I’m not sure what happened to Frank’s introductory post for the month of April. It’s my understanding that this month’s posts are supposed to be about Kasdeya. To do or not to do Kasdeya – that is the question.
I suppose this is something you should question before embarking on any extended ritual work whether it be Kasdeya, Abramelin, or other type of path work. While my own interpretation of the rite, including considerations and warnings, are currently in print for all the read, I will give the following advice about embarking on ANY extended ritual work.
1. Make sure you are used to doing daily rituals. Oftentimes, missing a day of ritual in rites like this can be akin (for women anyway) to missing a day of taking your birth-control pill. It just opens you up for an “accident”. There’s a reason extended ritual work often calls for daily ritual.
2. Make sure you have the time for it, or you may find yourself missing a ritual. See number one. You NEVER, if you can help it, want to stop extended ritual work half way through. It can, especially in the case of Kasdeya, throw your life into extreme chaos that won’t subside until you get back on track and finish it.
3. Don’t skip on the prep. I don’t care how big and bad ass you think you are. Prep exists for a reason and if you don’t see the value in careful consideration and taking your time in preparation, you probably ought not be doing the ritual. Remember that the bigger the ego, the more likely you are to get your ass stomped.
4. Make sure you are really ready for any and all possible outcomes of such a ritual. This really is an extension of number three. A lot of these types of rituals are like personal path work boot camp. They deconstruct your life, oftentimes throwing it into extreme chaos, and then they rebuild a stronger you. Of course this may not be true of everyone who performs the ritual. Some people need bigger life changes than others. Whereas some people may lose jobs, friends or family members, others may simply lose their sense of security or their emotional security for a time (even if it’s all just mental and nothing happens in the physical world). These losses often happen to make apparent what our weaknesses really are.
5. Don’t take short cuts. The only person you cheat when you do that is yourself. Basically I’m saying don’t be lazy. If it’s worth doing, it’s worth doing it right the first time. If you’re serious about wanting to affect change and to change your life, you’ll do it right.
In summary I suppose I’m just basically saying don’t be a half-assed, lazy magician who expects laurels and results just for *thinking* about the magickal operation, or performing it at breakneck speeds with little consideration. Of course as a student of the Daemons of magick, perhaps I’ve become accustomed to being taught by taskmasters who demand excellence, and that, in turn, has turned me into a taskmaster with regard to my own learning. I only expect from others (if they want me to take them seriously) what I expect from myself. Take it as you will.