Monday, October 12, 2020. The final invocation of Lord Azazel, the final day of this seven-week pathworking. When I was preparing for the ritual, as usual, I did not know what to expect from the spirit. For the last seven weeks, or eight if you consider the preliminary invocation, he had served as guide, mentor, half drill-sergeant and half-father figure to me. He barked, and he comforted. He held me to my word, and left no room for excuses; Stern, yet kind. I threw myself into the ritual as the day before, culminating with my astral body flaming like a torch, kneeling in the circle, calling, calling. As always, his voice rang suddenly and without preamble into my consciousness.
Pick up the pencil and write.
I an here on the seventh day of our invocation.
You have done well. (Here my head bowed, and my body flooded with shame. All of my failings presented themselves to me nakedly, and I shook my head and frowned without saying anything.) You HAVE! (His voice took an encouraging tone, and I felt the sensation of an arm around my shoulder.)
Be proud, you did not falter. You did slack off, but I expected that. (here another feeling of comfort.)
I wish to reiterate the teachings I gave you concerning your role as Warrior/Magician/Priest. Please be aware that there are those who will work against you, but we, the gods, will be on your sides, flanking you during such attacks. You are chosen among many, so take that to heart. You will be great, and you will prevail. It is written in the heavens. Be strong, and know that we are here.
Is there anything more that is expected of me, from this point forward?
Yes, you need to keep up rituals, prayers, and worship. Do not neglect those that have assisted, who have vouched for you. Be their Patron as they have been yours.
Lord Azazel, the Patron you told me of during the last ritual. Can you tell me his name?
It is Amdusias.
Thank you for telling me this.
You need to forge a relationship with him, and make his worship and practices a priority after this invocation is done.
I will. What would you like me to do for you, Lord Azazel, when the invocations are done?
Call upon me, make an altar unto me. Make an altar unto all the Gods that you work with. Offer unto them, call upon them for advice.
Lord Azazel, would you like me to make an offering of blood unto you now? (This I was ready to do, as feasance and to show respect. Lord Azazel's reply was measured and thoughtful.)
No. Not now, not in this situation. If the situation calls for it, yes, but not now. Your offerings are sufficient.
(Here my mind raced, as I knew I had a question to ask him, but could not suddenly remember what it was. Lord Azazel recognized this.)
FOCUS! Get out of your head. (I took a deep breath. Ah! that did it.)
Do you recommend I continue my Qliphothic initiation?
Yes, continue with your initiations into the Qliphoth. The Circle of Bael is next. You may need to offer him blood, and do not stray from ritual. Bael desires ritual.
I am going now. Remember what I have said, keep it in your heart.
Will (my familiar spirit) remain with me still?
Spirit (Name Redacted) will remain with you when you call upon him.
(At this point, the realization that this was the end hit me hard. I became very emotional; tears welled up, and I struggled to control myself. Lord Azazel saw this, and once again his voice became gentle and comforting.)
I am not leaving you forever, but this is the end of our time together for now. Keep to your practices, and keep to your training. Follow training, find teachers.
I will. I love you, Lord Azazel.
I love you too. You are (here he spoke of my ancestry, confirming something I had some knowledge of from a prior experience.) You are of our number.
Keep the teachings.
Notes:
I did not expect myself to be so emotionally devastated by the end of the pathworking. After his presence left the space, I just sat in the circle with tears welling up in my eyes, drained. Generally, after a ritual, I remain in place as the world goes back to normal around me- it's hard to describe, but gradually I start noticing things like the clock on the wall, the light in the hall, noises coming from appliances; all the things that are muffled by what I assume is the opening of the Veil between worlds. The Quabalist and Hermetic in me references this as "Paroketh," the Veil of the Temple, but once again, your mileage may vary. Anyhoo, when the veil closes, the world once again intrudes, becoming "real" again.
This time, however, the world felt tinny and hollow, and cold. I sat gazing at nothing for a bit, then resolved to get going. The sad feeling faded after a bit, only to reappear when I reviewed my notes later.
So, along with my continuing preparations for War, I have two more ritual workings to accomplish in the near future- a working with my Patron, Duke Amdusias; and an initiation through the Qliphothic Sphere of A'arab Zaraq. I believe you, dear reader, can expect postings on one or the other in the near future.
I sincerely hope you have enjoyed these series. Given that invocations and interactions with spirits are intensely personal in nature, and somewhat tailored or customized (?) to the individual, I have still gathered that other practitioners have had similar insights into the personality of the spirits as I have. Take from this what you will; but I personally enjoy finding commonalities of experience with other magicians. Perhaps you will too.
Thank you very much for taking this ride with me, and as always, I truly hope your day is a pleasant one.
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