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Diaryland
Grimoire Ritual Tools June 28, 2008 @ 7:15 am
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/solomonic/
There are many ritual tools in the grimiores, whose purpose is not really explained... and some of them very hard to find and make, so I have two questions: Is it necessary to have all of these ritual tools, even though their purposes are not explained and as for the consecration, is there a... safe and rational substitute for items such as cat blood, or lion skin, it seems so voodoo (although I know there are some similarities between the symbols), or cant i just incense them, and dip them in holy water, or some other sacred oil?
Would anybody recommend ritual tools for me to have other then the dagger, the wand, the chalice, and the pentacle? (others that are mentioned, some
not all: sword of art, sickle, burin, schimitar, staff, short lance, the ring) - Tyler
Oh, the tools have their purposes explained -- you just gotta look a bit closer. Usually they just give a quick sort of synopsis, but you've also got to consider the context within the rest of the text
as well as the symbolism involved. You have to reread the grims a lot of times because they deliberately obscure things to make you do your
homework. Like in the goetia, where you find the instructions for various tools scattered amongst the spirit descriptions, as examples for dealing with various effects.
You can use imaginal versions many times, but often they lack the grounding, permanency, seriousness, and heart that goes into making a
beautiful tool. Remember, craftsmanship is a Divine Art; a gift from the gods. It is a worthy subject of contemplation and practice in itself. Take the time and effort to create a really beautiful work of craftsmanship and art, and it will carry a powerful and personal magic all its own that with care can last for a lifetime.
A ritual tool is just like any physical tool, only you use it to perform analogical effects instead of linear ones. So sometimes you use certain tools, othertimes you don't. Some are more important and
more frequently used than others. Some can do double-duty and some can't. Basically, you just need the right tools for the job at hand.
I don't know if you have a garage workstation and set of tools, but consider that as an example. There's a couple things like a hammer, nails, and screwdriver you'll probably be using fairly often. Other things like electric tools or saws or awls probably get used less often. Nonetheless, its nice to have a full set of tools to deal with all kinds of situations and circumstances. But if you're just beginning to put a home worktable and tool box together, you probably don't need to obtain everything off the bat. Start with the humble essentials and then obtain and create additional tools for your collection as your craft and practice advances into new areas and levels of skill.
Who says that using animal parts is necessarily unsafe and sub-rational? You've been living in a sterilized world my friend. But I can understand your concerns. Traditionally, if one was to sacrifice an animal and utilize its materials, it was done as a sacred act in the most quick, painless, and humane way possible. Kosher butchers today carry on this tradition. There were many sorcerers however who worked themselves and their animals into a frenzy and then killed them pretty gruesomely in order to obtain and absorb a specific kind of power from them. For example, some Japanese sorcerers used to starve dogs right in front of food they couldn't get at, then kill them and absorb the power of the hunger in order to empower themselves magically. These were pretty heterdox practices though and they were outlawed and reviled by most of the major religions, I believe.
So if you don't want to use blood and/or animal parts (and check to make sure you aren't being hypocritical about this: consider the origins of your food and clothing among other things), there are
alternatives. What you must do is ensure that either way, you obtain and empower an item with the necessary virtues that you will need for your work. All the items should be generally blessed with Divine power and authority, but the different tools will require different potencies, and in goetia these tend to be more animistic and totemic.
Be creative.
"Details in the Fabric" - May 31, 2009
Not So Quick Questions - April 6, 2009
The Morning Stars - Lords of the 15 - April 9, 2009
Sincerity and Faith in Magic - April 10, 2009
Not So Quick Questions (2) - April 14, 2009
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