Invoking... what IS? & what not?

#1
What is invoking?
Can invoking really work for Tarot? is it possible to Invoke, using Tarot cards (they say in other sites... confused here)

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#2
And if i were to follow a goddess... can i pick any, even from outside my culture and religion?

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My MOM tells me, from a very young age... I had this fascination for "Egypt".

I used to copy and draw (and one figure, inparticular), which i later found out to be "ISIS" (the winged godess)... maybe it had to do with her, wings... you know how kids are... but i still find... her amazing.

And a year ago... unexpectedly, this Chat friend... whom i don't even know that properly... asked for my address... and Sent me this amazing "Paparus portrait of ISIS", in Birthday.

I have it FRAMED, in my room... and whenever i feel down, i look at her and feel Charged!!!

hmmm.... conclusion being... can i make her my goddess ?

She is good goddess right.. he he he (i mean naice, and frenly)

love ya all....
Alook

I wish...

I wish... some one will help?
Or is my question... too silly?

He he he... sorry!!!

love and hugs
Alook

Kathmandu, Nepal

Soul2Soul said:

What is invoking?
Can invoking really work for Tarot? is it possible to Invoke, using Tarot cards (they say in other sites... confused here)

Click to expand...

Hi soul2soul,

What do you mean by invoking? Do you mean inovoking spirits or invoking Deitiy, a Goddess or God?

Personally, when I use tarot I don't ivoke anything although sometimes I ask The Universe in general to help me see what I'm meant to see in the cards and to help me to communicate what I see.
I think that some people use spirit guides to help with their readings and I'm sure many others just use themselves.

I'm not sure whether you could use the cards to 'invoke spirits', I've never tried and can't really see any need to but I have heard of folk using the tarot to communicate with spirts.

edited to add:
As for Goddesses, I think that you can make any Goddess 'your' Goddess and you do sound drawn to Isis, you seem to have some connection there so I'd go with that

Invoking means to call upon an invisible being - spirit, god or goddess, angel, ancestor, etc. to join you and preside over a ritual with their presence and participation. When you invoke, you "pull" the being into your sacred space. It's done during Catholic Mass, Voodoo ceremonies, Hindu ceremonies, in Witchcraft circles, etc. You invoke generally to bring about a transformation, effected by the being, or to ask the being to lend support to something (e.g. to fill the assembly with love, or give victory to the people's army).

I don't invoke the divine when I read tarot, I don't see the point, but I do ask for guidance and wisdom. I invoke at other moments (ritual, sometimes for meditation - including meditation with tarot cards). I understand it's possible to invoke gods or spirits or angels during a tarot reading, but I've never tried.

As far as I know, you can invoke who you like, we live in a globalised world after all, where synchretism is becoming the norm. Only it's best to get to know the being you are invoking very well - you might get some unpleasant surprises otherwise. At a ritual I took part in recently, in which the ancestors were invoked, there was an empath who just keeled over: the crowd of ancestors drained him suddenly - he felt all their emotions!

Invocation is not really a card reading practice but more of a magico-religious practice that some people will incorporate into their card reading rituals. You'd get much better results seeking out a religious/magic crowd for more info.

The invocation itself will depend on the tradition you follow but at the core will consist of the same "calling on the deities, following proper procedure and saying appropriate words/formulas".

It is much better to stick to your own culture, at least at the beginning, as that's the mindset your unconscious was molded in and it will be much easier to connect and communicate with higher beings, in a tongue that's natural to you, when you are an image of them (or them of you!)... So they say anyways... I found it to be wise advice.

Just as wise is the recommendation that you also pay respects to the entities of the dominant culture you're living in: when living away from you own country for example, or when you're a religious minority in your own country. Very touchy issue, by the way, but I have experienced both and it works wonders as you get to double-dip because believe me, they all answer!!

F.

Following of Isis

I must admit I do not know much about invocation.

I do know, however, that Isis does still have quite a large following. Should you be really interested, Soul2Soul, I am sure that you can google it and should be able to come up with some interesting links.

Try this one - www.teenwitch.com/DEITY/KMT/ASET.HTM

(Aset also being Isis) Hope you find something interesting

Thanks

you people are the best!!!

thanks for the help!!!

love and ja bless
Alook

And just another little word of advice---if you need to ask about what invocation is and how to do it, then it's probably wise not to try doing it on your own. You should seek out some spiritual guidance and direction from others who are more familiar with the practice to get some instruction and experience first.

soul2soul said:

#1
What is invoking?
Can invoking really work for Tarot? is it possible to Invoke, using Tarot cards (they say in other sites... confused here)

Click to expand...

To invoke is to bring 'down' a 'higher entity' into yourself. This can be seen as a God, Angel, archetype or a higher aspect of yourself (Oversoul, Guardian Angel, etc). This is usually done with the assistance of magical technology (words of power or the gods name being vibrated, appropriate incense, god form{a body posture and movement that relates to the force I see no reason why Tarot cards cannot be used as part of this technology.

So tarot can be part of ritual invokation, but it doesnt have to be, you can use tarot on many levels and you can invoke without tarot.

When you invoke you try to make yourself like the God or force in question.
Crowley says that for a successful Tarot operation one needs to invoke Hru, the angel of Tarot first, but Crowley saw the consulting of Tarot as a magical operation and not as casual an affair as many do today.

Invokation is not Evokation, often the 2 are confused. Evokation is to draw something out from within yourself, and in some ways is perhaps the opposite of invokation. It might be a specific skill or a bad habit, you whish to draw out for specific use or control of.

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Soul2soul said:

#2
And if i were to follow a goddess... can i pick any, even from outside my culture and religion?

Click to expand...

I'd say yes. It is good to support your own culture, especially if it is in decline, but who is to say untimatly what your culture is. How far back do you know your ancestory? You might have 4 generations of one culture preseeded by 40 generations of another (and its subsequent downloading into your DNA) also what about reincarnation? Your DNA might be programmed one way but maybe you spent over 20 lifetimes in ancient Egypt or as an Esikmo?

Soul2soul said:

My MOM tells me, from a very young age... I had this fascination for "Egypt".

I used to copy and draw (and one figure, inparticular), which i later found out to be "ISIS" (the winged godess)... maybe it had to do with her, wings... you know how kids are... but i still find... her amazing.

And a year ago... unexpectedly, this Chat friend... whom i don't even know that properly... asked for my address... and Sent me this amazing "Paparus portrait of ISIS", in Birthday.

I have it FRAMED, in my room... and whenever i feel down, i look at her and feel Charged!!!

hmmm.... conclusion being... can i make her my goddess ?

She is good goddess right.. he he he (i mean naice, and frenly)

love ya all....
Alook

Click to expand...

I think if you ignored all these indications and hints, you would not be honest with your spirit. Isis is calling you and you are calling her, go for it.

I have a very deep affinity with Ancient Egypt, I love it, but to some its weird and alien ... everyone's different.

If you are interested in Eqyptian stuff, have a look at the life and work of Om Seti, an English woman who lived in Egypt and helped revive their ancient religion and understanding, and also the work of her pupil Rosemary Clarke. They will give a clearer original perspective of what this Goddess means to us and for us today.