Ultimately, any act of magick, including any form of summoning, is nothing more than will. That's the meaning of "do what thou wilt." Rituals of any sort are designed to focus will, as are sigils. Rituals almost always have intentions. So does the will, ritually focused or not. For someone of experience, ritual is nothing much more than the telescope. I can see the stars without my telescope, but I can see so much more with ritual. But there comes a time when you can gaze through the telescope without ritual. If you get to that stage, you don't need ritual for protection any more than you needed it for focusing will. But where the force of will is accidental, and protection is needed, ritual is a good way to correct the misfocusing of will. I work empty hand, but I started with formal rituals, in very nearly every system there is, with good results in pretty much all of them. Eventually, I just realized it isn't needed. But, on the other hand, it's soothing, reassuring, and a powerful focus tool. I might use a bit or ritual, but rarely any tools, for instance. I guess what I'm saying is, it's not the tools or the ritual in the end that truly matters, it's you. You will know which path works best for focusing will, in my opinion anyway.
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