Meeting Spiritual Beings

Samuel Liddell MacGregor Mather's claimed to have met spiritualized beings (or possibly immortals) before he formed the "Golden Dawn." He had claimed them to be part of a mysterious order, known as the Third Order.

Dr. John Dee of Elizabethan England claimed to have heard the faintest of whispers in his home. Upon using a scryer he claimed to have met and interacted with many spiritual beings. He unveiled a system of Magick at that time, known today as "Enochian Magick."

In today's popular parlance, such notions would be considered absurd, or even worse certifiable. There are however more freedoms permitted today so that one can practice whatever spiritual path they wish. As long as one keeps their mouth shut about such things, save only for those whom they trust, one can try to make contact with spiritual beings as well.

The main blockage with spiritual contact is a lack of faith. The only methods I know and employ relating to spiritual contact heavily involve the imagination. That said, most people will say "well it's all in your mind!" Yep. But the mind isn't a fableground of fantasy. If you're a devotee of the Kybalion, check out what the Three Initiates considered the Universe itself to be. The mind is in deed the powerful connector to the past, present and future.

While true enough that not everything imagined is real, it doesn't equate to nothing real can reach you via imagination. Imagination and the mind is the conduit of communication by which the spiritual world can communicate to us at this vibratory level.

Communication through the mind usually takes the form of symbols. Aleister Crowley took this to one end of the spectrum, when he considered all demonic forces of the Lesser Keys of Solomon as being aspects of his own mind. His view on the matter was that evoking a demon of hate to a Triangle of the Art, and then banishing it, was a way of overcoming the spirit of hate in the magician's life.

However, other magicians believe that the spirits of the Goetia, Enochian and various grimories, are distinct intelligences outside the scope of the magician. So invoking a demon of hate, is doing just that.

I suppose there's room for a third possibility, that they are both aspects of the magician and separate, distinctive intelligences. This would follow along the lines of the Tree of Life being both Micro and Macro in scope. Extrapolating that concept to spiritual communication, we could say it is both.

Personally I believe that the spiritual beings are distinct intelligences. I have had several encounters with spiritual beings where they affected my physical world. To do so, I believe the would have to be separate beings.

Whatever your belief on the matter, communication can and does occur. It can happen in our dreams with a passed loved one, or in formal magickal evocation/invocation.

One of the best formula's (in my opinion) on this subject can be seen in the oddest of sources. I'm not referring to Agrippa, Levi, or Dr. Dee.... Instead I'm referring to Napolean Hill. Napolean Hill wrote on the subject of business, and in fact almost any bookstore will carry some of his classic works. Mr. Hill wrote of a technique to come to proper business direction. It involved imagination. One would imagine a room with a table. Seated at the table would be several people from history that the person believed to have great insight on matters. In their mind's eye they would pose a question to these great historical figures and wait for their answers.

It seems quite odd for that technique to be in a business manual. I suppose it's esoteric business. :) However the technique is time tested. It's the same or similar technique the Golden Dawn and other occult orders pose to communicate with spiritual beings. At first the responses from the spiritual beings are in fact you, speaking back to yourself through imagination. But, in time, the beings will take on a life of their own and offer advice you had never considered.

I know of a few ways to facilitate communication like this:

• Napolean Hill stiled imagination
• Evocation/Invocation
• Scrying
• Astral Projection
• Hybrid Techniques

Evocation

Here we have an occult technique which will be a ritual of gestures, words, and thought. It can be short, or quite long. Such techniques are unfortunately characterized in Western media as "satanic." The operations of Solomon for example, are often used in movies, to denote a diabolical practice. It's quite disconcerting when a person who believes this is diabolic, realizes that the Divine names of God are used in every aspect of the Solomonic work.

In general evocation and/or invocation start with a banishing act (a ritual to cleanse the area), a call of overseeing powers (i.e. God Names), the ritual goal itself, a closing banishing. At least this is your standard Western Mystery School technique.

In the Golden Dawn for example, a user would first start with the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram. Then further it with the Banishing Ritual of the Hexagram. Once the banishings are concluded, an Invocation of the elemental force for the operation is performed. Next, the actual steps of the ritual goal (contacting a specific angel, creating artificial elementals, working planetary magick, etc.), and finally it would conclude with the same banishing rituals.

However, in my personal Enochian practice, I skip any and all Banishing rituals. In it's place, I try to integrate prayer to the Divine.

At any rate, each system of operation will be based on a grimorie of school of thought. The Golden Dawn have their system, the Ars Paulina is a grimorie of a specific system, Dr. Dee's. technique is quite different from the other's mentioned. Each system has it's own rules and ways to evoke or invoke powers and spiritual beings.

Once a being is evoked/invoked, it can be talked to much like you talk to someone in the same room as you. You may or may not see the being. You may or may not sense the being. But you should always believe the operation worked and that the being is right there with you.

Scrying

Scrying is a less intrusive methodology. Here no beings are brought to your world. Rather, you enter their world.

Scrying is typified as using objects such as using a object to be your gateway for you - such as gazing into a crystal ball, a black mirror, smoke, or bowl of water. The images that form in the object is seen as communication from the spiritual to the magician. A good scryer will also "hear" words while gazing into the crystal.

The object acts as a gateway, by which the imagination of the scryer is activated and words and symbols are conveyed.

Astral Projection

Robert Bruce is perhaps my favorite author on this subject. I've studied the secret techniques of the Golden Dawn, and still I prefer Robert Bruce's interesting work on the subject above all.

The idea on this, is that you have a subtle body, that leaves your physical body. It contains your mind (or a portion of your mind) and moves non-corporeally through any planes of existence. The astral world is often considered to be just above the physical... in the Golden Dawn, the astral world was considered to be chaotic and not to trust information gained on that plane. However, Astral Projection is often used by the Golden Dawn (and I'm sure by BOTA as well) to ascend the Tree of Life, as well as entering other planes above the Astral plane.

Hybrid Techniques

One of my favorite uses of this is entering Tattva's... I sometimes use a method, that is a cross between Astral Projection and scrying that I think Crowley employed (although I can't recall where he said this) that doesn't use a object. I find the best results I get are with no objects - and use my own mind to bridge the gap via a symbol.

For example... Take the Tattva symbol for Earth (Prithvi), stare at it against a white board. Glance off the board and see the reverse image on the white part of the board. Continue doing this until you see the image "flip" from it's normal color to false color... Then imagine entering this symbol.

My Methodology

I use all of these techniques. But when it comes to scrying, I use a modified technique that I believe Crowley taught (although I can't be certain as I can't find a reference.) You hold the image in your mind's eye... or imagine it to be floating far in front of you. Then, imagine the image rushing towards you - growing in size. Imagine it flying through you and resting to a stop behind you.

The effect is a rushing feeling of instant immersion. You're instantly there inside this world that the symbol represents. You can try it on any and all symbols.

What To Expect

I believe that you should just let the images roll... don't force or control them. Just observe. I recall my first Enochian scrying session... It went like this:

I was scrying the letter Med, of the Enochian language (using the instant immersion technique I described) First I saw a triangle, of the darkest black. Then the triangle appeared to be an obsidian pyramid. A field of tall grass began to form. The world was colored in the colors of twilight. A doorway was cut into the base of the pyramid. Two guardians stood outside the door... the vision went on for quite some time, and I gained a LOT from it. I met creatures who gave me their names, that only later on would I discover the names to be proper and real Enochian names.

It will be different for each person, but the first hurdle you have to overcome is lack of faith. Just try and believe this to be real. Write down all you feel or see. Test it later. Ask for information you can verify later.

I use evocation, invocation, scrying and astral projection. I've been told we should use them in moderation, as they will wear us out. My teacher taught me to not employee these no more then 2-3 times a day, unless you are doing a magickal pact (i.e. making an agreement to summon Auriel for 30 consecutive days.)

I recommend when people start to use any occult system that they start with some sort of banishing they can believe in - to give them protection. Personally I think the main benefit from this is freedom from fear. If you are scared that what you're doing will cause you harm, then it will muddle up your results. This banishing technique is usually something from the person's own religion or spiritual upbringing. Like the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram (using the God Names) in the Golden Dawn tradition. It will allows those who believe in the Western (Jewish/Christian world view) view of God to feel protected and not fret from fear. Fear is one of the biggest problems.