OccultForum.org

What kind of technique do you find most useful to contact gods and goddess in your daily practices: meditation, prayer, invocation, evocation...?
And what are the methods used - simple ways or rituals?

Depends upon which god/desses, the purpose behind the contact, the relationship you already have with Him/Her and what you want to come of it.

Communion with the Goddess is a very different thing, for me, than evocation or spellcasting Theurgyically (sp?) Theurgistically, maybe? What's the correct word here?

aether druid wrote:What kind of technique do you find most useful to contact gods and goddess in your daily practices:

Personally, I use a combination of all the things you list. I also talk to my gods throughout the day in the same way I would talk to a teacher, or mentor. I do this in my head if I'm around others, or out loud if I'm by myself. Like with all relationships, it takes time to build up a good rapport.

aether druid wrote: meditation

Meditation works well if you can actively listen. During meditation, don't ask questions of the gods, simply listen to the things they are saying to you. Gods will use this time to give you instructions, and to show you things. Don't fight the message, or try to argue - simply be receptive and listen.

aether druid wrote: prayer

During prayer, ask questions of the gods. Don't try to bargain, instead speak freely about the things which are troubling you, or which you don't understand. The gods I deal with don't talk to me while I pray, they leave that for when I meditate.

aether druid wrote: invocation, evocation

Technically, invocation and evocation are the same thing. We have Crowley to blame for giving them separate meanings. To answer your question, invocation and evocation aren't so much a way to contact gods as they are a way to manifest them. You call the god, and they make their presence known. Some gods will manifest, others will not. The invocation/evocation simply brings a representation or manifestation of them into the physical world.

aether druid wrote: And what are the methods used - simple ways or rituals?

This depends entirely on the paradigm you adhere to. I've found that simply talking to a god over an extended period of time, showing you're serious about following their paths and teachings, and ensuring you treat them with honour and respect is usually enough.

RoseRed wrote: What's the correct word here?

I think 'through Theurgy' is the best way of saying what you wanted to say. Theurgy is a noun, and it's easier to reference it rather than expand the word. Dunno though - as long as people know what you're trying to say I dont think it matters.

I want to thank both of you for answering. Both were helpful for me. I'm currently using meditation as the main focus of contact with gods, but I'd figured out that some gods responds better to certain kinds of contact with me. Meditating with some gods I get messages, images, advices, while with others I receive only silence. I thought I was overdoing Bardon's exercise to clean the mind of any thoughts and that it could be turning into an obstacle to my contact with the gods, but then I perceived that some gods respond better in my meditations, so I think its only a matter of familiarity and relationship between me and them.

Thank you by your explanation Ghost, I'm really inclined to follow that ideas when trying to make new contacts, it was very enlightful.

Both are valid approaches, Clockwork made a good point and is an approach I often follow.
In all if you wish to communicate with a powerful deity mutual exchange is an approach that works for me, dedicate yourself to that God or Goddess for a set amount of time, praise them and learn about the mytho's around them, stroke their ego but be sincere, then a void meditation followed by thoughts of the God or Goddess with the intent that they speak to you is a great way, but as CG said, you have to listen.

aether druid wrote:What kind of technique do you find most useful to contact gods and goddess in your daily practices: meditation, prayer, invocation, evocation...?
And what are the methods used - simple ways or rituals?

Other people gave you great advice, and I'd just like to add I've found ancestor veneration can help smooth out some of the bumpiness inherent in initial contact with deities. Your ancestors are already on your side, can intercede on your behalf, and are especially helpful in connecting you with gods and goddesses who may already be present in your life. Lighting a candle and making offerings or even simply sending blessings to my ancestors (both known and unknown) in my daily ritual practice has had huge benefits to my spiritual path, especially in areas of deity work.

I also think it's crucial to do your research and learn about specific deities' cultural histories, their likes and dislikes, and how they prefer to be approached. There's nothing wrong with eclecticism, but the traditional pathways exist for a reason and I've found deities respond much more favorably if they see you working to establish a personal relationship rather than just invoking randomly to see who shows up. A Vodou loa, for instance, might find it very rude if you tried to evoke them using a Western-style ceremonial circle rather than calling them down in the way they've become accustomed to interacting with people over the centuries. A lot of it boils down to basic social etiquette and being considerate of others—which is all the more prudent when the "others" in question are ancient powerful beings who can either bestow unimaginable blessings on you or f**k your whole life up (and sometimes both at once!) [thumbup]

Taoist sorcery. Generic altar/temple, peaceful and cheap offerings (fresh fruit, water/wine), awesome incense, petitions to a god and money offering. Feels so "legit", that you rarely fail to get results. The same rule to other paradigms exists here, too. You have to write down your wish in detail, foolproof, because twists can happen easily.

Plus the eastern charms are very powerful. And the entire art is minimalistic to expenses. Both on philosophical and physical representation of "tools" needed to get the job done.