1. **Definition & Origins** - Chaos Magick (or _chaos magic_) is a modern magical tradition (emerging around the 1970s–80s) that treats [[Belief]] itself as a tool. Rather than adhering rigidly to inherited magical systems (like ceremonial magic or Wicca), chaos magicians pick and choose beliefs, symbols, rituals — based purely on _what works_.  - It draws on a variety of influences: quantum theory, postmodern philosophy, psychological models, and older occult practices.  2. **Core Philosophy** - One of the foundational ideas is that **[[perception]] is conditioned by [[Belief]]**. By changing one’s beliefs (even temporarily), one can change the way reality “shows up.”  - Chaos magicians often create **sigils**, perform **practical ritual**, or use other idiosyncratic techniques to hack their own belief systems for change. - The famous phrase “nothing is true, everything is permitted” (sometimes attributed to chaos magicians) captures their relativistic, experimental attitude.  - Another key concept is **deconditioning**: the magician works to free themselves from the limiting beliefs and “fictions” of their ego and social identity. Phil Hine, a seminal chaos magician, describes this as breaking apart the mesh of beliefs that keep us tied to a fixed self.  3. **Practice** - [[Chaos]] Magick is very pragmatic: you try a practice, measure results, and if it works, you keep it; if not, you discard or adapt it. [[Arden Leigh]] even said she chose to call herself a chaos magician because she liked “choosing beliefs and practices based on the results they get you.”  - Many chaos magicians combine magical work with psychological tools: shadow work, trauma integration, belief repatterning, and other personal development modalities. Leigh describes a synthesis of magick with trauma healing, NLP, and pattern theory in her Re-Patterning Project.  --- ## **Arden Leigh and Her Approach to Chaos Magic** 1. **Identity & Background** - Arden Leigh is an occultist, musician, and teacher. According to her, she declared herself a chaos magician around 2015.  - Her work is deeply influenced by psychological transformation. She does not treat magick as purely esoteric ritual but as a means to **repattern beliefs**, heal trauma, and manifest sustainable change.  - Her project, _The Re-Patterning Project_, is built around personal development + magical practice.  2. **Philosophical Emphasis** - She highlights **deconditioning**: breaking free from conditioned belief systems about identity, society, and self.  - Leigh teaches that declaring yourself a magician is powerful (“Declare yourself a magician, behave like a magician, practice magic every day.”)  - She emphasises ethics and personal responsibility: her magical work is not just about power, but about _intentional transformation_. 3. **Public Teaching & Media** - In a podcast episode, Leigh discusses chaos magic and explains a core principle: “nothing is true, and everything is permitted.”  - On another podcast (Spirit Box), she explores how chaos magic underwrites her coaching and repatterning work, how it interacts with trauma and mental programming.  --- ## **Why This Matters (Conceptually)** - **Freedom + Flexibility:** Chaos magic, especially as practiced by Leigh, rejects dogma. This makes it a very _adaptive_ spiritual tool in a world that’s rapidly changing culturally and psychologically. - **Belief as a Skill:** Rather than being bound by inherited belief systems, chaos magicians learn to _use belief_ like a technology: testing, iterating, and choosing what works, which resonates with systems-theory approaches to identity and reality. - **Psychological Integration:** For Leigh, magic isn’t separate from the self — it’s deeply entangled with mental health, trauma, and self-knowledge. This makes her version of chaos magic not just about “making things happen” but about _growing as a person_. - **Cultural Relevance:** In a postmodern age where many question absolute truth, chaos magic’s principle that belief is optional and malleable appeals strongly, especially to people who don’t feel at home in traditional spiritual systems. --- `Concepts:` `Knowledge Base:`