Zagan & Other Sledgehammer Daemons

I often get the question when should Zagan be utilized in ritual work to manifest meaningful change. I was even asked recently if someone should do a Zagan Rite for a couple trying to get pregnant.

So first — before you jump on the Zagan bandwagon pause, assess, and think of all the pros and cons of working with a Daemon like Zagon before rushing into the temple to change you or someone else’s life.

First things first – Zagon is one of the Daemons that turns something into its opposite. So, if you’re broke and unemployed, and that seems to be your natural setting, Zagan might be a good choice. However, if this is simply a temporary situation, a less forceful Daemon like Belphegor or Belial might do the trick. Think of it this way — are you trying to take down a wall, pound in a nail, or push in a tack? Would you take a sledgehammer to a tack? For most people, the answer is no. Tacks only require a little force, whereas a nail may need more force to get them in. To take down a wall, however…

It’s all about knowing what is necessary, the resources you have in your toolbox, and working with the right tool for the job. Think of Zagan’s influence as a sledgehammer. I would apply his influence sparingly, and only in cases where things need to change (i.e. you need to knock down a wall). So, for example, if you constantly find yourself broke and unable to hold a job – you really need to get your life together – go ahead and call in Zagan. But if you’re rarely unemployed and you don’t usually experience financial hardship, save Zagan’s influence for something else.

The same thing applies when you’re doing work for others. If you want to help some happy newlyweds get pregnant, consider kinder, gentler Daemonic influence to help them conceive. Don’t bring in a sledgehammer to put a nail in the wall for a picture. You’ll put a hole in the wall, and you could inadvertently destroy the relationship of the happy couple without meaning to.

Some other good reasons to call in Zagan:

  • You want to overcome a self-destructive addiction.
  • You need to change your life before you end up hurting yourself or others.
  • You are crippling yourself or drowning in your own ineptitude.

Those are all great reasons to pull out the sledgehammer, take down the wall, and rebuild with something that better serves you.

See – Zagan has this tendency to take a person’s life and flip it upside down. This is usually not a pleasant or peaceful process. There could potentially be a lot of pain, suffering, and fear involved. The point being that sometimes you have to tear everything down to the foundation in order to rebuild it into something better. But sometimes you don’t need that. You have to develop the discernment and wisdom to know when to tear something down, or just to apply a little force.

There are other Daemons out there like Zagan. Ones that I don’t recommend practitioners work with without thorough consideration unless they don’t mind the 2×4 of reality knocking them upside the head. Don’t get me wrong – I get it – sometimes we all need some tough love, just make sure you’re choosing the right-sized hammer for the job. Do you want your hopes and dreams crushed by reality? Do you mind losing certain things you love in order to get better things? These are the kinds of questions only YOU can answer for yourself.

Other hard hitting Daemonic forces you should be mindful of working with include:

Sorath – Sorath will make you face ALL of the fears holding you back, including some you didn’t even know you had. Sorath also tends to test one’s time management skills, communication skills, business sense, and skill overall just to see if you can hack it. Especially if you’re working with him to take your career to a new level. He also tends to bring up the past and things you may not be so proud of – making you deal with them, and that’s never fun.

Claunek – While Claunek may be relatively tame for some folks (hey – a lot of folks love Claunek) – for some people (those who are paying attention at least), he’s going to point out all your weaknesses (including skills, character flaws etc…) and make you face the facts about your career/job/etc. This can be extremely painful when it comes to making you face dream crushing realities. At that point, of course, it’s up to you whether or not you listen to what he’s telling you. He’ll highlight your problem areas — it’s up to you to fix them. Otherwise you’ll just end up in the same place you were before you worked with him. (Pathworking Hint: If you keep finding yourself in the same situation over and over again, it’s you.)

Thoth – Oh, harmless Thoth. You’re probably wondering why I added him to the list. Well, again, any magician actually paying attention when they work with Thoth will be forced to up their game at whatever outcome they’re seeking (especially if you’re seeking to improve a skill). Thoth doesn’t tolerate laziness, irresponsibility, or half-assed anything. So if you want to learn, for example, to be a more effective magician (as Thoth can help with that) – you better be serious, and you better not be a lazy, half-assed student. He will metaphorically shine a light on all your mistakes, flaws, and shortcomings, then force you to practice over and over again until you eventually improve. Or he’ll subject you to scathing criticism from your peers. People generally have one of two reactions from this. They either reassess, self-edit, practice and improve, or they drop it like a hot rock and cower in a cave of self-loathing somewhere. I’ve watched that happen to a few folks over the years. Ouch.

There are a few others, but those are some of the heavier hitters.

Will every magician experience these same things with these Daemons? No. Of course not. A magician’s personality, their ability for self-assessment and self-improvement, their relationship with the Daemonic force in question (and how they harmonize with that force), their coping skills, and the person’s actual life situation and goals will all play a heavy role in HOW the magickal operation manifests and how hard-hitting the Daemon actually is.

Also note that if you have a life jarring experience with one of these Daemons – that doesn’t make you a bad magician unless you don’t grow and change as a result. Just like people who have never had a life jarring experience with a Daemon are not better magicians. Actually – people who have great experiences with every Daemon they run across likely aren’t doing the self-work and self-assessment required to grow as a person.

My goal in sharing this article isn’t to ward anyone away from working with these Daemons. Just to encourage you to stop and think before running into the temple to summon a sledgehammer for your tack (or nail) of a problem.

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