Evocation

Page to be developed

The working with spirits has long traditions in the various cultures, and therefore is known by different technical terms depending on the religious, magical or mystical traditions (eg medieval grimoires).

The term used on this topic page is 'evocation', but many other terms are used to consciously call forth and work with spirits, ao: to summon or evoke or adjure (with ritual or authority, oath, or through symbols ), to invoke (presence of spirit eg for guidance or assistance), to conjure (in magical practice), scry (with a magical mirror), channel, manifest (spirit taking visible form or impact in tangible way), seal (confine or control spirit during evocation), to ban (command or restrict spirit's actions).

Terminology used also depends on the type of relation, like to beseech (implore to appear) supplicate (humble petition a higher spirit power), exorcize (command to leave, when banishing unwanted entities), offer or sacrifice (present gifts as part of summoning). Other variants are possession (when a spirit inhabits a human vessel), necromancy (summoning the dead for communication)

Ceremonial magic describes the ritual actions for the evocation of spirits that may include numerous requisite accessories for the practitioner ceremonies for example the use of an altar, incense smoke, oils, magical wand, creation a ritual circle for summoning of spirits, etc.

Process-wise the evocation happens through the consciousness and developed faculties of the person doing the evocation and the use of the spirit's sigil, praying, incantations, spells, etc.

Aspects

• examples in the ancient Mysteries
  • Greek mysteries#Samothracian mysteries (Kabiri)
• revival in the 19-20th century due to a.o. Eliphas Levi and Aleister Crowley (and the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn)
• Franz Bardon's second book 'Practice of Magical Evocation' (see 'Further reading' section below) covers the theory and practice of evoking spirits in a structured and disciplined manner. In the Bardon system of initiation, the book requires one to have reached step 8 in the first book of initiation IIH.
• divination - see topic page on symbols

Lecture coverage and references

1923-12-21-GA323

talks about the evocation of the kabiri in the Samothracian Mysteries, excerpt see: Mystery School tradition#1923-12-21-GA323

The same is also stated in 1922-12-04-GA218: a picture of the godhead appeared in the sacrificial smoke.

1924-08-18-GA243

talks about the use of the emanations of Man, see also Spectrum of elements and ethers, and the following extract fits into a description of these seven

the above fitting into a lecture on the seven emanations:

#Movements emanating from men (mediumistic power)

1. Skin emanations of the fluid element (materialization)
2. Skin emanations of the air element (manifestation of the phantom)
3. Warmth emanation.
4. Light emanation.
5. Emanation of chemical forces (black magic).
6. Life emanation (Michael: Sun, Gabriel: Moon, Raphael: Mercury)

and how these can be as part of one's development, with reference to old magical grimoires (limited extract here)

.. Fourthly, these beings are receptive to warmth emanations. All these things in so far as they exist on Earth have special significance for these Moon beings. Man is judged by the configuration of his movements in writing and by the particular nature of his emanations.

The next emanation is the ever-present light emanation. In every individual, not only the aura, but also the physical and etheric bodies radiate light. Under ordinary conditions these radiations are so dim as to be invisible, but their existence has recently been demonstrated by Moriz Benedikt in a specially constructed dark room. He showed that the physical body is surrounded by a subtle aura of red, yellow and blue light emanations which vary at different places round the body. Moriz Benedikt tells us how he demonstrated the coloured aura. He showed the left side of the body under normal conditions of light and the other side under conditions that revealed the aura. Everything depends upon establishing the proper experimental conditions.

...

natural science has recently developed a technique which can demonstrate in a dark room certain light radiations and warmth emanations. In this respect the experiments of Moriz Benedikt are most illuminating.

But it has always been the case, and it is still true today, that only those can utilize effectively warmth and light emanations who undertake the preliminary steps which not only involve manipulating the physical world through black magic, but also include the production of hallucinogenic effects by means of special incense-burning and aromas, and the preparation of specific concoctions [editor: a mixture of various ingredients or elements], and so forth.

This is the origin of all those magical practices which are fully described in the old books of magic. The purpose of these magical ceremonies is to evoke the forces inherent in the light and warmth emanations of Man.

Franz Bardon - Practice of Magical Evocation (PME)

second book by Franz Bardon, corresponding to second tarot card on Ceremonial magic

Rawn Clark

2021-05-09 in interview (at 23')

sometimes when one starts evoking different beings this this is just psychotherapy, it's not actual invocation or evocation .. it's just psychotherapy: you're dealing with aspects of your own subconscious then

in many cases evocation is psychotherapy because it's not general, it's not real genuine evocation, you're just dealing with parts of your psyche .. you're projecting parts of your psyche and suddenly it's sung demon in front of you .. so you've externalized the demon in yourself and you think it's universal and it's not

is it dangerous? .. well it can be yes, like any form of psychotherapy .. in that it will reveal parts of your psyche that you're not necessarily prepared to deal with ... it can be dangerous because it can really mess you up mentally and emotionally, encountering parts of yourself that you're not prepared to encounter .. but just in general, there's no danger

that for me is the real indication of whether someone is just dabbling in psychotherapy or really evoking a being - these are universal factors

Related pages

• Human capabilities beyond mainstream
• Franz Bardon and initiation

References and further reading

• Franz Bardon: 'Practice of Magical Evocation (original in DE 1956 as 'Die Praxis der magischen Evokation')

• William G Gray: 'Magical Ritual Methods' (1959)
• Donald Michael Kraig (1951-2014)
  • Modern Magick (1988)
  • The Truth About Evocation of Spirits (1951)
• Konstantinos: 'Summoning Spirits: The Art of Magical Evocation' (2002)

Medieval grimoires

• The Lesser Key of Solomon (Lemegeton)
  • compilation of five grimoires, with the Ars Goetia being most well known, detailed instructions for summoning and controlling spirits.
  • also see Colin Campbell: 'Of the Arte Goetia'
• The Key of Solomon (Clavicula Salomonis)
  • cornerstone of Western ceremonial magic; modern edition by S.L. MacGregor Mathers.
• The Book of Abramelin