Conventions, Communities, and Change

At the end of July I had the opportunity to attend the 2nd International Left Hand Path conference in Indianapolis, Indiana. I had an absolutely great time, and I was going to come home and write a blog post for August detailing the things that made the trip so much for me. Unfortunately, things did not go to plan.

On Saturday, August 9th, Police Office Darren Wilson shot and killed an unarmed teenager named Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri. Ferguson is a suburb of St. Louis, which happens to be seven miles from where I live, or about a five minute drive. I’ve had family who have lived in Ferguson almost all my life, so I have intimate knowledge of the area and the people who live there. And as I watched the city, and entire country get swept up in the events of early August, I pushed back my blog post because I knew I would want to speak out on this subject. Now, over a month later, I finally feel that enough has been disclosed to allow me to write this post.

You may be wondering what the shooting of a teenager in St. Louis has to do with Demonolatry, Satanism, or anything spiritually related for that matter. The connection between the two is community. After leaving the Left Hand Path conference, I was filled with hope regarding the occult community as a whole. It was a weekend full of the exchange of ideas and beliefs. Some ideas were commonly held, while others were less mainstream, but regardless of their popularity, respect was given to all. It showed me that even while we may not agree on some things, this community is capable of coming together. And then no more than a week later, I watched a city in my hometown rip itself apart. The duality of the situation was not lost on me, and it brought a lot of things into focus for me.

 

The Conference

In early July a good friend of mine came to me about a conference he had found on Facebook. It was less than a month away, and July is trade show season for the industry I was working in, so I knew it would be hard to get away. But I managed to get the time off, and in a few short weeks we were packing our bags, hopping in a rental car, and heading to Indianapolis.

 

My Expectations

This being my first occult-themed conference, I honestly didn’t know what to expect. My background is in technology and gaming, so the cons I had attended previously were of a different vein entirely. My pre-arrival expectations were mixed. Marriotts were generally nice hotels, but who knew how the staff would treat us when we arrived. Some cons have attendance in the thousands, with people wearing all types of costumes and gear. I was really, really hoping to not see too many vampire fangs or werewolf tails. Of course, I expected there to be a small number of serious practitioners scattered throughout. I was honestly expecting something very gimmicky, but was still hoping to have a good time and maybe find some stuff to buy. I was pleasantly surprised on all fronts.

 

The Hotel

As we pulled into the Marriott, it was obvious this was a nice hotel. Massive parking lot, multiple buildings, really nice decor. We headed to the lobby to check-in and the place was gorgeous. The staff, who were obviously aware we were there for a LHP conference, were nothing short of courteous and professional. No strange looks or glares that were half-expected. We were treated like honored guests, and that set a tone for the entire weekend. The conference planners have to be absolutely commended on their choice of venue. The rooms were great and made available to us at very reasonable prices. All-in-all the hotel itself could not be beat.

 

The Conference Area

As I said before, my past con experience is with events like GenCon, BlizzCon, E3. Massive events with thousands of people in attendance. When we walked into the conference area for the first time, it was definitely a surprise. It was one room with a stage, and some vendor tables ringing the walls. Certainly a huge contrast to what I was used to and expecting, but that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. It made for a very intimate conference where attendees had a great opportunity to ask questions and interact with the presenters. Something that would have been impossible in a much larger and crowded venue.

 

Attendance

Another expectation confounded, attendance at the conference was definitely not what I was used to. At most, there were probably sixty or seventy people in the room at peak attendance. But there was not a vampire fang or werewolf tail to be found. Every person in attendance looked mature, educated, and serious. It quickly became clear that the weekend would not be about gimmicks or image, but rather real occultists sharing information on their craft. The presenter list was impressive and the attendees looked to be serious about learning. The weekend looked like it was shaping up to be more than I thought it would be. A really pleasant surprise.

 

Vending

The vending was a perfect example of a trend I found running throughout the entire con. Quality over quantity. While some cons may have more stuff to buy, and more vendors to choose from, everything at this con was really well done. High quality stuff across the board, at pretty reasonable prices. Some of the art was very pricey, but at the same time, it was worth it. I brought a lot of cash to spend, and still didn’t have enough to walk away with some of the art I wanted. Luciferian Apotheca was in attendance, and had a great selection of t-shirts(which I practically bought out) as well as jewelry, books, and other items. I look forward to seeing what pops up at the next conference.

 

The Presenters

Unfortunately due to time constraints, I wasn’t actually able to see all of the presentations or presenters over the course of the entire weekend. In truth however, I’m not sure it would have been possible to see them all without gluing your ass in a chair for the entirety of the conference. I did however want to give a brief overview of the presenters that I did see.

Bill Duvendack

Bill was the first presenter of the conference, and I was particularly interested in seeing his presentation. Unfortunately, due to some poor planning on my part, I actually missed it. I still wanted to mention it though, as Bill is a highly respected magician and long-time employee of Pathways, one of the premier metaphysical stores in the St. Louis area. They run events and workshops constantly, some of which are run by Bill, so if you are ever in the area, it’s a must-see. Bill spoke on the Lucifer-Christ archetype. Again Bill – Sorry I missed it!

 

Laurelei Black

Laurelei was a wonderful presenter who shared a presentation titled “Siren, Succubus, Seductress: The Devil’s Bride.” A traditional witch with strong leanings towards the Dark Goddess, Laurelei spoke on the historical and mythological themes that involve sirens, succubi, and the seductress archetype. The connections and common trends she brought to light were very enlightening and moreover, seeing such reverence and respect shown towards the Dark Goddesses was incredibly refreshing. Lorelei is an author, presenter, and even makes custom ritual robes by request.

 

Taylor Ellwood

Talk about a great presenter. Taylor spoke about manifesting wealth, and a lot of his ideas were rock-solid. He put a strong emphasis on doing your own part to make any magical working a success, as well as being specific. These were common themes amongst many of the presenters. The personal responsibility one has to the facilitation of a magical working, and then the importance of not only specifying what it is you want, but also what it is that you do not. Taylor also had some fascinating ideas regarding the maintenance of a shrine devoted to your personal wealth, in addition to any others you may have. Really interesting stuff. Taylor is an author, presenter, and business coach. Check out his book, Manifesting Wealth.

 

Jeremy Crow

A member of both the Luciferian Research Society, as well as the Greater Church of Lucifer, Jeremy gave an excellent presentation on lucid dreaming. Methods on how to attain a lucid dream state,  as well as how to hold it once achieved. He also shared some basic activities and exercises one can try while in a lucid dream state. Solid stuff, even if a bit elementary. Moreover, Jeremy is just a great guy and I had a wonderful time talking to him. I really look forward to seeing him at the next con.

 

David Smith

David is the author of Quantum Sorcery and gave a presentation under the same name. Easily one of the more interesting and enlightening presentations of the conference, Quantum Sorcery explores the connections between magic and quantum physics. How magic can be explained scientifically, and how it works. A fascinating presentation and an absolute must-read book.

 

Ken Henson

Ken Henson is probably one of the most knowledgeable and intelligent occultists I have ever met. He’s also a damn good artist. His presentation was focused on alchemy, and his unique opportunity to research at the Lloyd Library and Museum allowed him to share a wealth of information on the subject. He was tasked with essentially reading every book in the library and then summarizing his findings for those who ran the library. After hearing his presentation, it was painfully obvious that the opportunity had not been squandered. I took more notes during his presentation than any other. If you ever get a chance to see him speak, you will not be disappointed.

 

Andrieh Vitimus

Andrieh is a seriously active magician. You will see him doing podcasts, webinars, confererences…the list goes on. He actually gave two presentations during the conference, though I was only able to see the first. While the presentation itself was very elementary on basic sigil magic, one thing I did quickly learn is that Andrieh is an incredibly gifted speaker. He had a strong command of the stage and at times his voice was booming across the room. He presented his ideas in a clear and direct manner, and his Q&A session was particularly good. The other presentation Andrieh gave was on Atavistic Shapeshifting, and I believe he may have some materials available online for anyone who would like to learn more.

 

Michael Ford

There aren’t many people in the occult community who don’t know who Michael Ford is. A prolific author who has written book after book challenging us to change the way we think about ourselves and spirituality. Ford gave a presentation titled “What is Luciferianism?” and you can probably guess what it was about. Surprisingly, at least to me, Ford did not seem to be the most comfortable public speaker. To his credit, he had great slides that allowed him to touch on a point and then expand upon it using his vast personal knowledge, but he just didn’t seem as comfortable on stage as other presenters. A main talking point for Ford was the importance of personal responsibility and accountability. Being the biggest factor in your own personal advancement. While most of the information he presented can be found in his books, it was still great to be able to see him speak about something that he is obviously so passionate about.

 

Corvis Nocturnum

I saved Corvis for last because I have the most to say about his presentation. “Secret Societies, Satanism” is certainly an interesting title, as was the presentation itself, but perhaps not for the right reasons. Corvis is a representative of the Church of Satan and while his presentation was more of an overview of Satanism and secret societies in a historical context, he made it a point to speak out about the division in the Satanic community. Promoting a more accepting and tolerant view of different Satanic beliefs is something that sets Corvis apart from his CoS compatriots, something that he even alluded to during his presentation. I personally found it very encouraging, and hope to see more members of the CoS adopt a similar stance in the future. Unfortunately for Corvis, and all of us that attended the con, his Q&A session devolved into something that it really didn’t need to be.

Apparently there were some old-guard members of the CoS in attendance and they took the opportunity to direct some of their ire towards Corvis. I’m not saying they didn’t have good reason to do so, but in my opinion, it was the wrong place and the wrong person to address the issue with. Corvis came to talk about unity and a more accepting CoS. They focused on the history and turmoil that caused their departure from the CoS. That is like getting pissed off at the repair guy because a neighbor’s kid broke your window. It makes no sense. The most disheartening thing about the entire situation is the fact that it was literally the only time during the entire conference that things turned even a little bit ugly.

Now, for someone like me, who has made the advancement of Satanism a priority in life, this was really bad. In the midst of an impressive display of community cohesion and solidarity, it was the Satanists who had to start lobbing the hand grenades. It was discouraging and exemplified perfectly why many in the community distance themselves from the term Satanist.

Why is this a problem? Because one thing the conference showed me is that the world, and this country in particular, needs LHP occultists and Satanists now more than ever. In a time when greed, ambition, and profit mongering have dominated the cultural landscape, I cannot think of two things that are needed more than personal responsibility and accountability. And those were two of the most common themes talked about during the conference. I learned that the LHP community really is made up of intelligent, educated, and responsible people who have all the tools to make the future of our planet and people a much brighter place. But not while we are hidden. While we are on the fringes and shadows of society, looking in. And Satan could be the unifying factor that we need. Regardless of anything else that is commonly held or believed, Satan has always been the Adversary. And who amongst us can say that they are not fundamentally averse to the traditions and habits that are shaping our world today? This country needs people who are willing to make choices based on research and fact, instead of religious dogma and popular opinion. This world needs people who can accept ideological pluralism without being threatened. Our children need to be taught to be compassionate, generous, and responsible out of an obligation to uplift the human race, and not in an attempt to hedge spiritual bets. The walkers of the Left Hand Path hold the keys to success in the next century, and as Lucifer is the Morning Star, the Light Bringer, under his name we could all be united, working towards the illumination of our race.

 

Michael Brown

The shooting of Michael Brown is both important and relevant to the Satanic and occult struggle because it shows us once again what we must be willing to go through in order to enact change. It also shows us exactly how not to go about it.

Regardless of your opinion on the matter, the entire situation was bumfuzzled from the start by both the police, and the community at large. There really is a need for change in the cultural landscape of St. Louis, and this tragic event could have been a catalyst to make it happen. Unfortunately, with how things were handled, that opportunity has been lost.

 

The Shooting

The main reason why I waited so long to say anything at all on this subject is because no one really knew anything, for a long time. It was all just speculation and conjecture. Now that we do actually have some facts, it is still just as murky as to whether the officer was truly justified or not. We know Brown was shot multiple times from a distance. We know there was a struggle, but not who started it, or how badly either party had been injured. We know that Brown was young and unarmed, but also very large and had reason to avoid being stopped by police. Even with all of these facts, we still don’t have enough information to definitively judge what happened. But one thing is clear, the situation was escalated further than it had to have been, and the community was not satisfied with how the situation was being handled. This was the beginning of the real opportunity at hand. The community had been driven past its apathy. Pushed past its indifference. People had been compelled to care.

 

The Riots

The very first night of rioting was different than those that followed it. The QuickTrip was not just looted. That building was broken into and destroyed. Demolished. Then they burned it to the ground. It was one of the only moments during the whole ordeal that could truly be described as an act of rage. People in the area that witnessed it described it as such. Angry, enraged people taking it out on a building. The looting that was common place during the subsequent nights of rioting was nothing but pure opportunism. The Foot Locker was not destroyed. Neither was the weave shop. They were robbed, plain and simple.

This difference highlights the existence of two very separate groups that were born from the Michael Brown shooting. One that truly did want to protest in order to pursue justice and change, and another that wanted to take advantage of the situation. The second group used the unrest and demonstrations as cover to commit crimes and loot businesses. This is where things began to unravel. The looting and blatant criminal activity cast a negative light on the demonstrations and took attention away from the true issues at hand. The movement had effectively been hijacked by people who wanted to use it for their own gain. The protesters didn’t do enough to distance themselves publicly from the looters. They didn’t acknowledge the effect this behavior would have on the viability of their issue. This is a mistake we cannot afford to make as Satanists. We need to get vocal. The silent majority must be willing to denounce those in the vocal minority who would subvert our progress towards personal gain.

 

The Police

It’s a commonly known fact in this area that St. Louis cops do whatever the fuck they want. There are people who will not live within the limits of St. Louis county purely because they do not want to have to deal with the cops. False charges, harassment, abuse, it’s all pretty commonplace here. So an extremely heavy-handed response from police in response to these events was pretty much a foregone conclusion. This was another huge opportunity that was squandered. Had the protesters simply taken ground and held it peaceably, defiantly, the police would have still used the same tactics to disperse the crowd. Especially if they had assembled in a busy, active area of town. The pictures coming out of Ferguson would have told a drastically different tale had they done so. There is no doubt that the residents of Ferguson had good reason to be extremely angry. And even more-so when the police started firing teargas into front lawns. But by “fighting back” the protesters gave police all the justification they needed to continue doing so. As hard as it may be, non-violent focused defiance has proven much more effective over righteous indignation and retribution. It’s hard to justify telling the persecuted that the answer to their problems is more persecution, but that is the case. History shows us this to be true. Ghandi’s success is achieving Indian independence was a result of his willingness to be persecuted even further than he already had been, in order to obtain his dream. He was detained and jailed for years before the independence he fought for was finally realized. When political prisoner status was not being afforded to IRA prisoners in Britain, a hunger strike was held that ultimately claimed the lives of ten prisoners. But it also got one of the prisoners elected to parliament during the strike, garnering worldwide media attention to their cause, and inspired demonstrations, protests, and similar hunger strikes in countries all over the world. In either of these cases, would they have been as successful if they had led riots and become violent? Would the public opinion and pressure from international communities have been the same in either case, had the protesters not been simply peaceful, and yet defiant?

Would this picture be as powerful, as iconic, had the young woman stomped the man’s head in with the rest of the crowd?

girl

 

 

Does this image illicit the same reaction? Does it carry with it the same call to social action?

gas flag

What about this one?

hands up

 

These are hard questions, that don’t necessarily have a right or wrong answer. But the questions themselves carry with them lessons that we cannot afford to miss. While our struggle as Satanists or occultists may be more symbolic than physical, we must still be willing to endure the social and political tear gas that will be fired at us. We must be determined to pick up the mantle of Satanist and then be an example to the world of what that means. And when the stereotypes are cast our way, and it becomes a burden to be seen in that light, we must be willing to make the choices that are personally sacrificial and yet communally beneficial. We must stand defiantly in the face of their attacks, until it becomes clear to all that we are not who they think we are.

MM

The Importance of a Regular Practice

As an author and teacher, I am constantly getting emails filled with questions about Daemonolatry and magick. I don’t mind this because I have assistants who help me answer the vast volume of mail I receive. What’s interesting is a lot of the questions we get can be answered quite simply, “Establish a regular practice.”

  • How can I better connect with the Daemonic Divine?
  • How can I increase my  divination skills?
  • How can I learn more about the Daemons or a specific Daemon?
  • How can I become closer to my patron/matron?
  • How can I advance in my Daemonolatry studies?
  • How can I learn ascension?
  • How do I get started?

Yes — every last one of these questions has the same answer. Establish a regular practice. Your spirituality is not a weekend hobby or something you simply do when you get off of work at night and/or when you have no other obligations. Your spirituality shouldn’t be some separate part of yourself locked away in a closet, only to be taken out, dusted off and used at your convenience.  No – it’s part of you and you should acknowledge it EVERY DAY.

Now I’m not saying dress in all black or metal concert t-shirts. I am not telling you to wear sixteen of your favorite pentagram-daemonic-sigil-magick pendants at any given time.  While the pendants may be symbols and/or reminders of your devotion (as may your manner of dress if you’re into that sort of thing),  and your talismans manifestations of current magickal works-in-progress,  I’m talking about something deeper. This goes beyond the outward aesthetics.  After all, many practicing Daemonolaters are consummate professionals who must wear suits or proper business attire during their working day. No, I’m talking about daily PRACTICE.

But, Steph, I don’t have time! I’m really busy. I live with non-Daemonolaters.  I hear these excuses a lot. They’re JUST EXCUSES to get out of doing anything tangible. Sorry, but developing relationships with Daemons and honing magickal skills can’t be done overnight. There are no shortcuts. No magick pills. No magicians or sorcerers you can pay to do it for you.

I think every last person reading this can find fifteen minutes a day for a daily spiritual practice. Take a look at the following picture and tell me what you see.

WP_20140913_005

What do you see? Let’s list the items. Shall we?

  • Simple stick incense.
  • A simple white tea light candle. Nothing fancy.
  • A clay sigil. (Make it out of paper if you want)
  • A small finger-bowl with rum in it. (Cups work just as well)
  • A prayer cord.

That’s it, and a lot of this is optional. For example, if you can’t burn incense because you live with someone who is allergic, or who will think you’re smoking “the pot“, don’t burn incense. If you live in a “dry” house – substitute juice or water for the rum. The sigil can be drawn on paper. The tea light can be ANY color. The prayer cord, too, can be any color.  All of this can be easily hidden or stowed away and brought out of hiding as needed. Or it could even be left out on a dresser or bedside table and most people wouldn’t be any the wiser. Whatever works for you.

So let me explain what I mean by a REGULAR PRACTICE.  You wake up, brush your teeth, take a shower, get dressed, have breakfast, and go to work. This is a daily practice. Now I want you to try something.

Tonight – gather all of these items (or what you can get) together and when you wake up tomorrow, brush your teeth, take your shower, then light a candle and incense, offer the wine/rum/water/juice, kiss the sigil, say a prayer with the prayer cord, get dressed, have breakfast, and go to work.

You see what I did there, right? 😉  Now – do this for a week. Then try another week. And another.

Tada! It’s magick! You’ve just incorporated a REGULAR DAILY PRACTICE.  Simple, right?

Now, take the sigil of any Daemon you wish to work with, and place it under your mattress. Draw it on lined notebook paper if you have to. Whatever works for you.  If your nightly routine is undress, brush your teeth, wash up, put on pajamas, go to bed… try this instead.  Undress, brush your teeth, wash up, sit on the bed and meditate for ten minutes (even if you’re just enjoying the silence),  put on your pajamas, go to bed. If you sleep with a partner either do this before they come to bed, or do the meditation in the living room after they’ve gone to bed. Alternatively you can lay down and do the meditation in the dark right before you go to sleep. No one even needs to know you’re doing it.

There you go!  You’ve just added a nightly meditation practice that will enhance your ascension, divination, or magickal pursuits overall. Together you’ve only added about 15 minutes to your entire daily routine.

The sigil beneath the mattress will help enhance any Daemonic communication through dreams. (Change out the sigil as necessary.)

If you want to take it further and enhance an existing daily practice with additional magickal practice – choose one day a week for a certain type of practice/operation/ritual. For example, I do readings every Thursday and Sunday and have for years. As a result – I get a lot of divination practice and my skills are constantly being used and honed, making me a better reader and seer than I was, say, four years ago. Why? Practice.  If you want to work on a certain aspect of yourself or hone your talents for a certain type of magick, add a regular ritual to your weekly routine for a month and see what happens.  If you can’t keep up with it — try something different.

But DO something and do something EVERY SINGLE DAY even if it’s just lighting a candle and acknowledging the Daemonic within.  That is how you better connect with the Daemonic or your patron or matron. That’s how you develop your magickal skills. That’s how you advance, and that’s how you get started in Daemonolatry.

Finally, I leave you with words of wisdom from Yoda (because I’m geeky like that): “Do or do not. There is no try.”

Daemonolatry Necromancy Workshop

Daemonolatry Necromancy (October 25, 2014) 12 Noon MST  (2pm EST)  (DONE)

Instructor: S. Connolly

Tarot Bune$50 per ticket (i.e. connected computer)- the workshop allows time for student questions and personalized help. Two hours are scheduled for each workshop, but Ms. Connolly will stay longer if necessary to give attendees personalized attention.

Daemonolatry Necromancy has been a hot topic in recent years with books like Honoring Death, Necromantic Sacraments, and Keys of Ocat attracting many Daemonolaters and would-be Sem priests.  This workshop will teach participants the basics of Daemonolatry Necromancy while touching on topics such as connecting with the Death Daemonic (hands on exercise), connecting with the dead (hands on exercise), offerings (demonstration), ritual, divination with the Death Daemonic (demonstration), ancestral altars (demonstration) and communication with the dead.  All of this just in time for Samhain/Halloween/Rite to Eury/ Day of the Dead celebrations.

 

THIS WORKSHOP HAS ALREADY TAKEN PLACE

 

Never be afraid to try something new

I always feel uncomfortable posting after there have been announcements, but I think this is for a good cause. I want to share something interesting for once. Maybe. On the 19th I had quite a bit on my mind so this post is a bit late. Since 2012 the matriarchs in my family have been passing on every eight months. There were four, and now there is only one.

I’ve learned within the last year that it isn’t uncommon for women in my family to see dead loved ones. It usually happens before someone dies. My grandmother saw her father tell her it was time for her husband to leave. My great aunt saw my grandmother after she passed away. She had dementia so no one told her she had already passed, but a week later (this April) she passed away. A couple weeks ago I had a really unexpected visitor in my sleep. My grandmother who died last year. Well we found out my great aunt’s daughter passed away the afternoon after I saw my grandmother. I didn’t have a chance to hear much of what she had to tell me because I was abruptly awoken by whiskers on my face and claws gently kneading at my throat. My cat had jumped onto my chest. The only thing she told me before the interrupting ball of grey fuzz was to trust my gut.

I didn’t know what that meant, but on the 19th the one year anniversary of her death was looming. A while back I told myself that I would never do necromancy because I have a history of anxiety problems, low self-esteem, and depression with suicidal thoughts. Necromancy sounded like the last thing I needed to be doing because it could go horribly wrong. Following my beautiful grandmother’s advice I decided to trust my instincts and try to contact her despite the risks. I made sure to have a protection amulet, protection oil, and I told someone I trust that I was going to do necromancy; if I seemed strange afterward I wanted her to intervene. She also recommended that I keep a memento that means a lot to me around. I chose the matching fossil to a set of two I purchased in February. They are goniatite fossils. They’re used for protection, grounding, and stability. I figured it would be perfect considering the meaning and considering my purpose for using it. The other goniatite has found its way to my boyfriend. I gave it to him in May because he was undergoing a major surgery and we both have a love of rocks. Here’s something of a side note: every year I am drawn to certain rocks and I never look up their meaning until I get home. They usually have some sort of significance to me afterward.

One year I was drawn to a cat skull. It turned out to be a bobcat skull and it has since found an awkward home among my collection of rocks. So I had a skull, a goniatite fossil, an offering, and a watch my mother told me that my grandmother had meant to give me. She had obviously worn it a lot and I was thankful to have something of hers that I could use for my ritual. I cleansed my ritual space, did my ritual, and cleansed the space again. I visited her grave and cleaned the headstone (along with all of my other ancestors in the area) later that day. Someone had surprisingly left a giant bouquet of flowers before I arrived! I am glad that I listened to her advice. She had a lot more to say than I had initially anticipated. She teased me as she did when she was alive, she told me I needed to hug my mother that day (her only child), and she told me she was proud of me and my brother. I graduated college in May and my brother went back to school. There were some other messages, too, but I think for now those are best kept to myself.

Now I realize I was just trying to scare myself away from broadening my magical practices. My grandmother had no idea what my practice entailed in life and I was kind of worried she wouldn’t approve in death, but she was very receptive and kind. I am so thankful for that opportunity to communicate with her. I am glad I listened to her nudge to get me to follow my gut. And most of all I am thankful that I managed to push past a long held fear. I’m glad I did. My path is about to take an unexpected turn that wouldn’t have happened without the Demons and the love of the woman who helped raise me. I know July isn’t classically a month for discussions of necromancy, but I’m too excited to wait.

I highly recommend trying forms of magic you’ve scoffed at or been afraid to attempt. Now is the perfect time since S. Connolly is doing a bunch of web seminars on various topics. I attended one of her events and at the time I really wasn’t a believer in spirits at all. Then she saw a German Shepherd and none of the attendants seemed to have one – except for me. My father had a gorgeous German Shepherd that had to be put down when I was 17. That opened me up to the idea. Now I am being haunted by my grandmother’s ghost. The hot water turns on in the kitchen if you leave something in the sink (she had a zero tolerance for anything messy) and her television turns on by itself. I’m still skeptical, but now I have to admit there are possibilities.

Class, Workshop & Ritual 2014 – Master Schedule

Frank and I realized how confusing it must be with all of the events we have going on in 2014, so we decided to create a master schedule post to help people quickly find the classes, workshops and events they would like to attend. Remember – we do have some scholarships available, so if there’s something you desperately want to attend but just can’t afford it, let us know. As always, GenDen, OFS, and TTS get their regular discount. For workshops and ritual, call-ins only can also get a discount. Contact us at [email protected] for more information.

A few quick notes — those who sign up for the Necromancy Workshop by September 15, 2014 get FREE admission into Rite to Eurynomous. Also, during Eury this year people can order a live reading. I have 5 spaces open.  You have to register for the event and the reading SEPARATELY! Groups are always welcome. Remember that each class, workshop, ritual cost is PER CONNECTED COMPUTER, not per person! These fees help us pay for our domain and web hosting here at demonolatry.org, they compensate me for my time, and they help ensure I have the equipment we use to continue to bring these events to you!

Thanks for reading and I look forward to seeing you all in the near future.

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2014 Schedule

October 25, 2014 (Noon MST) – Daemonolatry Necromancy Workshop

November 1, 2014 (3pm MST)- Rite to Eurynomous

November 9, 2014 (11am MST)  Daemonic Sigil Meditation

November 15, 2014 (11am MST) Astral Temple Meditation

November 23, 2014 (11am MST) Daemonic Prayer Meditation

December 7, 2014 (11am MST) Daemonic Sigil Meditation

December 14, 2014 (11am MST) Astral Temple Meditation

December 21, 2014 (11am MST) Rite to Belial

December 28, 2014 (11am MST) Daemonic Prayer meditation

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Self-Paced Courses (self-directed with access to instructor via online classroom + email)

Alchemy Lab I — Registration Now Open!

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Daemonolatry Goetia Workshop

Daemonolatry Goetia (September 27, 2014)  Noon MST (2pm EST)

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Instructor:  S. Connolly

This workshop costs $50 per ticket (i.e. connected computer) and will discuss Goetia in context with Daemonolatry as well as allow time for student questions and personalized help. Two hours are scheduled for each workshop, but Ms. Connolly will stay longer if necessary to give attendees personalized attention.

Have you ever wanted to work effective Goetia magick, but found the original method of ritual disrespectful to the Daemonic? Are you interested in the concept of the brass vessel? How about working with Goetic Daemons outside the original seer rite? If you said yes to any of this — this workshop is for you. In it we’ll discuss working with Goetia Daemonolatry style, in the context with the original rite (modified of course), how to work with Goetia outside the traditional methods, and creating and using brass vessels with a demonstration. The recommended text for this course is Daemonolatry Goetia.  The text is just a suggestion and not required.

Be sure to bring your questions with you.

Participants may get personalized help with their concerns or additional questions once the presentation is over. There are several scholarships available for this workshop. Contact [email protected] for more information.

Contact [email protected] for more information. Special rates for TTS, or call-in only participants may apply. Contact for details. Only those who signed up for the first three workshops will be eligible for the fourth workshop discount.

SIGN UP FOR THIS WORKSHOP HERE!!!

Feel free to share the link and use the comments below for general questions.

demonolatry.org Announcements

We have a few new things going on at demonolatry.org at the moment!

First — there are a couple of Daemonolatry specific divination card sets now available!  With any luck there will be more in the future.

Second — We are having a big Necromancy event here at demonolatry.org from late August/early September to early November. What we’re doing is offering specialty Necromancy Packages to people who want them. These packages have special, limited edition items included in them that, even if you don’t choose to acquire a pre-made package, you may be able to get said items individually IF you reserve/order these things ahead of time so we’re sure to make/order enough for everyone who wants them. [email protected] or [email protected] for details.

Third — This also means we have Deluxe special editions of Keys of Ocat available for sale at a discount. If you can’t afford the $85 price tag, contact me about slightly damaged copies and I’ll put you on the list. First come, first serve on those. We don’t know how many damaged copies we’ll have from shipping, or if there will be any.  As always, TTS and List discounts apply.  Funerary priests can contact me for special pricing as well. [email protected]

That is all at the moment! Thanks for reading!

 

Embracing your emotions

I had an interesting conversation with a bright Pagan girl yesterday. To be honest I knew very little (and still know very little) about her path, but I kept an open mind and learned something awesome. We were sort of comparing notes and the following quote really stuck out: “We need to embrace every color on the spectrum to be whole, not try to live in black and white, and even shades of gray limit us.” We were talking about the different religious labels and how one word causes someone to generate an assumption that one path is “bad”, and another is “good”. It must sound obvious to some, but to me that sentence last night was kind of mind blowing. As an artist the idea of embracing all RGB color values is very enticing. I’m particularly fond of 255,0, 124 but that’s another matter entirely.

So let’s make the assumption that each color represents some kind of emotion, idea, or personality trait. There are countless words in various languages detailing emotions and some of them can get lost in translation. For example тоска (IPA: taska) in Russian can be used to convey an indescribable feeling of despair without any rational reason to feel that way. So with that in mind, we’ve now got countless colors to choose from including love, hate, joy, тоскa, and even envy. All of these feelings are required for balance but where do we draw the line? Do we accept the feelings denoting only positivity and light, or do we accept that we will feel some of the “darker” parts of human emotion? Personally, I’m definitely going to agree with my new friend and say we need to embrace every color on the spectrum.

That brings me, finally, to the point of this article. Should we act on all of our emotions? No. It’s fine to embrace them, but what happens if you don’t have some sort of mental or emotional filter to stop yourself from making an ass out of yourself? You won’t grow as a person, spiritually or emotionally. You won’t enjoy life as much. You’ll make hurtful comments to others and sour their mood if they’re not able to rise above it. All in all you really do get back what you put out into the world. Energy doesn’t just dissipate, it’s constantly in motion. If you want to be successful I highly recommend surrounding yourself with successful people. You can take some of their energy and in turn once you’re tuned in to the right frequency they can be influenced by yours. Alternatively, if you never can tune in to the right frequency someone might push you away and ask you to stop leeching off of them.

What I guess I’m really trying to say is that it bothers me a lot when people who should know better choose not to use that little filter. If you’re constantly spitting hatred and negativity left and right you’re not doing yourself (or the world) any favors. Some people can get by on talent, creativity, and a great work ethic, but some have to resort to trying to belittle others out of spite, jealousy, and childishness.

It’s a little late for a new year resolution, but mine was to eliminate the people out of sync with my frequency, accept and overcome my negative emotions in order to meet my goals, and just set goals in the first place. So far 2 of 3 of my goals have been reached this year. The third will take more time, but it all started with surrounding myself with people who could use common sense when interacting with others. I’m all the better for it. I accept that some days I’ll feel angry, hurt, тоска , or jealous, but I don’t try to take it out on others. I save it for my private diary with the (approximately) 255,0,124 colored pen.

Thanks for reading!

-Laith

Food for thought:
What interesting things have you learned from other faiths recently?
With what sort of people do you surround yourself?
What does balance mean in your life?

Teenagers, Tumblr, and Demonolatry

This is a message to the minors and teenage readers who find themselves interested in Demonolatry or linked to this website by minors, particularly from places like Tumblr.

It seems there is a teenage interest in Demonolatry again! There hasn’t really been much interest since I was a teen? The world’s a scary place, the Internet is even scarier. I am highly concerned because I don’t like the things I’m seeing. Especially in light of a recent event concerning an internet character and their involvement in a pre-teen crime… That event has no relevance in Demonolatry but the last thing we want is for it to happen since youth interest has again been sparked. As someone who was recently in your position I have a few words of advice.

1. Beware of cults. Peer pressure, bullying, and harassment have gotten even worse thanks to the Internet. I recently found a group that encourages the Tumblr audience of Demonolators to curse “whenever” they feel like it. You may think it’s great to go on a cursing spree, but in actuality it isn’t. Nor do I personally think you should even be considering execration magic at a young age. I may be a prude on that subject, but I didn’t delve into it until I became an adult.

In a section titled The Law in Curses, Hexes & Crossing by S. Connolly, she says that if you’re going to use a curse, do it “as psychological exercises in letting go”. Curses are serious – don’t do them for petty things. The group in question I discovered has a sing-song curse targeting men as a whole because they’re “misogynist pigs”. If you’re really upset about a situation speak (such as men cat calling you) to a trusted adult. Calm down. Count to ten. Sleep on it. Don’t just run out and do some curse you find on the Internet. Don’t run out and do something illegal. Demonolatry isn’t about doing things that are illegal and thinking you’re above the law. You still need to behave like a respectable member of society.

2. Explore for the right reasons
Don’t turn to Demonolatry so you can be “unique”. Chances are if you’re doing it to be “different” it may just be a passing phase. If it truly resonates with you as it did with me at your age that’s perfectly fine, I kept mostly to myself until I turned 18. 18 is the age of majority in the United States. It’s great to study different avenues of thinking, but if you are under 18 you do not have control over your person, action, or decisions. I know you are sick of hearing that, but it’s for the simple reason that being a teenager sucks. Some teenagers can be trusted to make their own decisions, but clearly some can’t. Chances are you’re going to change a lot from age 14 to age 18, and beyond. You’re going to continue learning, growing, and exploring your options. Today having a skull on your altar might sound great, tomorrow you might wonder what you were doing because you’ve decided your path is something completely different.

To my knowledge S. Connolly is not supporting any programs for minors to learn about Demonolatry at the moment. If a new group is willing to teach you anything magic related at a younger age than at least 18 chances are they might be trying to warp your mind. If what they say feels wrong don’t buy into it (especially if you’re visiting us from Tumblr). Tumblr has become a place for hateful children to spout off their angst filled views from the safety of their computers. They don’t care about you if your ideas are different from theirs and will treat you in a not so nice way. You deserve much better than that. Not all users of that social media page are extremists, but it’s becoming a pattern so look out for yourself.

3. Surround yourself with people worthy of your friendship. For me it’s people who I can have mutually beneficial relationships of learning and/or emotional support. I used to be lonely and would accept friendship from anyone because I didn’t think I could do better. Now I’ve learned that some people are psychic vampires / negative / bad influences and I have no drama in my life right now because I stopped talking to them. In one fell swoop I was no longer pressured to do drugs or drink and I didn’t have anyone gossiping behind my back. It’s a wonderful feeling.

Avoid people with radical ideas. I can’t stress this enough. If they’re speaking in broad terms like “all” ___ “are scum” they are not people with whom you need to be associating. By adopting their ideas as your own you’re letting them brainwash you. Their negative energy will stifle your growth spiritually, emotionally, and mentally. If you try to argue with someone and they suddenly start using expletives at you instead of arguing a point back they are likely radical. If the words “problematic”, “appropriation”, or “privilege” come out of their mouth they are likely armchair social justice activists. Nothing wrong with interest in social justice topics but don’t get your advice from people on the Internet (especially not Tumblr). I’m not exactly sure how social justice topics are combining with Demonolatry topics but it’s happening now for whatever reason. Again, I repeat, talk to trusted adults. People have biases, so be sure to ask people for differing views.

Please don’t disregard this advice because I sound “uncool”. Maybe I’m too “old” now to be of any help to you. I do care though. Be safe out there. Something may sound cool to do now, but it won’t be so cool when someone gets hurt. Demonolatry is not about violence, cult mentality, or being a bully online or offline. You can practice Demonolatry without endangering yourself or others. If you don’t trust yourself to do so please go to your browser’s home page, delete your internet history and forget you came here.

Drawing Down Belial

Drawing Down BelialDrawing Down Belial – Now Available!

Being a manual of Daemonic Divination, Ascension and Channeling for Daemonolater mediums and seers who wish to learn how to communicate and divine with the Daemonic. For the experienced, the text will help fine tune the practitioner’s senses, honing better communication skills with the Daemonic Divine. This book includes methods to prepare divination devices as well as tips and exercises to facilitate strong communication, as well as rituals to charge and dedicate tools and enhance each divination session. Included throughout are bits and pieces of Daemonic wisdom regarding the art of divination and Daemonic communication. If you’ve ever wanted to learn how to divine, connect and communicate or you just want to sharpen your skills, this is the book for you.

Purchasing Links: | Lulu Hardcover (soon to be on Amazon) | Paperback Amazon | Kindle | Nook | Kobo | Paperback from Distribution | Barnes & Noble Paperback |