Invocation and Evocation

Invocation and Evocation

Two words that get tossed around a lot and many are unfamiliar with the differences between the two. Invocation and Evocation are used often in Wiccan and Pagan practices but are also used in different areas of the Occult and Psychic Development. The words have also been used within the ever growing and popular Spirit Investigation fields as well.

The problem here is that the two have been used interchangeably but are in fact very different entities. Each of them have their own importance, but also have to be used correctly in order to keep from spiritual danger.

In Wicca and Pagan practice it is common to see spirits called upon to aid in a specific purpose. Even the Goddess and God themselves are called into certain rituals.

The first thing that needs to be understood is that energy is all around us, and cannot be completely controlled. Even when casting a spell you are not controlling the energy so much as you are gathering like energy and directing it to work for a certain purpose.

When you call upon a specific energy, like the elements for example you are not calling on them to control them, but to ask them to present themselves in order aid in your ceremony.

Here is the difference between Invocation and Evocation. Evocation is calling upon the energy to work with your specific flow of energy. You are not asking it to take control of yourself or anything else but simply aid in what you are doing. Much like asking a friend to help you move.

Invocation is very different. With invocation you are asking the energy to take home inside your body so that it can be controlled by you. This is something that should never be attempted even by the most experienced Witch, Psychic, or Spiritualist out there. It is like running 100 watts through a 20 watt bulb, when you flip the switch the bulb will blow. Two energies should never occupy the same exact space. Especially since one will always dominate the other, and in every case it is the energy that has been invoked, or invited in that dominates. Its like putting two male lions in the same den, they are going to fight and one is going to dominate the other at some point.

There is no situation that should ever call for an energy or a spirit to be invoked. This goes for those spirits that are positive as well, even Angels, Guides and Helpers should never be invoked but evoked.

The trouble here comes in many different ways. When a spirit or energy is invoked that energy takes hold within the person that did the invoking. Now at first things may seem well off, the spirit may give psychic information, it may aid the person in achieving a particular goal, but slowly the person begins to change and takes on the attitude, and personality of the energy that was invoked. This leads to the little understood, popular, yet misinterpreted term “possession”. Now I am not talking about head spinning, bed floating possession, that you see in movies. But possession is a true and actual thing that can happen if a person invites or invokes a spirit.

This is usually not even recognized at first. The person may have slight changes of attitude or personality at the beginning, gradually leading to more extreme changes. In fact many times the way it presents itself can be missed by even the most experienced professionals.

This isn’t to say that it is the only type of possession that can occur, but it is the most common type. People that attempt some sort of magic, or attempt a sort of communication with the spirit world and go about it the wrong way.

So how do you avoid this?

Never invoke the energy of a spirit, element, or whatever into yourself. This can be done very easily unfortunately if you are not careful. People that are in the Paranormal Investigative field know this, as well as people that have worked with spirit communication or magick. Simply asking a spirit, or energy to “use your energy” is an invitation to that spirit. Often times during paranormal investigations you see people asking to be “touched”, this is an invitation as well.

You need to be cautious of how you speak when you are in the presence of spirits or energy. You need to be conscious of your words in order to be sure that you are not invoking an energy into you that does not belong.

Evocation is different, you are protected from being taken over because you are not inviting the energy to take home inside you, instead you are calling it to lend itself to your work.

Because these words have very similar meanings it is easy to mix them up and use the wrong one in place of the other. Make sure that when you are reading and spell or ritual that you are aware of the use of these words. If a ritual calls for Invocation steer away from it in order to stay on the safe side.