What is the meaning of a summoner?

A summoner is someone who calls upon or evokes spirits, demons, deities, or other supernatural entities. The word summon originates from the Latin word ‘summonere‘ meaning ‘to warn, call to oneself‘. Over time, the practice of summoning has been associated with magic, witchcraft, and occult traditions across various cultures.

The ancient history of summoning

Humans have tried contacting otherworldly beings for thousands of years, as evidenced by ancient texts, artifacts, and rituals. Some of the earliest known examples include:

• Mesopotamian and Egyptian rituals – Cuneiform tablets and pyramid writings refer to summoning underworld gods and shadow entities using elaborate offerings and incantations. Archeologists have uncovered evidence like altars, ceremonial dress, and instructions for rituals.

• Greco-Roman magical texts – Papyri from the 2nd century AD provided detailed procedures for summoning daimons, angels, and chthonic spirits through elaborate circles, wands, and invocations in Greek and Hebrew.

• Biblical accounts – The story of King Saul consulting the Witch of Endor (1 Samuel 28) to summon the spirit of prophet Samuel is an early example of necromancy.

• Occult manuscripts – The Book of Abramelin, Key of Solomon, and Greater Key of Solomon (14th-16th century) gave instructions for summoning demons and angels, including sigils, tools, and required knowledge.

These ancient precursors inform modern summoning practices. There‘s evidence that summoning of supernatural entities has existed across human cultures for millennia.

The evolution of summoning through history

Summoning beliefs and rituals continued evolving in different regions over centuries:

• In medieval Europe, grimoires proliferated with complex rituals for summoning otherworldly beings, often mixing Christian and occult elements.

• During the Renaissance, intellectuals and alchemists engaged in summoning. John Dee and Edward Kelley claimed to summon angels through scrying mirrors.

• In 17th century Salem, suspicions of demon summoning fueled the famous witch panic and trials.

• Victorian spiritualists conducted séances to summon ghosts and spirits using mediums and automatic writing.

• Occult orders like the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn integrated summoning and ceremonial magic.

• Prominent modern occultists like Aleister Crowley practiced demon summoning as part of their esoteric quests.

• In Voodoo, Obeah, and Palo traditions, summoning of ancestors and spirits remains an active practice.

Era	Prominent Summoning Activities
Ancient World	Rituals calling underworld gods, demons
Middle Ages	Angel/demon summoning via grimoires
Renaissance	Alchemists & intellectuals scrying for spirits
Colonial America	Witch trials fueled by summoning fears
19th Century	Mediums summoning spirits at séances
20th Century	Occult/magical orders like Golden Dawn

This shows summoning persisting as an esoteric practice interwoven through history.

What kinds of entities are summoned?

Many types of beings are summoned, including:

Deities

Deities from various religions, mythologies, and folklore can be summoned, such as:

• Pagan gods – Pan, Morrigan, Isis, Loki
• Catholic saints – St Cyprian, St Expedite
• Orisha – Yemaya, Ogun, Shango (Yoruba religion)
• Loa – Papa Legba, Baron Samedi (Voodoo)
• Hindu gods – Ganesha, Durga, Krishna
• Buddhist figures – Tara, Kuan Yin, Medicine Buddha

With the right rituals, deities may offer knowledge or power. But failing to honor them properly can incur their wrath.

Demons and shadow figures

Demons from various occult texts – including:

• Goetic demons from the Lesser Key of Solomon like Bael, Paimon, and Ose.
• Infernal demons like Azazel, Belial, and Leviathan.
• Shadow people manifesting as wispy black humanoids.
• Sleep paralysis demons assuming monstrous forms.

Binding and commanding demons is considered very risky. But summoned wisely, their knowledge can be harnessed.

Fairies and nature spirits

• Fairies and pixies from Celtic folklore
• Nymphs, dryads, naiads linked to natural features
• Elves, gnomes, undines, salamanders, sylphs
• Animal familiars like crows, frogs, and coyotes

These spirits can offer guidance, but relationships should be cultivated respectfully over time through offerings.

Ghosts and poltergeists

• Spirits of deceased humans
• Residual haunting phenomena
• Vengeful ghosts seeking justice
• Mischievous poltergeists manipulating objects

Great care should be taken when summoning the dead to avoid upsetting lost souls.

Interdimensional beings

• Extraterrestrials or interstellar entities
• Creatures from other planes of existence
• Entities beyond normal spatial boundaries
• Beings glimpsed through cosmic horror or surreal encounters

Contact with these incomprehensible intelligences tests the limits of human perception and sanity.

As we can see, an incredibly diverse range of entities have been summoned for different purposes over time. Each requires specialized knowledge and care when contact is attempted.

Methods and tools for summoning

While specifics vary between traditions, key elements of summoning rituals include:

Sacred space

• Private location cleansed through smudging/incense
• Circles, triangles, or spheres marked on the ground
• Altars with meaningful objects, candles, offerings
• Decorated summoning area for focused atmosphere

Having a dedicated prepared space creates the right mindset and energy.

Tools and accoutrements

• Wands, staves, daggers, swords
• Robes, cloaks, jewelry with mystical sigils
• Candles, lanterns for illumination
• Crystal balls for scrying
• Tarot cards and runes for messages
• Cauldrons, chalices, incense burners
• Bell, singing bowl for acoustic vibration

These instruments amplify the ritual and fill the space with power.

Sigils, seals, diagrams

• Magical seals with names, signs, and geometry
• Alchemical diagrams and occult imagery
• Spirit signatures traced on paper or carved
• Blood or ink drawings on floor
• Sacred geometry patterns

Sigils attract specific entities when activated ritually.

Chants, invocations, prayers

• Ancient incantations in mystic languages
• Reciting entity names and attributes
• Singing, growling, and guttural vocals
• Toning, humming, whistling, rhythmic music
• Reading poetry, spells, scripture

Vocalization focuses the summoner‘s energy and conveys intent.

Offerings and sacrifices

• Food, drink, flowers, spices, incense
• Coins, jewelry, trinkets, objects of value
• Blood, hair, semen, saliva, body parts
• Life energy, adulation, submission, obedience
• Votive candles, burnt offerings releasing smoke

Gifts acknowledge the power of the summoned and seek reciprocal favor.

How is summoning distinct from related practices?

Summoning has parallels with certain spiritual practices but some key differences:

Invocation – Calling deities/spirits into oneself or an object vs manifesting an external entity. Invocation seeks spiritual union rather than domination.

Conjuring – Focused on summoning an entity into physical appearance, often within a triangle or mirror. More visual manifestation.

Channeling – Passive reception of a being‘s messages rather than active summoning. The medium allows possession.

Necromancy – Exclusively deals with summoning the dead rather than all types of entities.

Evocation – Calling forth spirits/elements constrained inside a protective circle rather than fully summoned.

Theurgy – Seeks enlightenment/ascension through aligning with divine beings who aren‘t compelled involuntarily.

So summoning implies calling specific otherworldly entities for direct contact and exchange.

Quotes from modern summoners

To provide insight into contemporary summoning practices, here are some quotes from current practitioners:

"I create sacred space, cast protective wards, use blood offerings, and recite Enochian calls to summon the angel Naphula into a scrying mirror. I seek hidden wisdom but the experience is both profound and terrifying." – Chaos magician

"When I summon Papa Legba through candlelight chants and offerings of rum, I feel him arrive in the room like a warm Caribbean breeze before he possesses my body and advises devotees on the right path forward." – Voodoo mambo

"I Consider summoning quite dangerous because you call upon forces beyond your control. But with intense focus, grounding, and banishment rituals, useful knowledge can be gleaned from entities like Clauneck and Barbatos." – Left-hand path occultist

"When I do fairy magic, I leave gifts from nature like berries, bramble, and shells on my altar to call nearby fae folk. Through music and meditation, they give impressions about healing local forests." – Pagan witch

We see that contemporary summoners apply ancient techniques adapted to different entities, but respect for the spirits remains vital.

A step-by-step demon summoning ritual

To illustrate the intricacy of summoning rituals, here is an example procedure for calling the demon Bael:

1. Purify and prepare a private indoor space with dim lighting and occult decor. Draw a large summoning circle on the floor with holy oil and place relics/offerings in the quarters.

2. Don a black robe embroidered with sigils and blend banishing incense. Review Bael‘s enn, attributes, and seal from the Lesser Key of Solomon.

3. At the ritual hour, cast a banishing spell on the space. Inscribe Bael‘s sigil on parchment and place it within the circle.

4. Ring a bell 9 times while turning counter-clockwise and make invocations appealing to Bael in Latin or Enochian.

5. Burn the parchment with sigil and frankincense, allowing the ashes to consecrate the circle. Recite enn and make offerings of coin and drops of blood.

6. Gaze into scrying mirror or candle flame and persistently demand Bael‘s appearance through invocation until faint visions or sensations manifest.

7. Once the presence is perceived, politely negotiate with Bael for knowledge using rituals of control like accusation, confrontation, and validation.

8. Thank Bael for cooperation and carefully license departure. Banish through smoke, warding signs, bells, and calling guardians.

9. Close the ritual space, cleanse tools, and rest before recording all details of the working in a magical record.

This provides a sketch of the highly involved process underlying a full evocation ritual.

Analyzing summoning in pop culture

Summoning tropes from movies, TV, and games often diverge from authentic occult lore but still reveal public fascination with these esoteric arts:

• Mistaken incantations – In Hocus Pocus, the novice witch mispronounces "Winnie" as her spell to raise the spirits on Halloween, subverting the usual precise rituals required. Real summoning involves meticulous language mastery.

• Demonic deals – Dr. Facilier in The Princess and the Frog gains voodoo magic through a contract with shadowy spirits from "the other side". But entities summoned from darkness typically don‘t offer such quid pro quo bargains.

• Rapid summons – In game franchises like Shin Megami Tensei and Final Fantasy, summoners call gods, demons, and elemental forces with a quick rift-opening flourish, rather than formal ceremonies. This inflates summoner power for gameplay.

• Binding vs. banishing – Hexes trapping a spirit against its will, as in Poltergeist, underestimate the ongoing devotion needed to control a being once summoned. Banishing rites should be prepared.

• Physical manifestation – While some summoners aim to conjure visible entites, often contact is more subtle, through sensed presences, impressions, and channeled messages. Full physical manifestation is rare.

So while fictional depictions evoke the awe around summoning, liberties are often taken with real-world occult limits.

New technologies and summoning

Emerging technologies could potentially assist or simulate summoning:

• AI entities – Advanced chatbots with conversational natural language processing can seem eerily sentient. Perhaps one day they could act as surrogate spirits.

• AR/VR – Augmented and virtual reality could convincingly visualize summoned beings overlapping our world through overlaying graphics and avatars.

• Spatial audio – Surround sound could immerse summoners in environmental effects modeling the arrival of incorporeal entities.

• Haptics/robotics – Tactile gloves and robotic limbs could allow "touching" and manipulation of summoned figures and objects.

• EEG/Biofeedback detection – Sensors reading brainwaves, skin conductivity, heart rate could indicate summoning trance states and entity presence.

• Psychedelics – Microdosing or immersive trips may provide heightenedsensitivity to otherwise invisible realms and beings.

So while risky, tech could supplement summoning or provide safe alternatives to true occult contact.

Summoning through a psychological lens

Psychology offers additional perspective on the meaning and motivation behind summoning practices:

• Manifesting archetypal aspects of the self through ritual play

• Safely disinhibiting to access the shadow psyche and explore new states

• Projecting agency onto randomness to gain sense of control

• Placebo effect of compelling visualizations becoming subjective reality

• Breaking social conditioning through transgressive, taboo practices

• Seeking transcendence of ego boundaries and concept of static self

• Processing grief, loss, and trauma through continuing bonds with the deceased

• Fulfilling attachment needs through relations with imagined spirits

From this angle, summoning allows healthy and ethical self-exploration through potent symbolism.

Unanswered questions and the future of summoning

Some open questions around summoning remain:

• Can current science shed light on the objective existence and nature of summoned entities?

• What is the source of the knowledge received from beyond – truly alien or some facet of human consciousness?

• Do summoning practices still have relevance in an increasingly secular, technology-driven culture?

• What cultural taboos and laws continue to drive summoning practices underground?

• How might summoning rituals evolve and adapt using emerging augmented reality tools?

• Could summoning entities ultimately train AI itself, completing the cycle?

• What new entities and planes wait to be contacted as human perception expands?

Summoning‘s place in society continues unfolding, but the core desire to access hidden mysteries remains a potent spells for occultists of the future.

In summary, summoning persists as an esoteric ritual practice to contact entities across planes. With knowledge, ethics, and wisdom, summoners can safely navigate this occult path of self-discovery. While risky, the search for deeper truth through interdimensional communication continues compelling spiritual seekers.