Evocations and Invocations
A serious mistake that many Magi make in their practice is to treat contact with forces in contest-like rituals, goetic or theurgic operations as a simple “conversation,” like a casual conversation or a phone call.
Indeed, the very word “communication” implies the establishment of some “common” territory where an “intersection of interests” occurs, an intense and deep interaction.
At the same time, such establishment of contact, especially when it concerns non-dual “ministering” spirits, often fails to produce useful results, and far more often is accompanied by destruction or ibbur possession. The Magus, being a threefold nature, is always a favorable medium for the activity of dual vortex structures, and therefore a poorly conducted contact with any such structure in a large number of cases ends in substantial damage to the operator’s psychocosm.
We have already said that all rituals for establishing contact — that is, the establishment of contact with “external” vortical structures — are traditionally divided into three groups: appeals, evocations (evocations) and callings (invocations).
An appeal is a magical (usually theurgic) operation in which the Magus most often attempts to establish an “ascending” vertical link with beings or forces that are higher in evolutionary rank, for example with gods or archangels, with the aim of receiving some blessing, initiation or benediction. This mode of interaction is, in essence, a “request,” a kind of “active prayer,” where the requested party makes the final decision. In other words, the Magus merely opens the communication channel, requests contact, but in no way forces the establishment of the interaction itself, leaving the choice to the summoned force. The success of the operation depends primarily on prior preparation — on how much the Magus is prepared for such interaction, how much rapport he has developed with the requested force, how well attuned he is. Nevertheless, the risk of a “strike of light” remains, of course, and the danger of an appeal, as well as the importance of proper preparation for it, must not be underestimated.
Evocation is a ritual in which an alien force is compelled to manifest itself under specially prepared conditions. Most goetic rituals, of course, are precisely evocations, and all methods of evocation are aimed, on the one hand, at creating conditions for the spirit’s manifestation and, on the other, at making that manifestation as safe as possible for the operator. In effect, during an evocation a controlled contact is established between two utterly different universes: one — the Magus’s universe — is symbolized by the Circle, and the other — the spirit’s universe — by the Triangle of the Art. It is crucial that these universes do not overlap, and that the “bridge” between them be entirely controlled by the summoner. An evocation must not be “communication,” because nothing can be truly common between the Magus and a Demon: the Magus does not cooperate with the Demon, does not negotiate with it, but rather resists it.
Invocation is also a forcible form of contact between the operator and an alien force, in which the contact is facilitated by offering that force a medium or vessel, a field to manifest in. Such a field can be either a medium or the Magus’s mind. In other words, if an evocation calls a spirit to “come,” an invocation invites it to enter. This method is commonly used for contact with angels, although some Magi invoke goetic spirits, and spirit-workers likewise contact elementals. It is clear that the risk of possession, of ibbur possession, is greatest in this case, although both the probability and the “density” of the contact are also at their highest.
It is obvious that the risk in each method of interaction is great, and it is extremely important for the Magus to be able to assess both that risk and his own strength and authority for conducting any operation. One often sees a naive beginner, after watching fantasy media or playing games, construct a Circle and consider himself a great “summoner,” detailing and describing his “successes” on fringe magical websites and forums, instructing and lecturing other similar gamers. Of course, more often than not this experience remains just a game and happily ends with the onset of mere sexual gratification, but, unfortunately, in some cases such superficial experience can lead to possessions and ibburs, and, worse yet, provides a pathway for the entry into our troubled world of additional destructive forces.
A Magus who seeks practice not to compensate for a feeling of personal inadequacy, but to realize the deep potential of his nature, must approach planning and execution of any operation as responsibly and soberly as possible; he must choose the type of contact that he is capable of both establishing and controlling, not the one that comes with greatest spectacle. For the Magus, responsibility is not just a nice phrase and not merely a desirable quality; for him it is a direct condition of both his survival and others’ safety. It can be difficult, but it is very important to restrain one’s grandiosity and to measure one’s strength against the coming battle, especially when that battle smells of brimstone.
Hello! What do you think, should any boundaries be broken? A lot has been written about internal readiness for manifestation; if the manifestation conditions are met, it will occur by itself, but you’ve written that the magical approach is often a revolutionary rather than evolutionary path, and when one is not invited at the door, they break in through the window. Against this backdrop, I think the evolutionary path is like training consciousness to return from darkness to its anchors, gradually building like a crystal, a long but structural process. And in free swimming, how to find references for which darkness not to step into? Here is my personal example: I recently discovered a rather unusual, interesting, and I would say cool state of consciousness, and I feel I can delve into it, pass some barrier; I can almost physically feel it – but as soon as I approach it, I immediately face a wild inner fear plus everything possible tries to distract me, to the point where the things around start dancing – the world seems to scream “stop!” and it is unclear when the experience is transformed from something cool and generally pleasant into a rather unpleasant horror story; perhaps this is a warning, something like “stop, buddy, it’s still too early.”
“Breaking” boundaries is not necessary at all. It is necessary to create conditions in which the existence of these boundaries becomes meaningless, and they will disappear by themselves.
Eiol, I am familiar with that state. The “stop, buddy” happens almost regularly when I approach an understanding of a certain process. In the end, I got tired of it and don’t pay attention. These are blocks of illusions. Break them boldly. Good luck!
I would like to add. The saying of the more experienced Ena here is very wise. To break through not by false understanding, not through shoving fear into a corner, but through comprehending the process. Try to think of the reason behind a “barrier” when it arises, identify all facets of the block rooted in your consciousness. Bring it to the surface, shed light on it, and it will resolve.
In principle, I do roughly that; I look from all sides, pass it under different angles, but the essence of the fear problem is that it takes all concentration, all attention, and by fighting it, trying to understand it, I simply drift away from the goal. Perhaps my subconscious or something else reacts to the danger I do not notice in practice. I tried to ignore it (even memorized a quote from Dune as a mantra 🙂 ), but it just hits harder – both the feeling of an external presence and the beginnings of some poltergeist around. Why it is so, apart from the version about protecting oneself from acting foolishly, and how to create conditions so that such things don’t bother me, I don’t see even theoretically.
The brighter the light, the darker the shadows. I dare to suggest that the area of fears awakens in you that you have been gradually feeding throughout your life but which has waited until the opportune moment to manifest in various threshold situations. And you have simply discovered it. Try to dissociate yourself from this fear by distancing it from yourself.
Eiol, in most cases, the cause of fears is one’s own fear of changes. Regarding the rest… That is why magical schools exist, to provide protection to students. You are provided resources for development and protection, and certain magicians monitor your energetic and psychological state. My email is finans666@mail.ru.
Dear אלף Nomen, how would you help distinguish magicians who can teach something substantial from charlatans and unlearned ones? Life-spring metaphysicians in our age of computer loneliness and huge masses of absolutely unsystematic around-magical ‘literature’ have an almost royal abundance 🙂 And at the same time, for lonely travelers, the chances are now much greater than at any other time before, precisely because of this heap of information and its accessibility, as well as its unsystematic nature, which exists without ‘stale pseudo-mysticism’. So, at the intersection of teachings and sciences, just that Own viewpoint may arise, like the fulcrum Archimedes was looking for to turn the world. And I don’t know how many find it, but those who try to sell such a perspective in seminars on Wednesdays from 3 to 6 under the guise of some branch of an Ancient School do not inspire respect or any trust from me. Although, I hope that maybe for you it’s not like that. Good luck!
Information for Magicians and Hunters. After inspecting people at the top of VKontakte, I concluded that popularity does not mean intelligence. The second conclusion I made is that people are driven by instincts and templates (illusions). The very first and main block of illusion: money is intelligence. It affects the success of worldview. If you are rich, you are smart and stable. This means you provide a reliable existence for yourself, your loved ones, children, etc. I feel compelled to dispel this myth from my own observations. Yes, monetary value signifies stability in our time. But on what is this stability based? On the acceptance by the being of this world of the ingrained values of technologies, without which it supposedly cannot do, which actually are limitations of its freedom, limitations on the freedom of its thoughts, dreams, illusions, desires. I take into account that the world is originally Natural, as well as the equilibrium of the natural world in relation to technological advancements. Without in any way diminishing or belittling technological significance for satisfying needs for the Common Good. And yet, returning to the original, our world is devoid of everything that drives it toward fruitful development, toward what enriches the spaces of this world, fills it with colors of change, serves to enrich the fullness of souls inhabiting it. In my brief statement, I want to wish and draw attention to the necessity of profound consideration of the changes we must make in this world. Let’s be as refinedly wise as possible and take the assigned tasks with maximum responsibility. I stand for the fullness of this world with the colors of Creation. Thank you for your understanding.
A normal level of material adequacy is also an indicator of a magician’s effectiveness, the reality of their skills/abilities, and their adequacy to the surrounding world, society. Diogenes was probably not the dumbest philosopher, but learning from such a person would have been extremely difficult 🙂
In Buddhism, all sorts of so-called demons are well described, their ‘hooks’ mechanism is given, and a universal way to resist them is provided. However, this is far from suitable for everyone. Yet I have not encountered anything about calling them ‘for the good of the matter.’ Why summon a demon? Isn’t it enough to learn to recognize its influence and engage in battle when such ‘presences’ occur? By the way, that’s also a battle, sometimes unbearably heavy and almost always lost multiple times before a clear vision appears about what ‘it’ hooked onto and how to stay in that state after which victory comes, final and irreversible, granting strength that cannot be lost.
One can only invoke what one is capable of recalling.