There is a magical process of connecting to a god, any god, which is nearly scientific and has been a feature of religion without ever being mentioned — a Daemon.
In “Making Imagination” I said that all gods exist but are reflections of a central divine unity which divides itself into seven (or nine) different functions or rays. These functions are given masks by humans which give a Divine form for acting with that human. Organised religion is where humans agree on some of the general nature of these forms and sets common rules but even within that umbrella each person sees their God slightly differently.
Pagans were clear on the difference between these masks and the real gods behind them. A real god did not require a sacrifice, or prayers, but daemons needed them to survive. Daemons had a form, where a God did not. But like their name suggests, Daemons act as messengers for the Divine forms they represent. A human encountering Jupiter would, like Semele, be destroyed by its infinite power and glory. A Daemon of Jupiter acts as a transformer for that power.
While a god can not be requested to do anything, a Daemon can be asked or ordered to do something. When you see ancient prayers binding or ordering gods about these are working with Daemons.
A Daemon has considerable limitations compared to the God behind it. Because a single human makes it, it initially contains their perceptions and prejudices and is weak. But over time it builds in power and effectiveness DEPENDING ON THE ABILITY OF THE CREATOR TO CONNECT TO THE ORIGINAL DIVINE FORCE. A Daemon of a love is not going to communicate properly for a God of Hate. Once it connects to that God it evolves to be closer to its nature and starts speaking less like its human creator. Its powers become general enough for other people to follow it and if the Daemon’s creator was so minded it could form a new religion.
The evolution of a Daemon follows these stages:
- A basic idea forms in the mind of a human connected to how they see a God.
- They name and invoke it and build up its power using sacrifices, slowly tuning it to a perception of the God.
- The Daemon makes a gradual on again and off again connection to the original God who uses it as a tool of communication and for working on the astral realm.
- The Daemon becomes independent of the creator and continues to operate while it is “fed.”
- A starving daemon inspires adaption amongst its followers, if it fails the human side of it fades into the astral and the divine spark of it returns to its God. This process takes a long time in human terms and some of these old Daemons are sleeping or moving slowly in the Astral to conserve energy. Sometimes they merge with other similar forms. For example, we see a lot of Medieval Marian energy trying to unite itself to modern Wicca (having had to adapt itself from Isis in Antiquity).
A modern magician should be disinterested in forming a new religion, but connections to the Divine are a vital part of their work (There is even a specialist form of magic working on the astral with old Gods) and spiritual path.
Each person expresses one of the primal rays more than others and tends to see the universe as if that God ruled it. For example, a writer might see themselves drawn to the more Mercurial gods and develop philosophies which are based around words. To them Christ would be the divine Logos who stood before the One in the beginning and created everything, or Thoth who hatches the Divine egg with his word. It is pointless to worship a God which does not resonate with you in some important way. There is no point trying to make a connection to a War God if you do not, at some level, see War or hate as having a use. Searching for what ray you are operating on is an extremely important stage of magic and one which has been overlooked.
Indigo Ray (Saturn) Fate, time, the past, limits and boundaries, form, structures including houses, old age, Death, serious, ambition, bones, knees, skeleton, shins, ankles and circulation, rheumatism, arthritis, envy, suffering, fear, guilt, toxins, repressed aspects of the self, death, vermin and lice, farmers, politicians, scientists, architects, teachers, mines, mountains, discipline and wastelands.
Blue Ray (Jupiter) Water, lawmaking, religion, opportunity, growth, progress, evolution, money, banks, rulers, royalty, faith, hope, charity, redemption, freedom, spiritual wisdom and development, hypocrisy, hips, thighs, feet, lawyers, priests, counsellors, open spaces, public places, and panoramic views.
Red Ray (Mars) Fire, wars, anger, action, sexual desire, physical energy, quarrels, courts, justice, courage, protection, transformation, revenge, destruction, surgery, the head, genitals, excretory system, rashes, red spots, migraine, predators, soldiers, surgeons, athletes, furnaces, foundries, and metal work.
Emerald Ray (Venus) Earth, love, eroticism, desire, pleasure, inspiration, joy, partnerships, peace, laughter, friendship, creativity, the arts, beauty, evaluation, promiscuity, over-indulgence, lewdness, gentle animals, the throat and neck, kidneys, lower back, sex workers, diplomats, artists, fashions, designers, gardners, bedrooms and gardens.
Orange Ray (Mercury) Communication, movement, messages, computers, the media, language, trade, theft, magic, skill, learning, intellect, psychology as a science, rationality, cunning and mischievous animals like monkeys, the digestive system, arms and hands, merchants, clerks, accountants, scholars, universities, examinations, shops, schools, airports and train and bus stations.
Purple Ray (Moon) The unconscious, habits, instinct, sea, rhythm, the astral realm, mysteries, women (particularly their health), mothers, childbirth, psychism, menstruation, mental health, the stomach, breasts, warts, sterility, obsessions, delusions, insanity, cleaners, brewers, midwives, sailors, and harbours.
Yellow Ray (Sun) Air, leadership, general health, healing, organisation, arrogance, display, disdain, drama, fathers, power, individualisation, the heart, the back, the lungs, kings, directors, managers, actors, palaces, and theatres.
The Daemonic Form
Having worked out what Ray you are operating on you find a “base” god which holds similar views. You can find the seven rays expressed in ALL religions. A more church orientated Roman Catholic is likely to see Jesus in Blue ray terms while a Southern Baptist might see him as all fire and brimstone and look for a more Justice enforcer.
Once you have done that, create an image in your head about what your version of God looks like. You can attach symbols you associate with it to the form.
Next create an inner landscape where you might meet. This only needs a tentative association as it is more of an inner plane location where you feel comfortable meeting the Daemon. It can be a temple or outdoors, it is up to you.
Finally, you need to write a small daily offering ritual where you will offer a tealight to the Daemon.
Daily Offering ritual
This is the key to creating a Daemon quickly, but I should point out this is a slow process. It took me a couple of years before the Daemon I was working with “levelled up” to a point where it was useful.
The ritual should be simple, and quick and easily memorised. There are instructions which can be followed here.
It should not be changed It should outline what you think the God is to you, and make the point that you are offering this candle to symbolise your devotion to the magical path and to that Divine Expression. It should list some of the God or Goddesses’ titles and Divine Names (in the original language). You should keep the ritual secret because it provides a personal key to the Daemon and will be a foundation for all your magical work. You will use this small prayer before any magical work you are doing to further empower your Daemon during your magical experience (and to allow the Daemon to assist you in your work).
This ritual must be done daily without any excuses. The only time it cannot be done is when you have already invoked the Daemon as part of your regular magical work. You might miss once or twice but if you do you should do it twice the next day. You can (rarely) skip the candle if you cannot offer it but you should always do the prayer.
It is vital that you see yourself as sacrificing to the main God and not to its Daemon. The creation of a Daemon is what is happening, but your goal is to form a relationship with the God through the Daemon. If you focus on the Daemon, it will not form a useful connection with the God or evolve. It will just be you talking to a disembodied aspect of yourself.
Regular offering ritual
These are when you offer food, incense, wine, flowers and candles to the God. This is left on the altar until it goes stale and the prayer is said as normal. You can write a separate regular offering ritual which is a little more involved to highlight that this ritual is special.
The goal of this ritual is it give your Daemon a power boost. It should be done if you have had a ritual success using that Daemon. It is a gesture of thanks, but it is also a partial compensation for the power the Daemon will have used to bring about the effect you wanted. Again, you are not thanking the Daemon, but the God which is behind it.
What happens next?
For a long time you will not notice anything. Some days the rituals will be done out of duty, other times you will have a religious experience, which will also pass. During this phase you might start getting answers to questions which are posed in your mind, which you might not have produced on your own. I find that when I am writing, a phrase will trigger a new idea. When one of these ideas pans out, attribute them to the God speaking to you. Do not make a big thing about this. Likewise when you have a dream which the God features take it seriously.
After some time, your little ritual visualisations will “become real” and you will feel a presence when you work it. It is during this phase that the communication steps up and will start saying things that you might disagree with but prove to be true on reflection or by experience. A mystic will accept this without question, but a magician knows to be more careful. This is the time where the Daemon has gained power and more independence. With a connection to the God and a strong astral body it is close to being human (with all that entails). At this point you should write a ritual which (for the first time) acknowledges a difference between the Daemon and the God and “initiate your Daemon” into the God it represents. Practically, if you have been good at your work the Daemon does not need this. What you are wanting to do is to make sure that it does not stray from being a channel for the God and it does its job better.
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