Pokémon GO and Magickal Thinking

Given its release in Canada this month, like so many of my readers, I’ve been caught up in the Pokémon GO craze, even though the original game was after my time.  One of my acquaintances on Facebook recently joked about “when your coven goes to meet in a park and wind up playing Pokémon GO...” , and  I quickly realized that there’s a profound truth hidden in that.  I think the game encourages magickal thinking, and so makes a nice fit (or distraction?) for anyone on the Pagan path.

A word on maps.  Think about GPS (Global Positioning System) applications such as Google Earth, and the maps we carry in our own heads. These are comprised of layers consisting of  topography, borders, lakes and rivers, roads, buildings, parks, etc., etc. Add to these the layers that are more personal to each of us, but of which others may not be aware. Depression-era hobos used tagging to indicate which houses gave good handouts, and which would run you off with a shotgun. Criminal gangs have their territories, as do panhandlers, buskers, and bottle-pickers. And I’m sure each of us has their own mental map of destinations and the routes to them. Skirmishes, wars and global conflicts begin when the boundaries on these mental maps don’t agree. 

As Pagans, every time we create sacred space, we add another layer to that map, and by doing so, alter our consciousness. The steps of a Wiccan circle-casting - banishing, purifying, and cutting the circle, inviting in the Elemental powers, and the Goddess and God – are done with our minds, so that we “enter” that map, and “leave” it when our work is done and the circle opened. The more experienced of us can do it without all those steps, but the mind-work is similar.

Niantic, the makers of Pokémon GO, used map-layering based on an earlier product in the creation of the game. As you probably know by now,  Pokéstops and Gyms in the game are real-world locations – parks, churches, sculptures, signs, and other points of interest -- but with the additional augmentation of  being landmarks in, okay, call it PokéWorld or PokéLife.  In Pagan terms, every time we play the game, we access a spirit world, a parallel of the land of Faerie with its own landmarks, populated by strange elemental creatures. But without the ritual of creating a circle, the simple opening and closing of an app on a cell phone can suddenly throw us into and out of a parallel and magickal world, and if we’re not properly grounded, that can cause real-world problems.

The first thing I discovered playing the game is how easy it is to trance out if you’re focused on the PokéWorld in the screen rather than your own surroundings.  Hence the warning displayed every time the app loads to be alert and stay aware.  As has been well-reported, people have been injured or worse walking into traffic following the trail of an elusive Pokémon; even if you’re driving to locate a Pokéstop to load up on Pokéballs, it helps to have a navigator in case you forget to shoulder-check, or to access a Pokéstop on the corner of a busy intersection (assuming the GPS has caught up with you).

The three teams – Instinct, Mystic, and Valor -- seem to be elementally based, which may be a factor for those reaching Level 5 and trying to choose a team, although the relationship is a bit fuzzy. Valor (Red) suggests Fire to me, perhaps similar to Gryffindor in Harry Potter. The description of  Mystic (Blue) as careful and analytical suggests Air or perhaps Earth to me, even though the colour is indicative of  Water; I think of Hufflepuff in the Potterverse.  To me, Instinct (Yellow) suggests Water, or perhaps aspects of Fire, and reminds me of Ravenclaw, but its alignment is “Electric”. Interpretations may vary; this will undoubtedly be a good topic for discussion.

Pokémon GO is certainly the phenomenon of the summer (we’ll see how it fares in a Calgary winter), and I can see it as a launching point for long-term technological GPS applications.  But it’s also a psychological phenomenon, and for those of us in Pagan communities, a magickal one.

August Events:

Note these events are listed for information purposes only. Dates and locations may be subject to change; see the source for details. If I’ve missed anyone and you’d like to add to this listing, please contact me. All times Mountain Daylight Time.

Jul 29 – Aug 6:  Calgary Fringe Festival. Info: http://calgaryfringe.ca

Jul 30, 11:00 am: Inglewood Sunfest. Info: http://inglewoodsunfest.ca

Jul 30, 7:30 pm sharp: COGCOA Lammas Community Ritual. http://www.cogcoa.ab.ca

Jul 30-31:  Didsbury Days of Yore.  Info: http://mountainviewartssociety.ca

Jul 31, 7:00 pm:  Paranormal Pub Night Kensington, sponsored by Ghost Hunt Alberta.

Aug 1:  Heritage Day (Alberta).  Traditional Lughnasadh, or Lammas.

Aug 2, 2:46 pm:  New Moon. Tinne/Holly lunar month begins.

Aug 6-7:  Brooks Medieval Faire. Info: http://brooksfaire.com

Aug 6, 7:30 pm:  COGCOA Coffee Cauldron. See Jul. 30.

Aug 12:  Perseid Meteor Shower peaks before dawn.

Aug 13, 10:00 am:  New Age Market at Hillhurst-Sunnyside Community Hall.

Aug 17, 7:30 pm:  Calgary Witches' Meetup. Info on Facebook.

Aug 18, 3:29 am: Full (Sturgeon, Bear, or Corn) Moon.

Aug 18, 7:30 pm:  Calgary Witches’ Full Moon Circle, in SE Calgary.

Aug 26 – Sep 5: Calgary Pride Week 2016. Info: http://calgarypride.ca

Aug 27, 1:00 pm: Calgary Heathen Meet & Greet. Info: Calgary Heathens on Facebook.

Aug 27, 4:00 pm: Psychics, Henna and Fashion Show Fundraiser. Info: Gaia Gathering on Facebook.

Aug 30, 7:04 am: Mercury Retrograde to Sep. 22.