Moving on...

In response to the Waking from the Goetic Sleep post, Paul made an insightful comment. I think it's worth reposting here for all who read my rants and raves and thoughts and such who may not check the comments. It brought a sense of perspective to the recent Goetia thread that I needed, a useful nudge back on track.

Paul writes:

I think the negativity that surrounds systems like Goetia has to do with the perception that the spirits primarily are concerned with changing circumstance, rather than changing character. This is compounded by the perception that magicians who are overly interested in Goetia seem to be obsessed with obtaining things.

To be honest, anyone who's read your blog for a while can see this in action. Is it the fault of the system? I don't know. It's at least half the fault of the magician. It's just easy to gain a perception that there is a correlation between Goetia and thing-obsessed magicians.

To be clear, I'm not of the opinion that "real magic" is only used to "be one with God" or any other altruism that are commonly heard on the internet. I'm of the opinion that if there are aspects of our lives that we aren't happy with (and hence go asking spirits to [temporarily] fix for us), it's because there is a flaw in our character that has led to behaviors that have created those circumstances. Nothing will change with any permanency until the character flaw is addressed and corrected on a personal level.

The fact that some people choose to ignore the correction of their character, or put it as secondary to "fixing" their circumstances, speaks to the denial that we all can very easily fall into, when supporting a certain philosophy (e.g. Goetia is great) becomes more important than becoming more effective actors in the world.

 All I can add to that is "Well said, Paul."

And thanks.

The role of Sub-Lunar spirits in the magician's repertoire is something to keep in mind. Goetia is great, in some contexts, but those contexts are a lot more limited than the descriptions of the spirits may lead one to believe. In an offline conversation, Jason said he advises people to use the Lesser Key spirits only when they have a laser-focused need for a physical manifestation.

At this stage in my life, I'd agree. Regardless of my opinions on the subject, people do, on occasion, have bad experiences when they do Goetic Work, whether they use the Lesser Key or not. Any Work in the physical should be done in areas that have already been addressed in the celestial realms. To have a realistic expectation of the outcome requires a clear and concise understanding of the things you're trying to manifest...

Ok, this is going to take longer than I wanted this post to be. I'll make the rest to be continued.