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Internet Book of Shadows, (Various Authors), [1999], at sacred-texts.com
T H E A U T O N O M A T R I X
Nascent Manifesto of 930111
:: Symbolism & Design ::
The name AutonomatriX is derived from the words autonomy and matrix to
represent a self-directed and self-governing repository of information. The emblem
of the Auto-nomatriX is a circular blade with eight teeth providing a background to
t he glyph of Eris turned on its side.
The AutonomatriX is a networking chaos magic guild of those striving to discover and
rejuvenate magical ideas and technical skills with success as the only key to
validation. We do not discriminate on
the basis of lifestyle, gender, affiliation, race, or sexuality. We seek to interact
with creative magicians who are pushing boundaries instead of being trapped by them.
We are a guild composed of working craftspeople, whereas an order/lodg e/clique is
generally an exclusive
membership of supplicants.
The time of centralized info-banks is at an end; the nature of "classified" or
"secret" information is that it is more often limiting than useful to the collector,
and only profitable to the banker
of such media. Hierarchical structures are unnecessary and undesired; checks and
balances regarding membership are determined by an individual's interaction with
the rest of the group rather than personal prejudices or acceptance for any member
by any other member. The principles "sink or swim" and "(inter)action equals life"
are applicable to this magical guild, as in any network.
:: Access to the AutonomatriX ::
When a candidate has made intentional contact with a member of the AutonomatriX
(called the "AX"), that member sponsors the candidate hirself and provides all
pertinent information about that candidat
e to another member as soon as is possible for co-sponsorship. Alternatively, if for
any reason the member chooses not to sponsor the candidate after the initial
inquiry, that member must send the
information to two other members, one of whom is the member nearest to the
candidate's geographic locale. Ideally, the two sponsors would be geographically
separated from one another. All inquirers will be provided with the current AX
manifesto by any member who accepts sponsorship of that candidate at the onset of
their relationship. The suggested sponsorship period is three months, at the end of
which the co-sponsors mutually decide upon whether or not initiation should take
place.
The sponsored candidate is requested to provide information regarding any personal
magical work done in a journal or magical record. The candidate may in turn be
given any part of the Corpus Fecundi other than the Contacts Listing (see below)
that the sponsors deem appropriate at any time. Initiation may be performed by one
or both of the sponsors and/or an y other members of the AX with the consent of the
sponsors. The candidate must provide a record of a magical working whi
ch has resulted in mani-festation of the intent at least two times, and design a
self-initiation ritual. All initiation s must be performed in person. At the
climax of the initiation, the new member
is handed the current Contacts Listing ( on a scroll) and the remainder of the
Corpus Fecundi.
:: The Corpus Fecundi ::
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The Corpus Fecundi comprises a record of research, technical experimentation and
ritual methods that have arisen since the emergence of this guild of Chaos. The
entirety of this information is provided only after a period of sponsorship
resulting in initiation and excludes non-req uested information of a political or
genealogical nature.
It is the personal responsibility of each member of the AX to update their copy of
the Corpus Fecundi as new information becomes available. An active member of the AX
is any person who is on the Contacts Listing. All information for inclus ion into
the Corpus Fecundi is
transferred throughout the network on at least a quarterly basis.
The Corpus Fecundi consists of three parts, as follows:
The first part is the "Contacts Listing," which includes all participants in the AX.
All are listed by their appellation (any titles may be chosen), mailing address,
Working Group and/or Project involvement information, and a brief biography (bio) of
personal interests, researches, requests for information on any topic, etc. To
remain on the Contacts Listing each member is responsible for making their mem-
bership known by interaction with other members. If for any reason this cannot be
done, membership requires that the current AX curators are notified of continued
participation in the net-work by a work record semi-annually.
The second part is an "Index" of all works currently making up the Corpus Fecundi.
All members are responsible for ensuring that their copy is complete via this Index.
The author of each item will be
listed here, rather than on the items themselves.
:: The Curators ::
The issuance of Contacts Listings and Indexes are provided by the AutonomatriX
curators, who ensure that each display the name and emblem of the AX upon them. Two
curators are randomly chosen on June
27th of each year from volunteers to update and maintain securely the hard-copies
and electronic copies of all material in the Corpus Fecundi. The Corpus Fecundi is
maintained in its entirety in both formats at all times. Any individual in the
network may assume these responsibilities, although no curator may have successive
terms of office.
:: Working Groups ::
Each member of the AX is encouraged to form autonomous Working Groups. All WGs may
be designated by whatever name (Coven, Project, Team, Clan, Temple, Group, Cabal,
Tribe, etc.) deemed appropriate by those directly involved. A Working Group is
composed of at least two active me mbers of the network and as many nonmembers as
desired by them.
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Each Working Group is inaugurated by the generation of its own unique
manifesto, accepted by all participating in that WG. It must be distributed by the
AX members of that group to all on the current Contacts Listing. This particular
manifesto should be made as detailed as possible, to outline the WG's objectives and
intent, protocol, any offices assumed within the WG's internal structure, and
whatever else the WG decides upon. Accompanying the manifesto should be each
participant's signature (of their chosen appellation), mailing address, and bio. The
AX will in no way interfere in matters of any Working Group's internal structure or
protocol, with the fullest intention being to keep regulation to a minimum in
regards to the network's guild structure.
Each WG is encouraged to access any form of media available for wider
distribution of ideas and material, and the AX pro vides encouragement and/or
assistance to members who have material suitable for this purpose.
:: Projects ::
Projects or Operations which include any member of the AX within or without one's
Working Group are to be listed in the Contacts List. An "Operation" is usefully
described as an extended working for a specific goal carried out by two or mo re
members of the guild regardless of WG affiliation.
:: Main Contact Points ::
It is recommended that each WG and Operation designate a Main Contact Point (or MCP)
elected by the members in that Working Group, for response to inquiries and
distribution of information. It is the responsibility of the acting MCP of that
group to distribute all information for inclusion into the Corpus Fecundi of the
members in hir Working Group and/or O peration.
:: Information Transference ::
Information is distributed throughout the entire active membership of the network in
the issuance of the Contacts Listing and Index of the Corpus Fecundi by the AX
curators. The authors of any item produced and distributed for inclusion into the
Corpus Fecundi are responsible for the distribution of that information throughout
the network. Any item may be marked "Private" by its author, and this is understood
to mean distribution via the Corpus Fecundi only (not for public consumption). No
items intended for the Corpus Fecundi may be marked with the
author's appellation, although it is recommended that each item is accompanied by a
cover letter providing whatever personal data the author or distributor desires.
:: Voting ::
When voting is required within the AX as a whole, all members must provide a written
response of yes, no, or abstinence. The votes of each member are then listed beside
their name on the next Contacts Listing. A measure's success depends upon at least
a two-third's majority of all members of the AutonomatriX. All members are encour-
aged to voice their own o pinions at all times.
:: Identification ::
The AX does not employ any single clue to disclose membership in the guild.
However, objects that are easily available are periodically chosen to represent
active participation in the network, such as a certain semiprecious stone or a
color-specific pen for example. At any time, suggestions may be supplied to a
curator for random selection. The identifier is described as briefly as possible at
the top of each Contacts Listing. Aside from this, each WG and Operation is encou
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raged to generate totems and/or fetishes to designate themselves symbolically within
the guild.
:: Accessories ::
Each Working Group in the AX chooses what ritual accessories are necessary. Some may
choose specific forms of jewelry or ritual garments as a group. Each member must
possess the current identifier
object of the AX in the working area at the time of any meeting attended.
The AutonomatriX may be reached via
Temple Babel
PO Box 26362
San Francisco, CA 94126
Vox Mail: 415- 267-6937
or via the
PSYBERNET BBS: (805)772 AS IF
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