2025 ADF Ceremonial Magickal Ritual Structure

Rodney Cox  ©2025

ADF Banishing Ritual (ABR)

Main Magickal Ritual Structure

Presented here is an attempt to create an ADF specific and unique ceremonial magick ritual system. Before the system is revealed there are several preliminary aspects and concerns to address first. These are:

 

Magickal Experience

I first started real esoteric studies in High School and began studying Ceremonial Magick in College. After graduation I shifted my focus to Paganism and Wicca for a while. Then later I found ADF, joining in 1998. I became the Chief of the Magician’s Guild and served in that capacity for 10-15 years before leaving to start the Order of Raven and Falcon within ADF. This Order is dedicated to Odin & Freyja and its main goal is to bring magical knowledge from the Otherworlds to the Physical World. After becoming a Reiki Master I ended up creating my own energetic magical system I called Rún Valdr. From this I have moved on to a newer energetic magical system I call Ljos Valdr that accesses a dimension of light I call Ljos Heim.

In my time in ADF I have, back in 1999, created a magickal ritual structure for my Grove (Shining Lakes Grove) based on Irish Mythology. I have created various banishing rituals with a Norse flavor, and have created a comprehensive magickal ritual structure for Ljos Valdr including its own banishing ritual. As can be seen I have practical knowledge and experience in developing magical ritual structures over the past 25 years.

Need for an ADF Ceremonial Magick Ritual System

After I joined ADF I found that I had trouble going back to mainstream Western Ceremonial Magick as it is so very immersed within the Judeo-Christion framework. From Kabbalah, the Tarot, the LBRP (Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram) to evoking spirits. I couldn’t bring myself to go back to anything Judeo-Christian in nature, even though I missed the complexity and structure of ceremonial magick. It has been a longstanding desire of mine to create something based on Indo-European (IE) cultures that offers the same level of complexity and nuance as Western Ceremonial Magick. Or at least as close as is possible.

When looking at the old, but extremely influential magickal order, The Golden Dawn, one immediately recognizes that the organization is heavily syncretic. It mixes elements from Ancient Egyptian, Ancient Greece, Hinduism, and Theosophy as well as Judeo-Christian elements. This syncretism allowed the Golden Dawn a great deal of nuance in what they did as they could pull from a variety of sources and come up with table after table of correspondences across multiple disparate cultures. Even the famous Greek Magical Papyrus (PGM) is highly syncretic as the ancients didn’t care what or who they stole techniques from. Why use one God of your culture when you could throw in five Gods from a host of other cultures too. The more the merrier. The net was thrown wide to encompass as much as possible from as many cultures as possible.

The problem with a wide net syncretism is that ADF is specifically and exclusively an Indo-European organization. If it isn’t IE it doesn’t count. Hindu? Finnish? Indigenous Americans? African Traditions? Jewish? Islamic? None of this is to be considered. We can, however, be syncretic within IE cultures all we want. There are shared outlooks and elements throughout all of IE cultures. Sky Father, Earth Mother, for example. Gods fighting a Chaotic faction to create a world safe for humans. Realms of Land, Sea, and Sky. These only a few examples.

Given the wide range of IE cultures I’m confident that a sufficiently complex ritual structure can be developed, even one based solely on ADF’s Core Order of Ritual if that is your desire.

Methodologies

In approaching this project I felt that a two prong approach was called for. First a group trance-working to gain specific symbols that would then be used later in the created ritual structure. These symbols are: Banishing/Cleansing, Invoking, Opening, and Closing. These four symbols seemed the bare minimum needed. It may be decide that more is needed and further group trance journey work can be done to find these symbols.

The method I employed to retrieve these symbols first involved making preliminary offerings to all the Gods & Goddesses of Magic from all the Indo-European cultures. I engaged my relationships with my Patrons Odin and Freyja to help make the required connections. I prayed to the multitudes of Deities, explained what my goals were and what help I needed from Them. I then made my offerings. There were three preliminary offerings made before the workshop.

At the workshop which was attended by roughly 18 people I started by praying again to the Deities of Magic and made an offering to the fire of whiskey. Then I led the group through the symbol retrieval process. This involved getting them into a trance state, establishing a group mind, initiating the transfer to the Otherworlds. Gaining the symbol and then returning to the physical realm. The symbol was recorded and the process was repeated until all four symbols had been gained.

The group mind technique focused on the participants visualizing a golden light within themselves. This was described as a Divine Spark. The light then expanded outwards beyond their bodies to merge with the lights from the other participants. This was to merge them all into a single entity.

Then mists were visualized to come in, filling the space. A sense of movement was then felt as the Deities of Magic summoned the participants to meet. Then the movement ceased. The mist rolled back revealing a forest clearing with the Deities of Magic surrounding the group. The specific symbol was then asked to be given. The participants had earlier been instructed to place a hand on their head to signal that a symbol had been received. To my surprise, this happened fairly quickly for most of the participants.

Once the symbol was received the steps were reversed with the mists coming in, a sense of movement as it was made clear they were returning to the physical realm, the movement stopping and the mists being removed showing them standing in the spot where they were sitting. They withdrew their light back into their own bodies allowing them to be distinct and individual again. Then they were told to write down the symbol.

Then the method was repeated for the other symbols. I should state that it was necessary to bring the participants into the specific place in the Otherworld, get the symbols and come out for each symbol. There is a risk of damage of one abruptly shifts from a deep trance state to a more normal waking state. Once you are in a trance journey state you need to properly move back to a normal waking consciousness. Again with beginners I couldn’t risk causing any harm. So while time consuming, going into trance, getting the symbol and coming out to draw the symbol over and over was the safer and necessary option.

Analysis of this technique. As proof of concept, I felt the technique had merit as a whole. People seemed to get symbols quickly. Having a group undertake this kind of work is usually for the best. With a group working the more areas of overlap, the truer the information received. Rather than relying on one person and their own unconscious bias you spread your net wider to gain greater objective results. Plus in trying to create an ADF wide system it felt right to make it a group effort.

There were some drawbacks to the attempt, unfortunately. The goal had been to receive relatively simple geometric shapes such as the pentagram or hexagram. Also with a group working I expected a definite continuity in the symbols. And while many of the symbols were fairly simple which was good there were problems. There was hardly any overlap of the symbols received, and there were symbols gained that could not be used. These were drawings of three dimensional objects, symbols that were too complicated, symbols that made use of specific IE cultural symbolism, or occasionally symbols that were too incomprehensible. To be fair these unusable symbols were outliers and in the minority. I feel that giving instruction ahead of time on the type and scope of the symbols we were looking for would have been helpful. Especially since there were inexperienced people taking part in the workshop.

I felt that the source of the problem was that the entire sequence happened too fast. There was not enough time to get the group into a deep enough trance state. Without this, the establishing of the group mind suffered as did the transition to the Otherworld. To be very honest, it was just too rushed. However the time allotted was only around an hour and there were four symbols to get. More time was not a luxury we had. I feel having a drummer present would have helped immensely. It should be noted that the symbol that ended up with the most overlap between participants was the last symbol, Closing. It was as though everyone was getting used to the process and finding their groove.

Overall, any faults lay squarely at my feet. If I had allowed more time for a deeper trance to happen and given better instructions on the type of symbols were looking for the results would have been more ideal. At least I hope so. It’s always possible this approach was not the best. Further work is needed. I am very proud of everyone who participated. They all showed up and did the tiring work. I couldn’t ask more from any of them.

All the received symbols were examined and points of overlap were noted. Final symbols were synthesized by me and a prayer was made to the Deities of Magic to make the final distilled symbol the official symbol for that specific principle.

The second methodology was the development of the ADF Ceremonial Magical Ritual Structure. I had initial ideas that I threw out to the workshop attendees which were discussed and fine-tuned. This part was more group discussion than anything else, but led to some unique ideas. The ADF Banishing Ritual (ABR) was developed as well as the main ritual structure.

One detail of this system should be noted. This is a ritual structure that is not focused on making offerings. The daily devotionals and work with one’s Deities and Allies form the basis of the practitioner’s magickal authority. The Ceremonial Magickal Ritual Structure outlined here is the exercising of that authority that has been earned. The preliminary work has been done, now it is time to wield your authority. The exception would be in summoning entities to you. It is part of proper hospitality to make offerings to your guests, whether that is incense, or some other physical offering. Reciprocity and Hospitality are still the core of ADF in general and this carries over into one’s magickal practices as well.

Going forward I would like to see effort made to create tables of correspondences, based on Indo-European viewpoints and lore. For example: What Diety, color, metal, day, planet, stone, incense, etc. is associated with money or wealth. Or what are the various correspondences of the God Indra? I wonder at how the various IE cultures viewed the color red? Or green? What properties were ascribed to these colors? What were the deeper significance? 

The System Part 1 – Symbols

As stated earlier, the four symbols we sought were: Banishing/Cleansing, Invoking, Opening, and Cleansing.

ADF Banishing RitualBanishing/Cleansing

This symbol was essential for use in any opening, or preliminary banishing ritual, similar to the Pentagram in the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram (LBRP). The ADF Banishing/Cleansing symbol will feature significantly in the ADF Banishing Ritual. The symbol’s purpose is to banish negative influences and energies. I would recommend drawing the symbol starting with the circle section. Starting at the top draw the circle in a clock-wise direction. Then draw the V section starting at upper left and moving down and then up towards the right.

ADF Invoking SymbolInvoking Symbol

This symbol would have a very specific use, which is to bring within oneself either external energies or entities within oneself. Examples might be bringing in the energies of the Sun within yourself to gain properties of the Sun. One could invoke a Deity within oneself to either be possessed by that entity or to come into direct contact with that being which might have beneficial effects.

It could also be used to imbue objects with specific energies or presence of a Deity or other being. For example one could invoke a Deity into a statue of Them. One could imbue an object with energies in the creation of a magical object.

If drawing, I would recommend drawing the middle figure first, followed by the half circle, starting at the top.

ADF Opening SymbolOpening

This symbol was necessary in my mind for the specific reason of opening up Portals to be used as power sources. More on this will be covered in Part 3. The opening symbol can also be used during normal ADF High Day rites or other Core Order rituals when opening up the three Portals. In addition to this I would suggest that the Opening symbol could be used to open up chakras or other energy centers within one self, open up a greater level of communication between people, to open up energy blockages, etc. Any purpose that requires opening up would be suitable for this symbol

If one wanted to draw this symbol I would start with the eye, then the inner circle. After this I would draw four lines coming out from the center making the X shape.

ADF Closing SymbolClosing

This symbol is the other side of the coin of Opening. It would be used to close down the Portals in the ritual structure. Again this could work for other ADF Core Order rituals as well as other situations that require the closing down of something.

As this is a complicated symbol I, personally, wouldn’t attempt to draw it out. I will leave the process open to those who dare.

The System Part 2 – The ADF Banishing Ritual (The ABR)

One common part of any ceremonial magickal system is a banishing ritual. It is used to open and close magickal work. It banishes negative energies and clears the space so one may perform magic without conflicting energies. The most famous banishing ritual is the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram (LBRP). It has three primary purposes

The LBRP has the practitioner starting with the Kabbalistic Cross, which corresponds to the Tree of Life establishing the practitioner in relation to the Tree of Life. Then one traces banishing pentagrams at the four directions, vibrating specific Names of the Judeo-Christian God. Then the practitioner establishes themselves in the center surrounded by different archangels. Then the Kabbalistic Cross is repeated. This is a very brief outline of the LBRP.

While ADF doesn’t have specific four-letter names of God or archangels, we do have things we can work with. Since a big part of the LBRP is establishing a center of the universe we can use the Three Realms of Land, Sea, and Sky. The Kabbalistic Cross seems to connect the practitioner to the Macrocosm with them as the Microcosm. As above, so below, and all that. Again we can attune ourselves to the Three Realms in a highly modified version of the Two Powers Meditation.

While the LBRP uses very fixed and traditional directions (facing East, for example), this system will be essentially directionless. Instead we will move from Realm closest to us to the Realm farthest from us. The order will be Land, Sea, and finally Sky. Since we will be using three directions whatever direction is in front of you shall be Land. Sea will be a third of the way around the circle to your right and slightly behind you, while Sky will be a third of the way around a circle to your left and be slightly behind you. The spacing should be equidistant. Movements will be clockwise for banishing and counter-clockwise for invoking.

The ADF Banishing Ritual (ABR) is as follows;

 

The Banishing Ritual is done.                                                    

The System Part 3 – The Main Ritual Structure

The main ritual structure will be comprised of three parts. Opening the Temple, the Main Magical Working, and Closing the Temple. This will essentially be going to each Realm Altar (Land, Sea, and Sky), and opening it up to be used as power sources for the main magical working. This will make use of the Opening Symbol to open up the altars as portals. Then during the final Closing of the Temple section the Closing Symbol will be used to close down these portals.

There will be three altars, each for Land, Sea, and Sky. They will sit in similar directions used for the ABR. Land before you, Sea behind and to the right, and Sky behind and to the left. An object representing each Realm should be on the altar. A stone or rock for Land would be suitable, or even a bowl of soil. A bowl or cup of water for Sea, and a feather or incense for Sky. If incense is used it should not be lit yet. There should also be a fourth altar in the center to act as a focus and to hold items to be used during the magickal working.

Regarding the placement of the altars, they can be anywhere between you and the outer edge of your circle boundary set by the ABR. I would make a case for the altars being further away so as to not interfere with any movement by the practitioner within the circle. The distance itself doesn’t matter as long as one is not constantly bumping into and/or knocking over the altars.

One would always start with the ADF Banishing Ritual first before moving on to the Opening of the Temple.

Opening of the Temple

 

The Main Magickal Working

At this point the practitioner would then perform the main magickal working, using the Realm altars as sources of power and energy for use in the work. The actual work will vary greatly depending on the purpose of the working. More discussion on main magical workings will be done further below.

The Closing of the Temple

 

Finally repeat the ADF Banishing Ritual

This is the completion of the Main ADF Ceremonial Magickal Ritual Structure

 

The System Part 4 – What Main Magickal Workings might look like

This section will run through several possible scenarios from sigil magic to summoning Goetic demons, to creating magical items, to self-empowerment, to gaining unity with a higher spirituality.

One thing that the participants in the workshop all agreed was that initiation was probably not on the menu. First you need someone at the higher state to initiate others. On one hand this can come from Deities during trance journey work (as is the case with my Rún Valdr system). On the other it may seem disingenuous for someone claiming this as proper line of authority for initiating others. The Golden Dawn with its endless Grades had a real need to incorporate initiation into their main ritual practices. However the ADF magickal ritual structure is fairly utilitarian in nature and is not tied to any Grades or levels of initiation. Besides ADF has Orders which seem to have their own initiatory structure already in place. Not to mention the ADF Initiates Path. No need to replicate it here. I mean if you really want to then knock yourself out.

A note about authority. As the magician you have the authority to work your will upon the world, to create the kinds of change and outcomes you desire. As stated before, this magical structure isn’t about making offerings (except in cases of spirit evocation), but using the authority you have gained through regular devotional and other practices over time whether between Deities, other Kindred, or other non-Deity entities you might work with. Those devotional practices build up your authority. Now is the time to exercise that authority.

Also a word of caution, or at least the standard warning. When practicing magick one wishes to gain results with no (or minimal) harm to others. Such intensions can be stated during the main working, or if evoking spirits that you expect results that bring harm to none. One thing that can be done is to do divination before you attempt the magical working to see what (if any) negative results may come from the working. If it looks great, then go for it. If harm is indicated then perhaps rethink the working or find ways to insure safety.

Now that preliminaries are over we can look at types of operations that can be done within the main magickal working.

Let’s start with empowering a sigil. There are many methods of creating sigils and we will not dwell on it here. We shall assume you already have your sigil and wish to charge it so it can do its work. Here is a possible working for this.

 

This formula for empowering a sigil could easily be adapted to the creation of a magical item, or the consecration of an item. For a consecration you may want to call on specific Deities after you return to the center after the Three Realm empowerment.

One could also dispense with the full empowerment and while in the center just state “By the power of Land, Sea and Sky around me let this object be empowered.” Then move on to the Deity or Deities in question, spending more time to do a more full and fleshed out empowerment from that Deity. However, I feel the full Realm empowerment helps give extra weight to the working. Remember, a big part of ritual is the theater part that leads the mind and spirit to a certain place. If you rush, the trip may not be as effective.

Invoking a Godform

Invoking a Godform, or assuming a Godform is a technique where one invokes the presence of a Deity within oneself to gain the benefit of Their presence. The goal is to not have a full possession event although it could lead to that if desired. You need to be in control yet be filled with the presence, and therefore authority, of the Deity in question. Similar things are seen in the various evocation rituals where you identify as the Christian God in order to claim authority over the demons you are evoking. One phrase that comes to mind is “Enflame yourself with prayer.”

What would you use this technique for? For Theurgical or mystical work the goal would be union with the Divine to gain greater connection with that Deity, to uplift one’s mind or spiritual self, to help access higher states of consciousness, or to develop specific skills or attributes. Essentially you are seeking this union to improve yourself to further integrate yourself with a higher spiritual entity. And if this is the main goal of your magickal working then this is fine. This is what the Great Work is about and some could argue that this is the heart and main purpose for which ceremonial magick exists. The ritual for this work would be more elaborate to more effectively guide you into the proper spiritual state for this union.

One could initiate reenactments of key times in the Deity’s life, don specific types of clothing, or use specific colors, language, and incense help you to become closer to the specific Deity. But you would be using language such as “I, the God (or Goddess) X, who has gone to this place and done that thing that produced this other result.” Or “I who live in this place and wear such and such garments and have control over this area of endeavor.” Again, if you are going for a specific aspect of that Deity you would focus only on the places that Deity has been and the actions that Deity has done that correspond with the specific aspect you want.

For example, if you were to work with Apollo on His aspect of the God of Music and Dance, you would not spend time identifying with His aspects of prophesy and oracular workings. Just focus on places He is known to have made music, the music He is to have made, and/or instruments associated with Him, etc. Thus when you invoke this particular Godform, all your areas of music will be enhanced whether this is learning instruments, composing, etc. Thus while engaged with this Godform you may have certain spiritual channels open up within you and you may begin to see the celestial or divine nature of music, how music can invoke the divine and reveal truths otherwise not known.

In terms of how this would look as your main magickal working, you could start by declaring your intent to invoke the Godform of X Deity in the aspect of Y. You would then don garments reflecting this Deity as well as any jewelry and take up any wands, staffs, instruments, or other badges of office held by this Deity. Then you could visit each Realm Portal, starting with Land, then Sea, and then Sky. At each you would ask that the powers purify and sanctify you in preparation of your assumption of the Godform. If appropriate you could tell a story about this Deity as it relates to that particular Realm, a place they visited, some sea they sailed upon, etc. Then you would return to the center and make more declarative statements that you are Deity X. Try to feel a real sense of identification. Finally you could see a bright sun above you filling the space and seeing the Deity before you. Use the Invoking Symbol and see/feel Them step toward you and merge with you. Make final declarative statements that you are Deity X and stand here in glory, power, etc.

At this point if you have specific goals for improvement, think about those things as you exist as this Deity. As an example say you are working with Apollo in the aspect of music. Maybe you want inspiration on composing music or writing lyrics. As you maintain the Godform, think about that and let inspiration fill you. Let the greater authority and confidence of this Deity guide you and open doors within you.

Then when done you would thank to the Deity and ask to return to your normal self. One could see the Deity stepping away from you, leaving you both as separate entities. You could then state something like “I am (then sate your name)” Let the image of the Deity fade away. Use the Closing Symbol to finish the assumption of the Godform practice. Take some time to ground and center.

For practical types of magick, assuming a Godform can grant the practitioner greater authority and access to specific energy for the working of their will. This would be less elaborate than the Great Work version. No need for clothing, jewelry, or telling of stories. You would still want to go to the various altars to help prepare you for the assumption of the Godform. Then use the Invoking Symbol to have the Deity merge with you, much as in the previous work. However, you don’t want the experience to be too brief so it lacks the appropriate results.

At this point you are using the Godform to gain authority to aid in your magickal work. You would then go ahead with your normal magickal working as you would, but acting as if you were the specific Deity. Once the magickal work is complete you would then shed the Godform as described above. As a beginner it can be helpful to have this extra authority when doing your magick until you have built up your own authority. It should definitely add extra power to your magickal working, depending on how well the invoking was done of course. Invoking can be tricky and your results may vary. But with practice it can be rewarding. In fact the very first ritual structure I wrote back in 1999 made used of assuming a Godform in order to do the magickal work.

As a side note from my Rún Valdr practice I would make a regular habit, while using trance journey, of asking my personal Deities for symbols representing Their presence. Thus when I used the symbol within me I would be immediately filled with Their presence. I call these symbols Deity Symbols and they are very useful when contacting a Deity. One can also attune a statue of that Deity with the symbol of that Deity making it more potent. If you need some Divine attention for some magick you are doing that’s quick and dirty this is a quick way to gain access to Their presence. It could also be used during the more formal Godform assumption to gain a stronger connection to the Deity you want to work with.

Magickal Evocation

In many ways Magickal Evocation is the epitome of classical magical practice. The image of the mighty wizard conjuring up demons and other spirits from Beyond to do his bidding is a favorite trope. However, this kind of work is in the advanced category and hinges on several key skills, namely Spirit Sight and Spirit Hearing to be specific. You may be able to summon a being, but if you can’t see or hear it, then your options for meaningful communication are almost non-existent. One can always do trance journeys and summon the entities to your Inner Temple, or engage one’s inner vision. But depending on the depth and level of this training one could just be tuning into one’s unconscious mind instead of actually dealing with external beings. To repeat. This is advanced magickal work and proper preparation must be done. It should be noted that ADF’s own Ian Corrigan is writing a book on Pagan Sprit Arte that goes into greater detail, but has a different ritual approach. When it becomes available I would recommend it.

But assuming all that requisite skills are in order, how would it be done using the ADF Ceremonial Magickal Ritual Structure? Let us explore. First thing discussed was where should the summoning circle go? It was felt that it should go outside of the main circle that had been established. The placement of the summoning circle would depend on the type of being one was summoning. If they had associations with any of the Three Realms then the circle would go just beyond the appropriate altar. Ancestors could go between Land and Sea, while such beings as the Goetic Demons would go between Sea and Sky (although this could be modified if the being had clear associations that should place it in a different location). Based upon the placement of the Three Realms in the circle, the summoning circle would be placed in a spot that had the most proper correspondences. This dynamic approach is unique in the magickal world and allows a more nuanced approach.

One could go further in making sure the summoning is done on the day and hour appropriate to the entity to be summoned. The circle itself could be of a color associated with the entity, or at least the inside of the circle be decorated with thing associated with the entity. Also, as an aside, during a trance journey working with Odin and Freyja to gain knowledge of magickal theory, I was told that if you have a Patron Deity, They leave a mark on you. This makes spirits that fall under areas of this Deity’s control friendlier towards you. For example, if your Patron is a Deity of healing, then dealings with healing spirits will go easier and they will be generally more kindly disposed toward you, whereas a spirit of war might not think much of you, and you would most likely have to make a lot of extra effort and offerings in order for it to help you.

Another unique idea is to prepare and bless the summoning circle to aid the spirit. The spirits that are summoned are not usually native to the physical realm and it is not easy for them to exist here. I am of the opinion that a good part of the summoning circle, in addition to safety, is to provide a safe place for the spirit to exist while interacting with those in the mortal realm. This is a perfect application of a technique I developed back in 1999 called Macha’s Fence. It is based on the etymology of the name of the Irish Goddess, Macha, whose name means field, plain, an enclosure for milking cows, a pasturage for beasts, and closed field, or corral. Her very name suggests a safe and nurturing place. In the 1999 ritual structure I had developed, this would be used to cast the protective circle, but here it can be used to bless the summoning circle instead.

One could pray to Macha in such a fashion: “Blessed Macha, I call upon You, whose name is the closed field, the fence, the milking yard, and the pasturage of beasts. I ask Holy Macha that You enclose this circle within Your mighty arms to create a safe place for the sprit to be called and for those who do the calling. Let this circle become a temporary home for the being to be summoned.”

Then one would visualize/feel the space being filled with a bright light, knowing that it was being set aside for the use of whatever spirit was to be summoned. I would suggest that a sigil of the appropriate being be placed in the center of the circle ahead of time. This would be the time to light any incense you plan on using as an offering to the being. It might be a good idea to light the incense within the circle when you put the sigil in before using the Macha’s Fence technique.

Regarding the actual summoning, there are multiple approaches. This would be a good place to invoke a Godform to assume the mantle and authority of a supernal divine being. This has several benefits. First you are borrowing heavily upon the authority and Divine nature of a Deity in order to convince the spirit to show up. Why would a powerful spirit show up for any old mortal? You gain direct access to the Divine. Thus as the grimoires state, you “Enflame yourself with prayer.” Secondly the invocation of a Godform can act as a buffer between your mind/spirit and the entity you are summoning.

Once the Godform has been assumed one would stare at the sigil of the being to be summoned while calling them forth. I would recommend a respectful tone as the core of ADF is still reciprocity. Something like: “I have invoked the presence of (Name Deity) within myself. I am (Name of Deity) and rule over (list areas of control of the Deity). I call out to (Name Entity). (Entity Name) I call out to you across the realms and ask that you hear me and attend me. I would work with you and seek your aid. (Entity Name) I have prepared a place for you to dwell while we converse. (Entity Name) I call to you in the name of (Deity you Invoked). Hear my call great (Entity Name).” You could then end up at this point just repeating “(Entity Name) come visit me.” Until they arrive.

Once the entity arrives there is the testing phase where you prove that the being summoned is, indeed, the correct one. One way is to ask it to sign its name. According to various sources an entity cannot sign the wrong name. One technique I like to use is to see their sigil upon them and the activate it. If they are the entity nothing will happen. If they are an imposter their form will shift. But always ask for the signature.

After the identity of the entity is established then one would negotiate with the being. You would describe the work you wanted done and ask what it would receive in exchange. Make sure the demanded offering is reasonable. Do not offer your soul or the lives (or souls) of others. And be wary of blood offerings as well. It is recommended that the work performed by the entity should not result in any harm to others. Not only demonic entities, but also elemental beings do not necessarily share human morals or restraint in such matters.

Well if the work was to curse or harm someone then effort should be made to limit the scope of damage to the person in question alone without damage to nearby people. Not judging on what you contract with spirits to do for you, but one should still remember to be responsible. Especially if you are invoking a Godform. Asking for something that goes against that Deity may want would not bring ideal results.

Once the working and payment is negotiated to satisfaction of both parties you then give the license to depart. Essentially you are sending the spirit on its way to fulfil its work. You may say something like: “(Entity Name) we have come to an agreement and I will not delay you here. Please be free to depart this place. I thank you for you coming to me in good faith. Please depart with peace between us.” The spirit should depart. The magickal working is over and one can then move on to the Closing of the temple.

Other methods would be you not assuming a Godform, but rather relying on the authority you have built up yourself, perhaps by having a Patron Deity or two. Instead of identifying as a particular Deity with the initial call you would list your accomplishments and relationships. One would still stare at a copy of the sigil of the entity while making the call to help create a connection to it. But the words you say will be different. For example, “I am the child of (name Deity) who is my Patron and my (Father or Mother). I, a magician of both study and practice, would reach out across the realms to contact (Entity Name). Hear me, mighty (Entity Name), I call you to visit me here in the physical world. (Entity Name) I seek your help and aid. I have prepared a place for you to dwell while we converse. (Entity Name) I call to you in the name of (Deity you mentioned earlier). Hear my call great (Entity Name).” You could then end up at this point just repeating “(Entity Name) come visit me” until they arrive.

There is a short cut version I have seen used by Left-Hand Path practitioners. It involves focusing on the sigil, chanting a specific mantra until a connection is felt. Once that connection is felt, they ask the entity to come forth. I’m not sure I would use this for an initial evocation unless the entity is very gentle. This is a much more informal approach that would probably be better used on follow-up contacts with the spirit after one has established a relationship with it. Then again the Left Hand People don’t tend to use summoning circles or other precautionary steps in their evocation preferring to experience the entity more openly.

 I would suggest that chanting, or better yet, vibrating the name of the entity would suffice. One would focus on the sigil vibrating the name until a connection is felt between you and the entity. Once the connection is made you ask the entity to visit you in the circle provided.

After negotiating for your work with the entity you then send it off to do the work. This is known as the License to Depart. You would state something like: “Great (Name of Entity), I thank you for agreeing to do this task for me. I give you leave to depart this place to begin your work and ask that you look kindly upon me in the future. Depart with peace between us (Name of Entity)” The entity should then depart and you would proceed with the Closing of the Temple and the final performance of the ABR.

Keep in mind that sometimes the work to be done will take some time to complete. Sometimes you have summoned an entity for information and you may get that information right away without waiting. Then the License to Depart would be modified to be something like: “Thank you mighty (Name of Entity). You have fulfilled your work with me and I declare the task to be complete. You have my thanks. I release you from this place so you may return to your own realm. Depart with peace between us (Name of Entity)”

Final thoughts on evoking entities. It should be remembered that you are dealing with beings with minds and wills of their own. Treat them with respect and courtesy at all times. There is a reason why hospitality was seen as a sacred trust. Whether you are dealing with Devas, Nature Spirits, Ancestors, or Goetic Demons, all deserve your respect. This respect and courtesy will go a long way in establishing positive relationships with entities. Positive relationships will bring better results.

Other possible uses

The above ire several examples of how the main magickal working could look like using this ritual structure. I feel it is flexible enough to handle a wide variety of magickal needs. Using the Realms as power sources gives you a way to gather general amount/types of energy, or to use a specific type of energy for your magickal needs. For example, if you were doing a working for studying you might want to consider only using Sky as a power source.

Conclusion & Further Work

All in all the workshops showed proof of concept of what can be achieved. Was it perfect? No. But real progress and methodologies were achieved. Going forward there is still plenty of room for work and improvement.

Extra work on gaining symbols might be done. I could see one workshop for each symbol, where plenty of time is invested in careful trance induction and group mind assimilation. Granted the symbols we got can work, but more time could refine the results, if desired.

Also I would love to see a list of correspondences that was so foundational of the Golden Dawn. I envision detailed charts based on Indo-European lore.

I would like to see other examples of different main magickal workings that people are doing. I’m sure I’ve only scraped the surface of what is possible.

Most importantly I want this system to live and breathe and grow. From a silly idea to a fleshed out system, it awaits for others to use it and refine it.

Blessings for all the people who helped out in the workshops. All your input was invaluable. Thank you.




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