After reading both the Greater and Lesser Keys of Solomon, as well as some other grimoires based on Solomonic magic, I started thinking if any of this is still valid today, and for whom. Many, if not all of the rituals call upon the Abrahamistic god to either protect the summoner or dominate the demon into obeying. If I don't believe in said god or consider his power great, how could I possibly evoke him? I want to work with spirits, not coerce and threaten them with a deity I've never considered worthy of worship.
The pact Solomon made was almost 3000 years ago, and to my knowledge it only concerned him. Why should the rituals work for others than Solomon? Should summoners make their own pacts and their own rituals instead? What about the politics in the metaphysical world, have there been any shifts in the power balance? Do the demons still fear the Abrahamistic god? Are any of the (fallen) angels even alive anymore?
Yet many summoners claim to have success with the rituals as described in the Keys. I'm tempted to abandon the rituals altogether and find my own way. The crests and names associated with the demons have become such well-established symbols that I'm willing to admit they have value, but otherwise it all seems very specific to Solomon or Judeo-Christian beliefs.
Am I being too hasty? What other summoning traditions are there in western magic? If anyone experienced would like to comment on any of this, it would be greatly appreciated.
COMMENTS
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jamesreven
08:03 Jul 30 2018
I have also ran into this conundrum when I was younger first getting into demonic/Solomonic/ceremonial stuff. Some of the preparatory rites and the meticulous detail one must pour into simply creating the proper setting in which to summon forth entities has always struck me as ludicrous. Don’t even get me started on the backwards ass-ness of asking “god” to protect from the demons he’s told you you are forbidden to summon in the first place either. Fuck.
Ultimately what I’ve found with my own work with demons and entities is to just try and explore and gather information. I’m a very firm believer that there’s no permanence to anything so there’s definitely no permanence to abstract power structures within such a volatile place as LITERAL HELL.
So far as the means to do that exploration your guess is as good as mine. Since we live in modern society, I tend to lean on the idea that even demons and entities, old gods, etc.. have givens up the strict need for sacred or specifically dedicated tools to worship them. As long as you give them your psychic energy and maybe an offering I’ve found most to be pretty darn chill provided I do that.
Any who’s, that’s just my views on it.
Doru
08:48 Aug 21 2021
The power to summon comes from within yourself. You either possess the power to summon or not. All of the sigils, alters, crystalls, herbs, incense, candles, ect... are there to help you concentrate when you invocate a demon/angel. You must cleans your body and mind. Nonetheless, you are opening your soul to all that you know not of and cannot imagine the changes you will succumb too. Once the door is open, it cannot be shut. Be ware of your desires.