by James Palmer (jrp36@hermes.cam.ac.uk)
"Well, for me there was never really a difference between the magickal world and the mundane world. I learned how to draw charges the same way other kids learn how to tie their shoelaces. Before I started school, though, my mom sat me down and explained how there were certain words that you only used at home, and some things that you didnıt talk about outside the family. I always kept things pretty much distinct. Some kids learn to be tough at school and polite at home; I was mundane at school and occult at home.
I got used to the idea of being a Sleeper gradually; I wanted to do what my dad did, like most people do when theyıre little. You get dynasties of businessmen and doctors the Crowes had always been occultists, right back to Salem. Weıre shadow-black, like the bird weıre named after. Looking back at it, though, I think theyıd have been suspicion of child abuse if Iıd grown up nowadays. Sometimes Iıd let slip about not being able to talk about "family things," I acted more adultı than my classmates pretty close to those warning signs they give teachers little leaflets about. Thereıs quite a few brats like me in the Underground nowadays, but you donıt get to see them much their parents tend to be protective of them up to a certain point.
You ever meet Forsythe? Sheıs an odd woman, and a lot of that comes out of how she was raised. From what I hear, she was pretty much totally dominated by her father no school, no friends, nothing and sheıs never known anything but magick. This was before compulsory schooling, from what I hear, so he could get away with that they just travelled the world together. I sniff some Freudian shit going on there, but that might just be my dirty policemanıs mind. I donıt think she gives a fuck about protecting ordinary people; she just wants to keep the magick to herself and the elite like her. Damn fine cobwebber, though.
Cliomancyıs probably the easiest school to raise a child in, because itıs somewhat depersonalised itıs closer to ritual than a lot of other modern magick schools, though Iıd guess clockworkers wouldnıt have too hard a time either. To raise your kid as a bodybag or a fleshworker, though, you really have to wait till theyıre older. That type of magick works on a fundamental violation of the adeptıs sense of whatıs normal, and if you grow up fucked-up and thinking that stabbing yourself every morning or randomly running across freeways is just part of life, it doesnıt generate anywhere near the same amount of charge. So adepts trying to bring their kids into that kind of thing normally have to raise em normal up to a certain point, then put them through some initiation. One fleshworker I dealt with, he tied his kid up in this machine that sliced off just a little bit at a time, over a long time, until the kid spontaneously melted his arms out of it.
Raising a kid as an Avatar is pretty common and relatively easy. Bedrooms surrounded with the right colours, mystic symbols on their pajamas, war toys if youıre raising an Executioner; Iıd say at least twenty percent of Avatars were raised that way. Being an Avatar is much more of an unconscious thing than being a magician, so itıs easier to just push somebody that way. Iıve known Avatars whoıve raised their kids to be the same archetype as them, but thatıs really playing with fire notice how many stories end up with the son overthrowing the father? Risky stuff. Iım pretty certain that some of the Mafia families were, deliberately or otherwise, raising their kids to channel the King one of the few places you still had a semi-feudal set-up, yısee? Though Iıd guess the Crime Lord maybe became an archetype of its own back in the 20ıs. Iıll tell you one thing, though, raising your kid that way is a good way to ensure heıll go after whoever took you down; avatars tend to get pulled about by legend as I said, and a lot of legends have avenging sons.
Worse stuff happens to kids than just being raised magickal, though. Back in ı95 I had a bad case no, horrific. Worst Iıve ever seen. I was in Vice at the time, and there were rumors of a nasty ring, all the normal things, peopleıs own dark dreams projected onto a supposed conspiracy; animals, white slaves, kids, black magic rituals, snuff. You have to check it out, but ninety-five percent of the time itıs bullshit. You want to find abuse, look at families, not mysterious cabals.
Thatıs as a general rule, anyway. This time this time it was worse than any of that. I wasnıt the one who found the murdered kid, but I was the one who had to watch him being killed. Sometimes, I wish I didnıt know how to use Past Sight. He wasnıt the last, either. Cut a long story short, I faked a lot of evidence - hell, magick isnıt exactly admissible and we brought them down.
The theyı in question were a bunch of adepts whoıd been running a demon-summoning racket for some twenty years. Thatıs a fairly standard routine; demon gets what it wants, performs a service for the summoner, poor possessed bastard gets screwed. Thatıs nasty enough, but these fuckers had added a whole new trick. Theyıd taken kids virtually from the moment of birth, in fact, I think at least two of them were the adeptsı children and had them possessed every moment of the day and night. Contra the Exorcist, you donıt normally see possessed children that often; their sense of self is too slippery for the demon to push down, and another identity can pop up pretty damn quick while the demonıs not looking.
But these kids had never been anything other than passengers in their own bodies, as though theyıd spent their whole life watching a movie. They had no sense of self; a demon could slip in and out of them like a pair of pants. They never had a chance to exist they never had a chance to be anything except at the worst moments. The demonsıd take the drugs, then leave for the comedown, or binge themselves, let the original self in to vomit, then come in and eat more. I canıt begin to imagine what life if you can call it that was like for those souls.
The adepts and the demons are wherever the dead go now Hell, I hope. The children are in various asylums. They might be happy now, if thereıs any "they" left. I hope they are, but I worry. Theyıre still prey for any twisted dead bastard that wanders along.
Thatıs the worst case I know, but Iıve seen milder versions. Fair few bits of magick require the adeptıs child, especially longevity rituals. I can name ten cases Iıve dealt with or heard of that involved a son or daughter being raised just to be sacrificed. Some of those chickened out at the last moment, though; killing your own child is pretty hard, even if youıre a hardened cold sicko like these people. Anybody with your blood makes a good psychic distractor, too, especially if you give them your own name or an anagram. Avatars can be equally nasty in what they do to their kids. The Mother archetype has a whole lot of dark reflections, look at the original Snow White in Ohio there was one woman who was trying to become the Devouring Mother. Iıll leave the rest to your imagination.
Do I blame my parents for pulling me into this world? No. Iıd have been a cop whoever my parents had been, and cops always have to go a little closer to the shadows I just know bit more about darkness.