Invocation

Invocation is the art of using the power of the word to draw divine power into internal manifestation within the individual. It should not be confused with evocation which seeks to bring some spiritual being / power into external manifestation within some designated space cordoned off from the operator. In performing an invocation the operator seeks to fill himself with the power being invoked, to conjoin his being in some way with the spiritual being, to cause it to manifest within him. This is used as a transformational act and to direct and utilize the invoked power to effect change in some particular circumstance.

There are two primary methods of invocation, the first being the traditional western method which is devotional and climactic, and the second being the Egyptian method in which the persona of the god-form is assumed from the beginning and reinforced by the operator speaking as if they were the spiritual being in question. A good example of the former is the Invocation of The Highest (Rosicrucian), and an example of the latter is given in the Invocation of Thoth.

Although the nature of invocations is in many ways similar to Pagan traditions of spiritual possession there is one important distinction. In cases of ritual possession the Shaman reaches this goal through subduing the conscious mind and will through trance techniques, in ritual invocation raises up the consciousness and will and imbuing it with the qualities of the invoked entity through resonance. The consciousness and will are therefore maintained throughout the ritual and can be used to direct the forces invoked (God-forms are not considered to be creatures with free will and human-like consciousness, but rather creatures of pure Will – the God of War can no more choose not to fight than a stone can choose to fly – it is not in their nature). This means that whereas the immediate effects of ritual invocation are generally less dramatic than ritual possession, the effects of the procedure on the person involved are more extensive and long-lasting.