Naked Magic - Part Two

Sorry darlings - had a wee bit of bronchitis last week. Much better now thank you, so let's continue.

Naked Magic is about doing the Great Work as it's called in western mystery circles. The Great Work is an allusion to bettering yourself, and finding conversation with your Higher Selves. Some people call them the HGAs or Holy Guardian Angels. In Vodou, we call them Met Tet or Masters of our Heads. However you label them, they accompany us for all of our lives, and help us find our way back to the Divine.

There are as many ways of talking to HGAs as there are HGAs. One that has proven very efficacious and time tested is Evocation. Now, here's where it gets interesting.

Evocation means to evoke something. It's the act of calling Like unto Like. Want Ogun to come around? Then, you'd best set a fiery red table of food he loves, liquor he drinks and incense to stink up the joint (metaphorically speaking). Have lots of metal to clang and a big ole machete ready to be brandished. And sing LOUD, because Ogoun is a LOUD spirit who comes crashing and yelling into the space at hand. Now that's the kind of evocation I can get behind.

Evocation can also mean the words and intent spoken. It's like a recital on steroids. You are asking for a Lwa to come down and be with you.  An entity that doesn't take the train or plane to arrive. Want Someone that can move through time and space to arrive in your temple? Then you'd best be prepared to speak with VIRTUE - meaning, a firm and solid voice, a big attitude and the chutzpa to back it up. There's no murmuring, mumbling or whispering in evocation. You need to project your voice to the cheap seats of the astral gallery. And MEAN what you say. Only then will the gates of the astral swing open to allow the Spirits to descend.

Dolores used to say that a year in a theater troupe was a good way to get your evocation on. The practice of strutting across a stage, putting on airs and reciting memorized lines with meaning is just like walking into a consecrated space and evoking the archangels. Both require training and practice. Both need a good voice and a great personality. And both demand that the speaker fully believe in what they are saying. An actor on a stage is just another magician doing their art. As a magician or a mambo in a ritual performance, all the stage directions and teachings apply fully. Stand up straight and tall; project with a deep voice; speak lively and mean what you say.

If you want the big guns of the astral to pay attention, you must come up to their level. And the way to begin is with a kick-ass evocation. There are other things yo can add to the production. Proper robes, correct incenses, authentic sigils and private prayers. But all if won't matter a whoot if you can't speak up and get their attention.

So make like Demosthenes speaking at the edge of the ocean. Leave out the marbles, but get your voice up to par by singing, speaking, reading out loud. A clear voice goes along way in Evocatory Ritual. Once you can speak without faltering, you are ready for the next step - preparation of the space.

Start practicing and we'll talk again next week. Be well and watch out for those rogue waves. They're a killer.