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The Laws of Bonewits in Mage

Bonewits Laws of Magick are a set of very general "laws" of magick which recur in most cultures. They can be used to flavor the magick of Mage and make it more "real". Some parts already exist in the system, while others can be added to create the right feel. Different traditions will of course emphasize different laws, which adds to the feeling. Magick conforming to the laws will be easier to work and more powerful, since it more closely follows the way humans think. The descriptions of the laws below are taken from an old posting by Michael Barlow on an Australian newsgroup, which have since then spread across the Net.

The Law of Knowledge

Major Law

The most basic of laws. "Understanding brings control." Key phrase is: "knowledge is power". If you know all there is to know about something then you have complete and total control over it.

This mirrors the idea of Spheres: if you understand a Sphere, you can control what it represents. A mage with Entropy 2 knows everything about randomness and weaknesses and can thus control them.

The Law of Self-Knowledge

Sub-law of Law of Knowledge

The most important kind of knowledge is knowledge of oneself (this attitude is true for martial arts). Key phrase is "know thyself".

This is important and tied to Arete. Many mages (especially extrovert mages like the Sons of Ether and Hermetics) tend to overlook this, and become masters of the external world while missing the internal world. True Ascension can only be achieved by total knowledge of yourself and the world (the same thing, really).

This is the main difference between mystics and mages. Mages generally turn outwards, learning how to control the world and seeking to understand it. Mystics turn inwards, and regard external pursuits as a waste of time.

Bonewits says of the above 2 laws:

"All the other laws depend upon these two; it is wise to keep that in mind at all times. I don't think these need any more explanation or defense... We can go on to others."

The Law of Names

Sub-law of Law of Knowledge & Law of Association

Knowing the complete and total true name of a phenomenon or entity gives you control over it. Key phrase: "What's in a name? Everything!" Example is Ursula Le Guin's Wizard of Earthsea, traditional demonology, etc.

This is the main tenet of classic hermetic magick and much of shamanism. If a mage knows the true name of something, it will be in his control. Knowing the true name of something would reduce the difficulty of a magickal operation quite a bit, and may be the only way to truly control (or destroy) certain beings or phenomena (like mummies, spirits and very powerful artifacts). Finding true names is of course quite hard, and different Traditions have different methods. Dreamspeakes make journeys into the Umbra to seek out the spirits and ask them to reveal the name. Hermetic mages delve into ancient tomes, trying to find the true name recorded somewhere.

The Law of Words of Power

Sub-law of Law of Names

There are certain words that are able to change and influence the inner and outer reality of those saying them. The power is said to lie in the sounds that compose the words. Related to mantras, magic spells (in the typical 'say those words' sense, etc.). Key phrase is: "a word to the wise is sufficient".

Another hermetic thought, and also used by the Nephandi. "Barbarian Invocations" is often used in magick. The mage chants ancient or incomprehensible formulas, which by their incomprehensibility and alienness gain power. Such invocations can be found in many libraries or passed down the tradition. Some are tied into special rotes, making them more powerful. Others are more general, and can be added into magickal invocations. Such general barbarian invocations are quite useful, empowering the magick, but also specialized a bit in their uses.

A barbarian invocation may call upon some almost forgotten gods, beings or references, and thus color the magick with their personalities and connotations. This may or may not be a good thing, depending on the use of the magick. A Babylonian invocation to Marduk may empower magick strengthening law and order, but would seriously disrupt any entropy magick. A barbarian invocation of Gnostic deities (like "Abracadabra", a distortion of the deity Abraxas) would not be suitable for magick involving beings from Christian mythology.

The Law of Association

Major Law

If two things have something in common then that common thing can be used to control both. Also, the two things have a mutual influence on each other, the degree of influence depending upon the "size" of the thing shared (commonalty). Examples are hunters eating the liver or heart of their prey to take their strength; the bread and wine of Christian services as blood and flesh of Christ. Not used very often in its "pure" form. Has two sub-laws which are heavily used, often by so called "primitive" cultures.

The Law of Similarity

Sub-law of Law of Association

The basis of "sympathetic magic"; effects resemble causes. Birds feathers stuck to your broom might make it fly, etc. Key phrase is "lookalikes are alike!"

This can be used to empower magick and encourage roleplaying. Just waving a pentagram in the air to summon lightening is not as efficient as throwing it to the ground, and a mage wishing to hurt someone using Life may stab his footprint.

The Law of Contagion

Sub-law of Law of Association; Overlap with Law of Similarity

Things once in contact continue to interact after separation. Emphasis is on objects or people that have been in physical contact. An example of the combination of the above 2 laws would be a voodoo curse on someone. Make a doll to resemble them (Law of Similarity), stick bits of hair, toe nail clippings etc. from the victim to it (Law of Contagion) then away you go. Association can be used in reverse to render an enemy powerless (e.g., Black Masses — Christian pray in reverse, inverted cross, etc.). Bonewits states that the Laws of Association are the most commonly used. Key phrase for Law of Contagion is: "power is contagious."

Quite obviously applicable to mage.

The Law of Identification

Sub-law of Knowledge, Association and Personification

By maximum association between your created pattern and that of an entity being "imitated" you can actually become that entity and wield its power. An example of this in a fantasy roleplaying context is avatars, priests, etc. of a god. Bonewits states that the problem with this is that you can become lost in the personality being "assumed". When it is only a temporary identification this is possession.

This can be used in interesting ways, not only for spiritual invocation as opposed to evocation, which summons spirits into the outside world. It is easier for the mage to become the being invoked, and thus draw it inside himself than force it to appear outside. A common practice among the Dreamspeakers and Verbena (Order of Hermes would never dream about using this method!) This can also work for other effects. A mage calling upon fire would become fire, dress in bright red, dance like the flames and aggressively destroy things in the vicinity like the devouring fire. This would make the magick much more powerful and efficient, and maybe the mage partially immune to its effect since he, after all, is fire too.

The Law of Synthesis

Independent Law?

The Law of Union of Opposites. The combination of 2 opposites leads to a 3rd thing that is stronger, truer, etc. than either of the 2 originals (sounds like a buddhist middle path to me). The new idea, object, etc. is not a compromise but something brand new. Key phrase is "synthesis reconciles."

Magick combining two opposites can become more powerful. A rather mundane effect would be to make the head of someone positive and the feet negative, causing a major electric discharge. A more deep use would be to transmute the elements of magick by combining them with their opposites to release their quintessence or the spirits imprisoned inside. Another example would be to create a protective ward by combining the four elements into a unity, which would be impervious to anything made of the elements.

The Law of Polarity

Independent — but related to Synthesis?

Anything can be split into 2 opposite parts and these 2 opposites contain the essence (potentiality) of the other. Bonewits makes statements such as "the blackness of white", "the whiteness of black", "as above so below" (pretty famous, that one), etc. Other parallels are the microcosm through the macrocosm, macrocosm through the microcosm, etc. The key phrase is: "everything contains its opposite."

A magickal effect can divide itself into two complementary parts, which remain in metaphysical contact after they have separated. A simple use is to enchant an object and break it apart. The two halves will affect each other, and if one is changed the other will change too. This can be used to increase the power of Correspondence (which, after all, deals more in relationships than space).

The Law of Balance

Related to Polarity and Synthesis

To survive and become powerful you must keep all aspects of your world, self, etc. balanced. Dynamic balance. Extremes are bad. key phrase is: "strike a balance".

Something many mages forget. Technomancers, Marauders and Nephandi are clearly unbalanced, and hurt themselves and others by their imbalance. However, Tradition mages also often forget it. Some Traditions place much emphasis on balance, especially the Akashic Brotherhood, Dreamspeakers, Order of Hermes and Celestial Chorus. But most of them seek only to balance the aspect of reality they find most important. The Akashic brothers seek to balance their minds, Order of Hermes the cosmic forces and Dreamspeakers the spiritual and material world.

The Law of Infinite Data

I'm not going to even try!

Impossible to know everything. There is an infinite amount of knowledge/data. Key phrase is: "there's always something new."

The Virtual Adepts and Void Engineers want to abolish this law in their Ascension/Singularity.

The Law of Finite Senses

Related to Infinite Data and others

Our senses are only capable of showing part of the total reality. There is/could be a heap more out there. Goes hand-in-hand with infinite data. Key phrase is: "we can't see everything."

In Mage this is an extremely useful law. There is always something out there which could be brought forth to fit a coincidental magick effect. Trying to see and understand everything around you will make reality more stable and less amenable to coincidences.

The Law of Infinite Universes

The above 2 and more

There's an infinite number of ways to view the universe and by the Law of Pragmatism [it's coming, don't panic] an infinite number of universes. Hindu and Buddhist perceptions of the universe. Everyone lives in their own universe (e.g., blind, deaf, etc. people live in a different world). Key phrase is: "infinite universes exist". Bonewits states that "The Incomplete Enchanter" series is based on the premise of altering perceptions and hence realities.

This is the basic premise of Mage.

The Law of Pragmatism

A whole heap of inter-relations

If it works then do it/it's right/true. Key phrase is: "if it works, it's true." Combined with Law of Infinite Universe leads to the statement "truth can be defined as a function of belief". Now we are back on our Believing is Seeing discussion of last year.

Rotes are a classic example of this. In many cases, no one knows why a certain rote demands that the mage should throw maple leaves to the South or similar odd acts, but the rote works better that way. "Truth is a function of belief" is another statement of the Metaphysics of Magick.

The Law of true Falsehoods

Sub-law of Pragmatism, related to synthesis, etc.

Contradictions, paradoxes, techniques, etc. that shouldn't work, but somehow do. Key phrase is: "if it's a paradox, it's probably true."

There are loopholes and bugs in reality, giving mages (and sometimes Sleepers) the chance to "sneak through" and get away with things. There are small holes in Technocratic Reality which clever inventors can use. Certain Traditions allow their mages to do things other mages wouldn't be able to do. A Virtual Adept sees gamma-rays as electromagnetism, hence a lesser force which can be created by Forces 3. A hermetic mage regards it as a high force, which must be created by Forces 5. The downside of this is, of course, there are things which shouldn't exist and yet do, like Paradox and Marauder magick.

The Law of Personification

Major law

Any phenomenon can be considered alive and to have a personality (be an entity) and therefore (by pragmatism, etc.) it's true (and often quite useful). Elementals, spirits of various phenomena, etc. Key phrase is: "anything can be a person". How do you like that for equality?

The Law of Invocation and Evocation

Sub-law(s) of Personification

You can summon (conjure) entities from the "inside" or "outside" of any pattern that you have set up. Hence (I interpret) we can summon entities which are personifications of anything we desire, design, etc. Key phrase is: "beings within, beings without."

These laws opens up fun possibilities. A mage may contact Forces, Matter or other Spheres in a personal way. Instead of throwing a brick using magick, he asks the brick to jump at the target. Instead of making the water of a stream divide, he asks its spirit to let him across. A classic part of Dreamspeaker magick.