Psychic Self-Defence (Dion Fortune) · 56 of 129

8. The Risks Incidental To Ceremonial Magic-c

The uninitiated occultist goes ahead gaily, juggling with such Names of Power as he has picked up from the innumerable books on the subject now available for the general reader, thinking that if he does not invoke the demons he will not get them.

He forgets that every planet is a Jekyll and Hyde.

Consequently, ceremonial magic has got a bad name owing to the unpleasant frequency of untoward results, just as surgery got a bad name before the days of Lister.

It is the imperfect technique that is the trouble.

I was once doing some experimental work with geomancy, which is a method of divination belonging to the Element of Earth.

Now all divinations, when performed according to their esoteric formulae, always begin with an evocation of the genius that presides over that particular operation.

The genii of geomancy are not of a very high type.

I was imperfectly familiar with the method, and was trying to set up my prick-figure on a piece of paper instead of using a tray of wet sand as I should have done.

Things began to go wrong, and the room was filled with the most terrible stench of drains.

The appropriate banishing ritual was immediately performed, and the air cleared; but there was not much doubt about the objectivity of this phenomenon while it lasted.

A very interesting case is given in the Occult Review for December, 1929 .

in a letter to the editor, signed H.

Campell.

“Desiring some information which I could not get in any ordinary way, I resorted to the System of Abra Melin, and to this end prepared a copy of the necessary Talisman, perfecting it to the best of my ability with my little stock of knowledge.

The ritual performed, I proceeded to clear my ‘place of working.’ A little knowledge is a dangerous thing; my ritual was imperfect and I only rendered the Talisman useless without in any way impairing the activities of the entity invoked.

This looks like nothing else than gross carelessness on my part; and to a certain extent this is true - but the point I wish to make is this, that my knowledge of this particular system, and therefore my ritual, were imperfect; and in any case, I had been shown no method of combating this particular entity when once aroused.

Now note the results.

“Unfortunately I have no account of the date when these occurrences began, but the first hint of trouble must have come on or about March 3, 1927.

I can guess the date with fair accuracy because, as I was to learn, the manifestations were always strongest about the new moon, and after I had gone to sleep.

Upon this occasion I can remember waking up suddenly with a vague feeling of terror oppressing me; yet it was no ordinary nightmare terror, but an imposed emotion that could be thrown off by an effort of the will.

This passed almost as soon as I stood up, and I thought no more about it.

“Again on April 2, or thereabouts, I was troubled by the same feeling, but regarded it as nothing more than a severe nightmare, though the fact that my sleep was distorted towards the time of the new moon had occurred to me; while as full moon drew on, the nights were peaceful again.

“The new moon of May I brought a recurrence of the trouble.

This time very much more powerful, and necessitating an almost intolerable effort of will to cast if off.

Also it was about this time that I first saw the entity which was rapidly obsessing me.

It was not altogether unlovely to look at.

Its eyes were closed and it was bearded, with long flowing hair.

It seemed a blind force slowly waking to activity.

“Now there are three points which I must make quite clear before I proceed.

In the first place, I was never attacked twice in the same night.

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Themes

Divinationpraxis

The ritual practice of discerning hidden knowledge — future events, concealed causes, or the will of higher powers — through a structured technique applied to cards, lots, astrological configuration, entrails, oracle, or other sortilege, rather than through direct unmediated insight. Distinct from gnosis_direct_knowledge (unmediated inner apprehension of ultimate truth, not a technique applied to an external medium) and cosmic_sympathy (the underlying doctrine of hidden affinity that many divinatory techniques presuppose, rather than the practice of consulting it).

The passage explicitly mentions 'geomancy, which is a method of divination belonging to the Element of Earth' and discusses the evocation required for such operations.

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Exorcismpraxis

A ritual intended to drive out an unwanted possessing or afflicting spirit from a person or place, restoring it to its unafflicted state. Distinct from spirit_conjuration (the operator summons and binds a spirit that was not already present, rather than expelling one) and from possession (the affliction this ritual answers, not the ritual itself).

The author describes performing a 'banishing ritual' to clear the air after a geomancy experiment went wrong, which functions as an exorcism of the unwanted phenomenon.

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Initiationpraxis

The ritual admission of an individual into esoteric knowledge or a sacred order through a formal rite of passage — testing, ordeal, or ceremony — marking a definite before/after threshold in the initiate's status and access. Distinct from hidden_sayings (the doctrine being concealed, not the rite of admission to it) and esoteric_lineage (the historical chain of transmission across generations, not a single individual's admission).

The passage contrasts the 'uninitiated occultist' with proper technique, implying that initiation or proper training is necessary to safely handle magical operations.

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Magical Willpraxis

The doctrine that human volition, cultivated by discipline and emancipated from passion and servitude, is the primary instrument of magical operation — will confirmed by persistent acts acquires causal power over self, others, and nature; distinct from faith and from mere desire.

The text describes the entity's influence as an 'imposed emotion that could be thrown off by an effort of the will,' highlighting the role of will in resisting spiritual intrusion.

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Possessioncosmology

The state of a person being controlled or inhabited by an external spirit or entity — the entity as subject acting through the person's body, rather than merely troubling them from without. Distinct from haunting (a discarnate soul or place-bound presence that interferes without necessarily entering and controlling a living body) and from spirit_conjuration (an operator deliberately commanding a spirit's appearance, the reverse relation — here the spirit is uninvited and in control, not summoned and subordinated).

The text details a case where an entity 'rapidly obsessing' the practitioner caused terror and visible manifestations, describing a state of being controlled or inhabited by an external spirit.

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Sacred Namestheology

Divine names or formulas that carry ontological power, used in prayer, liturgy, or magical practice.

The text warns against juggling with 'Names of Power' picked up from books without proper initiation or understanding.

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Spirit Conjurationpraxis

The grimoire-tradition practice of ceremonially commanding or binding a spirit through consecrated seals, circles, divine names, and prescribed instruments, compelling its appearance and obedience. Distinct from theurgy in the direction of the power relationship — theurgy is reverent engagement with the gods on the premise of the operator's own ascent, this is subordination of a lesser spirit to the operator's will — and from word_power_incantation and sacred_names, which name components (verbal force, name-power) this practice deploys rather than the ritual structure itself.

The passage discusses the risks of invoking entities through rituals like geomancy and the System of Abra Melin, highlighting the dangers of imperfect technique in commanding spirits.

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Talisman Magicpraxis

The consecration of an inscribed physical object — seal, pentacle, amulet, character, or figure — so that it holds and channels magical power independent of any ongoing spoken formula, protecting, attracting, or acting on its bearer's behalf. Distinct from sacred_names (the power resides in the name itself, spoken or written, not in a dedicated physical vessel) and from spirit_conjuration (the object is not commanding or binding a spirit but is itself the locus of power).

The case study mentions preparing a 'necessary Talisman' as part of the System of Abra Melin ritual.

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