K Asks: “Today i tried an incovation from Bune, following the steps from the ‘Deamonolatry Goetia’, but alas i had no manifestation in any kind. What did i wrong or need to learn or practice more? Any advise would be apreciated.”
I get a variation of this email at least once or twice a year and I thought it was likely a common enough question that it would be great for the blog. Especially since we’re in the season of earth, and manifestation is of earth.
So, to start, let me say that first and foremost – the Goetia is a ritual meant for mediums. You’re evoking the Daemonic force into the mirror to speak with it. In order for that to happen – you actually do need to have some mediumship skills to be able to see and speak with the spirit. How these types of rituals will manifest for you will depend on your particular skill set. You won’t actually SEE anything in the mirror unless you’re a clairvoyant. This is why back in the day – many goetic magicians would bring a seer/medium into the ritual circle with them. Hence the designation of “operator” for the person performing the ritual whilst the medium sat in front of the mirror. You can operate the ritual without being able to see the spirits you’re drawing to you. The problem is if you have no mediumship skills, you may not have the appropriate gifts/skills to see or hear the spirits once they get there.
So, if you know you can speak with spirits, you can try to strengthen those skills (See Drawing Down Belial for some technique and practice suggestions). However, some people will never be able to “see” the spirits because their brain isn’t wired for clairvoyance. Know what gifts you have and how they manifest for you, then work on those skills accordingly.
But let’s also talk about expectations. What do you expect to happen? A daemonic force manifesting in full form from the basement floor? A physical Daemon showing up to talk to you?
THOSE types of physical manifestations are less likely to happen to people who aren’t clairvoyant. I am a very sensitive medium and I can count the times I’ve experienced real-world, ritual-induced theophany on one hand (in over 35 years). NOTE: By real world I mean not in the astral, through the mirror/crystal, or in the dream world, etc… because I regularly see and speak with spirits through those means. i.e. Seeing a spiritual non-corporeal being manifest as a tangible physical being is a rare thing.
The REAL manifestation you should be worried about is in the results of the ritual. Do the desired results manifest? Meaning, if, for example, you’re doing a ritual to help you find the skills to get the big promotion, does an opportunity for education drop into your lap? Or do you gain a human mentor who outlines the steps for you? Are you getting RESULTS from your magickal work whether high or low magick? If so – your rituals are manifesting results.
If these are the manifestations you’re worried about because your magick isn’t manifesting the desired result – then you need to examine your result expectations.
The truth is – I’ve never seen a Daemon drop a cool million off on someone’s doorstep with a “Here you go, Bob.” Now, that’s not to say you won’t get a check out of the blue for something you forgot was owed to you. Or sudden opportunities fall into your lap. Things like that do happen. But a lot of the time, the Daemonic is a bit more subtle, just waiting for you to listen and do the self-analyzation to see what they’re trying to tell you, and how they’re trying to guide you. For the magicians they can’t easily communicate with, sometimes these are the only methods they have to relay their message to you. But if the person isn’t self-aware enough to notice the opportunities or the subtle pushes in the right direction, these manifestations are easily missed.
Yes, this does mean that those who are mediums generally get the best results from their spirit-work magick (because it’s just easier for us to communicate with the spirit world). But it does not mean that non-mediums can’t learn to practice spirit-based magick “blind” and still get fantastic results. It just takes a little more work in spotting the manifestations.
In conclusion – check your expectations and ask yourself if they’re realistic. You may be getting plenty of manifestations, you’re just not aware enough, or sensitive enough to see them.
I can never understand why people expect some sort of Hollywood type spirit manifestation. They are performing the ritual for the wrong reason. Manifestation comes in many forms. For me, I can sense their presence by the energy in the room or a slight temperature change. Sometimes I don’t feel much until a couple of days later. One should seek the gods for wisdom not for our amusement. It is annoying to see these stupid ghost shows that are always trying to get the spirits to act out or manifest themselves for their entertainment purposes. One should be careful what they ask for. The Goetia if they were to make a true manifestation might be more than what you bargained for. Maybe I am old school but we must always treat the gods with respect and have faith in their abilities to work in our lives. This, regardless of how they choose to manifest. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!