Maybe running out of puns....

We didn't mean to cut-up the MLA writing collaboration (we did it on a Wiki), but servers and changes made cuts in what we wrote - and eventuallly we put a version online in MQ (much compressed) then finally cut it down again for the hard copy magazine.....

I really get off on finding a lost fragment of that Maybes coolaborative writing project - although I understand that no definitive text exists anywhere...

Check out this missing precognitive piece from Borsky's blog:

And where is Issue #13 hiding? Can't see the link in Issue #14....

Anyway, from Issue #12 : Nine Characters in Search for an Author...

Printers' Imps

I just received a box of hard copies of the Maybe Quarterly, and I know a whole bunch got distributed across the planet, so you may come across one, or know someone who knows someone who can get you a copy...

I'll send a few out to people I know might like one - or can put you in touch with the guy publishing it - you can pay mail costs by PayPal and he could send you a bunch.

Or, or - Oh I don't know, we only did it for fun (as ever).

I am only sorry that Kent (our first editor) didn't live long enough to see us manifest it.

I really enjoyed sparring with Kentroversy – just because I don’t do those seemingly camp rituals doesn’t mean that he didn’t help me realise me that I shouldn’t dismiss the whole thing out of hand. We just belonged to different 'schools'.

The constant crossover between ‘show-biz legerdemain’ (of which I remain a fan, and occasional practitioner) and ‘ritual magick’ can lead to Second Circuit bickering among the sub-groups, but this exhibition in Austin, Texas (on the Alchemy website) demonstrates that the link remains strong.

Bobby and I made a collaborative piece bringing the two ‘greatest magicians in the world’ - Houdini and (young) Crowley - together - by Magical Means.

Anyway - manifesting the magazine does seem like magic to me - and here's a passage from AC that shows how close Kent and I sometimes came to thinking the same way.

MAGICK IN THEORY AND PRACTICE

"Magick is the Science and Art of causing Change to occur in conformity with Will.

(Illustration: It is my Will to inform the World of certain facts within my knowledge.

I therefore take "magickal weapons", pen, ink, and paper; I write "incantations"---these sentences---in the "magickal language" ie, that which is understood by the people I wish to instruct; I call forth "spirits", such as printers, publishers, booksellers and so forth and constrain them to convey my message to those people. The composition and distribution of this book is thus an act of Magick by which I cause Changes to take place in conformity with my Will.)
In one sense Magick may be defined as the name given to Science by the vulgar."

So, behind the elaborate language I find a model of the world I can understand.

A couple of years ago we even manifested our own currency (though the only 'real' ones are the ones that RAW signed and sold on eBay, maybe) - you can still print yer own, if it takes yer fancy...Raw patatows seem worth at least as much as the average dollar/pound/euro these days!

You want a real one? Use your 'wrong hand' (RAW had got pretty shaky by then) and scribble 'RAW' on your 'forgery', and Shazam! it becomes authentic.

Hail Eris!

endlessly evolving

It feels great to have this group blog working again as a real conversation. Whether it makes quite as much sense to visitors, I have no idea.

As a balance to this endlessly growing linear blog (dense with content) I made a start on a simple OM website - slightly more static and permanent - as a way to extract and compress some of what this blog contains (rather like the Imperfect Index - which hasn't seen an update for a while now.) I used Google Page Creator, just as an experiment.

As it happens, Page Creator itself seemed like a beta test, and now that Google intend to migrate all PageCreator sites into their new Google Sites realm (which uses JotSpot technology) they have caused a ruckus among people who have got attached to Page Creator, or set up businesses using it, and didn't realise that Google had 'merely used them as beta testers' (guinea pigs).

Phew, although I have played with GooglePages a bit, I didn't come to rest my weight on it, as it remained listed in their Labs section (i.e. playground and test area). Still, now that the OM website has started to appear in Google listings when you search for Only Maybe, it does seem a shame if it migrates to a new URL. We'll see in the coming months.

Anyway - given that several of us like the idea of shared and collaborative wikis and webpages (see links on right, to Illuminatus Wiki, and to The Tale of The Tribe) I'll keep an eye on it. We might like the idea of a members only area, as well as a public face like this one.

As the Academy continues to run online courses (Bless 'em) but the new general forum (we've had 4 previous ones) has received a lot of criticism (in terms of usability, display, functionality, etc) - sombunall of us might like easier ways to stay in touch.

Having said that, if I had time and money I would take Erik's class on RAW [RAW Secrets Sept 8 - Oct 19 Eric Wagner]. Full course outline here.

In his writings, Bob Wilson pointed to Prometheus Rising over and over again as a practical handbook for self-directed change of the mind/body system. This class will emphasize doing as many of the exercises from this book as possible during a six week period as well as closely reading the text. Bob designed the exercises to weaken the existing imprints and to help the experimenter become a self-metaprogrammer, reimprinting the nervous system as each individual sees fit. In addition this class will explore alternatives to the eight circuit/system/dimension model. Please join Eric Wagner on this six week mission, to explore strange new worlds and new civilizations, both within and without ourselves, to boldly go where no one has gone before.

I always recommend workshops with Antero Alli, who will run an Astrologik class [Astrologik Sept 22 - Nov 2 Antero Alli ].

For the full schedule you need to go to the MLA forum, or here (to register)., or read through the course details here. Note: I hope the interface for the classes works more smoothly than the general forum. I'd welcome any feedback from recent students, as I haven't done a course for a while, and have nostalgia for the fun we had when everything worked smoothly.

Ah, the good old days!

NEWS FLASH! The limited edition hard copy of Maybe Quarterly does seem imminent now, so if you want a copy contact your favourite MLA graduate, or watch this space. Or maybe take a long shot on finding one on a park bench near you - through serendipity and synchronicity, or magick (if that's yer thing). I like the idea of putting some copies on Book Crossing, so we can track their adventures.

Maybes Update!

I've restored all but 3 chapters from Borsky's PDF backup to the wiki.

2009 Update: that old wiki finally died, but we do have a new one started recently.