Chapter 14
Expanding your evocation abilities - The 72 challenge
In case you don’t know where to find it here is the evocation guide I wrote.
Alright what is the 72 challenge and what will you achieve with it?
To me the 72 challenge simply put is the task of evoking all 72 of the Goetic spirits. I wouldn’t say it’s necessary to work a project with them per se, a meet and greet is acceptable.
I took this challenge during the spring and summer of this year during all the lockdowns we had. I’m not gonna lie this was a real test of my abilities, an ordeal. If you undertake this challenge you will not be the same magician you were before you started it. That’s for sure.
If you choose this realize there will be hardships and setbacks, you’ll look at the calendar you’ve set and just won’t feel like doing anything that day. You’ll have spirits behave irritably and recalcintrantly and won’t show up when called. If, however if you power past all these lows and face this challenge squarely it will at the same time evoke the best in you…
Now some people get a third of the way through the 72 and report crushing depression, cognitive dissonance, ect. I can’t say I experienced that. However some magicians experience profound side effects from evoking demons. I know many who have gotten physically ill, i.e. vomiting, nausea ect. I experienced this with my first evocation of Prince Sitri. He comes on so strong it’s almost overpowering. Demonic spirits, some of them have a very powerful aura. This interaction with the magicians energy body is what I suspect causes these side effects. I can say that with practice and exposure that these side effects eventually stop. You become accustomed to the energies of this class of spirit and can work with them easily. This doesn’t happen to ever magician. I’m just putting this out here in case people wondered.
The side effects I noted were about two thirds of the way through. My intuition got much sharper and my command of the spirits was much stronger.
I highly encourage other magicians to work through the Goetia in this way. It’s a big project but it has serious benefits.