The art of evocation (Part 1)
-Part 1-
Theory
Evocation is perhaps one of the most complex practices there is. This has a simple explanation, the lack of understanding of the mechanism behind this type of ritual. In this essay, I will try to give a little clarity on the subject, hoping to reveal a little about the mysteries that lie behind it, in this way, I hope that the next time you face an evocation it will be simpler for you and above all you will have real results.
As a first step, we have to understand what is being talked about when we mention the term evocation. Evocation is the act of calling an external medium into our consciousness a spirit/entity/demon/angel/god/etc. For this, a medium is usually used by which this entity will manifest, usually a crystal, the smoke of incense, fire, a bowl of water, etc. Because we are talking about an incorporeal form, that is, it does not have a body but belongs to the spiritual world, we must have developed astral vision and manage to scry, and otherwise the chances of having a complete experience will be very low.
Another essential thing is the purpose for which we are going to perform the ritual, without a defined and clear purpose, vague results are usually obtained. Like expectations, if you expect that when you make an evocation you will have an appearance or materialization like in a horror movie, I am already telling you that this will not happen and in the end, you will end up disappointed with the results. Although many times during or after these rituals there may indeed be physical manifestations, such as noises, changes in temperature, or the occasional vision of a shadow with the peripheral eye, the ritual per se does not look for this type of phenomenon, but rather they are a «collateral effect», which is usually much more present in necromantic evocations.
There are various levels of difficulty in the practice of evocation, and this is not essential because of the ritual methodology, as we will see in the second part of this essay within the Draconian Path the method of evocation is simple, but because of the nature of the evocation entity to be called. In my experience, any spiritual form can be evoked, from the shadow of a person who has passed away, through a demon, angel, gods, or primordial beings. The further this entity is from us, the more anthropomorphic its manifestation, and the more initiatory progress we must have to understand the message that it can transmit to us. So if you’re taking your first steps in evocation, don’t try to summon forces that are too primordial, because your experience will be a bit useless.
The next thing is to understand that the spiritual world demands respect, we approach without threats or nonsense like that, and we do not humiliate ourselves either, we are magicians who seek to get in touch with a force that is on the Other Side, but that has complete independence from us and self-awareness, therefore, are not there waiting to be called by us, nor are they there to serve us, or to fulfill our whims. In any case, like everything in this life, if we want something from them, we must come to exchange, one requests the help of an entity and in return offers something. Be careful with this, one must commit to giving only what we can, not promising impossible things. On the other hand, you don’t always get what you want, nor can we expect an entity, whatever it may be, to do all the work for us, it doesn’t work like that.
Evocation rituals usually have, broadly speaking, two types of purposes, one is to use them to perform magic results, that is, we seek the help of the Other Side to generate a change in the material plane, be it to achieve the manifestation of a desire, bend someone’s will, new opportunities or revenge. The other use is usually of the illustrative type, that is, we seek to get in contact with entities from the Other Side so that they can teach us things, their nature, their areas of power, learn about this, or that matter, learn about magic, etc. Both things are valid and one does not invalidate the other. As I always say, the key is balance; there is nothing wrong with using magic to achieve a change in our daily reality, as it is just as interesting to seek mentorship from the spiritual world to deepen our magical/initiatory knowledge.
So, to perform a successful ritual of evocation we must know how to meditate, bring the mind to a trance state, must know to banish since we do not want to leave an open door to the astral and let anything that is hanging around there come in, we must handle the scrying. This is perhaps the most essential tool in evocation since it will be through this means that we will achieve communication with the entity. You have to understand that each person is different, some will have more visual experiences, others more auditory, others will be more of a physical sensation, and sometimes everything is combined.
Another essential element and perhaps it is something that many people do not take into account is the posture that we will adopt in the ritual. An evocation ritual usually lasts between an hour and a half and two hours, a long time, therefore during this time; we must be as comfortable as possible. Forget impossible postures or asanas, if you get cramps, if you feel pain, if you are not comfortable, you cannot get a good trance, and without trance, there is no opening of the astral faculties, and there is no vision, there is no communication with the Other Side. The best thing for a ritual like this is to use the posture known as «The Pharaoh» is sitting on a chair, with a straight back, head forward, legs together, palms down, resting on the legs, almost in the knees. Another factor to take into account is the light, the ideal is to perform these rituals with dim light, candlelight is a good option if this produces enough lighting to read or see what you are doing. Silence, is another essential element, during your practice you should not be disturbed, turn off your cell phone, it seems silly, but there is always an unwanted notification at the wrong time. It is important to moderate the incense smoke, large amounts of incense smoke are used in some rituals, especially if the spirit to be called belongs to the air sphere, but also if you choke and find it difficult to breathe, you will get the opposite effect. The same if you are going to use fire, pay special attention not to set anything on fire, or breathe toxic fumes, the ideal for this is an outdoor space.
Last but not least, make sure that the calling words you use in your ritual reflect your intention, and if not, fearlessly modify them. If for some reason you are using the ritual written by someone else, do not be afraid to change what does not convince you, it does not matter if the ritual was written by Merlin or Joan of Arc, words have tremendous power, and in this, you can see the results later. If the ritual says «destroy me, poison me, and make me suffer to learn» then when your life goes down the drain, don’t cry. With this I want to tell you, be smart. The same if you are taking a medieval grimoire, you cannot use the threats and insults that you will find there and expect to have a positive response or help from the Other Side, your feet on the ground, and logic are good allies.
In the second part, I will practically show you how to perform a point-by-point evocation ritual, illustrating everything that I have written here focused on practice.
Daemon Barzai