucinogenic drugs. an alternative to gnosis is indifferent vacuity wherein a spell is cast passively so that it does not take much thought to suppress. this could mean drawing a sigil while in a meeting or lecture so that the conscious mind is already preoccupied.

cut up technique - this practice uses collage as a means of divination. it can be applied to any written or visual media. it was pioneered by Brion Gysin and William S. Burroughs.

synchromysticism - the art of realizing meaningful coincidences in the seemingly mundane with mystical or esoteric significance. 

issues:

there are a few potential downfalls of chaos magick. as of the 2010s, chaos magickians are increasingly initiating into more formalized, traditional systems. there seems to be a growing understanding or thought that imaginary gods and spirits or fictional characters do not seem to have the same effect as traditional ones. due to its unique and individual nature, chaos magick has a lack of “initiatory knowledge”, teachings that cannot be learned from books and must instead be transmitted orally or demonstrated that are found in traditional schools of magic. chaos magick may also fail to account for the theoretical underpinnings or cultural-historical context upon which many occult systems and practices are based upon. practitioners should take care to be mindful and respectful of closed communities and practices. 

my sources:

Chaos Magic on Wikipedia

Historical Dictionary of New Religious Movements (p.78) by George D. Chryssides

Encyclopedia of New Religious Movements (p.105) edited by Peter Clarke

Chaos Magic: The Misunderstood Path by Andrieh Vitimus

Chaos Matrix library

further reading:

Liber Null & Psychonaut by Peter Carroll

The Book Of Results by Ray Sherwin