RFC: Ideas about a computer metaphor for magickal work
I had some ideas that I thought were interesting and I thought I would run them by you.
This takes the stance that magick is an application of will through psychic or occult means. For a spell to have an effect on the world, there has to be an investment of will and energy with which that pattern of intention can play out. In this way, we can look at a spell as an algorithm that is being run in an allocated space of will. With this metaphor, you can use a number of computer metaphors in the process of directing will toward intent.
There are two models of processing spells: interpreted and compiled. In the interpreted model, the magician acts as an interpreter for the algorithm, consciously applying will through each step of the algorithm. Each step of the of algorithm is enacted in order - the magician 'runs' the spell step by step. I think this is the general model of a lot of ceremonial magic.
The compiled model, the magician takes two roles, that of compiler and as runtime. The actual algorithm is designed and the steps encoded through a process of compilation. A symbol set signifying the algorithm inserted into the subconscious (probably through gnosis or other such means of imprinting) with a trigger of some sort that can be invoked later. At the appropriate time, the algorithm is invoked and the encoded symbol set is processed in runtime by the subconscious or a combination of the subconscious and conscious. This is similar to the process that is used in chaos magick and sigilization.
I think that something this model might open up for more attention than other models lies in the concept of spell as algorithm. Instead of simply releasing energy with attached intent, you are releasing it with a concept of process (really an intent of process). This might be able to afford your spell a bit more complexity with more control over how it actually plays it out. (Of course, you may end up sacrificing some flexibility in the energy itself.)
I see the design of the algorithms as much freer form than the design of programming code, as we are dealing with a world that is iconic, and since your conscious and subconscious are able to make decisions that are intelligent and can take intent into account.
Ideally, you would develop a symbol set that you use as a set of primitives and some sort of strategy for order and possibly flow control. These symbols should be symbols that have meaning for you that you and your subconscious can access and utilize during runtime. And given the fact that our processor is much more flexible, we can use any sort of method of flow control that you can understand - code, flowcharts, graphics, etc.
It's also possible that we can build procedures, compile them or standardize a symbol for them and then call those procedures from other algorithms, building a sort of spell library to call from.
This also leads the concept of creating algorithms that can run independently of oneself - servitors essentially, by designing their algorithm and then compiling them to run and respond to stimuli and triggers. The trick here is to attach the process to an external source of energy, otherwise it will be continuously running off of your personal energy and will. Once it is attached to an external source, it can run as a daemon or cron spell, following the algorithm that defines it. Once can (and should, probably) build into the algorithm a number of triggers to act as commands to alter their behavior. A 'kill process' trigger of some sort would be necessary, for instance.
We can use object oriented programming concepts here to 'create' and 'destroy' spell objects, assign properties, etc. This might even be the core of one's symbol set, thus magick being seen not as a direct application of will, but an application of will to create objects that enact change. This might be especially useful for activities with a high risk factor of backlash - it's like sending in a bot to do it for you.
I/O would be necessary to determine if processes are running correctly and to interact with processes as they run. Input may be easy (simply a more conscious application of will with the intent of sending a trigger or command). Output would be more problematic, I think, since it would be highly dependent on one’s ability to sense such things. Maybe a better approach would be using some sort of divination method as a conduit for output. I'm not sure exactly how that would work. However, with effective I/O, we can look at effective debugging.
Some other concept that might be useful to look at are error trapping and garbage collection. Id have to think about them a bit more, I think. But if we took those into account when designing code, they can be included into the algorithms. With a combination of standardized symbols, tools for I/O and debugging, libraries of procedures, one could even build your own 'programming environment'.
Anyway, comments?
This takes the stance that magick is an application of will through psychic or occult means. For a spell to have an effect on the world, there has to be an investment of will and energy with which that pattern of intention can play out. In this way, we can look at a spell as an algorithm that is being run in an allocated space of will. With this metaphor, you can use a number of computer metaphors in the process of directing will toward intent.
There are two models of processing spells: interpreted and compiled. In the interpreted model, the magician acts as an interpreter for the algorithm, consciously applying will through each step of the algorithm. Each step of the of algorithm is enacted in order - the magician 'runs' the spell step by step. I think this is the general model of a lot of ceremonial magic.
The compiled model, the magician takes two roles, that of compiler and as runtime. The actual algorithm is designed and the steps encoded through a process of compilation. A symbol set signifying the algorithm inserted into the subconscious (probably through gnosis or other such means of imprinting) with a trigger of some sort that can be invoked later. At the appropriate time, the algorithm is invoked and the encoded symbol set is processed in runtime by the subconscious or a combination of the subconscious and conscious. This is similar to the process that is used in chaos magick and sigilization.
I think that something this model might open up for more attention than other models lies in the concept of spell as algorithm. Instead of simply releasing energy with attached intent, you are releasing it with a concept of process (really an intent of process). This might be able to afford your spell a bit more complexity with more control over how it actually plays it out. (Of course, you may end up sacrificing some flexibility in the energy itself.)
I see the design of the algorithms as much freer form than the design of programming code, as we are dealing with a world that is iconic, and since your conscious and subconscious are able to make decisions that are intelligent and can take intent into account.
Ideally, you would develop a symbol set that you use as a set of primitives and some sort of strategy for order and possibly flow control. These symbols should be symbols that have meaning for you that you and your subconscious can access and utilize during runtime. And given the fact that our processor is much more flexible, we can use any sort of method of flow control that you can understand - code, flowcharts, graphics, etc.
It's also possible that we can build procedures, compile them or standardize a symbol for them and then call those procedures from other algorithms, building a sort of spell library to call from.
This also leads the concept of creating algorithms that can run independently of oneself - servitors essentially, by designing their algorithm and then compiling them to run and respond to stimuli and triggers. The trick here is to attach the process to an external source of energy, otherwise it will be continuously running off of your personal energy and will. Once it is attached to an external source, it can run as a daemon or cron spell, following the algorithm that defines it. Once can (and should, probably) build into the algorithm a number of triggers to act as commands to alter their behavior. A 'kill process' trigger of some sort would be necessary, for instance.
We can use object oriented programming concepts here to 'create' and 'destroy' spell objects, assign properties, etc. This might even be the core of one's symbol set, thus magick being seen not as a direct application of will, but an application of will to create objects that enact change. This might be especially useful for activities with a high risk factor of backlash - it's like sending in a bot to do it for you.
I/O would be necessary to determine if processes are running correctly and to interact with processes as they run. Input may be easy (simply a more conscious application of will with the intent of sending a trigger or command). Output would be more problematic, I think, since it would be highly dependent on one’s ability to sense such things. Maybe a better approach would be using some sort of divination method as a conduit for output. I'm not sure exactly how that would work. However, with effective I/O, we can look at effective debugging.
Some other concept that might be useful to look at are error trapping and garbage collection. Id have to think about them a bit more, I think. But if we took those into account when designing code, they can be included into the algorithms. With a combination of standardized symbols, tools for I/O and debugging, libraries of procedures, one could even build your own 'programming environment'.
Anyway, comments?