summoning

[ClawTalon]

im thinking of summoning something but i dont know where to begin i looked online about a whole bunch of summoning spells/rituals but with no luck they didnt work.

[AlchemicEnchanter]

I find this to be a hilarious aspect all it's own. The internet rarely supplies good information, but the one place that does seem to be the best reference is here:

http://www.occult-underground.com/ebooks.html

On the other note, I would make sure you know what you want to summon first, as different techniques work better for different people. So, here's the way I see summoning. You can summon:

1) Demons. (malignant or evil spirits)
2) Angels. (beneficial spirits)
3) Elemental Spirits (essentially the spirits of the dead)
4) Personal spirits (spirits you create by separating some of your own soul, to manifest in another spirit. Mind you, this leaves you as two parts of a whole, and works very much the same as birthing a spiritual familiar in witchcraft)

(mind you this is from my personal experience and study. Others may suggest the the elemental spirits are a whole lot of fancy fantasy creatures, but they're really not. If anything they are simple beings embodied through the element of your choosing)

One thing I would NOT advise:

Just opening up a summoning ritual to whatever may come. You should always have a spirit in mind, and use it's sigil in the ritual. Each spirit can take on different traits, and more viscous spirits such as demons and fire elementals will be first to heed your calling. Opening a door to the spirit world is NEVER a good idea. That's how people get hurt, or lose something of themselves in the process.

What I Would Advise:

1) the use of a sigil.

2) the use of a protection circle. Just in case something goes wrong. It doesn't have to be anything fancy, and a ring of salt will often do just fine.

3) Have goal in mind. Are you going to talk to the spirit? Learn from it? bind it to an object? Banish it? Make sure you have thought this out thoroughly, as often times these things cannot be made up on the go. (and for the language, make sure you have something in the spell to make it speak your tongue, or at least know how to speak tongues if it doesn't work.)

4) Have a Closing ritual ready, or a defensive alternative just in case you need to dispose of the spirit quickly, ie: mom walks into the room, or it starts trying to physically/mentally harm you.

*** The Most important thing to realize beforehand though, is that (and I believe in this whole-heartedly) is the law of equivalent exchange. Be sure to have an offering to the spirit for when it arrives, because often if you don't, later you will notice certain personality aspects have been lost, mental conditions changed, or even physical possessions missing. Don't expect to not loose something in the process. Ready the offering according to the spirits liking too. This may take some research, meditation, or scrying, but having the correct offering can pay off in the end.

[ClawTalon]

thank you guys

[AlchemicEnchanter]

No, I would consider summoning/using spirits to be it's own sect of magic. Some people like this form better than others. Thats all. It's not a necessary trade by any means either. I've only ever done 1 summoning successfully, (obviously there were a lot of trial to get it right) but even then it was a necessity of respect to a spirit who had helped me earlier. Other than that, I do not consider summoning to be my forte of occult studies. That would be Alchemic enchantment, as my name implies. :)