Ep. 3. Invocation (February)
In this episode I discuss:
🕯️ The difference between invocation and catalyst or call to adventure.
⚡ The questions to ask as you set the events of the story in motion.
♒ How to use Aquarian energy in act one of your writing project.
🪐 How to have fun with Mercury as your story picks up speed.
Transcript:
Today, I will be talking about the second part of the story sequence: Invocation.
This is episode 2 of 12. You might find it useful to listen to the previous episodes – part one and the introduction – which will take you step-by-step through the process.
If we think of the whole story as following the pattern of initiation, immersion, and transition, this is the season of winter, a season of initiation, but within that season, we are in February, the middle month, the month of immersion. To put it another way, we are now in section two of act one.
If we think of the fractal nature of the universe as endlessly repeating shapes and patterns that echo one another, this seasonal echo can be found within each act of the story that makes up the whole.
On a human level, there is only so much we can grasp at once. This is reflected in storytelling which focusses on a single instance of a cycle at a time, and by doing so, weaving together a larger whole.
Invocation is my way of describing what other story models call the catalyst or the call to adventure. I think these ideas are helpful, but they don’t quite capture the nuance of what happens at this stage of a story.
Invocation, in witchcraft, is the act of inviting in an entity, deity, or spirit. More than that, it is about allowing yourself to be possessed by that entity.
Why invocation and not catalyst? A catalyst feels like something arbitrary, from outside, while an invocation feels like something called forth by the characters themselves.
I see this section as being about something arising from the deepest desires of the characters, whether they own these desires or not.
February is the month of Imbolc and Brigid. It is a time when spring is scented on the air, though it hasn’t yet arrived. The light is returning, slowly.
Invocation corresponds to the the season of Aquarius, a visionary sign that sees far into an as-yet-unimagined future.
It is a time of lightning quick knowledge that is hard to grasp. A Mercurial message that needs time to be absorbed and understood.
Whatever the new information or action there is in this section is not arbitrary, it does not emerge from outside, but, rather it is invoked by the characters to allow them to achieve their deepest
desires. Unlike illusion, which feels like progress, but actually cements the current situation for the characters, invocation feels like disaster but represents a true beginning on their path to what they need, however painful or shocking it might seem.
I will leave you with some questions and an example of Invocation.
When the dust has settled on the opening incident, the Illusion, what happens next? What throws a complete spanner in the works, and makes the character(s) have to contend with changing course?
What lightspeed information or incident comes the way of your character(s) which they will not fully understand until later?
How can you show them calling in a situation which will lead them closer to their desires, while seeming to move further away from them?
To continue with the example from part 1: Illusion.
During the Invocation phase, the protagonist of the imagined novel who has set up a dating profile to temper their loneliness, but who has not yet changed their perspective on relating to other people experiences a shock.
They meet an abusive person on a date, and it leads them to delete all of the apps and give up on dating. In a drunken moment, they enquire about a two-week silent meditation retreat, and consider isolating themselves further.
In theory, this looks like a terrible plan for someone who wants to cure their loneliness, but, in this apparent isolation, they might going to have the chance to examine their deepest fears in peace.
What happens when they sober up and see the offer of a place on a retreat beginning in a week’s time will dictate what happens next.
On the next episode, I will talk about March, the month of Decision.
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