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About a month ago, Frater Ashen posted that, when you do an evokation*, you should be able to see the spirit in front of you, and that if you can’t, you’re not doing it right.
*Evokation is a form of ritual magick for summoning spirits.
At the time, I thought he was talking about the spirit making a body you could see, like movie special effects. Which sounded pretty far fetched. But I don’t do evokation, so who am I to question another mage’s experience?
But there’s been more discussion about it, and it turns out I had a common, but wrong, impression. If you don’t have time to read those posts, here’s the summary:
- You don’t see the spirit plain as day. Instead, you see a shadowy form. Kind of like seeing a face in clouds — it’s clear enough that something’s there, but not movie quality special effects.
- An untrained person wouldn’t see anything. Even experienced mages who are new to evokation don’t see anything. So the spirit isn’t reflecting light, at least, not the way a normal object would.
My guess: The spirit is projecting itself into the visual parts of your mind. Which is basically the same way auras and psychic visions work. So let me talk about those for a minute.
Visions in Other Magick
Let’s start with astral projection, since I’ve studied that before. I worked with a friend, had him project, and watched what was happening. He connected to ethereal software (a fairly advanced software at that), which sent images to his mind, much the same way spirits and other ethereal software might send you words or ideas.
By connecting to the software’s connections, I was able to copy its messages and read them into my mind. They went to two spots: (1) The normal spot to read and write thoughts*, and (2) the visual centers, for sending images.
*Specifically, it reads and writes you pre-conscious thoughts. That’s where your thoughts form, slightly before you’re aware of them. It’s the default spot for most ethereal software to connect, since it works even if you haven’t learned to communicate in words.
So, I’m fairly confident that astral projection — both for out of body experiences, and for projecting into the astral plane — works by ethereal software sending messages to your visual centers, which gives you visions.
Those visions happen when you close your eyes. They’re not projected onto the physical world. But psychics also see auras, as a colored glow around a person — an image projected onto the physical world. And, while I haven’t specifically deconstructed auras, I do know that all other psychic intuitions come from ethereal software, sending messages to the person. So it’s a small step to think that psychic auras work the same way: The ethereal software sends messages to their visual centers, rather than interacting with light in the outside world.
So, that’s my best guess on what’s happening when mages see the spirits they evoke: The thing you see is an image projected into your visual centers by the ethereal software.
Preparing Your Mind to See Spirits
“I get what you’re saying, but how is that useful?” you ask. A perfectly fair question. And one that I wouldn’t write if I didn’t have an answer.
From the posts about visual evokation, I understand that many mages, even experienced mages, can’t see spirits. And that they find this irksome. So, there would be value in a technique for preparing your mind to see visual evokation faster, or more reliably, than you can through practice alone.
And now that we have a model — that you see spirits when ethereal software connects to the visual parts of your mind — we can make such a technique. In fact, I already have a technique for preparing your mind for messages from ethereal software. We’ll just adapt it.
Here’s the gist: Ethereal software can only communicate with your mind if your mind is used to the software’s signature. If it’s not, your mind will resist, and the software can’t connect properly. Each area of your mind needs to be set up separately, so even if you’re used to communicating intuitions or words, you might not be set up for images.
Spirits have the same requirements as ethereal software. If you can’t communicate with spirits, these techniques should help. By the way, some spirits can shift their message to your signature, which lets them communicate with unprepared minds.
Here’s the quick version of the technique. (Full series on it here. Note: In that post, “system” means “ethereal software”.)
- Find the spot the software wants to connect to you. (Details below).
- Build energy in the software’s signature. Safety note: Build this energy yourself. Don’t have a spirit or another mage do it, or it won’t align to your underlying signature, giving you headaches.
- Move the energy to where the software wants to connect to you, and hold it there. After 5-10 minutes, you’ll feel your mind shift and accept the new signature. When that happens, release the energy (grounding).
- Repeat every few hours until this stops making you tired. That means that spot in your mind is adjusted to accept the new signature. This usually takes a few days to a week.
- Expand the area: Same as before, but let the energy overflow that one area in your mind, so it’s saturating a larger area around it. Again, repeat this until it stops making you tired.
- Optionally, expand the area one more time, just to be sure you have enough of your mind prepared for the software.
- Now, do your evokation again. When you feel the connections, guide it in to the area you’ve just prepared.
(Note: Some steps in here weren’t in the series I linked to, since I wrote it a while ago. I’ll make an updated version soon).
Details on finding the spot where the ethereal software wants to connect: You don’t need to know where your visual centers are. You’re going to let the software connect, notice its connections, and use that to find the areas of your mind.
First, learn to recognize ethereal software connecting to you. (“System” = “ethereal software” in that post, too). The gist is: Quiet your energy, connect to something unusual, and feel for a signature that’s not your own. If you work with spirits, you can also ask them to make an obvious connection, so you can learn what to look for.
Then, look for connections while communicating normally with some spirits, so you learn to recognize the spot where they connect for sending ideas.
Now, do an evokation. At the point in the ritual where the spirit would manifest, feel in your mind for connections in a signature that’s not your own. One should be in the spot where you’d normally feel connections when talking with a spirit, and the other should be in your visual centers. That’s where you want to send the energy.
Also, while doing the evokation, make note of the signature of those connections. Maybe even make energy in that signature, while they’re connected, just to practice. Because that’s the signature you’ll want for the rest of the technique.
One tip: You can usually get the ethereal software to connect to you just by focusing on a symbol associated with that style of magick, or focusing on the ritual. It won’t send you visual messages (and will probably only connect for sending ideas, not images), but if you forget the signature, having it connect to you should help.
Comments
If you try it, let me know how it goes. I’ve verified this technique for aligning a mage’s mind to ethereal software, but I haven’t verified the mechanism for the visible manifestation of spirits. Right now it’s just an educated guess.
And if you’re up for a direct magick practitioner joining you for an evokation, let me know. I’m mostly in Albuquerque and San Francisco, but I travel a fair amount of my day job.
If you liked this post, consider visiting my current blog at mikesententia.com.Tags: Ethereal Software, Evokation, Spirits
As someone experienced in this form of Magik, I don’t really agree with your hypothesis. Full manifestations of spirits are possible. They’re really there and they’re really being seen with the eyes. The keys is to train your Magikal senses in order to be able to see them. Try linking to the ethereal software to find out how to do this. I like to use an exercise called “Gyo”, where I move Magikal power around my body and to my eyes. Have it impress inside of your pupils. I usually move it that way and mold it to fit my eyes, I don’t use visualization. Also, sometimes spirits are not aware that you are not able to see them. A traditional technique actually entails asking them to appear before you. There are other things as well. Not all spirits can materialize in full. Only the powerful ones.
You said “They’re really there and they’re really being seen with the eyes. The keys is to train your Magikal senses in order to be able to see them.”
Wait, I’m confused. If they’re really there and I can see them with my eyes, that means they are physically interacting with light like any other object. But if that’s the case, you wouldn’t need magickal senses to see them, since your eyes will just see the light.
But interesting point about spirits not realizing if you can see them or not. As I understand it, traditional evokation rituals include a call for the spirit to appear. Are you saying that most skilled spirits can appear if you just ask?
Well, so much for the software and practice business. I, apparently have recently been connecting to something visibly manifesting in the sky, both day and night. Somtimes the images of smiley faces, hearts, rosary beads, letters, numbers, geometric symbols, outlines of animated people, etc. appear to me any day or night. I don’t know what it all of this means; but there is some sort of communication going on. I’d like to know if you have heard about anything like this. If you have, or if you do, please contact me.
This is an unusual experience for me. I am not ill, not given to imaginings, and I am a very practical and pragmatic individual.
Hi Marge, I haven’t heard of anything like this. Maybe some of my readers have and will reply. (Hint, hint.)
A few items that will help us help you:
When you see these things, are they physical things that a camera would pick up (like a cloud formation), or something your mind is showing you on top of what you’re physically seeing (like an aura)?
What is your background with magick? Can you recognize when forces (ethereal software) or spirits are connecting to you? Do you notice any of that now?
Did you do any magick recently, such as summoning powerful spirits?
Re: Marge’s experience, all of your questions, Mike, are relevant to interpreting the experience.
Pretty much in every situation of receiving information in whatever form (visual, dreams, synchronicities, with or without evocation) the best way to find out more about it is to ask. This can be as broad as setting up your typical meditation scenario and saying “Whoever is communicating with me, can you clarify the communication?” In the same way in any ritual/spirit work I may ask “Please make the vision more clear” or other requests to clarify the communication. It’s always interactive: “What is your name? Why is this not working? Show me what you look like? What does the number you gave me mean?” Divination tools are another way to clarify things (pendulums, tarot cards, runes, etc.). I have a few friends who use search engines – if they receive a word or phrase from a communication they do an internet search on it and take the first website or image results as additional clues.
The whole interaction requires a balance of passivity (opening the mind to receive) and activity (investigating, questioning, conversation). It just takes practice to develop an ease and effectiveness. I find it handy for beginners to start by practicing with a known benevolent deity or spirit to keep the practice focused and productive, as dealing with unknown entities takes more skill.
Mike:
I don’t dabble in magic, I don’t have to do anything at all. it’s just there, day or night. I don’t have to suggest, call anything up, meditate, or any other idea you may have. I am a practical and pragmatic person. There is a grid that forms in the night sky that is made in the form of different forms at different times. They could be circles, hexagrams, or squares. I never know which to expect. They are filled with different geometric forms both vertically and horizontally that morph into other geo forms, scroll, shift from left to right. Or they may morph into different figures, such as hearts, stick men, and are sometimes animated.
Lately, there are rosaries that drop down from above and an outline of a hand, showing fingers with fingernails and an eye in the palm, scooping them up. A detailed outline of a man’s face, showing eyebrows, ears, nose, hair, eyes that open and close, eyeglasses, and a mouth that moves, has been there with the hand. He scoops up the rosaries and they enter his mouth. After eating many rosaries, he blows stars out of his mouth. It is happening in different areas of the sky at different times and at different stages.
That is just a small piece of what’s been happening for the past two months. I’ve been taking notes and haven’t put them all together, so far. I just got a camera but I need to set it up. Hopefully, I can get some of these things on film.
I’m hoping that there are others that are experiencing the same thing. This is not something that I tried to conjure up. After watching these appearances, I have concluded that it is religious, a prelude to Easter, a warning of some sort, and an invitation to Peace and an afterlife. The letters PAX, angels, detailed and animated forms of men, women, and children (all line drawings) rosaries (outlines, some in 3D, being formed before my eyes) give me this impression.
Winston Churchill said, of the Roslyn Chapel, “It is a puzzle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma,”a more appropriate phrase cannot be said of these experiences.
Thank You for your response
Hi Marge, I don’t have any experience with this sort of thing, so I’m not sure what to tell you. Ona’s recommendation to ask your spirits what the visions mean makes sense. Beyond that, it’s probably a good idea to tell your doctor about this. Sorry I couldn’t be more help. Good luck.
Hi Marge, I had dinner last night with a friend who does psychic work, and asked her about you. Here’s what she said:
-The visions are from spirits who are draining your energy. The visions are a distraction, so you don’t notice the drain. (Mike: My guess is they’re not sending exact visions, but rather stimulating the parts of your mind that cause hallucinations.)
-If you learn shielding, it should stop, or at least decrease.
I’d recommend these posts:
https://magickofthought.com/2010/06/shielding-yourself-the-right-way-for-beginners/
https://magickofthought.com/2011/10/effective-magickal-shielding-part-1-of-4/ (The whole series)
So, try that, let us know what happens. If it decreases the visions but doesn’t entirely stop them, let me know and I can write some more shielding exercises.
Good luck.
Hey Mike,
I was wondering if you’ve seen a natural psychic before. Just like it is a given gift that most can see, touch, or hear, then it should be possible that to some people being psychic is just as natural as any other sense (so its sort of like your model of the mind).
Its jut that ethereal software makes it sound like its some outside force that is causing one to be psychic, or astal project, instead of a talent someone already has.
So I guess (im just learning this model so im trying to use the terminology) the question would be does the software have a fundamental signature which belongs to the person who is connected to the software?
Hi Seth, I’d say that someone called a “natural psychic” has been connected to psychic ethereal software since a young age, so it just comes naturally to them, and has for as long as they can remember.
Indeed, all of this information comes from outside the person. That’s kind of the point — your mind receives information that you wouldn’t otherwise know, so that information has to come from somewhere outside you, right?
The psychic does indeed have a skill: They communicate with the ethereal software. You can see some of my work in that vein here: https://magickofthought.com/2012/09/debugging-psychic-intuitions-sept-2012/
As for the software itself, no, that’s always external to the person. It would have its own signature, the same signature for all users. I mean, you could theoretically develop your own ethereal software with your own signature, but that’s a lot of work, and there would be no real point: The software out there already works well, so why not use it?
I get the feeling you think a psychic would somehow be more special if their brain did 100% of the psychic-ing, rather than if they channel ethereal software. Not sure why that is, though. I think the point is the results, not whether someone uses an external force to help them get those results.
Hope that helps.
Thanks, that does help.