Ep273: Spirit Conjuration - Dr Ben Joffe

In this interview I am once again joined by Dr Ben Joffe, anthropologist and scholar practitioner of Tibetan Buddhism.

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.

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Also available on Youtube, iTunes, & Spotify – search ‘Guru Viking Podcast’.

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Topics include:

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?

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Previous episodes with Dr Ben Joffe:

To find out more about Dr Ben Joffe, visit:

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For more interviews, videos, and more visit:

Music ‘Deva Dasi’ by Steve James

[Luva-_-]

Thank you so much Guru Viking - I love listening to this brilliant man, who also is candid and down-to-earth. No political agendas or BS, just informative and generous about his experiences. Nice job!

[themoonsthree]

This one of the best lectures I’ve heard on this topic. I’ve practiced and studied for 4 decades. This man knows his stuff. Yes and yes! Thank you and I look forward to more lectures by him.

[joannecassidy]

Been binge listening to these conversations with Dr Ben. So candid💖👍🙏

[robertblackmore]

I’m about halfway through this. As someone who has studied magic of all sorts for quite some time, but who is unfamiliar with this speaker, I have to say I’m very impressed with his knowledge. So far everything has been spot on. I have found this to be rare, even amongst those high up in academic circles. Thank you, this has been a treat to listen to, and I’m looking forward to finishing it.

[TheDoubleDorje]

Ben, when you spoke of the great power of the sheer presence of the book (evil, in that case), I was reminded of the Konchog Chidu teachings I received from our mutual friend Karma Lhundup. It was said that even if the text were merely kept somewhere (and especially if it is reverenced) the surrounding area would be peaceful, have good harvests, no plagues and so on.

[orshaharorna.shahar]

I am 63 years old. I have been told since childhood that I am weird. that I do strange things. I eventually stabilized with the help of classical tantra practice. Listening to Ben's story gives me the feeling that I am very deep in the mainstream. Thank you for the openness and the fascinating interview

[Lipinki.luzyckie]

Yeeaah, new Joffe, new haircut let's

[SpiritedSeeker]

Just want to share that I have also had corroberated spirit encounters. One was with a witchy lover at the time, in which we actually took the time to share details about the encounter, without trying to script the other. The being/spirit had a Michelin doll like skin, which we both described for example and then she would describe another detail of the shared experience and I would be blown away by the similarities. It's these shared encounters that mess quite a bit with the ontological status of these beings in my mind.

[wickland]

babe wake up new Dr Ben Joffe interview dropped

[SeaweedHero]

Always very interesting, with this guy!

[Samantabhadri]

wonderful, articulate and informative - love the cross-cultural comparisons.

[greenman]

Great interview! He is a good communicator....

[faldrich]

About the story at about 1:55:00 . The experience really does sound like a siezure. A temporal lobe focal siezure.
I dont think that makes it any less real. As a practitioner of magick and also an epileptic. Ive had EEGs while having these experiences and actively initiating them and they read as focal siezures to nuerologists.
Spirits often show up during siezures. And overlaying realities are very common to me.

If i work with sexual energy then it tends to get out of my control(trauma blocks) and can produce siezures and alcohol is also a big trigger for that kind of siezure

Sounds to me like the energy was too much for ben to handle so there were unwanted physical side effects

[huginn]

Interesting story Ben tells about the bath experience.. please mention to him to read back in the Voudon Gnostic Workbook the section on dream power and shadow stuff. There seems to be a definite correlation between his dabbling with Bertiaux’s system and his experience

[vish]

Do you think you could ever get Ajahn Brahm on the show? I have some deeper questions of the Jhanas, stream entry and a few more unconventional questions I'd love to put across - it would be a few questions at max

[ghuyakalika]

Yippee and Magickal hair as well
Hello Ben❤

[stephaniequick]

WE LOVE BEN! WE LOVE BEN! WE LOVE BEN!

(it wasn't us trying to horn in on his bathtub make out session I swear!)

[jamesm]

"The fear around demons is all propaganda" *is wildly sweating* :P It isn't terribly hard to come by the downsides of false idol worship! How is someone supposed to "be spiritual" or perceive spiritual things without a hold on their own spirit first? Aren't demons or entities external and therefore relying on them is the opposite of inward paths?

[bennieschrijvers]

The day before yesterday 3 juvenile wolves where killed (by accident?) on a highway near a national park called The Veluwe in my home country the Netherlands.

[faldrich]

A metaphysical conversation with Teal Swan would be interesting. But based on the esoteric/out of body stuff, rather than the emotional healing and her usual talking points.