Mage Sight

This episode is a review of the movie Altered States (1980), especially how it relates to Mage: the Awakening descriptions and concepts.

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In this episode we introduce the Guardians of the Veil, the Atlantean Pentacle's secret police who use subterfuge and misdirection to protect the Fallen World from the Abyss.

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The Guardians of the Veil form a closeted religion which believes magic is a great responsibility, and must be kept safe through means of secrecy. Their magical interests lie in opposing enemies of the Pentacle as well as resolving problems of Abyssal origin.

Their beliefs are two-tiered: Exoteric and Esoteric. Being an Order obsessed with secrecy, even most Guardians are not privy to their leaders' most controversial beliefs. To become a Guardian is to enter a world of lies and half-truths, not only uncovering those of their adversaries but also spreading their own.

We review the movie Stardust (2007) from a Mage: the Awakening and Chronicles of Darkness perspective.

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We discuss the Adamantine Arrow and how Mages who join this Order typically think and behave.

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The closest thing to an official military the Atlantean Pentacle can boast is the Adamantine Arrow, who see the state of the Fallen World as an active war zone and believe it their duty to serve others through peril. Their questions about the world are motivated not only by their own interests, typically malicious occurrences, but also by those of their fellow cabal members.

Being widely regarded as the oldest and the youngest of the Diamond Orders, the Adamantine Arrow has a long history. It formed in the Hellenistic period and its members have long found truth in Alexander the Great's notion that war is eternal. An Arrow's Awakening shifts their focus to the enemies of the Fallen World, coming to see themselves as its vigilant defenders.

We review Spirited Away (2001) as a Thyrsus Awakening in Chronicles of Darkness and discuss what matches and what doesn't.

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We talk more in-depth about Thyrsus, the Primal Wild, Beasts, and how these things can be represented.

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Thyrsus are those who rule Life and Spirit to tend the state of the Primal Wild, taming ideas in it which grow too powerful while healing those in danger. A Shaman lives within the song of the universe, living their lives to understand the spirits it creates. Ecstatics epitomize the Primal Wild, living as an ideal example of the current aspect of it which has their attention.

A Thyrsus is The Hermit in the Tarot, their magic The Moon. The Spirits they create are a perfect source of introspection on their quest seeking inner truth and their magic serves as a means of fighting the fear of the unknown, powered by trust of their instincts to show them the way in the face of uncertainty.

They summon Beasts, the Supernal entities under the Primal Wild's purview. Atavisms represent its brutality, appearing as a fearsome animal to offer their Thyrsus summoner their expertise of the Life Arcanum, typically acting on instinct. Their counterparts are called Totems, conscious spirits with their own will to offer their intuitive mastery of Spirit magic.

We review The Matrix (1999) as an Obrimos Awakening, with mentions of some other various interpretations in a Chronicles of Darkness context.

(I meant to talk about the "there is no spoon" scene before Neo meets the Oracle, but forgot. It's a very good example of the Matter Arcanum.)

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This week we talk more in-depth about the Obrimos Path, how it is experienced as an Awakening, and the ways those who Awaken under it imagine their magic to work.

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Obrimos see the world through the Aether to rule Forces and Prime, the energetic effects on everything in the Fallen World and the Truth of the Supernal itself. They are called Thaumaturges when attempting to dazzle others with their will, and Theurgists for their devotion to the truth of Truth.

As members of the only Path to represented by one of two Tarot, Obrimos are the Hierophant for believing in the structure found in conformity and conventional wisdom, or the High Priestess for focusing on personal intuition and the wisdom of their subconscious. Their spells are a manifestation of Strength, shaping the world with a will that has the courage to face it with compassion.

Obrimos summon Angels from the Aether, Seraphim and Cherubim. The manifest Seraphim often have a Biblical appearance but may also appear as some elemental phenomenon, like ball lightning. On the other hand, the recondite Cherubim are beings of raw power and magic, taking many shapes which sometimes include the animal forms of Biblical Cherubim, and which visibly glow with Mana. Angels typically provide their summoners with Boons of direct benefit, perhaps the revelation of a Mystery, or simply defeating their foes.

The Seventh Seal (1957) is a movie about a knight who comes home from the Crusades to be greeted by the devastation wrought by the black death. We talk about how the Moros symbolism in Mage: the Awakening matches what can be seen in the movie.

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This week's discussion is about the Moros Path to Stygia and after, including the symbolism seen along the Path and that which they use for their spells.

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Moros, rulers of Matter and Death, have taken a Path to Stygia to find Truth in the ever-changing and ever-lasting, and become known as Alchemists and Necromancers. The former mend and repurpose prized possessions while the latter perform services upon the dead and the memories they leave behind.

Death embodies Moros Awakened in the Tarot. They are an unrelenting force of change which cannot be escaped. Their spellcasting comes with a feeling of finality, the World manifest. The will of a Moros can spell both an inevitable conclusion and a new beginning.

The Supernal denizens of Stygia are Shades, some called Apeirons and others known as Spectres. Apeirons are experts of artifact lore and magical substances, often taking the form of some material shifting between physical phases or as a skilled laborer. A Spectre will appear as an unmistakable symbol of death to grant True knowledge of what is no more and insights into the nature of death, even how it might be escaped.