I hear people saying that on YouTube and Reddit when it comes to new spirits that the practitioner hasn’t called on before. Like if you’ve never called that spirit, don’t research that much about them, or do the bare minimum research. If you look too much into them, then your working with them will fail. That kinda thing. Is that true? I keep thinking about it
No, that is not true in the least. One of the principles of a successful evocation is subjective synthesis. This is where you get to know the spirit through its lore and mythology. You read anything and everything about it you can until the spirit becomes a real living, breathing, entity to you.
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No that’s just one approach. It’s not right or wrong it’s more about what works for the individual.
The opposite to this, for example as used in E.A. Koetting’s work, is called “preparatory immersion”, where you study everything you can find about an entity before contact. This attracts the entity through resonance and allows you to be led to good information through synchronicity and signs and omens.
Either way the working will not fail. All working at up to the practitioner to make them work, the actual technique is less important that how you do it.
Overall, I personally have better experiences if I reach out to the spirit in advance. It is also true that the ritual actually starts the moment you decide you’re going to do it. So it makes no sense in that case to say “don’t look them up beforehand”, because you’re already working with them anyway.
In which case, it can be helpful to think about and study the spirit and start making contact. You may even get impressions that discourage your because it’s not the right choice and they are telling you this, and saving you time and effort. Most of the time they’re on board and will help you prepare for a strong working.
Here’s an interesting thread discussing preparatory immersion, which can also just be about studying the ritual in detail and memorizing it fully for a book (phone)-free experience.
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There certainly is something to be said about subjective synthesis/ preparatory immersion. At the very least, as beginner or intermediate you might be able to make the distinction between spirit and imposter a little better. On the other hand…
One source I personaly do trust and also agree with on the matter that recommends going in cold, is Behemoth-x. His view is that if you go in without too much or even any info, you are more likely to connect to the purer essence of the spirit that corresponds to you personally. None of the data on spirits is truly objective and by immersing yourself in the research. You are more likely to connect to someone elses view, correspondence or even someone elses egregore.
I’ve done it both ways. Both ways were equally succesfull for me in the technical sense.
So I agree with @Mulberry. I think there’s no right or wrong way. It all comes down to personal preference and philosophy.
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Do not assume that the spirit will look like other people as described. Other than that you can look up and read all about the entity.
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You can search for them, by asking familiar spirits about them, and you can set out with a pure intention without thinking about contacting the spirit and it will appear with strong, distinctive signs of presence at the first meeting. Pure intention also works miracles. @gfrazhe2002
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