Evocation and Invocation: The Two Arts of Divine Contact

The Fundamental Distinction

There are basically two ways of summoning an entity or working with energy: "Evocation" and "Invocation."

Spiritual evocation is summoning an entity, whether it be a Daemon, spirit, deceased person, elemental, or energy, and the being appears outside of the operator. When working with energy, the energy is always on the outside of the operator and never inside his or her body. With evocation, there is never a direct tie or connection.

Invocation is taking the spirit into one's self. The being actually enters the operator's body. An example is invoking a Daemon, and the Daemon speaks through the operator using his or her voice to communicate. Often when this happens, one's voice may change, becoming deeper, raspy, or different in some way. During séances, often the medium is able to produce a substance called "ectoplasm" to provide a luminescent material in order for the evoked spirit to manifest itself visibly. This is a form of invocation, as there is a direct connection between the spirit and the medium.

The ancient theurgists practised both forms extensively. Iamblichus describes invocation as the higher art, where the soul of the practitioner becomes a vessel for divine light (De Mysteriis III.11). The PGM records both methods: evocations where the God appears in a flame, a mirror, or in the smoke of incense; and invocations where the practitioner becomes the voice of the God (PGM IV.154-285).

What Happens During Invocation with the Gods

One thing that has been confirmed through extensive experience with the Daemons of Father Zeus is that when they enter us, they never harm us in any way. We are always conscious and fully aware. When they are speaking through us, we are aware of what they are saying, and nothing is ever forced.

One doesn't experience gaps or "missing time" as those who invoke enemy entities have. Enemy spirits, when invited in, will take over and cause harm to the person who invoked them, and the individual will not have any memory of the event. They will have missing time and, more than likely, other lingering problems as well.

Father Zeus is the bringer of knowledge. He has no reason to cause anyone to forget something or have lapses in memory in order to hide something. People who dabble with enemy entities or astral beings that they are not familiar with can experience these problems, and then, through ignorance and foolishness, they blame "the Devil."

The Daemons of Zeus are warm, benevolent presences. They may come around and interact with the practitioner in daily life. Experienced Zevists report that a Daemon will sometimes enter them briefly and assist with a task: reading a person's energy, providing a flash of insight, or offering counsel in a difficult moment. The Daemon does this gently, with the practitioner's full awareness and consent.

Why the Distinction Matters in Magick

There is a great difference between evocation and invocation, and understanding this is critical when working magick.

When we invoke energy or spirits, we create a link to the energy or spirit through ourselves. Obviously, if one is using destructive or death energy, this can be very dangerous. Invocation also includes building up energy within one's soul and discharging it through one's aura and/or chakras. This creates a tie to the target.

When to Invoke

If the mage is working on money, personal power, or some other positive application of energy, then invoking is desirable. This also goes for love spells and workings of attraction. When the energy is beneficial, taking it into yourself amplifies the connection and strengthens the result.

When to Evoke

When working with destructive energies or energies that would be harmful if internalized, the mage must evoke, never invoke. The energy should remain outside the body at all times.

Even white magick, where healing is concerned, can pose problems to the mage who invokes the energy before applying it. Any time energy is invoked, a powerful connection is established. No one in their right mind would want to connect with a disease. When healing another person, the energy should be evoked, directed through the will, and applied without passing through the mage's own system.

Working with Death Energy: A Practical Example

The advanced mage should be familiar with death energy. Death energy is prevalent in mortuaries, cemeteries, places where wars were fought, where massacres occurred, and other places of death. The energy is grey, dismal, and depressing.

The mage should go into a trance, surround himself or herself with the energy, but NOT take it into his or her body. The mage should direct the energy, using will and visualization, into a ball or other form. The energy should be condensed tighter and tighter into the ball or form for power.

The formed energy can then be expanded or contracted according to how the mage intends for it to be delivered to the target. If delivering to the target's chakras, the energy should be tightly compacted and exploded or expanded upon entry into the target's body. If the energy is to collect and adhere to the target's aura, the energy should be expanded to envelop the entire aura. Variations can be used according to one's individual preferences.

Most black magick spells that go wrong do so because of errors on the part of the mage. Common reasons include: the target having a powerful aura that deflects negative energy; the target being under strong spiritual protection (if one is under Father Zeus's protection, nothing can touch them); or bad timing on the part of the mage. The most dangerous error is invoking destructive energy instead of evoking it, which creates a direct connection between the mage and the destructive force.

Most available texts on spells and magick, due to a systematic destruction of spiritual knowledge by the enemy church, not only give wrongful instructions, but instructions that can be very dangerous when working with destructive forces. The methods taught in the Temple of Zeus are based on the restored ancient practices, not the corrupted grimoire traditions.

Sources

Iamblichus, De Mysteriis, III.11-14 (on the mechanics of divine invocation and the differences between levels of contact).

PGM IV.154-285 (invocation protocols); PGM IV.475-829 (the Mithras Liturgy, a full invocation sequence).

Betz, H.D. (ed.) The Greek Magical Papyri in Translation. 2nd ed. University of Chicago Press, 1986.

Shaw, G. Theurgy and the Soul: The Neoplatonism of Iamblichus. Penn State University Press, 1995. (On the distinction between lower theurgy/evocation and higher theurgy/invocation.)