| The Flow |
| In this essay we shall attempt to discuss the Flow in a vaguely coherent fashion. In order to do that we will have to come to a common understanding of exactly what the "Flow" represents. The Flow is the essence of all creation from core to surface, from Alpha to Omega. It is the way, the why and the reason that all energy in every form functions as it does. It is the cumalitive property of all possibilities, probable and actual. It is the energy that suffuses and infuses all life, and all Creation. I will refrain from to much philosophical discourse here (hopefully) as I firmly believe that can be found with much greater meaning elsewhere. ( Check out the Ancient Teachings of the Masters, The Kabbalah,The Bible, and many other great teachings. I would caution you to avoid the religion and maintain a focus on the scientifically valid material inherent in each.) Technically Life and Creation are made of the same Flow, but for practical purposes a distinction will be made here for now. The Flow in it's initial formlesss form is what the mage or seer taps into to accomplish and fuel their actions and influence or view possible outcomes. It has laws by which it functions as it always has and by extrapolation always will. It functions in a state of perfect balance, and is the ultimate structure for within it exists every (read infinite) posssibility, yet only a given set of possibilities are sufficiently probable to weigh in as actuality or reality. The whole reason magick works is because it invokes the energy of the individual, or group for that matter, to change the state of the balance and thus weigh a probability down sufficiently to make it reality. While the balance will always maintain itself, the manner in which it does so can be changed through probability manipulation. While the universe would seem to be a simple thing based upon cause and effect as science, magick and religion have so often stated that just isn't the case. Quantuum physics states quite plainly that at the level of the smallest particles ( sub-atomic) it is quite impossible to observe the true nature or actions of these particles because for them to be observed the observer must have light and the particles of which light is made (photons) are larger than the particles to be observed. To make it short if you look at the particle you need light. Light moves the particle. Thus you can never observe the particle in it's natural state. Further this makes it so the scientist can only theorize the actions of the particle based upon it's past observed behavior. This is where the concept of infinite possibilities comes into play in reality. A scientist can determine through probabilities where that particle should be, but can never lock down the actual location and movement of the particle, since it can only be measured by it's affect on other particles. I won't go into to much more detail on the technical side of it just yet except to state the following. (This is from a physics book mind you not a magickal tome.) It is theoretically possible that if you put a pot of water on a hot stove that the water will become colder instead of hotter. Granted the possibility of this happening is very close to nil. If you were to boil an infinite number of pots of water on an infinite number of stoves occupying all the space in the univere for all of time, it would still almost certainly still never occur. But the possibility still exists, likelihood of occurence notwithstanding. This is the venue of magick. The Flow exists in everything holding all Creation together, save for an important difference in Life. Life possesses the ability to access the Flow directly by nature of being. The Flow in it's purest accessable form is metaphysical energy and that is what is used to manipulate those probabilities with a literally infinite number of possibilities to choose from. With understanding of the laws by which the Flow functions it becomes predictable and can be used as a tool. The ultimate tool, for in that I believe lies the course of our future. copyright 2001- The Lost Mage |
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