Ep273: Spirit Conjuration - Dr Ben Joffe
Dr Ben Joffe is an anthropologist and scholar practitioner of Tibetan Buddhism.
Available on Youtube, iTunes, SoundCloud & Spotify – search ‘Guru Viking Podcast’.
Dr Joffe leads a deep dive into the Western magickal tradition of spirit conjuration, traces their diverse forms through the centuries, and considers the range of beings described, from the land sprites of localised traditions to the high angels of the Enochian system of Renaissance polymath John Dee.
Dr Joffe reflects on the origin and changing usage of terms such as “demon” and “devil”, laments the prevalence of dangerously lax invocation practices, considers the cultural impact of the grimoire tradition, compares the systems of demonology found in world religions, and notes striking similarities between Buddhist tantric mystic Padmasambhava and King Solomon.
Dr Joffe also shares his own occult experiences including tales of spirit contact, servitor creation, dream visitations from the recently deceased, and ritual workings in several magickal systems.
00:00 - Intro
01:12 - Western Esotericism
04:42 - Spirit conjuration and the grimoire tradition
05:49 - Analysing spirit conjuration tropes in horror movies
09:46 - Diverse magical practice
10:51 - Professor Ronald Hutton’s history of Western Esotericism
12:05 - History of spirit conjuration from Ancient Egypt to today
14:49 - Mesopotamian laws against witchcraft
16:08 - The status of magick in the Abrahamic traditions
16:58 - Clerical underground of wizards
18:20 - Literacy and the power of a magickal book
21:03 - Prioritising of the book and of language itself
23:08 - Gathering one’s magickal tools
25:00 - Preparation is key
26:20 - Do spirits find humans repulsive?
30:29 - Self-purification and strategies for self-deification
31:24 - Similarities between Padmasambhava and King Solomon
32:43 - Dzamling Chi Sang and subjugating spirits
33:41 - The Testament of Solomon and subduing spirits
35:34 - Magick and frat-boy fantasy
37:47 - John Dee and the quest for knowledge
39:40 - Christian ceremonial magick and Jesus as a sorcerer
41:55 - Pre-Christian Pagan European spirit traditions
43:09 - Magick vs religion
45:12 - Hamlet and old spirit frameworks
48:03 - Arguments for and against the grimoire tradition
53:56 - Cultural impact of the grimoire tradition
56:05 - Wisdom of the past
58:33 - Different types of spirits and supernatural beings
01:02:33 - Muslim views of Iblīs (the devil) and djinn.
01:04:22 - Evil spirits in Christianity and Tibetan Buddhism
01:06:01 - Different ideas of the Devil
01:07:17 - What is a demon?
01:07:50 - Lazy demonology
01:15:05 - The perspective of nondual Tibetan tantra
01:18:31 - Limitations of dualistic cosmology
01:20:56 - Angels and pre-modern Christian views
01:25:03 - Why demons are useful for practical magick
01:27:47 - Ben’s personal reflections on working with spirits
01:31:17 - Rites of passage and creating servitors
01:33:00 - Ben explains the Goetia
01:34:16 - Ben reflects on his magickal career
01:36:45 - Summoning spirits at 12 years old
01:43:11 - ADHD approach to magick
01:44:09 - Ben recalls powerful, unexpected spirit contacts
02:00:51 Group corroboration
02:02:17 -Dream visitations from the recently deceased
02:04:56 - Are these experiences real?
02:07:30 - The social aspects of magickal practice
02:10:48 - Ben’s relationship with an invented spirit
02:15:42 - Wyatt the servitor
02:21:02 - Models of magick and questions of purity
02:29:09 - The two wolves inside of Ben
02:31:25 - Universal principles or relative frames?
02:34:33 - Artisanal magick and honing attention
02:36:18 - Is magickal training reliable?
Previous episodes with Dr Ben Joffe:
To find out more about Dr Ben Joffe, visit:
Music ‘Deva Dasi’ by Steve James