And Throw in the Kitchen Sink

People seem to fall into two distinct categories when it comes to magickal work: go with the minimal approach and focus on obstacles incrementally or throw everything at the problem and its obstacles and hope something sticks.

This issue extends to the popular push to work with multiple daemons at once. If one or two daemons would be good then 8 plus must be better! Then these same people come and complain that nothing is happening and they ask if working with more daemons would help things get moving.

Maybe its just me, but I like things to be simple, or at least as simple and straightforward as possible. When you start adding in too many variables and daemons you stand the chance of either A) not getting the result that you want because your focus was not where it needed to be, or B) getting knocked on your ass because there was too much happening energy wise.

This same issue of more being better is also seen in the practice of non Trad/Gen Daemonolators picking both a Matron and a Patron. The saying “you can’t serve two masters” comes to mind. Yes, I know that we will have relationships with other daemons but that isn’t the same as the bond you have with your Patron or Matron.

If your magick isn’t working and you have been using the throw everything at it approach, it might be time to narrow down your focus, determine what obstacles need to be addressed first, and then take a more targetted approach. Chances are you will get better results and have closer relationships with the daemons you choose to work with.

Tarotscope for Mar 13 to Apr 11 2021

Tarotscope for Mar 13 to Apr 11 2021 by William Briar

Hello again! Welcome to the first of my monthly Tarotscopes. In time for each New Moon, I hope to present you with a card reading for the upcoming lunar cycle. The decks and style of reading may vary, but the intent will always be the same: to provide the readers of demonolatry.org with guidance from the cards for the weeks ahead. 

Here are the thirteen cards that I have pulled for March 13 to April 11, 2021. For this lunar cycle, I chose the Everyday Witch Tarot—though we are going without pictures this month due to a difficulty I encountered with WordPress. First month glitches!

The card representing all signs for this lunar period is the King of Cups. During this time, we may want to stop and reflect on our interactions with those around us. Are we watching from a distance instead of engaging to keep ourselves safe? Are we getting close only when we know we will receive a positive response? The King of Cups asks us to consider both the risks and rewards of emotional connection.

Aries – The Prince of Swords says an idea has seized you, and you have thrown everything aside to follow where it leads. The question is, Aries: does it lead to your goals or is it just an intellectual distraction? Some ideas are nice to entertain in your head but will only lead you off your path. Use your laser focus to assess which this is before taking any steps. Remember, you can journey down alternate routes later.

Taurus – Balance isn’t always easy to achieve. When Temperance shows up in your life, Taurus, it suggests the time has come to examine your work-play balance, especially in regards to how it impacts your health. Look at the levels of stress and joy in your life. Have you taken on too much? Conversely, are you bored? Try treating yourself to something new, even if it is just a different type of tea.

Gemini – Have you been ignoring your intuition? The High Priestess indicates the time has come to listen to your inner voice. Though it may not speak in facts and figures, it has something important to communicate—if you value its wisdom. Try sitting down with your favorite divination tool this lunar cycle. Haven’t tried reading before? Now is the time to expand your skills. 

Cancer – You are poised for a new beginning. The Fool reminds you that you must make a decision sooner or later. Some hesitation is healthy, Cancer; hesitate too long and opportunities that may be perfect for you could be lost. Having weighed the options, you ultimately have to go with your gut and leap into the future. 

Leo – When the Four of Wands turns up, you know it’s time to smile, Leo. This card predicts gatherings of friends and loved ones, either face-to-face or virtual, so get ready to share in some warmth and love during this lunar cycle. You or someone you know may even have a special milestone to celebrate. Been feeling disconnected? Now is the time to find like-minded individuals for socialization.

Virgo – The Queen of Swords says situations demand cool heads during this period, Virgo. However, others may find you emotionally distant in your efforts to get the job done. Balancing warmth with dependability isn’t always easy right now, but you’re the one people want in their corner. Your ability to diffuse tensions could be put to especially effective use this lunar cycle.

Libra – Kaboom! The Tower speaks of change you cannot get around, Libra, no matter what. The time has come to examine what has exploded and see what can be made from the pieces, for the worse—or for the better. Not all change is terrible, but it is unavoidable. Stride bravely forward and make something new of what has been offered. It may not feel like a gift, but you have the power to turn the situation to your advantage.

Scorpio – The Hanged Man suggests this is a period of suspension for you. You may feel as if you have hit a wall when it comes to reaching the next level of your growth. However, the Hanged Man is not truly trapped but holds the key to his own release. When this card appears, it is time to look at things from a different perspective and try something new. This could involve the sacrifice of your time to additional work or learning so you can arrive where you ideally wish to be. Remember, too, that all things need to rest as well. Is it time for a break? 

Sagittarius – Have things gotten a little messy, Sagittarius? The Emperor suggests now is the time to bring some order and discipline to the situation and get it back on track. With a plan or dedication to a routine, you can meet the original target. Others are drawn to your authenticity and straight-forward manner this lunar cycle. Trust in your own strength, but keep in mind: no one likes a tyrant. Kindness and politeness go a long way. 

Capricorn – Have you been waiting for a sign to try something new? Then the Page of Wands is it, Capricorn. This card represents your enthusiasm and excitement to walk a new path. Full of magic and fire, you’re ready to tackle challenges brought to you during this time. You may not have all the resources you need to achieve your goals yet, but you more than make up for it with your ambition. Can you hear adventure calling? 

Aquarius – The Chariot is all about steering your own destiny. Turning over this card indicates you have a choice to make, Aquarius: which road will you take? But the Chariot won’t tell you which of these routes is the better one to pick. Instead, it stresses the importance of making the decision for yourself, to move forward by your own design. Know your own mind during this lunar cycle, without outside influence. 

Pisces – Turning over the Empress says that this lunar cycle will be a fruitful time for you. As you near the Spring Equinox, look for a desire to connect with nature, both without and within. Take the time to nourish yourself and your own endeavors. Like the Earth, you are always growing and changing. If the winds of creativity blow a different way than usual for you this month, don’t fight it. Go with the flow!

I hope you’ve enjoyed this brief reading, and that it provides you with some insight for the coming lunar cycle. If you would be interested in a more in-depth Tarot, Lenormand, Oracle, or Daemonic Sigil reading, you can find my full listing here or on my website. I also share a glimpse into my personal readings (of all these varieties) daily on Instagram. You can also check out my books about Daemonolatry, here.

See you on April 11, if not a wee bit earlier, for the next Tarotscope!

– Will 

What We Sacrifice

This month I want to talk about the sacrifices we offer to the Daemonic in the form of making sacrifice for what we want. Generally, when people think of Satanic or Daemonic sacrifice, thanks to a plethora of 70’s and 80’s horror movies, they’re thinking the sacrifice of animals, babies, or virgins. Or some other type of blood sacrifice where the animal or person being sacrificed is just killed for no other reason than to allegedly quench some kind of evil demonic bloodlust. It’s laughable really because never, in any of these movies, is the sacrifice legitimately “made sacred.”

The word sacrifice has taken on some weird connotation, so let’s take a look at it, shall we? To sacrifice something is to make it sacred. To make something sacred means to venerate something, or have respect for it. As well as to dedicate something. So when we’re making a sacrifice we have to remember it’s a big thing. We need to carefully consider ALL our sacrifices. Sacrifice is not just something we casually pull out of our asses on the fly.

For Daemonolaters – what we often sacrifice, or make sacred, is a drop of our own blood (without it we die) along with time and energy dedicated to the spiritual pursuit or goal. The Daemonolater has one job when it comes to choosing what to sacrifice and that is to answer the question —

What am I willing to give up or dedicate in pursuit of my spiritual, magickal, and/or mundane work?

We sacrifice things all the time in our mundane lives. We sacrifice money and time to pursue an education. We dedicate ourselves to our families or our jobs. We sometimes give up or put off the things we may want for ourselves in order to dedicate our time and resources to raise our children. We give up time with family in order to work harder to secure our futures. We may give up living in a big house in order to have more. We may give up an hour a day usually spent in front of the television in order to make our bodies healthier through exercise.

Now, I want you to consider what you’ve sacrificed in your life in order to be able to do what you love, spend more time with family, secure your future, or to become better at something.

Next – I want you to apply this thinking to what you sacrifice for your spiritual and magickal goals. What have you dedicated to your spiritual pursuits?

We naturally sacrifice things all the time based on how important something is to us.

Now I want you to entertain this notion: Sacrificing time, energy, resources, and attention to study magick, to become more spiritual beings, and to hone magickal and spiritual talents is no different than sacrificing your entertainment budget to bulk up your savings account.

That’s what sacrifice is. You’re willing to give something up – whether resources or time and attention in order to fulfill an important goal. You are willing to dedicate yourself to it because that goal is more important than the thing you’re giving up.

Notice how most people don’t sacrifice the family cat, or their first-born for most of the mundane goals they’re working toward. So why would you do that for a magickal/spiritual pursuit?

I know, I know – a few magickal purists are going to come out and say, “But Steph — what about chicken sacrifice and other animal sacrifice? Cultures around the world have done it for centuries!”

Absolutely – especially back when we were far more agrarian than we are now. Even then, every animal was important to survival, and making an animal sacred was done out of the utmost respect. The Daemonolaters who may practice animal sacrifice today carry on that tradition of respect and honor to the animal, and thank it for providing its flesh to sustain their lives. All modern sacrifices are often done for the sake of feeding the coven/group after a special ritual to honor the Daemonic Divine. In rare instances like this, the animal is treated kindly, with respect, and dispatched in the most humane way possible. Then the animal is cleaned and prepared for cooking. It is given thanks for giving up its life in order that we survive through consumption of its flesh.

It may sound gruesome, but it’s certainly no less brutal than sending the animal to the slaughterhouse, then sending its meat to the local supermarket. How often, in our modern culture, do we really consider the animals giving up their lives to feed us? That meat on the grocery store shelf came from somewhere.

That said – I’m in no way advocating for being a vegetarian if you enjoy meat. If being a vegan is your thing – awesome. I have a lot of Daemonolater friends who are. Me, I’m an omnivore. I enjoy a nice steak now and again, though I’m partial to chicken and fish.

However — real sacrifice, the most respectful and honorable sacrifice you can make to the Daemonic and yourself – is that of time and effort toward your own spiritual growth. In magickal practice – the most sacred sacrifice is time and effort toward the goal you’re trying to reach. Sometimes that means giving up something else. Like sitting in front of the television. Or spending as much time with friends. Or sleeping in on your days off. (Though I don’t recommend sacrificing your self care if you don’t have to, because sometimes we need to sacrifice certain activities and things on our to-do lists in order to take care of our own mental and physical health.)

In our modern culture, sacrifice is often looked upon as this terrible thing. Christians often take on personal sacrifice as mantels of martyrdom. No one is asking you to be a martyr. I sincerely doubt most parents who sacrifice their own wants and needs to provide for their children look at those “sacrifices” as a negative thing. Most parents will tell you it was totally worth it to have to wait to do/buy XYZ until their children were grown.

We need to rethink our views of sacrifice. It’s not a dirty word and it doesn’t involve killing helpless animals to feed the bloodthirsty beasties lurking in our imaginations. True sacrifice comes from the heart and is born of love, desire, and passion.

So I ask all who are reading this — What are you willing to sacrifice for your own edification, growth, and change?

5 Ways to Draw Creativity into Your Rituals

This month’s topic is creativity and how we can utilize our creativity in our ritual work for more effective results. If you’d like to read more, check out The Art of Creative Magick. Also watch for the forthcoming book about Leviathan and the Demiurge.

So let’s get into it, shall we? Five ways to draw creativity into your rituals!

  1. Bring your favorite objects into your temple space. Whether it’s an old copper pot Grandma Mavis gave you, or a knit doily from Great Auntie Janice – if you love it – don’t be afraid to add it to an altar or the rest of the ritual space. In my temple, I have some fabulous old bottles I’ve collected over the years, a cat candle holder, and a collection of my favorite dragons I’ve gotten as gifts. I also put swords on the wall. This brings me to #2.
  2. Don’t be afraid to share your style! Are you minimalistic? Artistic? Rustic? Do you like things to look affluent? What is your style and how can you carry it through to your temple space? Don’t be afraid to bring that part of yourself into the temple. It makes it more “your space”.
  3. Compose your own orations, chants, and invocations. Make them as simple or as elaborate as you want. When you create them – they have more power FOR YOU because they come from you, and every word is imbued with your feelings toward the Daemonic. In that sense, your own words hold a lot more weight than examples written down in books.
  4. Don’t be afraid to add color and lighting to affect the mood (or ritual outcome)! I once had a woman write me asking if the purple curtains in her ritual room would offend the Daemons. Why would they? Daemons don’t really give two craps one way or another. And purple curtains? Hell yes! Purple, orange, lime green, hot pink — you do you!
  5. Share creative work space and ritual space in the same room. I know many artists, musicians, and writers who share their studio with an altar. Magick is a creative art in and of itself. Combine it with visual, audio, written, and other art-forms and you have a Mecca of creative inspiration just waiting to be tapped.

How have YOU incorporated your own creativity into your ritual space? Share in the comments below.

One-Off Magick vs. The Great Work

So I hadn’t intended to do a second post this month, but my inbox felt differently.

Most of the time, when people come to me seeking magickal work or advice on magick, they have the same complaint: “My magick in the past hasn’t worked. I did a spell/ritual/pact to become famous, and nothing happened. Why?”

Oftentimes they’re just searching for that one spell or ritual that will change everything and give them exactly what they want, creating the happy-ever-after they’ve been using magick to find. Or they want to do a pact, thinking that’s the answer to all their earthly problems.

The following is a brief section from a book I’m working on and I think it explains this quite well:

Keys to High Performance Magick

  1. Have a clear goal of your intended manifestation. Know what it looks like. In many cases, you need to know exactly what you want. Now, that said, some books about magick argue that you shouldn’t be specific and I’d counter that it depends on your goals. I’m also convinced some magicians like leaving things open ended so even the smallest gains can be counted as successful magick. Regardless – you still need a clear goal whether it’s a feeling, a desired lifestyle, etc… You also need to have the wisdom to know when you should be specific, and when it’s okay to be unspecific. Some magicians will tell you that leaving things open ended is better. Others will tell you that you need to be specific. I say it depends on the situation:
    Some instances where you may want to be specific: 1. Healing Magick 2. Career Magick 3. Creating a specific situation.
    Some instances where you may want to be nonspecific, but very clear in the desired outcome: 1. You’re doing love magick to bring more love in your life. 2.A Raise in pay (unless you need a specific amount) 3. A better job. 4. Guidance 5. Creativity Magick – like for inspiration.

But I don’t want you to just throw things out willy nilly. I want you to sit down and ask yourself, “What does my ideal outcome look like?”  Then — ask yourself “Why?” because the why of the situation may  reveal a different angle to the situation. Oftentimes when people want more money and success, they’re not envisioning themselves being showered in cash or driving luxury cars. They’re thinking of being free from debt and not having to work as hard so they can spend more quality time with loved ones. Or maybe more time playing and being out with friends than being shackled by excessive responsibility. Or if they’re creatives, they’re not imagining spotlights on themselves or walking down the red carpet – they’re looking at all the eyes on their creative work.  It’s their WORK they want known, not necessarily themselves (though I imagine some people really do want the spotlight).  When we’re defining what we want, sometimes it helps to envision what life would be like if you already had that thing, whether it’s a physical thing, an emotional thing, or a mental thing.

  1. Properly apply energy work. Know exactly where to apply your energy and what to work on magickally. Know exactly what needs to be done (both magickally speaking and in the physical realm) to accomplish the goal. Most of you know that in my day-to-day life, I’m a novelist. I make my living weaving fantastical stories. Many years ago I said I wanted to have a book that sold like wildfire with tons of fans.  It’s great to throw that intention out into the universe willy nilly when you don’t know what that really entails.  I hadn’t done the research or the homework to find out what it was that bestselling novelists did all day (aside from writing). I didn’t know the skills required, or if I even had those skills. Aside from the writing – I honestly didn’t know what I was doing. Not. One. Clue.

So, one Sunday afternoon, I brought all my novels (it was only 5 novels at the time), blessed them in the name of the nine Daemonic Divinities, invoked Belphegore and Belial over them for the books’ success, and walked away. One of my novels and two novellas went viral within three months. I was making bank, drawing down five figures a month just from three stories I’d written. Imagine that. It worked like a charm. But I had no idea what I was doing and about two years later, my sales trickled off to nothing. I was back to where I started. So why did it fail?  Daemons can give you great windfalls, but if you don’t know how to properly manage the windfall, it will be just that. A temporary injection of good luck that eventually tapers off. However – if you want LASTING prosperity, health, etc… that’s where the self-work, or The Great Work as many magicians call it, comes in. This is a combination of Daemonic intervention and making choices and snagging opportunities in the real world that will speed you along to your success. This is why dabbling in magick only results in the occasional windfall and rarely lasting results. Let me share yet another example of what that entails.

Several years after my windfall, I decided I was going to work magick to reclaim my bestselling author status. I wanted to be both bestselling and well-known. This time, however, I was armed with more knowledge of the industry, marketing, etc…  Once again, I threw caution to the wind, called on the Daemon Sorath, and said the equivalent of “Hey, I want a six figure writing career!”  In my mind, Sorath was likely snickering when I said that.  But ultimately, he agreed. He was like, fine – here you go. You want to be in the spotlight? He shoved me right into the spotlight. 
What did I do? I froze like a deer in the headlights.  I hadn’t considered the public speaking aspect, or how involved in the publishing world I’d have to be, but when I approached the Daemon and asked, “Public Speaking?” He was like, “Uh huh. Go get ’em, Tiger.” 

It took all of one conference for me to realize I had a problem, and it was a big one. Public speaking was not my cup of tea.  So I did what a lot of magicians in my place (who have an idea of what they’re doing) would do. I sat down and did an ascension session with Lucifer (a Daemon of communication among other things) to figure out a plan on how I would overcome this seemingly impossible barrier to my own success.  Because, see, to be a writer – and a famous one at that, I had to have the skill of public speaking.  When you’re a socially anxious introvert, it’s not a skill that comes naturally to you.  I began speaking at conferences. Doing online videos. Hosting writer events. When it was all said and done, I was making six figures, one of my books had won an award, and I was named my writing group’s independent writer of the year. THAT was the right path to success. I still work on my career daily by taking classes and learning new things, and by jumping on opportunities the Daemonic throws my way, and my career keeps moving forward inch by inch. Much slower than a windfall, but this has been more of a lasting success because I’m working on myself to make ME into the person who can withstand the spotlight and continue producing novels that readers love. The Daemons just provided the opportunities, turned the tables in my favor, and helped me to strengthen my skills and overcome fears and bad habits that were holding me back from my own success. 

Both of these are PERFECT examples of how we may initially apply energy to the wrong things in magick. We apply them to the main goal, then wonder why it doesn’t work. Or in both of these cases – it did work, but required side tracks along the way. Mainly, I had to fix all the problems within myself FIRST before the final goal could be realized. This isn’t a sprint – it’s a marathon and magick, and working with the Daemonic, is a lifelong practice.  My writing career has been ten long years in the making through magick, fear facing, and a lot of self work. I wouldn’t say it’s been “hard” work (since I love it), but sometimes frustrating work because the Daemonic doesn’t stop you from falling and failure. Without failure, you learn nothing from it. Daemons are lesson teachers. They exist as sentient energy forces to elevate consciousness. They help you learn, overcome, and emotionally, mentally, and physically become better to help you manifest your Great Work.

Some of the other keys that haven’t been fully fleshed out yet in the context of the book.

  1. Statement of Intent. Your intent is your emotional commitment to what you want/desire. Lack of sincere intent does nothing to help manifest your will. Your intentions should be strong enough that you feel them on an emotional level, not just a mental one. After all the statement, I want a sandwich is an entirely different emotional feeling than, I want people to feel my music to the core of their being. And yet – both of these statements may spur you to action in order to manifest your will. The problem is a lot of people don’t know exactly what they want, or they’re not fully committed. Hence their magick continually fails (or appears to) because they have no idea what they’re looking for except change. This is where a lot of self-exploration comes in, so when your magick doesn’t have the result you expected – you can figure out why. Otherwise you’re literally just shooting in the dark hoping to hit a target that will change your circumstance.
  2. Non-metaphysical Follow Through. Regardless how bad we want shit just to drop in our laps, long-lasting, successful magick does require follow through. Hence the reason it is one of my main points for magicians to focus on when they want high performance from their magickal work. Can you just do a one-off and get what you want? Absolutely. But you can expect it will be fleeting if you don’t do the work to MAINTAIN what you’ve been given. After all, I was given a bestselling book, I just didn’t know how to maintain it, and I lost the opportunity for additional success as a result. But through that failure — I learned how to do it properly. Sometimes we have to fail in order to learn what we need to learn so that we can move forward.
  3. Glamour Magick to get what you want. Occasionally we have to morph into a person we don’t recognize to get what we want. Go against our nature. If what you want goes against your nature, that may be something to think about. Reflect on this and how you can change your internal thoughts, feelings, and even external reactions to situations to influence those around you and perhaps change your nature to be more agreeable with your intentions and ultimately your will. Yes, magick can help with this, but again, this comes with A LOT of self work.
  4. Fear Facing. I don’t know why more magicians don’t address fear facing more directly in relation to magick and magickal success. If we spend all our time reading books, but never getting our hands dirty, that’s the same thing as knowing a lot of “theory” and “philosophy” about a subject, but not understanding or having any real knowledge of practical application.  If magick isn’t practical, it becomes useless, right? A lot of times our magick fails because we haven’t faced our fears. Sometimes they’re fears we didn’t even really know we had, or didn’t understand the weight of them. Kind of like my fear of public speaking. I knew I wasn’t comfortable speaking to a crowd, I just had no idea how big of a handicap it was to my writing career until Sorath threw it right in my face. Expect that with lasting magick – you will be confronted with a lot of fears that you will either have to learn to overcome or navigate in some way so they won’t be a hindrance to you moving forward.

In conclusion of this blog post – magick isn’t black and white. There are a LOT of factors to consider, as each situation as unique and multi-faceted as every individual person reading this post. We all have our internal “demons” (in the Christian sense) to work on, and our Daemons (divine intelligence) can guide us through these obstacles so that we, ultimately, can better manifest our own will and move forward on our individual Great Work. So consider the above keys and remember, magick is not just a one-and-done kind of deal. Not if you want lasting results.

And my friend, Charme, pointed out that in the days of COVID19, one-off windfall magick for wealth or financial gain may not be such a good idea anyway. More of a chance for the Daemonic to knock off your favorite relatives in order to give you that windfall you want. May be best to be specific with one-off money magick at the moment, or just commit to the long-term magick and self-work to make your improved financial situation more permanent. ?

Headlong into a New Year

Can you believe it’s already January? We all want to jump into new habits and routines at the start of a new year. Even I was tempted to jump in and write 2000 words a day. That totally didn’t happen, and the Daemonic message I kept getting for myself was “Ease into the new year.”

How the hell does someone ease into a new year? There’s so much to do. A publishing schedule to maintain! And yet, the Daemons of earth keep having to grab me by the legs and pull me back to reality.

So I’m not writing 60,000 words this month as planned (only about 1/2 to 3/4 that). But I have gotten a lot done. I’ve dealt with taxes, set up paperwork. I’ve been taking time for myself and my husband each day. I’ve gotten a lot of client work done. My ritual work hasn’t suffered one bit. The house is clean. I’ve maintained my coven responsibilities. These are all HUGE wins for me, things I struggled with last year due to tight deadlines.

Sometimes, if we don’t slow down and chill out, we don’t see the big wins because we’re focused on the one thing going wrong. This comes up a lot in my readings for myself and others. When we hyper-focus, we lose sight of our success and the bigger picture.

So, for my brothers and sisters who needed to hear this like I did — instead of barreling into the new year guns blazing, why not try easing into it? There are no new year police stating you have to jump into the fire. No Daemons with pitchforks getting ready to hurl you into the abyss against your will.

Let’s talk about Daemons that can help ease you into a new year, a new routine, or a new frame of mind:

Mind you this isn’t a complete list. Just a handful to inspire you.

Leviathan: To open you to what you need and facilitate being gentle on yourself. He can give you courage to take small steps, especially if you’re healing. But he can also help you slowly build until you’re ready to unleash something upon the world.

Gremory: To help with self-discovery and planning. Working with him, expect to find a few hidden treasures along the way. His counsel always comes with bright, glorious gifts. And by “gifts”, I’m not necessarily talking about opportunities and cold hard cash. I’m talking about those gems of wisdom that bring revelation and understanding through a more gradual, gentle process.

Bathin: To metaphorically (or literally) plant gardens, or make “travel” plans. The seeds you plant now will grow into blossoming plants in the coming months. Don’t be afraid to plant your garden and use January as a month of planning under the watchful gaze of Bathin. The colder months (for those of us here on the upside) are a great time to PLAN changes. For those of you down-under – it will be mid-summer – but still a good time to think of cooler autumn weather and make some plans for when you’re not wilting from the heat the second you step outside.

Stolas: Work with Stolas to develop your intuition for timing things just right. Stolas is a Daemon who can teach patience as well as instruct one in the divinatory arts. If you feel you need to slow down and regroup until the timing is perfect, Stolas may be just the teacher/guide you need.

Orias: He’s a great “gentle change” Daemon when it comes to easing into a new routine, taking on a new exercise program, or transforming the way you think about something. His energy tends toward slow and steady progress and can be rather healing.

Some ideas for application and work:

  • Sleep with the sigil beneath your mattress to receive insight and guidance through dreams.
  • Wear the Daemon’s seal to draw their influence to you.
  • Meditate with the Daemon’s seal and gain insight.
  • Rituals (appropriate to your situation) with the Daemonic if you have specific goals in mind.

I hope you have found this inspiring. May Ba’al bring blessings upon you.

Manifestation

K Asks: “Today i tried an incovation from Bune, following the steps from the ‘Deamonolatry Goetia’, but alas i had no manifestation in any kind. What did i wrong or need to learn or practice more? Any advise would be apreciated.”

I get a variation of this email at least once or twice a year and I thought it was likely a common enough question that it would be great for the blog. Especially since we’re in the season of earth, and manifestation is of earth.

So, to start, let me say that first and foremost – the Goetia is a ritual meant for mediums. You’re evoking the Daemonic force into the mirror to speak with it. In order for that to happen – you actually do need to have some mediumship skills to be able to see and speak with the spirit. How these types of rituals will manifest for you will depend on your particular skill set. You won’t actually SEE anything in the mirror unless you’re a clairvoyant. This is why back in the day – many goetic magicians would bring a seer/medium into the ritual circle with them. Hence the designation of “operator” for the person performing the ritual whilst the medium sat in front of the mirror. You can operate the ritual without being able to see the spirits you’re drawing to you. The problem is if you have no mediumship skills, you may not have the appropriate gifts/skills to see or hear the spirits once they get there.

So, if you know you can speak with spirits, you can try to strengthen those skills (See Drawing Down Belial for some technique and practice suggestions). However, some people will never be able to “see” the spirits because their brain isn’t wired for clairvoyance. Know what gifts you have and how they manifest for you, then work on those skills accordingly.

But let’s also talk about expectations. What do you expect to happen? A daemonic force manifesting in full form from the basement floor? A physical Daemon showing up to talk to you?

THOSE types of physical manifestations are less likely to happen to people who aren’t clairvoyant. I am a very sensitive medium and I can count the times I’ve experienced real-world, ritual-induced theophany on one hand (in over 35 years). NOTE: By real world I mean not in the astral, through the mirror/crystal, or in the dream world, etc… because I regularly see and speak with spirits through those means. i.e. Seeing a spiritual non-corporeal being manifest as a tangible physical being is a rare thing.

The REAL manifestation you should be worried about is in the results of the ritual. Do the desired results manifest? Meaning, if, for example, you’re doing a ritual to help you find the skills to get the big promotion, does an opportunity for education drop into your lap? Or do you gain a human mentor who outlines the steps for you? Are you getting RESULTS from your magickal work whether high or low magick? If so – your rituals are manifesting results.

If these are the manifestations you’re worried about because your magick isn’t manifesting the desired result – then you need to examine your result expectations.

The truth is – I’ve never seen a Daemon drop a cool million off on someone’s doorstep with a “Here you go, Bob.” Now, that’s not to say you won’t get a check out of the blue for something you forgot was owed to you. Or sudden opportunities fall into your lap. Things like that do happen. But a lot of the time, the Daemonic is a bit more subtle, just waiting for you to listen and do the self-analyzation to see what they’re trying to tell you, and how they’re trying to guide you. For the magicians they can’t easily communicate with, sometimes these are the only methods they have to relay their message to you. But if the person isn’t self-aware enough to notice the opportunities or the subtle pushes in the right direction, these manifestations are easily missed.

Yes, this does mean that those who are mediums generally get the best results from their spirit-work magick (because it’s just easier for us to communicate with the spirit world). But it does not mean that non-mediums can’t learn to practice spirit-based magick “blind” and still get fantastic results. It just takes a little more work in spotting the manifestations.

In conclusion – check your expectations and ask yourself if they’re realistic. You may be getting plenty of manifestations, you’re just not aware enough, or sensitive enough to see them.

Ask A Daemonolatress

I have been slacking on these again and the questions have been building up. So it’s time for another round of questions from my inbox! 🙂

I have a question concerning Meditation, daily practise and Circle. I am a beginner at Daemonolatry and I am reading The Complete Book of Demonolatry and want to do the homework from Lesson Two. It is a meditation where you choose four Deamons (for Alter-Ego, elemental, image-side and strong hidden emotions)  and there you write  that it is ok not to build an elemental circle . Also on your blog Daily practise you can do a Prayer with a Prayer Cord and I do not read anything about a circle. But now I am a little bit confused, mix things up.  Because when I read the Blog article Why we Balance. It seems like it is always necessary to construct an elemental circle not only out of respect for the Daemons (the book) but also to keep yourself in balance. So my question is : when I do a meditation like above and/or a prayer is it better to build an elemental circle first?

I recommend all beginners use the circle because it creates a balanced space in which to work to help keep YOU balanced as well as making things more comfortable for your Daemonic guests. But as with any rule there’s always an exception. IF you are just praying and you’re not actually working DIRECTLY with the Daemonic energy (as with prayer), the circle isn’t necessary because prayer is unlikely to imbalance you. The other exception is if you’re experienced and already know how a particular Daemonic force alchemizes with you, then a balanced ritual space may not be necessary. But a lot of beginners haven’t developed their discernment and skills to that level yet. So we preach the elemental circle with everyone from pre-initiate to grade three initiates.

Why does pre-initiate training require so much work? Is it really necessary?

I can’t help but notice I received this question from someone who was previously participating in an online pre-initiate course of study, which, IMHO, is extremely lax compared to the pre-initiate training most traditional/generational groups put their pre-initiates through. So the thing about most Trad/Gen groups is a lot of our pre-initiates are under the age of eighteen. I was lucky in that I fell in with a group of Trad/Gen Daemonolaters (who had a strong pre-initiate program) when I was only sixteen. I was in pre-initiate study for almost a full two years before being initiated (because you’re not allowed to initiate until you’re eighteen) and the pre-initiate work most online groups have you do is cakewalk compared to a real world group. A real world group requires attendance at weekly study groups, weekly reading and magickal work assignments/homework, regular non-ritual convocations for occult discussion, and more.

Thinking back to some of the assignments I was given, I often wonder if that’s something I would have had time for later in life. One of the advantages of being young while in pre-initiate is that you have time to study, get together weekly with a group, and so on. As an adult – finding that kind of time becomes a LOT harder, which is why the online course of study you’re talking about is about 1/4 the work of a standard in person pre-initiate program. Recently, our only Trad/Gen online group has discussed revising its pre-initiate program to include a foundational core of study, too.

So, traditionally, a basic pre-initate Daemonolatry course includes:

  • The core Trad/Gen Daemonolatry philosophies, precepts, and codes of conduct.
  • Hermetic philosophy
  • Correspondences of Magick (including colors, stones, herbs, planetary, astrological,elemental, magickal timing etc…)
  • Basic alchemical principles.
  • Basic magickal techniques and types.
  • Basic Gematria
  • Basic astrology.
  • Basic symbols and their meanings and significance.
  • Correspondences of Daemons
  • Daemonic Sigils and their usage.
  • Magickal Alphabets
  • Cleansings/Banishings
  • Discernment
  • Discussions about the great work.
  • Basic divination methods, practices, and usage. Usually includes scrying (mirror/crystal/fire/smoke/water), dousing, and oftentimes basic tarot)
  • Meditation (and lots of it)
  • Energy Work (and lots of it, including servitor/thought form creation)
  • Astral Work (including astral temple construction)
  • Introduction to channeling.
  • Ritual tools.
  • Setting up a home temple.
  • Basic Ritual Elements and types.
  • Basic Ritual Construct.
  • Invocation/Evocation + Vibration.
  • Basic working with Daemons
  • And many more miscellaneous bits and pieces the beginning magician needs to know.

It also includes not only a basic Daemonolatry reading list, but also a reading list with a good number of foundational magickal texts. One such reading list is included in our library.

So if you thought an online’s program of basic Daemonolatry was hard, thank goodness you never had real pre-initiate training (which requires you take it for at least a year before you can be initiated, and then to expand on that body of *basic* knowledge for another year or three after that with tests for proficiency) before moving into more specialized areas of interest to study deeper, or being able to move out of the initiate degrees. You would have hated it and never made it through. And yes – it’s all very necessary to learn if you ever want to be an adept Daemonolatry magician.

How many Matrons/Patrons should I have?

ONE. You only get ONE Matron OR ONE Patron. You don’t choose both a patron and a matron. You don’t choose multiple. JUST ONE – if you are a Trad/Gen Daemonolater. The whole idea of choosing multiple Matrons/Patrons comes from the anything goes 2010- forward internet interpretation of Daemonolatry. Not from the traditional groups. We have one. Just one, no more than that. The rest of the Daemons we work with have different functions and purposes.

That’s it for this edition! I hope it finds you all healthy and safe.

The Chariot and Taking Back Control

As some of you may know, I am a full time Tarot reader and when you do as many readings every day as I do, you start to see patterns in both questions/issues that people are dealing with as well as with the same cards constantly coming up no matter how often I shuffle or if I switch to a different deck. When this happens, I pay attention.

Lately I have been getting a lot more calls from people who feel as if they are nothing more than a passive character in their own lives. The common thread of not being in control and wanting to get that control back has been a reoccurring one, especially over the past two weeks. I am sure that a major contributor to that is of course the Covid situation and how we are all just waiting for the other shoe to drop and wondering when, and if; life will ever go back to how we knew it. Of living in a time when a lot of our personal choices have been taken away.

I have found it very interesting that the card The Chariot has come up with greater frequency. Often it had been in reverse, indicating that the person truly was a passenger and that other indivduals or energies had taken the control with no intention of relinquishing it. Lately though, I am seeing it in the Dignified position, eluding to our coming up on a time where people are starting to get tired of being mere spectators and are ready to steer their own ships. It dawned on me that we could and perhaps even should, try harder to keep control of those reins in our hands; because honestly, who knows us better than we do?

The Chariot’s definition in tarot, when Dignified (upright) is about “overcoming conflicts and moving forward in a positive direction. One needs to keep going on and through sheer hard work and commitment he will be victorious.” The image that I always attribute with this card is that of an individual who is controlling the chariot, almost as if with his mind, as rarely do we see the reins to the horses or other beasts in the driver’s hands. To me this symbolizes that the power of intent and determination is just as important, if not more so; than physically holding the controls in one’s hands. If you are not focused on the path ahead and any obstacles that many come up it makes no difference if you are steering the ship.

Where are you right now in your life? Are you in control of your personal chariot or are the beasts running amok?

If you have been feeling as if you are being dragged along rather than in control of what is happening in your life, you can start to reset things by beginning to take small actions and building upon them.

Select one aspect of your life at a time and regain as much control as you feasibly can. Maybe you feel as if you are rushing in the morning to get out the door or to get ready for work. You are at the mercy of time here, but this is one of the easiest areas that we can take back our control. Maybe this is going to mean getting up 10 minutes earlier than you already do, or it might mean going to bed earlier so that the morning groggies don’t drag you down when you need to be alert and functioning.

Sometimes we feel as if we have zero control when it comes to relating with others. We quietly stand by because we are afraid to upset the apple cart, so to speak. First off if this is the dynamic of a relationship that you are in, it might be time to be completely honest about the healthiness of the relationship. Relationships of any form should be based on a partnership dynamic with give and take. Reflect on why you hold back sharing your needs, wants, ideas, and stunt the dialogue. Is it coming from a sense of not being confident enough to voice things or something else? Once you figure out the cause it is much easier to figure out how to become more active in your relationships.

Even small adjustments can make a difference

There is no denying that this year has shown us how vulnerable our control over our lives and situations truly are and the frustration that it has caused is something that we will most likely need to deal with for some time yet. However, we still have the ability to direct our lives in affirming ways, we just may need to think outside the box.

I rode and taught horseback riding for many years and people would get confused when I would take away my students reins and tell them to guide their horses without them. How? was the question I got from students, parents, and spectators alike. With the rest of the body, was my perennial answer. First I would make them guide the horse with only their legs and shifting their weight. OK that makes sense. Then I would have them minimize how much weight shifting they were doing and instead tip their heads to the direction that they wanted their horses to go. This always got weird looks! The head weighs around 11lbs, it is more than enough weight that the horse will pick up on the subtle change and will more likely than not, go in that direction.

Intent is the equivalent of a rider tilting their head. It may seem small and insignificant, but it has all the power to change the direction that we are taking and whether or not we are in control or merely a passenger. Magickal practice expects us to be active participants, our lives do too. Don’t short change either aspect of your life.