#magick.codes

A collection of notes from the talks--including mine--and breakout sessions from Magick.Codes.

At this link, you can sign up for the email list, with updates.

But with more slides. Will post those later. As more people talked, I realised that a) I needed to make sure more women get incorporated into the expanded version, especially Athena; and b) my talk acted as kind of a broader framing narrative for the themes everyone touched on. Check the hashtag for more on that, as well as the amazing things that I saw and noted all day Saturday. Just go click all those links, up there. One of the best things that happened: Ingrid pulled a tarot card in Karen Gregory's talk, which was right after mine, at the start of the day, but she didn't look at it until the end of the day, during dinner, after a WILDLY successful day of collaboration. Her card? 3 Of Cups. No shit. Ended up separated from Ingrid, Ella, Deb, Tim, and Tom, but going on Ingrid's suggestito this bar/club/record store/bakery/??? called Cake Shop, and the bar staff were Amazing. From there, meeting up with spookychan, and then going to this club called Pyramid with her and soulbots and Roy, came home, crashed out, and had dreams about hanging out with Duncan Jones and David Bowie. So when I got up, yesterday, I loaded up my phone with "Earthling" and "The Next Day" and some Sneaker Pimps, Fiona Apple, and Scroobius Pip, because listening to my dreams seemed like great idea and it was. It really REALLY was. That Scroobius Pip choice was a really random one. My eye crossed it and I thought, "*shrug* yeah that feels like New York." This would become hilarious on a Jungian level, much later in the evening. Went to breakfast and general talking and wandering with Tom, who helped me clarify my thinking about the addition/reincorporation of Athena into my talk. Later in the day, we met up with Ella, at La Colombe, down on LaFayette near Broadway. Great coffee, great conversation. Came back to Chan's place, answered student emails, did some teacherly work, and then… Well. Let's call it MORE WEIRD SHIT. Super synchronicities with and amazing meetings OF some really astounding people at a party to which I was very randomly and graciously invited. I met some astounding talents and people whose work I've admired for many years now. In some cases, not realising to whom I was talking until Well into our conversation. At this point, I'd tell you all the details of what happened last night, but you'd really just think I was bragging, if you don't already, and that is so not the point. The point is: Magic Works, Y'all. It really really works. I almost didn't come to this weekend, for myriad reasons. Try magick, today. Try it at home. Find people and books and start a coven or a prayer circle or a biblical cryptographic exegetical collaborative, or whatever it takes. Just tap into the current of this universe, however you can, and ride it while it rides you. …that sounded sexier than intended, but also exactly as sexy as necessary? So it stays. It stays.

If you're wondering what I'm up to this weekend, check here.

'There were these two men, sharing a railway carriage. They didn’t know each other. They just happened to be travelling together. One of the men had, resting in his lap, a cardboard box with holes punched in the top. After some time spent contemplating what might be inside his travelling companion’s box, the other man at last could not contain his curiosity. He said, “Excuse me, but I couldn’t help noticing your box. Does it contain some variety of animal?” The other man, though obviously surprised by this impertinent intrusion from a stranger, smiled politely as he answered, “You’re absolutely right. There is indeed a creature kept inside this box. And furthermore, I may reveal, the animal in question is a mongoose.” 'The first man, who’d initiated the enquiry, was astonsihed by this revelation. Spluttering with surprise, he sought some further explanation of this certainly provocative disclosure made by his strange fellow-traveller. “A mongoose? Sir I must confess I had expected it to be perhaps a cat, or rabbit, not a creature so exotic and outlandish. The animal you mention so excites my curiosity that I must beg you, sir, to tell me more. Where are you bound with such a specimen, if I may be so bold?” The other man, who sat with the perforated box on his lap, shrugged wearily as he replied, “Well, it’s something of a personal matter, as it concerns a family tragedy. However, since I’m confident I may rely on your discretion, I suppose I don’t mind sharing my unfortunate account with you.” '“You see,” the man went on, “this sorry tale concerns my elder brother. He’s always been what I suppose you might refer to as the black sheep of the family. He has for many years indulged himself in a predictable and commonplace array of vices, of which the worst is his fondness for strong spirits. His drinking has progressed until he is now in the final stages of delerium tremens. My brother now sees serpents everywhere, which is the reason I am taking him this mongoose, that he may be rid of them.” '“Excuse me,” the other man interjected, looking puzzled, “But, these snakes your brother sees… aren’t they imaginary snakes?” '“Indeed,” his fellow traveller replied. “But this,” and here he gestured meaningfully to the perforated box set on his lap, “is an imaginary mongoose.”‘

Yes!That's going to be a weird habit to break. :)

I have to keep reminding myself that my most important question when preparing to present anything is, "What am I adding to this discussion?" I've been fighting the battle of trying to get people to take the conjoined perspectives of magick and tech seriously for so long that, now that I'm going to be saying something--now that I've been INVITED TO SAY SOMETHING-- to a room full of Really Smart People who already DO, I need to change my focus. I need to get out of siege mode, and back into construction phase, you know? Now that we've actually managed to start the damn conversation, I have to remember what the fuck it was I wanted to say… No fear, though. I've got it laid out pretty well. I just need to remember: I'm not necessarily fighting the river uphill with these folks. I can actually do the work, now. And that's both nice, and terrifying.

Yesterday we went and saw Big Hero 6 for teratocybernetics' birthday. It was awesome. More thoughts on that, later. I've been invited to speak at the Magick.Codes conference! I was beginning to think that I wasn't going to see the inside of a plane, this year! It's up in NYC, and I'll be staying with spookychan and oh yeah it's in Two Fucking Weeks. I mean, another component is also in spring 2015, but… Two Fucking Weeks. Magick, man. That shit don't play. I've been livetweeting Constantine, and I've been getting some really interesting responses from the cast and crew. Especially when I said this. So… not for nothin', but if you could maybe watch this week's episode, at some point this weekend, and talk about it on the Internet, it'd eventually do me, you, and anyone who loves magick accurately portrayed on television a powerful world of good. I also sent in an abstract for the Southwest Popular/American Culture Association's Philosophy and Popular Culture track. I wrote the abstract in like 30 minutes and it was EXACTLY the lower word limit. I haven't gone back to look it over, again, because… Yeah, no. Tomorrow, after I've slept a bit. Then there's that Ultimate Star Trek and Philosophy thing I posted about, last month… Yeah. Some serious stuff to look forward to.