Defense And Deposit, On the applications of the servitor Options

Admittedly, the act of generating a partially self-sustaining entity for a specified purpose never truly made much of an impression upon me beforehand; I knew, rather vaguely, that it could be accomplished and, to some degree, I was even aware of some of the mechanics and preparation necessary to bring about such an entity, but I was never in possession of a motive for birthing said entity which in turn robbed me of much of my interest in the subject.

I still possess no motive for the creation of a servitor, but I find myself strangely curious as to just how versatile the servitor's role in the magician's life can be. There are two applications in particular, as hinted by the title of this post, about which I wish to inquire. The first concerns the servitor as a guardian, and the second has to do with the servitor as a receptacle.

A casual perusal of some of the other topics confirmed that the servitor could, in fact, be used as a guardian, but those same topics generally alluded to either an impersonal sort of guardianship (such as a servitor created to protect one's home and property) or a light-handed variety in which the servitor shields the magician from those that would do him/her harm in any capacity through subtle influence and nudging. I wonder whether or not the servitor can be used more intimately. Can it directly protect the magician from immediate physical harm by overtly (well...as overt as an astral construct can be) warning him of impending hazard? If, for instance, a would be assailant is rapidly closing the distance between himself and the magician, unbeknownst to the latter, could the servitor sound the metaphorical klaxon so that the magician could meet the threat appropriately?

Can the intimacy exceed even that which I described above? In a physical confrontation, can a magician symbiotically attach his consciousness to that belonging to a observing servitor so that he may be aware of opponents beyond his visual range? If so, what are the inherent dangers in such an undertaking; in joining his consciousness to the servitor's, even slightly, does the magician lose some of his ability to fully and physically react to stimuli on the same plane? Does connecting to the servitor run the risk of reabsorbing it? In a further point of curiosity, could the servitor, perhaps, glean the surface thoughts (which, one imagines, would be concentrated upon throwing a sequence of techniques) of the magician's opponents and relay them so that he could react with an uncanny swiftness?

Technically, any servitor is a receptacle for the magician that gives it life. It is a receptacle for the magician's energy given focus through will and whatever behavioral scripts the magician chooses to imbue the entity with. Can it be made to hold certain elements beyond that point, though? Can a magician charge the servitor with the task of finding and absorbing ambient energy in the environment and retaining it until he has some use of it in his workings? Are there any associated consequences? What of emotion? Can a magician impart his anger onto the servitor to keep until absorption at which point the magician would be nearly overcome with rage thus aiding in whatever (presumably destructive) working he was attempting?

I've been told that the only real limitation for the magician is his or her own mind and skill level. I have no clue as to whether or not anything that I've mentioned above is even remotely possible, but I thought to exercise my creativity and sate my curiosity at once. Thank you ahead of time to any that choose to respond to the many questions that I've included within this topic.

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/ac42.gif) (to Vagrant and in a smaller part to Mokuso)

Greetings Vagrant and Mokuso!
Mokuso,
The thrashing out of the functionability of a servitor mayhaps be put aside for a moment...
IMHO (that dreaded phrase used to sidestep), before you really start splitting hairs about servitor theory/fact it should be high on your priority list to hone and exemplify your own state of being. "Know thyself..." Truer words... You must learn to differentiate the various signals, stimuli and 'voices' that surround and permeate our selves. How could you possible ubderstand the chatter when you don't know what and where the chatter is coming from? Already you are anticipating changing the functionality and mode of communication with your creation! I stress this point. All too soon are we champing at the bit (uh-oh, Cliche man is here! *grin*) to create a helper and we don't know who we are and what we are. It has been noted that your creation cannot exceed its makers abilities. (murky subject this...let's save this for a later discussion) This will seriously set you up for disappointment and frustration in your present state. You must be prepared to really apply yourself here...in discipline and awareness. Discipline to learn how to meditate, how to understand the variety of ways we utilize when communicating with ourselves, how to enter a trance state, how to manipulate your own energy (physical and psionic)...the list goes on. Frankly, I still haven't mastered all of this, but then, that is all part of the fun journey of life... If you ever get to completing that list I doubt that you would need a helper! LOL! Once you are on your way with the exercising of yourself you will want to expand your reach. It is time for a helper.

"Water seeks its own level..." It's a good idea to keep it simple at first. If you require that your helper has a certain leverage of precognition then it is necessary that you foster this ability within yourself. The scenarios could be that YOU are the precog and the servitor operates at a set timeflux ahead...or that you both have the ability and thereby communicate ahead on a one to one...whatever. (Back to the thrust of this...) Keeping it simple allows for a strong tie to be established. You don't want to start changing the rules mid-stream. It will bog down the servitor and possibly scuttle the whole thing! (God shouldn't send us mixed messages.) The stronger the link that you establish will prove invaluable when you wish to 'morph' or change things later. In everyday life most human brain functions are fairly regular, which are, in turn, surrounded by mental chaos. We unconciously create and slough off astral forms all the time. Our largest creations are represented by astral larvae comprised of waste emotive and mental 'fuzz'. Bad Habits (and good habits, etc) lurk around us, feeding off repetative behavioral patterns or influencing our behaviors in order to maintain an existance (LOL! I have a large Dove bar hovering behind my right shoulder that starts pushing at my solar plexus around 8PM every night!) In order for us to blow by this trash is through some hard work and discipline! This does not mean that you cannot create a servitor if you have habits or behavioral anomalies! It just makes the process 'stickier' if you do. An exercise that was recommended to me decades ago I will pass on to you. Before or concurrent with the creation of a servitor it is suggested that you establish a working 'area' and/or a sanctuary on the astral level to facilitate your inception into magic working.
You will construct this place from within yourself...impressing your will onto the astral light around you. This is a necessary step if you wish to progress to any 'depth' in magic. You will populate this space with your tools and your helpers. This space is yours and you should maintain a psychic 'bolthole' if things get rough. Within its confines nothing can reach you. (well...more in another thread)
NOTE: To comment briefly on the above concept of using a servitor to fight something, etc. If you aren't a fighter then you will be hard pressed to create a fighter. "water seeks its own level..." If you aren't a fighter then it would move you to utilize a warning system and/or a protective one. You needn't urilize a servitor for that...but if it suits you?!

So I've rambled and droned on and on with vague purpose *sigh*, I'm not nearly as articulate or clear as Vagrant...
-Learn how to communicate with yourself- on a concious and on an unconcious level. Differentiate between all your voices.
-Learn about your own energy fields and learn how to breathe.
-Learn how to strengthen your aura and how to meditate.
-Begin to explore the 'stretching' of your senses. You'll find that some of the so-called psychic abilities/senses are nothing more than your primary senses brought to a heightened state.
-Begin your building of your astral workspot.
-Learn to hold an image or your attention upon a single object for more than 3 minutes at a time. (Longer is better!)

Changing the functionality of a servitor is possible...but one must first establish a reliable and constant servitor first!
By the laying of a strong foundation will you build the Tower/Castle to last, long and well.
I hope I haven't bored you to tears or dissuaded you from your mark. I have great hopes and wish you a happy and productive journey!
(btw- I've managed to get myself honed to a precog window that, sloppily, is from 5 minutes to 3 weeks and another that operates in times of 6 months to 20 years. *whew* Now there is no reason to be that sloppy!) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/horse.gif)