Why is Goetica necessary?
Ideas about the aims and tasks of goetic operations vary enormously not only between different schools but also among individual practitioners. Some regard goetic spirits as sources of knowledge and wisdom and seek their patronage; others try to enslave them and force them to produce material and “subtle” benefits; still others view them as enemies and attempt to expel them from our world.
However, in any case goetic operations require contact between the Magus (operator) and an otherworldly entity, a “ministering spirit”, which, as a rule, has a hostile nature and predatory intentions.
Let us try to understand what consequences such an interaction may entail.
The first thing to note is the extreme danger of goetic activities, which are far more serious than playing with fire or wild beasts, because the invoked spirit can not only completely destroy the body and soul of the evoker, but also exert destructive influences on his family and those around him. So for those who are not certain that Magic is their Way, goetica is not only useless but strongly discouraged. And even for those who have no doubts about their Way as a Magus, lengthy and complex preparation is required before one can seriously plan goetic operations.
At the same time, the answer to the question, “Can one become a Magus without ever encountering demons?” is an unequivocal “No.”
As soon as a Magus begins to accumulate his Power, he becomes noticeable to larger predators than those that feed on the energy of ordinary people; not merely noticeable — he begins to become a target for their appetite.
In other words, even if the Magus is indifferent to demons, they will inevitably take an interest in him.
Therefore, every Magus who wishes to continue his Way beyond a certain stage will have to fight demons, whatever he may think of them or whether he regards them as part of his own psychocosmos, fallen angels, or anything else.
Whether a person regards confrontations with demons as “external” or “internal” battles, their intensity and the stakes involved are always extreme.
So for any magical wayfarer, direct encounters with predators become inevitable. And the ability to come out of such encounters relatively unscathed — This is Goetica.
Success in such a battle depends largely on the Magus’s level of information — it is always easier to fight something about which you have information; as the saying goes, “forewarned is forearmed” — and learning the nature of a Demon is much easier under controlled conditions of evocation than in the chaos of battle.
Thus, the first task of Goetica is the acquisition of knowledge about the character, strengths, and weaknesses of Demons.
Now let us return once more to the dangers of evocations. Yes, they are colossal, BUT the world is fairly well protected by the system of the Seals, by Angelic and Threshold guardians, and opening the gates is not easy; moreover, a natural safeguard against “accidental” opening is the Power itself: until the evoker has accumulated enough, an evocation will most likely fail, since practically all Grimoires contain deliberately made errors and omissions that serve precisely as protection from amateurs. In most cases the claims of “successful goetic operations” that one hears in magical circles are at best illusions and at worst deliberate fraud, because those who are capable of such operations will not boast about it publicly.
The next important point is the very nature of goetic spirits. Practically all demons available for evocation do not, strictly speaking, belong to the sphere of the Qliphoth, but are gatekeepers dwelling on the border of worlds in the Flow of Power and in the worlds beyond it. Of course, by admitting them into our world the Magus commits a crime, since such an invasion does not aid world development and contributes to the development of worlds, and it is impossible without enormous expenditure of Power. But at the same time, goetic spirits are far safer than the actual demons of the Qliphoth, because the latter are not only hungrier but also more destructive in their blind fury. So Goetica offers a mortally dangerous yet important experience of interacting with forces of destruction that interaction with the actual “spirits of hell” could not provide, since in the latter case the Magus’s chances of survival would be virtually nil.
The second task of Goetica can be considered the development of will, since every goetic operation is a competitive ritual in which the will and intelligence of the human participant contend with ancient, cunning will and the spirit’s cunning intelligence. It should be said that any attempts to find a common language with Demons, to “negotiate” with them or, even more, to conclude a pact, are doomed to fail, because a human has almost no chance of outwitting a demon. Therefore, the sole aim of the Ritual in this sense is to emerge relatively unscathed in confrontation with a Demon, not to gain benefits from it.
Finally, the third task of Goetica is the broadening of magical horizons. Nothing dispels the conviction of the solidity and immutability of the everyday world like an encounter with a life-threatening danger such as a Demon. Nothing sobers one so much as the feeling of one’s near-total helplessness before a spirit of superior might. It is precisely in such a confrontation that one’s shortcomings become evident because a Demon plays on them; it is in such contact that the darkness that lay unnoticed in the depths of the Magus’s psychocosmos comes to the surface — darkness he might not have suspected. By bringing the corrupt parts of his psyche to the surface, the Magus gains the opportunity to remove them from his psyche or integrate them; in any case, he moves toward integrity and harmony.
However, all these tasks can be accomplished, as noted above, only under conditions of complete control over the evocation procedure. Any error in it is potentially fatal, any weakness can lead to unimaginable pain.
Therefore goetic practice is not recommended, and, fortunately, usually impossible for inexperienced magi.
This is also quite interesting and useful ) But does the idea imply that encountering any source of fear makes a person stronger? Recently, I have been trying to overcome my fear of the dark. Overall, I just started practicing ninjutsu, and all my training takes place at sunset in the ravine, but with other people, it’s not scary, while walking alone is still not going very well))) This gloomy landscape is especially toughened by surprises, whether a dog suddenly pops out or some person appears, but it’s also unclear what he is doing there at such a late hour 🙂 The eternal rustlings and the feeling that someone is there…
What makes someone stronger is not ‘confrontation with the source of fear’, but developing the ability to act despite fear. It is necessary to rid oneself not of fear but its paralyzing influence.
Is it a crime to conduct a ‘competitive ritual’ in the world of demons (in a dream) in order to avoid committing that crime? Or does the magician not care what happens in the world, as long as it’s his own experience?
And how does the magician amend their crimes?
Dreaming is not a “world of demons,” but a Between-Worlds, filled with its own predators, but these are not goetic demons. Regarding correction, a magician must maintain the integrity of the world by all available means.
And the thinning of edges, development, complication of Midgard, Play with Reality. Making the World current, unknowable, preserving the fabric of dreams.
The topic is very relevant. I understood why I found your site and what I needed from it. Although I am still searching for practical points of application for this knowledge, at least I already know the names of the forces that stall me and lead me into dead ends time and time again…
I will be waiting for the continuation of the topic of goetia. Thank you!
I would not be so categorical in asserting that most published reports on goetic experiments are either fantasies and illusions or lies. I do not exclude that in some cases the experiences of the operators were not limited to their personal imagination, and something truly came to them. But whether what came to them was indeed what they summoned is another question. And anyone could come. For example, some elementary being, or any other inhabitant of the Between-Worlds, who wanted to present itself as a powerful demon and thereby gradually subjugate an unfortunate blin-magician, initially fulfilling a couple of his tasks from the D/J/V category. If we approach it from the perspective of achieving practical, specific earthly goals, then NO, PERHAPS THERE IS NO MORE INEFFECTIVE MEANS FOR ACHIEVING THEM THAN GOETIA, since the costs of Force and the risk exceed any goal. For example, to obtain money, there would be a much greater chance of getting it if I just go to a casino (if, of course, I have something to go with. And if I apply any occult methods for these purposes, there are quite a few methods to achieve something more effectively and safely. Through Sigil Magic for example. You can create and charge a Sigil, forget about it, and go to the casino. Of course, in practice, this is not so easy to do – certain skills are needed. But much less is still required than for a successful goetic operation. Returning to the beginning of the message, it should be noted that whirlwinds have a collective nature. Therefore, perhaps, different entities of different levels may come to the same summoning. An entity with a corresponding level of intelligence and the ability to affect reality may come, and really powerful demons might come too. But even a minor spirit summoned by an inexperienced operator may very well have some relation to Astaroth, Asmodeus, or Belial on the principle of “drinking beer from the same mug.” And any blin-magician whose summoning process caused even some minimal effect, such as the spontaneous swaying of a chandelier, knocks, or voices, will naturally shout at the top of his lungs that he summoned none other than Lucifer himself 😀 In general, the inflation of Ego will be colossal from this 😀 He will consider himself cooler than Mathers, Crowley, and Regardie combined 😀
I did not say that “most published reports on goetic experiments are either fantasies and illusions or lies.” I said that the majority of stories about goetia are like that. I understand that you took this remark as a stone thrown at your resource, which is not so. I did not mean reports from serious organizations, but spoke about the mass attitude towards goetia.
Regarding the statement that “anyone can come” – a magician who approaches summoning so carelessly that an elementary being comes to him instead of a demon does not even deserve serious mention, although there is indeed such a risk again when goetia is widely spread. The fate of such a poor summoner is rather sad.
I have a question, and I ask for advice.
In Paulo Coelho’s book “The Magician’s Diary,” the ritual “Herald” is described in detail, which, according to the author, allows one to summon their personal demon (the so-called herald), which, alongside the guardian angel, is our eternal companion and ally.
I have tried it a couple of times, but so far without results. But I will continue.
Does this ritual relate to Goetia? What are its dangers?
Good afternoon! Are evocative procedures a mandatory part of a magician’s activities? Or can they still develop and realize their will without the help of demons, angels, gods, and other generally unfriendly entities?
Any development beyond the ordinary, accepted, and protected by the human world is a thinning of the Barrier. And thinning of the Barrier means meeting those who exist Beyond.
Yes, but perhaps it is better not to be the initiator of such a meeting but to be as ready as possible for it using one’s own strengths, perfecting one’s knowledge and skills, and also utilizing the strengths of fellow travelers? And thus not committing the mentioned crime against the world.
And if a meeting has already taken place, and the magician came out of it alive, use that experience for development and protection but not rely on the power of those entities in their activities.
But does the perfection of a magician not give them sufficient protection from demons and other harmful entities?