For the amusement and convenience of my readers and in the hopes of getting feedback from the more experienced conjurers in the community, I present my notes for the spirit conjuration workshop. I would greatly appreciate feedback from anyone who attended, or who has an interest in the subject, in order to make a better workshop next year.
I) Introduction
A) Allow me to Introduce Myself ….
i) 20 years and counting of magical practice and experiments
(a) Started with energy work and failed attempts at astral projection at 16 yrs
(b) ~’00-06 swapping tricks and going on adventures with KU WPA
(c) Independent experiments with shamanic visionary work since 2008
(d) Intense exploration of ceremonial and chaos magicks 2011-2015
¨ Ceremonial Experiment
¨ Project Null
B) Conjuration
i) When I was but a wee faun of a mage …
(a) 1990s taboo against spirit conjuration
(b) Jeremy and summoning elementals
ii) Historical perspective
(a) Extremely ancient tradition, dating to earliest preserved spells
(b) Extensively attested across the whole of the Western magical tradition
¨ Archaeology
¨ PGM
¨ Picatrix
¨ Renaissance Grimoires (to say nothing of theater)
¨ Lodge traditions – GD, A .: A .: (Argentium Astrum), Thelema, &c.
¨ ATR &c. – Hoodoo, vodoun, voodoo, conjure, &c.
¨ Basically everywhere but mainstream modern neo-Pagan witchcraft
iii) Sources for conjuration experiments
(a) Christopher Penczak’s Temple of High Witchcraft
(b) Electional astrology via Christopher Warnock’s Spiritus Mundi
(c) PGM Stele of Jeu via Jack Faust
(d) Rufus Opus’ Seven Spheres in Seven Days marathon
(e) Peter Carol’s Liber Null
(f) RO’s Seven Spheres
(g) Wild assortment of personal accounts by other sorcerers gleaned across the internet and over beers
II) Theory, Part One
A) Theories of magic (Phil Hine, Condensed Chaos 1995)
i) Cybernetic model – fractal reality, programmable magic: coded wards and servetors
ii) Psychological model – 19th + 20th C,Jungian/archetypal understanding of the cosmos, “it’s all in your head”
iii) Energetic model – also introduced to the West in the 19th C, “subtle energies”
iv) Spirit model – oldest, probably best, and most relevant to our discussion
v) All four must be at least partly true, because all four work
B) Conjuring, obviously, works on the spirit theory
i) magic is achieved through petitioning spirits to act on our behalf
(a) ancestors & other dead
(b) elementals/fairies/devas
(c) planetary powers – spirits, archangels, gods, whatever
(d) gods and demons
ii) the magician makes contact with the spirit, persuades them by some means, and the spirit makes the magic happen
III) Ethics
A) Concerning Free Will
i) do spirits have it?
(a) actually don’t according to many theories of the spirited world
ii) does conjuration infringe upon it?
(a) lots of authoritarian language in spirit conjuration
(b) lots of it reads as theater
iii) survey sez spirits do what the fuck they want, regardless of “contract”
(a) why doesn’t anyone ever extend this line of reasoning to include the gods?
(b) Quarter calls traditionally “bid” spirits rather than “asked” them
(c) “calling” isn’t asking either
B) Indirect Action and Unintended Consequences
i) how responsible are we for the means that spirits employ in our name?
IV) Mechanics
A) Ritual Arc
i) Preliminary Work
(a) Clean the workspace
(b) Physical construction of the altar
(c) Mood lighting
(d) Bathing
(e) Banishing
(f) Fumigation
ii) Opening
(a) Dedication of sacred space
¨ Blessing the altar
¨ Incense
¨ Circle casting
¨ Offerings to relevant familiar spirits
(b) Invocation of authority
¨ Supreme deity/deities
¨ Identification with great mages of myth and history
à Moses and Osiris in the PGM
à Potentially Medea, Merlin, or Aradia for modern witches
à Affiliation with established order or egregore
¨ Offerings to that authority
iii) Body
(a) Evocation of the spirit by speaking its name and attributes
¨ This is the place for hardcore flattery
¨ Listing off multiple names and attributes of spirit to be called helps to specify
¨ Traditional hymns and/or devotional poetry go here
(b) Depending on the ritual tradition, there may be cajoling, bribery, or threatening
¨ Hermetic tradition ~ “Don’t I remind you of Dad?”
¨ Grimoire tradition ~ “Dad made me the boss of you!”
¨ Egyptian style ~ “If you don’t do as I say, I’ll get a bigger god to clobber you!”
¨ Folk magic ~ “If you do something nice for you, you’ll do something nice for me!”
¨ First round of offerings go here – fumigation and/or libations
(c) Asking something of the spirit
¨ “say ‘hi”,”
¨ “empower this talisman”
¨ Planetary spirits are great for initiations and general power-ups
¨ Second round of offerings to the conjured spirit may be appropriate, particularly libations or food offerings
¨ If I am asking for communion or initiation, this is where I will share a drink with the spirit
iv) Closing
(a) Thanking and/or Dismissal of the spirit
¨ May be personal or formal
¨ More offerings are not uncalled for, particularly libations
(b) Thanking the authority
¨ More offerings, depending on the authority
(c) Dismiss elements/quarters/whatever
(d) Dismiss circle
(e) Banish as necessary
V) Theory, Part Two
A) Style
i) varies from one tradition to another
B) Substance
i) A conjurer (“exorcist”) must believe in their own authority
ii) Psychodrama of ritual
C) Planning
i) What is your purpose?
(a) Empower this talisman/sigil
(b) Perform this action –
(c) Shower me with the blessings of your domain (relevant for planetary spirts and their ilk)
ii) Who or what are you conjuring?
iii) What school of thought are you employing?
iv) Have your script ready
VI) The Triangle of Conjuration
A) A reality map – Trimethian archetype
i) Characters of the seven planets on the outer ring
ii) Archangels of the four earthly quarters in the second ring
iii) Sacred geometry make up the center
iv) Crystal placed in the central geometry in which the spirit appears
v) Represents the material and spiritual realms through which the spirits must descend to the “exorcist”
B) Traditional tool helpful with some kinds of conjuration
C) Adds to the psychodrama
VII) Personal Experiences
A) Relationships With Spirits
i) Formal first contact is best
ii) Research and experience alike indicate that personal is best
(a) Some relationships may remain extremely formal
(b) Depends on the magician as much as the spirit or rite
B) Conjurations
i) Natal genius and demon
ii) Cannabis
iii) Planetary spirits/archangels
VIII) Sources for Research
A) Books
i) Rufus Opus’ Seven Spheres (Scarlet Imprint 2015)
ii) Gordon White’s The Chaos Protocols (Llewellyn 2016)
iii) Corpus Hermeticum (public domain)
iv) Lesser Key of Solomon the King (Crowley’s Goetia, Weiser 1990)
B) Blogs
i) Rufus Opus @ Head for Red
ii) Polyphanes @ Digital Ambler
