The word “evangelical” has negative connotations, at least for most of us. It is about annoying people entering our lives without invitation. It’s about pushing their ideas, usually Christian ones, on to unsuspecting men, women, and children. They impose themselves on our lives by knocking on our doors, buying air time on our air waves, and leaving tracts on our cars, with the intent of spreading the “gospel”. This is how most of us think of “evangelism”, including myself. These people are attempting to save the “lost” and add more names to their personal “book of life”. It would be funny if it weren’t a little bit sad.
Evangelism in Satanism or Demonolatry doesn’t have to be like that. I do identify myself as a Satanist and a Demonolator. I have always be somewhat guarded of who I allowed to know that about me. The tenets of Satanism and Demonolatry have made that easy. I am not expected to go out and spread the Satanic word. But I do think that if I am asked about my beliefs, extolling its virtues would not be a terrible thing. I will admit that I would like to see more Satanists and more Demonolators. But Christians and those that are more like Christian Satanists have really dirtied the concept of evangelism. They make it about being better in their chosen god’s eyes. They attempt to make the person being evangelized feel badly about their choices. And the kicker they bring is that if they stay that course, there will be punishment waiting for them at the end of their lives. This is true for both Christians and Satanic Christians. What I would like to see happen is that we as Satanists and Demonolators share our beliefs with those that show interest. And once interest is obvious, follow up on that. We don’t have to hound them, or make a pest of ourselves. What a person has as a belief is their own business. But I would like to see the Satanic community and the Demonolatry community is more open to those that show interest in the Demons. I would like to see us take these misguided Satanic Christians, and with the sharing of knowledge move them away from their twist on another religion and towards a more intellectual approach to the universe and to self-knowledge. In this vein I would support evangelical Satanism and Demonolatry. The more serious people involved the stronger the community could become. Of course that also depends on the caliber of the people involved. I believe in evangelizing Satanism and Demonolatry but with an eye to a type of elitism as well. This path is not for everyone, which is why full on, Christian type, evangelism would not be possible. There has to be capability as well as desire. Sharing with others what Satanism and Demonolatry have done for us could be a good thing, and something I would like to see more of. This would make me a type of Evangelical Satanist. But don’t run away quite yet, I have no plans to knock on your doors, buy any airtime, or leave any Satanic tracts on your cars. But if there is an interest, I am willing to share.
Category Archives: Phoenix
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.
Pathworking Thoughts
I have been thinking about this topic for some time now. It is one of those things where the definition is a little elusive. So many things could be called “pathworking” in magick. Someone does meditation a few nights and voila it’s pathworking. But the word and the ideal of pathworking is so much deeper than that. It is a part of the Great Work. Knowing and discovering oneself. Ultimately that is what pathworking leads to for the serious magician. Getting to know and being able to discover oneself is not an easy task. When real life learning takes place it usually comes at a cost. A tragedy happens and we learn to carry on in the aftermath. We discover things about ourselves we never would have without that tragedy. This is how I see pathworking, to a point. Let me explain. In pathworking we take the energy of that ritual and we extend it to it’s and ours breaking point. We push ourselves further and further unlocking the secrets of the ritual and along with that ourselves. It is not for the faint of heart. At times, it can be painful and uncomfortable. But it can also be a catalyst to a great change and a greater understanding of ourselves as well as the world around us. The same type of change and understanding that can be brought on by a tragedy. But at the end of all that work and all that sweat and energy, you are futher along the path to getting to know what you are capable of and what futher discovery may be possible. On the other side of a tragedy or the other side of pathworking there is greater understanding and greater knowledge about oneself.
So in observing all that, comparing pathworking to a tragedy, recognizing the pain and hard work that goes along with discovery, I would be inclined to ask, “Why the hell would I want to put myself through that?” A fair question. This is why I believe that the Demonic has a lot to do with us choosing this type of discovery. This is the level of communication that is necessary with the Demonic. We stare into their eyes and then find out we are looking at ourselves. I do believe that we are influenced by the Demonic to push ourselves to greater heights. Pathworking, the act of performing a ritual or a group of rituals until anything that can be drawn from the act, is drawn. I have to be honest, when I have anything that could be defined as “pathworking” it has come upon me by accident. And many times I have not recognized it until it was over. This is where I think the Demonic is communicating with me. Driving me to continue the ritual work until some unseen lever clicks and I am satisfied. And in turn they are satisfied that I have taken from the ritual or rituals that which was necessary. I don’t believe pathworking can be done without the influence or the assistance of the Demonic. Rituals can be done over and over and yes different things can be learned from each working, but unless it is in conjunction with the Demonic, I am not sure it could be called “pathworking”.
Magickal Goals and You, and you and you and….
This is my first outing into anything even semi public for my thoughts and imagination. So as the man said to the proctologist, “Be gentle”.
First up is setting magickal goals. The more I looked at this subject, the more questions I asked myself. Which isn’t always a good idea if you are out and about and asking the questions out loud. But I accepted the odd looks and continued to ask away. First I wondered how is this any different then setting any old goal? We all set goals all the time. I set the goal two weeks ago that I would have my Christmas tree down by the beginning of the new year. It’s still up. I haven’t even made moves towards it in case it has the power to draw me in. So how is a magickal goal any different from any other run of the mill day in and day out goal? This is just my opinion, but usually magickal goals involve the Demonic Divine in some way. Either by invoking their help or by simply asking for their presence. Maybe asking for their advice or maybe just getting a feel for their thoughts on the matter. The other question I asked myself was, who makes the magickal goal? Is it just me that decides on something that I want to accomplish? On the surface the answer to this would be yes. I make my own decisions. I know where I want to focus my energy. Be it magickal or mundane. Right? Well not always. Even in every day life some goals make themselves known regardless of my wants or desires. For instance, a flat tire is discovered before work. The goal of getting to work has now changed to first changing the tire to eventually getting new tires. This goal imposed itself upon me. The same can be said for magickal goals. Most times I am in control. I choose what my next magickal goal will be. But sometimes circumstances dictate what the next goal will be. Illness, for example, can bring up another magickal goal straight to the forefront. Sometimes the choice of what goal is taken out of our hands by the Demonic. Many of us have had the occasional nudge into a direction we weren’t expecting. Sure, the decision is ultimately ours to make, but if there is a goal the Demonic Divine wants you to have, chances are good you will find that will eventually be your goal as well. So is magick something that is just thrust upon us? Something we may or may not have any control over? Is it something special or is the same as vowing to take down a tree before the end of the new year? Magick is something special. That is innate in the word itself. It is something by our will in conjunction with the Demonic. In order to set any goals for ourselves in magick we need to listen to the Demonic. If we don’t do that, setting goals in magick would be as random as saying random words in a different language without any knowledge of those words. Once the goal is set to listen to the Demonic, then all other goals could be worked upon. All of us know how to set goals, and we know to break those goals down into manageable portions. But with magickal goals we don’t always take it to the other level. Magickal goals are symbiotic in nature. It is our will. But it is also the Demonic’s will. And we set our voices and our vibrations to harmonize with the Demonic. Together is when we are able to set magickal goals.