I asked a friend to serve as an altar for a ritual. She asked if the "spell" was to be cast on her. That got me thinking. Could it be done, has it been done? On another note I was surprised finding an altar was that easy.

I cannot give a good answer in regards to Greater Magic.

It does seem that you had been givin' an "in" though, and you were left "thinking".

If she isn't the subject of your conjuration (e.g., you're throwing a hex but she's not the person you're trying to curse), and she doesn't harbot any guilt by being there, then no, she doesn't "catch" anything. She's essentially there as a participant, just like anybody else participating in the ceremony. It's just that her role in the ceremony happens to be physically passive (essentially she just lies there), rather than active (ringing the gong, etc.).

I'm assuming that's what you meant. If you DO want to make her the TARGET of your conjuration too, this could get a little strange. Come to think of it, the only one of the three conjurations that would apply here is the Conjuration of Compassion. (You wouldn't be throwing a hex or a love spell on somebody right in front of you! Or at least not within this context of a formalized ritual.) But again this would be strange, because that kind of self-consciousness shouldn't be a part of ritual, and it's hard to keep that in mind when your subject is right there. But I suppose the psychodrama could be effective under the right conditions.


Come to think of it, I've found that to be true in my experience too. Some women just feel devious and want to participate in the forbidden thrill of a "Satanic Ritual". I knew one female Satanist who said she most preferred serving as altar "because it's the easiest", as there are no special movements or things to recite.

Ah, thank you Bill_M for your answer. However something else came to my mind after posting the inquiry. Does not the altar serve to be as a tool(for lack of a better word) for the ritual. The purpose being to heighten the adrenaline and intensify feeling.

Therefore if you were to be trying to affect the altar in some way would she loose purpose in the ritual?

True, she is the only person who acts as both a "prop" and a "participant" in this sense. Still, I don't see how she'd be unintentionally targeted by the working, just as your gong or chalice doesn't get physically "in the path" of whatever. It might help to reread the part of The Satanic Bible about the 5 ingredients.

Well... that was what I was doing to begin with. Being how it didn't have anything to say on the matter of the altar being the target of the ritual I decided to ask others.


Edit: Considering the combination of all five I think you may have a good point.

If she is a superstitious or impressionable person, I recommend you not to use her on your ritual.

Because if tomorrow an accident or unrelated misfortune happens to her, she will start believing some kind of curse was got hold of her and she will blame you for that. I have seen it happen.

Thank you for your advice. Also a thanks to Bill_M for making me see a bigger picture of the ritual process. I think I fixated too much on detail and accuracy I was about to ignore the foundation. I hope that makes sense.