New Batch of 8 Fixed Money-Drawing Buddha Statues Being Made - RSVP Yours NOW!

You may remember that I posted awhile back about me making a batch of fixed Money-Drawing Buddha Statues in a limited run. That article describes how I go about ritually preparing and empowering these statues, and talks a bit about how to work with fixed statues to manifest your petitions. So if you're curious about the process, surf on over and give that article a read.

Those first few fixed Money-Drawing Buddha statues sold very quickly and had great feedback, and I was able to snag another small batch of the statues from my supplier just recently.

When you order this statue, you not only get the fixed Hotei Buddha, but you also get:

* detailed instructions for how to work with him to manifest financial gain,

* parchment paper for writing your petitions, and

* 3mL bottle of authentic Money-Drawing oil to get you started!

I am in the process of making 8 of these, and 2 are already spoken for. So if you would like to get one of the 6 available statues, please visit Queen of Pentacles Conjure Shop & Village Witchery on Etsy as soon as possible and purchase yours. They will be going out in Monday's mail, so you will have yours before you know it!

An Easy Trick for Helping a Home Get a High Appraisal

In order to pull off some financial maneuvering, my husband and I decided to refinance our mortgage. In order to do this, the bank wanted to have our home appraised. We just moved in 3 years ago, and put a lot of work into it, but it is still a rather small home in a neighborhood that is just now starting to gain some steam. We were unsure if we could pull off getting the house appraised for a good chunk more that it was just after we moved in, since they did take our (at the time) proposed renovations into consideration back then.

I had little notice to prepare, as our mortgage broker thought that perhaps since it had been appraised fairly recently we wouldn't be required to have it appraised again. But we did. We were scheduled an appraisal visit in 3 days time. My husband took some time to see what similarly sized houses were selling for currently, and he was worried to see that most were going for less than we were hoping to be appraised at (the housing market here in Canada did not take the hit that it did in the US, so the house prices are a very good indication of their actual worth here still).

Now, we did a lot of physical work to prepare for this - it was our Spring Cleaning time anyway, so we had just unloaded a good deal of junk, and re-organized lots of stuff and found it new homes on shelves or in neat storage bins. However, I backed up the mundane work with some spiritual work as well to ensure that everything would be set up for the most positive result possible from the appraisal. You always want to work on both levels for the best results.

Once we had done all the normal de-clutter and organization and dusting and such, I went through the entire home with my steam-mop loaded with my Queen of Pentacles' Van Van Oil and a drizzle of Florida Water mixed in with the water reservoir. This makes for a fantastic floor wash that spiritually cleanses, as well as opens the way for good fortune! All the floors got a great steaming with this mixture, and I wet a rag with it as well and wiped the baseboards and the door frames. That alone made the house feel amazingly light and bright!

The next day, which by this time was the day of the appraisal, I took my incense brazier and mixed together some frankincense tears with Wealthy Way incense powder, and Fast Luck incense powder. I walked with that mixture smoking around my entire property, calling and praying for my property to be seen as beautiful and valuable and for it to be appraised at $X (the amount we were gunning for). I prayed for the appraiser to feel the positive and divine energy, and recognize the full worth of the home, appraising it at $X.

Money-Magic Tip: One of my personal secrets for money-related magic is having a specific amount in mind when petitioning for money. This gives a concrete goal which the spirits can work accurately for, rather than guessing at what might do you just fine. What you might need and what you might want can often be two different things - so be specific about what you are expecting to get so that it can manifest properly!

This day I also had several appointments about town, so I was unable to be at home to do more complex work. However, I wouldn't have wanted the home to be full of smokey incense when he got there either, so it was good to let the smoke disperse and set into a very subtle energy and fragrance. I did want a pleasant and gently noticeable magical scent in the air when the appraiser first walked in the door, though, so I knew I would set up some more conjure right before he came.

I did get home from my errands about an hour before the appraiser was to arrive, and I put a mixture of Wealthy Way oil and Look Me Over oil into an oil diffuser (the kind you put a candle into and it steams the water and oil into the air for a delightful fragrance). These kinds of diffusers are a great way to deploy magical oils throughout an entire large area if you do not have incense, or do not want smoke hanging around for any reason, or otherwise getting people into contact with the magical dressing is not possible. Can't dress them? Dress the air itself! I prayed once again for our home to scream out it's value as $X to the appraiser.

Sales-Magic Tip: When you are trying to sell something, whether it be an item, a property, or yourself (in a business sense), try adding a love oil to your mix of magical products. This helps garner positive attention and attracts people while instilling amourous opinions in them about the item in question! They'll simply LOVE what you're selling.

About 10 minutes before he arrived, I took a spritzer bottle that I had loaded with Florida Water into which I had dissolved a blend of money oils (I usually use this to cleanse my prosperity altar, and also boost its energy in-between formal workings keeping its money-drawing resonance high and the energy clean and clear for manifestation) and spritzed it in between the screen door and our wooden front door. I also spritzed it all over the entire door frame and front step into the house, as well as the small rug immediately inside the door. Of course I was still praying for the $X amount to be appraised.

By the time he got there, the air was sweetly scented and charged, and he walked right through a heavily fixed doorway and stepped onto a fixed rug. He constantly seems pleased and surprised as he walked from room to room asking questions about the house and our work on it. He made several comments about our home being very good looking and in great shape. The whole time he seemed to be seeing things he really hadn't been expecting to, and to be pleasantly happy with things.

The appraisal took all of 10 minutes, and we had done all that we could have on the physical level as well as the spiritual. Now it was just a 48 hour waiting game to hear back from the bank about the results.

Today we got word that we'd gotten appraised for the exact amount that we had been gunning for, which is definitely a bit higher than most equivalent homes in our area! So I will count this as a very successful working, and though I would share what I had done with my readers here.

The methods that I used were very simple and straightforward, and could be adapted for use in a myriad of different situations. Just think of using the same floor-wash and oil diffusing methods in a retail store-front to draw customer, or by using differen washes and oil you could dress your home for peace and tranquility! The possibilities are endless!

Happy Hoodooin' to ya!

My Evocation Opinions: A Response

On the weekend I posted an article outlining what I feel as the pre-requisites to taking on the practice of evocation. The response has been mostly positive, from such lovely practitioners as Kenaz and Galina, with some predictable critiques from others such as Frater RO who favor a different style of working. This, in turn, has resulted a bit of lively back-and-forth between St. Balthazar and Frater RO.

I would summarize all those posts for you here, but I'm feeling lazy since we spent the better part of last night managing an allergic reaction that our Boston Terrier had to what has best been guessed was a spider bite. His face swelled up such that he looked like a sharpei with mumps, and when Benadryl didn't calm the reaction we had to take him to the veterinary ER. He's fine now, by the way. But, all this means that you'll just have to take a few minutes and read through those posts yourself. It shouldn't take too long and there are some good points and perspectives presented.

I just felt it appropriate to write a small response here, which is more or less a summary of my responses on those blogs with a bit of further explanation.

I will agree that my use of the word "mastery" was a bit off the mark in regards to all the different skills one should acquire before moving into an evocational practice. What I was actually trying to communicate was much closer to competency. I absolutely stand by my perspective that cultivating competency in these skills will ensure a safe and effective evocational practice.

I would be remiss in falsely communicating that I feel that I am a master of all of those arts. I do not, and I am the first person to admit that I am not an occult master. I am competent in a good variety of magical skills, and certainly the ones which I speak of in the post. By becoming competent in those skills - some of which I procrastinated against for a good long while in my magical career because they didn't come as easily to me as other skills did - my practice reached a new level, and many spiritual doors opened for me. My spellwork and spirit work become very reliable and nearly always garnered positive results. When it did not, I was able to figure out what went wrong, and remedy it.

One of the main critiques from RO of the plan of study which I outlined was that it requires too much time, and students will become frustrated thinking that they MUST gain all those skills before venturing into spirit work. I can see that point, although my personal perspective is that if one wants good results then you're going to have to WORK for it. We live in a very instant gratification-oriented society in which people want everything for next to nothing. This goes hand in hand with a sense of entitlement which runs rampant in the West. So many people are simply handed good things, that they develop an arrogance about that that communicates that they feel that they deserve all these good things simply by being who they are. The true work of EARNING good things becomes more and more a foreign concept for many. This attitude flows over into the magical world, just as it does the more mundane areas of our society.

Now, I am in *no way* saying that every occultist or every aspiring occultist has such an attitude. Nor I am implying that those practitioners who look for more efficient ways of achieving magical ends are guilty of trying to get something for nothing. I personally LOVE finding new expedient ways to do complex magics. However, I do feel that if you approach your magical training and practice with shortcuts as a priority and general laziness as your modus operandi, well, then, just keep in mind the programming axiom 'garbage in, garbage out'. My evocation article was actually written in response to a question online from someone displaying the arrogant entitlement that really grinds my gears, and I was trying to drive home the point that evocation is not like playing D&D, and you don't get something for nothing.

RO knows and understands this - he is a very hard working magician. His personal magical path just functions very differently than many other people's, and so my article was not geared towards those who are already working hard within a system that works well for them.

St. Balthazar says that perhaps my outline is a "tad overcautious". I can agree with that assessment. It is my nature to be overcautious. I've always been like that in all my endevours, whether mundane or spiritual. If you'd look at my astrology chart, it would be pretty clear. I'm Virgo-Virgo rising, and all my other planets are in Air. I like to gather hoards of information in preparation before making any moves. I not only want academic info, I want to hear anecdotal experiences from others (both failures and successes) that I can glean tidbits from that are often absent from instructive texts. I like to be as prepared as possible for any extenuating circumstances, so that should something unexpected occur, I will be capable of handling it. I like to have experiences under my belt that draw from the same skill-set, so that I feel confident that I have proven my ability to do certain operations when facing a situation that may be more of a challenge. Generally, I like to have all my bases covered. Can I still be surprised, and still make mistakes? Certainly!

Yes, I am pretty anal retentive in that department, and while I have learned to be a lot more flexible in my mundane life, I prefer to err on the side of caution when it comes to spirits.

I fully acknowledge that most people aren't exactly like me in this respect. One of the most amazing magical practitioners that I know is pretty much my polar opposite. He likes to have the practical hands-on experiences first, because that then makes the academic information make sense to him. His stories often leave me with my jaw on the ground when he tells of the ritual operations he just jumped into with practically no preparation or foreknowledge of possible outcomes - and yet he is a fantastic magician. He's also one of the most, if not THE most naturally gifted magicians I've ever run into. I imagine that this plays an extremely large role in his successes. He was born seeing and interacting with spirits, having a strong connection with the Divine and with protective spirits, and with amazing divination skills. His life-path resulted in him learning to be self-observatory early on. Basically he was born ready to Work - and when he finally came to form magical practice as an adult, it was all second nature to him. Most have to do go to school for a while first to get to where he was starting from. My article was intended for those who wish to have a really solid idea of what skill will help them safely and effectively embark on evocations. I don't think anyone can argue that the skill that I listed would NOT be helpful.

In a response to one of my comments RO says that I should stand by my opinions, no matter who disagrees with them. I absolutely do stand by them. I'm not wavering on my advice. I am saying that competence is the key in the skills listed, not "mastery" as I did write; there is a difference and I acknowledge it. While I don't wish to discourage earnest people from working evocations with my very conservative perspective, I wouldn't be upset with discouraging inexperienced-yet-entitled people who really had no business doing that kind of work from doing it if they feel that it's too much work to prepare. Fine by me. Having those skills will only help you and ensure that you have the best possible chance at success. Really, in my view, if you're going to be working with spirits which Kenaz would call "hot", being over-prepared is miles better than being under-prepared. Though, as St. Balthazar says mistakes are fantastic teachers, as well. I, however, would still rather avoid having my life turned upside down by a spirit if I could!

Finally, why did I choose to use a picture of an 80's sitcom to head this post? I was just feeling cheeky.

When White Will Do, Why Bother With Colored Candles?

On one of the forums which I frequent a question was asked which brings up a good point that somehow gets lost in translation today in much of the occult materials that one encounters.

The specific question was about the use of colored candles for spellwork, but the same idea extends to any spell ingredients that one uses - herbs, oils, curios, etc.

The question was basically if a white candle can be used for any purpose, then why bother using colored candles of traditional magical associations? Isn't it simply aesthetics since all the power ultimately comes from the practitioner?

The answer is NO, it is not just aesthetics, there are real reasons behind different colors being used for specific purposes. And all the power does NOT ultimately come from the practitioner, otherwise why would you be using any one object over another? In folk magic all the herbs, roots, etc are believed to have divinely innate powers that skilled practitioners can tap into and direct to their needs. The practitioner doesn't create that power, they simply set it working for a specific task. I talked more about this principal in my entry on Making Mojo Bags.

Spellwork is all about building up a large amount of energy resonating/vibrating with that of your intent. Every symbol, every appropriate herb, oil and root, every prayer, every candle, every powder, etc all creates a strong harmonious "picture" of what you are looking to manifest. Like-attracts-like, so if you can create an altar that just pours forth and seethes with the energy that you are trying to attract to yourself, it will be an astral magnet for those same forces.

Colored candles burn with a specific vibration, dictated in large part by the color of the wax (the coloring changes the vibration of the wax, hence why you see one color and not another - it has been changed to fit within a certain vibrational spectrum). So you can pick a candle that adds an extra layer of energy/vibration resonant with your intent. It adds an extra bit of push.

You can also work with white, because white contains all colors, and so it will not detract away from your work in any way, and can aid in any type of work due to it's flexibility. However, a colored candle is a bit more fine-tuned. So if you are able to use that extra bit of tuning - great! If you cannot, then you will not detract from your work by using a plain white candle.

And this doesn't even start to get into the topic of color psychology and how looking at a colored burning candle triggers different emotional/mental/spiritual effects within your brain. Colors affect your physiological make up and can alter your brain waves. Using certain colors for certain magical acts helps to tune your MIND-BODY-SPIRIT into what you are doing, too.

SO - Is the dye important?

Yes. It has changed the candle to hold a certain vibrational pattern.

Yes. It changes your brain waves and primes your mind-body-spirit to hold a certain energy.

Can you do without it?

Yes. Use white as it is neutral. However, you can always use all the help you can get.

Every little bit helps!

Learning a Form of Divination - Pendulums

I very often mention using a form of divination to check in before starting on a course of magical work, or in choosing which condition formulas or herbs and curios would be best for a particular spell. Divination is one of the topics that seems very daunting to many just beginning to practice, and even to some who have been practicing for a while.

The tarot can seem overwhelming with its seemingly endless layers of complex symbolism. The I Ching can seem confusing with all its yarrow sticks or coins and determining whether a line is open or closed. Geomancy is likewise complicated, and astrology has so much going on. It can seem very daunting to learn a system to serve you in your magical practice.

As amazing as those forms of divination can be, you don't have to learn one of those, especially if it seems that you may not be all that gifted as a diviner. But that doesn't mean that you are stuck always shooting somewhat blind when doing spellwork, or that you are stuck relying on other practitioners to do divinations on your behalf. Finding a yes/no-type oracle can be very simple, and pendulums fit the bill!

I will admit to being a bit of a late bloomer on the divination front due to the math and statistic-type feel of many divination systems (it's just the one area of my brain that is very weak - so numbers, degrees, etc just hit a 'dead spot' in my melon), and with getting caught up in the Qabalistic and astrologic and Jungian symbolisms within the Tarot which for a long time kept my intuition from being able to access the cards. Having a yes/no oracle was a real boon during that time, and once I started using one my success rate on spellwork went through the roof! While I read tarot without issue now, I still use my pendulum almost every time I'm picking ingredients for an oil or herb blend, or when choosing ingredients to go into a bottle spell or mojo bag. It's quick, easy, and accurate.

Dowsing using a pendulum can start off as easy as learning a "yes" and "no" swing, which can be invaluable in occult practice. Pendulums are also very flexible and can easily be tuned to doing much more complex work, while still using the extremely simple back and forth swing as an indicator, rather than relying on layers of symbols.

Rather than going into all the details here as to how to get started using a pendulum, I will point you to a truly excellent resource that is quick and easy to read, extremely thorough, and provides simple exercises to get you started, as well as more intermediate and advanced lessons and sample pendulum charts for moving forward. You could easily be skilled enough to divine on the outcomes of your ritual and spellwork within just a few day...rather than weeks or months (or years) spent mastering a more layered system such as the Tarot.

The Letter to Robin is an amazing site that you can read online or print out as a PDF to work with at your leisure. It was written by a professional dowser in answer to some of the most common and basic questions about getting started with using a pendulum. I highly recommend it to anyone who wishes to learn pendulum dowsing.

Now - I am in no way saying that a yes/no oracle replaces divination methods such as the Tarot or I Ching, but it is a truly excellent option for those who wish to become skilled at basic divination in short order. And if you enjoy the pendulum, you can certainly learn to do MUCH more with it over time. The Letter to Robin can help you through it.

Shortcuts to Evocation? Yes and No.

On the various internet groups and forums of which I am a member, I often see people ask things similar to the following:

"I've been practicing magic for [insert a very small amount of time here], and I want to start doing evocations and summoning spirits and such. I don't like any of the traditional schools of magic, and I don't have any interest in using the long complicated rituals in the grimoires, so I am wondering how I can go about summoning spirits and daemons in a quick and easy manner that involves as little effort on my part as possible?"

In brief, my response to these kinds of questions usually goes something like this...

There are *MANY* different ways to summon a spirit. Once you are a proficient magician, you can certainly dispense with the long rituals and need for many tools. I don't use the big long rituals, or any of the ritual tools, and I am nearly always successful in my evocations.

The fact that you have to ask these questions, though, shows that you are not yet ready to undertake the kind of evocation that you are speaking about in your query and have a somewhat immature grasp of the magical arts. Summoning is not an art for the novice practitioner in any way, shape, or form. You need to have mastered a good amount of foundation skills in order to be able to attempt it with any hope for results, and while remaining safe.

Here are some things you need to have pretty much mastered before thinking about stepping into evocation work:

1) Some form of psychic seership - meaning you have developed the ability to sense, see, hear, or otherwise detect the presence of spirits in a reliable manner. This takes time, and everyone will have slightly different abilities in this area. Some use scrying, some use divination, some are simply able to do it through their 6 senses without any tools or other props. You need to learn what psychic gifts you have and develop them until they are at least 85% reliable.

2) Cultivate reliable skill at some form of self-observatory and present-moment consciousness meditation. Mindfulness meditation works wonders for this. These forms of meditation teach you how to observe yourself and your thoughts without judgement and without the compulsion to get caught up in the drama through mindless reactions. This will not only help develop your powers of concentration, which are invaluable to occult practice, but will also make sure you are intimately familiar with all the junk and thoughts that YOUR mind regularly produces. That way, when you begin working with spirits, you will be able to easily tell if the information is coming from a spirit, or from your imagination. Also, should a spirit start to work on you in a negative way, you will be extremely in-tune and used to observing yourself, and will notice right away if you start thinking or acting in a way that is out of character for you.

3) Work on your analytical skills, especially as it applies to determining the possible outcomes and consequences of certain actions. You need to be able to work out, ahead of time, very detailed plans for goals you wish to achieve with the help of the spirits, and you need to be able to think around corners. Spirits think in a VERY different way than humans, so you need to be able and *try* and make sure that what you are asking for will likely get you what you want in the way that you want it. You may even wish to look into basic contract law. I'm serious. Learn how the legal community writes out contracts in such as way that there is little to no wiggle room in how a certain thing is to go down. You will use those skills when making negotiations with spirits. It will also be helpful in any form of spellcraft that you may practice.

4). Get skilled at at least one form of divination. A pendulum is a very easy thing to learn to do well, though you can certainly use tarot, or I Ching, or anything else that appeals to you and to which you are drawn. You will need to be able to ask for guidance with whether it is wise to summon a particular spirit for your task. Sometimes you think that one spirit may be who you need, and it turns out that another one would be better suited, or that you don't need a spirit at all for a certain task. This helps you cut down on mistakes and failed operations, so you will increase your spellwork and evocation success rate right from the get-go.

5) MASTER SPIRITUAL CLEANSING, PSYCHIC PROTECTION, AND RITUAL BANISHING!!!! Seriously. This one is HUGE. I cannot stress how important this will be for your occult practice in general, and especially with spirit work. If you cannot perform these tasks with near 100% reliability, then you are NOT ready for spirit summoning. Learn how to maintain a spiritual pristine environment, and not just of your ritual space, but of your entire home, and of everywhere where you spend any amount of time.

Spiritual Cleansing: Learn about spiritual floor washes, learn about the spiritual cleansing effects of different herbs and resins you can burn, learn about spiritually cleansing baths. Try and develop a real playbook of these that you can go to for any number of situations. Begin implementing a *very regular spiritual cleansing routine*. This is not just a 'as-you-need-it' thing. If you are going to be doing occult work on a regular basis, and especially spirit summoning, then you need to have a regular routine that you keep up religiously. This means a little something daily, a bigger something weekly, and a very thorough something monthly.

Psychic Protection: Learn where you are energetically weak, and fortify it. Work on developing strength and health in that area. Work on keeping your energy bodies in very good working order, because this will help form your first line of defense. Then master several forms of psychic shielding. SEVERAL that can work under different circumstances, and with varying strengths. Learn how to ward your home and property. Also learn about the various forms of protective amulets that there are out there. Obtain a few. Experiment with them and see which one feels most effective for your needs, and then wear it always.

Ritual Banishings: Before you EVER call anything up, you need to KNOW that you have the capability to banish it. You need to get really good at ritual banishings. It doesn't have to be any particular one, although working with the LBRP & BRH will help you develop this skill. I suggest working with learning banishings daily for *at least* a year before doing any evocation work. It takes that long to adjust and really tune into the energy and figure out what's going on energetically around you when you do this. Experiment with other banishings that you find, seeing how they differ in intent and style. Find one that works for you and then stick with it for a good long while. Study all the banishings that you can find to see what is at work in them. Get REEEAAALLLY good and VEEERRRY confident in your ability to banish before moving into evocation.

6) Develop a very close relationship with the Divine. What form of divinity is completely up to you, but you need to have a very good link with Divinity before you begin working with spirits. Again, this is very important. If you are an agnostic or atheist practitioner, then whatever is the Highest Ideal for you, such as Morality, or Compassion, or Unconditional Love. Whatever it is work diligently at developing a close connection to this Source. This is also strongly protective, and will help you in your work. It will also help you develop and earn spiritual authority, which you will need when summoning spirits (and I don't just mean in the context of ceremonial evocations where you are commanding the spirit and threatening it, etc - I don't work that kind of evocation, but it is still important to have *REAL* spiritual competence and authority; not arrogance or entitlement. That will get you smacked down hard by the spirits real quick).

7) Develop a relationship with a protective being. Archangel Michael is a very good one, but there are entities from every pantheon or religious system which fulfill a protective role. *Your ancestral spirits are also an extremely good place to start.* Work to get into the good graces with one of them. Make a little altar where you can offer incense, candles, and your prayers. Spend a little time there each day. Do this faithfully until you can really sense an energy dwelling there. This can take several weeks to several months. Once you feel their protective presence there strongly, you can start petitioning for their aid. This will be a powerful ally in your magical work and in your evocations.

8) Study the 'whys' and 'hows' of traditional summonings. Those rituals are there for a VERY GOOD reason. Do you understand why? Until you understand how they work, you will not be able to make intelligent abbreviations or shortcuts. Don't even try to make those shortcuts in evocation until you understand the metaphysics and theology and cosmology behind the traditional rituals. (You need to understand ritual in general before you can go deciding what to and what not to include in your rites. So, while you may be making your own system as you go along, it would well behoove you to master at least some form of traditional ritual structure, before trying to simplfy and make up your own.

Until you manage to do all of the above, I would stick to using more folk magic methods for getting what you need. Praying or otherwise communicating your needs while rubbing an oil into a candle and then lighting it is extremely powerful and effective. I enjoy the methods of conjure, and you can find nearly endless info on those ways on the various pages at http://www.luckymojo.com.

Books you should really read before you begin:

"Communing with the Spirits" by Martin Coleman
"Spiritual Cleansing" by Draja Mickaharic
"Secrets of the Magickal Grimoires" by Aaron Leitch
"Sorcerer's Secrets" by Jason Miller
"Summoning Spirits" by Konstantinos
"Psychic Shield" by Caitlan Matthews
"The Art of Psychic Protection" by Judy Hall
"The Mindful Way Through Depression" by John Kabat-Zinn (don't let the title fool you, this is an amazing crash course in cultivating serious skill at mindfulness meditation

9) When you honestly feel ready to begin attempting evocation, then do yourself a favor and *don't* start with the biggest, baddest spirit that you read about in the grimoires. Start with a spirit that is known for being easy to work with. The experiences that you gained through working with your ancestors &/or a protective being will help you navigate your first forays into evocation. Some practitioners suggest starting by working with the angelic sphere, since they tend not to have vengeful proclivities or be quite as easily annoyed as other classes of spirits. For your own sake, don't bite off more than you can chew.

10) Be an intelligent evocationist. Don't forget to do your divinations first to figure out if this is the right spirit for you at that time. Learn all you can about a spirit, the type of work it does, the way it goes about doing its work, along with its likes and dislikes. This will help you know how to prepare for the spirit, and how to work with it in the most effective manner.

11) Be respectful when you call and when you communicate with it. Remember that you can always terminate a contact if you don't feel right about it, and you can always say "no" to any demands a spirit may make. And certainly keep up your end of the bargain!

Since other practitioners have written whole books in this subject, I won't reinvent the wheel here. What I'm mostly concerned with is how so many people seem completely willing to summon up daemons, without having any real foundation skills under their belts. Preparation is key, and having the right skills will make everything go much smoother and safer. Yes, it means that you'll actually have to do quite a bit of work before you get into what seems to you to be the meat and potatoes. *Gasp!* But taking shortcuts with your prepatory training is simply not all that bright. So...if you jump into the deep end before you can swim, just don't be surprised if magical natural selection takes a swipe at you!