One of the things that was covered in the Inner (Second) Order--Adept Minor training that I recieved was the use of godforms. All three programs that I was officially a member of (as well as material from courses that I never officially a member of) included some teaching about the subject of godforms...though it should be noted that often the schools disagreed with one another. What follows is my official stance that I inflict on those who I train.
As an Adept Minor, every ritual that one performs should be performed while utilizing godforms. The magician, operating alone, should use the godform that is closest to the overall energy or purpose of the ritual that one is performing. While the magician, operating alone, can utilize several godforms--only the most appropriate godform for the purpose of the overall ritual should be used as the visible mobile center (visible station) that the magician occupies; the other godforms being utilized passively in the form of invisible stations.
One teacher, GH Frater OY, when questioned about the one godform per ritual rule stated that he felt that utilizing several active godforms, with the magician switching between them during the course of the ritual, could led to mental instability. His proof was the mental state of one of his former students, who had often used multiple godforms ("wearing them") during the course of a single ritual.
Now, the student will note that during the initiation rituals of Golden Dawn and the RR et AC that the chief officer switches godforms during the course of a single lodge ritual. The reason that this can be done in a lodge setting is the fact that the chief officer (for instance, the Hierophant in the Outer Order rituals) is not operating alone; they have a support network to help them switch between the various godforms as the ritual progresses. This is a luxury that the solitary magician does not have.
And while it is possible for the advanced Adept to rapidly switch between several godforms during the space of a ritual, it is not advisible for a magical newbie to do so. Stick to the one godform per ritual rule until one gains sufficient experience with the use of godforms.
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
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So that rules out doing any of the elemental grade rituals. If your officers are too inexperienced to swap godforms they should not be officers. If someone's mental state is not up to swapping godforms then equally they should not be doing any godforms. In MOAA you have to swap godforms a lot... it is something you get used to. I have started two groups. One in MOAA and one in HOGD and had to do all the godforms for the early rituals. OK the rituals were a little slower, but were not terminal and I am just as insane as I ever was. You have to be careful about making "rules" in magic. Dion Fortune make it a "rule" that you never invoke more than one thing in the same ritual. She said that was based on her experience of the lotus wand rite. It is rubbish of course. Fortune's opening and closing uses all four elemental gates and then an appropriate planetary force (if she was doing a planetary ritual). You also have to be careful about saying things cause mental imbalance. Paul Case thought Enochian did because his friend killed himself after using Enochian. The fact that the friend tried to kill himself several times before touching enochian and only succeeded when he was a member of the GD is not proof that enochian caused the imbalance -- simply his friend should have taken up darts instead of magic.
ReplyDeleteOk, I need to write clearer. Lodge rituals involve multiple officers, and therefore have a support system to help the switching between godforms...that includes the elemental rituals. What I am referring to here in this post is a starting rule for private operations...a rule that is tossed out at some point (hopefully after the Adept has sufficient experience to safely handle a boatload of godforms without a support network). Even this comment is unclear, isn't it?
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