Defectron - you have brought on some very interesting points about the “vision and the voice”, so I will throw in some thoughts of my own on here.
Numero uno: Practicing scrying and astral development,along with various “ploys” to enhance your visions and astral hearing such as chakra/yoga empowerment are a wonderful way to become a true magus…but…the one thing missing from every grimoire is one very simple concept that apparently no one wants to use nor believe.
The so called “Magickal imagination” in my opinion is the magickal act of separating the mundane everyday self from the imaginative/magickal self in order to act out any ritual to “receive” that which you desire.
Numero Dos: Spirits are pure consciousness. For us to communicate with them we too must become pure consciousness. One way would be to let go of all pre-disposed beliefs of adulthood and enter your “circle” as a child with fresh new eyes. The adult criticizes, the child accepts that which is magickal. I should know this as i have been lingering through my Golden Dawn rituals like a blueprint from an electrical engineer, making sure all the components are correct, but never appreciating the true art behind it. Magick is art, thus treat it as wonder through the eyes of a child within(sounds cheesy and new age but its something that has worked for me).
Numero Tres: Magickal Procedure is obsolete…by this i mean that following a strict paradigm, or a better word for this is a magickal diet, of tools,books,circle,etc…is only there as a “guide” and nothing more. You want to see and hear/speak to spirits?, then let go of any paradigm and throw yourself into the fire. If you’ve read any of my posts then you would see that I use very very little “ornaments”. They are simply there to “sparkle” my child-like imagination and nothing more.
I have been most successful with just a small cheap cloth, a mirror, and one candle…thats it. The rest comes from me acting out a scene from Dungeons and dragons.
Physical evocations is just the soapstone and Copal resin and me. Nothing else. Strip away the blinds and let the light come through.
In other words, I have fun fun fun when I enter my magickal state of mind and enter the circle of power, and not as i previously did, being so fucking pious and in a state of fear for not properly speaking the correct tongue of the ancients. Pathetic
Separate one from the other
Numero Quatro: Belief is 99% and one percent is effort. When I am about to perform any evocation I have already seen in my mind the outcome and know that its true. Nothing will change that fact. Know where you are going is the magickal act of getting there. As adults, our belief system is so full of misinformation and BS that we have at this point believed that its the truth. Do not set your expectations so high that you create a barrier between you and spirits. Instead, let everything go and evoke,…evoke daily…improv your rites. Learn to gaze and open your mind. Adults are closed minded and judgmental, children accept everything as truth.
As an update since working with EA’s particular brand of modern spirituality, let me list what my accomplishments have been thus far (no BS here folks…this shit is real)
1.) practicing evocation daily bringing me closer and closer to any entity of my choosing thanks to EA encouragement.
2.) evoked beings to bring me certain material needs that for many fucking years I wished and pondered upon.
2a.) Obtained all three guitars I was lusting after(Steingberg Headless bass, steinberg headless guitar, a used Semick bass, a Kramer 80’s guitar…to name a few…) notice that I didn’t say I received money to obtain these…
3.) evoked many undines never on print before. and because of that…
3a.) regularly meeting and starting out many relationships with various attractive women. Yes…fuck me!..im actually dating…after sooooo many years…and to think I was to become a lonesome unic …
4.) Wanted to become a published occult writer but what topic?..never…forget…but wait…how about Haniel?..and sooo
4a.) working on my first ever completed book on modern evocation through elemental forces to obtain certain alchemical knowledge that would escalate yourself unto higher planes…who knows…but at least im writing it daily, as well as five other titles.
and for all that success I always believe to give back more of what I received. I started out an online evocation project which Im working on video tutorials and personal writings.
I purchased the circle of pacts rug which just arrived today. Still in the plastic but I will use it. I bought it not because I need it but to show appreciation to EA and BALG for what i received. Life is about give and take…otherwise it becomes a glass of half-filled water.
Evoke daily and do not think about what or how you will see/hear. Just keep evoking and soon that shadow you wanted will appear in the corner of your eye.
