Calling the God & Goddess.
When attempting to reach Otherworld personalities, it is wise to first cast a Circle. Unlike the barrier used in ceremonial magic, your Circle acts as a bridge between the worlds.
When you make a purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases..
After you have charged your Circle, repeat to yourself the affirmation,
“I am in a place that is not a place At a time that is not a time. I stand between the worlds That I may meet with (name of Otherworld individual) For the purpose of __________.”
It is not necessary to state a clear purpose for introductory meetings, but you will want to use this form of appellation in the future, since it allows the individual to accept or decline your invitation to help. Restructure the words as you please. Always use your own sense of poetry for any such operation.
The way the words work together, especially when spoken aloud, is at least as important as their precise meaning. Otherworld entities enjoy free will and are never to be ordered to obey in the manner of the demons of ceremonial magic, but they do respect command and self control.
They also have a deep love of poetry. Keep these in mind whenever you are composing a spell, calling, chant, etc. Once you have stated your invitation and intent, enter alpha by whatever means you normally use.
Envision yourself as a student anticipating the arrival of a revered teacher who is also a trusted friend. Now is not the time for mental reservations. Remain as open as possible, and be comforted by the knowledge that you can easily break off contact if the entity proves hostile in any way.
Hold in your mind the idea that you are an empty cup waiting to be filled with divine knowledge. Surround this image with a landscape that you feel will suit your guest, Add as much detail as you please, and do not limit your imaginings solely to the visual.
Embellish your surroundings to appeal to all the senses. Prepare a sensory banquet for your anticipated friend that includes favorite foods, smells, and sounds. Let yourself enjoy your creation as well. There is no better way to establish rapport between new acquaintances than shared pleasures.
Once you are satisfied that you have done all you can to provide for the comfort of your guest, relax and wait. Amuse yourself by imagining the delight of your friend at the accommodations you have made. You should feel the same thrill that comes with watching a friend open a birthday present from you that you know is absolutely perfect. Allow plenty of time for this exercise.
Some Otherworlders exhibit caution when approaching someone new to them. Those that have lived on this plane did so during times when carelessness often proved fatal. Warriors and such are especially wary of traps.
Otherworld beings that have never lived in this world, and those whose contact is seldom sought from this side of existence experience the identical trepidation that you would feel if you were invited to their world. Be patient. If you have ever tried to entice a wild animal to you, you have an excellent idea of what to expect.
Since this exercise aims at developing faith both in yourself and in the existence of the Otherworld, bear in mind that the answer to your invitation may be, for the time being, “No.” Your anticipated visitor may be engaged elsewhere, or the circumstances presently may not be right for a visit.
Should you fail to make contact, do not be disappointed. Instead, be analytical. Have you met all the prerequisites? Are you in the proper state of mind for communicating with the Otherworld? Have you inadvertently included something in your rite that is offensive to your guest?
One common error that can cause failure to communicate is to try reaching a higher entity when one lower in the Otherworld hierarchy will do. Unless you feel a special affinity for such an exalted personality, refrain from jumping rank. The higher the source of Otherworld knowledge, the more arcane it will be.
Understanding this information often necessitates having a sufficient background in the field.
You would not expect to grasp calculus without knowing basic mathematics. Communication with lesser beings provides the foundation for understanding the more complicated lessons to come. It is also important to refrain from offending those Otherworlders you may view as less significant.
These beings have personalities similar to humans, and they can become very uncooperative with those who circumvent them by going to a higher authority. You will know when you have reached the individual you seek. The arrival of the least Otherworld personality effects the seeker the way flipping on a light switch illuminates a darkened room. You will experience the distinct sensation that you are not alone.
Many who have made such contact report a feeling of being watched, while others experience a warm, welcoming presence where moments ago there had been emptiness. What you perceive depends on your personality and on the type of character you have summoned.
Although the exact nature of these encounters with the Otherworld vary with the individual, they all possess a common thread; the feeling of being in the presence of an entity that has an independent existence and a personality distinct from that of the seeker. You may have many questions for your guest or you may have none.
What is important in these beginning exercises is that you know without question that you have reached a being that is not the product of your imagination.
This certainty typically manifests intuitively, but it can be measured rationally. In your research, you may have read about your guest’s physical appearance and character, behavioral tendencies, and special attributes. Confronting the reality upon which the literature is based can provide surprises.
Not everything finds its way into a book! Note these differences from what you expected. Pay special attention to those characteristics that seem out of place with the exalted descriptions in the texts.
Otherworld figures have an affinity for humans in part because they share our traits. We laugh, cry, love, and hate for the same reasons. Remember, as above, so below! Some expect adulation, others friendly conversation. Those who are bards delight in heroic poetry and in satire. Warriors love a good fight, admire courage, and often thirst after fine ale.
Do not pay so much attention to the details of your encounter that you miss the richness of the experience itself. There are many in the Otherworld who seek your friendship and welcome your attention. After all, the witch has always been an ally, a willing intermediary between this world and theirs. Feel free to play the skeptic. Be courteous, but ask any questions you please.
Take care to remember and record anything you are told, even if it seems irrelevant at the moment. Time has no meaning in the Otherworld. The present, the past, and the future are all one. A comment that seems nonsensical now may have deep meaning to you someday.
When you are satisfied that your business with your guest is ended, express gratitude for their coming and bid them to depart in joy and peace.
Close your Circle in the usual manner and record the details of the visit in your journal. Try not to edit your commentaries. It is better in the beginning to record too much than too little.
Experience will guide you toward what is important. Until you have entertained many of these visitors, be verbose. Having described your experience in detail, you should now begin some detective work. Review your reading on the character you have contacted and seek new sources of information about the myths and attributes associated with your new friend.
Compare what you learn from the literature with what you wrote in your journal. You will often find that your record contains certain details that match what others have written about the character, possibly including facts that you had no way of knowing beforehand.
It is through this process of affirmation that faith will develop and become strong. As you continue to contact Otherworld beings, reduce the amount of background research you do prior meeting each new entity. Note how frequently what you experience during your encounter coincides with what you glean from the literature after the fact. Be scientific and skeptical.
The more you question your results, the stronger your faith in the existence of the Otherworld will become. Should you be one of those rare people who already has a sure and steady belief in the Otherworld and its inhabitants, congratulations on your dynamic insight and superior spiritual development. Please do the exercises and analysis anyway.
The foundation they lend to faith can be like a bright sun on a dark winter’s day. Another exercise that bolsters faith involves exploring the geography of the Otherworld. If you have ever been alone in a strange city, you know how disoriented you can feel until you have become familiar with the terrain.
While maps and guidebooks are handy tools in these circumstances, nothing takes the place of a stroll around the neighborhood to familiarize yourself with your new surroundings. You can find descriptions of the Otherworld and its various realms among the myths and legends of every culture.
Although the details may differ depending on who provided the written record, the descriptions are variations on a theme whose pandemic nature would make Jung proud. Almost without exception, Otherworlds share the following characteristics:
1) The Otherworld is inhabited by entities that range in stature from gods to simple elementals, angels to demons, legendary heroes to the forgotten dead, etc.
2) Different regions of the Otherworld exist to accommodate the variety of inhabitants. Some cultures hold that these areas follow a hierarchy from good to evil, while other traditions make no distinction regarding the regions except that one may be more suitable for a particular being than another.
The Christian heaven, hell, and purgatory house different souls classified according to a moral code. Many pagan traditions dictate that all the dead go to a portion of the Otherworld reserved for them regardless of their conduct in life and that this area is not the same as that inhabited by the gods.
3) Journeys to the Otherworld and conversations with its inhabitants can endow the traveler with insights that aid the solution of problems in the mundane world. Knowledge gained during these excursions may facilitate spiritual growth or may provide practical solutions to crises such as surviving a harsh winter or avoiding the destructive force of a natural disaster.
Witches and shamans routinely seek Otherworld assistance for healing and to tap ancestral sources of expertise.
4) The landscape and population of the Otherworld share many attributes with the mundane world but may also contain geographical anomalies and chimerical creatures that exist on the physical plane only as the products of the imagination.
That these bizarre features bear great similarities across cultural lines reinforces the theory that humans possess a collective unconscious whose fears and dreams are inherited throughout the species.
5) The Otherworld has a gate and a guard that prohibit casual access to its secrets. Escape from the Otherworld is equally difficult. Travel to the Otherworld requires careful preparation, usually spiritual in nature, and the voyager must recognize that there is no guarantee of return.
6) Prospective travelers to the Otherworld may solicit the help of a guide or may have one provided to them. The form these helpers may take varies from the spirit animals of the native Americans to Dante’s Virgil. Those particularly welcome can expect considerable help with their journey.
The attraction of a voyage to a place that promises enlightenment is balanced by the possibility that there may be no going back. Walking between the worlds creates a state of mind that is recognized on this plane as eccentricity by friends and as insanity by strangers.
Do not concern yourself with these fears when practicing the exercises. You are not leaping headlong into the Otherworld when contacting an entity or viewing a landscape.
Consider the difference between full entry into the Otherworld and these simple exercises as being the same as comparing a trip to the zoo with wandering the African svelte alone and unarmed. In this exercise, you will be required to use your Imagination.
You may wish to refrain from attempting this work until you are sure of your ability to visualize a multitude of features at once. This work may be done in Circle or out.
If you feel more comfortable surrounded by your magical barrier, cast a Circle as your initial step. However, you may wish to enter your visualized landscape and cast your Circle within it once you have arrived.
This latter method of mentally consecrating your sacred space on a separate plane is excellent practice for those whose circumstances limit their ability to construct a physical Circle.
Privacy and space can be rare commodities, and these restrictions should not hinder our personal endeavors. Constructing sacred space within the Otherworld also attracts certain of its inhabitants like fish to a lure. Be wise in your choice of companions. Some of these individuals see your presence as an opportunity to share wit and wisdom.
Others are tricksters who welcome the chance to try out their pranks on an unsuspecting stranger. Once you have decided if and where to cast your Circle, put yourself into the alpha state and remain there until you are completely relaxed.
You should be very close to falling asleep before you begin visualizing a landscape. The sensation you experience should be that of controlled dreaming. You may, in fact, doze off during this exercise.
Do not be concerned. Enjoy your dreams, try to remember them, and start again some time when you are fully rested. Before you start your journey, you may want to set your mind on travelling to a specific geographical feature, like the shore or the mountains. This is not absolutely necessary, but it can facilitate visualization.
Once you have reached the proper degree of relaxation, begin to visualize a panorama before you. Imagine that you are looking upon a scene hidden by a mist that is gradually lifting, revealing the features of the landscape slowly so that you have the opportunity to study each one in detail.
Continue to watch from a distance until the fog has completely lifted, letting you see everything clearly. When you have fixed this vista in your mind, enter it. Allow yourself to feel the brush of grass against your legs, the warmth of the sun on your back, and the refreshing breeze upon your face. Smell the flowers on the wind. Let your senses enjoy every detail of the place.
Pay attention to every sight and sound. Note the presence of any animals, including birds and insects. Although rare, you may also discover other higher forms of life sharing your vista. For the time being, refrain from initiating contact with them directly. If they address you, be cordial and explain why you are there and that you mean them no harm.
Thank them for any help they may provide and be on your way. The goal of this excursion is to convince yourself that the Otherworld is indeed real, and this is best accomplished through exploring on your own for the time being. Find a place within this territory where you would like to establish a base of operations for future visits. You might choose a cave, a grove, or any other location where you feel comfortable.
Whether or not you have cast a Circle at the start of the exercise, you should cast one here. Compass readings have little relevance in the Otherworld, so you will have to employ other means of orienting your Circle to the four quarters. Look around you. You will find that the vista itself will tell you where each cardinal point lies.
The attributes of the elements associated with each quarter become actual physical features in the Otherworld. There may be mountains to the north, perhaps covered in snow.
The east may be forested, the leaves of the trees constantly rustling in the wind, while the south may smell of desert and dried river beds or show the wavy distortion of heat rising from a parched prairie. To the west, you may see a lake or hear the sound of a rushing stream or ocean breakers.
If there are structures present, a fortress may lie to your north, while the east may be delineated by a windmill. To the south you may find adobe huts or something resembling an Egyptian pyramid. Expect sea birds to the west or perhaps a distant sail.
Once you have chosen a place and become oriented to the cardinal points, cast a Circle and proceed to fill your space with anything that you think will make this area your own. The only limits to what you may include among these comforts is your Imagination.
Erect whatever structure pleases you and supply it lavishly. This is no time for austerity. You are making a home for yourself in the Otherworld, and one of its essential features should be that it satisfies your every whim like no place in the mundane world can. The limits of personal wealth do not apply.
As Faery gold cannot be brought into the ordinary world without turning to worthless leaves, so is your money useless here. All the gold in the world will not buy what your imagination can create for free! If you enjoy books, you can have a library that rivals the Library of Congress.
If music suits your tastes, provide your new home with the best sound system money can’t buy or, for that matter, imagine that your entire home reverberates with your favorite tunes constantly. This is your escape from the mundane world, your sanctum that none can violate. Make it suit you in every way.
Do not feel like you have to get your decorating right the first time. You will have the opportunity to make improvements with each new visit. Enjoy yourself. The creation of this personal space is common to many meditative teachings and pathworking methods. If you have any difficulty making such a place for yourself using the methods described here, please explore other ways of achieving this goal.
The rewards are well worth the effort. Once you have finished your place to your liking, stand back and take it all in. Study your new home and the vista around it. Become familiar with the landmarks. Fill yourself with pride in your accomplishment.
You have journeyed to the Otherworld and created your own private world within it. You are beginning to understand what it means to be created in the image of the Almighty. As the All creates, so have you!
When you are ready to leave your landscape, retrace your steps to the place from which you first viewed the area shrouded in mist.
Picture the fog again descending on your vista, each feature gradually vanishing until you can see nothing but the mist. At this point, slowly bring yourself out of alpha. When you are ready, open your eyes and reacquaint yourself with the mundane world. Allow plenty of time for readjustment before wandering around. This exercise can leave you quite “spaced out”.
It is no accident that shamans who frequent the Otherworld and prefer to live between the worlds appear a bit distant and out of touch with common reality. Eat, rest, write, and think.
Give the events of this trip time to sink in before trying the exercise again. Read your journal notes and see if anything arouses particular memories or emotions. Reflect on your journey as you would a vacation. Putting mental energy into your creation strengthens its being. You will soon come to think of your landscape as being as real as any place you have visited in the mundane world.
A reminder about your journal; refer to it often, and resist the temptation to edit it in any way. It will not be long before the meaning of some nonsensical entries become clear.
Avoid rewriting first impressions to improve style or grammar. No one should read it but you, so even the spelling mistakes don’t matter. Travel to your Otherworld landscape as frequently as you like, remembering to allow enough time between visits for reflection. You should familiarize yourself with its every detail as you would a new neighborhood.
When contacting Otherworld beings, you may invite them to your vista and entertain them in your special place. Make the necessary changes to your abode to make your guest welcome, but keep in mind that it is your home ground.
You should always feel safe there. You will find your sanctum especially useful for hosting Otherworld personalities that have a reputation for being difficult or acting imperiously. You rule your domain, and most Otherworlders will respect your authority and behave cordially under your roof. Nonetheless, beware of bards and boastful warriors.
They will eat your food and drink your wine, all the while indulging in sarcastic wit and endless bragging about their respective talents. You may find yourself challenged to battle these types with word or sword, a messy end to any meeting!
