What aspects of ceremonial magic rituals arent necessary to get reults?

[Lion]

Is it possible to do a ritual in ceremonial magic and not include some aspects of the ritual and still get results
1. Can it be done on a different day but still in the relevant hour - e.g. if it has to be mercury does this have to be the hour of mercury on the day of mercury Wednesday? could it be in the hour of Mercury on a different day ...and still work?
2. Can a ritual be done on a different day and also not in the relevant hour and still get results
3. Do the instrumetns of the ritual have to meet the specifications perfectly? e.g.:

• can the belt not be made of lion's skin?
• can the knife not be made at the relevent time, could it be bought at a non-specified time?

4. Can you do the ritual without consecrating the space, instruments etc
5. Can you do the ritual without bathing in the ways specified

Put a different way... what aspects of the ritual are absolutely necessary to get results?

 

[AbammonTheGreat]

1. You can use hours in a bind. The issue is the spirit gets sucked out of the operation as soon as the planetary hour is up. So something I like to do is all the purification and consecration preceding the hour and make sure im calling on the spirit right on the dot into the planetary hour to maximize my time with it.

2. Devotion can be done at anytime. Spirit contact must follow the rules. Luna and Sol are the only exception. Their heirarchies can be utilized on any day as long as there is sunlight/moonlight respectively.

3. Specifications of the ceremonial objects can be substituted and adapted to modernity/whats at hand. The best way to do this is with help from the spirits themselves or your HGA. However there is a ridiculous amount of power behind sticking to the recipes to a tee. If its a once in a lifetime ritual construct the object to its Specifications. Otherwise ask the spirit heirarchies or the HGA to guide you on substitution of materials. The occult virtues exist in everything but the most powerful magic is when they are done by very specific instruction. This is where you can get physical manifestations.

4. You CAN but its not advised. Youre going to collect a lot of unwanted visitors and it will have an effect on your psyche. This also permits these unwanted visitors to larp as the spirits youre trying to get into contact with and the ones you are trying to conjure wont show up. Some people specifically do this if theyre trying to load a space with a lot of spirit energy. If you're going to do this just be aware its gonna get filthy fast.

5. Ritual purification is crucial but most people have their own methods they develop over time. This can be anything from cold showers, shaving, sexual abstinence, abstinence from meat or fasting... you can develop your own method for this as long as it works.

What's absolutely necessary

1. Magic circle, you can visualize it or draw it just make sure its cast.
2. Discernment of spirits, do not trust them at all. You never know what youre really talking to. Have tests you can do on them.
3. Initiation, they will subjugate you and work against you unless you have realized your authority. This is what initiation is for.

 

[Lion]

Thank you for this careful and thoughtful response. Can initiation be done alone or does a person ahve to be part of an order? Are you saying that having a lions belt would make things much more effective? so interesting.
I wondered if I bought a knife but then sharpened it and maybe changed the handle and engraved the blade - all in the correct days and hours - whethere that would count as makeing the knife?