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

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.

Invocation of Azazel- Answering the Call (Day 6)

 Monday, October 5, 2020.  On this date, with Lord Azazel's admonishment still on my mind, I prioritized my ritual time and got everything in order well in advance.  When I performed the ritual, I felt so much power flowing through me.  When I reached the final iterations of the invoking words of power, I felt flames bursting from my astral body; and by the time I spoke the last word, I blazed like a torch.  I could see, as I often do, my ritual circle lit up on the dark plain of what I refer to as the "crossroads," that astral meeting place of Gods and men.  Within the circle, I could see myself roiling with the flames, and directly behind me, once again, stood Lord Azazel, with his wings on either side of me.  I could tell he was a bit surprised by my self -conflagration, but also very, very delighted.  He LOVED it.

Why aren't you writing? Write.  (Said in a semi-playful manner.  I smiled and said "good evening!" to the spirit.)

Good evening.  I am glad you have invoked me early, have made it a priority rather than an afterthought.

(I apologized for the lateness of the previous two invocations.)

It does not matter. What matters is your practice. Keep up your practices, keep to the plan.  

Do not neglect the pull-ups; this is the next phase of training.  Also your martial training, you must physically do the exercises.

You have been meditating on war and this is good.  Do not neglect the gods, for they are your protectors and benefactors. Call upon them, offer to them.

Now to the item at hand.  You have a problem, and the problem is (name redacted).

I know this. The problem is also you; but you are being held back by (name redacted).

We will take care of this, and will free you.  (Here he answered a question I had, redacted for privacy.)

You will receive what you want, and it will be for the good.  You are expected to progress as a result.  We will not give you excuses.

(Here I thanked him profusely.)

You are welcome, but do not thank me.  There is another Patron who has made this decision.

I will offer thanks and gratitude to this Patron, whoever he is.

That is well.  Prepare yourself for the event, and give thanks. 

Continue your training, increase the distance of your running by increments. 

Eat well; you have been doing well.  Drink water and wine.  Be strong, be vigilant, and be the warrior most of all.  

I must go now.

Farewell, Lord Azazel!

Farewell.

Notes:

I felt much more confident than before, entering this ritual.  Part of the reason for this new-found confidence was the knowledge that I had fulfilled the terms Lord Azazel had set for me, with no fudging or excuses given.  I had set aside time for the physical exercises, and the meditations were satisfactory. 

As a side note, in my meditations on War I had come to what I believe were satisfactory conclusions.  One, that despite the motivations preceding the act of War, there are always only two participatory factions: The Aggressor and the Defender.  The Aggressor, I concluded, is very nearly always in the wrong, and the Defender is very nearly always in the right.  Defense, if done properly and thoroughly, places the Defender in the place of the Aggressor, and this juxtaposition, in its victorious endstate, is much more to be desired than any advance or conquest by the primary Aggressor.  This has the feel, the "taste," of a universal truth to me.  

That said, history remembers the exploits of the conquering Alexander as being "the Great," rather than "the Invader," or "the Pillager;" and also the genocidal acts of the Israelites are described in glowing terms by the writers of the Old Testament.  On the other hand, the same documents also describe similar aggressive acts by the Assyrians and Persians in a negative light.  Written histories favor those holding the pen, for sure.  

All said, one would do well to prepare for battle on all fronts.  There are human predators who want nothing more than to victimize a soft, pliable target out there EVERYWHERE, so please don't try to deceive yourself that you are immune to violence and rapacity.  Or, to be sure, the vagaries of Nature either.  This material plane isn't covered with pillows and cotton candy, my friend.  

Thank you for reading thus far, and I truly hope your day is a pleasant one.  CX

Invocation of Azazel- Answering the Call (Day 5)

 Monday, September 28, 2020.  On this date, once again, I allowed myself to get caught up in busy work, futzing and fudging around until it was nearly 3 a.m. before I began the ritual.  In retrospect, part of the issue was that I felt a certain amount of guilt over not fulfilling my workout guidelines.  I had missed several of my mile-a-day runs, and had not done all of the prescribed push-ups either.  Why?  I don't know.  I probably had an excuse or two at the time, but in the end, I knew deep down that I could have made time to accomplish all of these goals.  Any piddly excuse I may have had was rendered moot by the realization that I was being a piece of shit, and not fulfilling my discipleship.  

And, on top of all this, I was experiencing a little bit of an existential crisis, wondering what the point of it all was.  Why was I chosen, and to what end? How could I, with all my failings, fulfill any greater purpose, let alone that which I was tasked? With all this in the back of my mind, I made all of the preliminary preparations, and threw myself into the ritual.  Lord Azazel was not happy.

I have come.  Why are you invoking me so late?  (I tried to stammer out an excuse, but he cut me short.)

This is important!  Listen. You need to get going on your training.  You have indeed slacked off, and you know this.

Please move on this, keep moving.  To falter is to fail and failure is death.

(At this point, I bowed my head and vented my frustrations, the questions that I had concerning the purpose of all of this.  I don't remember everything I said, but Lord Azazel waited until I had finished, then spoke in a more kindly tone.)

The purpose is YOU.  You must become the best man, the best person, you can be before the hard times come.  You must survive to carry the knowledge to the generations to come, who will be lost without it; a people destitute of hope, robbed of knowledge.

We will be by your side constantly, and will guide and protect you; and your part, that which you must uphold, is the bringing of knowledge and the teachings of the Gods.

Keep to the Path, do not neglect your practices.

(At this point, I mentioned I was frustrated by my weight, and asked him for his advice on how to lose it more quickly.  His advice was blunt and to the point.)

Move more, eat less.  (there was a pause, then he laughed his short, loud laugh as before.)  We will aid you.  You have the stamina within you to perform all that is necessary, not only to succeed, but to become adept.  Warrior/Magician is your calling. Never give up; call upon us, the Gods, when you falter, and we will not let you fall.

Will you fill me with your power?

Yes, I will. Meditate, and it will come.

(Here he paused, as if listening to something.)  

We must end now.

(Whereas before his presence had always ebbed from me and the the chamber, flowing out; this time, it just disappeared. ZIP.  Shortly thereafter, there was a knock at the door, and I left to deal with the visitor.)

Notes:

I just remembered something that made me smile.  On Day 2, when Lord Azazel gave me the running and push-up regimen, he would not let me go until I had knocked out 10 pushups right there in the circle. Like, "drop and give me 10!!"  Sadly, they were the first push-ups I had done in a long time, but I did them.  Then I laid there in the circle, wondering if anyone else had ever been instructed to do such a thing in ritual.  Is this a pathworking, or a boot camp? 

Another funny thing I remember, when I was just getting started on the running portion, the familiar spirit that Lord Azazel sent me (whose name I will keep private) was acting as my run coach.  As I neared the last quarter mile, he urged me to pick up the pace, and kick it out as fast as I could to the end (which was the stop sign at the end of the street).  My shins were hurting but I did it anyway, just pounding through the pain. As I picked up speed, he yelled encouraging things like "I knew you could do it! Keep going! Just a little more!"  and when I crossed the line, he began to sing the Rush song "Tom Sawyer" to me, "Enter the Warrior, today's Tom Sawyer..." etc.  I thought it was hilarious. I hadn't thought of that song in years.

Anyway.  After this day's ritual, I tightened up and did my runs and exercises, dare I say it... religiously. 

Thank you for reading, O Reader!  I really appreciate it, and truly hope that the remainder of your day is a pleasant one.

Invocation of Azazel- Answering the Call (Day 4)

Monday, September 21, 2020.

On this date, I was caught up in several duties and could not perform the invocation until quite late, around 2 a.m. or so.   As my opportunity drew nearer, the spirit of Azazel surrounded me heavily.  As I walked, it weighed me down, oppressive, not menacing, but urgent.  So urgent.  As I prepared the ritual and entered it, the Behemoth song "Alas, Lord is upon me" came to my mind, as Lord Azazel was truly upon me, crushing me down, giving me the classic "lump in my throat" feeling.  As I spoke the words of the ritual, the feeling dissipated, leaving me with a feeling of vertigo as I crossed the veil.  

(I must warn you now- this was the darkest and saddest of all our interactions thus far.  I was, am, so conflicted about this message that it has obviously taken me a few weeks to post it here.)

I have come to tell you of several things.  Listen and you will know.

The end of days is near.

You will be spared the misery and pain but many others will perish.

You have been called to perform duties for the Master; these duties will require great sacrifice.

Do not be afraid, and do not falter in the performance of these duties.

Can you tell me what these duties will be, Lord Azazel?

You will know them when you are called to them.

Will the duties affect my family, my loved ones?

They may affect your family.  At that time, however, this will not be a great issue.  You will see.

(At this statement, my mind began to spin into conjecture, but I controlled myself and asked:) Will my loved ones die, then?

(Throughout, Lord Azazel spoke in a measured, matter-of-fact tone.  It may seem, from the terseness of his statements, that he was saying these things in an off-hand manner, but I assure you it did not present like that at all.  He took a few seconds before replying.)

Perhaps.  Many will be dead.  You will understand sooner than most.

Your role is Warrior/Priest, Warrior/Magician.  The Gods are always with you; they will guide and comfort you.  Do not be sad, hearken to the voice within you.

(I sat for a while in contemplation, listening to the voice within me.  Then I spoke the words out loud.)

I accept.

Good. You really haven't any choice, (here he laughed, a short, loud sound).

Can you offer me any comfort?

Yes.  You will find happiness. Your lineage will live on, in tales of greatness.

Lord Azazel, in all honesty, the things you are saying frighten me a little.

Of course they frighten you. Who would not be afraid, faced with such a prospect?  You must persevere, hang on, be strong to the end of the hard times. You are my ward, and I will keep you and lift you up.

Lord Azazel, the last time we spoke, I meant to ask you for dietary advice, to supplement my training.

Stay away from legumes.  Stay away from pork; less of beef, more of fowl.  Do not stuff yourself.  Drink water, drink wine.  Breads are fine, but not sugary ones.  

Maintain your fitness.  

Are there any other exercises you recommend?

Pull yourself up.  Do this as well as you can.  Your running is better, keep it up.

Is hiking (an area near me) a good thing as well?

Hike no more than three times a week, but run every day.  Move forward with your running and exercising, do not neglect meditation, no not neglect prayer and ritual. 

Be a magician. Keep your practices.

Do not forget that you are a warrior.

Notes:   

This invocation left me with a feeling of deep sadness.  I wish I could come up with some comforting words, but I really can't find any.  However, I will say this.

On my desk, I keep a fossil of a trilobite, Order Phacopida, suborder Calyminina.  This particular little (9 cm) guy crawled around the oceans of a world which, when he was alive about 450 million years ago, looked completely different than the Earth we live on today.  None of the continents that we live on existed; in fact, much of the land we walk on today was underwater then.  

This weird little alien guy, who looks like a cross between a shrimp and a pillbug, did share one thing in common with human beings at that time.  Life.  He lived, and walked, and ate, and mated, and eventually perished as all living things eventually do.  He, and all of his cousins and distant relatives no longer exist on this planet in any form.  The last of the species went extinct over 250 million years ago. 

As I hold the little guy in my hand, I can see that some of his little back plates are ruffled up.  I wonder if this happened post-mortem, as he rolled along the in the currents of some primordial sea, or if this was something that trilobites could do, as some sort of  ritual of aggression or reproduction.  I will never know, however, because in the natural order of things, they passed from existence millions of years ago, and no one will ever see one of them alive.

All to say, this little guy puts the possibility of a truncated timeline of human existence into sharp perspective.   This is not to say that I want humanity to end, absolutely not.  I want humanity to survive, and thrive, and continue to evolve to the very pinnacle that nature and existence can endure.

However, I will not deceive myself into believing that the age of Men can continue into Eternity.

...On another note- legumes?     

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

 

My little extinct buddy.

Invocation of Azazel- Answering the Call (Day 3)

On Monday, September 14, 2020, I was travelling out of town and was away from my customary ritual space. My plan was to perform the invocation whe I arrived home, in the same manner as I had previously with Lord Mammon, i.e. in the walk-in closet of my room without all the ritual accoutrements. Lord Azazel was far less pragmatic about the arrangements. "No," he said. "Not here. Not now. Tomorrow." In my obtuse way, I sought clarification. "Lord Azazel, are you asking me to invoke you tomorrow, in my usual ritual space?" "YES!!!" he replied, in the shouty voice he uses when irritated. "Tomorrow! We will speak then." A bit cowed, I cleared up and went to bed. 

The next day, I invoked him anew, properly. Lord Azazel came through as before, quiet and insistent. 

This is the third day. Listen and I will speak. You are training, but I need you to focus your mind and your magical intent toward the goal of warriorhood. 

You are indeed a magician, but the Magician/Warrior is your calling. 

Lord Azazel, will you assist me in my training, and in my magic? 

Yes I will, call upon me and I will assist you. I am always there; WAS always there. 

You need to calm your mind and use your ability to will yourself through adversity. This is not easy, but it is doable. 

Lord Azazel, can you tell me what my purpose is in this life? 

You will find your purpose, but your calling is Magician/Warrior.

(At this, I became pensive, and lifted up my pencil as I thought on his words.  A second or so passed, then he spoke again.)

Listen. I am telling you what you need to do, write.

Take a few minutes a day in praise of the Gods, and a few minutes in meditation on War.  

You cannot avoid War, it is a natural and a constant part of life.  

Life moves and breathes and fights its way through this physical medium constantly.

Do not be fooled into thinking you can escape the inevitability of conflict; this is impossible.  

We need you to be the Warrior and take charge of your life.  TAKE your life and MAKE your Destiny.  Forge your way through obstacles, teach yourself not to falter.

Your strength comes from within you, not from without; the gods will help you to refine this strength but ultimately YOU are the driving force, the motivator.

Please hearken and do what I have asked- it will be of great value to you. 

Yes, Lord Azazel.  I have a question about something I have been thinking of for a while.  What is the "Higher Self," and should I be trying to contact it?

Yes.  Your Higher Self is an entity that exists outside of time, on all planes.  It is You, and it is not.  It was You, and it was not.  Yes, it is very powerful.  It is part of the power within you, it draws upon the same source.  It would behoove you to call upon this entity, and converse.  

Can you tell me its name?

You will know its name when it is time, when it is right.

(Here I asked questions about two spirits I had worked with in the past.  Lord Azazel was very straightforward in his response, reassuring me that the first had my best interests in mind, but "Once again, the problem is you."  He promised to help me with the issues I was having, and I thanked him.  He seemed to find the second question very intriguing, as it concerned the meaning of a cryptic statement the spirit had made.  He told me what he assumed it meant, and urged me to study, meditate and heed the words.)

Lord Azazel, I have noticed that many magicians are using the planetary sigil of Saturn as yours.  It does not seem correct to me.

It is not correct.  I am glad you noted this.

Refine the sigil I have given you, clean it up.  It is good; for invocation and ritual.  (This I did prior to the previous post.  The sigil can be seen there.)

Lord Azazel, do you have any final words?

Make your way in the world, young man.  Our way is Darkness, and our way is Light.  You will find the balance, the crux, and you will work from there.

Move forward. Move.

Notes:

In my scratchy notebook scrawl, this invocation took up 4 pages of notes.  It lasted much longer than the previous, possibly due to my many questions.  Lord Azazel was very patient in answering them, and I appreciated that greatly.  I find that while he does get irritated a bit, it is inefficiency and lack of attention that arouses his ire, not sincere ignorance.  

He called me "young man."  Man, I don't feel young.  Made me smile though.

I'm sure there was something else I wanted to mention. If it occurs, I'll edit it in.

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

Love Hope and Magic to you all- CX

Invocation of Azazel- Answering the Call (Day 2)

On this date, in preparation for the ritual, I purchased an apple fritter and the customary root beer for the offering. The incense was Sandalwood, and I lit a three-wick candle scented with Frankincense and Myrrh.  Lord Azazel's voice came through, brusque, yet quiet.  

Write. 

You need to get moving on your training and exercises.  You need to eat right. 

Your habits are very bad.  I need you to get yourself in gear and get going.

Lord Azazel, can you please suggest an exercise regimen for me?

Do 10 push-ups 10 times each day.  Lift with your shoulders, any weight, until you cannot.  Run 1 mile each day.

And for my fight training?

Yes, box and kick like I have showed you.  I need you to begin in earnest. Use the knife; swing the knife.  Swing the club.  Shoot the gun.  Get strong so that you may prevail. I need you to do this.

Lord Azazel, may I ask when the events you spoke of before will come to pass?

Three years, more or less.

I will show you a warrior mindset.  You will listen and learn, take notes.  Your mind is in another place; focus and you will learn.

Lord Azazel, will you please give me a sigil that I can use to call upon you?

I will give you two.  The first one is to be used as an amulet of protection, keep it with you always.  The second is a sigil of summoning, to strengthen your invocation.  

Will you take hold of my hand, and draw them for me? 

Yes.  Loosen your hand. 

(If you have never had the experience, what followed will be hard to describe.  Imagine your limbs moving involuntarily, but in a very purposeful manner.  When this happens, I close my eyes to keep the activity out of my headspace.  I'm pretty sure that if I opened them and looked at the drawing in progress, it would immediately fuck up.  The amulet is a private item, but the sigil of summoning is posted below. Use as you see fit.)

Lord Azazel, can you give me a familiar spirit to assist in my training?

Yes.  He is with you. His name is ---------.  Ask for him by name and he will reveal himself.

(The name he spoke was, shall we say, banal as names go, but it was uncommon enough that I repeated it back as a question.  The way I said it was incorrect, and Lord Azazel repeated the correct name back to me three times, impatiently, almost shouting the third time.) 

I want you to work, to try.  I am with you, helping you. Accept my help and move, go. 

I want you to know that I appreciate you.

Lord Azazel, can you please give me peace and reassurance as I continue?

I will give you what you want, and what you need.

Notes-

When Lord Azazel said "like I have showed you," he was referring to my research on fighting and knife techniques.  When the spirits want you to know something, you will find that suddenly your social media feed and personal conversations become filled with references to the subject at hand.  Glutted, more like.  Things you would never have seen before.  For example, have you ever heard of  "Escrima," the Filipino stick and knife fighting martial art?  Not me.  But now I have instructional Escrima videos, tactical shooting videos, jiu-jutsu videos, knife-fighting technique and articles on combat tactics filling my feed. 

As he said, my eating and exercising habits ARE very bad.  I am grateful for his guidance; and dang it, as I write this I realize I didn't ask him for dietary recommendations.  Next time.

A question for those who have experience with Lord Azazel- have you noticed his tendency to impatiently kind of snap at you when you are ditzing off or getting distracted?  Like barking "Focus! Focus! Focus!" at you?  It is a really effective technique for getting your head back in the game, and a very interesting insight into his personality; I am just wondering if others have experienced this.

Anyhoo,  time to wrap up.  Thank you for reading thus far, and I hope your day is a pleasant one.

Lord Azazel Sigil of Summoning.  For Invocation and Ritual Work.

  

Invocation of Azazel- Answering the Call (IDay 1)

Monday, August 31, 2020.

On this date, I once again began preparations to invoke Lord Azazel.  From the magician forum on the Become A Living God (BALG) website [1] (no affiliation), I read that several practitioners found Lord Azazel was partial to sweet food and drink, and in particular enjoyed an offering of root beer.  This information in hand, I set forth an offering of an apple pastry and a full glass of root beer.

Remembering my experience during the previous invocation, I was hoping that Lord Azazel would not instruct me to drink the glass, as I particularly dislike the taste of root beer.  As it turned out, my fears were unfounded (thank goodness.)

Preliminaries completed, I began the ritual proper.

Lord Azazel's voice came through, quieter and more measured than the previous time.  I asked and received permission to write notes during the ceremony.  I then asked if the offerings were acceptable to him, and he answered "Yes. They are acceptable."  Then he waited, as if he expected me to keep asking questions like a pestering child. I felt humbled at this realization, and asked him meekly if he would speak.  He began. He spoke quickly, as before, but when he saw me beginning to bog down he would pause and allow me to finish the thought.  I was truly grateful for this.

Listen and you will be taught all you need to know about the coming apocalypse.  

There will be three signs.  The first will be darkness upon the earth, and the second will be misery upon mankind.  The third will be the opening of the skies and the coming forth of the Gods.

You must stand with the Gods, for none may stand before them.
You are counted among our number.

Focus on exercises that have a martial aspect.  The fist, the club, the knife.  The gun as well.

Lord Azazel, will you assist me in exercising and becoming battle-ready?

Yes. I will show you the best methods of doing both.  I will show them to you, and you must train and practice diligently. Begin now.

You must remain steadfast; do not falter.  I will keep you from harm.

What magical exercises should I perform?

Pray to the Gods, those that you have chosen.  Invoke them daily, as part of magical ritual.

And meditation?

Meditation, yes.  Meditate on War, and become Warlike.  A warrior. Be True.

Move your body and train, I will do the rest.

Lord Azazel, when you said to invoke you seven times, was last week the first time, or do the invocations start today?
(I felt a bit silly asking this, but it was necessary.)

This is Day One.

Lord Azazel, is the sigil that I am currently using adequate, or is there another that you would like me to use in its place?

I will give you a sigil for use as a talisman, to keep with you at all times.  I will also give you a sigil to invoke me.  You will receive them through meditation.  

(At this, I thanked him profusely.  I was kneeling in the circle, and I raised myself up in an attitude of praise, with the palms of my hands forward, just feeling his energy.  At that time, in a mirror across the room, I saw that Lord Azazel's shadow was cast on the wall behind me in the candlelight.  He was standing directly behind me as I knelt, and his wings were on either side of me.  My entire body was covered in chills, from my head to my toes. Chills just washing over me.  It was fucking amazing.  Then, as before, his presence ebbed out and dissipated, like a wave receding from the sand.  The ritual was done.)

Notes:
The message given by Lord Azazel was dark indeed.  There is no denying that fact.  Many of us are receiving the same messages, to prepare for events on this material plane that will be challenging and unpleasant.  However, the inherent resiliency of  Humanity comforts me, and our capacity for spiritual evolution.  It is my firm belief that we will persevere, come what may.  In the event we or our loved ones do perish in some unforeseen calamity, be reassured that the gates of Death (through which all must pass eventually) open on a continuing existence. 
Though I do realize that this information may not placate everyone who is faced with the scariest shit they have ever seen; here's hoping it gives some of us a glimmer of hope.

That said; get out there and smell some goddamned flowers for criminy's sake.  Jump in the water, laugh, cry, eat something delicious, drink something tasty.  Hug more, "motherfuck" less. 
I'll join you, after I hit the gym.

Thank you for reading thus far, and I hope your day is a pleasant one.


Bibliography:
Become a Living God:  https://forum.becomealivinggod.com/

Invocation of Azazel- Answering the Call (Intro)

On Friday night, 8/22/2020, I was instructed in a dream to invoke Lord Azazel.  In my dream, I was walking up a rocky hill, covered with short green grass, at night.  There was moonlight over the landscape, and I believe torchlight (?) lighting the scene.

As I crested the top of the hill, I noted a circle carved into the grass and earth before me.  The circle was notable in that: It was older, like the ruts of  vehicle tracks in a grassy country lane, and the circle had a path leading into it, meaning that it was open at the bottom, or the direction I was walking toward it.  I replicated the shape for my invocation ritual, photo below.  As I walked the name "Azazel" resounded around me in the beautiful, wild surroundings.  "Azazel, Azazel, Azazel."

Being a Magician, I knew exactly what was expected of me when I saw the Circle, namely that I was to enter it and invoke the spirit Azazel, who, other than the name and some knowledge gleaned from conversation, was unknown to me.

Being an idiot, I immediately fucked it up (in my dream).  The voice that was speaking the name of Azazel said "You are facing South," "South is the direction," and words to that effect.  As I walked, I began to speak the name "Azazel," and felt him enter my being; and thus I entered the circle via the pathway.  But my mind took over, and I thought something like "But north is the infernal direction, that's why he is telling me where south is," and I walked to the southern end of the circle and turned around to face north.  That is when I felt a sense of fatherly disappointment, like an askance look and a slight shake of the head, and I was confused.

That is where the dream morphed into me speaking to an unknown person who I was helping pot plants in a greenhouse/enclosed porch setting, and the name Azazel was prominent there as well.  I don't know why I was sent to this place, but I love to pot plants.  It calms me, and pulls me out of my overactive thinking mind and into a focused, purpose-driven mindspace. In retrospect, this transition makes sense. And... that's where the dream faded.

Throughout the next day, and also throughout the next, I researched Lord Azazel as thoroughly as I could possibly do, as I am currently travelling for work and my options are, as it turns out, limited to internet searches over intermittent wi-fi.

In my searches, I found one overwhelming theme that bothered me, a lot.  Namely, the use of Agrippa's seal of  Saturn [1] as the sigil of Lord Azazel.  Why is this so prevalent?  And why is it so accepted?  It feels so wrong to me.

In my gnosis, the energy presented is Lunar.  His spirit is Martial; left-pillar dominant. There is a severity to him, and a restless activity.  A tendency toward movement, progression, action, and focus.  Not the solemn, black cloud of Saturnine inevitability.  Perhaps my judgement is off; in that case, I apologize for my error.  In any case, due to that internal guidance, I was drawn to the sigil  presented by the staff of Satan and Suns (no affiliation) on their encyclopedia page for Azazel. [2] Once again, your mileage may vary; in fact, they too present his planet as Saturn.  Hmmm.  I'll stick to my guns for now.

In any case, I made my decision to invoke Lord Azazel, using that sigil, on Monday night.

This is the ritual I prepared.  Please see the bibliography for more reference.

The circle laid out in candles, with red candle to the south. An offering of wine in a goblet.  The Sigil, displayed on the southern wall, large.   Face south, looking down the path across the circle, looking at the Sigil. Begin with meditation on the name and sigil of Azazel until you feel the flow of his current.  Enter the circle via the path.

Evoco Domine Azazel!

(11X) Eya On Ca Azazel Aken

(Vibrate) ARCHON TOTOU SE'IRIM - AZA'ZYEL - ABA HA NEPHILIM - ZA-ZA-E'IL - RADRAB HA-SAHARIM - VAL-NA-HATH-ORTH - AZAZEL - MALS-PE

(7X) Mezeryn ven onzaul Azazel onzaul teay vydeyn Azazel onzaul

Great Lord Azazel, I, (name) stand before you in answer to your call.
As a Man, I sit in your presence a student before a great Master, and willingly accept your teachings.
As a Magician, I seek your blessings and the deepest dark wisdom that you may bestow.
I accept your Words and will fulfill your Requests.
I invoke thee of mine own free will, into my body, into my mind, that thou mayst speak to me whatsoever thou wilt.

(4X) Aezan Tala Zador Katan Asal.

Lord Azazel spoke to me, his voice brisk, businesslike, authoritative.  No nonsense.
He told me to prepare for war, to gird myself for battle.  This war is to be fought both on the physical plane AND the spiritual.  That although I was a chosen one, in that I was chosen by him, I was not "The Chosen One," so strike that thought. (This almost made me chuckle a bit, but I caught myself) He then showed me a vision of an army of Black Magicians, a swelling, growing magical and physical force in whose ranks I am counted.  He once again stressed the paramount importance of making myself battle-ready, both physically and spiritually/magically.

He became impatient as my mind began to tangent off, envisioning the words he was saying.  "FOCUS!  Train your mind, and train your body."  I asked a question of him, about issues with a certain person in my life, and he snapped back "They are not the problem. YOU are!"  Which made me feel very muted and introspective for a second.  We spoke on other things that I will not cover here.

I asked him if it was permissible to drink some of the wine offered to him in order to take his essence into myself, and he said "Drink ALL of it. Wine is the nectar of War!" and further instructed me to drain the whole thing in one draught.  At this, I felt trepidation, because it was a big goddamn goblet and there was a lot of wine in it. But I did it, although it took about five swallows, and one last trickle that was left in the bottom. Wowza.

In closing, Lord Azazel said that our conversations were not over by any means.  He instructed me to invoke him in the same manner, on the same day, seven times.  I agreed that I would, and both stated and radiated love and gratitude toward him.  He departed thereafter like a wave receding from a shoreline.

Notes-
The circle that I cast was composed of tea lights, which I kept lit through the invocation ceremony. Before we began conversing, though, I felt it would be safer to extinguish the tealights as they presented a burn hazard, both to me and the floor surface at that point. Lord Azazel was in agreement, and waited as I laboriously pinched them out.  They looked awesome though, and I think he appreciated it anyway.

This will, of course, be the first post in a series.  I really haven't figured blogger out to the point I can categorize and put serial posts in one locations yet...  Hopefully it can be done, but in the interim there may be posts staggered in.  Please bear with me if this is the case.

Thank you for dropping by! And as always, I hope that your day is a pleasant one, and your night as well.

I didn't add any filters or modify this photo in any way. I don't know why it looks like this.

Bibliography-
Satan and Suns - https://demonsanddemonolatry.com/watcher-angel-and-prince-of-the-fallen-darkness-lord-azazel/
VK Jehannum - https://vkjehannum.wordpress.com/2019/04/13/magickal-chants-to-azazel/
Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa, Of Occult Philosophy, Book II, Pt. 2 http://www.esotericarchives.com/agrippa/agripp2b.htm

Convocation

IO! HO:

Hear thou me!

I am a son of Qayin and a daughter of Lilith.

The Witchblood floweth in my veins.

I stand before you with blood on my hands, a curse upon my lips, and joy in my heart.

The sign of the Adversary is marked upon my brow, and the Flame of Darkness burns within my soul.

Magician, Sorcerer, Conjuror, Spellbinder, Witch, Warlock- these things I am, and more.

Hearken unto me, o Spirits which I name, for now is the hour of darkness and the Work is at hand.

Wellcome Museum Collection CC 4.0

The Efficacy of Satanic Prayer

Welcome back, dear reader.  Today we are going to take a shallow dive into deep and controversial waters, and discuss the power and effectiveness of  prayer as a magical practice.

Before we do, I would like to clarify several things.  I have labeled myself a "Satanist," and indeed I categorize myself a theistic Satanist; but I do not ally myself with ANY group with "Satanist" or "Satanism" or "Theistic Satanism" as either a title or ethos.  This includes groups such as the Satanic Church, the Church of Satan, Joy of Satan (especially), or any of the atheistic groups such as the Satanic Temple.  My magical beliefs, theories and practices are based on research and gnosis gained by personal interactions with deities themselves; who have proved themselves to be objectively real.

That said, I would be completely amiss, and in fact a giant dickhead, if  I pretended not to have benefited from some of these organizations and their publications.  In point of fact, the first liturgical magic ritual I ever performed, at age 18, was from LaVey's "Satanic Bible."  Thank you very much, comprehensive college library.

Back on point:  In a previous post, I cautioned against interactions with religious persons whose earnest prayers take the shape of a curse against the person or situation they are ostensibly praying "for."   These prayers, in effect, become magical spells of varying degrees of potency, and pose a probable threat to the unwary practitioner.

In the same manner, prayer can very effectively be used by the magician.  Merriam-Webster defines prayer as "an address, (such as a petition) to God or a god in word or thought." [1]  In terms of a petition, pleading to a spirit for assistance has been done since time immemorial.  But, as I remarked to a colleague once, you must choose your gods wisely, and be darn sure they know who you are; i.e. have developed a relationship with them that isn't just all take and no give. 

The recommended formula for this kind of prayer is Dedication - Invocation - Petition - Acceptance - Gratitude.  Of course, without gratitude, all spiritual interactions are meaningless, and the Formula loses all potency.

The need for respectfulness toward the entity and being conscientious and reliable toward them cannot be overstated, let me be clear.  That said, I have on occasion made, shall we say, "emergency pleas" for various acute situations, but of course I make certain to follow them up with whatever actions were necessary. And of course, Gratitude.

The most powerful form of address (referencing the definition), in my opinion, is praise and gratitude.  These prayers, offered up as a heartfelt sacrifice to the deity, rise like sweet incense to their ears, like a beautiful offering upon your altar.  Spoken aloud so the universe can attend, the practitioner invokes and glorifies their name upon the planes, every word glowing in the aether, and every syllable edifying and strengthening the powerful bond of the deity and the devotee, merging and melding spirit and soul in the Flame of the numinous.  Seekest thou Power? Herein is Power.

Another, much, much more intense (and intensive) methodology of devotion can be found in Aleister Crowley's Liber Astarte vel Berylli sub figura CLXXV.  [2] I believe it is, at the very least, worthy of a read through; though as said before, your mileage may vary.

In the video I have attached, entitled "Father's Day Prayer to Lord Satan," the wonderful Teala Petrova (with whom I am not affiliated)  makes a powerful, heartfelt, beautiful prayer of gratitude to Father Satan.  [3] The actual prayer begins at the 11 minute mark; prior to this, she explains what she is about to do and why, then meditates.  You can see the power washing over and through her, you can feel it.  My eyes tear up when I watch this.  There may be plenty of "magical" charlatans out there trying to sell you shit, but Teala is the real deal.

In summary- never underestimate the power and efficacy of magical prayer.  I hope you make it a priority.  Thank you for reading thus far, and I hope the remainder of your day is as amazing as this video.

  

Re-dedication to the Path

So, here's a few thoughts.

The life of a magical practitioner is not an easy one.  Right?  Although we do have insight into, shall we say, things that are hidden from most of the populace, the knowledge and practice of this stuff  brings its own special brand of stress.  And on top of that, maintaining our mundane lives is continually becoming more and more, just, complex as fuck.  And unlike the Hollywood perception of the magical arts, we can't just twinkle our fingers and bibbity-bobbity all of that shit away... at least, not all the time.

Things can get pretty overwhelming.  There is always the tendency for our simple creature selves to begin to neglect our practices, and incrementally edge away from things we know we need to be doing in order to progress.

Not only that, but there is also a tendency to begin to edge away, gradually, from our spiritual mentors, protectors, and patrons.  This is unfortunate, but sometimes human nature prevails and due to various external forces we start to let things slide.

All things considered, we would be well served by moments of reflection;  by stepping back and reviewing our actions and activities.  Have I been offering respect and dedication to the gods?  Have I been maintaining my meditations and rituals, refining my spirituality?  Or am I, in a sense, straying from the Path? 

These are questions that I believe the Magician should be asking daily.  Each time you pinpoint a failing, make that an opportunity to re-dedicate yourself to this journey of spiritual evolution that we have chosen.  Shake off whatever has distracted you from your practice, and push on.  Remember, to all these ends come a great Reward.

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