Stereotypes Part Two

Application

Now for some further application. Following here are three are templates I have used effectively for years. I call them: Crystal Warrior, Foot Soldier and Corporate Evil.

“Crystal Warrior” is a character I came up with from being subjected to all those dreadful 80’s Llewellen books and their readers. He is useful for when you need to be able to hide somewhere.

This bunch provide good cover and they have surprising amounts of money which they spend on Dragon statues, coffee, Dream Catchers and Anne Mc Caffree.

The idea basically is the sort of “wet dream” that many of those purple velvet wearing pseudo wiccans chased. For this experiment you will need some fairly tight, (if not stretch) blue jeans and a brown leather belt. The best kind for this, (if you can possibly manage it) is one of those mystery plat belts. If you can contrive some sort of sun or ambivalently shaped belt buckle as well – award yourself ten points.

In the shoe department you want to get some “slip on” moccasin styled leather shoes to match the belt. Avoid wearing socks with them. You are now well on your way.

You will want an oversize white silk or micro fibre shirt. By oversize I mean extra large – or double extra if you aren’t the slimmest of pixies, (like myself!) The idea is that it should balloon out like a pirate shirt and be the sort that you can roll the cuffs up the forearm after a fashion that they will kind of stay there. This must be tucked into the trousers and then bloused out a bit. The shirt should remain undone just far enough to reveal the bright “chincey” pentagram you have for this look. If you have one of those ones with the coloured glass gems on it or some Celtic knot work – again award yourself ten points.

Be sure to keep it all “shiny and new” looking. The other option here is the Amerindian neck collar. Choose one of those beaded ones but make sure you know what it means. Some of your audience will be au fait with this and wearing one you are more than likely to attract one of them. You will need to know what to say.

Now the face and hair. These are important that you get them right so pay close attention. If you have facial hair then you might want to bear in mind that goatees are only just acceptable. Clean shaven is best here. Do not be shy of moisturizer or indeed even a bit of foundation to even you out. You can even, (if you know what you are doing!) go for a bit of mascara on the upper eyelash to give them a slightly fuller look. Resist the temptation if you haven’t done this before. We don’t want you looking like Marilyn Manson. You are aiming here for the look of a pasty sort who has gotten a tan recently.

The other option to this if you are thirty five or older is to go for the more rugged look and for that you will need light stubble and can forego the moisturizer and foundation.

In this case you can get away with a fair latitude with regards to your hair. Many of these had shorter hair – indeed just as many had long hair. The same can be said between dark or light hair. If you have hair that has streaks or highlights, then all you need to do is give it a bit of a flick and blow dry at the front so it is a little “boofey”.

Avoid, at all costs greasy hair! If you have naturally really greasy hair then wash, condition, blow dry and mix through some powder to keep it light and dry. If your hair is long then do a pony tail and then pull out the elastic about an inch away from your head. Pull it straight back so that when you let it, it falls down and is a bit “flouncey”. Your pony tail wants to be loose unless you are directly bearding Llewellen fans – in which case tight is best. Get an old scrap of velvet lacing, (no more than 4 mm across!) and tie that in a small bow over the elastic. Trim and fray ends a bit – they should hang no more than three or four centimetres.

Lastly you will need a big waistcoat. If you can get one that has patches in purple or electric blue on it somewhere then great! If it has satin on it somewhere or some sort of paisley print then all the better.

Now saunter on down to your local “alternate” store and get a couple of cheap silver rings. At least one each hand. If they look like those ones imported straight from Bali then they will be perfect. The rule of thumb is big and wide if they are unadorned or slimmer if they have rolls or knot work on them. If you should see one with a wolf or bear’s head get it – this will be your totem.

This is your first test. When in there, sprinkle your conversation with soft: “Wow”, “Cool” and “Man” expletives. Try this out at home first to get used to it. If you are going for the hardcore Llewellen look you will want to affect a slight Californian twang and say “Like” as well. Make sure that your smile seems just a tad dopey. Nod occasionally to yourself. See if you can get some “John Lennon” glasses while you are there – if they sell them in colours then go for the pink or blue. Make sure they fit but don’t wear them unless they can sit down your nose a bit.

ONLY after you have passed through this territory without causing a ripple should you then hie yourself to the local “New Age” store and get some tumbled stones and at least one tiny quartz crystal to put in your waistcoat pocket. Get a pamphlet as to what they mean too. Remember that while you may know – you need to know what the current New Age thinking is too. Give them all nicknames of a New Agey sort and then only refer to them with a private smile from there on in.

Lastly you need to frequent, (while thus duded up so you get the whole feel for the character programming!) a couple of the more fluffier “Wiccan” websites on the net to get your “patter down”. Failing this get a second hand beat up copy of any “Teen Age Witch” book you can find and jam it in your back pocket. That way you can claim ignorance as you are “just starting out!”

When interacting, you must be comfortable with long lingering glances, pointless conversations, specious theorising and hugs. This last one is important – almost as much as being able to say, (without wincing or gagging!) either “Blessed Be”, “Live Long and Prosper” or “Peace”. If you react poorly to this your cover is blown.

Be careful to not seem overly knowledgeable about anything. You think everything and guess plenty based on your meditations. If you get into trouble nod sagely and say: “Wow that’s deep – for sure – I did not know that. Cool” You MAY want to add some sort of “angelic guide” patter but this, (like the Amerindian collar) must be something you work out in advance. You will be expected to know which Angel it is and something about them from their perspective. You will be astounded how it attracts those with a penchant for it and again, if you get it wrong – your work is wasted.

Bear in mind that this sort all know each other – they all go to the same markets and workshops, (not lectures – they don’t like lectures – they go to workshops!) and so if you screw it up – everyone will know. Blow it in one place and you may well have to start all over again somewhere far away so as to lessen the possibility of being spotted as a “wolf in sheep’s clothing”.

“Foot Soldier” is a character I came up with from being subjected to many an 80’s death/black metal inspired sorts. He is useful for when you need to be able to move about and not be questioned. This bunch provide good cover of this kind and they have surprising amounts of loyalty which they spend on others who profess to the same bands and orders that they do. This mob are an even tighter community than New Agers and it may well take longer to get in with them. Some of them indeed won’t accept you until you have undergone some sort of “hazing rite” of passage which may involve bizarre ritual or at least unnatural levels of alcohol consumption.

The idea basically, is the sort you see going to any “Metal” concert or in film clips of the like of “Type O Negative” or any of the darker metal groups. For this experiment you will need some fairly tight, (if not stretch) black jeans and a band tee shirt. Now you may not just pick up any old band shirt and throw it on – this simply won’t do at all.

Professing the wrong loyalties in this case is NOT ACCEPTABLE .

You will need to research this well as most of the constituent groups openly profess their leanings in this manner. If you wish to get “in” with any particular group you will need to get the right band and in some cases the right shirt made for that band. Some bands even have old and new designs so you can see easily how this can quickly become a minefield of potential stuff ups. Furthermore, if you have one of these shirts that advertises the particular band, you will be expected, (by the others) to know the band member’s names, all the titles of their albums, all of the names of the songs, your favourite songs and the lyrics to them as well, (which in some cases you will need to read because you will not be able to understand them!)

Having got the correct shirt to go over your regulation black jeans, it is well worth the effort to wash them and hang them out to dry for at least a week – preferably a fortnight. In some cases you may be lucky enough to gain these “second hand” through a thrift shop. If that is the case the jeans may well be a bit worse for wear – which is all to the good. The correct shirts are hard to find so you may well have to purchase it brand new.

If this is the case you need to age it a bit. The hanging out in all weather for a fortnight gives a good start. Always remember to let the clothes line turn round – you don’t want it faded on one side only. If you can smoke, then put a burn hole near the bottom somewhere. If you can’t smoke then don’t!

Now on to the accessories. You will want to get either an old black belt that is battered and a bit stretched or one of those cheap ones from the two dollars shops that have the flat studs along it. Do NOT be tempted to go into some boutique shop and buy a state of the art creation replete with rocket studs and printed scenes of future wastelands – no one actually buys these things.

In the shoe department you will want to get either some of those standard black work boots or some old white mangled trainers. Studiously avoid any sort of label shoes. If you are looking to impress old metal heads find some old gym boots in a thrift shop. The other variant of this which is really worth the investment is some Doc Marten’s boots. Get some calf high ones but again avoid those that you may well see in boutiques that have all manner of paintings, or studs and gee gaws.

Spend some time observing your target audience well to see how they tie their laces on these though. In the realm of these boots tying them up the same way that the others do will go a long way. This is another one of those things that sounds silly but you can take it from me that it can be important.

In the further realm of accessories, if where you live is cold get an old grey great coat from the army disposals. If you can contrive to leave it crumpled up under someone’s house for a couple of weeks all the better. When it comes to jewellery you also need to be careful. If you can get away with rings then you want to invest in some of the cheap pewter sort. skulls, band names, pentagrams or possibly even an animal head are all acceptable. Again do not get precious with these – they should look battered and grotty.

Get a couple of cheapo pentagrams on leather thongs and maybe one on a silver chain of varying lengths. If you can see one that is like the one on the front cover of Simon’s Necronomicon award yourself extra points and get it post haste. Avoid gold at all costs. They won’t have it and so therefore neither should you. Besides, some of those you will be courting may well scruple nothing of removing it from you. This also extends to sunglasses that should always be cheap. Metal heads do not, not, NOT wear Bolle’s! Only pretenders and poseurs do that and it IS the sort of thing that gets noticed.

This is perhaps the only place wherein you can indeed by ignorant of what you have round your neck – if that suits your cover story. There is, in this case nothing wrong at all with looking at the piece round your neck and shrugging before saying: “Fucked if I know – I just thought it looked cool!”

Now the face and hair. Again, these are important so you will need to get them right. If you have facial hair then you have the options of a goatee or all over stubble. Clean shaven is really only acceptable if you have a bit of a baby face and am looking to be taken in as a wide eyed newbie. Do not be shy of a certain musk you may well accumulate in your boots or great coat. If you can contrive to have some strong smelling whiskey spilled on it so that the smell reactivates in hot weather all the better. You should allow your hair to have the faint aroma of cigarette smoke and to be just a bit more oily or dry than perhaps it should. Avoid streaks, (unless you are female) or elaborate hair styles.

Hair length is not especially important. You will find all manner of hair styles evident BUT those who have long hair tend to wear it as a badge of office. It shows that one does not “give a shit” about anyone else and that one is committed to the way of life. If you have a sculptured state of the art hair creation, then you need to mess it up. Sorry – “them’s the breaks” – like expensive sun glasses they will give you away.

You should likewise avoid make up if you are male unless of course, your target audience wears it. In that case you must take care to not do yours as well as the obvious leader. Be proficient but not as good as them. At no point in any way should your ever show up the alpha male. It ca and will be taken as vulgar display of challenge and you may well be penalised heavily for it if not simply ostracised.

Now once you have assembled all this you will need to try it out. The best way to do this is to hie yourself to a local pub where a metal band is playing. You should stand at the bar the whole time and drink cheap beer. This is your first test.

Do NOT order complex drinks – EVER. Get used to cheap beer – it is safe. Ascertain first what most people in your area drink. The variations from state to state, city to city and sometimes even from pub to pub are important. You may also wish to acquaint yourself with Vodka and Bourbon. If you can cope with it straight from a bottle then all the better. Resist the urge to mix and then put it into a bottle. If anyone else swigs on you they will know!

While there you may do well to note that the others often use hand signs at particular times with particular people. It is not acceptable to just wander around giving the “sign of the horns” to everyone. This will mark you as a dickhead. You need also to work on your cool head bob. Do this at home in front of a mirror while leaning with one elbow on a high table or bed end. The idea is to slightly nod constantly in time to whatever music is playing. If you can do so that your shoulders come forward ever so slightly each time and your head actually comes forward a bit as well then all the better.

Now you will feel silly doing this BUT it is important to get it right AND to get used to it. After an hour of doing this your neck will be SORE. You must not be sore in a club – it will give you away. When you find yourself out for the 24 hour “field trip” you will have no where to hide physical maladies like this. If at any time you can’t avoid it, pretend instead to be hung over.

It may well take some time for anyone to talk to you which is good because it will also allow you to listen to them. You will need to speak like they do and the best way to prepare yourself is simply, (if that is not something you are used to) to get used to saying all manner of profanity in every kind of emotion. “Get fucked” can be as often amazement at good or bad things as it is a snarl at someone you hate. If you have hang ups about, (as they are often rendered) “the “P”, “C”, “F” etc words then you better “get over” them. You may not have to use them often, nor even hear them often but you do need to not wince or correct people.

Bear in mind that this sort all know each other very well. Even those that they don’t know are very much “us” against “them”, (everyone else in society). When they don’t “get on” you should not be surprised to see vicious fights and the occasional real injury. When these do get on well you will see real depths of loyalty. Always be careful who you look sideways or speak slightlingly of. It is important to remember here that if you piss someone off you may well get the absolute snot beaten out of you. This is not the sort of thing that happens in most other places these days and the sort of visceral raw world that these inhabit may well be shocking to the unprepared.

It, (unlike most other social subgroups) has well established and defined “pecking orders” that are often rigidly enforced in a manner that will seem harsh to outsiders. The benefit of this is that if travelling alone you can feel free to scowl at almost anybody and not talk. The rest of society never expects them to. Perfect cover.

“Corporate Evil” is a standard character that is an adaptation of the old occultist typing that was popular in the seventies. This form grew slowly over the seventies from a sort “born” in the sixties especially in the U.K. It was based on the “pseudo respectable occultist” image made popular by the sort of “elbow patched tweed suit squad”. By the late seventies and early eighties where I live this had transformed into a softer version of what one sees out of many of the Satanists inspired by the American Church.

This one is much easier than any of the other sorts in that there is less to be precise about in terms of dress and as long as you can speak enigmatically you can pull off just about anything. The effect is basically achieved by a black skivvy, (tight turtle necked if you can manage it) under a black suit. In terms of belts you should get a plain black belt to match the shoes. These should be of the black leather slip on moccasin type.

You should have one or two rings, (but no more than this!) on each hand. If you can manage to get at least one Masonic ring from a pawn brokers then all the better. Remember that it is best to have these in silver rather than gold unless you have a wedding ring or Mason’s ring. It is permissible to have a wrist bangle if it be the sort of Balinese twisted wire or copper band type.

You will need a single pentagram on a slim silver chain for your neck. It should be a plain sort. Resist the temptation to get ones that are showy or complex. Failing this, should you find a small lapel pin with a pentagram on it this will suffice too. The idea is to keep it very simple and a tad understated. This follows through when you consider glasses, (and yes you should have some!) A nondescript bookish set for reading, (if you can get a set that you can look over at people too that is a bonus) and a simple set of dark sunnies for wandering about in.

Avoid mirror shades or name tag labels – they send the wrong message. You want to be seen as a vaguely bookish eccentric academic sort – not a myopic hit man.

This is to be remembered also in terms of your accessorising. If you must carry things that a pocket won’t hold then carry a simple unadorned black brief case and place in there also assorted hand written notes and diagrams. Resist the temptation to fill it up – it should remain light.

Your hair can be any length or colour although it was traditional in my area for these to have a single straight pony tail no longer than mid back length – often with several hair ties to keep it straight. If you have a beard then that is fine as long as you keep it well looked after – no bushmen’s beards work in this situation. Small trimmed goatees work well too.

I have seen in terms of physical grooming also a subtle light foundation work wonders but this is to be avoided if you do not know what you are doing. It should make you look a little pasty – not like Casper’s poor cousin! Another affectation that was often in view was finger nails. The cuticles must be well kept and the nails well manicured. These were sometimes worn long and pointed but again not everyone will be able to do this well – these must be natural and not falsies.

Also choose an aftershave that smells good and rich. It doesn’t have to be top of the line but it should be noticeable and not fruity. Under this you will create an undercurrent by splashing on a dab of aniseed or witch hazel. This should be only just noticeable under the aftershave if someone is close for any length of time. This can take some practice and you don’t want to smell like a door to door multi vitamin salesman.

Now these sort, (where I came from) were fiends for the Golden Dawn, ethnological studies of Witchcraft and the Cabala so you will want to do some light reading on these subjects. You will not need to be too in depth as in depth conversation on any of these subjects is something that you will strenuously avoid. You will phrase virtually everything as something you heard a “contact”, (NOT friend – contact!) tell you. You should imply subtly that everything is a confidence and so you can’t go into any depth.

The scenario to bear in mind as a boundary set for your etiquette is a seventies bohemian coffee house scenario. You talk low and relaxed. You drink coffee and read – possibly taking notes before heading off to conclude some business deal over perhaps an obscure Masonic manuscript.
You are not to be rushed, hushed or harried. In such cases you disdainfully remove yourself from the offender – much else would be undignified. If pressed you can feel free to purse your lips, affect disdain and say: “I can see you are intent on pressing me so I shall have no more to say on the subject. Good day.” and then refuse to even recognise their existence.

Now you need to saunter on down to a café that suits your frame of mind but remember to avoid any of the ones in your suburb. Cross town at least in your progress and this should especially be the case if you can go through the office culture lunch break crowd. Move like them but notice that you send off “not like them ons”. You may move like them, but they will not move fluidly around you and that is what you want. You will create something of a ripple as you wander through them to your destination. You should make a point of visiting this place several times on your own.

You should always go at the same time and always order the same thing. You do not vary. You should choose a booth and endeavour to always sit in it. If you can wrangle your back to a wall where you can watch the door then this is best of all. Try to get something bought to your table so that the waiter/ess can spot some hand drawn occult diagrams on the table you are studying.

Something like the Tree of Life or any old occult diagrams such as one sees in a Manly P. Hall book will do nicely. You should make a futile and understated effort to conceal the A4 by placing your hand, palm down, slowly and deliberately in the middle of it. This sort of thing a couple of times will get you known as a weird regular. That is the goal.

You may also make use of a mobile phone if it is a relatively new one. Make occasional calls, and use low cryptic short statements like: “So. Is it done? What time? What assurance can you give me? Acceptable – I’ll be there.” But only if you will be almost overheard by someone at the next table. You should avoid all manner of expletive or slang but speak deliberately and slightly slower than normal as if considering what next to say precisely before continuing.

Only after you are an established part of the place should you ever make use of it for the meeting of others. Only then, when your image is cemented and seen about town and known there should you ever offer to someone: “Let us go and talk – I know a quiet place.”

The implication should be that it is your secret and as everyone there knows you, you will be in a position to seem like it is.

Always remember when taking people there that it should never be at “your time”. The times that you go with another should be different so that it causes a ripple amongst the staff. While there you should talk like everything is a low key business deal among friends. See if you can order for them and buy whatever they wish – it looks good to all concerned.

After you have been known about a year or so you may, (discretion is the better part of valour!) do some sort of card reading for your guest. Do it quickly and quietly – this will further your presentation.

This persona is excellent for keeping to ones self. It is one to adopt between dissolving the activities of one personality and beginning another. It is the proverbial rock between uncertain past and futures.

These are just some of the stereotypes that I have personally used to great advantage and some the “How to” concerned. You must feel free to make use of this information to perfect your alter egos and make use of them.

Some more that are often made use of, (as has been already stated) are: Other obvious cut outs are those such as the Ninja, the Samurai, Actor, Artist, Prostitute, Magician, Cultist, Priest, Pagan, alternate Culture, Tourist, Teacher, Authority Figure, Police, Army, Hero, Villain, Henchman, Mafioso, Biker, Punk, Goth, Businessman and Gambler, Prostitute, Bum, Tourist, Mentally Handicapped and so on.

Remember that your personality is more than who you are – it should be who you think will gain most. Like any tool, if you practice you will find yourself becoming proficient and making great art.

Stereotypes Pt 1

Tools of the Forbidden.

We are surrounded by stereotypes. I see them every day.

I know only too well that it is not just “every body else” either. Every day in every way I am getting more and more stereotypical.

Lets us be candid. If you have been involved in any facet of life, (and even more so in the occult!) for any length of time, (and hells teeth it doesn’t take long!) you will have become aware of “Stereotypes”. From our birth we learn about situations, things and peoples by the shortest path possible. This is to say that we tend to learn best by generalising and then treating these same as if they were true - by stereotyping.

We learn that “home” is where we feel good, the dining room is where dinner “happens” and the “kitchen” is where your mother doesn’t want you to be until after the meal and the dishes need doing. We learn that fire is hot. Fire is red so therefore red fire is hot. People who we see often make us feel secure and we instinctively incline towards people how look like “mum and dad”.

This sort of thing is then compounded as we grow by way of the media. Heroes, villains and the “love interest” all tend to look pretty much the same across the board. We know that “the monster” is close to our heroine because the scary music starts. You can be pretty sure that any “old codger” in the film with the rugged face, who at first treats the young boy and his dog poorly, probably really has a heart of gold.

These sorts of stereotypes were “standard fare” for those of my age who were young in the early seventies through the late eighties. Our Saturday mornings were filled with Hannah Barbara fuelled stereotypes in classically defined cartoons. We learnt not to trust “Old Man Withers who ran the Fun Park before it closed down”, (even though he said he wanted to help there was “something” about him from the start wasn’t there?) Young upstanding asexual men in neat clothing with sensible haircuts who helped little old women, (on the other hand) were to be trusted “in any tight spot”. If they had big glasses they were clever and no one ever trusted a man with a hat and coat!

Then by “bed time” we had been given another helping to make it all clear. I grew up on Starsky and Hutch, Kojack, Hammer House of Horror, Doctor Who, the A Team, Magnum, The Fall Guy, Buck Rogers and Battlestar Galactica. Oh what a cavalcade of “cut outs” those shows delivered!

The “ladies man” may have his foibles but he is “at heart” a “good guy”. Anyone with a penchant for black suits was bad news just like anyone who travels habitually with at least three men wearing sunglasses – or has some unidentifiably “Eastern Block” type of accent. If a man has a scar on the face well he was virtually destined to lead a life of crime!

The Sergeant yells every time you enter the precinct, (that is how you know he “cares”!) and every gunshot is a flesh wound on our hero, (who habitually had a scrape on the head and a ripped shirt by end credits!) but fatal to any henchman or extra who does not get referred to by name at least twice in the episode.

These are generalisations and it is out of these things that stereotypes are “born”. By the time we were at school, no one was under any doubt as to what role they were to play, (and how) in “Cowboys and Indians” or “Cops and Robbers”. We learned by rote the roles that all of these not so subtle identikit characters required to be “believable”.

The same could be said for different nationalities, professions, and of course sexual orientations. This sort of thing was made very clear by other shows I saw as a child. The British shows, (especially the comedies) were rife with it. “Are you being Served?”, Robin’s Nest, The Good Life, The Kenny Everett Show, The Goodies and of course classics like It Ain’t ‘Alf Hot Mum, Dad’s Army and Love Thy Neighbour explained the niceties of our parent’s fears about certain people and quiet hilarity about others.

From these shows we learnt that any Chinese man must be either silly or inscrutable, all Indians wobbled their heads and smiled when they talked, British men had bushy moustaches or knotted hankies on their heads while their women folk were either young and trendy or middle-aged with an apron and “the tea on”.

Haberdashery was a good career for the “ladies man” and the “lavender” alike, any uniformed man who was not in the army or the police probably harboured some sort of uncontrollable lust for any blonde who giggled a lot. These same were invariably built like German gun placements and were fond of rolling their eyes and saying: “OI! Oh! Cheeky you!”

Then by the time we get to nearing high school, we were suddenly taught that stereotypes were just that. A new mode of thought was piled on us. Apparently, just like the films and media that reinforced them – these stereotypes were not accurate. This was generally just taken “on the chin” by children who tended to think: “Well not from where I am standing but I will ‘play along’ if it makes you feel better!” We all knew at least two or three people who seemed to spend their very waking hour living up to their own stereotype so we considered that such new orders were just another unfathomable adult “thing” like which hand you held your fork in.

After a while we take it on board that everything is indeed, more complex than it seems. This is standard as an understanding for most of us until later on in life when we find that once again our minds and views will change.

We start to notice that yes, most of those stereotypes that we considered rude generalisations are pretty “close to the mark” in a general sort of way after all! To be blunt, we start to harbour the suspicion that stereotypes may in fact NOT be inventions but rather simple generalisations based on OBSERVATION – which indeed they are!

Looking closely we discover that this is the case and that, furthermore - it is not generally just some quirk of the universe but rather that most people, (as time goes on) get tired of complexity and settle down into their respective stereotypes actually quite early in life.

More and more, no matter how much “benefit of the doubt” we want to give people; we find that the first reaction to the “cover of the book” is indeed; more often than not fair comment!

Oh sure we now have laws which mean that we are not allowed to stigmatise people due to their stereotypical appearance or actions but that simply means, (as everyone knows) that you don’t put it in print or say it “while the camera is on”!

Laws, (after all) only work by threat of punishment for non conformity – it rarely actually changes peoples minds. It is all very well for university students to believe implicitly in the reality of “rights” and such like but the “real world” teaches different lessons.

This is even more the case when we find our place in society! Our professions and pastimes tend to mark us in some indelible but indefinable manner. By our mannerisms, speech patterns, clothes and any number of accessories we suddenly find ourselves further defined in much the same way that we defined others!

These things are not always “spot on” but we quickly see that the cases were “it isn’t so” are more the exception than the rule.

As I have suggested already, this is especially the case in situations involving subculturalism or the occult. We all deny it but secretly know it to be true.

So what should we do? Most people simply rail against them when we are labelled by others in this way in the usual aggrieved and slightly ineffectual manner – or alternatively take “anti – X – ism” as a private crusade. These same were the butt of the DAAS joke: “it’s not ageist, it’s not racist, it’s not sexist and it’s not GOOD!” All of that is fine but again .. what should WE do?

For those whose lives are filled with goals to be achieved and who understand that magic is worked for results - stereotypes are just another tool.

To use these tools for our own benefit is really the only sensible option when we think about it. In order to do that effectively, one must learn these stereotypes in more than an instinctive and or vague fashion. One must learn what makes us think and feel the way we do – and what is it about us that makes others feel and think the way they do.

When we get these sorted out we know what to do in order to provoke a predictable outcome. In short, in this way you can start to build up a collection of any number of personas for personal use.

To begin with it is easier if you examine some very simple fictional “arche/stereotypes” and learn to make use of them. The list that I began with years ago when I first began my work in this are was as follows: Demon, Vampire, Zombie, Frankenstein and his monster, (most of my childhood was before the rise of “demented madmen in ski masks hacking up young virgins on summer camps”!)

You start with the way they look and the more “traditional” the better. Demons are red with horns and fangs, vampires are in evening wear or white flimsy nightdresses, zombies wear rags, Frankenstein wears wing tip collars, tall hats or 50’s style science smocks. His monster has bolts, stitches and those great boots.

Next examine how they move. Demons tend to loom over or sneak about, vampires are forever gliding about in an almost reptilian fashion, zombies shamble, Frankenstein is upright and reserved or hunched and furtive while his monster clomps forward with all the grace and diversion of a tank with the handbrake on.

Now how do they speak – what are their manners like? Demons are oily and seductive or roar with unspeakable fury, vampires are ever a bit stodgy while at the same time sampling some unidentifiable eastern bloc accent. Zombies either groan or murmur “brains” while Frankenstein is forever muttering to himself about his discovery while his monster engages in some sort of half moan half growl.

These three things alone, if borne in mind and subtly introduced into your bearing will tend to be enough to remind people of these all too familiar stereotypes. But why would you do this? Well to make use of their attributes of course!

This may sound silly to you but what is the one thing that is drummed into you over the years? It is simply that, (by and large) the way you look, the way you act and the way you speak dictates the way you will be treated. A subtle inclusion of the forms even these most corny of stereotypes evidence is enough to alter the way people treat you. Now you may think that these first types are a bit over the top but to be honest, that is the point. If even these blunt objects can be used by the individual in a subtle way then the later forms should be able to be adopted with ease.

Consider the old fantasy staples. The Barbarian, the Assassin, the Wizard and Witch. These are also easily adaptable, (although making use of the “Barbarian” when you are only just over five foot may take some practice!) Each of these are drummed into almost everyone. Everyone knows that they are all particular sorts of people that should be treated a certain way. Other obvious “cut outs” are those such as the Ninja, the Samurai, Actor, Artist, Prostitute, Magician, Priest, Pagan, alternate Culture, Tourist, Teacher, Authority Figure, Police, Army, Hero, Villain, Henchman, Mafioso, Biker, Punk, Goth, Businessman and Gambler. It goes without saying that all of these can be used partially for influence or as a whole package for the less subtle circumstance – provided you are well rehearsed.

If you are in any doubt, then some of the role playing supplements will most certainly be of use to you. The “White Wolf” systems provide a great many templates replete with a picture and behavioural traits and accessories. Some of them even have whole sections that will help you in your ability to give fake backgrounds, strengths and foibles to the personas you favour most often.

With judicious use of these sorts of tools, whole personalities can be reinvented or altered from scratch. The finer points in carrying these off you will find in any book about impersonations. When you find one guard it with your life and keep it out of sight. This will be your “bible”!

There may well be some out there who are still a little “fuzzy” on how any of this might be made use of in a real fashion so here is an experiment you can try out which will show you how it works in the simplest sense.

The next time you have to send in an appliance for repairs, call up the shop first.

When the telephone is answered make sure you introduce yourself a bit slowly, with a touch of “steely plum” to your voice and using your whole name. Request to speak to someone in the “service department” or failing that possibility “a supervisor”.

You will be surprised generally how it happens just that little bit quicker. When you get through to the service department, be sure to lose all that entirely using a forward, matey and familiar tone.

It is always worth asking if it is even worth getting fixed or “just get a new one?” The “rule of thumb” in the simplest is to talk in a manner that gets you what you want. The service desk is used to just putting through people who sound “in authority” and the workshop is used to “levelling” with those that are just regular Joes.

In this way you will get put on to them quickly but not turn them off when you speak to them.

Sounds too simple to be true? Try it and see.

The "REAL" Me

Over the years I have often been accused of being “fake”. It is always implied that I am shallow and false. It is no surprise to me that those who have played this card with me are the sort who have short, selective memories and personality/security issues.

The fact is I am always saying to people:

“No actually I am NOT a good guy, I am actually a bit of a nasty piece of work.

Simply that you please me and so I am nice to YOU does not mean that I am sociable or overtly pleasant.”

The fact is that I am unsociable, more than average in the pettiness stakes, largely solitary, suspicious, devious, avaricious, greedy and selfish. I am also short in the temper department and long in the grudge department so it “doesn’t do” to point these things out to me or even agree too fast with this description I’ve given you!

The fact is that people don’t listen, or they don’t take it seriously when I say such things. They appear to think I am somehow being “self deprecating” or humble.

Then after a while they get complacent and forgetful. They wind up irritating me in some way or another. Naturally I retaliate one way or another. Most often it is by smiling and pretending that I haven’t even noticed the slight or the lie – but secretly I am already plotting how I am GONNA GIT YOU FOR THAT!!

Now if you have been paying attention you may well be thinking: “Well that is hardly surprising given what he says about himself!” and in that much you would be right.

The problem however is that most people when injured in some way or other do not like to even think that it might be somehow their fault. It is never a consequence of their actions by way of a willing and well appropriate instrument like myself. No; instead it is that I have suddenly gone from “hero to demon” for no apparent reason.

Because of that I am of course the “bad guy”.

It is at about that point that I like to remind people that this IS basically what I said “in the first place” and if they didn’t pay attention that this makes it even MORE their fault!

This goes “in one ear and out the other” though. Funnily enough, over the years there have been a couple of instances wherein someone was actually then told by someone else: “Well we all TOLD YOU SO – why DIDN’T you LISTEN?!” This also seems to go in one ear and out the other as it does not “gel” with the “victim thing” they “have going” at the time.

Hard to be a victim when it is your fault.

I believe that one of the main problems that people have in such circumstance, (beside the inability to take responsibility for themselves) is that they forget that what they see, “right now” is not “the whole”. Who they know is not “all of me”. It is instead, “what of me I choose them to see”. This of course will send some people cheering as if I have said that I am a fake – well best of luck with that. There are no shortage of people about these days with decidedly poor comprehension skills!

The fact is rather; that I am a complex structure, as are all people.

I am, (to borrow from modern parlance) “many different people” in that I wear “lots of different hats”. In this, the only way I differ from most people is that I have more subdivisions and tend to be a bit more precise about the whole thing. (Perhaps I should add “anal” to my list of faults – fair comment!) This should not be so surprising to anyone hell - we all do it after all.

Do you talk to your mom and dad the way that you spoke to your school yard friends?
Do you talk to your boss the same way you talk to your drinking buddies?

Well of course you don’t!

Do you share your inmost hopes and fears with telemarketers?
Do you tell your aunts the details of your latest pick up at the night club?

Well of course you don’t!

Now why is this?

I would wager that it is because your parents are not the same sort of people as those you went to school with, that you may well have good reason to try to avoid casually telling your boss to get the next round of drinks, that you aren’t in the habit of letting total strangers know your darkest dreams and that your aunts don’t have the same approval of “scoring” that your mates do.

Now when I put it like that it is all so simple really isn’t it?

I mean, surely you had very little difficulty with those scenarios – I feel sure that they were all the sort we could all understand.

The same of course could be said for the difference between what you will tell your “best friend” and a sibling’s best friend.

So we all agree that we are complex wee critters ad frankly, “wear lots of different masks” when we deal with people – most of which are sure that “the mask” they see is the “real” you. This is only natural and frankly, just as well for our skins don’t you think!?

Now when I first started my career, one of the first rules I was taught was the following:

“Be ye he who no man knows for sure. Be ye he of a past that no two men recollect the same way. Be ye a Mystery that all think they are the only parties to know fully.”

The reason behind this was that a magician or witch who is intent on progress and success must be the sort whom no one may be able to manipulate or blackmail or sway.

If no one knows your background you can be whoever has the best chance of succeeding. If no one knows what you do then no one can block you.

If no one knows what is yours then those things can not be used against you.

If everyone thinks they know all there is to know about you then you will be considered harmless.

No one pries into people they think they know.

No one attempts to check the progress of people they think they can judge and predict.

Now this all sounds pretty obvious and straightforward doesn’t it?

It most certainly makes obvious what one should do in order to reinvent ones self and one’s past. It certainly hints at what one should do to hide one’s true self and what should be done to present convenient and desirable masks to those one has dealings with doesn’t it?

BUT if you are a bit purer than “mah good old self” you may well be saying at about this point: “Yes but what about TRUTH!?”

I most certainly did many years ago when I was young and less “corrugated” than I am these days! Well let me tell you a little something about “truth” in this context, that is to say when it comes to the true self .. that self that you really are.

You are going to discover that this thing you consider your “true self”, (once you have truly found it) is a precious commodity that only you yourself will be able to properly appreciate and make use of.

This is because it is YOU and not anyone else.

Over time you will also note that, (apart from some fundamental root essences and manifestations dictated by your existence) it is in a constant state of flux and evolution.

As these things are the case, what is your true self?

Can you honestly say that it is any more than your perception at any point in time?

Can you honestly say that it is a constant?

Furthermore can you honestly expect others to appreciate properly that which you yourself had to search for and know that, (by definition) will be alien to them?

As you are never totally sure how you can communicate that thing, (about which your only certainty is that once you have descried it – it will be different) would not your description be something of a lie? Hmm … quite a quandary that!

Still, all these philosophical musings aside, I have another “take” that I consider more useful on this subject.

I am important.
I am very important to me as I am the only me I’ve got.
My me is the only one that suits me and works for me properly.
These things make it pretty damn important indeed to me!

Do you just give your cash away to strangers?
I’ll bet you don’t – because that would make you something of a fool.

Do you consider the contents of your wallet more important than your spiritual and essential well being and unfoldment? I’ll bet you don’t or chances are you wouldn’t even be interested in this subject!

As this is the case, why would you give away, (quite indiscriminately) your most valuable possession – especially if it could conceivably be used against you!?

This is why I do not have a diary.

Those things that I have had that were like diaries were exactly like diaries in that, they were written by someone for an audience to convince them of veracity by way of pretence of secrecy; but exactly not like diaries in that they represented little of the truth of my inmost secrets. I am not now; nor have I ever been courageous, naive or downright foolish enough to allow myself such unprotected displays in any way that was potentially so damaging to myself.

I am unsure whether this is wisdom or cowardice but I am sure how I’d react to being told it was cowardice.

Truth is both gift and currency.
All communication is giving gift for gift.
The self is the most precious thing you will ever own.
The revelation of the self, (like any form of total truth) is a rare and precious gift.
It is given only to those who earn such merit.

Well all of that should be enough for even the hardest of understanding to follow; so from now on I reckon I can afford to be fairly direct.

I am many people.
I am, (to each) what they obviously wish me to be.
This is a gift I do not begrudge giving to anyone.
All these masks are parts of me and they are all not the equal of me.
Some of these me’s are closer to the real me than others.
Those who merit such are moved closer to me over time.

The real me is something few ever know.
This is because I honestly don’t think most people are worth it.
This is because I honestly don’t think most people are worth such trust.
This is because I honestly don’t think most people are worth such effort.

Even the least of those I interact with, I consider infinitely superior to the rest of the world. Those who I tell my thoughts and experiences to are those I consider worthwhile. They are a beauty to me and a currency that gives me hope.

If that makes me shallow and fake then so be it.

I take comfort in the fact that this is something that everyone else is too.
I take further comfort in the fact that in saying all of this I am not only giving real and useful instruction, I am sharing with those that matter to me some truth that most have not the courage to admit to – let alone share.

Even monsters have their moments and this has been just one amidst many.