Book of Shadows

Invocation 101

Invocation is welcoming a spirit into one's own mind and body (rather than summoning the spirit you're your external presence). It is a means of deliberately shifting your mind into an altered state that mimics that of a deity or other spirit. Invocation is useful because entities can lend a great deal of power to your magic, and teach you a lot!

First, it is critical that you research whatever entity you plan to invoke. Figure out what it represents, what its correspondences are, what you think it looks like, what sort of cultural relevance it had, where it lives, what its personality is like. What states of mind does the entity create? It's advisable to have as many of these relevant things around as possible when you speak to or invoke it. Have food or drink out that the entity likes, burn an incense that the entity likes, etc. You should try to have a conversation with the entity before you attempt to invoke it, to get to know it the way you would get to know a person. The goal of invocation is to tap into this entity's unique energy, and allow it to temporarily replace your consciousness with its own. You're going to have to find a means of achieving a trance state that works for you; for me, it's pacing.

Here's a method from Hands-On Chaos Magic by Andrieh Vitimus: A simple way to invoke is to describe the entity first in third person, then in second person, then in third person. I'm using Dionysus as an example, since I work with him and invocation has always been a significant part of Dionysus' cult. (Typically, it was achieved through wine-drinking, but I don't drink):

Dionysus is the god of the vine, who was dismembered
and then resurrected. He brings divine inspiration to his initiates
through intoxication. He incites frenzy. He dances on the edge of madness.
He leads souls from the Underworld. He wedded the Lady of the Labyrinth.
He sprints across the mountains with his Maenads, screaming in ecstasy.

In the case of Dionysus, it's easiest to enter a trance state through oscillation or dancing ecstatically, which works well for me personally. Do this and continue to think of the sensations and mindsets associated with him. Focus on an image, statue, object, or sigil that represents him. (I like listening to music that calls him to mind.) After you start feeling connected to him, address him directly, as if he were standing in front of you:

You are Dionysus, the god of the vine, who was dismembered
and then resurrected. You bring divine inspiration to your initiates
through intoxication. You incite frenzy. You dance on the edge of madness.
You lead souls from the Underworld. You wedded the Lady of the Labyrinth.
You sprint across the mountains with your Maenads, screaming in ecstasy.

You should stay in this "second-person" state until you feel the entity completely overtake you. Visualize yourself merging with the entity, for example, seeing it step into your body. Experience every sensation related to it – what does it look like, feel like, sound like, smell like, taste like? What thoughts or images are in your head? Finally, speak in first person, as the entity itself:

I am Dionysus, Lord of the Vine,
Who was dismembered and resurrected.
I bring divine inspiration to mortals from my cup of intoxication.
I incite frenzy. I dance on the edge of madness.
I lead souls from the Underworld. I wedded the Lady of the Labyrinth.
I sprint across the mountains with my Maenads, screaming in unbridled ecstasy.
Come, drink from my cup.

If you feel like you can't think straight or get all the words out, that means you're doing it right. Your consciousness should feel subsumed by a very alien one.

Another way of doing it is to "shapeshift" by emulating something that the entity does, the same way you would if you were going to act a character in a play. In fact, acting is a pretty good comparison point for the entire process of invocation (hello, Dionysus), since you are putting yourself into another state of mind and "becoming" someone else. Masks, such as those used in ancient theater or shamanic rituals, added to the state of becoming someone or something else. You could also use some sort of tool or symbolic representation of an entity as a way to link yourself to it — for Dionysus, a thyrsus is ideal (and I'm still trying to make one). Using a tool or a costume also connects the entity to something physical, which helps your consciousness latch onto it and keeps it from subconsciously influencing you all the time.

After a successful invocation, you want to be able to remove the entity from your consciousness and come back to being yourself. You can do this many ways— simple banishing, reverse-engineering the process (focusing on objects, memories, sensations, etc. that are important to you, yourself), just eating something to ground yourself, telling the entity straight-up "hey, I think I'm done." You shouldn't lose track of your consciousness entirely in a simple invocation.

I spend probably about half my life with my personal entity Astor invoked, to varying degrees. Having Astor fully invoked can be , but I usually have a milder version of him invoked whenever I'm not talking directly to another person. I mentally superimpose his body and his mind over my own. Because Astor is a self-insert and is part of my own mind anyway, there's not much difference between him and me, but I do spend much of my life looking through the eyes of this male version of myself that I've made. Sometimes, I pass a mirror and am shocked to see my own face instead of his. So, invocation comes very naturally to me, but I become so self-conscious during ritual that I sabotage it for myself. I lose my sense of power and authority, and feel like a small human making a fool of herself. This is one of the reasons why I think it's important to tailor your magical practice to whatever is effective for you, personally, instead of just going by the books.