Bathosias wrote:Let me begin by saying that this may seem like a rant. It is in the sense that some of the behaviors I am writing about here I find personally offensive and a bit irritating. It is not a rant in that this is something I've thought about for some time before drawing these conclusions. Some of you undoubtedly will be offended by what I have to say. Some of you will agree. Some of you may start by being offended, but if you're really honest with yourselves and think things through, you may start to see where I'm coming from. I am NOT, repeat NOT a conjurer. I'm not a spell caster. I do not work for S&S or have any pecuniary interest with any conjurer or magickal service. The things that I do, I do for myself - not for public sale. So, there is no sort of conflict of interest to taint my view of things.
I, like many of you, found my way here by being in the spirit keeping community. That's fine. There's nothing wrong with any of that. And starting out on that path eventually led me here and to discovering my true path, which brings me here with all of you. I also learned a LOT of valuable lessons along the way. Some of those lessons, I hope either you, the reader, have already learned or will start to learn by thinking through what I'm saying. I also want to say that there are some legitimate magicians and conjurers out there. I'm not suggesting that there aren't. But, there are also frauds out there. There are people who will play on your hope, your naivety, and are more than happy to tell you whatever it is that you want to hear to make a quick buck.
If you're like me, you have bought into those hopes and dreams. You've bought into those lies. You bought into the idea that whatever the spirit is, no matter how far fetched, or whatever working is being offered, that it will magically make things better for you. And, if you're honest with yourself, more often than not, those were unfulfilled promises. And, more than likely, if you did follow-up on it, you were probably told that the problem was with you. That, somehow, you simply weren't doing things right. Why would you be told that? Well, 1. Because there is sometimes validity in this - these things take time, patience, and practice. But, 2. They really didn't tell you that up front, did they? They probably told you that spirit X, whatever it is, will fix all of that for you... Not that it was going to take time and practice. Which brings us to 3., that's the easiest answer to give to someone if you're running a scam. They're trying to scam you further by telling you that the problem isn't with their work, or their spirit, but it's with you. Therefore, they've upheld their end of the bargain. And, because that can be true (in the sense that bonding takes time, and skills develop over time), it's an easy out for the scam artist. But, where did that get you? A few more hopes pushed down the road, and several dollars (or hundreds of dollars) lighter. As I said before, these are hard lessons, and lessons I've learned first hand myself.
One of the biggest trends I see that makes me raise an eyebrow and shake my head is this notion that "if you believe it, it's true." This cannot be further from the truth. I've seen posts and ads proclaiming some of the most outlandish things I can think of: upgrading spirits or entities skills (seriously, how the hell would that even work...honestly?), strange cross breeds of entities (no matter how much you want to believe that a weretiger and a rainbow unicorn have created this ever-so-cute offspring, doesn't make it real), and completely redefining the very nature of the spirit/entity that is being conjured. You must exercise common sense. And by common sense, I mean that you need to do a real gut check and see if this is something that defies all logic, history, and lore, or if this is something that actually is possible/probable. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. If you're wise, and intellectually honest, you'll do some research yourself - is this something that is based in actual lore outside of the spirit keeping community? Does it BASICALLY fit with what you know of that type of spirit/entity? Does it make sense? If someone is selling you something that doesn't have any root outside of spirit keeping, the buyer should beware. If someone is redefining a spirit or entity to something that is COMPLETELY outside of the known lore, the buyer should beware. If someone is trying to tell you that they can summon, bind, and attach a powerful entity to your soul? The buyer should beware (and for more than one reason - body bindings, especially to powerful entities, is a dangerous practice). If this process happens lightening fast, the buyer should beware.
I'm not saying that it's all fake - it's not. But, a lot of it is. Should you give an upstart conjurer a chance? Perhaps, but you should also do your homework and see if it is really something (be it a process, a spirit/entity, or a magickal) that makes sense. If something is SIGNIFICANTLY cheaper than the competition, there might be a reason. If it seems too good to be true, it probably is. A discerning buyer will take a hard look into these things. Is it a con? Should I have CONfidence in this seller? Or, are they just trying to lighten my wallet?
A lot of the issues here come from the very nature of magick. People want to believe. We all do. And, truthfully, there is MUCH in magic that IS worth believing in. But, there is a lot that isn't too. Once something starts looking too much like anime, or a video game, that should be your first clue to run. Your second clue is that whatever is being done is just an emerging trend. I.E., doesn't have any prior basis, or is only done in the spirit keeping community. Exercise good judgment and common sense.
Another of my pet peeves is how some conjurers pair you with the spirit/entity. You see an ad, it's not a custom conjure, and you're told that because you enquirer about that spirit/entity, that it must be a calling and it wants to be with you. If it's a custom conjure, the odds raise significantly that it DOES want to be with you. But, for those prebound spirits/companions... Have you ever wondered how often someone gets told "no, he/she isn't a good match for you?" In my experience, it almost NEVER happens that way. WHATEVER it is, they want to be with you. In truth, this is probably not really all that likely. Or, the spirit/entity just has really low standards and is willing to work with anyone. Either way, is that really something you want? Is that something you want to introduce to your family? Some conjurers will tell you, honestly, that a spirit/entity doesn't want to work with you. That's a good sign, but it's not immune to manipulation either. Just beware the astral groupies that are apparently ok with just working with anyone.
Yet another of my concerns is the number of spirits/entities that are portrayed as being sexual. EVERYTHING is sexualized here. I know that coming from me it seems shocking that I would have an issue with this. In full disclosure, I don't have ANY issue with sexual entities and beings. But, not all entities are sexual. And even those that are sexual don't necessarily want to be with just anyone. Sure, you want to believe that the spirit/entity wants to be with you...and the conjurer wants you to believe it too. Sex sells. It's much easier to sell a "spirit/entity" if the buyer believes that this entity absolutely "wants your sex" or "your seed" or to impart those things to you. Are there sexual entities? Obviously, yes, there are. But your unicorn isn't - at least not with you. Your dragon doesn't. Your fluffy turbo-charged robo dragon/gnome hybrid doesn't. If you have a difficult time, outside of the genre of anime, figuring out how a sexual act would really work between a human and whatever you're buying, then odds are good that there probably isn't a high chance that it "wants to give you it's seed." Most of the time, the entities that ARE sexual are anatomically similar to humans - that is, it isn't absurd to imagine a sexual act with that being. Demons (succubi) are one of the more well known examples. Again, step back, check your ego, and exercise some common sense.
Another thing to look out for are cross-pantheon hybrids that defy logic. This happens a lot with people who sell "demons." If you're being told that a known DL has offspring with something from another pantheon, you should question it. If it's a son or daughter of a DL made with another DL that is not a known wife or consort, or otherwise doesn't make sense, maybe you should ask about that too. Why would they do that? And, along the lines of what was mentioned above, why would a son or daughter of two DLs come through to anyone who is willing to purchase (and if they say that you have to ask the conjurer first to purchase...ask... I an almost guarantee that it "wants to be with you") it at a ridiculously low cost? And the demon set the cost? But that cost seems to be consistent with what is always being charged by that conjurer? Yeah.. Those are all red flags to me.
If you've made these mistakes - don't feel bad. Many of us have. Myself included. I wanted to believe. I really did. I was about to walk away from the metaphysical altogether when I found S&S. And, I took one final chance. I was seriously on the verge of just quitting. I can honestly say that working with my first demon here was unlike anything else. I've still had my struggles and have to work at things, but there have been undeniable tangible events that have convinced me of her power and influence in the world around me. And that's what saved me. I wouldn't go back. I won't go back. And that's why I'm here.
I hope that this serves as a warning to some of you who haven't thought much about these issues before. And I hope it serves as a reassurance to you who are either where I'm at now, or on the road to where I am now. I also hope it serves as a testament to those of you who are further on the path than I am, and to all those who know and love working with demons the way I do.