/sunflower/ - Sunflower

>>746

Judging from this text they're absolutely necessary. Which makes me wonder why some grimoires fail to mention their use. Can they be dispenses with once you have a working relationship with a spirit and have their seal, sign, and contract in your Liber Spirituum? Or should they be used on every summoning?

One thing I forgot to ask - is there any 'universal' magic circle that can be used for many spirits? Or do the circle designs need to vary depending on who you are summoning?

>>749

>Can they be dipensed with once you have a working relationship with a spirit …

Other texts have spoken about that, some even going so far to explain that you've essentially formed a bond or absorbed a 'portion' of the spirit or its 'essence' or what-have-you. Though, I'm pretty sure this is dependent on the nature of the experiment itself.

I think though, the part of the circle might end up being taken up by a part of your own psyche in some ways, kind of following that 'bond with X'. Maybe a kind of second nature, or a combination of the two, but now it's just purely wondering.

>>750

You'd think at first, but following the pythagorean roots of certain forms, an understanding of the shapes, and angles especially, might become necessary, at least for a time, again, perhaps until it comes to be second nature.

Not to mention the need for understanding the names, the languages of the names, the meanings of shapes of glyphs and combinations thereof, the numerological etcetera which goes along with that, if applicable, or at least in the cases of generic "arabic", hebrew, greek, cyrillic, to some lesser extent latin, the supposed original aramaic, and all the inbetweens of various cultures, some of which still exist to this day. All things we don't bother with anymore, but it still prevails in the background.

>>750

The use of circles is almost nonexistent in the history of spirit interaction. Most magicians across time and space have done it in very different ways. The circle is part of a very specific way of doing things and not necessary. Except if you are evoking spirits whose protocol for contact explicitly calls for one.

In other words, the circle is not a universal magic tool (there is no such thing except perhaps for altered states of consciousness) but part of specific rituals for specific entities.

>>755

Magic circles have been part of the grimoire tradition since at least the 13th century (the Sworn Book of Honorius is the earliest grimoire that I know of that uses them). And most European grimoires use magic circles of some kind. So I call bullshit on your claim that they're "almost nonexistent in the history of spirit interaction."

>>764

I knew this would trigger some /omg/ autist.

The “grimoire tradition” and “European grimoires” are an insignificant speck of dust. A drop in the ocean that is magic through thousands of years of different cultures practicing it. With that perspective, the European “tradition” is a fad.

13th century? Are you kidding me? Almost nonexistent in the thousands-year old history of spirit interaction, yes.

>>771

Moving the goalposts and insulting your critics will will avail you not. And I find it amusing that several hundred years of tradition is a "fad" that is "almost nonexistent." A more recent tradition, yes, but hardly nonexistent.

>>771

I also couldn't care less how old a tradition of magic is. I only care about how effective it is and how suitable it is for me to practice.