Image from Pixabay
Of course, like all neat categorisations, this magickal theory is a gross simplification and in practice you will find these operations bluring into each other and even practises and experiences that defy such labels. But that doesn't mean the labels are useless, and they can help you understand other magicians writings if you know the words, or even help you approach new areas of magick that might be lacking in your current practise. I will explain these operations from the psychological model, because I believe, rightly or wrongly, that this is the most widely accessable perspective to my readers. I plan to write about the other models shortly however, so know that I do not mean to limit these techniques to this perspective.
Put simply, divination is the art of getting information through magical means. From a psychological perspective, this technique can be very useful for unlocking your subconscious worries, fears and hopes concerning a situation, enabling you to better face it. Some magicians place an emphasis on being able to obtain verifiable results. Techniques range from casting from a select set of symbols, such as in tarot, I-Ching, runes, Ifa, etc, to more fluid divination styles such as scrying, automatic writing, automatic drawing, and dream interpretation.
The art of making things happen through magickal means. Whether it be through the making of a sigil, candle magick, ceremonial ritual, paying for something to happen, asking for the intercession of saints or angels, or the chanting of mantras, the magician will sometimes seek to influence the outcome of events. Psychologically speaking we can, through a manipulation of our own confidence and attitudes, or shifting our perception, make ourselves more likely to get the job, attract the right kind of love into our lives, make the friends we need, and be in the right place at the right time, noticing the opertunities that were always there for us. Banishing to create a boundary before and after a ritual might be seen as a specialist kind of enchantment.
Talking to spirits. Spirits can be seen as parts of our own psyche, hidden desires, repressed behavioural patterns, or indeed well entrenched behavioural patterns. They also contain our internal models of other people we know in our lives. The 'parent' in your head that speaks like your actual parent. The fictional character in your head from your favourite film, comic or novel. The celebrity musician, artist or film star we idolise. Politicians we hate. These 'selves' all live in our minds. Plus we can make new ones just by thinking about them hard enough. Why talk to them? Because the existing ones can cause you no end of trouble without you even realising it if you don't. Because the new ones can help shake up your routine and get you out of a rut. They can aid in divination and enchantment, but as good allies they can also bring benefits you never asked for...
Allowing your consciousness perspective to become that of a spirit. Some authors prefer to teach invocation first and then teach evocation as a projecting outwards. I have found success in approaching it the other way around, summoning awareness of an external presence then allowing it in. Sometimes I allow it in to guide an automatic drawing or writing. Other times it can be a more dramatic temporary possession in a full blown ritual. Why do this? Think of method acting. By becoming the character you can more naturally assume their behaviours. By becoming a spirit, we can learn new behavioural expressions and expand our sense of self to encompass new horizons, opening up new possibilities and new oportunities. Plus it can simply be fun. An invocation can also be used to aid enchantment, divination or even evocation.
Seeing through the illusions we live in. Unable to see the world as it actually is, we have to content ourselves with seeing it through the lens of our senses as interpretted through the mental models we have constructed in our minds. Often we defend these mental constructs as 'the truth' even when they increasingly prove inaccurate. Some of these 'truths' have been fed to us by our societies, religions, advertising, media, families, celebrities we placed trust in, authors we liked the writing of, favourite website communities and other social circles. It can be hard to see through such illusions because doing so can alienate us from those still caught up in them. And yet breaking free of their bonds brings enormous freedom. Illumination often comes in the form of 'The Tower' in the tarot. Our mental construct comes face to face with a truth we cannot ignore, a lightning bolt that shatters the whole structure and sends it tumbling to the ground like a house of cards.
