Greetings,
I've written about my first experience in Goetic evocation previously, as have many others on forums or on their own blogs, but one thing that I've rarely seen in others' posts are reflections and observations dealing with how their viewpoints have evolved about the whole topic since then. I intend to do that here. Be mindful that these are only my opinions about the whole thing, and others are welcome to agree or disagree. As always, comments are welcome.
The Goetic spirits, in my estimation, are forces of raw creative power and were placed in their roles by God/dess. Some are probably Nephilim as spoken about in the Book of Enoch, but I won't get into that right now, because it's outside the scope of what I want to write about.
It seems to me that it is no more dangerous to evoke a Goetic spirit than it is to stand outside during a thunderstorm, but within reason. You wouldn't want to stand outside during a lightning storm wearing highly conductive metal armor, because obviously then your chances of being fried by lightning go up substantially. However, we all know that the chances of being struck by lightning are about as remote as winning the Powerball. I think the same applies here.
I think the secret to permanently safeguarding your own well being during Goetic evocations, without the use of Lamens, and Curses, etc., is a complete and irrevocable renunciation all opposing religious dogma, deities, etc. Most people are not willing to do that because the Christian mind-virus is a potent one indeed, and has been highly reinforced by all of the Abrahamic religions along with it's prevalence in western cultural influences. It can be extremely difficult to overcome it, even in one's own sovereign mind.
However belief is a tool, not necessarily a way of life. I could just as easily petition a Catholic saint, as a Goetic spirit, by operating within the same frequency range as the spirit I'm calling up. To do that, one must use either mantra, lighting, scripture, or even raw sine-wave frequency recordings within that range, in order to harmonize with the entity's energy firsthand in order to facilitate smooth communication.
For example, if I wanted to call up a Catholic or Pagan saint (and yes, Pagan saints exist), it would be advisable to find out which psalm corresponds to their energy, and then use it as a mantra to harmonize with that saint's energy frequency. Then I'd make my petition.
Conversely, if I was to call up a Goetic spirit, I'd find out which enn to chant, and would do so in order to harmonize my being with that particular energy frequency.
I thoroughly believe Crowley's words where he says that the spirits of the Goetia are portions of the human brain. Lon Milo Duquette has greatly elaborated on that particular theory in depth in his book "Angels, Demons, and Gods of the New Millennium". The writings of Carl Jung also touch on some of that as well.
Thus, if that is so, then it follows that in order to harmonize with that portion of my own brain in order to use it to connect with the macrocosmic version of a corresponding Goetic spirit, one must determine within himself not to fear any portion of one's self or darker nature, and be sincerely seeking to bring it under conscious awareness in order to direct its might towards a practical end.
Since I'm using electrical terminology to describe this process, an insulator is also necessary either way. My insulator is my own aura, which has been hardened by years of ritual work and banishings. It is more of a 4D circle, instead of one drawn upon the ground, and affords all the protection one needs, if any is needed at all.
Most of the remaining grimoires that document the evocation process are so heavily influenced by Christianized thinking, and Hebraic/Solomonic processes, that they make themselves necessary for those who are also influenced by the same Christianized thinking. Many of those who evoke Goetic spirits will also tell you and the public-at-large that they are indeed Christians.
It is therefore necessary FOR THOSE sorcerers to use the Solomonic-styled processes in order to remain relatively safe. The 72 Goetic spirits are largely comprised of Pre-Christian era gods and goddesses who have been displaced from their former glory in the minds of men. Do you really think they will be friendly to those who worship or have any allegiance to a god that has displaced them ages ago?
Of course not, they will look for any opening in their defenses in order to strike at them. That opening is not usually the "circle", but instead it's the words used when the request itself is phrased. If the words used leave any opening for mischief-making, can you really blame them for making mischief, especially if you claim to be a Christian?
Think of it this way. Let's say you're a powerful king with many subjects and a vast empire. Then one day your kingdom is attacked and is taken from you, and you are placed in a dungeon of sorts (within the collective unconscious) for millenia. Would you be kind to some arrogant little meat puppet who works for the new king of your former kingdom, and who approaches you threateningly in order to coerce you to perform a task for them? No, you wouldn't. You'd probably try to kill them if you could, or create havoc for them in their lives at least. That way you could smack them around a bit, and have some fun at their expense, while still performing the task they requested. This is probably why people commonly accuse the Goetic spirits of performing tasks in the most inconvenient way possible.
However, once one has thoroughly renounced any and all of the sub-or-unconscious Christian influence, it is much easier to harmonize with the so-called infernal spirits. The total absence of fear is also necessary, along with the presence of great respect.
My Patron Goddess Auset, also known as Isis, is also known by the name Astaroth in the Goetic texts. Because of her high rank within the Goetic pantheon under that name of Astaroth, I believe service unto her also affords a certain level of privilege and protection. I've performed a number of Goetic evocations since my first one, and have had no issues. Not once have I used a circle, and not once have I made a threat.
I fully intend to evoke all 72 of the Goetic spirits, one by one, at some point and as needed, because I see that as a necessary part of the Great Work itself. This is because if each spirit indeed rules 5 degrees of a 360 degree sphere of influence in the cosmos, then by evoking each one, I will eventually consciously control the entire 360 degrees of my own sphere. As above, so below. I will eventually write about those experiences at length.
I realize all this is somewhat of an oversimplification, because another big factor in the evocation process is direct contact and a relationship with the Divine self. The HGA (Holy Guardian Angel) fits that bill. I am a firm believer that one must have achieved contact with their own HGA/Genius before attempting Goetic evocation, at least in the western magick tradition. African Traditional Religions, along with Tibetan Buddhist traditions, and others likely have their own similar levels of attainment, I would imagine.
I've written about my first experience in Goetic evocation previously, as have many others on forums or on their own blogs, but one thing that I've rarely seen in others' posts are reflections and observations dealing with how their viewpoints have evolved about the whole topic since then. I intend to do that here. Be mindful that these are only my opinions about the whole thing, and others are welcome to agree or disagree. As always, comments are welcome.
The Goetic spirits, in my estimation, are forces of raw creative power and were placed in their roles by God/dess. Some are probably Nephilim as spoken about in the Book of Enoch, but I won't get into that right now, because it's outside the scope of what I want to write about.
It seems to me that it is no more dangerous to evoke a Goetic spirit than it is to stand outside during a thunderstorm, but within reason. You wouldn't want to stand outside during a lightning storm wearing highly conductive metal armor, because obviously then your chances of being fried by lightning go up substantially. However, we all know that the chances of being struck by lightning are about as remote as winning the Powerball. I think the same applies here.
I think the secret to permanently safeguarding your own well being during Goetic evocations, without the use of Lamens, and Curses, etc., is a complete and irrevocable renunciation all opposing religious dogma, deities, etc. Most people are not willing to do that because the Christian mind-virus is a potent one indeed, and has been highly reinforced by all of the Abrahamic religions along with it's prevalence in western cultural influences. It can be extremely difficult to overcome it, even in one's own sovereign mind.
However belief is a tool, not necessarily a way of life. I could just as easily petition a Catholic saint, as a Goetic spirit, by operating within the same frequency range as the spirit I'm calling up. To do that, one must use either mantra, lighting, scripture, or even raw sine-wave frequency recordings within that range, in order to harmonize with the entity's energy firsthand in order to facilitate smooth communication.
For example, if I wanted to call up a Catholic or Pagan saint (and yes, Pagan saints exist), it would be advisable to find out which psalm corresponds to their energy, and then use it as a mantra to harmonize with that saint's energy frequency. Then I'd make my petition.
Conversely, if I was to call up a Goetic spirit, I'd find out which enn to chant, and would do so in order to harmonize my being with that particular energy frequency.
Why Fear Has No Place in Evocation
I thoroughly believe Crowley's words where he says that the spirits of the Goetia are portions of the human brain. Lon Milo Duquette has greatly elaborated on that particular theory in depth in his book "Angels, Demons, and Gods of the New Millennium". The writings of Carl Jung also touch on some of that as well.
Thus, if that is so, then it follows that in order to harmonize with that portion of my own brain in order to use it to connect with the macrocosmic version of a corresponding Goetic spirit, one must determine within himself not to fear any portion of one's self or darker nature, and be sincerely seeking to bring it under conscious awareness in order to direct its might towards a practical end.
Since I'm using electrical terminology to describe this process, an insulator is also necessary either way. My insulator is my own aura, which has been hardened by years of ritual work and banishings. It is more of a 4D circle, instead of one drawn upon the ground, and affords all the protection one needs, if any is needed at all.
Why I Don't Use the Solomonic Method of Evocation
Most of the remaining grimoires that document the evocation process are so heavily influenced by Christianized thinking, and Hebraic/Solomonic processes, that they make themselves necessary for those who are also influenced by the same Christianized thinking. Many of those who evoke Goetic spirits will also tell you and the public-at-large that they are indeed Christians.
It is therefore necessary FOR THOSE sorcerers to use the Solomonic-styled processes in order to remain relatively safe. The 72 Goetic spirits are largely comprised of Pre-Christian era gods and goddesses who have been displaced from their former glory in the minds of men. Do you really think they will be friendly to those who worship or have any allegiance to a god that has displaced them ages ago?
Of course not, they will look for any opening in their defenses in order to strike at them. That opening is not usually the "circle", but instead it's the words used when the request itself is phrased. If the words used leave any opening for mischief-making, can you really blame them for making mischief, especially if you claim to be a Christian?
Think of it this way. Let's say you're a powerful king with many subjects and a vast empire. Then one day your kingdom is attacked and is taken from you, and you are placed in a dungeon of sorts (within the collective unconscious) for millenia. Would you be kind to some arrogant little meat puppet who works for the new king of your former kingdom, and who approaches you threateningly in order to coerce you to perform a task for them? No, you wouldn't. You'd probably try to kill them if you could, or create havoc for them in their lives at least. That way you could smack them around a bit, and have some fun at their expense, while still performing the task they requested. This is probably why people commonly accuse the Goetic spirits of performing tasks in the most inconvenient way possible.
However, once one has thoroughly renounced any and all of the sub-or-unconscious Christian influence, it is much easier to harmonize with the so-called infernal spirits. The total absence of fear is also necessary, along with the presence of great respect.
My Patron Goddess Auset, also known as Isis, is also known by the name Astaroth in the Goetic texts. Because of her high rank within the Goetic pantheon under that name of Astaroth, I believe service unto her also affords a certain level of privilege and protection. I've performed a number of Goetic evocations since my first one, and have had no issues. Not once have I used a circle, and not once have I made a threat.
Final Thoughts
I fully intend to evoke all 72 of the Goetic spirits, one by one, at some point and as needed, because I see that as a necessary part of the Great Work itself. This is because if each spirit indeed rules 5 degrees of a 360 degree sphere of influence in the cosmos, then by evoking each one, I will eventually consciously control the entire 360 degrees of my own sphere. As above, so below. I will eventually write about those experiences at length.
I realize all this is somewhat of an oversimplification, because another big factor in the evocation process is direct contact and a relationship with the Divine self. The HGA (Holy Guardian Angel) fits that bill. I am a firm believer that one must have achieved contact with their own HGA/Genius before attempting Goetic evocation, at least in the western magick tradition. African Traditional Religions, along with Tibetan Buddhist traditions, and others likely have their own similar levels of attainment, I would imagine.
