[UA]Chaos theory magick was [UA] Random Plots

[Brian Raines]

>>A couple of meteorologists plot to take over the world in a department

>This gives me an idea- Chaos Theory Magick!
>By causing a butterfly to flap its wings in the Amazon, you can create
>freak hurricanes in Belgium, etc. Possibly with unforseen side-effects.
>This may actually be an Avatar- the Mystic Butterfly? What you do is
>reflected in the world around you. Read Sprout Mask Replica for ideas.
>THINK THINK THINK.
>

I like this idea...maybe just because what is commonly referred to as
"Chaos Theory" is represented, at least in mathematics, by the kind of
stuff I do for a living.

I have an idea that might spark a good paradox for a school of magick based
on Chaos theory, assuming of course that obsessing about chaos isn't
paradoxical in itself--this is my wife's belief.   For a mathematical
phenomenon to be chaotic it must have a  heavy sense of regularity.
Randomness is not chaos.  Chaos in mathematics is to some degree
characterized by nice smooth large-scale patterns.  You see a pattern
everywhere you look, when just glancing at it....but upon closer inspection
you realize that the large-scale pattern is made up of hopelessly
complicated patterns that could never be completely deciphered by mortal
intelligence.  Then you see that these complicated patterns have nice
structure--only to be devestated by the realization that upon further
scrutiny, that nice structure is again hopelessly complicated...... and as
in weather--it goes the other way too.  Locally our jet streams and
pressure systems seem nice and regular, but the patterns in global weather
are amazingly complicated, impossible to decipher.

This distinction between randomness and chaos would be the difference
between entropomancers and chaos theory mages.....maybe it's too subtle a
difference.  I see the mages doing things that manipulate existing chaotic
structures, not just taking chances and pursuing randomness.

The Mystic Butterfly avatar would also work.  I like the idea of the
avatar's actions having HUGE repercussions, but I think we should also
throw in that they have absolutely no way to predict the outcome of their
actions....or maybe, they are learning how to harness the inherent chaos in
the world to their end.  So as they gain channels they gain the ability to
see connections between seemingly unrelated events and they can even be the
cause of these events.


Other ideas?

_______________________________________________
UA mailing list
UA at lists.uchicago.edu
http://lists.uchicago.edu/mailman/listinfo/ua