Invoking/Evoking... What?
I've noticed that several people on this forum think of invocation/evocation as regarding conscious entities. I tend not to see it that way: I think of the mental images of angels and demons as gateways to manipulating "energy", which is just a catch-all phrase for the tendency of mind and matter to give way to willpower. Images are like monitors to a computer - they allow you to do your task but don't tell you much about the underlying hardware responsible. My understanding is that this is the Crowley/Regardie line of thought.
I've put up a poll to get some takes. Please feel free to explain your view and your reasons for it. I'm curious to see who is in the majority.
EDIT: I've done some thinking. The conscious entity view seems to be the best explanation of certain phenomena. I revoke my earlier comment.