By Frater Osiris 1999

The assumption of appropriate godforms is an important element of the Neophyte ritual, yet there is no actual instruction on this process to be found in Regardie’s The Golden Dawn. Crowley gives us a primer on the process in Liber O:

“The student, seated in the ‘God’ position, or in the characteristic attitude of the God desired, should then imagine His image as coinciding with his own body, or as enveloping it. This must be practiced until mastery of the image is attained, and an identity with it and with the God experienced.” (Liber ABA, page 604.)

In order to accomplish true mastery of a godform, you must research the God behind the godform. This is essential to the process; you must know who you are dealing with. Know the myths, symbols, and attributes that separate them from the other gods. Note that it is especially important to research Egyptian gods, for they are often multifaceted, with slightly different forms associated with specific duties or rulerships. For instance, Anubis is the god of the dead, of embalming, and of the West, but it is his role as psychopomp, he who guides souls through the darkness between the land of the living and the land of the dead, that is most appropriate to the Neophyte ritual.

There are many other more advanced techniques that may be used to familiarize oneself with a particular godform:

1. Meditate on the godform, its attributes, symbols and role in mythology.

2. Use a sigil to help you “tune in” to the godform. Use whatever method of constructing the sigil you feel is appropriate. The name of an Egyptian God written in Coptic (as found in the Z-1 document) or in hieroglyphs would certainly make an effective sigil.

3. Strengthen your bond with the God through the use of adorations and/or invocations. Many examples can be found in The Book of the Dead, but the best orations are those composed by the magician, no matter how simple they may be.