Over time, my view of banishings changed. Several theoretical considerations raised issues with the practice. For one thing, the duration of these rituals are usually less than 10 minutes -- is gnosis actually achieved? If not, what gives the banishing any efficacy? Other questions arose: What is really achieved through a banishing? Considering the psychological viewpoint that any entities "attracted" to your magical work would be externalizations of one's own kia (or life force), why should they be necessary? For a while, I stopped doing banishings altogether....
Eventually, I became convinced that practicing banishings was more beneficial to me than not. It was clear that when I did a daily banishing my life felt more magical and my magic was more effective than if I was doing nothing. Naturally it took a good deal of thinking to figure out why banishings were beneficial, and what they were really doing. Eventually, hypnosis and NLP provided a model and suggested ways in which banishings might be restructured, improved, and harnessed.
My Explanation:
Banishings can only probably achieve the pure "one-pointed state of consciousness" commonly intended by the term gnosis, when they smoothly conclude a ritual after sufficient physiological arousal or inhibition has been achieved. Nevertheless, there are probably a variety of states of consciousness, which lie in a continuum to pure gnosis, and in many of them, magical acts may be possible. These special states may be referred to as para-gnosises or para-ecstasises. Banishings, through constant association with these states of consciousness (by opening and closing them every ritual) become associated with such states in the consciousness of the individual practitioner. After a time, they themselves become a gateway to deeper trance and more effective magick. This effect is known in neurolinguistic programming as "anchoring". Once an anchor or stimulus has been 'set' or associated with a certain state of consciousness, it can be 'fired' - that is to say, the stimulus can be re-presented in order to induce this state of consciousness.
Another related concept of neurolinguistic programming (NLP) is that we are constantly drifting in and out of light trance states. Vivid imagery or other intensely, imagined sensory modalities is indicative of a transient trance state. Traditional banishings seem to unwittingly employ this concept: they usually contain one or more of the following elements: vocalization, visualization, somatization, and evocation. (Somatization refers to somatic sensations, and evocation refers to the sense of presence of certain spiritual, often protective or guardian entities.) Most good banishings utilize all of those elements. They therefore utilize every sensory modality possible (visual, auditory, and kinesthetic) in order to temporarily induce an altered state of consciousness. Most commonly they are used to induce a sense of centeredness and grounding in the present, sometimes reminding practitioners of certain spiritual values.
Banishings are a devotional magick. They probably do not work by 'banishing' anything. Their 'protective' effect most likely comes from a sort of invocation of safety. (Though it should be remarked that the technique of banishing a specific thing with pentagrams is very similar to an NLP approach of minimizing images - one visualizes the object receding away from the pentagram until they disappear behind the horizon - an NLP formulation is that one is diminishing the effect of that image and disassociating from it). Banishings work rather the same way affirmations do, and can, in fact, be used in the same way. In psychology, affirmations are used as a way of challenging core beliefs, often about oneself while bypassing the intellect - a way of self-programming. One simply looks in the mirror and says positive things to one'sselves - and the remarkable thing is that it seems to work! Repetition increases the effectiveness of this procedure, and that seems to belie the conventional wisdom of "firing and forgetting". Yet in psychotherapy it is clear that repetition is often helpful, especially in so far as inner transformation is concerned. Many authors on success believe affirmations are helpful in achieving practical goals as well. Perhaps, as magicians, we overestimate the 'lust of result' effect. While 'firing and forgetting' may be a useful approach for intents we desire too intensely, some of our magical work might benefit from reinforcement, and this latter effect is probably responsible for the perception of many magicians that layered workings are more efficacious.
At any rate, there are many things that we may simply want to bring into our lives on a routine basis. For this, a banishing-style ritual that utilizes this new view of the mechanics of such rituals can be a time efficient way of accomplishing certain magical ends - minutes well spent, here and there. Such rituals launch one into a deeper trance at the beginning of ritual (especially when they have become well-anchored) and are able to utilize the effects of prolonged ritual at the very end to empower one's long-term intents. Furthermore, the traditional use of such rituals which include performance upon rising and retiring influence is probably of merit because the timing is proximate to the sleeping/dreaming mind, and therefore may influence the unconscious more than if performed at other times.
As a side note, there is a principle in hypnosis that one should never phrase a suggestion with the word 'not' in it. This is because it is thought that the unconscious thinks primarily in images. Use of negative qualifiers has often been thought to be counterproductive. When one is told "not to smoke" the image that comes to mind is precisely that of smoking! Similarly, it is impossible to follow the instruction "Do not think of a white bear." These new style banishing rituals make use of this principle - one's suggestions to oneself are phrased in positive terms. These rituals are, in fact, more appropriately designated "neo-affirmations" rather than banishing rituals.
Designing and Constructing your own Anchored Neo-Affirmation:
These kinds of rituals are best personalized. Different magicians have different needs. One magician might wish for harmony with his or her partner, while another may desire a different sexual partner every night. One magician may wish to focus on inner harmony and integration, while another's focus might be the accumulation of wealth, sexual conquests, and power. Still another might wish to focus on mid to long term practical goals. Once a list of intents is generated, they are anchored either singly or collectively to a mantra, mudhra, and visual representation (sometimes a sigil, but may also be a visualized energy of an appropriate hue) whislt utilizing an appropriate form of gnosis. The process of selecting these anchors may vary. When the intents have been 'charged' through ritual and anchored to the appropriate vocalization, gesture, and visualization, one begins to utilize the series of anchors in the same way a normal banishing was once used - upon rising & retiring, and, before & after every ritual.
Step 1.
Generate a list of things that one wants to bring into their life. Some magicians may want to formulate a series of goals for the next year and to reformulate their anchors per annum. Others (such as I) may want to concentrate on very long term goals such as longevity, health, attention and concentration, physical comfort, and prosperity, etc. Each magician's list will vary. Still, others may concentrate on indefinable qualities such as 'inner peace', balance, and happiness.
Step 2.
Generate a list of things one does not want to bring into their life - better yet, things one fears they may be, or will bring into their life through magick. One of the functions of banishings not discussed above is their function of allaying the fear of novice magicians who are dabbling in the occult - it gives them a sense of safety and room to explore. While for most chaos magicians there is little left to fear, it may still be a good exercise to try to formulate what parts of magick are frightening or detrimental to them. One of my personal fears about practicing magic is that I will go insane, therefore that would go on my list. Another good thing to put on this part of the list is negative qualities or beliefs about oneself, such as feeling unliked or unlovable. A rigorous self-inventory is often necessary to fully address all such issues. Once this list has been created, restate everything in positive terms: "I could become insane through the practice of magick" becomes "Through the practice of magic I am becoming more sane and well balanced."
Step 3.
Constructing and performing the anchoring rituals:
Another consideration should be whether one prefers to individually anchor specific intents, or whether similar intents should be grouped together and anchored collectively. The danger of anchoring each specific intent individually, is that once all the anchors are combined into a 'neo-affirmation', that there are so many that it takes 30 minute or longer to perform. Ideally, the finalized neo-affirmation should take no longer than 10 minutes. As one's unconscious theoretically has a perfect recollection of individual intents grouped under an anchor, it is perfectly acceptable to group some - or even all under a single anchor. My own approach is to individually anchor specific intents which are of special importance to me, and to group into categories more generic intents which will be anchored collectively.
One can be as ceremonial or minimalistic in designing the particular anchoring rituals. My own approach is rather minimalist and performed on the fly.
A sample description follows:
a. IAO
b. Statement of Intent: "It is my will to anchor the following intents: _________ through ritual to a mantra, mudhra, and sigil, such that this ritual will be linked to those anchors and my intents re-empowered every time they are performed/visualized."
c. Scry for a sigil.
d. When sigil has been scryed, visualize it for a full 30 minutes.
e. Evoke to sense of presence any appropriate spiritual entities, calling their names and sounding their praises until they seem to be present.
f. Begin performing glossalalia and free movement/dance until a mantra and a mudhra resolve out of the procedure. (You will know this has happened when you are saying the same thing over and over and performing the same body movement over and over).
g. IAO.
h. Immediately write down the mantra, mudhra, and sigil (or you may forget).
It should be kept in mind that there are probably other approaches and other types of gnosis that could be employed. I often tend to combine sensory modalities in my own visualizations to obtain a synesthesia type of experience. Sometimes my visualization is not of a sigil, but either a vivid representation of the desired result, or an 'energy'- a light of a certain hue and 'texture' and kinesthetic feel. These kinds of synesthetic visualizations may be difficult for some people, and are not necessary, but may also trigger deeper transient trance states. People should design their own creative approaches to this operation.
Step 4. Combining the Anchors into a Neo-Affirmation:
Once an anchor has been set for a particular intent or set of intents, one should begin using it right away. One appropriate way to begin is tack the anchor onto a banishing ritual that is already known and used such as IAO. One difficulty can come from setting too many anchors in too short a time span, such that one simply cannot remember to perform them all. For this reason, it is better to assimilate a few, then, once those are automatic, set some more anchors. It is sometimes helpful to broadly categorize the individual anchors such that it is easier to remember them - for instance those concerned with mind, body, and emotions. The final neo-affirmation is often a work in progress: some anchors may need to be re-set after a time, or the practitioner may decide that they are no longer appropriate and eliminate them. My own neo-affirmation has evolved to the point that it consists of the following stages: 1. Balancing of internal energies (through sound and visualization). 2. Performing the anchors in the following order : external magicks, magical goals, mental affirmations, emotional affirmations, physical affirmations. 3. Evoking to sense of presence my familiar spirits (personal eidolon, etc.) 4. Affirming the values of my personal magical path ("maximizing performance, potential, and commitment"). 5. Connecting to the present moment and realizing that I am alive. Simply designing these rituals creates a great deal of food for thought, and helps to establish the direction one intends to take, and is beneficial for that reason alone.
Illustrative Examples:
Frater A. is interested in open-handed magick. While he initially constructed anchoring rituals designed to lead to inner harmony and balance, and retains those anchors, after a time he began constructing anchoring rituals of a more complicated variety. In those rituals he would cast a spell without a specific target: spells for healing, athletic performance, the evil eye, instant sexual attraction - anything he might want to perform on the fly. In these rituals, while creating the anchors, he symbolically created a worm-hole leading from the time the ritual was performed to the performance of the anchors. When he performs the anchors in ritual as a neo-affirmation, he strongly visualizes himself as co-existing in both the present moment and at the time he created the anchors. Now, when his girlfriend has a headache, he will perform the mantra and mudhra over her while visualizing the sigil. He has already performed a full ritual for his intent which he now fires. In his mind the spell is out there, floating in the void, because of this formulation, he resets his anchors often.
Soror B. works as a computer programmer, and is no stranger to devotional magick. She preferred to anchor specific intents individually. She has created a whole devotional service consisting of her particular anchors that lasts 30 minutes which she performs daily. Since it is impractical for her to use this format before and after every ritual she decided to take anchoring technology to the next level. She broadly categorized each of her specific anchored intents, and anchored those to new mantras, mudhras, and sigils. She thinks of them as 'meta-anchors' and feels that they call up the specific anchors as 'sub routines'. She accomplished this by scrying for the 'meta-sigil', and then performing her mantras and mudhras until they dissolved into glossallalia and free-movement, and re-coalesced into a single mantra and mudhra. Now she has a ten minute abbreviated routine that she can perform before and after every ritual and upon rising and retiring. She plans to carry things yet one more step farther and utilize her 'meta-anchors'in a similar fashion to create a single mantra and mudhra that would empower her entire series of intents - such an anchor could be employed more comfortably in a group setting.
Frater C. is a practical magician. He is not particularly interested in 'inner harmony' - but he is interested in money. He took an NLP approach and visualized all the things that he wanted in his life vividly. He created an affirmation that stated that he would have these things, his plan for attaining them, and his deadline - one year. In a year he intends to evaluate his progress and re-formulate his anchors.
Soror D's magical path is oriented primarily towards an inner journey. She is interested in shamanism and Jung. Her primary interest, magically speaking, is exploration of oneiric states. She collects images and characters from dreams and invokes them and evokes them. Similarly she is involved with work on the 'astral realm'. She will tend to gain anchors from dream work. Her neo-affirmation is garnered from anchors set in self-initiatory cycles and her work with her imagination - often of personal mystical significance. Her affirmation retains the element of directional attributions yet these are correlated with her personal mandala work rather than with traditional associations.
Frater E is the MT of his temple and is primarily interested in group dynamics. He had his temple collectively generate a list (as in steps 1 and 2 above) of affirmations - many of which dealt with their collective egregore and their goals in terms of working together as a group magically. They anchored the affirmations together over several temple meetings. The temple's neo-affirmation includes a harmonization of individual energies, and then an harmonization of energies between the members of the group. The mantras and mudhras are performed collectively and then there is a strong visualization of the group's egregore. In his personal practice Frater E performs his own personal neo-affirmation back to back with the temple's.
Discussion:
Traditional banishings have taken a bad rap of late. This is because their mechanisms of action are relatively poorly understood and not well explained by classical CMT. The empirical impression that banishings have some useful effects and the ability to reformulate these effects through the psychological model (utilizing the insights of hypnosis and NLP) has lead to advances in the magical technology of such rituals. These new technologies can have powerful cumulative effects on our lives. There is much room for creative individual exploration of these ideas, and the individual practitioner is urged to begin exploring.