Do your warnings against spirit summoning in "A Path That Abides" apply only to practices meant to evoke and bind dangerous or unwholesome beings like sub-lunar spirits, ghosts, etc? Or is there also a risk of contacting something that wants "a hefty serving of your life force" when employing methods meant to contact angels, gods, or other "higher" beings for assistance (e.g. Abbot Trithemius's system of "drawingbspirits into crystals" or the procedures described in the Arbatel)?
I guess what I'm really asking is: how do you distinguish between the invocatory practices of high magic and debased methods like goetia? My first thought is that it's a question of the desired result: goetia involves asking spirits to do stuff or get stuff for you, while invocation is about making you into the kind of person who gets what you want. And yet some forms of invocation do seem to aim to bring blessings into one's life, such as health, prosperity, positive social interactions, or new opportunities, making the distinction seem a bit fuzzier.
Is the core difference in: A) The type of spirits contacted B) The intended outcomes - manipulating the external world vs personal transformation C) The attitude taken toward the spirits (high-handed binding/commanding vs respectful collaboration/learning/participation D) Some combination of the above E) Some other factor I've overlooked entirely?
Thanks for taking the time to answer our questions!
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branchandroot
Distinguishing invocation from goetia
Date: 2025-02-17 04:05 pm (UTC)Do your warnings against spirit summoning in "A Path That Abides" apply only to practices meant to evoke and bind dangerous or unwholesome beings like sub-lunar spirits, ghosts, etc? Or is there also a risk of contacting something that wants "a hefty serving of your life force" when employing methods meant to contact angels, gods, or other "higher" beings for assistance (e.g. Abbot Trithemius's system of "drawingbspirits into crystals" or the procedures described in the Arbatel)?
I guess what I'm really asking is: how do you distinguish between the invocatory practices of high magic and debased methods like goetia? My first thought is that it's a question of the desired result: goetia involves asking spirits to do stuff or get stuff for you, while invocation is about making you into the kind of person who gets what you want. And yet some forms of invocation do seem to aim to bring blessings into one's life, such as health, prosperity, positive social interactions, or new opportunities, making the distinction seem a bit fuzzier.
Is the core difference in:
A) The type of spirits contacted
B) The intended outcomes - manipulating the external world vs personal transformation
C) The attitude taken toward the spirits (high-handed binding/commanding vs respectful collaboration/learning/participation
D) Some combination of the above
E) Some other factor I've overlooked entirely?
Thanks for taking the time to answer our questions!
- Fred N.