sorcerous inclinations

I believe in magic. Cope.

If you don’t, that’s perfectly fine, but this particular part of my site likely won’t interest you. You should probably just go elsewhere. No hard feelings. I believe in magic, though - spooky “action at a distance” and things like “high strangeness.” I have since I was about ten or eleven. My life experiences have made it such that the belief just isn’t going away.

People often split hairs and throw labels around when talking about any kind of occult activity, and that can muddle things. Me, I use the term sorcery to refer to magical activities of a general pragmatic sort, not necessarily specific to any path, ideology, religion or tradition. Sorcery is magic that gets stuff done on a worldly level. That’s it. Words like “witch” are entwined with extreme religious overtones these days, especially within occult communities, and other terms are similar ideological signifiers. I still like the word “witch” as well, mind you!

On the topic of religion, though, I must note that this part of the site is not about neopaganism. Neopaganism is a group of modern religions whichsometimes include magic. Wicca, for example, is a specific magical religion within that group. I’m attempting to present sorcerous techniques and links to information from all kinds of places, some of which may dovetail with religion (or not).

To me, sorcery is a somewhat universal term applicable to any occult technique that serves practical purposes. This can include the spells of a witch, Tarot readings, or the calls of a ceremonial magician - it’s an umbrella term. Other occultists might define things differently. That’s alright, of course. I mainly mention my definition so you’ll know what I mean when I use the word.

Online, sorcery can involve both casting spells related to one’s digital life as well as using information technologies for magical purposes. Sorcerers, mages, and witches have been doing both, arguably since the internet was first popularized. Some pagans were early adopters of spaces like Usenet, after all.

The following are some gathered external sources that align well with my goals for sorcerous explorations on this site, or are just incredibly useful in general…

The Psychonaut Field Manual by BlueFluke is a particularly postmodern, cybernetic take on the occult, with an emphasis on what is often called chaos magic. Gives tips for preparatory exercises for divination, but isn’t without problems just like the rest of this.
Sigil Engine allows you to create sigils online. That’s basically it, but it’s useful for that purpose, assuming you trust an online website to create your sigils for you. I myself make my own, but some folks might find this helpful.
Knight of Swords is a site here on neocities sharing some general information about Tarot readings, the cards, their meanings, and more. Though unfinished, it seems to have a lot of potential in the works!
Chaos Matrix is a well-known and respected repository of magical texts online, the majority of which concern chaos magic and the traditions that tend to swirl around it. There’s a lot of interesting guides posted over many years from many perspectives.
The Hermetic Library contains as much of the Western occult tradition as any person could ever handle, I suspect. Featuring almost all of the classics of the genre easily accessible online, it’s a great resource if you’d like to poke at somewhat older writing.
Sacred Texts moves far beyond the scope of Western occultism and encompasses just what the name implies - texts considered sacred throughout the world. These are often relevant in magic and worth reading regardless of origin, with different versions to compare, and more.
The Magical Ring is a “small web” webring designed to unite practitioners and sites focused on magic, divination, and other occult arts. I do intend to attempt joining at some point.
Bright Gnosis is a digitization of the website creator’s personal Book of Shadows, which is rather elaborate and comprehensive, with many sections to explore. It also features small recipes.
Wicca for the Rest of Us dispels some of the myths concerning Wicca, a topic that frequently pops up even today in discussions about the occult. The author does so with tact and provides ample secondary sources.

I have plans to upload some short resources of my own, focused on technology’s intersection with the occult. If you’ve a topic you’d like explored here, do contact me via my usual information in the sidebar. If you want to share links to your site or other sites with relevant content, contact me as well. If you haven’t already, consider having a look at my small astrology page, which pokes at the natal charts of various corporate entities of significance in the Information Age, or visit the page of divinatory tools.