Instead I was grounded into the little known spiritualist tradition of the "Black Table", a Ceremonial or Ritual High Magic version of seance practiced by the White Table spiritualists via Alan Kardec, and with the Grimorium Verum as it's occultic foundation.
Why this is exactly is a secret to my temple, but I will provide one clue.
Should you compare the sigils of the goetic daemons contained in the Grimorium Verum to the sigils of any daemon in the 72 configuration of the Lesser Key of Solomon ( for example: Khil and King Asmoday), you will probably note that one of the two sigils would be easier to draw during a medium's trance and or under possession.
Possession by goetic daemons is a very real phenomena and serves to confirm and authenticate the practice itself.
Like the Loa of Voudu, or Simbis, Sambis and Mambis of my rama of Palo Mayombe, the goetic daemons are independent non-physical intelligences which operate/exist for all intents and purposes without the consent or conscious awareness of human beings.
What this means is that you cannot imagine goetic daemons away, and no matter how adept a mental gymnast you may or may not be, there are consequences to summoning them because they do not need your permission to leverage effect on the physical world.
During a Black Table spiritual session, it is desirable to coax a goetic daemon to take full possession of an attendee.
A full possession means that the personality and waking consciousness of the physical host is temporarily ejected while the goetic daemon interfaces directly with the brain (not the mind) of the physical host and, for a little while, assumes motor control as well as vocal and sensory directives.
In this state the goetic daemon may communicate directly with the Master of Ceremonies (who leads the Black Table) and the other attendees. The goetic daemon may also move about the confines of the ritual space, and or demonstrate supernatural and or psychic abilities.
The goetic daemon while interfacing with the brain of the physical host will usually, for the time it is utilizing the person's body, unlock the many startling potentials we all have hidden inside us, and use those latent abilities to administer to the attendees.
The physical host will have extremely limited, if any at all, knowledge or memory of what happened while possessed.
Not uncommonly when the personality of the physical host returns, after the goetic damon has departed, they will find these abilities still somewhat available to them and if they are smart the person will seize on maintaining and developing those abilities rather than letting them become locked away again.
Medium's trance with the goetic daemon Guland. |
In this state I am still in full control of my motor functions, and both verbal and sensory facilities.
However the goetic daemon is deeply intertwined and can strongly influence my actions, but it is still me who makes the conscious choice of what it is I will or will not do.
The goetic daemon is also very close to my brain and communication is greatly amplified.
Full possession to take place while I am alone is just unproductive as I would not be conscious to wittiness, nor will I remember it.
All full possessions have the sensation of dying attached to them as the personality of the physical host is being ejected.
The person feels distressed, a dizzying sinking feeling general follows, breathing starts to get difficult and their consciousness begins to fade.
It is never comfortable or particularly pleasant.
Now in full possession under a goetic daemon it gets even more eerie.
The goetic daemons have never been carnated, never been born and are not spirits of the dead.
They don't have experience being human and their minds/intelligence have never been anchored into a physical brain.
They have a truly noticeable frequency that is airy, expansive and hot.
The physical host often experiences vertigo, if as they are being turned inside out physical and mentally.
I also hear a loud howling wind over what sounds like an old dial up modem when a goetic daemon is in the act of possessing me.
In a medium's trance is how I work my goetic practice, make goetic items, channel instructions, do divination, consultations, and ultimately any goetic sorcery.
In a medium's trance I feel the tell tale sensation of an outside energy slipping between my energy bodies closest to my psychical body.
Typically I feel this from up my back to the base of my skull. No matter how many times I have have experienced this (hundred at this point) it has always felt disconcerting.
The goetic daemon assumes the role of an active backseat driver. I now perform tasks and functions with a great deal of compelling influences guiding my actions from the goetic daemon.
My energy matrix also becomes powerfully infused with that specific goetic daemon, and all things I make or "charge" become saturated with that goetic daemon's influence.
Any divination or consultation I perform will have the personality, view points and mannerisms of that goetic daemon liberally sprinkled over my own (which is sometimes a grand comedy).
I will not detail how my temple prepares or coaxes goetic daemon possession, either full or two-headed.
These are secrets that are only taught to the initiated for both esoteric and ethical reasons, as it would be irresponsibly to give out information that carries harmful implications.
I have read the few mainstream "pagan" books which attempt to explain the phenomena of possession, and how to bring it about.
These books are rubbish, and stand only to serve as further evidence that a "little" (I emphases little) knowledge is a dangerous thing.
Cleansing is of vital importance before and after possession.
Depending of the type of possession, you will need a water, fire, air or even earth born cleansing.
The opening cleansing will be used to remove energies that are conflicting to the type of "spirit" for which you desire t be possessed by, while the post-possession cleansing needs to be of a type which will remove the excess of energy the possessing spirit brought into the physical host.
In the case of goetic daemons and djinn, as they are fire and air, air or fire cleansing will make you more suitable to be possessed by them, but a water or earth cleansing will be needed to remove their influence when the working is complete.
Its common sense to my temple, but many houses, and Neo-Pagan/Hermetic circles have no such protocol.
There are also different grades of each elemental cleansing which change for each cleansing depending on the particular situation, and supporting circumstances.
A magician needs to become sensitive to the energy matrix of not only the goetic daemon, but the physical host, and environmental conditions as well.
I will in latter blogs include specifics in the interactions I have had and or encountered in goetic spiritism with individual daemons, their mannerisms, direct quotes and circumstances around their taking possession of me or others.
-Papa Crocodile