Magical Calls
“The world was created by ten qualities: wisdom, attention, knowledge, Power, call, might, justice, righteousness, love and compassion”
The importance of spells as a key magical tool is obvious and needs no elaboration. We have already mentioned that verbalizing intention is absolutely necessary for its manifestation in the world.
At the same time, the diversity of spells is not obvious, not only in form but also in effect.
Indeed, all spells can be divided into two large groups: 1) realization formulas and 2) Calls.
Magi do not always fully appreciate this “functional” diversity of spells, and some of the negative effects of Rituals stem from incorrect use of spells.
At first glance, it may seem that if a spell contains words like: “I summon you…“, then it must be a Call, and if: “Let there be…“, then it must be a realization formula.
In fact, the situation is somewhat more complicated.
The difference between the two kinds of spells mentioned is not in what the magus says, but in where he directs the currents of Power.
If Power flows from the operator, then we are dealing with a realization, and if to the magus — then with a call.
For example, many evocation formulas are in invocatory or evocatory form. However, strictly speaking, there is no call, because the goal — that is, the realization of the intention — of the ritual is making a spirit appear, and therefore the magus must direct his Power outward; in this case we have an operation of realization. God forbid that a magus, in search of more effective methods of evocation, choose spells solely because they contain words like “I command you to appear…“, for in doing so he risks calling the spirit to himself — that is, receiving Ibbur.
In other words, in an evocation it is important not only to compel the spirit to appear but also to keep it under control, and the spells a magus must choose should be directed outward.
The same situation applies to calling Powers — a number of spells that may seem suitable at first glance in fact call power toward the magus but not into him, and are therefore useless in calling rituals.
The idea of magical calls is that the magus’s mind and power are in a reciprocal relationship — that is, they need one another for their manifestation. Therefore not only is Power entitled to call the magus, but the magus can call power.
In fact, many theurgic operations are based precisely on this — the magus calls Power, and Power answers his call.
Put differently, a realization formula aligns the world with the magus’s intention, while a call readies the magus to receive power.
The magical use of Calls is most developed in the ” Enochian” system, where for entry into each sphere of the Interworld (the ‘ether’) a corresponding “call” is used to channel etheric power into the magus’s mind of that “ether.” In the Order of the Golden Dawn, “Enochian” Calls were widely used in many rituals.
Thus, when choosing or analyzing verbal formulas that a magus intends to use during a ritual, he must clearly understand where the spells direct their effect, and whether that direction suits his purposes. He must be aware that by directing power outward he inevitably loses it, and therefore must provide a way to replenish it; at the same time, by directing power inward he must be aware of how ready he is to receive that power, since power disproportionate to the vessel receiving it destroys that vessel.
Verbalization means to speak sounds. And if the conjurer cannot produce sounds? Is there any other way to cast a spell besides making sounds?
I think you mean the mute, for example? I will allow myself to assume that for them, the place of speech largely replaces gesture, so that gestural spells should have similar value for them.
In my humble opinion, based on logic)
Oh yes. Once, I decided to attract power to myself with runes. Thank the Gods, my knowledge was not sufficient to open the full flow, but it was enough for what I got. Since then, I realized one simple thing – you are given as much Power as you can withstand. Everything a person can do is to train themselves to have the ability to increase their Power.
I think there’s a reason why a person loses their speech. Words and sounds are very important, although gestures and dances are still available.
“In reality, many theurgical operations are based on this – the magician calls upon the Power, and the Power responds to his call.”
Can we say: when the Power calls a person, the person becomes a magician. When the magician calls upon the Power, does he become a theurgist?