The idea of exchanging 'value tokens' or 'money' for goods and/or services dates back to the 2nd Millennium before the Christian era, with the earliest uniform coinage - bead-shaped ingots of the Gold/Silver alloy 'Electrum' - dating from the time and region of the early Pre-Socratic philosophers appearing in Asia Minor around 700 BC.

For the subsequent 2000 years the use of small stamped pieces of metal defined as bearing some standard value became widespread throughout the lands of the old Greek and Roman empires, with regulation eventually becoming the monopolistic prerogative of the treasuries of "sovereign" states and the developing banking system.

By the 18th Century, carting gold, silver and copper coins around, particularly in large quantities, had become tedious, and 'promissory notes' were the fashionable new idea. A central bank proclaimed on its notes a "promise to pay the bearer" a specified quantity of gold on presentation of one of these notes.

During the present century, even with so-called 'hard currency', this promise has been dropped in all but name, and we now have what is termed 'Fiat Money' - i.e. a particular value is assigned to a piece of paper purely on the 'fiat' of a government stating that it is worth what it says it is worth. The world's economic systems are founded on nothing more substantial than the various governments tacit agreement to maintain mutual respect - within certain market constraints - for each others 'fiats'.

Money caught on originally because people found it convenient - direct barter of goods and services was cumbersome, and money provided flexibility. What started off as a convenience has now become the supreme deity, to all intents and purposes, in the late 20th Century. As an illustration, it would be easy enough to exist in our society for a day, a week, or even a year, without thinking about God (in any shape or other abstract form), but the same could scarcely be said of money.

The addictive fascination displayed by most individuals for money is carried to extremes by the machinations of corporate entities, who employ armies of professional specialists to devise ever more ingenious and deceitful methods of accumulating it. Money's own self-replicative, or interest bearing, attribute facilitates this process.

Regrettably, as a God to bring order to human affairs, money is probably even less effective than any of the other monotheistic monopolies which have paraded themselves across the millennia of history. In a world of plenty, millions starve. While houses stand empty, thousands are homeless. The land, the air, the rivers and oceans are despoiled with filth and poison, mostly by direct actions of corporations and governments, simply because the all pervasive power of money dictates that it is more "economic" for the world to be managed that way.

Above all money has always found it difficult to place any value on human creative activity and ideas; its priests are innately conservative (upper or lower case 'C'). All innovations, all inventions, all discoveries start with an initial idea, but that idea itself has no monetary value - it comes for free to someone, and although it may subsequently be worth millions, that value cannot in practice be realised until the germ of the idea has been taken over by the money monopoly and exploited.

The history of technology is littered with figures like Nicola Tesla (electric power transmission) and John Logie Baird (television) who struggled through brilliant poverty stricken lives watching their inventions, which have transformed the way we live, swallowed up and exploited often on the basis of business contracts which were about as fair-minded as the 'deed of sale' by which the title to Manhattan Island was transferred away from the Amerindian tribe of that name.

In many senses money can be conceived of as the godform of logical positivism - altruistic abstractions are devoid of philosophical meaning, and thus devoid of monetary value.

'ChaoCred Economics' provides a blueprint for an evolutionary advance in that science (or sorcery) which stands a chance of transforming the world of finance in a direction whereby some of these imbalances may start to even out.

GROWTH, RECESSION AND SLUMP

Most western economies aim at ever increasing growth (and ever accelerating plunder of the planets resources), while endeavouring to ensure that their currency does not lose value relative to other currencies, despite the fact that they are printing more and more paper money all the while. When this doesn't work, they proclaim the paramount importance of "fighting inflation" and set about trying to restrict the amount of money in circulation. This inevitably slows the growth, simply because creative effort and energy, rather than being directed towards production, research, development and innovation, become diverted towards the bureaucratic aggravations associated with struggling along under financial pressure.

The problem is that such slowing in growth does not translate into any comparable decrease in the rate of resource depletion, merely in an accumulation of wealth by those subsets of the economic system who are among the worst offenders (at least by proxy) through higher interest rates, at the expense of majority of individuals and smaller businesses. As recession deteriorates into slump, more and more people are thrown out of work, personal debts pile up often exponentially; the value of goods and property stops increasing as fewer people have money to spend - the theory is that at that point inflation can said to be "under control", and, with the easing of interest rates, the growth cycle can begin again.

In times of gross economic mismanagement from the top, however, the mechanisms go haywire; perhaps this should not come as any surprise, since economic indicators are Chaotic Functions par excellence, albeit that governments are reluctant to recognise this. I am unaware, for example, of the presence of any specialist in the processes of Chaos on any policy 'think tank' retained by any of the world's governments or supra-national bodies - if such an advisor does exist anywhere, then their views appear to be ignored or intentionally buried.

The result is some undecidability at any point in the downcycle as to whether a "recovery is underway", as any government facing election would like us all to believe, or whether the whole thing has gone into a tail-spin. The latter evidenced by accelerating rates of business failure, bankruptcy, evictions, and increasing numbers of people living in cardboard boxes and reduced either to begging for money, or selling their bodies on the street; this latter activity, of course, fulfils an important social function in that it maintains a steady stream of work for the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, as well as apparently providing occasional 'relief' from the rigours which must accompany incumbency of that position.

Some folk will buckle and give way under these pressures, and take their families off to temporary accommodation while the homes they owned and cherished are picked over and plundered by the vultures of the financial establishment; others prefer to stand their ground, to make life awkward for their oppressors, to fight back by any means at their disposal. Chaos Magicians, in particular, having been trained at an early stage of their advancement in 'Defence of Space', adopt a belief paradigm which makes them especially difficult to remove from a space they feel to be their own, and vindictive in the extreme if subjected to physical force or constraint in that process. Many Chaos Magicians will interpret a legal assault against them as if it were an occult attack and respond in that kind.

It is a fact of life resulting (as much as anything) from the devaluation of creative abstractions and ideas within the current economic system, that most occultists find great difficulty in generating regular financial income from their talents. The notable exceptions being for the most part among those who see fit to merchandise some fraudulent presentation of an 'ultimate truth' - that paradigm presumably finds some resonance with the equally fraudulent precepts of 'sovereignty' (based on the forged 'Donation of Constantine') and 'credit confidence', to the point that one can possibly even qualify for an 'enterprise allowance' if one seeks to trick the gullible into parting with money for "distilled essence of inert gasses" or some other such nonsense.

For the rest of us times are rough, but the fightback - bottom-up economic change - starts here.

IF YOU DON'T HAVE ANY MONEY START ISSUING YOUR OWN

In times of economic stability a creative thinking consultant, say a computer programmer, analyst or graphic designer, can earn anything from ten to fifty pounds per hour. In times of recession and slump, this can vanish to zero, and if the individual concerned had asserted independence by working on a self-employed basis, there is no entitlement to any state benefit. Moreover, where tenants can exert collective pressure on a corporate landlord, owner occupiers face the financial institutions, the courts, and the bailiffs (with their letterheads bearing actual 'fascist' insignia) in isolation.

Why cannot such people issue vouchers representing the value of their talents which are acceptable against institutional debt?

WH Smiths, Boots and HMV Records issue/sell gift vouchers and tokens which can be used subsequently to exchange for goods at any affiliated shop; these are a form of non-interest-bearing currency. So are Luncheon Vouchers; so are (were) Green Shield trading stamps; so are 'credit notes' issued by shops in preference to refunding money.

A "CHAOCRED" (short for Chaos Credit) Consultancy Voucher is a similar species of 'promissory note' which can be exchanged for consultancy services across a potentially wide variety of affiliated disciplines. It has more than just a 'fiat' value however. Like the earliest banknotes, a ChaoCred can be redeemed; not against a quantity of metal, but rather against a magical operation of specified 'valour' in the course of which the note will be destroyed or rendered void.

Anyone can issue a ChaoCred - in its purest form it is an offer to do work for the organisation or individual to whom it is issued for a 'notional equivalent' value in everyday money. Denominations are higher (typically 1 ChaoCred has notional eq 100 sterling) because of the redeemable character of the instrument against the actuality of a magical operation. It is in fact like a voucher representing, say, the option to make a wish-request upon the Genie of Aladdin's Lamp. Invaluable, some might say; for that reason ChaoCred vouchers are described as having a 'valour' rather than a 'value' - with that being related to the intensity of any associated ritual of redemption.

My advice to any creative independent individual under pressure from any organ of government, corporate entity or financial institution, is to issue ChaoCreds in whole or part payment of the notional eq of the debt. If this is deemed unacceptable, the ChaoCred may then be redeemed as a part of a sigil working targeted against the cybermorphic weaknesses of the organisation in question. Eventually it will start to dawn that organisations which accept ChaoCreds as negotiable instruments have a lot easier time of it than those who don't.

ChaoCreds are not really suitable at this time for issue against inter-personal debts because people need to eat, and even if market stalls and supermarkets could be persuaded to accept them, the vouchers would be the equivalent of super-large denomination banknotes which would be difficult to change at the best of times.

THE WORDING ON THE CHAOCRED VOUCHER

First of all it is a VOUCHER or TOKEN, not money or currency - any attempt to suggest that a ChaoCred is money is likely to lead to increased legal difficulties - another reason for stressing that it has a VALOUR and NOTIONAL EQ rather than monetary value and an exchange rate.

Each copy of this article is accompanied by a sample ChaoCred Voucher with wording which may provide a template for others inclined to issue their own versions.

It is a 'bearer' document, like a banknote, rather than a 'non-transferrable' instrument like an airline ticket. This means that the individual or organisation to whom it is issued may donate, sell or barter it to a third party, and in that sense it has currency-like characteristics. It can be cashed in at any time by the bearer in exchange for any consultancy service offered by any individual or organisation affiliated to the scheme - this would tie presumed to include anyone involved in issuing ChaoCreds. Such a 'cashing-in' process would not involve voiding or destruction of the instrument, which might subsequently be used by the recipient to settle some other corporate debt, or transferred to someone wanting a magical operation performed on their behalf - the 'Genie of the Lamp' scenario.

In the case of a ChaoCred issued by an occult practitioner, to give the document that gravitas which banknotes no longer carry, the redemption guarantee is essential - without that backing, the voucher has no more credibility than a Record Token. Individual occultists may, of course, undertake to guarantee ChaoCreds issued by their associates, and may indulge in reciprocal agreements by which they assent to executing redemption of ChaoCreds guaranteed by other occultists. Within an established occult group structure, such reciprocal co-operation should not be too difficult to arrange, and international transfer and negotiability also becomes straightforward.

Anyone obtaining a ChaoCred may take it to any participating occultist and request that it be redeemed as part of a magical operation which they wish to have carried out on their behalf. The ChaoCred will ordinarily be destroyed as part of this process - perhaps by burning. As the redeemer will not subsequently have the benefit of being able to negotiate the voucher further, some redemption fee may be levied - this is effectively the destruction of a large denomination banknote after all - but usually this would be minimal (say the 'notional eq' interpreted as pence rather than pounds) if the redeemer was the original issuer of the voucher, since that person could be assumed to have derived some material benefit from the voucher at the time of its issue.

THE VALOUR OF MAGICAL OPERATIONS

ChaoCreds are issued in denominations separated by orders of magnitude. That is vouchers take the valours of 1, 10, 100, 1000, 10000 ChaoCreds etc - thus a 'Ten Thousand ChaoCred' voucher has 'notional eq' of a million pounds sterling.

 A valour of One ChaoCred is redeemed by a single individual act of magic - for example a healing ritual, a protection ritual, charging of a sigil or talisman, or, with more hostility, a line-of-sight Chao-Bolting of some target which has caused offence - the voucher being destroyed in the process. A ritual divination might alternatively be performed.

A Ten ChaoCred voucher would be appropriate for redemption in the process of a 'Mass of Chaos 'B' or 'E' to a desired intent, where the person presenting it might take away in return some sacramental remnant. The higher valour equates to the involvement of more participants in and the increased intensity of the redemption ritual.

For a Hundred ChaoCred redemption a similar process might be employed, but committed to audio or video tape for release and subsequent re-enforcement using a technological principle equivalent to that employed at Phunki Dranka (located between Namche and Thangboche in the Khumbu region of Nepal).

Higher denomination vouchers would demand that special ritual procedures were designed involving extremes of gnosis, and it may be that such vouchers would be represented on cloth rather than on paper so that redemption would take place not in a single ritual act, but in a series extending over a period of time.

There are some obvious limitations. It would clearly be inappropriate for an occultist to issue a Ten ChaoCred voucher, if they did not feel qualified to lead a ritual procedure appropriate for its redemption. One would expect though that anyone experienced even only to the extent of having practised the techniques of 'Liber MMM' for a few months should be able to deal with a One ChaoCred voucher.

WHAT ECONOMIC IMPACT? IF ANY!

In the early stages, not much in all probability; but this recession/slump looks set to continue for the foreseeable future, and sooner or later the oppressors will come to appreciate that any kind of payment in response to a gratuitously imposed debt, like an estimated tax demand, or an arbitrary cancellation charge, is better than nothing. Moreover if payment is freely made and gratefully received, it saves everyone a lot of trouble.

The threat of magical attack is unlikely to exert much influence. The Logical Positivism which dominates present day conventional thought tends to deny that such phenomena can have any basis in reality, and, although one could fill a book with anecdotal examples, there is never any way of proving a link between the magic and the supposed effect - the best results look like co-incidence, and just as well!

The sort of results that would follow an aggressive One ChaoCred redemption would be failure of communication systems, a so-called Uninterruptible Power Supply for vital computer equipment malfunctioning, or even a light-bulb going 'pop' in the middle of an important board-room presentation. Such operations should generally be directed at corporate cybermorphs rather than at individuals - in magical terms it is no more difficult, and because all individuals in a corporate structure are usually considered as dispensable, a blow at the organisation's structural weaknesses is bound to have more far reaching results.

Ten ChaoCred hostilities can result in MMC referrals, failure of rights issues, press exposure of embarrassing revelations about dubious business practices or about the conduct of key senior management.

To be on the receiving end of a Hundred ChaoCred redemption is no trivial matter. Of the few such operations which have been carried out in recent years, results have included 60% drops in target share prices, and other dire corporate grief, sometimes affecting key personnel or major shareholders directly.

Redemptions of higher valour might be expected to destroy a target structure altogether - albeit over a period of months. Magic should always be allowed time to work.

CONCLUSION

It behoves those involved in arranging recessions and slumps to make sure that occultists, and Chaos Magicians in particular, who grace their country by residing there are constructively occupied. Failing that, it must at least be appreciated that the worst thing is for such people to be backed into a situation where their personal space and security is placed under direct threat.

ChaoCred Economics has become a reality arising out of just such a situation, and once such genie is out of the bottle, it may prove difficult to return to the 'status quo ante'.