I'm going to undertake a six-month occult ritual - ask me anything

[DocCathode]

I am also confused.

First, why would a ritual based in Kabbalah have a start date based on Easter? Is it just coincidence?

@Smapti

the purpose of which is to establish one’s knowledge of, and communication with, a semi-divine entity called the Holy Guardian Angel which is sort of your personal interlocutor between yourself and the divine, and thereafter, with its aid, to summon the Devil and his minions, engage in spiritual warfare with them, and force them to submit to you and carry out your will.

Say what now? AIUI the whole point of Kabbalah is true knowledge and experience of the mind of G-d. Why use an “interlocutor”?

@Smapti

According to the book, this is accomplished by shutting oneself off from society to the greatest extent possible, living an ascetic lifestyle focused on multiple daily prayers, ritual cleansing, chastity, abstinence, and religious study, and once completed one gains the ability to work magic by commanding spirits. I don’t expect to literally be able to fly or raise the dead or perform most of the other spells described in the book, though - I’m doing this because I want to attain a better understanding of myself and my place in the universe, and I feel that the process will help me to better center myself and gain the personal and moral fortitude to be a better person who does good in the world.

Huh? Why not do any of the vast number of secular methods?

@Smapti

Although it is a Jewish ritual, the author insists that it can be performed by a person of any religion (even pagans can do it, he asserts) as long as they acknowledge some sort of Supreme Force.

Ah, this alone tells me somebody is full of crap. The qualifications to practice Kabbalah are debatable. But -must be an adult Jew, fluent in Hebrew and learned in the Talmud, must already have personal and moral fortitude.

@Smapti

Once the ritual starts, I probably won’t be posting anywhere on the SDMB except in this thread.

So you’re undertaking a ritual that requires cutting yourself off from the world, but you’ll still be surfing the web?