Entropy: Chance and Chaos, Destiny and Decay, A Dissertation on the Nature of Ars Fati

Written by Deacon Cameron Nonesuch Aro
Adept Magus, Ordo Hermes, Bani Ex Miscellanea, ap Merinita
Keeper of a Thousand Tales, Speaker of Legends, Weaver of Dreams

"I can buy myself a reason,
I can sell myself a job.
I can hang myself for treason,
Yeah, I am my own damn god."

-- Modest Mouse

1. Preface
2. Entropy and the Machinations of Fate
3. Entropy and the Decline of systems
4. Entropy and the Domination of the Spheres
5. Entropy and the Illusion of Will

1. ) PREFACE
Within this writing, you will find the musings of a Man. Fallible, opinionated Man. No better or different from any other. A Man that will one day die. Will be forgotten. Will turn to dust in the ground to nourish plants and then animals, and eventually fuel the fire of the inevitable explosion of a star. A Man that will one day exist, in a sense, as nothing more than heat, absorbed and radiated, bouncing amongst the debris of countless universes, collapsing upon each other, burning as they return to the origin of their collective creation.

Nothing more.

This manuscript will not contain answers.

This manuscript will not comfort you.

This manuscript will not answer even its own questions. This Man is not able to see through the veil of reality to the required degree. Its unlikely that the Man ever will. Should that impossibility occur, it will undoubtedly be too busy to revise this document at that time.

This Man will not apologize for this.

2. ) ENTROPY AND THE MACHINATIONS OF FATE
Ars Fati. Entropy. The Art of Change. Of Systems. Of Fate.

What is Fate? Random chance masquerading as a series of otherwise unconnected events? Perceived through the Human and Awakened mind as connected because of their cumulative effects on our lives? Like waves crashing against the shore slowly shaping it to some new configuration. Is it just the tide? We can explain the tide. The gravitational pull from the moon kneads the surface of the water like dough. It comes in, and out. It moves the land and the creatures around. The beach is reshaped, but why? For what purpose? Is there a purpose? Perhaps more importantly, does there need to be a purpose?

Is there a...consciousness, guiding the universe towards unforeseen goals? If so, why? What does it care if a man sleeps through his alarm and is late for work? Does Fate know, that despite the consequences of being late, again, this reality is preferable to the death that would have occurred had the man gotten less sleep, and was pulverized by a semi-truck in his fugue? And if this is the case, does Fate feel offense when the man curses it, because he knows not the alternative? Is it compassion, that guides this being I have posited to do what it does? What morals does this infinitely powerful and seemingly capricious force hold true? And if this reality is preferable, preferable for whom? Does it want to grant this hypothetical man another day on this Earth, a thankless task at best? Or does it wish more time to toy with the man? Unwilling to lose a plaything?

Snow falls upon a mountaintop as a storm rages down upon it. It collects, stacking, upon a single molecule of Water, frozen to a crystalline shape. It, along with countless others summon the strength to hold up trillions of others, all standing together like a pyramid, growing ever upward and out. And then...a change. A failure of the strength of water. Was it the weight? Was it heat, sapping the strength of a snowflake, causing it to give way? A loud report shaking the ground, allowing the structure to become unbalanced, and topple? Or was it Fate, pushing the drift over? It's simple as a being of Will to assume that Fate played a hand in the avalanche that follows. Especially if there is tragedy in its wake. But it is also inevitable. The mountain will not remained unchanged, stagnant, until the stars die in the night sky. A person, an animal, even plant life, is insignificant in the event. It simply will be. Does this being have plans for the shape of the mountain? Is it an immediate effect that is achieved, or something much later, something made possible only because Fate has spent a millennia building and destroying castles of water, feeding rivers to shape the land, carving valleys that will someday shelter animals, and people from the storms that ravage the land nearby? Will there one day be an avalanche that moves so much water to be free from its crystalline prison that the valley floods, and decimates the creatures that call it home?

What chance do these creatures have against such a being? What right does this being have to change the world as it sees fit?

3. ) ENTROPY AND THE DECLINE OF SYSTEMS
Presume, for a moment, that such a creature does not exist. What then, are we left with? The natural laws of the world, as we understand them can be easily slotted into this spot. Metal rusts, because oxygen bonds with the molecules and steals electrons, breaking the metal down, with the expression of heat as it dissolves.

A body rots on the ground. Microbes set about tearing it to pieces. Insects lay eggs in the carcass, bringing about a renewal of the life that had just ended to fuel the creation of another. Animals consume the meat to survive. As the microbes dissolve the body to base fluids, it soaks into the dirt, allowing seeds to take root and flourish. In the end, while its impossible to completely destroy every part of the body, and the universal energies that compose it, it is nonetheless destroyed. Unrecognizable from its previous form. Its...elegant in its horrific totality. Has it always been? Was there a time when bodies were left, untouched upon the ground? Has life evolved to accomplish this task? Chosen to live as a scavenger of the dead, using the resource available to it, and not to simply choose to take nourishment from the sun? All of this is logical. Accepting this is simple. It requires no stretch of the mind to imagine. Is it therefore the best answer? Is that the end of knowledge? Once you have grasped this truth, and accepted it, are you finished?

All of this, forgiving for a moment the conceit that all of these creatures, simple to complex, have not only developed a way to process the remains of the creatures that exist alongside them, but that they have been fortunate enough to have survived the required changes to pass adaptations to their progeny, to say nothing of the inherit dangers of their existence. What is it that drives this behavior? What creature dares to look directly into the face of death, of decay, and chooses to try to consume it? To survive upon it? Whether by conscious thought, or by instinct, all living beings strive for survival. What is it about death that makes them accept it into themselves to survive? And why are they seemingly rewarded for this? How many wondrous and impossible creatures have been lost to this process? Those that adapted to survive one threat, but not another? How would the world have looked had one lineage survived over another?

All these chance occurrences, and this is the result? Beings that inhabit this world, and worlds beyond, have simply been the elite winners of a lottery that all must play? As time progresses, the chances of each individualized instance, each unique creature, becomes infinitesimally smaller. Ever approaching but never quite touching impossibility. Can the being that is known as Fate be therefore ruled out? If a victor is required for every contest, then we sit among the best and greatest beings that have ever existed. The singularly amazing and unlikely creatures that have survived, against all odds, to this point.

I'll let that sink in. Ride a subway, if they still exist. Take a stroll at night through a city center, overburdened with population, drowning in its own filth. Watch as the greatest beings to have ever existed turn a blind eye to the decay of the support systems that their ancestors have built for them. Watch as they ignore the suffering of what should otherwise be their brother. Watch as the beings that you spend all your time with, every moment of every day of your life, go about doing menial tasks. Carving an existence out of the decaying wreckage of the glory that they have inherited. Watch as the cycle repeats on an ever expanding scale. As the creatures you call friends consume the flesh of the dead, break it down and express it as fluids that feed the soil to grow the crops that will accompany their next meal with a light balsamic vinaigrette.

What does this make you? Are you a microbe to interstellar beings, unworthy of notice, or a being that Fate has deemed worthy of its attentions? A man that Fate has deemed will awaken late for work today? Can you convince yourself of that level of importance? Trillions have. It's comforting. Safe.

4. ) ENTROPY AND THE DOMINATION OF THE SPHERES

If any set of creatures can convince themselves of their own importance, who shelter amid the Hubris that they themselves are not only worthy of the universe's attention, but its obedience, it is the Awakened. A microbe, that sets about toiling and consuming, that has the nerve to stand up and demand that the universe reshape itself to it's Will. More on this later.

But when the Magus, the Willworker, tugs at the fabric of reality and marvels as the ripples cause peaks and valleys in the Tellurian that bend and twist in new and exciting ways, what role then, does Entropy play? How does the Magus, or Fate, or the combination, reshape reality around it?

Consider the effect. A Magus, studied in Ars Fati, wishes to affect the outcome of a roll of a single die. The effect is simple. Basic. Elementary. But is it? What is the Willworker controlling? Is it Matter, that displaces the die's mass? Is it Forces, that the air pressure beneath a side of the die is thicker, and slows its momentum? The force of the throw, the original starting position of the die, the distance thrown, the occurrence or lack thereof of objects in the path of the die, all are affecting the outcome. Is the Will of the Magus affecting these other Spheres in subtle ways, as they relate to the die's path? Or is the chance of the die falling upon a certain number inherently encoded into the reality of the die?

At greater levels of understanding, the Magus can speed the effects of the natural systems, causing metal to rust in front of one's very eyes, a body to rot at an accelerated rate. Is this Matter, wrenching the molecules from the metal? Speeding the microbe's Life cycles so that they may feast and breed faster? Or is it simply Time being infused into the object, causing it to pass more quickly.

A Magus can infuse him or herself with a streak of luck, rewarding their efforts when searching for an object of importance? Is this Mind, telling the Magus where to look? Correspondence, moving the object to the place being searched? Or is something grander at work? Does the Will of the worker move through time, affecting the last person who touched the item to drop the object, to place it in a specific place to be found later, or simply to forget to take it with them when they left?

What then does this say of the being that is Fate? If there is a conscious Will at work, what then does the workings of Ars Fati represent? Does the worker command Fate to do their bidding? Is Fate pre-disposed to cooperate with the Magus? Or has Fate been working all this time? Has the machinations of Fate been prodding the Magus towards this moment? Shaping their Mind to assume they have the power over Fate and Chance itself and it will do as the Magus pleases...Happily and ignorantly marching ever forward, along the path Fate has destined them to follow, until they are subsumed into the void, to be returned to the Quintessence that which Prime has constructed them.

5. ) ENTROPY AND THE ILLUSION OF WILL
So, is there such a thing as Fate? Is it an illusion created to explain why tragedy befalls a soul? Is it an unrepentant force that marches ever onward, in spite of the best laid plans? Billions of lives have been spent throughout history, toiling against an outcome that seemed insurmountable. Were the victories always to be, and all struggles were simply for show? A play for the actors to meet out upon the stage of the world? Or were they truly victories? Can there be a victory against the wishes of Fate?

What Machinations, eons in their construction, will a willful and purposed being allow to be dashed against the rocks of failure, because of a single, willful individual, daring to play god? Is freewill simply an illusion, meant to sedate and placate these creatures as they toil and set about doing Fate's work? Or is it a nuisance to be accommodated for, and dealt with? Will there be contingency plans for the designs that Fate has worked to achieve?

Is this even possible to know? If you can know it...to truly know definitively one way or the other...Can one work against that truth, to change it? Is the Will of a Magus, of a Human, of an animal...of a microbe...of any real consequence?

In the end, is all of your work and suffering actually paying off? Or are you a pawn in a larger scheme and simply...

Nothing more.

Ars Spirituum

The Art of Spirits is used to connect between other realms and denizens therein.Before attempting to study this sphere, one must, and I emphasize must, become familiar with cosmology, as well as having a simple understanding of spirits, their lore, legends, myths, and facts. Once you have achieved the appropriate knowledge you may then start working to truly perceive the other realms. After perception lies the ability to call or summon certain entities as well as reach out into the void.

I caution any mage to not summon or deal with any creatures that they cannot handle, some entities may be summoned more easily than can be banished while others may bring unwanted results for having been conjured against their own desires. Be warned.Disciple level of understanding can allow one to awaken inanimate objects to strengthen their composition and interact with the umbral reflections. Further understanding allows the barriers between realms be to be distorted and manipulated. I do not recommend performing such effects so lightly.

Ars Potentiae

The Art of Power deals with a Mage’s true potential beyond the fabric of reality granting one the power and essence of creation. The limits to this sphere are innumerable and go beyond comprehension of this realm. The essence of creation may be studied at an Apprentice level of understanding but fueling creation requires an Initiate level of understanding. Drawing and draining energy requires Disciple training but even still the true strength of this sphere is not grasped until you achieve Adept or Master understanding. However, even masters are limited in their uses of this sphere and this must be explored further so that Archmastery may be achieved and the true strength of this sphere may be exploited.

Important things to note, Charms may be created with Disciple prime. Charms are one use items that are often consumed by either the effect or paradox. The process of creating a charm is often time consuming but also enhances your own abilities allowing charms to be made to perform effects at one level higher than your own understanding. However, charms are limited to only be able to hold one sphere. If a mage attempts to force more effects into a single object, one or both effects might backlash upon the mage. Creating charms requires quintessence to forge and to activate so be prepared.

Ars Mentis

The Art of the Mind is very similar to correspondence. It begins with understanding ones’ self before expanding outward. Empowering and defending ones’ own mind is an important step than should not be overlooked. An apprentice can strengthen his own mind and sense other minds. Strengthening a mind may take the form of enhancing general capacity, empowering basic functions such as speed reading, processing some complex information, or simply reinforcing the existing processes. Initiates are able to sublimate emotional changes by sending impulses and perceiving emotions. Strong emotional energies often manifest as resonance and may be observed and manipulated with this level of understanding. Resonance may also be shielded against, but is a bit more complex and is rarely lasting and is more of a ‘cloaking’ effect to conceal certain resonance.

Disciples can connect to others’ conscious minds allowing for telepathic connections and minor manipulations of the senses. I have heard that becoming invisible by simply going unnoticed is possible at this level, though I have yet to see this evidence. Adepts may take more direct control over minds allowing one to overpower another’s mind and possess them. The mage may also dig deep into others’ minds and manipulate memories. Be wary of those with capability.

Master level allows control over consciousness. This level is also essential to reach realms of thought beyond typical reaches.

Mind has the potential to be the most useful and most dangerous of spheres if one were to invade or interfere with others’ minds, the results could be less than desirable. Doubting your thoughts, memories, and sanity may drive a Mage into quiet, a state where insanity takes a vicious form of reality on its own.

Ars Virium

The Art of Force is the most essential sphere for any Mage who wishes to exert their will upon the universe. Forces is by far the most diverse sphere in my opinion. Creating shields, weapons, barriers, illusions, distractions, stealth, empowerment, disempowerment, and other potent effects – Especially when used in conjunction with others. The Apprentice learns to understand and perceive forces that are typically beyond their senses. Seeing or hearing outside their typical spectrum is no longer outside of capabilities. Initiates are given the ability to influence minor energy flows. Small manipulations allow for fantastic feats of elatrical disruptions, manipulating technology in a modern age has become much easier. Shielding is also a possibility. Sounds, lights, kinetic energy, gravitational pull, radiation, and many other forms of energy. Forces may be directed as forms of defense, offense, or neutralizing – simply one of the most versatile of the ‘basic’ spheres.

Disciples may freely transmute energies, further empowering ones’ ability to manipulate the world around them. Such feats of telekinesis and other such effects that bend the laws of physical reality are possible. Turning light into a kinetic pulse can make a flashlight a deadly weapon or a potent distraction. Unfortunately these manipulations are almost entirely vulgar, and paradox reacts more viciously to such blatant mutations.Adepts are able to control the same forces but on a much a larger scale and with more efficiency.

Masters can transmute large scales of energy similar to the disciple levels.

Ars Conligationis

The Art of Correspondence is based on connections between any and all things. These connections can be seen and interpreted through various methods depending on the Focus.  First the Apprentice Mage must understand his place in the tapestry. After achieving Initiate rank, through a combination of meditation and study the mage might be able to expand his/her understanding beyond ones’ self in the form of remote viewing, scrying, or as some incorrectly label this as ‘astral projection’. These abilities allow the mage to explore the world in a new light and can often lead to a unique shift in world view. At this stage of comprehension he is also capable of protecting himself from being remotely viewed by slightly distorting local special locations, effectively warding the area. A mage at this point may be potentially dangerous if they were to remotely weave, reweave, or unweave mystical effects. However, an uneducated mage may not be concerned with local reality if he were hiding in a sanctum, but such practices may induce paradox on either the effect or the mage.

Once the Mage reaches Disciple level, the mage is now able to manipulate special connections and relations. The mage may focus on unique similarities between objects and if need be, create them. If the mage is aware of such connection he may target them remotely. Such a connection is known as an Arcane connection allowing magick to flow more freely and across vast distances as if the two were the same unit. This level also allows more potent special distortions. As a Ward protects the space around a location the mage may reach or jump across nearby distances. Another more potent distortion of space hardens the tapestry preventing a space to be entered or left. Such effect is called a Ban, though the Order has specific Warding methods that relate to more potent Bans or Wards. Similar to the scrying abilities, the Mage may quickly scan through multiple locations, though I do not recommend splitting perceptions as it may lead to rather complicated outcomes without mental fortifications.

The Adept is no longer limited to space existing in the tapestry. The mage may utilize and access space between the threads in the tapestry, The tapestry will resist this effect and eject such violation on such targets (These “Bubbles of Reality” often pop). In addition to using space between fabric of the tapestry, the mage may make minor adjustments or copies in the tapestry, this is a more difficult topic to explain, but it may be simplified to polyappearance. The mage may also freely open portals to places that the Mage has an Arcane connection to. Often Mages will use this to pull people into their sanctums or places where they have an advantage.

A master’s abilities in correspondence are nearly unlimited and even more complex to fit into such a narrow explanation here.

Councilor Phaedra on Correspondence

Many people are stumped by this sphere. How does one reach across the fabric of space to see people and places at a distance? Or even pass through to reach that distant locale? In order to master this field of study, one has to let go of mundane views on space. Instead, think of the vastness of reality as a great sheet of fabric. 

If that sheet is spread across a flat surface, then of course one must drive straight from Point A to Point B to span the distance. But what if one could simply grab the two points and pull them together? Then, the unnecessary expenditure of gas, time, and other resources could be avoided altogether. Imagine a world where we never required the use of vehicles again. We simply stepped from where we are to where we need to be!

Councilor Phaedra on Forces

This Sphere of magic is as tricky and unpredictable as a cat on catnip. It is as likely to burn the user as the enemy. Some subtle manipulations are possible, making gravity seem slightly heavier and thus a set of stairs leading to the 10th story of a building extremely hard to climb. However, more commonly the energy is used for some very vulgar effects. I was once asked if I could shoot lightning out of my ass, like William Wallace. 

With Forces, this is literally possible, but only if one understands the pattern. The universe is an intricate, woven pattern of energy. Whether it is gravity, heat, electricity, this energy travels around us every day. It is created and destroyed by every action or lack of action we take. The weave of energy is impossibly complex, but a subtle twang along the lines of thread that make up that tapestry can send shock waves to the horizon. The harder one pulls, the bigger the shock.

Councilor Phaedra on Prime

The world is made of quintessence or vis as it is called in older texts. Every person, place, or thing contains at least a miniscule dram of vis. While the pattern of reality fights the will worker's desire to bend it to her needs, vis empowers her. It is in a way a great cosmic joke. 

Reality both gives us the tools we need to empower ourselves in vis and the means to destroy ourselves in paradox. Paradox occurs when a will worker pulls the threads of reality too far out of sync, in which case they snap back into place so hard her hands are scarred (sometimes literally, more often metaphorically). The sphere of prime allows the will worker to see, move, and manipulate the raw magical energy of reality. All awakened should learn at minimum apprentice themselves to this field of study.