Invocation

[fr.novumorganum]

Invocation is one of the foundational practices of CM. Its application ranges from basic rituals such as the Kabbalisitic Cross and Middle Pillar to the assumption of god forms, from working and drawing down the energies of planets and sephira to actual possesion by an entity.

Invocation is primary to theurgy, and certainly central to a magickian's growth no matter what path they may tread. IMHO, invocation needs to be understood and mastered before the work of evocation or serious skrying (aethyrs/rising on the planes/pathworking) can be fruitfully undertaken.

I'd like this thread to be about a discussion of the process/meaning/experience of invocation.

[fr.novumorganum]

From Magick in Theory and Practice


CHAPTER XV

I
OF THE INVOCATION

In the straightforward or "Protestant" system of Magick there is very little to add to what has already been said. The Magician addresses a direct petition to the Being invoked. But the secret of success in invocation has not hitherto been disclosed. It is an exceedingly simple one. It is practically of no importance whatever that the invocation should be "right". There are a thousand different ways of compassing the end proposed, so far as external things are concerned. The whole secret may be summarised in these four words: "Enflame thyself in praying."
This is Qabalistically expressed in the old Formula: Domine noster, audi tuo servo! kyrie Christe! O Christe! The mind must be exalted until it loses consciousness of self. The Magician must be carried forward blindly by a force which, though in him and of him, is by no means that which he in his normal state of consciousness calls I. Just as the poet, the lover, the artist, is carried out of himself in a creative frenzy, so must it be for the Magician.
It is impossible to lay down rules for the obtaining of this special stimulus. To one the mystery of the whole ceremony may appeal; another may be moved by the strangeness of the words, even by the fact that the "barbarous names" are unintelligible to him. Some times in the course of a ceremony the true meaning of some barbarous name that has hitherto baffled his analysis may flash upon him, luminous and splendid, so that he is caught up unto orgasm. The smell of a particular incense may excite him effectively, or perhaps the physical ecstasy of the magick dance.
Every Magician must compose his ceremony in such a manner as to produce a dramatic cilmax. At the moment when the excitement becomes ungovernable, when then the whole conscious being of the Magician undergoes a spiritual spasm, at that moment must he utter the supreme adjuration.
One very effective method is to stop short, by a supreme effort of will, again and again, on the very brink of that spasm, until a time arrives when the idea of exercising that will fails to occur

This forgetfulness must be complete; it is fatal to try to "let oneself go" consciously. . Inhibition is no longer possible or even thinkable, and the whole being of the Magician, no minutest atom saying nay, is irresistibly flung forth. In blinding light, amid the roar of ten thousand thunders, the Union of God and man is consummated.
If the Magician is still seen standing in the Circle, quietly pursuing his invocations, it is that all the conscious part of him has become detached from the true ego which lies behind that normal consciousness. But the circle is wholly filled with that divine essence; all else is but an accident and an illusion.
The subsequent invocations, the gradual development and materialization of the force, require no effort. It is one great mistake of the beginner to concentrate his force upon the actual stated purpose of the ceremony. This mistake is the most frequent cause of failures in invocation.
A corollary of this Theorem is that the Magician soon discards evocation almost altogether --- only rare circumstances demand any action what ever on the material plane. The Magician devotes himself entirely to the invocation of a god; and as soon as his balance approaches perfection he ceases to invoke any partial god; only that god vertically above him is in his path. And so a man who perhaps took up Magick merely with the idea of acquiring knowledge, love, or wealth, finds himself irrevocably committed to the performance of The Great Work.
It will now be apparent that there is no distinction between magick and meditation except of the most arbitrary and accidental kind.

There is the general metaphysical antithesis that Magick is the Art of the Will-to-Live, Mysticism of the Will-to-Die; but --- "Truth comes bubbling to my brim; Life and Death are one to Him!".
II

Beside these open methods thee are also a number of mental methods of Invocation, of which we may give three. The first method concerns the so-called astral body. The Magician should practise the formation of this body as recommended in Liber O, and learn to rise on the planes according to the instruction given in the same book, though limiting his "rising" to the particular symbol whose God he wishes to invoke.
The second is to recite a mantra suitable to the God.
The third is the assumption of the form of the God --- by transmuting the astral body into His shape. This last method is really essential to all proper invocation, and cannot be too sedulously practised.
There are many other devices to aid invocation, so many that it is impossible to enumerate them; and the Magician will be wise to busy himself in inventing new ones.
We will give one example.
Suppose the Supreme Invocation to consist of 20 to 30 barbarous names, let him imagine these names to occupy sections of a vertical column, each double the length of the preceding one; and let him imagine that his consciousness ascends the column with each name. The mere multiplication will then produce a feeling of awe and bewilderment which is the proper forerunner of exstasy.
In the essay "Energized Enthusiasm" in No. IX, Vol. I of the Equinox

The earliest and truest Christians used what is in all essentials this method. See "Fragments of a Faith Forgotten" by G.R.S.Mead, Esq. B. A., pp. 80-81. There is a real connexion between what the vulgar call blasphemy and what they call immorality, in the fact that the Christian legend is an echo of a Phallic rite. There is also a true and positive connexion between the Creative force of the Macrocosm, and that of the Microcosm. For this reason the latter must be made a pure and consecrated as the former. The puzzle for most people is how to do this. The study of Nature is the Key to that Gate.
is given a concise account of one of the classical methods of arousing Kundalini. This essay should be studied with care and determination.

[BrotherM]

What specifically would you like to know Frater, are there aspects that you would like to discuss?

I have had more success Invoking demons (i.e. Goetics) than angels, however, that may just be because the demonic experience is a lot more powerful and the angelic more subtle. I don't know, it is probably just my experience but I feel that a conversation regarding invocation of demons vs angels vs gods would all lead down completely different paths as the base experience is completely different.

Demonic invocation is something I recommend to everybody who I feel is experienced and capable enough. It is not what anybody can expect and I would say it is most comparable to the shamanic "extatic trance" of folklaw. There are side effects, but nothing in life is free and none of the side effects are 'bad' or unbanishable! Demonic invocation is a very powerful way of doing practical, results based magick as well as great work type stuff (but in a more limited way).

Angelic invocation to me is much more about attaining an initiatory experience and is similar to pathworking in some ways. It has an extatic trance feel to it, but not at the same level as demonic invocation. Angelic invocation I have found useful for healing and protection but that is about it (not trying to sound ungrateful, those two things are great indeed). This differs from demonic invocation in that in demonic invocation, you bring your will to bear with the abilities and powers of the demon invoked. With Angelic invocation, you play a much more passive role, the angel knows what to do sort of thing.

God forms and invocation of gods I have used in rituals of worship with my gods and also with other gods that I have relationships with. You can go really deep with god forms and I prefer them as a form of initiatory experience and protection over angels because you can let go and really feel the current. Not that great for practical magick but then I don't ask my CEO to photocopy me a phone book either...

BrotherM

[Radiant Star]

IMHO, invocation needs to be understood and mastered before the work of evocation or serious skrying (aethyrs/rising on the planes/pathworking) can be fruitfully undertaken.

This has intrigued me since there must be many who scry and have never evoked or invoked. Could you say why you think this is important?

[BrotherM]

A very good point Ricci, I can't say I agree with Frater Novum at all in this case, I would have suggest the opposite be true with Invocation (especially of lower spirits) only being attempted by quite experienced magickians

[Radiant Star]

I would have suggest the opposite be true with Invocation (especially of lower spirits) only being attempted by quite experienced magickians
The problem I have with the idea of experienced magickians is how do you know if you are experienced enough to go further? It seems to me there is always the first time and I have found that you learn a lot with your first evocations and the mistakes you make from them and I cannot truly see any way round those first faltering steps.

[BrotherM]

well and good, but having read Modern Magick does not make one sufficiently experienced to invoke a Goetic demon (IMO, I am sure people have and are fine). By practicing magick, you know when you are ready to do new things. Different people grow at different speeds, there are not set things or timeframes, it is up to the maturity, dedication and indeed amount of practice that an individual has completed.

I would not recommend invoking a demon unless a person has worked extensively with the ToL and knows themselves and their higher self very well. That said, there are many a shaman out there who couldn't give a toss about the ToL and all of that Jewish rubbish and can still safely invoke far more powerful low spirits than any Qabalist I know.

You should be asking yourself how to tell if you are experienced, you should be asking yourself if you:

1/ know what to do and believe that you can do it
2/ can cope competently with any situation that arises during an opperation (or are comfortable with the risk)
3/ are ready for the initiatory changes that may occur as a result of an opperation

For instance, something that I was worried about before starting Goetic invocation was the, "What if it doesn't want to leave". I thought that I had sufficient ability to cope in this situation and as such I took the risk.

BrotherM

[Radiant Star]

You should be asking yourself how to tell if you are experienced, you should be asking yourself if you:

3/ are ready for the initiatory changes that may occur as a result of an opperation

I have not often thought about how I would change as a result of doing a working, but you have a good point there.

My main consideration is the banishing since I have often had 'tail-end' effects days or weeks after a good session and sometimes because it seems entities do not always turn up there and then, or at least, I have not always been aware of their presence. It can be a real challenge to try to sort out something weeks later if you have a very loyal entity hanging around still seemingly waiting for your dismissal.

[BrotherM]

I have not often thought about how I would change as a result of doing a working, but you have a good point there.

My main consideration is the banishing since I have often had 'tail-end' effects days or weeks after a good session and sometimes because it seems entities do not always turn up there and then, or at least, I have not always been aware of their presence. It can be a real challenge to try to sort out something weeks later if you have a very loyal entity hanging around still seemingly waiting for your dismissal.

Sorry for my typo above, I meant to say that you should NOT try to determine if you are experienced etc, I think you knew what I meant anyway...

You see, I know what you mean by having lingering effects of an evocation, IMO this can be two fold:

1) The entity hangs around -> not much of a problem with 'experience', banishings get more powerful, the HGA takes care of nasties, Invoking god forms and giving the Licence to Depart makes it a lot more effective etc

2) Evocation hangover -> the polarised energy from the things we summon effect our bodies in subtle ways. IME this makes me forget very quickly the evocation (almost like a dream - hense the importance of a dream diary to train that part of your mind to remember) and also it makes me feel like my head is stuffed full of cotton wool for a day or two afterwards. This is normal and is reduced by a good circle, but circles, aaahhh, sometimes I don't use them...

Now with Invocation, it is a lot harder to banish and also to tell if something has stayed behind. IMO, all invocation results in something staying behind and by doing so, you get the opportunity to master those energies, but you need the WILL and experience to cope with, say, Paimon in a part of your head etc (I haven't Invoked Paimon BTW, not that mad yet...). As such, thinking of how the opperation can personally change you is a very important part of Invocation.

BrotherM

[Radiant Star]

2) Evocation hangover -> the polarised energy from the things we summon effect our bodies in subtle ways. IME this makes me forget very quickly the evocation (almost like a dream - hense the importance of a dream diary to train that part of your mind to remember) and also it makes me feel like my head is stuffed full of cotton wool for a day or two afterwards. This is normal and is reduced by a good circle, but circles, aaahhh, sometimes I don't use them...

Ha ha, I agree about the journal being kept up to date, just about everyone that knows me remembers the time I had to trawl through hundreds of Bardon's entities because I lost the scrap of paper I jotted down the two names on and had one of them hanging around still. I DID learn my lesson from this though : )

In your opinion BrotherM, do you think its possible to work with something in someone else's house say and then have it affect them after you have gone or would you say that the entity goes home with you?

[BrotherM]

In an evocation I would say the entity stays in the area in which it is evoked, but if you go home worried about it and looking at the sigil etc, it may very well come home with you.

As an example, I evoked lots of demons in my old house, many of then with no circle. I now live in a new place, but I have been back to the old house and it has a very wierd feel to it, the place itself has soaked up some of the evocation residue. I have also been effected by things evoked and left behind by other people. probably should have given it a good scrub before I left but oh well...

Invocation is a totally different situation, they stay with you and very rarely impact other people (unless of course you lose it and go nuts, in which case everybody near you is effected). I have done an invocation of Barbatos in the next room to some family members and they had no clue, no foreboding feeling of dread or sensing any entity or anything...

BrotherM

[Radiant Star]

I think I would agree that the evocation in an area can be detected by others, well, certainly if you have another occultist in the family. I almost can't do any magick here without someone knowing, even if I haven't used incense or left any other clues. As you suggest, that may be due to weak dismissals or there is a residue.

The only other reason I can think of is that I have a strong connection with that person and they would know anyway.

[fr.novumorganum]

Wow! Thanks for jumping in the topic so quickly guys! Great posts so far; I'll wade into the discussion more fully later tonight.

[Naomi]

Yeah thanks for posting that novum, I was actually in the middle of an invocation when I went inside for a few minutes to find you had posted that work, and I have not read much Crowley. I've been interested lately though, so it was nice to read something new. I went back outside and had a very successful invocation/evokation. :)

I don't particurily agree that belief is all that is required, certainly total belief is necessary, but it's only half the equation. For the connection to adhere properly, channels must be opened through conditioning. Preconcieved notions that are all too human must be eliminated. I think it's an imbalance in the mind of the invoker that causes problems, and not many of the entities themselves.

I always deliberately left anchors planted and hellgates open BrotherM, in my last houses. I've also opened several in parks, suburbs and anywhere i happen to travel, including the Hopi reservation, California's redwood forests, Las Vegas, and downtown Memphis. Countless places really. Most of my friends in the occult do this as well.

[Fio Praeter Humanus]

This has intrigued me since there must be many who scry and have never evoked or invoked. Could you say why you think this is important?

Because man is a microcosm of the macrocosm. That means every force, spirit, or god is within us. Or at least that energy signature. But that doesn't mean you know it's there are can interact with it. It is like growing up and not knowing you had a left arm but later discovering that arm. Once you have discovered that arm you can now use it. You can feel it hanging there. You know it is there.

Invocation is an act that draws that force or energy and awakens it within your sphere of sensation. It is the act of discovering that left arm. To continue with this analogy, it would take multiple invocations to gain full use of that arm where at first you might only notice something is over there but not sure if it is an arm or a leg or another head.

To scry is a passive exercise where you look for the arm or even see the arm and of course this is useful to gain information about that arm but you would never be able to use that arm only by looking at it. It would be the difference between reading a book about how to ride a bike and actually learning how to ride a bike. In both cases you know all about bikes and how to ride them but only with invocation can you actually go for a ride.

[BrotherM]

I always deliberately left anchors planted and hellgates open BrotherM, in my last houses. I've also opened several in parks, suburbs and anywhere i happen to travel, including the Hopi reservation, California's redwood forests, Las Vegas, and downtown Memphis. Countless places really. Most of my friends in the occult do this as well.

:laugh: I used to do this as well, if you ever get the chance to go to my old high school :o ... devils be there

[Fio Praeter Humanus]

Instead of jumping straight into specifics of invocation and evocation with relation to angels and demons. I would rather first like to see some discussion on the generalities.

In another chapter of Crowley's Magick in Theory and Practice, he discusses Consecration. I have always been confused why he never drew a parallel between consecration and invocation. In practice you of course perform a consecration upon an object and perform a invocation upon the temple or the self but in the nitty gritty they are really one and the same.

In one of the chapters Crowley discusses how magick follows three basic steps. Purification, consecration, and initiation. In purification you are wiping clean the past so the object can progress. In consecration you are now drawing down a force to change that object from what it was before. In practical sense the purification allows for the charge of the consecration to come. In symbolic terms a purification is a sort of death, while the consecration is the rebirth into a new life. The object is forever changed and is now something else than what it was before.

Now the parallel would be the banishing is the purification and the invocation is then the consecration. We are always told to begin all our work with a banishing to "clear the air" to allow the invocated forces to come in pure.

While invocation has a richer meaning than consecration the end result is the same. The invocaiton will awaken that force within your sphere. Once done you will have become a new creation. You will now have that arm I spoke about in an earlier post.

The final step of the formula is of course the intiation. This is usually an action of some kind. It instills the path the object or self will follow. Defines it's work. After which you have defined a definite use.

[Radiant Star]

Invocation is an act that draws that force or energy and awakens it within your sphere of sensation. To continue with this analogy, it would take multiple invocations to gain full...
Ah yes, I have noticed that a full invocation at first go seems to be unattainable, well at my level anyway.

Thank you for a very clear explanation Nero.

[BrotherM]

DUDE (Nero), I don't agree man, well, maybe we have different views on the subject. Meditation helps awaken these internal energies, but Invocation is inviting an external force to take over you body and waking consciousness... like possession. Please explain yourself Frater!

[Fio Praeter Humanus]

DUDE (Nero), I don't agree man, well, maybe we have different views on the subject. Meditation helps awaken these internal energies, but Invocation is inviting an external force to take over you body and waking consciousness... like possession.

Scrying is information gathering. Meditation, especially upon seals or symbols is a type of passive invocation. As the Golden Dawn says, "By names and images are all powers awakened and re-awakened". But usually the term invocation is used to denote a active operation where you are drawing a force or energy into the temple.

You can invoke fire and you can invoke Bael. Both are invocations but of course the experience is vastly different. But the end result is the same. That force you drew from the macrocosm is now awakened within your microcosm. It is not until later you discover that the microcosm and the macrocosm are one and the same.

Please explain yourself Frater!
which part exactly?

[Naomi]

Instead of jumping straight into specifics of invocation and evocation with relation to angels and demons. I would rather first like to see some discussion on the generalities.

In another chapter of Crowley's Magick in Theory and Practice, he discusses Consecration. I have always been confused why he never drew a parallel between consecration and invocation. In practice you of course perform a consecration upon an object and perform a invocation upon the temple or the self but in the nitty gritty they are really one and the same.

In one of the chapters Crowley discusses how magick follows three basic steps. Purification, consecration, and initiation. In purification you are wiping clean the past so the object can progress. In consecration you are now drawing down a force to change that object from what it was before. In practical sense the purification allows for the charge of the consecration to come. In symbolic terms a purification is a sort of death, while the consecration is the rebirth into a new life. The object is forever changed and is now something else than what it was before.

Now the parallel would be the banishing is the purification and the invocation is then the consecration. We are always told to begin all our work with a banishing to "clear the air" to allow the invocated forces to come in pure.

While invocation has a richer meaning than consecration the end result is the same. The invocaiton will awaken that force within your sphere. Once done you will have become a new creation. You will now have that arm I spoke about in an earlier post.

The final step of the formula is of course the intiation. This is usually an action of some kind. It instills the path the object or self will follow. Defines it's work. After which you have defined a definite use.

Ah very good, thank you for that insight. I see, opening the hell gates was my way of banishing the impure forces from the area, by allowing the infernal Abyss to wash away the perversions.

[Radiant Star]

2) Evocation hangover... it makes me feel like my head is stuffed full of cotton wool for a day or two afterwards. This is normal and is reduced by a good circle, but circles, aaahhh, sometimes I don't use them...
I was thinking about the effects on us physically and I too have noticed that for a couple of days after a working I am very, very hungry and often very tired. It never seems to take a lot of energy but the after effects suggest a lot of hard work goes into it even if barely noticeable.

[Naomi]

I was thinking about the effects on us physically and I too have noticed that for a couple of days after a working I am very, very hungry and often very tired. It never seems to take a lot of energy but the after effects suggest a lot of hard work goes into it even if barely noticeable.

I used to get that, too, I found that performing the solar grounding ritual really helped, but lying out in the sun was one of the best cures. Eating raw vegetables and taking Omega 3 fatty acids for brain activity also helped, as did the addition of colloidal gold to a lesser extent. I don't know what I've been doing lately but I can't seem to drink enough water, like it just goes right through me. So probably water too. Sometimes have a candle burning near me would also help recharge, but then I also have big fire elementals present when I open that portal, so maybe that's what it is.

[Neshamah]

My own theory about this is that a powerful or prolonged working depletes our supply of Serotonin, and this must be replenished by sleep, supplements, and food. Occasionally I get migraines after a particularly powerful operation, and that is a sure sign (for me) that my Serotonin levels are nearly exhausted.

I'm dragging today because of an intense working last evening. I know that a nap and Flax seed Oil and some L-Tryptophan will help; but you can't recharge those brain chemicals in a rush. It takes time (usually a day or two).

Love and Light for a Peace Profound,

Neshamah

[Radiant Star]

I used to get that, too, I found that performing the solar grounding ritual really helped
Thats interesting because I used the Solar Ritual after my working the other day and although I was still ravenous, I have been a little less tired than normal, I presume that accounts for it.

My own theory about this is that a powerful or prolonged working depletes our supply of Serotonin, and this must be replenished by sleep, supplements, and food.
I do eat well and use supplements but here I think it is my sleep pattern that lets the side down.

Very useful input, thanks Naomi and Neshamah

[BrotherM]

Ah very good, thank you for that insight. I see, opening the hell gates was my way of banishing the impure forces from the area, by allowing the infernal Abyss to wash away the perversions.

:laugh: This reminds me of my Russian friend who tells me how Mothere Russia helped to liberate XYZ small nation from its own ignorance :laugh:



Nero, of course you are right, invocation does mean both, and at a very basic level they are exactly the same. That would be a very interesting topic for discussion I think.

BrotherM

[Radiant Star]

Nero, of course you are right, invocation does mean both, and at a very basic level they are exactly the same. That would be a very interesting topic for discussion I think.
Would either yourself or Nero like to start a discussion on this aspect then?

[BrotherM]

The basic premise is that Spirits are not people without bodies, but rather sub-currents of the universe. Spirit hierarchies do not dictate a kind of corporate structure, but rather a further sub-division of the currents.

For context, think of it like this:

1) A Sephiroth + Qlippoth is a macro current of the universe
2) A God name is a sub current of a Sephiroth, The negative God Name is a sub current of the Qlippoth
3) The Arch-Angels / Arch-Demons are sub currents of the God names
4) Angels are sub-currents of the Arch Angels, Demons of the Arch-Demons
5) Lesser Spirits and Elementals of the Angels / Demons

Like wise, spirits are sub-currents of planetary energy etc, the list of correspondences is huge...

When we Evoke a spirit, we get a cross-section of the current, like a snapshot in time. This is why we can Evoke the same thing many times at the same time. The more you Evoke it, the more cross-sections you get. When we INvoke, we instead place ourselves into that current. Now if we do what Nero says and we INvoke the element fire, we are in effect putting ourselves into the Fire current. If we Evoke a fire elemental, we get a cross-section of that same current. So Evocation and INvocation deal with exactly the same energies, just in different ways. Thinking of INvocation in the context of Evocation is quite valuable for practical magick, think about it.

BrotherM

[Naomi]

I'm not so sure I agree with you on points 1 & 2 BrotherM, as I am unsure and unable to prove that the Sephiroth and Qlippoth as we know them are universal in nature, or even the same galaxy-wide.

However I do acknowledge the fractal nature of intelligences.

[BrotherM]

the Sephiroth / Qlippoth was a "Indicative" "For Example" only subject. To be fair, nobody knows anything about what is really out there for 100% sure, the above was posted IMO only. I probably should have used a more generally accepted example because I really don't want to trigger an OT debate.

How about this:

Everything that exists exists under the stars -> Quote from the 7th book of moses

1) Take this to mean that the Zodiac are ther macro currents of our universe
2) Under the Zodiac are the planets
3) Each planet has a set of ruling spirits
4) Those spirits have legions of 'lesser' spirits

etc, different abstractions or divisions or the current

BrotherM