Why Do You Personally Use Evocation? Options

i am at a point where i could probaly perform an evocation now. But i do not really see any need to, i have more reason to use my time performing yoga or something else very white. I would really like to know what you guys perform so it can spark some reason why i would use it

Speaking in simpist terms evocation is essentially calling or summoning a force to you. Alternatively an evocation can be something you call out from within yourself. For example I sometimes evoke elementals to temporarily gain abilities through their forces. For example and air elemental may be summoned for inspiration or creative ability. Sometimes I find myself in a fog and have to compose a paper or create something. Air is often associated with intelligence and creativity.

With a little bit of experience I have found that sometimes aspects of my consciousness are undesirable, yet unavoidable and I can temporarily evoke such aspects from myself so that I may perform what over other task is at hand. So that creative fog, for example, can be evoked from myself and I can tap my natural creative abilities instead of relying on elemental forces.

From a psychological perspective evocation is drawing out aspects of our consciounsess such that we work independantly of a given aspect. An aspect that is evoked in such a manner can then be considered an archetype (say that of an angel or demon) it can have a name and an image, as well as a rank and a specfic way to summon it. An archetype is a representation of an entity and it contains many different qualities associated with an independant being or force (elemental forces can also be seen as archetypal). These archetypes can be the enbodiments of magickal powers that exist within ourselves. Theoretically we do not summon such archetypes from otherworldly dimentions, but rather from the recesses of our own minds. That is not to say that there are not entities that can be called forth from such realms. But consider this: If the Archangel Michael was just one being in heaven, how could he rationally exist in the so many different places where people summon him, unless he actually exists as an archetype within ourselves? Thus the purpose of using evocation is to manifest magickal change from within ourselves or to call upon otherworldly forces for aid.

Acid makes lots of good points, and evocation is a way to essentially exert some psychological control over yourself; the evocation process, but also what it teaches you about yourself when you interact with those archetypes.

Personally I feel that the entities we evoke are both internal, as parts of our own vast psyche, as well as external, as forces inherent in the universe, which become a part of our consciousness simply because it is the interaction of so many universal forces which create the phenomenal world.

The greatest thing I have gained from practicing evocation is knowledge. Evoking the spirit of a thing - whether it's an object, a part of your own consciousness, or a higher force like a planetary energy - creates a conduit of conscious interaction with a force of nature, so that we can communicate with it and understand it from the point of view of objective observation, as well as from that spirit's own point of view.

Being able to observe the spirit objectively, rather than connected to the rest of creation as it manifests a whole thing made of many parts, means that you can see and interpret how it's individual energy affects yourself, and the world around it. It's difficult to understand just what role the energy of Mars plays in your day to day life when you cannot separate it's manifestation from the various other energies at work, as they all blend together for a cumulative effect. When you begin to evoke the planetary energies as spirits, you gain insight into how they work individually, which leads to a greater comprehension of what they mean together. Then, when you're having difficulties, when the energy around you is causing disruption, or when you need to benefit from some particular energy (planetary energies in this case just an example, it goes for zodiacal, elemental, etc.) you will have a keener understanding with which to evaluate your situation.

Being able to communicate with that spirit's point of view, you can learn a lot from them. You can learn about their role in your psyche, their role in the universe, and they can teach you how to maximize or minimize the effect that they have on your life at any given time. They can teach about the use of their various energies, which use we call magick, and the fields of knowledge that their existence supports. Spirits make excellent teachers, and they consider the universe from a very specific perspective that is typically lost on the average human consciousness, because we are amalgamations of many emanations of energy.

They can teach you more than just causal magick, though, that is, magick to accomplish external things - by observing their role in creation, as well as understanding the significance of their energies within yourself and how it affects you from day to day, you can learn from them how to live in harmony with the universe in a more complete way. Some days the energy is good for certain things, some days it's not.

Now when it comes to angels and demons, their role in our own being versus their role in creation is more complicated, I feel, and one must be more careful when trying to learn from them in my opinion. Angels represent essentially the beneficent, nurturing, helpful aspect of the creative forces in reality, while demons represent the materialistic, baser aspect. An angel will work on a higher level, bringing you into contact with the energies that will help you attain what you want, while a demon will act on a material level to cause what you want to happen to come about. Material existence is survival of the fittest, a process of evolution that requires sacrifice of the lesser forms of material manifestation in order to move forward. No such laws govern the higher forces of reality. So a demon may help you accomplish something by stepping on one or more people to manipulate the direction of some money, for instance - an angel will bring you realizations, show you opportunities, and lead you on a spiritual journey to understand the nature of what you want and how to get it while nurturing yourself and doing good in the process.

And its in how they operate that you can understand what you learn from these two classes of entities. Demons can teach you how to get around and manipulate the material world to your own ends. And anything that a demon is said to be able to do, or to govern, it can teach you about. Those are sometimes apparently misleading - for instance a demon that is said to cause illness or cure it can teach about the nature of disease, medicines, etc, from a material point of view, and can help you to grasp these subjects materially. An Angel similarly teaches about the subject and actions that it governs, but it will teach you the spiritual significance of these things and how to gain from that knowledge a greater harmony with creation in the long run.

I think anyone who wants to practice evocation ought to have some idea of what they want to get out of the practice before they begin, and allow that desire to evolve as they go along - because experience is bound to help one develop and deeper understanding of the practice itself, what it can gain you, and how you can get the best advantage from it. There are even spirits who teach about evocation and what it can be used for. Whether its a way to explore yourself or the world around you - the higher or lower aspects of creation - is really up to you and what you decide you want to get out of it.

peace

thanks for clearing that up. You planted some ideas in my head now. I didnt know that you could gain temporary states of creativity etc through elementals.There are more options that i thought
I think demons are a bit too soon for me, especially after that advice on thier nature.
So i suppose if you can define the nature of your actions and the state of you in which produces them through understanding the nature of such planetary angels etc.
ones astral senses could be developed right?

evocation can be used to to develope astral senses, but I'd focus more on altered states of consciousness for that.

One's astral senses are not much different than normal senses, just experienced from an altered state of mind. See learning astral projection is one thing. KNowling how to do it and knowing how to control yourself, is something different. Self control on the astral plains takes practice. The better you get at it the more you'll experience, the more real AP will seem and you'll even be able to use all of your regular senses. The difference between astral senses and regular one's is that you can use them in mundane situations. That said astral senses can be more like ESP.

I was reading Steve Savedows book of late and in it he mentions that the Goetia do not have the control over finances and monetary wealth like they used to .. This was Interesting with the worlds market and equity being more liquid and controlled I can see his point but they still have the ability to control or influence people and in that you can still gain an extremely good foothold in business.. Its been concerning me lately on some other forums with newbs all wanting to evoke the spirits for mundane poo like getting laid and becoming wealthy. I would think it would be more impressive and wise to use them to make you likeable and esteemed in the company of your enemies than to smite them .. Or to make you confident dashing and charming than to get you a sleazy one night stand.. Or to help you progress your business ventures instead of killing pappi off so you can get his inheritence in fast cash. what are your thoughts ?

There's an old adage--play with magic and it'll eventually play with you. I know just the kind of n00bs mentioned, too. Magic is a way of life, not an easy way out, and those that try to use it as a shortcut usually get burned.

That having been said: there have been a lot of good points raised and I don't really have that much to add. I don't use formal evocation very often, to me it's a method of last resort if all else has failed. Spirits are powerful beings and they don't like to be trifled with. If you call them for every little thing they'll either ignore you (most likely) or if you've *really* pissed them off, they'll have a bit of fun with you in return--and I can guarantee that you probably won't like it. Now, if you treat them with respect and call them after you've exhausted all your known options (magical and otherwise), that's a different story. In those instances they're usually quite friendly and more than willing to help those who are willing to do the work to improve whatever situation needs improving. For me they are friends, protectors, and advisers as much as powerful cosmic forces, and this arrangement seems to work well for all parties involved. I'm still the boss, I still make the final decisions, but I also respect what they have to say and will take it under careful consideration. And if they tell me 'no' and 'here's why,' and I still go through with whatever I wanted to do, I don't blame them when things go south. Too many people do and it's not fair to anyone. But those sorts usually avoid responsibility of any kind, so...

Just be careful, be humble, know yourself and what you really need and you should be fine. And if you study evocation then decide you don't need it, that's OK too. Most spirits just *are,* they don't demand worshippers and frankly couldn't care less what we think the overwhelming majority of the time. So if you find another method that works for you that's fine too.

My $3...

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This post has been edited by Darkmage: Feb 4 2008, 05:23 AM

Somewhere, Fortean Times IIRC, I saw an article about a jungle-dwelling native chieftain, otherwise living out a neolithic lifestyle, ruling his tribe from the overgrown seat of a convertible car. The tribe was of course awestruck by the bizarre majesty of this metal object and their fearless leader sitting right in it, and he was undoubtedly proud of his prize. The "modern" magician is usually comparable to this tropical chieftain, and magic to his car: it plays a valuable role for him, but in its originally-intended environment the vehicle would have a greater opportunity to fulfill its purpose.

The reputed occult masters of all ages have always appeared in the highest social standing: the finest scholars, the wisest sages, thinkers, philosophers, physicians, and people in positions of power. By this I mean specifically the sorts of magic requiring an education, as opposed to witches and assorted hedge-wizards who obtain their inspiration outside of occult lore. During the last century, all of this changed and magic is now stocked between "Dealing with Grief" and Deepak Chopra.

I think this change is for the better, and engineered by a positive interest, but overall my impression is that magic has suffered and its practicioners have gained little. I have known quite a few magicians to whom I would gladly give respect, but by and large they are all poor and insignificant despite great learning, many talents, charisma, and admirable magical devotion. The very few exceptions have gained through means other than those directly stemming from magical objectives. When asked "Hey pal, why not use this occult stuff to make your life improve in a definitive way?" their excuses tend to revolve around some unspecified spiritual virtue. I would not say that wealth and power are inherent signs of success in magic, but huge demanding and inescapable problems are certainly a mark a failure.

No matter how popular "Serpents Occult Books" becomes, it will probably never dump millions of dollars into Savedow's lap. Maybe he is satisfied with a successful small business. Very likely the same store will not bring him close ties with influential people, but perhaps he is satisfied with regular customers and stable personal relationships. These are not goals that degrade magical practice, but they are also a far cry from the impressive promises of tempests, treasure, and tyranny in nearly all ancient works of magic. I disagree with Savedow in that I have found Goetia to be perfectly capable in matters of finance, business, labor, and even treasure-finding, though Savedow also recommends many modifications of the Goetia ritual and perhaps his shortcomings are reflected by his results.

It was initially my wife who encouraged me to apply magic toward something more ambitious, on the grounds that the magical texts were made for nobility and served the purposes of nobility. The ordinary person does not require the services of armed men, towers, knowledge of gems, or many other things offered by occult lore, but the spells are available all the same. Every magician will make a self-evaluation at some point and determine which things he or she wants or does not want. I wanted the towers and the rest, being more than done with casting love and fortune spells at the behest of others.

It is important to avoid dismissing a proposed effect from a magical text as allegorical without having some practical experience upon which to base the interpretation. Contrary to what Crowley says, spirits who profess the power to destroy your enemies do not merely elevate your consciousness beyond a state of enmity! My work thus far with the spirits has been heavily focused on finding out just what the spirits can and cannot do, and detemining which of the powers are most useful and reliable in a detailed way. I hope that this will be useful to the future magicians who wish to make a more careful decision about which spirits to call for which purposes, but for me it has been a wild ride from absolutely nothing to my present condition (which is very good) and I have learned a great deal about what can be done through magical conjurations.

Imperial thank you for that

you make the point very clear " The limitations to our magic are our own" and I have been toying with the Idea in how far I actualy want to take this? And yes I have been shot down on many a forum for the practicalities of using enochian and various principalities for material gain and empowerment. You keep getting the usual karma poo and being dragged off into the night by demon hordes because you farted in the circle breaking protocol. But the more and more I engage in discussion with serious practitioners the more and more I see the realities and fruit in there results. This only encourages me to press on. I am under no illusion of the work and commitment involved in such efforts and I have experience that proves that like yourself this stuff does provide dramatic results for the positive.

Vovin