Daily Ritual

I’m breaking away from both my traditional blogging day (the 15th) and this month’s topic (magickal languages) to blog about what is tickling my fancy this week.  That is the art of daily ritual.

I often find myself surprised when I discover that a lot of people don’t perform daily rituals. I guess I always assumed everyone partook in the practice.

My daily rituals began as meditation and prayer sessions and kind of escalated, over the years, to the variety of work I do daily and weekly.  For those of you who might want to start a daily practice to bring the Daemonic Divine ever present into  your life in a more permanent way, I’ll share my daily ritual routine with you to give you an example of how one might go about it.

For most people, prayer and meditation is often enough. Of course now that I have an actual temple, it does require some tending. If you don’t have a temple or altar to tend, your own practices will likely vary.

MORNING: I wake up, go into the temple and clean up anything I didn’t clean up the night before. Once that’s done, I give the signs of my initiation, anoint my statues, acknowledge any vessels that may be present, I anoint myself and I say a prayer. I burn incense. The scent/type depends on any work I’m in the midst of, or the season it is. Right now we’re on the eve of Rite to Lucifer so I’m burning a robust Lucifer incense this week. I might also leave the week’s offering on the altar or in the offering bowl if it’s a Sunday.

NIGHT: Before bed I enter the temple, give the signs of my initiation, invoke any Daemons I seek audience with (if any), anoint myself, light an incense, then spend about fifteen to twenty minutes in meditation. Sometimes this is moving meditation (via Yoga), and sometimes I’m still. This depends on what *I* need. Then I perform any work I need to perform. Last night, for example, I performed a self cleansing ritual in anticipation of spring and tomorrow night’s rite.

When I’m finished for the night, I usually clean out the incense burner and clean up the altar (I generally wait until morning to do this after a group rite). The offerings and offering bowls are refreshed once a week and all statues are wiped down once a month. The temple is dusted twice a month.

While I tend to mind days, hours, and planetary influences in my work, there is regular work I do. For example:

I often use Monday nights for scrying and personal divinations. I perform these weekly.

Wednesdays are my Ascension nights.

Every Thursday night I do a healing ritual prayer. This is where I send prayers and healing energy to everyone in my life who might need it (usually by name). I got in the habit of doing this while I was active in AMORC and just never saw a reason to stop.

I use Thursdays and Sundays to do divination for others.

Of course I’ll do whatever work needs to be done when it needs to be done, too. I’m not a hardcore, by-the-book traditionalist by any means.

Hopefully this has given a sample of the kinds of things one can do to work spirituality and magick into his/her daily life so that one is actually LIVING their spirituality as opposed to simply being a weekend practitioner.

For those of you who have a daily practice, please share your daily, weekly,  monthly rituals in the comments below! Let’s share ideas!

March Beckons

Happy March, folks! The end of this month marks the beginning of the Rites of Belphegore! Time to make sure the stones are set and the bloodletting devices are sharpened. In the meantime, our bloggers talk about magickal languages! When should they be used? Why should they be used? What do they add to the work? What about Enns? Learn the answers to these questions and more this month at the .org!

This month also begins on a great note with the release of Keys of Ocat and Necromantic Sacraments. DB Publishing has more forthcoming titles, too. Stay tuned!

-Frank

Guest Blog: A Review of *Keys of Ocat*

Keys of OcatFr. Sem Sebastian’s Review of *Keys of Ocat*
If I were to sum up Keys of Ocat: A Grimoire of Daemonolatry Nygromancye in a short phrase, I’d call it absolutely brilliant.  Stephanie Connolly, Adrianna or S. Connolly as many of you know her, does the topic of necromancy a great justice. Keys of Ocat removes the veil of darkness and mystery surrounding advanced necromantic practices and challenges the reader’s perception of the dark art. For those brave enough to traverse the path of necromancy, this book is a guide that offers the advanced practitioner enough material to chew on for some time. The subject is treated with a great deal of respect and reverence for both the dead and the living.
I’ve been working necromancy for thirty-four years and there were things in this book that both took me by surprise and taught me a great deal about a subject I’ve devoted my entire life to. It’s hard to teach an old dog new tricks, but Stephanie certainly succeeded.  I will never again look at the Goetia the same, and I have a new appreciation for tablets and funerary stele.  I am particularly appreciative of her explanation of the se-akh rites.
Just like all of her books, she doesn’t dress the work up with needless nonsense.On the contrary, she makes this material highly accessible and usable for working magicians and funerary priests. From ancestor veneration, sciomancy, sigils and symbology to working with the death deities and death current, the rituals within the book are quite efficacious . The added element of gate opening gives them an additional dose of potency that is hard to find in public or published rituals of this nature. It’s for these reasons and more that I have decided to begin using all of S. Connolly’s necromancy books as the staple textbooks for my seminary students.
I would recommend Keys of Ocat to all practitioners of necromancy and to Demonolatry priests who perform the sacred passage rites of death and burial. However, for those Demonolaters new to the art I suggest first reading Honoring Death, and the chapbook Necromantic Sacraments.
To buy Keys of Ocat Go to this Page
Fr. Sem Sebastian “Bastian” Mitchell is a Kamitic Sem (Funerary) Priest and Demonolater with over thirty-four years of experience as a practicing necromancer. He and his wife, Jessica, run a GenDem approved seminary program for Demonolatry funerary priests within the Temple Thoth-Seshat. He hails from California.

Let me introduce you to a personal friend of mine…..

The word “evangelical” has negative connotations, at least for most of us. It is about annoying people entering our lives without invitation. It’s about pushing their ideas, usually Christian ones, on to unsuspecting men, women, and children. They impose themselves on our lives by knocking on our doors, buying air time on our air waves, and leaving tracts on our cars, with the intent of spreading the “gospel”. This is how most of us think of “evangelism”, including myself. These people are attempting to save the “lost” and add more names to their personal “book of life”. It would be funny if it weren’t a little bit sad.
Evangelism in Satanism or Demonolatry doesn’t have to be like that. I do identify myself as a Satanist and a Demonolator. I have always be somewhat guarded of who I allowed to know that about me. The tenets of Satanism and Demonolatry have made that easy. I am not expected to go out and spread the Satanic word. But I do think that if I am asked about my beliefs, extolling its virtues would not be a terrible thing. I will admit that I would like to see more Satanists and more Demonolators. But Christians and those that are more like Christian Satanists have really dirtied the concept of evangelism. They make it about being better in their chosen god’s eyes. They attempt to make the person being evangelized feel badly about their choices. And the kicker they bring is that if they stay that course, there will be punishment waiting for them at the end of their lives. This is true for both Christians and Satanic Christians. What I would like to see happen is that we as Satanists and Demonolators share our beliefs with those that show interest. And once interest is obvious, follow up on that. We don’t have to hound them, or make a pest of ourselves. What a person has as a belief is their own business. But I would like to see the Satanic community and the Demonolatry community is more open to those that show interest in the Demons. I would like to see us take these misguided Satanic Christians, and with the sharing of knowledge move them away from their twist on another religion and towards a more intellectual approach to the universe and to self-knowledge. In this vein I would support evangelical Satanism and Demonolatry. The more serious people involved the stronger the community could become. Of course that also depends on the caliber of the people involved. I believe in evangelizing Satanism and Demonolatry but with an eye to a type of elitism as well. This path is not for everyone, which is why full on, Christian type, evangelism would not be possible. There has to be capability as well as desire. Sharing with others what Satanism and Demonolatry have done for us could be a good thing, and something I would like to see more of. This would make me a type of Evangelical Satanist. But don’t run away quite yet, I have no plans to knock on your doors, buy any airtime, or leave any Satanic tracts on your cars. But if there is an interest, I am willing to share.

Necromantic Sacraments

necromanticsacraments2

Necromantic Sacraments: The companion chapbook to S. Connolly’s bestselling Honoring Death and companion to Keys of Ocat. This is a supplementary ritual and prayer book that completes S. Connolly’s trilogy of Daemonolatry necromancy reference works.

While the other books aren’t necessary to understand or use this book, if you are unfamiliar with Daemonolatry necromancy you might want to first read Honoring Death.

 

Initial Release Paperback Lulu   |   Hardcover  |  Amazon Kindle  |

| Amazon paperback  |  Nook eBook (ePub)  |

Keys of Ocat is Available!

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

Both editions of The Keys of Ocat are 6″x9″, heavy cream, smythe sewn, archival quality paper. The LIbrary Edition, in only 450 copies, is bound in Red cloth and has gold foil stamping while the Deluxe Edition is bound in Red Leather with a shallow embossing of a necromantic formula on the cover. The Deluxe Edition, limited to 200 copies, contains a silver place marker ribbon and each one was autographed by the author.

There will also be a Funerary Temple Edition bound in full red Goatskin by a noted artisan binder. The price of these is yet to be determined as the publisher has just had them commissioned.

The Standard Editions and Funerary Temple Edition are both SOLD OUT!  The Deluxe Edition, however, still has copies available!

CLICK HERE TO BUY

Satan Wants You! (To sit down and shut up)

Active conversion and what is commonly referred to as evangelism has always been somewhat of a mystery to me, at least as far as Satanism is concerned. I get why Christians and other religions do it, “spreading the good word” is a compulsory act in many of them. But Satanism is supposed to be about a person’s own individual relationship with Satan and the Demons, and how that relationship can best be utilized for personal growth and discovery. What others believe and do should be of little importance, as they have nothing to do with that relationship. There are no mediators in Satanism.

Religion and spirituality should be an intensely personal experience. I believe this to be especially true when it comes to Satanism. There used to be an expression used quite often that went “Those who are meant to be with Satan, will find him in their own time.” Speaking strictly from my own personal experience, I find this to be uncannily true. When I was a child, being raised as a baptist, I would have never guessed I would end up as a Satanist. And even when I initially left the church, I would have considered myself more likely to return to Christianity, than to go in the opposite direction entirely. But as years passed, and people came in and out of my life, events transpired around me, seemingly almost entirely out of my control. And over the course of years, connections were made and relationships I formed led me down a winding path towards Satan. Now, I am completely convinced that I was truly meant to be with Satan. But I am also conscious of the fact that my path towards Satan, the experiences and relationships that led me to Him, have taught me a great deal and helped shape my current perspective and outlook. I would not be the same Satanist today, if I had not found Satan, essentially, on my own.

So with that being said, I couldn’t care less what someone else believes. It is of no concern to me. I am a Satanist because it challenges me to be better every single day. It leads me down a path towards what I have found to be divine. And when I start getting depressed, or down on myself for not accomplishing enough, I remember that my path has already been set before me. So while I may not like where I am, I was meant to be there, at least for a time, on my way to the end of the road. I don’t think someone who has had Satanism rammed down their throat, and then been converted, would have this same kind of personal connection to their faith, especially when times get hard. This is a major reason why I don’t believe in active conversion or evangelism. If someone is meant to become a Satanist, they will, in their own time and on their own path. And they will be better for it.

So as long as I am left alone, and to my own devices, I am happy enough to do the same for everyone else. But when people start spreading misinformation or wish to perpetuate a blatantly false stereotype, I feel compelled to speak. And I believe this to be a major part of my life’s calling. But education is vastly different than evangelism, and I do my best to keep my writing and blogging in the realm of the former, rather than the latter. People need to be shown the truth about Satanism, without conversion or influence being a part of it. Any truth or knowledge shared is almost instantly dismissed if an ulterior motive is detected. But truth, undiluted and presented without prejudice, speaks for itself. And regardless of presentation, convincing a person to change preconceived opinions on a subject in one conversation is a futile en-devour. But if the world can be consistently shown an alternative to what is commonly held to be true, with enough time, minds might be changed. And when a person can proudly declare their Satanic beliefs without fear of prejudice, my work will be done. Instead of spending time and energy trying to convert others, I believe Satanists should be focusing on themselves, and living their lives by the ideals and principles they evangelize. Instead of looking at the label of Satanism and then making judgements about Satanists, we need to be convincing people to look at Satanists themselves, and allow what they see to influence their judgements about Satanism. But if we succeed in doing so, we better make damn sure Satanists are worthy of the attention, which is what I think we should all be concerning ourselves with.

“A long habit of not thinking a thing wrong, gives it a superficial appearance of being right, and raises at first a formidable outcry in defense of custom. But the tumult soon subsides. Time makes more converts than reason.” – Thomas Paine (Common Sense)

Oh come, all ye faithful…

I recently opened an email on my Facebook that read:

“He that observeth the wind shall not sow ; and he that regardeth the clouds shall not reap. As thou knowest not what is the way of the spirit, nor how the bones do grow in the womb of her that is with child : even so thou knowest not the works of Satan who maketh all.”–Wisdom of Koheleth

Yes folks, Evangelical Satanism is alive and well. Interestingly enough, Koheleth was a Christian nihilist. The quote above was not his. He did say something very similar to this, so whoever came up with the quote simply modified it with “Satan”.  That’s what Evangelical Satanism is. It’s where Satanists start quoting the bible at you, or passages from Christian writers that have been modified to include “Satan”.

Interestingly enough, this particular Evangelical Satanist also chose to remark on my infertility in his little “quote”.  So clearly it’s someone who follows my blog very closely. I think the point of this quote was to tell me I’m not a *Real Satanist* (TM)  I don’t contest this. It’s no secret that I’m not a Satanist. I’m a Daemonolatress and have been for many, many years.

I have not personally identified with the Satanist label since the mid 1980’s, probably because the most vocal Satanists are either angry atheists or they’re Evangelical Satanists.  I call it Evangelical Satanism because its preachy and annoying. Those who practice it smack you with the bible while effectively saying, “This is how it is! If you don’t do what I say — YOU’RE WRONG and you’re not *one of us*!”   The Evangelical Satanist mindset is no different than that of an Evangelical Christian. It’s their way or the highway and if you refuse to conform – you’re a piece of shit.

I don’t know about any of you – but I bow to no man (or woman). If the Daemons want something from me they’re very clear about it. They’ll tell me. Not once have their messages or instructions to me included, “Spread the word!”  “Convert the heathens!” or “There is only one true way!”

Of course to each their own. I don’t begrudge Evangelical Satanists their beliefs or their right to free speech. However, I choose not to allow them to beat me over the head with the Bible, or their doctrines or dogma just as I won’t allow Christians to do it.  I’ve chosen, quite innocently, to disassociate myself from Evangelical Satanists just as I disassociate myself with people who are involved in hate groups. It’s one of the reasons I’ve removed certain people from my personal Facebook page in recent months, and it’s one of the reasons I have slowly started to remove myself from the ‘open’ online occult scene.

As for fanatical Daemonolaters, I have met a few. Those folks don’t associate with me and I don’t associate with them. It’s a win-win situation for everyone.

I vouch for free minds

From my point of veiw Evangelism its a pretty way of saying of indoctrination, the problem its that we hate to recive it from groups outside our beliefs us but its tempting to try on others or stirr polemic around it, and it is a problem the moment the devotee deems himself perfect, since evangelism and indoctrination can get passionate, and don’t get me wrong there is nothing wrong being passinate, but over doing it and for the wrong reasons it just tends to go into fiery stupidity.

Often I hear different points of veiw in heated debates, Atheists vs Religion (and vice versa), Christians vs Chatholics, and Satanics vs anything that reminds them of Christianism, but here is the thing, you are human being, you imperfect, your benevolence or reasons for indulgence both a have limit, you cannot apply moral rules, standards the same way to everything because the reference mark of your expirience has a limit that cannot reach everybody elses expiriences and when you start debating belifs that reach completely different Theological reference marks, you just end up looking stupid or stubborn, while you can always point obvious flaws and contradictions most of the debates will end up in nothing but angry people not talking to each other or worst, Jihads be it economical, social or actual belicose warfare.

The thing is you are not superior to anybody at anypoint for your beleifs (neither race or gender), no matter how much money you have, good looks, you could shoot out lasers out of your eyes and you could end up being a superpowerful prick if you used them to prove how superior you are, so I don’t look up good much to evangelization, I support letting the information be at reach of those whom want to study it, still Nick Farrell once pointed out the dubious quality of Golden Dawn Lodges went down when started to be permitted with fewer restrictions, so this doesn’t mean that everyone gets all things right just because they have the information, there are guides on the spritiual path; yet you to work it and make something by yourself, if you read book and adopt it on a one way purely dogmatic basis you are not growing spiritually, you have to live the most of those expiriences and make something out of it, Demonolatry its no necesarly everyone’s path, finally thats why we are free to choose and have options.

Blessings

Jeadean Lazulli

Spread the Word, Brothers & Sisters!

Evangelism seems to be seeping into every religion and spiritual practice these days. Recently we’ve seen even more of this this “My way or the highway” attitude in Demonolatry. So this month we ask the bloggers — Is Evangelism in Demonolatry a problem? Is it a good thing? When does Evangelism go to far? How does Evangelism strengthen or destroy groups whether in the real world or virtually? I imagine a lot of our readers have opinions about this, too.  Feel free to join in the discussion and share your opinion!

Have a great February!