emergentanimism

[emergentanimism]

My journey into the Grimoirum Verum

*reposted with additional material*

My journey into the Grimoirum Verum is not exactly a new thing. I have long studied the book using Jake Stratton-Kent’s rendition in the Trve Grimoire. Most of you already know that JSK’s work is widely considered the gold standard in the field. My recent endeavor to work the GV system came in a roundabout way.

In recent years, most of my practice has been focused on communicating with lesser-known or unknown spirits. Specifically, those from Ancient Egypt and related to my patron Thoth. My reasoning being that it would be best to work with spirits who were already predisposed to see me as an ally. You can find more on that work here:

https://emergentanimism.tumblr.com/post/188406957484/egyptian-goetia

https://emergentanimism.tumblr.com/post/189192580799/egyptian-goetia-are-you-the-gatekeeper

In the course of developing that system, I had already created several tools, some of which I believe still useful when working within the GV. It is my intention to create the tools as described in the GV, but I’m a big believer in getting started and progressing as I go. Those tools will come later, and I think that starting the initial contact would be helpful in their creation.

So, why the Verum? I’m at a place in my current work where I believe making contact with different, perhaps more accessible and known spirits, would be helpful for comparison. And if I’m totally honest, it seemed to me that the spirits I was working with were open to relationships, but not pacts. I don’t know if it’s simply not something they do, or if they have limited ability to effect change on a material level. I am far from a “get laid, get paid” type of magus. I’m much more interested in learning about the nature of spirits and the universe. But hey, inflation is a bitch. I’m sure a lot of us are having difficulties making ends meet. Not to mention some material prosperity could be helpful in my work. I’m planning a trip to Egypt this year, which I’m certain will expand my knowledge, but that’s not a cheap endeavor.

I picked the Verum specifically as it seemed to me one of more accessible grimoires. It certainly has its challenges, but not as involved as say the Ars Goetia. Plus, the Verum seems to have a less adversarial approach when it comes to dealing with the spirits themselves.

I think it’s undeniable that making sigils on parchment is a major part of the Verum’s system, so that’s where I started. I’ve no moral issues with killing a goat to make parchment, as long as the rest of the animal is used. However, I can’t afford a goat. Don’t have the facilities to keep one. Don’t have the facilities to slaughter one. Don’t have the facilities to make parchment and lack pretty much the entire skill set necessary. Right from the get-go, I knew compromises had to be made.

I have long believed that calling upon YHVH, the God of the Israelites, the Christian God, as part of the incantations in all the Medieval and later grimoires, where a way for the magus to develop agency. It’s a statement of alliances, that give the magus authority to deal with the spirits. I know plenty of people use it with success, and many shift their perception of these beings to a more universal aspect. My own antinomian tendencies make me shy from this method. In fact, I thought it best to gain agency through beings that I actually did have relationships and alliances with. In my own case, Djhuety, AKA Thoth. With that in mind I replaced the parchment with some high-quality Egyptian papyrus and prepared the parchment using symbolic ritual.

I started by blessing and consecrating the tools I would be using with my own standard consecration ritual. Every magus should have one. It’s a good tool to have. I also have my own recipe for holy water, which is also a good thing to have around. The tools included, a knife, my own standard ritual knife I have been using for years. A collection of river stones. A jar of salt. A red pen (being a devotee of Thoth I can’t even begin to describe my special relationship with pens). An envelope, which would replace the clay jar called for in the Verum. A goat statue. And a lancet, which being a diabetic is something I always have on hand.

It began with symbolically slaying the goat statue. I did so in the name of Astaroth, since Astaroth would be the first spirit I wanted to contact. In the GV, Astaroth rules over the Americas. In essence I was asking their permission to work with the legion of spirits under them. I used a slightly modified incantation for symbolically skinning the goat.

“All you Netjeru, come and be here and deign to infuse into this skin the power that it may be correctly preserved so all that is written upon it may become perfected.”

I performed the benediction of the salt and covered the papyrus.

Here’s where my impatience brought on innovation. I didn’t want to leave the papyrus out in the sun all day subject to the weather, and frankly, didn’t want to wait that long. In my practice, I give water to my ancestors every night. The changing of the water on the ancestor altar is the symbolic end of my day. So, I placed the papyrus under a grow light I have for the plants in my temple, meditated, and then changed out the water. Symbolically leaving the papyrus in the sun for a day. Then inscribed on the envelope the sigils that go on the jar in the GV instructions and tucked that into my over-sized copy of the Egyptian Book of the Dead for the night.

In the morning, I performed the blessing of the knife.

“O holiest Djhuety put into this knife the power to cleanse this skin. through thy holy name Thoth. Amen”

Scraped the papyrus with the knife and placed on it the river stones.

“O Djhuety, most puissant and most powerful Lord, allow that these stones may stretch this skin and remove from them all wickedness, so they may possess the required power. Amen.”

Then the blessing for protection.

“Nu, Nuit, Hehu, Hehut, Kek, Kekuit, Amun, Amunet – Stand guard over this parchment, in order that no specter may take charge of it.”

This second day was a Tuesday, the day of Mars. Of course, my head was swimming all day and my impatience once again prompted me. I would perform the inscribing of the sigils in the hour of Mars at night. Also, why not go ahead and try to start a pact now?

Preparation began shortly before the hour of Mars. I set up all my goetic equipment – circle, black obsidian mirror, stone pyramids, and a REM pod. All the temple candles were lit. I performed an ablution with my holy water and anointed myself with Abramelin Oil. Performed a condensed version of the Headless Rite and Invocation of Thoth. Then the lighting of the incense.

“I burn this Astaroth, in the name and honor of Astaroth.”

Then the evocation of Scirlin.

“HELOY + TAU + VARAF + PANTHON + HOMINORCUM + ELEMIATH + SERUGEATH + AGLA + ON + MA’AT + CASILY.”

I sat down to inscribe the sigil, and then meditated.

Here’s where I need to mention that I have two principal deities that I work with. The aforementioned Thoth, and the goddess Babalon. I was already on board with the concept that Astaroth is, etymologically, the goddess Astarte. A goddess somewhat similar to Babalon. As I mediated, I felt as if Babalon had taken a great interest in the proceedings. She communicated in thoughts Her take on the nature of Scirlin. That it is an office. That these beings can “crawl between worlds.” Through this ability they have made relationships with many spirits. Because of this ability know many secrets. Scirlin will not directly tell you these secrets but may be coaxed to leading one in the direction of discovering them.

I’ve never had much luck with the black mirror. This time was different. While meditating on Scirlin, I did see a pair of red, glowing eyes flash across the mirror. The mirror also seemed to change colors and fog up.

Then the evocation of Astaroth.

“Astaroth, Ador, Cameso, Valuerituf, Mareso, Lodir, Cadomir, Aluiel, Calniso, Tely, Plorim, Viordy, Cureviorbas, Cameron, Vesturiel, Vulnavij, Benez meus Calmiron, Noard, Nisa Chenibranbo Calevodium, Brazo Tabrasol, Come, Astaroth, Amen.”

Once again, I sat down to inscribe the sigil and then meditate. The communications were less clear this time. The mirror fogged up and changed colors, mostly a pulsing red. Babalon once again communicated, though this time with less clarity, implying that She and Astaroth were a part of some triple goddess alliance. Though that seemed less certain to me, and perhaps a way of describing something much more complex.

I then inscribed my personal sigil as instructed in the GV with my initials. After, I spoke the pact and also inscribed it under the sigil of Astaroth.

“I am the Magus Threskiornis – Scribe of Thoth. Let us enter into treaty. Queen Astaroth, I shall praise thy name. I shall devote my saint’s blood to you once per week. Call upon me for favor. I ask that you provide for me great prosperity in worldly goods. To protect me from spirits that would harm me and those I love. And to prevent illness and injury in my home.”

Then I wrapped my finger in the “virgin spun” thread. Another work-around for this one. Before the ritual began, I took a piece of thread and wrapped it around a statue of a Spring maiden that I have. Then pricked my finger and blooded all three sigils.

I took a coin that I have, bearing the sigil of Astaroth from the Ars Goetia, and wrapped it in the parchment and placed it in my right breast pocket. Slept with it on my nightstand and will be carrying it with me as much as possible. When not in my pocket, it will be placed on my altar. I had pretty restless sleep after that, but no coherent dreams or messages.

The goal now is to create the rest of the tools as described in the Verum. During that time, continue trying to communicate with Astaroth in ritual, and fulfill my part of the pact.

Praise Astaroth!

Addendum

I need share some strange things that have happened the day after my evocation of Astaroth. One actually happened the day before while I was preparing the papyrus. My wife went to grab her water bottle in her office, a water bottle she was certain had some water left in it, and found it to be empty. When things like that happen around our house, we blame Abtet.

Who’s Abtet? Remember those Egyptian spirits I said I was working with? One of them is Abtet. He’s a total trickster. A pain in my ass that Thoth sent to me to keep me humble. I learned early on that Abtet likes offerings of candy, specifically, Kinder Joy eggs. In the Egyptian fashion, the offering is left on the altar, and then later consumed. Abtet gets to keep the toy. Here is his altar of offerings in all their glory.

I came home today to find this on my bedroom floor.

Here is a picture of the empty base where the figure once stood.

Here is a picture of the stool I keep there specifically to keep my 100 lb Alaskan Malamute away. Not that she has ever messed with anything on Abtet’s altar before.

As you can see, there is simply no possible way a derfy, clumsy, malamute snatched that toy from the base without disturbing anything around it. No other person has been in the home for over a week other than me and my wife. Yet it somehow got from my temple to my bedroom. My guess, Abtet is jealous. Totally his MO. Not only that, he seems to have taken offence to the idea when I said he isn’t able to effect physical objects.

The icing on the cake – when I showed my wife what had happened, she told me that she had been awakened last night by the sound of a female voice singing, coming from the temple. She was awake enough to check the clock, and saw it was 2:56. Considering the recent change for Daylight Savings Time, I think this can easily be interpreted as 156, the number of Babalon.

I’m convinced I kicked up something. There will absolutely be more to come. Probably a Spirit Box session. I will be leaving my REM pod on Abtet’s altar tonight to see if I get any hits.

[emergentanimism]

Excerpt from Core Goetia An Emergent Magick Perspective on Classical Grimoires By Threskiornis

Like many, I find myself drawn to the mysteries of grimoire magick. It appeals for many reasons. The sense of historicity that comes from travelling in the footsteps of our magical forerunners. The cultural stigma, which finds the practice blasphemous, and thus attractive to those with a heretical streak. But put the aesthetics aside and we find a simpler truth to the allure of grimoire magick. Humans, in essence, are social creatures. Our success as a species comes not from our opposable thumbs or even our big brains, but our ability to communicate and cooperate. It’s no wonder that we seek to understand our universe by finding something larger than ourselves to talk to.

It can be said that the history of the Western Esoteric Tradition is the story of how we learned to communicate with the spirits. From pre-history, when shamans used drums, fire, and psychedelics to journey to the spirit realm, to chaos magicians creating their own spirits through empowered sigils. Novice, or even experienced magi, rightfully ask, “Where do I start?” “What methods achieve the best results?” Of course, we can’t answer that question, because the real question is what method will work best for the individual and the spirits in which they wish to communicate. It remains up to the individual to discover their own approach and methodology.

When it comes to approach, my guiding principle can be best summed up by the words of Gordon White, “Magick is, if anything, extradimensional diplomacy.” One can easily see the analogy of negotiating and aligning with foreign powers as not unlike communicating with entities that exist outside of our own dimension. Many of the classical grimoires come from the perspective of a Christian culture. The approach they recommend comes from a tribal, monotheistic stance, where any spirit not aligned with their camp must be treated as an enemy. They may work with these outside spirits, but only by using the threat of force should those spirits not comply. A cursory look at politics in our own world reveals just how poorly this approach works. Personally, I would much rather work with those who I count as friend and ally, who share similar values. Rather than an entity looking for the first opportunity to stab me in the back. Once again, the individual magus must determine which spirits most likely share their perspective. This can only be done by research, and even then, the information available is infuriatingly vague. These beings may after all be entirely alien, with values and motivations we can never comprehend.  In the end, the best that can be accomplished is determining who that spirit aligns themselves with as an indication of their character.

While the typical grimoire approach may be flawed, some value can be found in the methodology. Like anything else, the practice of magick advances. While our ancestors certainly did have regular communication with the spirits using shamanic tools, one can trace the grimoire methods back to those practices and see them as a refinement of those tools. Not necessarily “better,” but perhaps a way to achieve results more consistently.

In developing my own practice, I researched a number of the grimoires and attempted to replicate those methods as best I could. I’m not ashamed to say I failed, for a number of reasons. Following a grimoire like a recipe seldom gets good results, especially when working with a recipe developed in an entirely different era with different perspectives and technologies. I do not own a lion-skin belt, an item required in at least one grimoire. Nor am I in the market for one, considering the cost and the inability to determine if it was ethically sourced. I won’t be slaughtering a sheep with a homemade knife to harvest its skin for parchment. I don’t possess the skills in metallurgy to create brass seals and vessels. While much can be said about obtaining these items and the ability to make them being a magical act in itself, our modern society simply does not have the infrastructure it takes to create them, at least not for those without extensive means. Certainly, it was difficult to obtain them in the time that the grimoires were written, but we no longer have a social caste whose job was to perform acts of magick. There are nowadays a select few capable of meticulously reproducing the grimoire methods and achieve results. More power to them. But If we are serious about getting on with the work of contacting spirits, the majority of us must seek other methods. It can also be argued that we no longer exist in a society where those symbols have the same meaning. Context matters. And I would hope most are more interested in advancing the art of magick rather than slavishly copying the past.

The question still remains, what do you need to contact this type of spirit? The question vexed me for a long time. I know that our hunter-gatherer ancestors were able to communicate with these spirits using only a drum, a stick, and a handful of mushrooms. Brass bells, steel knives, and the written language itself didn’t even exist when they first contacted these spirits thousands of years ago. Did I need any of it at all?

The popularity of the grimoires at the time they were written, as evident by the number and variety of grimoires preserved into modern days, lends credence to the efficacy of the method. As does their continued popularity today. Magick is an art. An act of creation. The ability of your creation to change the world directly correlates to the work you put into it. I have yet to meet the person that I believe can talk to demons just by sitting in their easy chair. The amount of work put into any act of creation determines its quality and efficiency. Work must be done to achieve useful and consistent results. While using the grimoire method to contact spirits is by no means a necessity. It’s not a bad place to start.

If all of the specific symbolism employed in grimoire work is arbitrary, or at least malleable based on the character of the magus, their experiences, and the context in which they operate, then what remains are the core techniques. I have found that determining the essence of grimoire magick, that which cuts across the various books and collections of ancient manuscripts and appears in the majority of extant grimoires, gives the magus a framework for creating a system tailored to their own needs and the needs of the spirits in which they communicate.

[emergentanimism]

Giving Voice to the Spirits:

Using the SB-7 Spirt Box in Occult Ritual

I wish I could say I was the first person to have the idea of using the SB-7 Spirit Box in ritual. But that’s not entirely true. I blatantly stole the idea from the show “Hellier.” Though it seems that the investigators in the show, at least initially, weren’t aware that was what they were doing.

Spirit Boxes or Ghostboxes have been around for many years and used primarily as a tool for paranormal investigation. The SB-7 holds the distinction of being the first cheap, mass-produced version, which makes it easier for would-be experimenters to get their hands on one. While legends have grown up around particular designs, I am under no illusions as to the simple nature of the device, nor do I attribute any special paranormal ability to the device itself. The Spirit Box simply scans through AM or FM radio frequencies at a high rate of speed picking up static and snippets of radio stations. It does, however, produce interesting results. As at times it seems to answer questions given by those around it.

Keep reading

[emergentanimism]

We are dedicated to bringing you more and better Emergent Magick, and we think it’s time to take it to the next level. But that costs money. To fund our master plan of more books, more media, and better events, we have launched a Patreon campaign. In the coming weeks you will see the rebirth of the Scroll of Thoth Podcast, and get previews of other projects we have been working on. Those who donate $10 or more a month will receive a Patreon Special Edition of the Emergent Magick book. If you want to see us shine, please consider subscribing to our Patreon.

[emergentanimism]

It was tempting to say that EMAN bases itself on a working theory that spirits exist, not a belief. But neither really describes the EMAN perspective. For EMAN, just like all EMK, must be experienced. The magus must treat the spirits as if they are real and separate entities, even if in some part they reserve the idea that they may be communicating with something else entirely. In EMAN, the magus acknowledges the personhood of all things.

This may seem difficult, and it can be. But as anthropologist, John Reid, explains, most people have no trouble acknowledging that their pet is part of their family. They see their dog or their cat as a person, just a non-human person. From there, it’s not much of a stretch to see the personhood of your home, your car, and the hill down the street. EMAN encourages this type of perspective. A perspective that makes everyday life an act of magick, not just when you do ritual. You must allow yourself to be drawn into an animated world.

-- Threskiornis, Emergent Animism: Exploring a Spirit Haunted World

[emergentanimism]

Using the Emergent Magick (EMK) metaphor of the Citadel, one of the cornerstones of any Citadel of Emergent Animism is the belief that spirits exist in one form or another. Once the magus accepts this premise, the implications open up a much wider world. In the animist world, everything from a grain of sand, the birds in the sky, the rivers and mountains, and the galaxies in the cosmos, have their own mode of being and their own goals and motivations. When, cogito, ergo sum, applies to everything in the universe, it forces the magus to step back and examine every action they take and how it affects all of the universe around them. When the plants, and the trees, and the waters themselves have agency, what we do to them carries the weight of projecting our will upon another. It just may be that Emergent Animism (EMAN) is exactly what our world needs at this time, when our planet is on the verge of environmental collapse and under threat of nuclear annihilation.

Threskionis, Emergent Animism: Exploring a Spirit Haunted World (via scrollofthoth)

[emergentanimism]

Spirit Contact Grimoire Entry

Name: We had the impression that we contacted two different entities during the evocation. When asked their names, the first entity replied, “DPG.” The second entity replied, “ABTET.”

Participants: “T” – ritual coordinator, incanter, channeler. “A” – principle channeler.  “M” – observer, recorder.

 Tools Used: Brass bell, lapis lazuli stone pyramid, standard temple candles, Ogdoad candles, incense, servitor sigil (1), black obsidian mirror, spirit board. For gnosis, T partook in the traditional smoking herb before the ritual.

 Method of Contact: We began with a ritual of evocation. The servitor sigil was placed under the pyramid. We started by ringing the brass bell three times. Then the incanter performed a slightly modified, Invocation of Thoth (2). Followed by an appeal to contact any spirits associated with the god Thoth.

 By the word of Thoth the Atlantean, I call forth the spirits. By the power of the Ogdoad, I create the portal.

 Nu, The Primordial Ocean. Nuit, The Ocean of Stars, Hehu, God of a Million Years. Hehuet, The Timeless Desert. Kek, The Corrupted Darkness. Kekuit, The Comforting Darkness. Amun, The Unknowable Mystery. Amunet, The Mystery Revealed. Lend me your power.

 Ammit, you are the gateway.

 Ammit, you are existence eternal.

 Ammit, you are eternal non-existence.

 Ammit, I ask thee to look upon the record of Djhuety and judge me worthy. I come to you as a living man. Take mercy on my humble Ba and open the gates to the Duat.

 I, Threskiornis, Ego sum Legio, beloved of Thoth, scribe of the Order of Emergent Magi, call to you who inhabit the Mansion of the Moon. In the name of Djhuety, reveal yourself unto me and my companions, so that we may entreat with you.

 Timing: The ritual began at approximately 11:30 PM, on 12/12/2019, the last day of the full moon.

 Method of Communication: A black, obsidian, scrying mirror was placed above the incense. At the last minute, we decided to make a video of the scrying mirror during the communication (3). The channelers also employed a spirit board.

 Communication: The raw video can be viewed here, and here.

 A was selected to be the primary channeler, as she has experience in using the spirit board, and has demonstrated some psychic ability. A also employed an intermediary (Asmodeus), which she has worked with before when using a spirit board. T was to direct the questioning, but that changed later during the communication. M took notes and observed the mirror.

 The spirit seemed reluctant at first, but eventually the operators were called to move the planchette over specific letters and symbols. The spirit board used had some unconventional symbols, A Sun, Moon, Exclamation Point, and Question Mark.

T: What is your name?

 1st Spirit: DPG

 T: Is that your name? Who do you serve?

 1st Spirit: JQN “Maybe” MQ2

 T: What is your purpose?

 1st Spirit: UJ0! “Yes”

 T: Will you communicate with us further?

 1st Spirit “Yes”

 T: What is the best time to call you?

 1st Spirit: “Yes”

 T: What other spirits do you know?

 1st Spirit: Sun Q

 At that point, the spirit seemed to break off communication. The channelers decided to change tack, with A directing most of the questioning. What seemed like a second spirit started to communicate. (video 2). A specifically asked Asmodeus to contact a spirit associated with Thoth. The second spirit seemed more eager to communicate.

 A: Are you a spirit associated with Thoth?

 2nd Spirit: Y

 T: We have a “Yes” on the board, sir.

 2nd Spirit: “Yes” “Maybe”

 T: Do you know who I am?

 2nd Spirit: “Yes”

 A: What would you like us to do in order for you to tell us your name?

 2nd Spirit: FEED

 A: Would you like us to feed you?

 T: What kind of offering would you like?

 2nd Spirit: SWDEET

 A noted that she had an impression of cakes. T brought the spirit an offering of a chocolate chip, brioche, roll. We also reminded the evoked of the offering of a servitor spirit. Both A and T noted a sense of confusion, as if the evoked didn’t know what to make of the offered spirit.

 A: What is your name?

 2nd Spirit: ABTET (4)

 A: Abtet, can you tell us what you are a spirit presiding over?

 2nd Spirit:: HUMER HUER

 A sensed that the spirit was trying to communicate “Humor”

 T: Did Thoth just send me his court jester?

 2nd Spirit: Moon

 T: Do you come to Earth often?

 2nd Spirit: ?

 A: Are you often called upon by mortals?

 2nd Spirit:: Maybe

 T: What do you provide for them?

 A: Laughter?

 2nd Spirit:: Yes

 A: What is the best method to summon you?

 When asked this question, M noted an impression of water, and also noticed that the scrying mirror had turned blue. In the video, the light seems to flicker.

 A: Is water the best method to summon you.

 Again, a sense of confusion.

 A: Abtet, do you prefer being called during the day or the night.

 A sense of confusion.

 2nd Spirit: Yes

 T: Abtet, can you tell us any other duties you perform for Thoth?

 A: (Rephrases the question)

 2nd Spirit: HLUMBJN

 At this point communication seemed to be fading. A offered to channel the spirit through invocation, which the spirit seemed eager to do. T felt reluctant to do so, since we knew so little about the spirit, and the operation was ended and the spirit thanked. We intentionally did not banish the spirit.

 Further Manifestation:  M had a vision of a baboon with a cat’s forelegs and head. 

After going to bed that night, T experienced a back spasm, feeling as if he had been kicked in the back. The impression was not malevolent, more like an excited child looking for more attention.

 Concerning the name of the first spirit, Ancient Egyptian, like many ancient written languages, does not contain vowels. The letters given may be a name with the vowels omitted (DUPOG? DAPIG? DIPAG?).

 Both spirits seemed to be confused by the circular configuration of the spirit board.

 An offering of a candy bar was left for the 2nd Spirit on the following day.

 (1)    12/31/19, a ritual was performed to create eight, minor, servitor spirits. Each spirit was given a name and a sigil. These spirits were designed to act as offerings to the spirits we evoke.

(2)    A ritual translated by Alan Bennet (source unknown), later used by Aleister Crowley as presented in Liber Israfel.

(3)    The video is from a mobile phone, and lacks in both video and audio quality. Future communications may be recorded audio only until proper equipment can be acquired.

(4)    Upon cursory research, we found Abtet is the name of a lesser known Egyptian god. However, the spirit we communicated with did not fit the profile of that entity.

[emergentanimism]

Showtime.

[emergentanimism]

[emergentanimism]

Finished my new goetic circle.

[emergentanimism]

Rough draft of my Egyptian goetic circle.

[emergentanimism]

So it begins...

Emergent Animism: Exploring a Spirit Haunted World

By Threskiornis

Foreword

“Magick is, if anything, extradimensional diplomacy.”

– Gordon White, Pieces of Eight: Chaos Magic Essays and Enchantments

Magi throughout the ages have defined themselves through their relationships with spiritual entities. Call them what you want. Their names are legion. Gods, angels, demons, djinn, elementals, faeries, ghosts, specters – the names and classifications vary from age to age and place to place. Every land and every culture has had contact with creatures that were in some way more than just material being. The nature of these beings often reflects that of the culture which discovered them, but they also have surprising commonalities no matter their origin. Even today people report contact with a multitude of cryptids and aliens. A Devil stalks New Jersey. A monster swims in Loch Ness. Bigfoot roams the Pacific Northwest, and Yeti in the Himalayas. Mothmen, Dogmen, and Lizardmen continue to be sighted all around the United States, and the world.

Some magi approach these beings for personal gain. Others simply want to communicate with and understand beings that exist beyond our knowledge of space and time. They can be approached with reverence, awe, and worship. Although most magi see themselves as equals. They can be approached with the intent to cajole, threaten, and command. Though I hope to convince you that a bully that attacks spirits is still just a bully.

Keep reading

[emergentanimism]

[emergentanimism]

Egyptian Goetia - Are You the Gatekeeper?

My development of a evocation system for communicating with Egyptian spirits is moving along nicely. I thought I would give some updates on how things are progressing. If you want to refer to my original post with the working theory, check it out here: https://emergentanimism.tumblr.com/post/188406957484/egyptian-goetia

TOOLS

Black Obsidian Mirror – The mirror acts as a means of communication. This has been consecrated by invoking Thoth and asking for his blessing, then leaving it out under the light of a full moon. I consecrated an obsidian ring I have at the same time, to act as a sort-of portable communication device in case spirits try to contact me outside of ritual.

Lapis Lazuli Pyramid – The pyramid acts as a vessel for the spirit to inhabit while visiting, a rough equivalent to the triangle or brass jar in other goetic systems. It provides a hospitable environment for the spirit to occupy while on this plane of existence. Sorry, Admiral, it’s not a trap. It is not meant to bind spirits. I chose the pyramid for its obvious connections to Egyptian spirituality, which were literally built to house spirits. I consecrated the Pyramid by invoking Thoth and calling upon the Ogdoad, more on them later.

Circle – I have somewhat of a practical streak, and I knew I wanted my circle to have certain physical characteristics. It had to be something that would fit in my temple space, something I could pick up and put away, and something I wouldn’t trip on. I’ve seen a lot of circles printed on sheets and tarps, and I’m sorry, but they look like a recipe for disaster. Step into one of those and they are bound to bunch up, slide around, and become a tripping hazard. Not a good idea when working in a space with a bunch of candles and pointy things. So, I found this rubberized mat:

A full moon being the perfect symbol for Thoth. It’s on its way right now. When I receive it, I plan on inscribing it with a snake, like many classic goetic circles, the snake being a symbol associated with magick in Ancient Egypt, and a whole bunch of other cultures as well.

The snake will contain prayer’s to Thoth in hieroglyphs, of which I have found plenty of examples of at Academia.edu.

SPIRITS

Many grimoires direct the magus to evoke certain spirits as facilitators before evoking the demons themselves. The Grimorium Verum has the magus evoke the elements first, to open the pathways between the material and non-material world. Of course, early Egyptians did not subscribe to the later classical Greek versions of the elements. But they did have something similar. If one sees elements as the stuff in which all existence is made, the Egyptians had a group of beings that provide the primordial building blocks of the universe – the aforementioned Ogdoad.

Ancient Egyptians had dozens of creation myths from city to city and through the 3,000 years of Egyptian culture. In the city of Khumun, which the Greeks renamed Hermopolis, Thoth was the principle deity, and the world was created by his children. Thoth created eight gods, The Ogdoad, who represented the primal forces of the universe. Though some of these gods are familiar to us now in different roles and with different associations, the myth of the Ogdoad is ancient and in some ways represent the primordial versions of these beings.

The key word being primordial—from the beginning—which for the Egyptians was the primordial chaos from which is brought the order of creation.

The Ogdoad were grouped in pairs, male and female. Each pair represented one of the primordial forces with each god having a different perspective on that force.

The Ogdoad are:

Nu – The Primordial Ocean/Nut (Nuit) – The Ocean of Stars: These gods represent space, as in area. All things in creation need a place to be. They are vast and contain room for all that is the universe.

Hehu – God of a Million Years/Hehut – The Timeless Desert: They represent all time. Time that changes, but also that which remains unchanged. Time is required for any action to occur, but what is important stands the test of time.

Kek – The Corrupting Darkness/Kekuit – The Comforting Darkness: Everything comes from the void. As humans, this element can both hurt and heal. The darkness corrupts, but is also in darkness we find rest.

Amun – The Unknowable Mystery/Amunet – The Mystery Revealed: Everything in the universe is either known or unknown. Some things we will never comprehend, yet they still influence our lives. Some things are revealed through gnosis, when our self is shown to us.

The Ogdoad will act as my “path openers,” to break down the walls between dimensions.

The Verum also instructs evoking a spirit named Scirlin. I think Jake Stratton-Kent got it right when describing the purpose of Scirlin in his commentary on the Trve Grimoire.

“This is the great intermediary of the system, who in common with Legba in Voodoo, Exu or Ellegua in Santeria and Umbanda, Ganesha in Hinduism, and Janus, Hecate, Anubis and various other gods of antiquity, is to be invoked first, so that the others may be contacted through his good offices.”

After much research, I found a being in Egyptian lore that, while not exactly the same type of spirit, has the characteristics to get the job done. She happens to be the most famous (infamous?) demon in all of Egyptian mythology. You may recognize her from one of the more well-known sections of the Book of Going Forth by Day (Book of the Dead). A part lion, part hippo, part crocodile demoness named Ammit.

Ammit guards the final passage to the underworld, and at times devours the souls of the unworthy dead. In this aspect, Ammit is not only an intermediary between the spirit world and the material world, but also the fulcrum between existence/non-existence itself. Ammit has the power to consign a spirit to complete oblivion.

That’s pretty much what I have so far. I have also acquired a partner in crime who wants to help me work on the system. I have always wanted to use a spirit board, as they can provide much clearer communication, but wrote it off, as such things work much better with more than one person operating them. Now that I have someone working with me, the spirit board is back in the game.

Stay tuned. Soon I promise I’ll get around to actually evoking some demons.