I noticed Frank didn’t post this month’s blogging topic or the topics for the rest of the year. Evidently this month’s topic is reworking the old grimoires. Believe it or not, I get this question often. A lot of people want to keep different types of magick in their own little boxes and keep them away from each other. For example – I often hear one should not mix candle magick or kitchen witchery with ceremonial magick (modified to be respectful to Daemons, of course). Evidently, for some folks, if that happens it will create a tear in the fabric of space-time and we’ll all be sucked into the Twilight Zone. Or there will be impending doom or some such thing.
Not so. It is perfectly acceptable to bring numerous magickal practices into Daemonolatry. It’s okay to make substitutions, and it’s certainly okay to rework the old grimoires if necessary. I realize the hardcore traditionalists among grimoiric magicians get very upset when I say this, but hear me out for a second.
If we can agree that different spirits/deities prefer certain things, from metals to colors to incense scents, and we agree As Above, So Below — then I contend that modification and even substitution is not only acceptable, but preferred. Each ritual changes for the spirits we work with. It should change for each individual magician, too. I’ve been saying this for years and have stricken the ire of traditionalists everywhere. Probably because it makes sense. 😉
So that’s my take on that. It’s no secret that I’ve actually printed my modifications of Goetia (Daemonolatry Goetia) and Heptameron (In The Daemonolater’s Guide to Daemonic Magick). Stay tuned for more of my modifications in the future.
What should you modify? Well, that’s entirely up to you. Obviously you want your substitutions to make sense. For example: Saturn plants can often be used to substitute other Saturn plants if Saturn is the element you want present for the work. This is where having a strong foundation in the magickal arts is pivotal. Most magicians who have practiced for many years do have certain things we agree on. For example – which plants are ruled by Saturn. Again, the ritual construct (including ritual implements) changes for the work you’re doing. You would modify invocations if they were not respectful to the spirits you work with respectfully.
The bottom line is that good magicians experiment and record their results.
Be creative.
Real magicians create.
I love the clarity I get when reading what you write.
This is spot on for me.
It’s funny that this is this month’s topic. I am actually going through a grimoire and will be working from it soon (probably in the beginning of Feb.).
A traditional ceremonial magician convinced me to do it. I am using the Black Dragon from Crossed Keys. Evidently, it’s a pathworking grimoire as well as a “get money n chicks”.
It’s pretty simple. The only thing stopping me is finishing the circle of Solomon and waiting on receiving the charcoal and resin incense. According to the ceremonial magician, who claims to have ten years of evocation experience, the demon will manifest visibly using the charcoal and resin incense as a manifestation base every time I do an evocation with a traditional grimoire. We shall see.
After going through the evocations of that grimoire, I’ll use Daemonolatry Goetia. I’m going to compare the results of traditional evocation VS. daemonolatry-modified evocation. Should be fun.