Finding the Lesson

Today I thought I would address a question I get often, and it has to do with bad shit and why it happens sometimes when we’re working with Daemons.

Question: I’ve been working with a specific Daemon and bad things keep happening. Why?

Answer: It could be one of several things. 

  • A. Life just happens and sometimes what happens is shit. 
  • B. You made a really shitty decision and this is the result/consequence. 
  • C. The Daemonic has been talking but you haven’t been listening and they’re trying to get your attention. 
  • D. Sometimes you need to go through some deep shit in order to change your life/thinking/habits in the way they need to be changed in order for you to grow and learn. 

One of those things is usually the reasons for a bad day, or bad shit happening. And again, bad things happen to everyone (myself included). There isn’t always a spiritual reason for it. Sometimes shit just happens and it sucks, and we do our best to deal with it and move on the best we can. 

Basically, you could be equating two separate things that are actually unrelated. 

Then again, when working with Daemons regularly, especially with regard to pathworking, I always assume they’re trying to teach me something when shit goes down. In that case my advice is to look for the lesson. 

Ask yourself some questions:

1. How could I handle (have handled) the situation better?

2. Is this situation something I could have controlled? How so?

3. Did a poor choice on my part cause this situation/thing to happen?

4. How did this situation or event make me feel? 

5. How can I change my inner feelings or control my actions next time I find myself in a similar situation or event?

6. Do others see the situation or event the same way I saw it? For example, does everyone think I’m blowing it out of proportion? If so, could there be truth to it? 

7. Am I reacting to my own fears or insecurities? Is my behavior a direct result of my big feelings? If yes, is emotional regulation hard for me? If yes, why?

8. What have I learned from this situation/event?  What will I take away as the lesson?

Lather, Rise, Repeat. 

That said, everyone should remember some key things about LIFE generally. Because everyone has experienced all of this at least once.The likelihood of any of this being because of curses and/or demons is on the very rare side.

1. Someone we love dies or a pet dies. Death is inevitable and just because it happens doesn’t have to mean anything spiritual.. None of us is guaranteed another day. Remember that and live each day as if it were your last. I don’t know about you, but I’ve lost a lot of people I love, as I imagine many who are reading this have, too. It’s not due to a curse or a demon. It’s LIFE.

2. You get a flat tire, your car breaks down, or your electronics go haywire or break. Mechanical things fail all the time for everyone. That’s life. Most things are programmed with obsolescence or they wear out. 

3. You get caught up in a natural disaster. Certain areas are more prone and likely to get hit with certain types of natural disaster. If you live in said area, your chances increase for being caught up in a storm or geological event. These types of situations are due to climate or geology and have science to explain them. 

4. You get sick. We all get sick. Some of us get mildly sick and then get better. Some of us get really sick and recover. Some get sick and die. Some are sick their entire lives. That has more to do with viruses, bacteria, genetics, exposure, immunity, and overall health and hygiene than anything else. We have science to explain why people get sick. We have medicine that sometimes can help cure or help the sick, and sometimes there’s nothing that can be done. See number 1. 

5. You experienced a conflict. So does everyone. You are a person living in a world with other people. Conflict is inevitable at some point. It’s a mathematical probability. This is also where we start leaning toward conflict being a vehicle by which Daemons impart messages. So while yes, it could be a message, it could also just be that you ran into someone having a shit day, and they took it out on you because they had no emotional regulation in that moment.

So don’t be so quick to rush to demons and curses as the cause for all the problems you face that aren’t internal or self-created. Sometimes, shit just happens. 

And when in doubt – ALWAYS look for the lesson. 

Author’s Note: It could also very well be you’re talking to/working with a self-created thought-form or you’ve attracted an “other” spirit that is pretending to be what you want it to be, and is feeding on your stress, anxiety, sadness, anger, negativity, by wreaking havoc. Though this is likely a rarer incident. If you think it could be a spirit or thoughtform pretending to be a Daemon – read this article HERE about learning discernment.

Shadow Work: A Brief Explanation

What is shadow work? A dark dive into the abyss and facing terrors unknown? Or is is merely taking a hard look into yourself and asking, “Why do I do that?”

It’s BOTH actually. Months ago, a comment about my 76 Week Goetia revealed that the person criticizing it didn’t understand what TRUE shadow work is. A lot of people erroneously think it means sitting in a dark candlelit room, frankincense smoke wafting to the ceiling in plumes, while the practitioner, dressed in robes of course, laments some long invocation to the dark gods.

Truly, you can work with any Divine Intelligence when it comes to shadow work, but it doesn’t need to be done in the dark, or by candlelight, or anything like that. It could be a simple plea to a spirit – or it can involve working with spirits in ways that they help you reveal the work that needs to be done, guide you through it, and then help you find the strength to do it.

Shadow work has a list of basic key elements to it:

  1. You identify that there is a problem.
  2. Once you have looked outward and blamed all external influences (whether responsible or not) and the problem still exists, you realize you have nowhere to go but inward. This is true whether you are the problem or not. Sometimes, if other people are the problem, you need to accept that you can’t change them. But you CAN change your interactions with those people and reframe the situation or your thinking to benefit your own sanity.
  3. You analyze yourself. Your thoughts. Your decisions. Your feelings. How you react. What you say. What you do and how all of this impacts your situation.
  4. You work on yourself – rewiring your brain to think differently and to change your perception. Or you make a concerted effort to change how you act and/or react. For example, if you have low self-esteem and you discover you constantly feed yourself negative self-talk like, “Well, that’s as good as this will look on this body” then to reframe this, you become hyper aware of the negative self talk, and when it happens – you can stop yourself and reframe that thought to be more positive.
  5. You face your biggest fears and challenges and find ways to reframe your thinking or find solutions to eliminate fear (or at least minimize it), and to overcome challenges by thinking outside the box or finding a new path to the same goal. Of course, sometimes the only way forward is through. I know each of these steps sounds simple written out, but we all know it’s not. Many of you will be going to hell and back emotionally – and that’s why we call it shadow work.
  6. You face your deep emotional traumas that have shaped you and come to terms with these events, accept that they happened, let go of guilt or shame or fear, and move forward from that point. You don’t deny it happened, but you find ways to become stronger and not let the trauma destroy you and your present and future.
  7. You find your weaknesses and lack of skills within yourself and try to improve them based on your goals and interests. Constant self-improvement gives you a sense of accomplishment and builds your confidence.
  8. When you finish working on one thing (or do all the work you can at that time), you move on to the next thing. It is a constant, never ending process.

This is what Shadow Work is. No, it’s not some glamorous adventure through some LARP fantasy-land replete with horned Daemons. Well, not for the bulk majority of us. It’s basically all about dealing with your own imperfection, fear, trauma, and nastiness (let’s face it, we all have the capacity to be complete assholes as well as violent animals) that impacts your external world in so many ways.

The Daemonic merely serve as guides to this Shadow Work — inner work, self-work, whatever you want to call it. A lot of times, the Daemonic will come up with shit you didn’t even know you needed to work on. My favorite example of this is I was working with Sorath to help me with my writing career. First, you shouldn’t do this unless you’re ready to face the fire. Second, Sorath will burn your ass just to see if you can take the heat. But then if you want some sort of “public figure” type existence – you need to be able to handle that heat. So, I was excited when Sorath started throwing awards and nominations, and accolades at me. But then – with those things – he also threw a good number of speaking engagements at me. Public speaking has been a fear of mine forever. I have frozen in front of live audiences before. I used to shake and my voice would quiver. But, if you want accolades and fame, you better know how to speak in front of crowds. Point taken (Sorath-1, Steph-0). This barrage of public speaking started in 2017 and didn’t end until 2019. Then COVID happened, and I didn’t public speak again until 2022. This time around, I started getting paid to speak. I hadn’t really discovered how far this journey had taken me until July of 2024 when I spoke at a writer’s conference in Northern Colorado.

My husband was in the audience because he took the two hour drive with me so I wouldn’t be bored. When we were back in the car, driving home, my husband said, “You’re a great public speaker.” He sounded surprised and in awe, because I’d always told him how terrible I was at it and how nervous it made me. If you know my husband, you know he doesn’t throw around praise lightly. Shocked, I thanked him for the compliment, and then he pointed out one tick phrase I tended to use that, if I tossed out, would improve my performance. (This is why I’m sad he has no interest in beta reading all of my books. 😂) The point is – I hadn’t realized just how much my public speaking had improved until someone I trusted told me. It helped me to reframe my thinking about public speaking and I can no longer say I suck as a public speaker. (Not to mention people pay me for it now – so clearly I stopped sucking awhile back, but it never really clicked until M said something.)

Somewhere in the ether – Sorath is cheering and I’m moving on to the next piece of shadow work, because it’s never ending.

I don’t care how old you are, how wise you are, or how experienced you are – the shadow work never ends. There is ALWAYS a personal skill to improve or a new challenge or fear to face. No one, and I mean NO ONE – will leave this world without unfinished shadow work. I just think that maybe you become more adept at navigating it the longer you do it.

Anyway – that’s what shadow work is and how you do it. It doesn’t seem so intimidating written out like that. But you can probably also see why some people avoid it. It can be messy, complicated, and emotionally – hard work.

If you do need some guided instruction and ideas on how to do the shadow work, I recommend 76 Week Goetia, or the forthcoming The Hierarchy Dukanté. Or, if you prefer, just join my Patreon at the $5+ a month (might be a little over $8 a month if you join using IOS after November 2024) and jump in for the last part of the Dukanté Hierarchy Immersion class and have access to a bunch of other workshops and classes, as well as forthcoming classes.

Alchemy of Goetia

The medieval magicians who wrote the grimoires encoded a beautiful alchemical synthesis into the sigils of the spirits they worked with. Join author S. Connolly as she explores the magickal and alchemical symbolism within the seals of the Goetia (and the Grimoirium Verum) and discover how this symbolism gives us insight into a spirit’s purposes and correspondences in a hidden language only the initiates understood.

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Initiations

I promised you a second post this month and here it is.

I’ve written about initiations before. Initiation isn’t just some ceremony that brings you into a group or onto a certain path. Sometimes initiation is a trial by fire. The spirits flip your world upside down to see if you sink or swim, and if you’ve learned anything yet. Sometimes initiation is learning something new and having a revelation that changes your whole world view. Initiation is an interesting thing. It may not happen all at once, and some of the most profound initiations any magician will go through will be gone through alone, within ourselves and in our own minds. We all come to our initiations in our own way in our own time.

Initiation can be welcoming and bring a sense of belonging, or it can put you in a position where you need some time to digest it, or you have to act quickly or perish. It’s not always kind and gentle, nor does it always happen in candlelit rooms with heady incense wafting through the air. You do the work – you are initiated and reap the rewards (or burdens as the case may be) of that initiation.

One of my favorite examples of this is in the movie The Ninth Gate. Balkan may have had all the money to hire others to do the work for him, but it was Corso who was ultimately initiated and allowed to reap the fruits of his labor because he did all the work. You may think you can reap what others have sown, but it’s usually a hollow victory and will only bring frustration and confusion as to why you didn’t reap the same rewards as someone who actually took the journey and did the legwork.

Balkan didn’t understand why the ritual didn’t work for him, and why he ultimately ended being consumed by the flames of his obsession for which he wasn’t willing to get his hands dirty. Corso, on the other hand, after having done all the work – unknowingly even – was the one who had the revelation and benefitted in the end.

So, why am I again writing about initiation? Because in working on Alchemy of Goetia – I went through a profound initiation. I knew what I was going to find (I knew it back in 2010), but I didn’t realize just how relavetory and changing what I found would be, or how my perception would be forever different. It’s one thing to have a suspicion or a hypothesis, but quite another to actually jump into the trenches and do the work, making the fruits of that labor so much sweeter – even if those rewards come with shock and a loss of carefully cultivated illusion (or delusion).

Yes, there is a psychological element to Goetia, but instead of the spirits being parts of the psyche, I think we’re actually looking more at the processes of the psyche for doing the inner work. I still believe that not everyone has to kick their own ass to get that process started. I also hold to my position that the names of God, which are far older than Christianity, and the ritual setup, were used to protect the spiritual alchemists from harming themselves while doing the shadow-work (i.e. self-work), and all the commanding was likely to give the magician courage before embarking on each process of the great work. It also had the side effect of burying the true nature of the manuscript under the guise of the popular religion at the time to avoid attracting the ire of the church. It was also clear that yes, the Ars Goetia does likely have Arabic alchemy origins. This is probably not a myth since there was a rich Arabic alchemical tradition the predates the Western alchemical tradition.

In the Ars Goetia there is an inherent and profound respect for the processes within the text – because in laboratory alchemy – some of these processes and the materials used were dangerous and the alchemist who didn’t heed the warnings could end up dead. Many of the warning statements I found mostly stated: yes – be courageous and embark on the great work, but also – respect the power of the alchemical processes, or if you’re doing alchemy in the real world, respect the raw matter and chemicals you’re working with, or you can end up harming yourself and possibly others spiritually (or physically if you were actually doing laboratory alchemy). Which is why I still believe in respecting the divine intelligences (Daemons) we work with – even if it’s the Daemonic within. The inclusion of commanding and controlling the spirits of the Ars Goetia is more about self-control and exercising personal safety than it is about controlling the process itself. The process simply is what it is. A chemical reaction is what it is. The Daemonic is what it is. It’s how we react to the process and its inevitable reactions, and what we learn from it that matters.

So, in a lot of ways, the actual alchemy of the Ars Goetia has reinforced my views and my personal practice. In other ways – I am forever changed by this journey I’ve embarked on. I’ve been initiated into something that, for me, was rather profound. I admitted to a friend after the book went into editing that I had never really “connected” with the seals of the Ars Goetia or Solomonic magick generally. The actual spirits associated with the processes – sure. They are their own thing. But the seals just never resonated. Now I know why. Because you have to understand the language in the emblems and spirit descriptions of the Ars Goetia (and all Solomonic magick for that matter) in order to really understand what you’re looking at. Once you’re initiated – once you see it you can’t unsee it, and the Ars Goetia (and all of the Lemegeton actually) loses its grand mystery of “Christian” magick, and becomes more practical, more gnostic, and in some instances, delightfully clever. I have a new respect for the early alchemists now, and their sense of humor (because it’s not humorless at all) and a new respect for Solomonic magick overall.

While this particular initiation was a bit of a shock to my system at first (my poor friends Ken, Amanda, and Shae were probably bewildered by all my “Holy shit – you’re not going to believe this!” messages), I am glad I saw the patterns (one of the strange benefits of my neurodivergence) and decided to finally take the time it took to explore what was only a hunch I’d had for more than a decade.

You can get copies of Alchemy of Goetia from the following links. I hope you enjoy journeying with me down this rabbit hole, and I wish you your own life-changing initiations and new perspectives no matter what they are.

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Alchemy of Goetia paperback-   https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0D27XK9Q2/

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Alchemy of Goetia: Perfect Bound Paperback: See the post about the book.

Programs & Egregores?

Sorry for the late post. I didn’t post last month because I had so much going on and I was working hard and heavy on Alchemy of Goetia to get it into editing, and Shae didn’t post last month because she’s been in the clutches of moving house, which is never fun. She may not be posting this month for the same reason. Perhaps I’ll make up for that by giving you two posts this month.

I’m still on a sigil magick kick because of Alchemy of Goetia. Over this past weekend I was talking to someone who practices an entirely different magickal paradigm and she said something that really made me stop and think – wow, she’s right.

She said that some symbols or glyphs are almost like magickal programs that execute when we utilize the symbol in our magick. I couldn’t help but think that that’s so true for the seals in the Ars Goetia. They really are like actual programs that activate the spiritual processes described within them.

Which makes me feel like, in actuality, the program activates an egregore created by centuries of magicians who have placed their own anthropomorphic expectations on the egregore. Because at this point – I’m pretty sure the use of pagan god-names (or variants) or made up names has more to do with gematria and alchemy than it does the divine intelligences. Then again – as within, so without. As above, so below.

That said – I suppose we can’t deny that these spirits, these egregores, become our personalized thought forms (this even happens with god-forms) and are therefore very valid in the context of our personal gnosis, too. Because the original Goetic spirits weren’t actually spirits, but rather names associated with recipes, ideas, concepts for both spiritual and sometimes even laboratory alchemy and the original authors of the grimoires were alchemists, psychologists, and philosophers, and magick was both the shadow work (psychology) involved in the betterment of the self, and the precursor to the sciences of metallurgy and chemistry.

But, over the centuries, for a lot of people the alchemy was lost and the Ars Goetia became this mystical, mythical, and magickal text in its own right. All because we need to label and classify things – and we’ve separated the branches of Western Magick which were never meant to separated. They’re all interconnected and if you don’t understand one part, you won’t understand the other. I’ve been saying this for years.

These are just some thoughts I’ve had this fine April 2nd. If any of this intrigues you, paperbacks, hardcovers, and ebooks of Alchemy of Goetia will be available toward the end of the month.

Things You Can Do with Sigils

I often get the question, “What can I do with a sigil?” So, I thought I would write up a list of all the things you can do with sigils, and I invite you all to add to the list in the comments!

So first, let me point out that you need to first imbue to sigil with the proper intent before you do anything with it. If it’s protective, make sure you’re thinking of protection while you’re drawing/creating the sigil. If it’s a mild curse you’re putting in your ex-in-law’s house, do that beforehand.

Now onto the list of the many things you can do with sigils. Let’s inspire one another.

  • Carve them into wood, stone, metal, or clay.
  • Print them or draw them. Feel free to laminate them.
  • Put them above doorways and windows for protection or good luck.
  • Use them as a focal point for meditation or ritual.
  • Wear or carry them for guidance, luck, protection, strength, influence etc… Some common methods: Wear as a necklace or charm. Keep in your wallet, purse, briefcase, bag. Keep in your left shoe, or wear against your left breast. Carry in your jacket or stitched into your clothing. Some people in the modern era may even wear clothing or carry everyday items with the sigils printed on them. Or they’ll create stickers or clings to place the sigils on various items from computers to rolling luggage.
  • Include them in artwork and crafted items.
  • Place them behind mirrors to turn the mirror magickal and use it for scrying or to boost the confidence of whoever looks into the mirror.
  • Keep them in the car for protection.
  • Keep a bowl of clay or metal cast sigils in the house and pull one whenever you need advice or insight. See Sigillum Diaboli as a guide for divining with Daemonic sigils. https://www.amazon.com/Sigillum-Diaboli-S-Connolly/dp/1481196170/
  • Put them beneath your pillow, mattress, or bed to induce psychic dreams.
  • Paint the sigils on gifts or household items to turn them into something magickal for yourself or others.
  • Draw them on petitions to the Divine.
  • Use them as offerings to the Divine.
  • Put them on ritual tools to dedicate the tool to a specific divine intelligence.
  • Tattoo the sigil of your matron or patron on yourself to mark yourself as a dedicant. (Don’t do this unless you’re 100% certain you wish to be a dedicant to that spirit.)
  • Place sigils in strategic places to give you an edge, curse your enemies, or to uncover secrets (i.e. under your boss’s desk with a little tape, in your friend’s house under the dining room table, inside and under a cabinet in your mother-in-law’s house.)
  • Draw it on an envelope for correspondence to get a favorable reply.
  • Visualize it, or draw it in the air with your finger over an email to get a favorable response.
  • Trace it in the air over items and people as a blessing of that spirit.
  • Create your own personalized sets of sigils using automatic writing/divination and ascension sessions. It’s quite common for Daemons to give magicians very personalized sigils that connect the magician to the spirit.
  • Create sigils (using your own or established symbol sets) that hide important information, recipes, or even whole rituals within them. Basically, turn them into ciphers that only the initiated can decode. ( See Alchemy of Goetia – releasing March 2024 ) to see this in action.
  • Give sigils themselves as gifts to other magicians for healing, prosperity, or just general ritual use etc…

What ideas do you have?

An Unedited Sneek Peek into The Alchemy of Goetia – Coming March 2024

The following is an unedited excerpt from Alchemy of Goetia by S. Connolly (DB Publishing), coming in 2024. It will give you an idea of the kind of information you’re in for when you buy this book. It also includes alchemical symbolism in animals and colors,and discusses how Alchemy and Goetia go hand-in-hand. You can pre-order the ebook on Amazon, and you can expect both paperbacks and hardcovers to be available around the same time. – Frank

Bael

King

Color: Yellow.

Incense: Frankincense.

Metal: Gold.

Planet: Sun

Element: Fire

The first principal spirit is a king ruling in the East, called Bael. He makes men go invisible, he rules over 66 Legions of Inferior spirits, he appears in diverse shapes, sometimes like a Cat, sometimes like a Toad, sometimes like a man, and sometimes in all these forms at once. He speaks in a hoarse voice.

The Alchemical Breakdown:   While the seal seems very insect or frog-like (transformation), notice the mention of cats (transformation of hidden knowledge). Within the sigil itself we see the alchemical symbol for day, nitrum soda, gold pigment, and potentially alum, digestion, and acetum. In alchemy, the process of digestion involves applying a heat source to the material over the period of several weeks. It is one of the 12 core processes of alchemical work. It’s interesting that the symbol for digestion is contained within the seal, and invisibility is mentioned in the description for Bael. Bael appears to be an active force and can help the magician transform physical energy into creative energy with the end goal being manifestation. When we heat something slowly, especially something solid immersed in liquid, it releases the essence of the physical matter into the liquid around it. In spiritual alchemy, you might even consider this a process of emotional release. Bael is a reminder that transformation begins within the wellspring of our deepest emotions and that what we digest makes manifest our situation in the external world. If, for example, we consume nothing but negative media, we begin to feel negative and that manifests in our everyday life until life becomes negative.  If we feel invisible to others and begin to see ourselves as invisible, we become invisible.

Brew up the Year of Your Dreams

The last few months, many of us have been focused on saying goodbye to a year that, for many; was a trial by fire. We talk about people, situations, and character flaws that we want to release ourselves from and then we make our New Year’s Resolutions and think everything will just work out. There is nothing inherently wrong with this, but what if there was something that we could do to help bring all those things that we want into our lives, that also didn’t take precious hours from our limited time to nurture it to make it all happen? Well, there is. Simmer Pots!

Literally, you can put it on the back burner for a few hours each day and let it do its thing. You may end up wanting to freshen up the mixture, but that shouldn’t take too long at all. And the great thing is that there are SO MANY different ingredients, that no matter what you want to manifest, there is something you can add to your chosen base to make it happen. So, let’s look at some common bases and then some ideas for what else to add to personalize your magickal New Year Brew!

IT’S ALL ABOUT THAT BASE

Some people prefer a traditional apple cider base. Apples signify knowledge, immortality, love, fertility, protection, and prosperity. They are also symbols of the Otherworld.

Another option is black tea. Black tea symbolizes strength, courage, wealth, banishment, stability, and willpower.

For green tea enthusiasts, you can use that too! Green tea’s energy is aligned with healing, love, longevity, and cleansing.

White tea is perfect for new beginnings, blessings, wisdom, protection, clarity, and purification.

Or perhaps you want to start with a clear slate and prefer rain or filtered water. This choice brings with it growth, rebirth, energy, warding, banishing, protection, and building personal power over time.

ADD A LITTLE BIT OF THIS, AND A LITTLE BIT OF THAT

Now comes the time to fine tune your intentions, by adding what will simmer in your base. You could have as few as two or 3 different additions, or go crazy and add as many as your little pot can handle. Just remember that some substances can over power others easily, or if you have pets, you will want to make sure that what you are simmering won’t hurt them in any way.

Pepermint – clarity, awareness, focus, productivity, social energy, and confidence.

Ginger – success, power, prosperity, adventure, sensuality, and relationship success.

Lemons – remove energy blockages, insight, cleansing.

Lemongrass – psychic abilities, clarity, insight, and courage.

Bergamont – protection from evil and magickal attacks.

Oranges – fertility, success, happiness, friendships, prosperity, and love.

Cinnamon sticks – spiritual and personal power, finances and wealth, love, luck, victory, and protection.

Cranberries – abundance, energy, healing, communication, courage, swift action, and rejuvenation.

Dill – adaptability, lust, luck, money, abundance, banishing.

Star Anise – divination, love, passion, protection, power amplifier, psychic ability, money.

Oregano – travel, creativity, love, and clear sight.

Cloves – good luck, love, attracting wealth.

Bay Leaf – success, wish fulfilment, strength, psychic ability.

Basil – love, luck, and abundance.

Thyme – wisdom, healing, love, purification, and courage.

Cardamom – love, lust, charm, and mental clarity.

This is really just a jumping point. Get creative and cook up a year that will bring you everything you want and deserve.

The Year Ahead: Daemons for Your Astrological Sign – 2024 Edition

Today, I thought I’d do a reading for the year ahead for each astrological sign by pulling a Daemonic sigil – for the Goetic Spirits. Remember to read your sun sign along with your moon sign. I’m a Cancer sun with a Capricorn moon – the earthy part of water according to the elemental makeup of my natal chart. Oftentimes, the Capricorn reading is more accurate for me. Only you can decide which one fits you better based on what’s going on in your life.

Remember that you can do this for yourself at any time. There are plenty of decks on the market for the Goetic spirits, and even a Dukante sigil deck. Any of them will pair well with my book Sigillum Diaboli, which gives meanings for the sigils.

♑ Capricorn (Goat): December 22–January 19 – Ronove – 2024 will be a great year to go back to school, get certifications, or learn new skills. Consider writing out what you’d like to learn this year and create a plan of actionable steps you can take to increase your skills and knowledge. This seal may indicate you will be doing research or getting serious about a writing project. If none of this applies, then chances are you’re going to learn something new about a situation you’re in that you were unaware of before and it will change your opinion and perspective of the matter.

♒ Aquarius (Water Bearer): January 20–February 18 – Balam – This coming year will be busy for you, Aquarius! Numerous social events and opportunities for networking will arise in 2024. You may even find yourself making great strides in your career or social group because right now – you’re looked upon favorably by peers and bosses. Use this to your advantage. This seal is also a warning to keep your plans secret until you’re ready to launch them or until you see measurable results. That way there’s no chance of someone trying to beat you to the plate or stand in your way or talk you out of it.

♓ Pisces (Fish): February 19–March 20: Ipos – You are going to need a lot of courage in 2024, Pisces! You’re going to have to make a big decision in 2024 and problems could arise from a surprising source. People you thought would back you up may not or may be completely against your decision. But here’s the thing — the decision is ultimately yours. You’re the one who has to live with it. If you’re comfortable with that – it doesn’t matter what others think or how hard they try to fight that choice you’re making. It’s your life and you have to do what is best for you.

♈ Aries (Ram): March 21–April 19 – Andrealphus – This is a seal of new beginnings. Especially with regard to your career options. 2024 finds you making a choice about changing jobs, accepting a promotion, or starting your own business. Make sure you’ve done your research and don’t rush into anything. It’s okay to take some time to think about your choice, but don’t wait too long or the opportunity may pass.

♉ Taurus (Bull): April 20–May 20: Alloces – This is the year to be cautious, dear Taurus. Don’t jump into anything without reading all the fine print and thinking it through. It might be best to spend 2024 working methodically toward your goals – slowly – until you see measurable results. Try not to focus on the end result too much, because the end result could be different than you envision, and moving slowly will give you a better idea of what the final outcome will actually look like. This way, not only will you discover if this goal is what you actually want, but also if you have the stamina or desire to continue toward it. You may end up changing your mind.

♊ Gemini (Twins): May 21–June 21- Bifrons – This looks to be a good year for Gemini when it comes to love and friendship. If you’re attached, you may find a deeper connection with the person you’re with. If you don’t have a partner, this might be the year you find that special someone. If you have recently lost someone (whether in life, love, or friendship) this is the year that brings you the emotional healing you need to move forward. You may also find yourself feeling a bit of nostalgia for the past, and desire to look at family photos with your loved ones or reach out to connect with an old classmate.

♋ Cancer (Crab): June 22–July 22 – Sabnock – This is the year to lay low and STFU, Cancer. Keep your plans and projects to yourself or you risk others trying to hamper them – or steal your ideas and call them their own. To overcome obstacles, take a step back and listen – process what you’re hearing, and then choose a carefully planned response. If you’re aggressive and forceful with your reaction (as we Cancerians often can be when something triggers an emotional response in us) you’ll only create more problems and obstacles.

♌ Leo (Lion): July 23–August 22 – Leraje – Leo, this is your year to let the past go and move forward. Sometimes we hang onto conflicts due to our own egos, and this tends to be the case with you. When you’re right, you’re right and you want others to accept that you’re right. Let it go and practice forgiveness for yourself and others. Now — as a caveat to this, I’m not saying you should act like the conflict never happened. It did. But you can choose to accept that the other parties in the conflict have their beliefs and you have yours – and that you no longer need these people in your life or maybe the subject just needs to be dropped and never revisited. Not all hills are worth dying on. Also, you can forgive without condoning shitty behavior or remaining close or friendly with someone.

♍ Virgo (Virgin): August 23–September 22- Cimejes – Virgo – 2024 is your year to shine and share your knowledge and experience with others. You may be sought after as a mentor. Just be careful your expertise isn’t used to bash or destroy others. There’s a fine line between confidence in what what one knows – and arrogance. Usually, the pulling of this seal also indicates that this is the year to launch new projects and plans, and that there will be few (if any) obstacles holding you back this year.

♎ Libra (Balance): September 23–October 23 – Stolas – 2024 will be a great time to brush up on your communication skills as there will be plenty of opportunity to do so. But — preciseness is key. You will find yourself needing to be more careful in how you communicate with others in order to get your point across, or to project the proper information you want the other person to hear. It may be best to make sure you rehearse what you say beforehand so there are no misunderstandings. If you can master this skill of precise communication – you can be successful in any situation the year throws at you.

♏ Scorpio (Scorpion): October 24–November 21 –  Glasya-Labolas – It looks like 2024 is going to be whirlwind of action for you, Scorpio. You may be busier this year than the past few. But be careful about sharing private plans and dreams with others, otherwise prying eyes could hinder your success, whether it be by those wanting to sabotage you, those who disagree and make you second guess yourself, or those who unintentionally stand in the way of your success.

♐ Sagittarius (Archer): November 22–December 21 – Seere – 2024 may be roughest on you, Sagittarius. We all have rough years, but it seems like you may be stuck in a stalemate. Feeling like you can’t get ahead or that things are staying the same no matter how hard you try to make changes. Never fear. There is hope. Find comfort in the fact that the wheel turns, and everything that goes down WILL come back up again. Be careful of acting rashly to intense emotions because it will only make matters work. Instead, turn 2024 into a year of reflection, planning, and self-care. Things will start moving forward again, it’s just going to take some time.

Season of Leviathan

The Autumnal Equinox is considered ruled by Leviathan. It’s a time of reassessment, introspection, and even start making changes now for new beginnings later (spring). For many people, it’s an invigorating, inspiring time. For others, it’s time to nest for the winter. But Leviathan is not the only Daemon who can be worked with effectively this time of year.

Daemons of Autumn: Alloces, Amy, Baalberith, Bathin, Botis, Caim, Dagon, Gremory, Ipos, Leviathan, Marax, Murmur, Orobas, Purson, Sallos, Zepar

Magickal Work to focus on in Autumn: Changes toward goals, Necromancy, Divination, Manifestation. Removing obstacles.

Shadow-Work to Consider: Assessing what needs to change. Facing fears about change. Healing from emotional trauma preventing change.

Real-World Follow-Through – Start or launch new projects. Apply for higher positions and different jobs. Complete certification courses. Take classes to improve your career potential. Start planning now to return to school in spring. Make the changes to yourself and your environment to help you thrive.

Autumn is also a good time for healing the psyche. If you’ve been considering therapy for anything from addiction to coping – now is a great time to enter treatment or come up with a plan.

What are some of your favorite autumnal rituals?