We’ve nearly wrapped up our examination of Solomonic methods of spirit conjuration. At this point we should have a working knowledge of how to make contact with a spirit, set the terms of engagement, and participate in the resulting communication. There’s one more element, often overlooked, that’s worth covering in our discussion of the Ligatio phase of our ritual: ritual revision.
The reason the Solomonic method is so complicated is that it proceeds from the assumption that making genuine spirit contact is hard. All the fasting, purification, and complex circles and prayers are used to bridge the gap between entities who experience the universe in wildly different ways. It’s intended to clarify the channels needed to bring you into first contact with an alien being.
But the fact that it’s intended to accomplish first contact is important. Grimoires are often called “Keys of Solomon” because they contain the requisite methods to open the door. Once the door is open, once spirit contact has been made, the key is no longer needed. There is no expectation that you spend days fasting and hours in ritual every time you want to connect with a spirit. Once that relationship has been established, communication gets easier.
During the communication phase of the ritual – in Ligatio – one of the things I’d recommend is asking the spirit how you should modify your ritual to make contact easier the next time around. We can see this very explicitly in The Art of Drawing Spirits into Crystals, which includes an interrogatory section immediately after communication has been established:
Interrog. 1. In the name of the holy and undefiled Spirit, the Father, the begotten Son, and Holy Ghost, proceeding from both, what is thy true name?
If the spirit answers, Michael, then proceed.
Quest. 2. What is thy office? 3. What is thy true sign or character? 4. When are the times most agreeable to thy nature to hold conference with us?
This is framed in terms of confirming that the spirit called is the one who actually showed up, but it accomplishes another purpose as well. It also asks the spirit to provide any alternate name, or seal, or time of day that might make the ritual more effective. Perhaps you conducted the ritual in the morning, but the spirit would actually be more responsive in the afternoon. Perhaps there is a different seal the spirit would find more compelling.1 If you’re making offerings, this is a good time to ask about the spirit’s tastes – perhaps they prefer sandalwood to frankincense, or tequila over wine. All of these tweaks can be made in future conjurations to establish contact more quickly and clearly.
And these are all fairly minor changes. You might instead be given a dramatically simplified ritual to contact the spirit in the future. Perhaps the spirit will now respond to you any time you place their seal under a glass of water and recite a conjuration facing east. Or chant their name a hundred times. Or speak to a talisman you have consecrated to be an anchor for them on the physical plane. The only limits here are creativity – you and the spirit can work out something that fits well with your existing practice.
And that only covers changes for your own practice. In the past I’ve discussed Solomonic conjuration rituals through the lens of communication protocols; one of the reasons there’s a benefit to using an established grimoire over just making up your own thing is that it has a track record of success. The spirits know how to listen for it.
But the only fundamental requirement of a communication protocol is that both parties agree to it. A grimoire is a lever on the universe, but there’s nothing magical (ha) about these particular levers. If you’ve been practicing for a while, you will likely have diverged somewhat from established sources. You may wish to write your own grimoire, to share those innovations with others. In this case when you conjure a spirit you might ask them to honor your revised ritual, both in future interactions with you and for anyone else using the same ritual. This has the effect of carving a new lever, one that gets stronger the more it is used.
Once you’ve gone through the trouble of making contact with a spirit, it’s worthwhile to do what you can to lessen the effort in the future. Some magicians go so far as to have an introductory conjuration where they only establish contact, without any other specific ask of the spirit. But that’s by no means a requirement. Even just a few questions on the spirit’s preferences will set you up well for success in future conjurations.
This post is part of a series on Solomonic magic. You can find the next post here.