Fields of Operation in Practical Magick (Part 2. Thoughts and Suggestions)

Introduction

Being the second of two parts, this video discusses the ‘fields of operation’ in practical magick. While the former deals with theory and techniques, this one shares thoughts and suggestions based on personal reflections on using the model. So if you haven’t already, it would be reasonable to start with the first part and proceed with this. As mentioned in it, the purpose of this content isn’t to tell anyone what to do or claim one approach as ‘right,’ whereas others as ‘wrong.’ Instead, it is to help others find what works for them.

Banishing Field

According to most books on Practical Magick, each operation should start and end with a banishing field. The first creates a clear space, which the invoked forces can fill without interference. The second is to purify the temple after, ensuring no astral leftovers hang in it. This approach is influenced by the ‘more traditional’ Golden Dawn method of invoking and banishing a specific force in what I think of as ‘pyramid fashion.’ You can learn more about that in virtually any book on Golden Dawn magick.

Comment

As hinted at in the previous video, I encountered several downsides to using such an approach when doing practical magick. The first is that while eliminating all influences, following LBRP with an LBRH remains a boundary between micro and macrocosm, making influencing the physical world ‘extra difficult.’ This means you isolate the force you’re invoking in a sterile environment without interacting with (or engaging) the objective reality. Supposedly, this should allow you better to sense the subtlety of planetary and sephirotic invocations and/or when a spirit is present. On the contrary, I found that it diminishes the effects of my practical magick, making such results vague and barely noticeable.

Are Preliminary Banishings Essential

Some traditional Golden Dawn-ers consider preliminary banishings essential only when you’re not in your sacred space and/or your temple is also used by other people for other stuff. Examples are temples used by multiple groups and or for different purposes. If that isn’t the case, then the invoking or operant fields seem more reasonable — more on that in a moment.

Banishing Your Luck

A risk scholars (including Scott Stenwick) note is that frequently banishing the macrocosm (or the objective) might (as well) banish all the fortune and luck you are born with.

Comment

(I believe) This makes solid sense if we admit that luck is, if not entirely, at least primarily, the higher probability or likelihood of things going your way, particularly in the objective.

Some traditional Golden Dawn-ers consider preliminary banishings essential only when you’re not in your sacred space and/or your temple is also used by other people for other stuff. Examples are temples used by multiple groups and or for different purposes. If that isn’t the case, then the invoking or operant fields seem more reasonable — more on that in a moment.

Is Closing with a Banishing Field Essential

It is said that not banishing after working might negatively affect your psyche, ‘especially’ if you use planetary or sephirothic energy and/or include something like SIRP. Slightly deviating from that, some people argue that it is only necessary if you want to have a mystical experience by meditating for a period with the invoked force and then banishing after.

Comment

I found that using LBRH after working might not be optimal since it banishes the created thought form and cripples the operation, vastly mitigating the effects and making the result difficult to manifest. Also, that closing with a license to depart, declaring the temple is closed, and a QC to anchor/seal the energy to my consciousness is far superior regarding proactively building things in my life.

Personal Experience

Besides that, my most profound experiences weren’t while meditating in a circle and waiting for something to kick in after an invocation, which I eventually banished. Usually, they occur while actively doing things in my life after invoking a particular current or force (without banishing after.) Letting the force influence as many of my activities as possible and obtaining insights during that process.

Invoking and Operant Fields

Since having different results, different people prefer one over the other. The group of Scott Stenwick, the scholar and author because of whom I started using the operant model, dramatically improving the efficiency of my practical magick, gets the best results using the OF. While I recognize the OF’s potency and versatility and use it frequently, I can not agree it gives me the absolute best results, exerting maximum power. Thereby, I see it as the second best in terms of practicality.

Keith Crook

Since he inspired this and the previous post, I can’t skip mentioning my loyal subscriber Keith Crook. After testing and trying, Crook shared that none of the others produces the kind of impact the ‘invoking field’ does, supporting my conclusion. I’ll be happy if you let me know whether you get similar results. And if so, in what way?

LIRP 

This is why I see LIRP as very underrated compared to its counterpart. It doesn’t remove, but it brings you into the magick along with the LIRH’s macrocosmic probability shift and the force you invoke next. LBRP purifies your inner being, but I wouldn’t say LIRP does the opposite; it consecrates your magick. Plus, not all people experience psychological tension all the time—even if they have traumas and other conditions.

Reconciliation

As displayed in the Tree of Life, one of the fundamental aims of Western Magick is the reconciliation of opposites. The ‘lower’ with the ‘higher’ self. Micro and Macrocosm. etc., IMHO, by isolating the two latter, the banishing field works against that. On the other hand, the’ invoking’ empowers both while opening each to the other, so they can mingle and interlink. This is why it’s said that the ‘invoking’ field merges subjective and objective realities, allowing thought to become a reality more readily; also why scholars like Jeff Rhoades refer to it as an ’empowering’ field.

SIRP and OBW

Depending on who you ask, SIRP (or OBW) are either redundant or should replace your ‘operant’ or ‘invoking’ fields following an opening banishing. On the other hand, I found there are more options than these. Inspired by different sources and scholars, I dare to say I’ve been successfully stacking ‘invoking’ and ‘operant field’ with SIRP. I’d also like to know whether you’ve implemented a similar approach. Let me know in the comments below. And if you want to know how to do SIRP, I suggest my video on it. It covers the rite in great detail.

Reasons for SIRP 

So what exactly does SIRP add to an invoking field in your practical magick? Primarily based on personal experience, the way I feel about it is this. The ‘invoking field’ opens the inner and outer worlds to each other, giving a higher probability shift while empowering your inner being. SIRP lets that have a more immediate and direct impact on physical reality by opening the elemental universes. In more slang terms, (I’d say) it puts the operation on steroids, especially if you also engage the tablets, which are now available on my Etsy store for digital download.

Elemental and Planetary Magick

It is said that elemental magick manifests very fast, whereas planetary might take days to kick in. I “wouldn’t agree” with that (entirely) when stacking an invoking field with SIRP. In that case, I believe the practical magick works much faster. It also makes me highly accountable for taking massive action and doing my part as best as possible in my day-to-day life. More on that in the works Damon Brand.

Nature and Vacuum

A danger some practitioners ignore is that doing excess banishings create a vacuum. As we know, Nature abhors a vacuum, filling it with whatever it finds most readily available. According to scholars like Mark Stavish, this includes orchestrating your life by filling the emptiness however it finds suitable. For me, that turns out to be passivity, apathy, and unimaginable introversion.

Personal Experience

Besides not getting the desired practical results, I noticed becoming isolated and ‘capsulated’ when using the banishing field extensively. As mentioned in my LRP video… my whole life felt like it was put on ‘hold’ or ‘pause,’ lacking interactions, events, and excitement. I also found myself distant and passive in activities I enjoy, such as my (overall) strife, motivation, and initiative.

My ‘magickal curiosity,’ as Don Webb calls it, was on the lower. So I wasn’t experimenting with new stuff; all I did was read, banish, meditate, and do the most basic Middle Pillar.

Personality Types

It is worth mentioning I am an introvert; I am also pretty great at banishing ‘bad’ stuff from my life, and I did it with multiple substance addictions, unhealthy habits, and toxic people. I don’t need magick ‘for that,’ and I am naturally great at it. Although it has its advantages, the biggest downside of such a tendency is that it can isolate me from the world, which I found that the banishing field severely amplifies while keeping me and everything around me on pause.

Magickal Curiosity

Conversely, doing magick in the ‘operant’ and ‘invoking’ fields does not just give me higher probability shifts. It also makes me acknowledge the good and the bad from the past, giving it the meaning that best serves my future and moving on with my life. I (also) feel more present and grounded when using ‘invoking’ or ‘operant’ magic(k).

Wicca and Cleaning

Mentioning Nature reminds me of Wiccans emphasizing how simple cleaning and ordering your space is a powerful purification in and of its own. Although some ceremonial magicians like to make fun of Witches for such claims, I couldn’t resonate more with their wisdom. LBRP purifies the operator’s being, removing internal obstacles and alleviating negative notions and emotional distress. For me, cleaning and ordering my space as neatly as possible, such as taking cold showers before each practice, is just as excellent, if not superior, for doing just that. Plus, cold showers stimulate the central nervous system making you more mindful and present without jitters.

Reasons to Banish

That, however, is different from saying I’d never use LBRP or a ‘banishing field.’ The first is how I exclusively start my operations, in the rare cases after meeting a jerk or feeling heavy or agitated. In fact, I find LBRP indispensable for bringing inner peace after dealing with such people. As mentioned in the previous video, you can think of banishing a sanitizer; it’s great to use it if you just finished dealing with garbage for an hour. But if you start putting it on your skin too often, even when clean, you might get rashes or something worse… I use the banishing field after experimenting with a technique to amp up its effects, but I succeeded only partially. It never disappoints in normalizing everything rapidly.

Too Many Invocations

There’s the argument that doing too many invocations will eventually catch up with you. And you’ll have to deal with it. Now let us consider you are invoking particular energies, having multiple spells running to bring specific results and/or characteristics in you. Let us also suppose you do things according to correspondences and, most important, consciously deliver a precise ‘charge of intent,’ such as a ‘license to depart’ after.

Question

What if all those energies stack up, and the magick (eventually) works? Wasn’t that the reason you used Practical Magick in the first place? Whatever your thoughts, I’ll be happy if you share them in the comments below the video on YouTube.

Stories and Urban Legends

Anyone in fitness knows the story about someone who ate meager calories, did frequent rigorous exercise, and never got shredded. Similarly, most of those in self-help likely know people who buy all the books and programs and visit all the seminars without making any progress. Very common (I think), such stories aren’t just urban legends but create stereotypes.

Stereotypes

Anyone in fitness knows the story about someone who ate meager calories, did frequent rigorous exercise, and never got shredded. Similarly, most of those in self-help likely know people who buy all the books and programs and visit all the seminars without making any progress. Very common (I think), such stories aren’t just urban legends but create stereotypes.

In magick, there’s the story of the person who practiced for 10-20 years without any results. Frustrated and angry at the ‘work,’ they went to a local temple, arguing magick doesn’t work and is a bunch of Stoney baloney. After listening to their story, one of the hierophants asked about their practice. The person responded that if not entirely, they did banishings primarily. Then the hierophant advised the seeker to swap out all their banishings for invocations.  A month went by, and that person returned to the temple. This time they shared that their whole life changed, improving significantly.