Ritual Keys

A key is typically defined as a means of gaining or preventing entrance, possession or control of a location or process. A ritual key as it pertains to psychology, theurgy, mystery schools and magickal practice is a technique involving deliberate actions with appropriate intent, to provide additional meaning or potentials to various operations. The use of ritual keys can provide a number of advantages to an individual who understands proper usage.

A ritual key has similarities both to sigils and to programming by dint of the process of deciding how a given procedure will unfold. Many sigils are created by deciding what operation(s) are necessary for a given effect, such as “first, invoke my servitor, then have him find my target, and then have him attach him”. This is essentially a short program of three steps. Similarly, a ritual key may be constructed by use of a sigil or other method, but the core operation is deciding what sequence of steps will be taken and what method they employ”. Unlike a servitor which can be expected to manifest some degree of intelligence, a ritual key is a program in that it will activate according to the instructions given.

Advantages
One advantage of having a ritual key is a heightened degree of precision when creating an effect. By identifying what particular mechanism of operation will be employed, and process in which that principle will work, a specific operation can be programmed to operate consistently. An excellent illustration of this example are the ubiquitous icons that litter the desktops of computer users everywhere. When I click on a particular computer icon, the computer locates the operating files for Microsoft WordTM, loads them into memory along with any associated library files, and executes the program itself.

A similar but distinct advantage of the use of ritual keys is that common operations can be activated without having to engage in a ritual. Rituals can be very powerful, but consume materials and require time not only for the ritual but for setup and takedown. If we consider a banishing of a sacred space as an illustrative example, it is possible to use a ritual key to create this effect, rapidly and without use of a ritual, as the operator can essentially “shortcut” to the desired application. With a specific series of gestures, words or a combination, an operator may choose to immediately generate a specific effect provided that ritual key is invoked with intent. In this example, I have used a ritual key of a specific gesture and word (with intent) to banish and area and create a sacred space for other ritual use. This technique allows for “quick draw” utility both for attack and defense if the situation warrants it.

A final advantage when using a ritual key is that it can allow for greater emotional energy to be used in actual ritual for the actual ritual purpose and less for what are often considered preliminaries. A typical magickal worker maintains a certain amount of emotional and etheric energy at any given time, and magickal operations require this energy in order to maintain focus or power a specific effect. If we consider a ritual cleansing of a home or other building in this context with an estimated duration of 20 minutes, it allows one to spend more time on the ritual cleansing of the structure and less time on opening the ritual. By essentially preprogramming the preliminary or parallel elements of the ritual, more of this emotional and etheric energy can be directly expended on the task at hand. The ability to wring more “spell points” out of a given magickal operation can be a potent advantage, with group workings of workers with differing symbol sets being an obvious example.

Example
Steven wants to be able to generate a “spoiler” on an individual whom he suspects is attempting to leech his energy field. The method he has chosen is to generate a field of disruptive energies, a discordant cacophony of energetic noise that he feels will confuse and discourage his attacker, and make it difficult to create a link and which will tend to erode under the chaotic environment. Normally Steven requires a few minutes to “ramp up” for an operation, and he is concerned that by the time he is ready to activate this effect, the connections will already be made. Consequently, he designs a ritual key which is activated by a specific hand gesture and the word “no”, while concentrating with specific intent. Steven practices this for several days, consciously creating this aggressive intent while using the desired word and gestures until he feels he has assimilated the procedure and is ready to do so in the real world. When out in his daily life, he encounters his antagonist and with intent makes the gestures and pronounces the word “no”, and the effect materializes without the normal meditative time Steven requires.