So Many Things…

I have several things that I wish I would have known when I began my path, with hindsight being 20/20 and all that. I’m only going to touch on three here though, so I don’t run on for pages. I apologize for the post coming a day late, but since the introduction of a new puppy to the family, it’s been really hard to get just about anything done. Except deal with the puppy, of course.

The thing I regret the most, is not being aware that subjects like metaphysics and occult studies were actually available as college paths. As a teenager I actually had moments where I wished that there was real magic, and that I could study that in college. Without that knowledge, I did have other subjects that interested me, but nothing that made me say, without a doubt, yes I want to go to college. Subsequently I did not go, and while I’m not particularly upset about that, knowing now that I could have gone to study subjects that would have really interested me, it really is a regret. I still may go, but it would have been nice to know that stuff back then.

It would have also been nice to know exactly how solitary of a path this life can be, and how rare it truly is to have someone to trade knowledge with and ask questions to. My best friend and I started out on our paths together, and while neither of us were experts, it did really help to have someone else there that had an opinion on a certain subject. I wish I would have spent more time with him, really pursuing our spiritual goals together while we had the chance, instead of allowing the every day doldrums of life like work and friends and parties take precedence.

Finally, I really wish I would have known about Demonolatry when I started out. The history of generational practice, and the formal structure of study and advancement would have been absolutely invaluable to me at the beginning. Instead, being left to my own devices, I picked up information and guidance wherever I could, whenever I could. And while this led me to develop a more critical and cynical mind due to the types of people I met, it surely didn’t facilitate my spiritual or magical progress. I think knowing about the Demonolatry community and the resources at it’s disposal, probably would have led me to better results, more quickly.

Introducing the DB Publishing Chapbook Series

DB Publishing is currently seeking submissions for our Chapbook Series of books. These  books are generally between 50-80 pages (that’s between 20K-30K word count) and focus on a topic of interest to Daemonolaters.

These topics can include (but certainly aren’t limited to)

  • Sigil Magick
  • Goetia topics
  • Grimoiric Magick (wherein Daemons are treated respectfully)
  • Candle Magick
  • Herbal Magick
  • Necromantic Magick
  • Sex Magick
  • Worship/Prayerbooks
  • Ritual Books
  • Daemons (for example – a book entirely devoted to Ashtaroth)

Please do your best to try not to repeat all the information already out there. Unique viewpoints are welcome. Find your own angle. I’d prefer to stay away from the “My Personal Story” or “My Personal Path/Belief System” type books (unless VERY unique) and instead go with how-to’s or practical guides for working.

We provide editorial staff and we do put our own cover on the book to match the rest of the books in the Chapbook Series. All Chapbook Series books retail for $7.99.

We pay our authors $1 per copy sold (based on quarterly sales reports). So you won’t get rich, but you’ll get a little something for your trouble. Most of our Chapbooks sell 2-4 copies a month. So please don’t submit if you have grand expectations of selling hundreds or even thousands of copies of your work. This is a very small niche market and none of us is getting rich (publisher, editors, or authors).

Send only full manuscripts to [email protected]   If you absolutely must write to inquire, please be brief and to the point. Our editors are busy people and don’t have time to handhold would-be authors from idea to finished product. Serious inquiries only please.

If you’re looking to see the kinds of books we publish, some of our chapbook series includes The Art of Creative Magick, Goetic Demonolatry, Ater Votum: Daemonolatry Prayer, and Sanctus Quattuordecim (which is still in print btw – we rewrote that entire section of Grimoirium Daemonolatrie and added new material so we saw no harm in keeping the chapbook in print). You can get all of these chapbooks on Amazon and those that aren’t graphic intensive can also be found on Kindle and Nook.  Visit our Bookstore for links to online retailers.

Some of our upcoming titles include Nuctemeron Gates and Selinda Dukanté’s Energy Workbook.

A Mentor!

Man how would I really would have loved a physical mentor worth his salt when I was starting up.

When I was around 14-15 I found the word “Occultism” through sensationalist publications, I used to be a UFO freak around that age, and until I was around 19 (I met a girl with some serious issues with abductions and other people didn’t had much of a good story with that stuff, I also found incredible amounts of disinformation and bullcrap conspiracy theorists, so I completely lost the hype and quitted entirely)

And I became fascinated into the occult looking for spells, and texts, but since my mother language is Spanish (and I was quite young, I’m still young but yeah I was younger), medieval texts like Agrippa, Picatrix, and a lot of the old Grimoires were not my fancy, Not to mention I live in a cultural pit, and I still knew nothing about Masons from Dan Brown novels that age (sad I know).

¿So where do ended being a teenager with no reference of Magical practice and working with spirits?… Chaos MagicK!  It was easy and all the cool stuff I liked like video games could be in there and I didn’t needed to understand much (Or so I thought Im recently reviewing Phil Hine and considering Andrieh Vitimus Hands on Chaos Magic). So I started launching sigils and doing rites my way, everything was comfortable and nice (Thought I never even dared to any of the actual Masses of PH).

Only the spirits of my former apartment know if any of that out of the mill of pseudo magic actually did something, but I was having fun.

Until I decided to actually work with spirits, so naturally I went with something I could relate to and was easy, so I decided to call somebody’s servitor (now fully grown Egregore).

Katagami-sama (Kagayakashikute Taiyouno Shiniryuu-Kitsune-Sama) an entity created as a general all trades servitor, sent to china by his creator, Rin Daemoko, to master the path of Hitsu-zen, which provided how to build an altar, the Kanji of the entity and a written contract, so I decided I would set up my Shrine to the Young god of the Martial arts, (Instructions still available on forums), and I would work with him, since I was moved by anime and stuff, I did quite a lot of meditation in front of that shrine and even started to get interest in things like the Kuji-in (still like that one) and eventually even started to practice Muay-Thai, one good day I was sorting through my text messages and I found a message froma four digits telephone number: “YOUR SHRINE MUST BE IN A QUIET PLACE, MEANING AWAY FROM THE PATH OF OTHER PEOPLE”

Even  thought I always had a very calm feeling around Katagami-sama, and understood its evolution as a very gentle being over all, I have to say I almost peed myself right there, any doubt in my mind that this was real; it was blotted out right that very instant.

I moved the shrine right away hidden inside a closet I would only open for practice.

At the same time, I found Brother Moloch 969, Evocational Magics forum, and It was there old grimoires started to pop out my attention, still I must admit Im still find very hard to fancy reading ye old English, so I kind started to get informed by commentaries or other people’s practices, like Rufus Opus, Aghor Pir, Brother Moloch 969, Jason Miller, Aaron Leitch, Andrieh Vitimus.

And Finally one good day Moloch 969 comented on Ellen Purswell’s Goetic Demonolatry, and since I was eager to know a way into Goetia without all the Golden Dawn’s thingamabobs and whatnots, and I was really unconvinced on the cohersitive ways of Evocation of some ceremonial magicians, I jumped right in, buying that book, along the Demonolaters Guide to Demonic Magic, Demonolatry Goetia, Sanctus Quattor Decim, and  Later the Infernal Colopatiron, as what happened with my first daemonic expiriences will be for another blog.

My practice has evolved quite a lot and my expiriencies are now quite far more deeper and magic is molding the way my life moves in ways I might not even suspect, and usually its a combination of practices, I hardly practice only one tradition or system, and I try to keep it varied.

To conclude I would have saved quite a lot of hassle, time, and waste of energy if I had somebody in my face explaining me thing from personal expirience, but sooner than later at least I found the right books and getting used to my new practices, thought I think there is something unique in human conection that cannot be replaced by mere information.

 

P.S. In case you are wondering I dismantled my Katagami-sama’s altar when moving to my new apartment (Ive been considering reinstalling it but I still have quite some hassle with space being smaller so It might take some time)

What I wish I knew…

Wow, where to begin with this.. Well first off with my past experience, I was more shamanic.. More nature based belief, and with that came with alot of limitations of how I was trained.

Magick squares and numbers in magick. I find it fascinating now since I can basically use it for alot of things, back then I never lift a finger in learning it..  But now I’m reading up on it.. Has Stef says “You’ll start to see it everywhere.”  Trust me, you’ll start to notice things…

Demons!  Has I progressed I knew demons has entities like angels and gods, but was surrounded with people who believed them to be evil spirits ( not Satanic, like negative makers). Now I realize that I am sort of right with it, so many missed opportunities in the past to connect with them.

The crazies..  If I would have known there are crazy people out there getting their brains melted on magick (or disorders and using magick) I would of stayed isolated in my world.. But thankfully its only a handful of them, and the rest of the people are pretty cool.

I’m sure there is so many things I wish I knew back then, but those I keep to myself and allow you the reader to stumble in the dark.. mawhahahha *evil laugh*

April Updates

This month the bloggers discuss what they wish they would have known when they started out.

Meanwhile, in the bookstore, we’ve done some revamping so it’s easier to find what you want.

Audrey Brice’s new occult paranormal Into Darkness is finally available now for those of you who like contemporary occult fiction. It will be added to the bookstore here before the day is out.

S. Connolly released last month that her next grimoire, Keys of Ocat: A Grimoire of Daemonolatry Nygromancy will be released later this year through Nephilim Press. We will link it from the bookstore once it becomes available. I am told it could possibly be available as soon as October this year (possibly for ordering).

The official press release states: The Keys of Ocat reveals the never before published Saturn rites, seals, and theophantic gate opening rituals of Ocat, the abyssal gatekeeper of the dead. Behind His gates dwell the Daemons of death including Euronymous, Balberith, Bune, Hekate, Frucissiere, and many others. These blood magick rituals, talismans and seals will aid the advanced magician in conjuring Daemons to speak with the dead, commune with death, and discover the true meaning of mortality and spiritual immortality. Be forewarned, however, Ocat is not known to be a friendly gatekeeper to all magi who approach Him, and the Daemons behind His gates are some of the most terrifying of their nature.

I think I’ve covered everything and I once again apologize for not posting on the first.

-Frank

Those Damn Christians Want Everything !

Demonic possession is a very old and much talked about subject. Before the advances of medicine and psychiatry, all mental illness was blamed on the demons ‘possessing God’s innocents’. However, there were some very interesting cases – The Nuns at Lourdes for example – not really explainable unless you start bringing in dubious ideas like mass hallucinations and major mental trauma. Another case is the true story of the boy who started behaving strangely after his grandmother died – he did play on the ouija board mind you – which formed the basis of the Exorcist story line. The boy’s story can be found in Possession by Thomas Allen. I remember reading (although I can’t remember which book), that during the middle ages, the Demons walked amongst us, before deciding that we couldn’t really be trusted and moved to a higher dimension (much like the dragons).

Possession has been a major and ‘living’ part of all religions since the dawn of time. The Shamans sought possession by the spirit of the eagle and jaguar. Voodoo priests still regularly offer themselves up for possession today. Minor possessions occur in tv programs such as Most Haunted. Possession is feared amongst some religions such as Christianity and Islam (who fear the Djinn).

It should be noted that nothing horrendous tends to happen until you get Christianity involved. Its always the ‘innocent children of God’ who get possessed. The Church seems to catalyze these things. Even though Islam fear the Djinn, they do respect them and pay them courtesy. Not exactly true of the Christians, who despise virtually every other religion and non believer, and condem all other deities as false gods. Any wonder sometimes that these other deities might get miffed ? Back to possession. It is interesting to note that the Church has a list of things to certify possession. Unfortunately, nearly all but one of them also occur on the list of things that may happen to someone who ‘has the Holy Spirit brough down upon them’. Speaking in tongues, performing ‘magic’ and miracles, displaying abnormal abilities. In fact, the only discerning factor they have is ‘aversion to holy relics and men of the cloth’. So, in other words, you can display all the major recognised factors of possession, but unless you do something dirty with a crucifix or utter things to the priest along the lines of ‘your mother cooks socks in hell’ then according to the rule book, you could be possessed by a Christianity approved spirit !

So, the Christians have claimed the rights either way you look at it and argue, the Christians have it covered. Mind you, if it wasn’t for the Demons having a sense of humour and not obviously getting too annoyed with us, we wouldn’t have any of the entertaining films such as The Exorcist, The Rite and the new one just released The Devil Inside.

Thinking things logically – would Demons, (aka deities before Christianity) spend all that time, inside a single persons body ‘until it rots’ ? Don’t you think they might have something else better to do ? Another thing perhaps twisted by Christianity ?

Demonic Possession? Or something else.

No matter how one looks at it, or what one’s opinion is on it, the very notion of Demonic Possession is an interesting and intriguing idea to think about.  It’s either a scary, abhorant thought to you, or it’s something that you wish you could experience just once.  Though I am sure there are more than a few that couldn’t care less one way or the other.  The problem with Demonic Possession is that for it to stay within the definition of the thought, it would have to be done against the person’s will.  That is only assuming though that we always know what our will is.  If we were always on top of that then none of us would make the odd stupid mistakes that get told around a campfire.  I know people that believe that not only is Demonic Possession possible but it’s rampant in our society.  Then there are those that don’t even believe in Demons so no way they could believe in such a thing.  Somewhere in there, probably, lies the truth.  I don’t think Demons need us to do their will or to get stuff done or to take over the world.  But I do think they sometimes are as curious about us as we are about them.  Now I don’t think Demons are jumping into occultists willy nilly.  But I do think there are times that they might choose to communicate with us in this way.  That doesn’t mean we are going to start spewing pea soup and turning our heads 360 degrees, though that would be interesting as well, it just means that another avenue of communication was initiated with us from the Demons we seek out.  Technically this is not Demonic Possession, at least not in the strictest sense.  Most of us would be open to such a thing.  What about people who have not gone down the road we have?  Could they have a moment that could be considered “Demonic Possession”?  With the Demons I think anything is possible.  It is not so much that the Demons couldn’t do these things, it is more they don’t usually find the need.  But occasionally they could decide for a more intimate amount of time with us.  This is where the rule “against the person’s will” would come into play.  If the Demons that we work with, talk with, and cultivate knowledge from were to, in their wisdom, decide it was time to attempt this type of communication, would it truly be against our will?  Or could it just be something as simple as a nice surprise?  I know that sounds simple.  Even though it can be a complex subject, depending on how it is looked at.  I think that during some of our rituals or some of our meditation this is something that routinely happens.  One could argue that consent was given a long time ago and is being held as sacred.  Maybe what we need is a different term altogether.  Instead of “possession” maybe something more like “merging”.  That would probably be a more accurate description.  However, I do have to say, the Hollywood version of Possession would have it’s advantages.  Speaking in ancient tongues, without having to study them, bending so far backwards you could make a gymnast jealous, and of course the whole levitation thing.  If all that were possible, most of us would be lining up to sign up for such a thing.  “Merging”.  A much better and probably a more accurate concept.

Updates: Paypal, Lulu & Overall Site

With Paypal backing down on their censorship policies we will resume accepting paypal payments on this website. The links to Paypal will be returning shortly, but we’ll also keep the Google Checkout Links up as well. This will give everyone a choice of payment method when purchasing ritual supplies, readings, or books off of this website.

Thank you for supporting us during our PayPal boycott and we hope it wasn’t too much of an inconvenience.

Also – I think I’m going to be talking to Frank about updating the theme of this website again. I don’t like how it formats pages or posts. The text runs together and it’s hard on the eyes. So please bear with us as we update the site.

Now with regard to Lulu. For years Lulu has been a valuable partner in helping DB Publishing bring our books to the world. However, we’ve outgrown them. Since early 2010, Lulu has not been our primary printing and distribution service, but we’ve kept them on our site as a distributor just because we wanted our customers to have a choice.

Starting in April 2012, the bulk of our paperback books will NO LONGER be available through Lulu. Instead, you’ll be able to get them through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and you’ll be able to order them through your local bookseller. The only books that will be available through Lulu will be the hardcovers and some private printings (though we might move the paperbacks on those, too). These editions will be available through direct links from our store here – only. We will no longer have a storefront on Lulu.  Thank you for reading and if you have any questions, feel free to contact DB Publishing at [email protected] or Frank at [email protected] .

Dream-Work & Astral Temples

It’s pretty hard for me to write posts that are reader Q&A these days since most of my answers to the questions are printed in my books and most readers have read the bulk of my books. So everyone knows my opinion on this stuff.

With regard to possession, suffice to say that I view possession as being something that happens “against a person’s will” whereas channeling is where the magus/medium is a willing participant to the spirit speaking or doing things through them.  Yes, mincing semantics but nothing annoys me more than people running amock tauting, “I’m possessed! I’m possessed!” Not to mention I once met a guy who actually thought he was “possessed” by a squirrel. But we won’t go there. That’s another tale for another time perhaps. Everyone else here chose possession as their topic to discuss so I’ll discuss the astral and dream work.

First, let me say that if you’re a magician of any sort, Dream Work and Astral Work both have their place, but they should never be a sole method for all magick. I personally think the magician loses a great deal when they do everything astrally.  I also think this is why some magicians are ineffective. Sure – there are exceptions and I have met that rare one or two astral magicians who do have some flack to herald magickal success from astral and dream-work exclusively. But otherwise I think astral and dream-work has a primary purpose and that purpose is communication with spirits (of all types).

Now for exclusively *spiritual* Demonolaters – go ahead and do all the astral and dream work you can. When it comes to devotion and prayer you really don’t absolutely need a physical temple. But as a magician, things are a little different.

For some people astral and dream-work is the only way they’re able to practice ascension or communicate with the Daemonic.  I prefer it when I’m looking for very specific instruction on how to do something, or I would like to have an extended conversation with a Divine Intelligence. This way I get full visual input as well as verbal input. But alas – I’ve learned to communicate without astral and dream-work, too.  I think it took me just as much practice to learn how to effectively dream-walk and astral travel (they’re different) as it did to learn to trust my intuition and speak with the Daemonic while being wide-awake and completely in control of my faculties.

Think of Dream Work as lucid dreaming with a goal and think of astral travel as being able to put yourself into an awake, but meditative state to where you actually disconnect from your body and are able to travel anywhere in this world or other planes of existence/realms. It’s similar, but not quite the same thing.  That’s my two cents.

Demonic Possession Doubts

I’m not a very big fan of the commonly held perception of Demonic possession. Even ignoring the fact that it perpetuates the negative stereotypes and misconceptions about the Daemons, I simply don’t think it’s very well thought out. To begin with, the very premise of non-consensual Demonic possession infers that the Daemon wishes to make the subject do something against their will or to their harm, or needs the subject to accomplish something that would otherwise be impossible for the Daemon to do alone. I have serious qualms about both of these scenarios.

For starters, if a Daemon wished to force a person to do something, I think there would be much easier and more effective ways to get it done than to personally assume control of their body and then perform the task through them. Even acts of self-mutilation and sabotage can be more easily achieved through deception or deceit than direct possession. Magic, as well as nature(as Magic is a part of nature), will always take the path of least resistance, and I highly doubt the Daemons make a habit of going to extra effort for inferior results.

Secondly, seeing as how Daemons are ancients begins of immense power, there aren’t too many instances I can envision that human assistance would be warranted. And if such an occasion were to arise, there would be plenty of subjects willing to volunteer themselves. This completely removes the need for non-consensual possession.

Finally, I am not entirely convinced that total Demonic possession of random everyday people is even possible without dire repercussions. In my experience Daemonic energy is quite powerful, even just being in the same room. Being touched by that energy can be intense, sometimes even bordering on uncomfortable. Personally, I believe that the energy encountered during full Demonic possession would cause permanent damage to the nervous system, if not other vital organs as well. This may not be the case for mediums and other experienced occultists who have trained their ability to handle higher energy levels, but for the average person, I have serious doubts about whether full possession is even possible.