Phil Hine
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Phil Hine is a writer and occultist, author of the Pseudonomicon, Condensed Chaos, Prime Chaos, as well as several essays on the topics of chaos magic and Cthulhu Mythos magic.
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Books
His earliest popular work was a small pamphlet now called Oven-Ready Chaos (formerly Condensed Chaos, a title that has been appropriated since for one of his full length books) which outlined a brief and simple "definition" of magic(k), a brief history of the school of practice called chaos magic and an outline of some of its basic approaches, which presented a number of simple techniques.
Condensed Chaos was a full length expansion of this pamphlet focusing on basic techniques and the style of doing magick that has become associated with chaos magic. It was later joined by a second companion volume Prime Chaos, which focused more on the construction and uses of more formalized ritual techniques.
Hine's Approach
Phil Hine's works have been criticized at times for lacking depth, but he is also widely considered one of the most practical, down-to-earth, and accessible authors on the subject. It's certainly not as complex as Aleister Crowley's material, but it gets its point across without being obtuse, dark, or saccharine. He is probably the most successful occult author at taking the mystical jargon out of magical writing, even if it does come at the expense of his books being considered mostly beginners' material.
Definition of Magic
Hine seemed reluctant in his works, and perhaps with good reason, about pinning down a concise definition of magic. Instead he seemed to suggest that magic was both an encompassing, living force, and a mode of consciousness/way of life. If one needs to pin down to a single statement something like a "definition" for Mr. Hine, "Magic is a set of techniques and approaches for extending the limits of Achievable Reality" is probably the most conscise.
Probably the most complete defintion that can be abstracted from his writings (as colored by this author's interpretation) would be "a state of openness to a more expansive reality and the application of this state in one's life".
Method
Phil Hine repeatedly stresses, probably strongly influenced by Robert Anton Wilson and Neuro-linguistic Programming, that the metaphysical frameworks used by certain schools of magic and their attendant goals for the practitioner are not inescapable absolutes, but, to the chaos magician, matters of style and practicality. Rather than giving metaphysical explanations of why something should work, he outlines a few basic techniques for altering states of consciousness, and insists that the only way to find out about magic is to try it yourself. He seems to generally follow the idea that certain forms of magic are executed in a state of gnosis, but does not do so rigidly.
Ritual Style
Following his suggestion that magic should be fun and based on whatever works, Hine shifts from semi-traditional Qabalistic ritual, to meditating on computer-programming-inspired flowcharts, to absurd Discordian rites. The thrust of his advice is to make it up for yourself in whatever way catches your fancy, and to modify it according to your needs.
External links
- Phil Hine's webpage (http://www.philhine.org.uk/)