PsyDuckmonkey wrote:The best way to relate to other beings (human or otherwise) is mutual respect and granting space and freedom. Worship and deference are as bad (and in fact just the other side of the same coin) as attempts at control.
Well said.
@SunshineRecorder
First off, I hope that you're feeling well since and that you did not have to endure intolerable hardship during the experience. I feel that suffering is never "deserved", no matter the reason. No being should suffer.
I won't go adding my judgements or beliefs to this thread otherwise... However; If I may instead recommend some authors and books you may be interested in, it would be my pleasure to pay it forward. I'm happy to share digital copies of almost anything I mention, so long as it's been released to the public or the author is no longer living.
Before I mention anything, I'd like to highly recommend to anyone interested in Chaos Magick and/or psychedelic exploration:
"Liber Null & Psychonaut" by Peter Carroll &
"Techniques of Modern Shamanism" by Phil Hine. Both are fantastic in their own right, and together provide a solid foundation for the practice of integrating magick and psychedelics. They are also challenging excursions into the topics which are not merely intellectual in nature, as magick itself is foremost a journey of the spirit.
For a more broad and empirically-founded overview of the use of psychedelics in magick and spirituality, I strongly recommend
Julian Vanyne's "Pharmakon: Drugs and The Imagination"On the subject of evocation and sigils, I might suggest that one's beginning attempts at either art form be directed toward positively effecting his or her own own life... This is not just to prevent unduly harming another individual in one's own ignorance; By focusing your efforts on your own life, you are better able to recognize the results of your actions and you have more experience from which to learn.
Regarding Sigils: I would, of course, recommend the works of A.O. Spare simply because it is the only way to really understand the fundamentals of the artform. The world is littered with the ashes of impotent sigils created by people who disregarded the need for creativity and meditation during their creation. A sigil is simply a well thought-out doodle unless it is brought to life in the consciousness of its creator (and preferably everyone else)... That being said, Spare is certainly not easy to read, and for some more contemporary viewpoints on the subject, I would suggest Peter Carroll, Phil Hine, Andrieh Vitimus and Ralph Tegtmeier (Frater U.D.).
And, uh... Well, when it comes to evocation... It might not be so wise to go binding spirits to your friends and loved ones unless you are intimately familiar with the servitor in question and have a trusting relationship with it already. It would be a shame if you had to call Ghostbusters because you accidentally unleashed the wrath of Cthulhu on your best friend while trying to help him get a record deal. (See
Phil Hine's "Rites That Go Wrong") This isn't an area that I'm all that into, and I don't know that I can make any solid recommendations. However, I would caution
against starting with the classic works of western magic. I find that contemporary chaotes often have an approach that is far more grounded and comprehensible to our modern minds which provide a more steady foundation from which to explore. Again, I would recommend Peter Carroll, Phil Hine and Andrieh Vitimus as good contemporary authors on those works.
You may also want to check out
Phil Hine's On Cursing, since you seem to like his work.
On the topic of drugs of choice:
Personally, I like mild quidded salvia, LSA and smallish amounts of LSD around the time/s when I am practicing any sort of ritual, as they are more likely to evoke in me a refreshed state of calm wellbeing and a more accepting conscientious outlook, without much if any distraction or difficulty in getting there; Whereas I find DMT to be far too strange and difficult to understand, or that the emotional gravity of the experience was far more than I had expected or prepared for.
I prefer DMT for helping to bring about profound moments of inspiration, for powerful encounters which challenge my spirit and for initiatory purposes. For ritual, energy work or chemignosis, it's often just very much not what I'm needing in that moment.
Woah, it's late... I hope you can find some good reads in there! Let me know if you'd like any ebooks that aren't currently putting food in the author's mouth. I'm happy to share!
Best of luck,
And Happy Trails!
-Hg