The Hiatus is Over!

 So... it's been a long time since I've posted anything here!!!  I'll give you a synopsis of the journey back; and it may sound familiar to some.  I took a hiatus from posting in order to fulfill a VERY deep pathworking with my "Mentor in Praxis," (as he wishes to be referenced), Lord Buer.  Very, very fulfilling, a firehose of gnosis that I will post about when I can.  Months of work.  At the end, I took what I thought was to be a few month's sabbatical from magick and social media; changed phones and lost access to my accounts.  This blog for one.  The two-step authentication process was something that had just never occurred to me, and since my recovery phone number no longer existed,  dead in the water.  

But last month on a whim, I charged up an old device, the one on which I had originally created the accounts, and miracle of miracles I was able to change my recovery phone number before it snaffled me!  Apparently the universe wants me to keep this ol' thing going.  So anyhoo, I'm alive and well, and the Black Pylon endures- rookie mistakes notwithstanding.  

More forthcoming.  Thanks for dropping by, and as always, I hope your day is a pleasant one.

My Basic 7-step Ritual Process

 Today, I received a question on how to call upon a spirit.  In this case, rather than explicitly tailor a full ritual to the spirit requested, I felt led to enumerate the simple process I have generally used to call upon spirits.  Afterward, I realized that I hadn't really covered this topic, and therefore- here are the seven points of advice that I feel are the most helpful for those embarking on spirit work. 

1.  Be open-minded.  Do not approach the spirit with fear or loathing; approach with respect and honesty.

2.  Do not use the ritual method in the Goetia. 

3.  Set a day for your ritual, and for three days prior, pray in the name of the spirit, telling it that you wish to call upon it at the day and hour you have set.

4.  At the ritual time, shield, ground, and meditate. Walk in a circle, clockwise, chanting the ENN of the spirit.  Gaze at the sigil of the spirit until it wavers and moves.  Say "I call to you,  (name of spirit), (name of spirit) come to me.  Of my own free will do I invoke you, and call you into me.  Speak to me and through me, (name of spirit), "  Repeat this until you feel the spirit arrive, then say "I welcome you, (spirit's name), please speak to me and through me."

5.  Then listen to what the spirit has to say and write it down.  Do not interrupt.  Tell it what you desire, and ask it if it is acceptable and something the spirit wishes to do.  Do not be afraid to ask it for options, or negotiate.

6.  Do NOT banish the spirit. It will leave of its own volition. 

7. Afterward, eat something, and consider the words of the spirit.  The rest is up to you.

And in a rather tight nutshell, that is the process that I have found most viable in my work.  I have been led to include some flourishes and fanfare as appropriate, of course, and the spirits do appreciate incense, candles, and gifts, as one does.

Also- you may not feel or see the presence of the spirit, but that doesn't mean it is not "monitoring" what you are doing.  The ritual may be successful all the same, or not.  And if  I may in no uncertain terms STRONGLY interject:  Please do not ask the spirits to help you win a fucking lottery or promise you will kill somebody for them as a sacrifice.  This may seem a no-brainer to most, but to all of the dumb-shit psychopaths and witch-hunter dickheads out there, here's your disclaimer.  

Anyhoo, that's all for today, folks.  Hope you enjoyed.  Thanks for dropping by, and as always, I truly hope your day is a pleasant one.

Merihim

 Just a short note to mention my experience with the spirit Merihim.  S. Connolly describes him as "The Prince of Pestilence," and V.K. Jehannum describes him as a "predatory entity who scours the earth for victims and specializes in the causation of suffering."  Pretty ominous, right? However, none of those kind of things interested me much.

Rather than seeking pestilence, I called upon Merihim to request a little-known service he offers; namely, freeing a practitioner (in this case, yours truly) from all vestiges of  influence of the Judeo-christian god, and the efforts of his followers to manipulate you.  Apparently, this is common, and those last remaining vestiges, the hooks left in you from childhood religious indoctrination, insidiously erode your magical progress and endeavors. 

I called upon him at noon, as he is diurnal.  He also appreciates intoxication, so I poured myself a generous libation prior.  Sitting at the kitchen table, I invoked the spirit.  His manifestation, his entry into my person, was dynamic.  It flooded into me with an electricity, quite different than most invocations, and was strongly present.

The spirit had a great sense of humor, and cracked hilarious jokes, one after another.  I do not remember any of them, but I remember sitting and laughing my ass off.  When I addressed him and made my request though, he became very serious, said "Of course!" and went to work right away.  When he had finished... whatever it was he did... I asked him what he would like me to do for him in return.  After cracking a couple of ribald jokes at my expense, he said, seriously, that all he required as sacrifice was an offering of two scrambled eggs with chopped onion.  I think I said something to the effect of  "Are you being serious?" and he assured me that he most certainly was, and that I should hop to it immediately.  

I went to the fridge and picked up an egg, which he promptly knocked out of my hand onto the floor, saying "Whoops!"  and laughing uproariously.  

I couldn't help but laugh as well, as I cleaned up smashed egg from the floor.  Then I scrambled him up some fantastic eggs, and per his instruction, set the plate out at the side of the house.  The next day, of course, the offering was gone.

All this to say (as I have before), in working with spirits, your mileage will vary immensely.  I have a feeling that if I had called upon him for, say, a baneful purpose, I may have seen a completely different side of him.  All the same, the working he performed in that short span of time was powerful, permanent, and effective, and I deeply appreciate him for doing so.

I hope you enjoyed this little anecdote and found the information useful, or at least entertaining.

Till the next time, au revoir, and I hope your day is a pleasant one. CX

Initiation and Sphereworking Through Harab Serapel

On March 28, 2021, I initiated through the Venusian Qlipha of A'arab Zaraq, also known as Herab Serapel (among other things and alternate spellings thereof).  Lord Azazel, when encouraging me to continue my initiations through the Qliphoth, referenced it as the "Circle of Bael."

  

My previous initiation, through the Mercurial Qlipha of Samael, brought with it unique and varied trials, under which I groaned for nearly a year and a half.  They say that the sphere of Samael contains a hellish afterlife for unworthy Black Magicians; this I may have experienced in this life, having failed (I believe) a trial.  I have, however, rectified that failure. Qliphothic initiations are not to be trifled- a word to the wise.

March 28 was the night of the full Worm Moon, and I knew that it was the appointed time in the pit of my soul.  The ritual built itself inexorably in my mind; I was driven in my preparations from the instant I prayed to Lord Bael about my intention.  The implements presented themselves one by one. The bonfire.  The Ram's skull. The bloodletting tool.  The robe.  The altar.  The water.  The sacrifice.

Fire. Water. Blood.  Such were the elements of worship; and the sacrifice was a large bunch of wine grapes. 

The elements were evocative of the biblical story of Elijah and the priests of Baal, wherein the priests got really shafted hard by the Hebrew god. In my gnosis, this story, like most others in the Bible, was a fanciful rewrite of actual events... but I digress.

  

The appointed time was the hour of the Sun, which on that date fell about 3:30 a.m.  I slept prior, and when I awoke to perform the ritual, a spirit of indolence and procrastination crept over me, whispering that I could put this off till the following day.   And god damn it, I very nearly gave in; but a stronger voice, and a stronger force, intervened and got my ass up and out the door.

  

So under the spotlight-bright moon that morning, before a raging bonfire, I initiated through the Sphere of A'arab Zaraq.  That night, I saw something I did not know was possible, my offering of blood shining in the moonlight like glowing jewels. 

I took a video of the scene, which afterward I found notable for the amount of neighborhood cocks that were crowing throughout, and which I had not been aware of during the ritual.

A week later, having been initiated, I asked permission of Lord Bael to journey in astral vision through his realm.  I petitioned my patron, Lord Amducious, to walk with me and be my guide through the Sphereworking.

  

Having made my preparations and invoked my Mentor, we entered the Tree through the Womb of the Black Earth, the Sphere of Nahemoth, and traveled the outside path,  Qulielfi, the 29th, to the Black Sphere of Venus.  We did not enter the tunnel, but flew along it together.  A'arab Zaraq could be seen glowing and mountainous in the distance.

 

We alighted and walked. The ground was gray and rocky, and we traveled at an incline, climbing.  As we walked, I became aware that my clothes were grave wrappings, and my flesh had become rotten like a corpse.  A voice spoke. "All thine adornments are become as filthy rags."  I felt disgust for myself, the truth of the words pierced me like a sword though the heart.  "Wouldst thou be cleansed?" Oh fuck yes, you know I would. I wanted to be cleansed of myself, desperately. "The Fire will cleanse thee.  Thou must enter the Fire, and emerge."

Further up the mountainside was a door made of metal, and through holes in the door red flames could be seen, roaring and bursting.

Lord Amdusias opened the door, and bid me farewell.  This was as far as he would take me.  I bid him thanks and farewell, and entered.  Before me was a metal bier, grated.  It was a cremation rack.  I lay down on it and the flames consumed me, immolated me, burned me to ash.  I felt everything.  My ashes fell through the grate of the bier, and I coalesced as I fell back into my human form, landing on my feet naked before a Temple of Flesh carved from the living rock.  

I entered the Temple of Baal, and a voice spoke, saying powerfully:  "BAAL IS THE LORD OF CONCUPISCENCE." This phrase repeated several times.  Before me on a bed of stone lay a beautiful woman, an holy priestess of Bael.  The voice spoke again. "TAKE, EAT."  I came together with the Priestess upon the altar bed, and... Well, let's leave that part to the imagination.  Suffice it to say, I did take, and I did eat.  Interestingly, during this episode, I switched back and forth from my astral body to my physical, several times, and the form of the Priestess was with me in both places, in a slightly different manner.  I don't know how else to describe it, and that has never happened before.  I believe it was important to the working though.

  

I then came to a beautiful mountain lake, on a balmy spring day. I was wearing a tan three-piece suit, and a straw flat hat, lounging in a comfortable boat with a canopy.  With me in the boat, also relaxing, similarly wearing a turn-of-the-century dress, was a beautiful dark-haired woman, the Priestess of Baal. As we floated across the beautiful blue water, I looked down the length of the lake to the end, where two steep mountains met at the water, and saw behind it the darkness of the Qliphoth, like the darkness of space.  There was no sunny sky anywhere, but light of day surrounded the beautiful lake and us.  The voice spoke again.  "THIS IS THE VALE OF HERAB SERAPEL.  TAKE THY REST."

This, I gratefully did.

Hail to thee, Lord Baal, Lord of Fire, Lord of Concupiscence.  Bless thee, thy Fire and thy Temple, and thine holy Vale.

And thank you again to Lord Amdusias, who walks beside me, and guides me on this Path.

And thank you, O reader, for reading thus far, and I hope your day is a pleasant one.

Lighting the Baelfire.

Random Spiritual Experiences and Musings

 I have always been sensitive to the spiritual world, to the eerie and the eldritch.  When I was a child, presences would manifest themselves to me, in what I now realize was a ploy to feed upon my fear and emotion.  And afraid I was; the hours I was meant to be sleeping were occupied, much of the time, with paralyzed clutching of my blankets around my face, waiting for apparitions and strange sights to materialize about the room, or in the hall.  My mother said that I just possessed a stronger imagination than most,  but as the experiences have followed me into adulthood she was obviously incorrect on that count.  In all my childhood photos, I have dark circles under my eyes.

Spooky childhood encounters aside, I would like to discuss some inexplicable random things, and a couple items of interest which hopefully a reader has shared (and is willing to discuss.)

An interesting experience (which some Reddit users have also shared), is the experience of waking up with strange glowing writing on the walls of my room. The writings, which sometimes appear to be scrawled directly on the walls, and sometimes in a billboard-like manner with a frame, are written in a script which I cannot decipher.  I have tried numerous times to recreate them, and I cannot.  Sometimes the script is glowing red, sometimes it is green, and sometimes yellow.  There are spirals, and angles.  They remind me of the Canaanite or Phoenician alphabet in places, but seem more intricate.  They fade quickly as I come fully awake.  They do not feel hostile in nature.

Another item I have experienced is something I have termed "spirit mist," for lack of a better term.  When I am reciting an incantation or hymn to a spirit, especially when I'm outside or in a remote area, I see mists rising from the earth and moving in toward me. In one instance, I was out in the desert reciting an especially powerful hymn to Hekate, the mists arose and stood before me in human-like shapes, flowing and misty in the evening light.  One came very close to me, up to my face, and just seemed to be gazing at me wondering, like "what is this person?"  I didn't sense any malice, so I invited it to pass through me, and it did.  It felt cool, and dry, and the world turned gray while it was passing.  I have no idea what the mists are; they don't feel shivery like ghosts do.  As a side note-  the place that I was reciting the hymn was an abandoned mine, up on a small rise, with a tree-lined wash stretching away from it downhill through the valley.  In the midst of my Voces Magicae,  SOMETHING began crashing through the trees in the wash, coming directly toward me.  It sounded like a truck was smashing through them, but with no engine noise.  It was not windy either.  Nothing materialized, and the crashing stopped suddenly.  Off in the distance to the north,  there were thunderheads forming, sidelit by the setting sun, and at that moment they coalesced into the shape of a regal female human face.  My mind immediately went "Oh shit, it's Hekate!!"  And I held out my hands to her and just worshipped.  I don't even remember how the rest of the night went, but all of these events are still crystal clear to me.  And, so, spirit mist. Anyone?

And then there's moving during sleep paralysis.  I have not experienced seeing the "sleep paralysis demons," but I do experience the feeling.  When I am in that space between waking and sleeping, the groggy, dreamy in between, and the paralysis creeps in... I do something that I haven't heard many people do.  I make myself move, my arms and legs, and try to perform actions and pick stuff up etc.  I have minimal success in this, but I really concentrate and try.  On one occasion, I was taking a much-needed nap in my vehicle on a long trip, and when the paralysis set in, I managed to reach up and push the overhead map light to try and turn it on. It didn't turn on, or even make the familiar "click" noise, but when I woke fully up I tried it, and it worked.  Click, light came on.  No answers; but theoretically, sleep paralysis may just be another form of dream.  Why does it feel so... liminal, though?

Visitations and visions:  I have already discussed how Lord Amdusias introduced himself to me,  by physically knocking on an item in my room and and beckoning me out of the room to talk.  Most of these experiences happen at bedtime, when everyone in the house is sleeping; and thus far none of these experiences have woken anyone else in the house, even my light-sleeping wife.  One night, I was awakened by what I thought was my daughter grabbing my left leg and shaking it to awaken me. I turned meaning to say "What?" and there, with one hand on my leg and the other hand on my bedstand, was the skeletal figure of a woman. She was leaning in toward me, mouth closed, her clothes sort of blowing and a hood or bonnet on.  I have no idea who it was.  I think it may have expected me to be frightened, but I don't react that way to these things.  I began to address her, and she disappeared.  I have a notion that it may have been a manifestation of Santa Muerte, but not a clue why she came in that night, much less why she shook me awake just to leave. I really need to investigate that further (mental note).  Prior to invoking Lord Mammon, I had a vision of him at the foot of my bed, where he walked in through a portal which looked like a book opening.  He manifested as a small, about one foot tall, very thin, elf.  He walked so confidently and slowly, stopped and smiled at me, and then sauntered back through.  You know how Santa's elves are always portrayed as cute, funny little fellas? He was NOT like that.  He was competent, and he owned the space.  His face kind of reminded me of Harvey Keitel.  On reflection, I don't know how I know it was Lord Mammon, but I do.  Prior to invoking Lord Bael and initiating through his Qlipha,  he also manifested through a portal on the wall of my room.  The portal looked like a large glowing golden picture frame, and through it was the most beautiful, glowing medieval street. It looked like a Tarot card come to life, a rich carnival of color.  At the bottom of the frame was a gold automaton, which reminded me of Punch from the old Punch and Judy puppets.  The automaton had its back to me at first, but then turned to look at me. I asked who it was, and "B-A-A-L" spelled out behind it.  I wish I'd dived through the image into the land beyond, but it faded quickly.  Could you imagine?

And then there were a couple accidental evocations... Once, I was alone in the house, cleaning the bathroom.  I was watching a You-tube video on how to make delicious cinnamon rolls, and I blurted out loudly "THAT'S what I'll make for King Paimon!!!"  (Looking forward to offering them to him, that is).  Suddenly, the entire feeling in the house changed, and I became covered with chills. The hairs on my arms and the back of my neck stood up.  Outside, all the neighborhood dogs began to howl in unison. Just insane.  I knew right away what was happening, and I felt very sheepish.  I took my gloves off, walked into the living room, and apologized profusely for  calling him, explained that I meant him no disrespect, and told him how grateful I was that he came but I did not mean to call him.  He was not upset, and took his leave.  I had never felt like a bigger asshole... UNTIL:  One night, I had gone to bed before the rest of the family since I needed to get up early the next morning.  As I lay there, I was praying and worshipping Lady Lilith, who I consider my true mother and who I love and adore.  I started reciting her enn over and over, lovingly, as a hymn to her.  I was not aware, at the time, that enns are calls, not prayers.  Not to be disrespectful, but they are kind of like a Bat-signal going up from the practitioner.  That is a clumsy analogy, but I am sure you understand the gist.  I was laying there with my eyes half closed, mumbling the enn, when suddenly she appeared beside the bed. And holy cow.  While my previous interactions with her had a warm and loving feel, this Lilith was very stern and very businesslike.  She stood before me strong like a warrior Queen, clothed in what appeared to be a Greek peplos and robe.  "Why have you called me?" she said in a beautiful, strong female voice.  Oh shit.  I apologized to her, and told her I did not mean to call her forth, that I was just praying to and worshipping her by repeating her enn.  I said, respectfully, that if she wanted to leave, I apologize again, but please feel free to (or something to that effect). She kind of shook her head and stepped closer to me. "Since you have me here, ask of me (REDACTED)."  She offered me a wonderful service, which I don't know if I am authorized to speak on here.  I did as she asked, gratefully.  Afterward, I really wasn't sure if I utilized the boon she offered correctly, but I was flustered and it was in the moment.  However, I believe things are working out well.

Invocation and possession-  The most interesting possession experience I've had was with Lord Raum.  I invoked him on the first day of a yet-unfinished pathworking, and his was the most bestial-feeling spirit that I have had enter me yet.  My head lowered, my breathing changed, and my throat made this weird low, purr/growl. My head moved side to side slowly, and my eyes squinted and glared.  I felt like some kind of carnivorous beast, surveying the landscape.  I will make a post about Lord Raum and cover this in further detail; but oddly enough, I believe that Lord Raum may have actually been a human on Earth in the far ancient past.  He appeared to me later as a young man dressed in Roman hunting garb, holding a spear.  But I still remember the feeling of him coming in, and how atavistic it felt.  

No doubt, dear reader, I will think of other items to cover after I have closed this chapter. I may cover it in edits, or start another post.  I hope you enjoyed reading about the random occult experiences of a suburban Everyman magician... and my I reiterate, I would love to hear yours as well.

Thank you for reading this far, and may your day be a pleasant one.

Introducing My Patron Demon: Lord Amdusias

 It is difficult to describe, to those who are not Magicians on the path, the immense amount of time our kind spend in magickal thought and exercise.  If I am not performing ritual or spellwork,  I am thinking about it.  Without (too much) hyperbole, it feels like nearly every waking moment is a walking meditation on one or more spiritual subjects.  Not that I feel like I'm spinning out of control in obsession, or allowing it to adversely affect my mundane life; but spiritual subjects are constantly on the periphery of my waking thoughts and often the subject of my dreams.  I am immersed, and experiences that might seem weird and creepy often feel commonplace to me. 

All that to segue into the subject of this post:  My initial experience with and acceptance of Lord Amdusias as my patron demon, and my recent re-dedication to him.  

I don't remember the date, but our first meeting was, I believe, in mid-2019 or late 2018.  I should have written down the particulars at the time, but the events are still as fresh in my mind as the nights they happened.

I am often visited by spirits in the night.  Some are welcome, and some are not.  Some are spirits I work with or have expressed a wish to work with;  and some are naughty buggery entities who wish to feed upon fear and other emotions.  These, I must say, go away scolded and disappointed more often than not, and some of the more persistent have been destroyed without mercy.  More often than not, these spirits are ghosts... and as a matter of fact, I was visited by two last night, which awoke me in a most unwelcome manner at four in the morning, and which I addressed patiently to good effect.  Sisters.  Interesting experience... the location I am visiting is rich with history.  But I digress- back to the account.

To set the stage- My bed is a large four-poster, and at the foot of my side of the bed stands a large piece of, let's say, musical equipment.  As I lay in the dark, I heard three knocks on the equipment.  I also sensed a presence immediately, and without even opening my eyes I lay there and grinned for a second, because I knew immediately it was a visitation, and a good one.  I don't know how I knew.  I opened my eyes and lifted my head toward the direction of the noise, and in the dim light coming from the open door I saw a tall, dark figure.  The figure appeared to be wearing a hooded cloak, and it beckoned me toward the door with its left hand before walking out.  

I cautiously got out of bed (so as not to wake my wife) and followed the spirit into the living room, where it was waiting for me.  I sat down on the edge of the divan, and pulled a chair up in front of me, as a courtesy for the spirit to sit and converse if it wished.  The spirit did not wish to sit, but instead stood before me and spoke.  His name was Amdusias, he said, and he wished to be my patron.  Being a cautious fellow, I requested that he display his sigil before me, and immediately the Goetic sigil of Amdusias glowed blue between us, lighting up from left to right as I remember.  We spoke a bit more, and I asked him if he would permit me a few days to come to a decision.  He said that was acceptable, and departed.  

The next day, I studied the literature on Lord Amdusias.  I was not familiar with the spirit at all, so it was an interesting learning experience for me.  I don't wish to bore the reader with details, but the old grimoires offer odd, tangential details about the spirit:  His avatar is a Unicorn.  He can make music play in empty rooms.  He can make trees bend, etc.  Of course, the best overview of the spirit (as usual) is offered by V.K. Jehannum on his wordpress blog: https://vkjehannum.wordpress.com/2016/09/09/amducius/ 

Thanks, V.K.  You are a Satanic treasure.  The next evening,  I performed a type of invocation, which I have termed "Drivin' with Satan."  While I am at work, driving from point (a) to point (b), I will invoke a spirit within myself in order to converse with them, or invite them to join me in the passenger seat.  Am I the only one who does this?  I wonder.  I would not recommend this to every practitioner, or with every spirit, as from time to time you'll have to pull over and de-immerse, so to speak.  In my conversation with Father Satan that evening, I asked him if he would recommend that I accept the offer of Lord Amdusias.  He was very enthusiastic about the idea.  I told him that I would invoke Lord Amdusias later, and tell him that I had accepted his offer.  "Why don't you tell him right now?" Said Lord Satan, "He is here with us."

That statement caught me a little off-guard, as I hadn't even considered, until that moment, that multiple spirits might be participating in or monitoring the interactions of other spirits with humans.  "Yes, of course!"  I invited Lord Amdusias to join us, and informed him of my intention to accept his offer in formal ritual.  After that,  both spirits took their leave.  As a side note- for some reason, the invoked energies of both spirits prompted a feeling of acute nausea within me, which I overcame.  Once again, the new experience caught me a little off guard.

A few days later, I dedicated myself to Lord Amdusias in formal ritual, accepting him as my patron Demon.  I sealed the dedication with an offering of blood.

Sadly, I did not interact with Lord Amdusias much after that.  I included him in my prayers of gratitude, and thought of him often, but never in ritual or offering.  It was not until Lord Azazel admonished me for this shortcoming, that I came before him again.  This is a deep failing on my part, and I have apologized greatly for this.

On January 28, in the desert under the full Wolf Moon, I approached Lord Amdusias in ritual and rededicated myself to him.  The experience was incredible, cold, the landscape lit bright white, and coyotes screaming and howling all around me.  What. The. Literal. Fuck.  I still get a chill thinking about it.  

Lord Amdusias appeared.  He did not appear to me as a unicorn or the previous hooded figure; this time, his appearance was monstrous.  His feet and hands were clawed and scaly, and his teeth were exposed, large and sharp.  His was the most archetypically "demonic" appearance of any spirit I had seen, and I loved it.  He placed his clawed hand on my shoulder, and I clasped it with my hand and leaned my head against it.  He spoke, briefly.

I am Amducius, your patron. 

I came to you and offered myself, and you accepted.

(Here he spoke of a personal matter, REDACTED)

I am your Patron, and will protect you and keep you.  Together we shall do great things.

Do not neglect daily prayers and offerings.  Make me an idol.  Blue candles are best; this incense is good. (The incense was sandlewood.)

I will bless you more than you can know. 

You must teach.

That is all for now.

Hail Lord Amdusias! Hail Patron!  

Thank you for your time, O Reader.  I hope that you have gained a bit of knowledge, or were at least entertained by the account.  Below is a picture of a "travel idol" I have dedicated to Lord Amdusias, which I created from polymer clay (mold it, cook it, it turns into hard plastic. Good stuff!)  In another chapter, I'll discuss idolatry in spiritual practice. Highly recommended.

So long, farewell, auf weidersehen, good bye... And as always, I hope your day is a pleasant one.

Edit- I forgot to mention, in my description of the desert ritual, the importance of making sure your instruments are sharp.  I brought a shiny new Buck 119 hunting knife for the purpose, thinking that the factory would have the forethought to sharpen their products adequately prior to packaging. Sadly, I was wrong.  I spent way too much time essentially scratching myself with a blunt instrument to produce an adequate offering.  It was... unpleasant.  

DISCLAIMER:  I do not advocate self-harm in any form;  in fact, I am staunchly averse to any such practice.  However, I support HYGIENIC medical, religious and/or aesthetic practices which may involve safe, minimal blood loss, as long as the consenting individual's life or well-being is never in danger.  Under the same guidelines, I also support a modicum of "kink" in practice, if that is your thing.  I always sterilize my equipment and clean the incision/lance site thoroughly, antiseptic, band aids, the whole 9 yards.  I leave the reader's personal choices to the reader's discretion.

Travel Idol of Lord Amdusias. 
Hand-crafted of Sculpey™ by yours truly, with love.

 

Invocation of Azazel- Answering the Call (Day 7- Final)

 Monday, October 12, 2020.  The final invocation of Lord Azazel, the final day of this seven-week pathworking.  When I was preparing for the ritual, as usual, I did not know what to expect from the spirit.  For the last seven weeks, or eight if you consider the preliminary invocation, he had served as guide, mentor, half drill-sergeant and half-father figure to me.  He barked, and he comforted.  He held me to my word, and left no room for excuses;  Stern, yet kind.  I threw myself into the ritual as the day before, culminating with my astral body flaming like a torch, kneeling in the circle, calling, calling.  As always, his voice rang suddenly and without preamble into my consciousness.

Pick up the pencil and write.

I an here on the seventh day of our invocation.

You have done well.  (Here my head bowed, and my body flooded with shame.  All of my failings presented themselves to me nakedly, and I shook my head and frowned without saying anything.)  You HAVE!  (His voice took an encouraging tone, and I felt the sensation of an arm around my shoulder.)  

Be proud, you did not falter. You did slack off, but I expected that.  (here another feeling of comfort.)

I wish to reiterate the teachings I gave you concerning your role as Warrior/Magician/Priest.  Please be aware that there are those who will work against you, but we, the gods, will be on your sides, flanking you during such attacks.  You are chosen among many, so take that to heart. You will be great, and you will prevail.  It is written in the heavens.  Be strong, and know that we are here.

Is there anything more that is expected of me, from this point forward?

Yes, you need to keep up rituals, prayers, and worship.  Do not neglect those that have assisted, who have vouched for you.  Be their Patron as they have been yours.

Lord Azazel, the Patron you told me of during the last ritual. Can you tell me his name?

It is Amdusias.  

Thank you for telling me this.

You need to forge a relationship with him, and make his worship and practices a priority after this invocation is done.

I will. What would you like me to do for you, Lord Azazel, when the invocations are done?

Call upon me, make an altar unto me. Make an altar unto all the Gods that you work with. Offer unto them, call upon them for advice.

Lord Azazel, would you like me to make an offering of blood unto you now? (This I was ready to do, as feasance and to show respect.  Lord Azazel's reply was measured and thoughtful.)

No.  Not now, not in this situation.  If the situation calls for it, yes, but not now.  Your offerings are sufficient.

(Here my mind raced, as I knew I had a question to ask him, but could not suddenly remember what it was.  Lord Azazel recognized this.)

FOCUS! Get out of your head.  (I took a deep breath. Ah! that did it.)

Do you recommend I continue my Qliphothic initiation?

Yes, continue with your initiations into the Qliphoth.  The Circle of Bael is next. You may need to offer him blood, and do not stray from ritual. Bael desires ritual. 

I am going now.  Remember what I have said, keep it in your heart.

Will (my familiar spirit) remain with me still?

Spirit (Name Redacted) will remain with you when you call upon him.

(At this point, the realization that this was the end hit me hard.  I became very emotional; tears welled up, and I struggled to control myself.  Lord Azazel saw this, and once again his voice became gentle and comforting.)

I am not leaving you forever, but this is the end of our time together for now.  Keep to your practices, and keep to your training.  Follow training, find teachers.

I will. I love you, Lord Azazel.

I love you too.  You are (here he spoke of my ancestry, confirming something I had some knowledge of from a prior experience.)  You are of our number.

Keep the teachings.

Notes:

I did not expect myself to be so emotionally devastated by the end of the pathworking.  After his presence left the space, I just sat in the circle with tears welling up in my eyes, drained.  Generally, after a ritual, I remain in place as the world goes back to normal around me- it's hard to describe, but gradually I start noticing things like the clock on the wall, the light in the hall, noises coming from appliances; all the things that are muffled by what I assume is the opening of the Veil between worlds.  The Quabalist and Hermetic in me references this as "Paroketh," the Veil of the Temple, but once again, your mileage may vary.  Anyhoo, when the veil closes, the world once again intrudes, becoming "real" again.  

This time, however, the world felt tinny and hollow, and cold.  I sat gazing at nothing for a bit, then resolved to get going.  The sad feeling faded after a bit, only to reappear when I reviewed my notes later.

So, along with my continuing preparations for War, I have two more ritual workings to accomplish in the near future-  a working with my Patron, Duke Amdusias; and an initiation through the Qliphothic Sphere of A'arab Zaraq.  I believe you, dear reader, can expect postings on one or the other in the near future.

I sincerely hope you have enjoyed these series.  Given that invocations and interactions with spirits are intensely personal in nature, and somewhat tailored or customized (?) to the individual, I have still gathered that other practitioners have had similar insights into the personality of the spirits as I have.  Take from this what you will; but I personally enjoy finding commonalities of experience with other magicians.  Perhaps you will too.

Thank you very much for taking this ride with me, and as always, I truly hope your day is a pleasant one.