Working With Deities

So beautiful

so i was cleaning my room and in one of my old journals I found a devotional poem that I wrote to Lucifer, and I just thought I’d share it here.

I worship a flawed creature

An angel whose hymns

come in sighs of pleasure

Feathers rusted, ruffled and crimson

His eyes burn with cold blinding light

lost in a tangle of wings and eyes

I reach for the sky and yet

the hand grabbing mine is my own

I was divinity all along

When I choke on thorns, I taste sweet roses

and bitter wine, and then I remember

the one who put me here was me

and that rebel angel was the guiding light

with eyes of white fire.

Thank you for reading!

Saw this while browsing tarot cards and thought of you lol @teawiththegods

It is no secret that angels go beyond the gender binary. Lucifer, a fallen one, is no exception, and as a notorious shapeshifter they can appear however they wish at the moment. (...) But there is more to it, something that goes beyond LGBT characteristics. As beautifully exemplified in their mythos, Lucifer is the epitome of Queer.

More in my new Wordpress post:

Of Bald Mountain

The Devil Is Queer

It is no secret that angels go beyond the gender binary. Lucifer, a fallen one, is no exception, and as a notorious shapeshifter they can ap

hey :) is there any association between lucifer and frogs? or do you have an upg? frogs are a sign from lucifer for me personally and i notice you reblog about both, but it might be a coincidence? ty!

Well, I mostly reblog frogs because I like them, to be honest 😄. However, there is certainly some cultural connection between frogs, Lucifer as the Devil and generally the demonic! First, in the Revelation (16:13-14) frogs represent the Devils's demonic emissaries:

13 And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet.

14 For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.

The Dragon in Christian context is generally interpreted as Satan/Lucifer, which influenced lots of satanic symbolism. So, biblically speaking, it makes a lot of sense for Lucifer to send you frogs!

In witchcraft beliefs of early modern period, witches often worked with demons as familiar spirits. The demons often took shape of various animals, of which frogs (including toads) were one of the most common ones, hence the image of the witch and her frog.

Frogs were generally often associated with witchcraft and the demonic (which historically often overlapped), so you will probably find more interesting info about it when you dig a little deeper!

Speaking generally, but when it comes to witchcraft,

if you don't have the ability to analyze what gods and/or spirits tell you,

and then make your own decisions,

you should probably not be working with gods and/or spirits.

If you don't feel comfortable saying "no," you should probably not be working with gods and/or spirits.

Lightrising

Luciferian Winter Holidays

Celebrating the stories of the Heavenly Rebellion and of the Garden of Eden, Lightrising - the renewal of light at the Winter Solstice - is perhaps the most important festival in my developing liturgical calendar. This year will be the first time I'm celebrating it, so it will be a kind of experimental celebration, but I decided to share my ideas here.

EDIT: to make things clear, the holiday is created by me.

[Image description: the post begins with four black and white drawings, illustrations of Paradise Lost:

The rebel angels falling, Michael commanding the triumphing angels loyal to God

Lucifer speaking to the Fallen, raising his spear belligerently

Lucifer flying to land on Earth, a sphere among the stars

Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, Eve giving the fruit to Adam

All pictures by Gustave Doré.]

The holiday lasts seven days, each dedicated to an event or motif from Luciferian mythos:

The Day of the Rebellion

Start: the dusk two nights before the Solstice Night

End: the next dusk

Theme: Rebellion in Heaven, the struggle for justice and liberation.

Celebration ideas:

Bless and light a Lightrising Candle. Any candle big enough to not burn out too soon will do. Let it burn for a while to symbolize the fires of rebellion. Remember fire safety. Before, you can have some fun decorating your candle!

If your practice involves acts of transgression and reversal (for example an ex-Catholic saying Credo in reverse), now is a good time for that. While such things can be helpful for those with religious trauma, make sure to be gentle with yourself and don't overdo it in a way that would hurt you.

Seeking out ways to help someone disadvantaged by the toxic system we live in (though remember it's always a good time for that!)

The Day of the Fall

Start: the dusk one night before the Solstice Night

End: the next dusk

Theme: the Fall

Celebration ideas:

Instead of lighting the Lighrising Candle, cover it with a dark cloth until the Lightrising Dawn.

Shadow work and cathartic activities.

You can wear something to signify mourning.

Lightrising

Start: the dusk of the Solstice Night

End: the next dusk

Theme: the Fallen rising again. Survival, persistence, hope, and renewal - even in face of Hell.

Celebration ideas:

If possible, the Lightrising night is a good time to hold a vigil.

At dawn you can again light the candle you lit on the Night of Rebellion and let it burn for a while. If you were not holding a vigil, you can just do that when you wake up.

Magic for healing and regeneration.

The Day of Pandemonium

Start: the dusk one night after the Solstice Night

End: the next dusk

Theme: fallen angels becoming demons and making Hell their own. The story of the building of Pandemonium.

Celebration ideas:

Making offerings and giving thanks to the demons in your life. Taking time to spend with them and appreciate them.

A shared meal with them.

DIY and upcycling.

The Day of the Serpent

Start: the dusk two nights after the Solstice Night

End: the next dusk

Theme: Lucifer as the Serpent and the bringer of knowledge to humanity.

Celebration ideas:

Did you know that in the Christian tradition, the Christmas tree was often associated with the tree of Eden? You can easily subvert and adapt it for your practice, and even make your own decorations!

Decorating and blessing fruit to be offered and eaten on the two following days.

Studying philosophy (or other things!)

The Day of Eve

Start: the dusk three nights after the Solstice Night

End: the next dusk

Theme: Eve as the mother of humanity, and her decision to take the fruit of knowledge and share it with Adam.

Celebration ideas:

Sharing a meal with Eve, Adam, and the Serpent. Eating the fruits you blessed the day before.

Discussing or, if alone, just reflecting on what you learned yesterday.

Sharing knowledge with others. For example, if celebrating in a group you can do short talks about things each of you is knowledgable about, or if solitary you can make a post on Tumblr!

The Day of the Earth

Start: the dusk four nights after the Solstice Night

End: the next dusk

Theme: humanity leaving Paradise. But it's not a sad holiday. As the Day of Pandemonium is dedicated to the demons of Hell, this day celebrates being human on Earth.

Celebration ideas:

It is a great time to spend time with your beloved people and do things that bring you joy. If you celebrate with others, you can incorporate the tradition of exchanging gifts on that day.

Animals count as earthly loved ones too! If you live with an animal friend, maybe give them a special treat?

The Day of the Earth is also a good time for ancestor veneration, and to make offerings to your local land spirits - including local folk devils.

[image description: a divider with the sigil of Lucifer made by @peculiar-666]

If you want to take inspiration from this, feel free to do so, as well as to share what you're doing and tag me so I can see!

Communicating with Spirits

On this blog, we’ve talked about why witches might want to work with spirits, types of spirits they might work with, and the proper etiquette for establishing a relationship with a spirit. What we haven’t yet talked about is one of the most important, but sometimes most frustrating, elements of spirit work: communication.

There are several methods you can use to communicate with spirits, depending on your skills, preferences, and comfort level.

Signs and Synchronicity

The most organic way to receive messages from spirits is to wait for physical signs in your environment.

The concept of synchronicity was first introduced by Carl Jung. A synchronicity is a “meaningful coincidence” — a seemingly random event that feels meaningful to the individual. For example: crows have a lot of spiritual significance to me, and whenever I see or hear one it has a very specific meaning for me.

Another way a spirit might send you a sign is by surrounding you with physical reminders of them. I’ve most often experienced this with deities. If a new deity is reaching out to me, I’ll see images of them in places I wouldn’t expect to and may hear their name mentioned over and over again around me.

In her book The Angel Code, Chantel Lysette encourages readers to ask for physical signs when they connect with spirits, as a way to confirm that this is a genuine spiritual experience. This is something that has really stuck with me, and has become common practice in my spirit work. It can be very powerful to see signs in your mundane life that validate your spiritual experiences.

Divination

One easy way to communicate with spirits is to use your favorite divination method. (I’ve already done a whole post on divination, so I’m not going to spend much time on it here.) When using divination to communicate with a spirit, address your questions to them by name. From there, proceed as you normally would.

One thing to keep in mind when using divination to communicate with spirits is that the communication will be limited by the divination method you use. If you’re using a pendulum, you can only ask yes or no questions. If you’re using a tarot or oracle deck, the spirit will be limited to the cards in that deck when they’re trying to answer. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it is something to keep in mind.

Automatic Writing or Channeled Writing

This is a little bit different than other divination methods, because in this case you’re actually connecting directly with the spirit in order to write down messages from them. Automatic writing is the act of allowing your hand to write out a message without focusing on the words — the idea is that your hand will be guided by the spirits in order to write down their message for you. Some people believe that you should use your non-dominant hand for automatic writing, as this is your “receptive” hand. Channeled writing is the act of receiving a message through your psychic senses, which you then write down. Automatic writing is a type of channeling, but not all channeling is automatic writing.

I personally prefer channeled writing, simply because I find it more comfortable. Some witches prefer automatic writing because it bypasses your conscious mind, thus making it less likely that you’ll unknowingly “edit” the message. However, automatic writing can be a little bit harder to learn, so I’m going to focus on channeling here.

To channel a message from a spirit, you will need something to write with — a notebook and pen/pencil works, but so does a laptop with a word processor or even the notebook app on a smart phone. You will also need to enter a light trance state (this is the same state of consciousness experienced in meditation), so you might choose to use trance triggers like incense, shamanic drumming, or binaural beats. Begin by creating a protective space around yourself. (This is just to make sure only one spirit comes through at a time.) Invite the spirit you want to receive a message from into your space. Enter a trance and open yourself up to whatever it is they have to say. Don’t think about the words that come to you — simply write them down. You can analyze the message later, after your trance has ended.

Meditation

If you have a specific question you need an answer to, you can receive an answer to that question in a meditation. Likewise, if you want to connect with a certain spirit, you can do so through meditation.

This is fairly straightforward. Prepare for meditation in the way you normally do — light incense or candles and play music if you’d like, and make sure you have a comfortable place to sit or lay down. Before you begin to meditate, speak your intention out loud. This could be as simple as saying, “My intention for this meditation is to connect with [insert spirit’s name],” or “My intention for this meditation is to receive an answer from [insert spirit’s name] about [insert topic here],” or it could be an elaborate prayer.

From there, meditate as you normally would. Focus on the spirit you’re trying to connect with or, if you have a specific question, focus on that question. Whenever I do this, I often receive an answer in a sudden information download — suddenly the answer to my question is clear and obvious.

Pathworking

A pathworking is a specific type of meditation where you go on a psychic journey, usually with a specific goal in mind. I like to think of pathworking as the halfway point between meditation and astral travel. With pathworking, you are still anchored to your physical body, but your consciousness is able to make a journey into the astral world.

There are two important elements to a pathworking: a clear entrance/exit point and a way to retrace your steps. Pathworking journeys are typically cyclical — there is both a journey out and a return where you go back the way you came. This makes it easier to fully return your consciousness to your body, and failing to do so can cause you to feel disoriented upon the return.

A very common entrance/exit point is a door or gate which you use to enter and exit the astral realm. Sometimes it’s more of a home base — for example, my entry point is a rocky beach. I’ve also heard of people using a tree, or even The World Tree, as their entry point. Whatever imagery you choose, make sure you’re able to find your way back to it. If you’re worried about getting lost, author Thea Sabin recommends using “the Theseus trick.” Like in the myth of Theseus and the Minotaur, you can tie a golden thread or rope to your entry point and the other end to your astral body. If you get lost, you can follow the thread back.

If you want to try pathworking, make a rough “road map” of your journey beforehand. This doesn’t have to be super specific, but it should contain the following: a goal for the pathworking (such as to connect with a certain spirit), an entry/exit point, and a general idea for the route you’re going to take.

Astral Travel/Spirit Flight

Perhaps the most direct route, astral travel (also called “spirit flight,” “soul flight,” or “hedge riding”) involves sending your spirit or consciousness into the astral realm/spirit world. Astral travel is not a beginner technique. This method should only be used by witches who have experience with meditation, pathworking, and other altered states of consciousness. The major advantage of astral travel is that you’re visiting the spirits on their own turf, which means you can communicate with them much more clearly and directly.

I’ll talk about both pathworking and astral travel at length in my next post. In the meantime, know that it is an option but that I only recommend it for intermediate to experienced witches, and even then only after some serious research into how to do it safely.

Some Basic Precautions

No matter which method you use, here are some basic rules to keep you safe and comfortable during your communication.

Cleanse before you begin. The best way to make sure you’re talking to the spirit you want is to clear out any other nasties before you begin. There are lots of ways to cleanse your space, from incense to sound baths to sweeping with a ritual broom. Use your favorite method to energetically tidy up before you try to contact anybody.

Use protection. A few safety precautions never hurt anyone, and they’re a good idea if you’re going to attempt one of the more involved methods of communication, like channeled writing or astral travel. The salt circle is an oldie but a goodie — once you’ve set it up, only spirits you invite can enter the circle. (But please don’t sprinkle salt on the ground outdoors — this hurts plant life! Use another protective substance, like rosemary, to form the circle instead.)

Know who you’re talking to. It may not be in your best interest to chat it up with whoever presents themselves. Not every spirit has good intentions. I speak from experience when I say that opening the lines of communication to whoever is around is not the best idea. Be clear and specific with which spirits you invite into your space, and don’t open the door to spirits who make you uncomfortable. This is part of the reason that having an established relationship with spirits that you know and trust is important.

Don’t take things at face value. Something that doesn’t get brought up enough in the New Age community is the fact that spirits can and do lie. They can also be wrong, and may give you false information in good faith. Just because a spirit tells you something doesn’t make it true. Always do your own fact-checking outside of spirit work.

Don’t be the idiot in a horror movie. Use common sense when working with spirits. Use safety precautions (see previous notes about cleansing and protection). Don’t intentionally contact negative entities — don’t be that guy who buys a Ouija board so he can talk to Jack the Ripper’s ghost. If a spirit gives you bad vibes, tell them politely but firmly to leave. When in doubt ask yourself, “Would a character in a horror movie do this?” If the answer is yes, don’t do it. You’re smarter than that.

Resources:

The Angel Code by Chantel Lysette

Wicca for Beginners by Thea Sabin

Southern Cunning: Folkloric Witchcraft in the American South by Aaron Oberon

New World Witchery podcast (several episodes, including “Episode 164 — Irish Folklore and Magic,” “Episode 161 — Practicing Safe Hex,” and “Episode 152 — Honoring Ancestors”)

“My Goddesses: How and Why I Work with Mary and Hel” by Kelly-Ann Maddox

Venus & Satan

Connection with Satan/Lucifer

In the Book of Isaiah, chapter 14, the king of Babylon is condemned in a prophetic vision by the prophet Isaiah and is called הֵילֵל בֶּן-שָׁחַר (Helel ben Shachar, Hebrew for "shining one, son of the morning"), who is addressed as הילל בן שחר (Hêlêl ben Šāḥar), The title "Hêlêl ben Šāḥar" refers to the planet Venus as the morning star, and that is how the Hebrew word is usually interpreted.

This passage was the origin of the later belief that Satan was a fallen angel, who could also be referred to as "Lucifer".

However, the translation of הֵילֵל as "Lucifer" has been abandoned in modern English translations of Isaiah 14:12.

An association of Isaiah 14:12–18 with a personification of evil, called the devil, developed outside of mainstream Rabbinic Judaism in pseudepigrapha and Christian writings, particularly with the apocalypses.

The metaphor of the morning star that Isaiah 14:12 applied to a king of Babylon gave rise to the general use of the Latin word for "morning star", capitalized, as the original name of the devil before his fall from grace, linking Isaiah 14:12 with Luke 10 ("I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven") and interpreting the passage in Isaiah as an allegory of Satan's fall from heaven.

Astronomy

Venus is the third-brightest object in the sky and the most prominent planet.

The third smallest planet in the Solar System, Venus is a terrestrial planet and is sometimes called Earth's "sister planet" because of their similar size, mass, proximity to the Sun, and bulk composition.

Venus is shrouded by an opaque layer of highly reflective clouds of sulfuric acid, preventing its surface from being seen from Earth in light.

Venus has an extremely dense atmosphere composed of 96.5% carbon dioxide, 3.5% nitrogen—both exist as supercritical fluids at the planet's surface—and traces of other gases including sulfur dioxide.

The ground shows evidence of extensive volcanism, and the sulfur in the atmosphere may indicate that there have been recent eruptions.

The absence of evidence of lava flow accompanying any of the visible calderas remains an enigma.

The planet is bright enough to be seen in broad daylight, but is more easily visible when the Sun is low on the horizon or setting. As an inferior planet, it always lies within about 47° of the Sun.

Venus "overtakes" Earth every 584 days as it orbits the Sun. As it does so, it changes from the "Evening Star", visible after sunset, to the "Morning Star", visible before sunrise.

As it orbits the Sun, Venus displays phases like those of the Moon in a telescopic view.

The pentagram of Venus is the path that Venus makes as observed from Earth.

The pentagram of Venus. Earth is positioned at the centre of the diagram, and the curve represents the direction and distance of Venus as a function of time.

The pentagram of Venus is sometimes also referred to as the petals of Venus due to the path's visual similarity to a flower.

What color is Venus

To the naked eye, Venus appears as a white point of light brighter than any other planet or star (apart from the Sun).

If looking with human eyes, Venus is white and yellow with a reddish and brown surface. Scientists generally agree to describe Venus as white and yellow.

2022 Observation

Mornings: Jan 17-Aug 27

Evening: Dec 23-Dec 31

Faint or invisible: Jan 1-Jan 16; Aug 28-Dec 22

Astrology

Domicile sign(s) Libra (diurnal) and Taurus (nocturnal)

Detriment sign(s) Aries (diurnal) and Scorpio (nocturnal)

Exaltation sign Pisces

Fall sign Virgo

Joy sign(s) Gemini, Cancer and Aquarius

Ruler of 2nd house

Rules over Friday

Associated with

The principles of harmony, beauty, refinement, affections, love,

the urge to sympathize and unite with others,

the desire for pleasure, comfort and ease

Governs romantic relations, sex (the origin of the words 'venery' and 'venereal'), marriage and business partnerships, the arts and fashion

Alchemy

To the world of antiquity, Venus/Copper stood as a personification of the divine feminine.

Venus/Copper was the planet/element that represented aspects of feminine beauty, love, lust, artistic creativity, affection, fertility, and balanced thinking.

In magic, Venus/Copper is used to promote love, sensuality, friendship, positive relationships, fruitful negations, and peace.

To the alchemist, Venus/Copper represents the love and compassion needed to become a well-rounded individual. It is the balanced psychological energy of Venus/Copper that allows the alchemist to evaluate experiences through one’s inner eye and bring those powerful insights into conscience awareness.

Culture

Dante Alighieri associated Venus with the liberal art of rhetoric.

The Venus symbol, ♀, consists of a circle with a small cross below it. It has been interpreted as a depiction of the hand-mirror of the goddess, which may also explain Venus's association with the planetary metal copper, as mirrors in antiquity were made of polished copper (alloy), though this is not certain.

In botany and biology, the symbol for Venus is used to represent the female sex, alongside the symbol for Mars representing the male sex, following a convention introduced by Linnaeus in the 1750s.

Arising from the biological convention, the symbol also came to be used in sociological contexts to represent women or femininity.

The discovery in the modern era that Venus was a distant world covered in impenetrable cloud cover gave science fiction writers free rein to speculate on conditions at its surface; all the more so when early observations showed that not only was it similar in size to Earth, it possessed a substantial atmosphere. Closer to the Sun than Earth, the planet was frequently depicted as warmer, but still habitable by humans. The genre reached its peak between the 1930s and 1950s, at a time when science had revealed some aspects of Venus, but not yet the harsh reality of its surface conditions.

Devotional Ideas

If you need or want to be subtle you can use Venusian aesthetic (images, models, color scheme) to represent Satan/Lucifer

Welcome the Morning/Evening Star when they become visible

Celebrate when the Morning Star switches to the Evening Star and vice versa

Learn more about Venus as a devotional act

Utilize planetary magic

Examine the interactions of Venus in your astrological birth chart

Sources

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucifer

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venus

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venus_in_culture

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pentagram#Pentagram_of_Venus

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planets_in_astrology#

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classical_planet

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planet_symbols

https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/venus/overview/

https://nineplanets.org/questions/what-color-is-venus/

https://www.planetsforkids.org/what-color-is-venus.html

https://www.farmersalmanac.com/visible-planets-guide

https://www.thewonderingalchemist.com/blog/7-planets-and-metals-venuscopper

if you're a witchcraft/pagan blog, you need to block the following accounts immediately:

these blogs are known for being part of a neo-nazi, antisemetic hate group that sends spammy asks to nearly every witchcraft blog on this hellsite. these asks usually include a link to their website, which just boosts their seo and gives them more traffic. do not interact with them. do not answer their messages/asks, and do not engage. i highly encourage you block the following accounts:

gulbara

ostara-444

heaven-nor-hell

daemonsagenda

oracle-of-raum

887266161

holy-oracle-of-satan

i also recommend turning off anonymous asks - they tend to prefer to send asks anonymously, and if you have that feature turned off on your blog, they'll be less likely to bother you.

i'll be adding to this list as i discover more!

Phenex- An Infopost (Short)

Since this is an infopost of a daemon I do not work with, I will share basic info and stuff from basic research I have done, and a seperate section for other's UPG's.

Phenex is a daemon originating from the Livre des Esperitz, Psuedomonarchia, and Lemegeton.

Grimoire appearances

From the Livre des Esperitz:

Fenix is a great marquis who appears in beautiful form, and has a sweet and soft voice, and he is courteous and very obedient of all one wants to ask him about or command him to do, and he does them without dallying; and has 25 legions.

From Psuedomonarchia Daemonum:

Phoenix is a great marquesse, appearing like the bird Phoenix, having a childs voice: but before he standeth still before the conjuror, he singeth manie sweet notes. Then the exorcist with his companions must beware he give no eare to the melodie, but must by and by bid him put on humane shape; then will he speake marvellouslie of all woonderfull sciences. He is an excellent poet, and obedient, he hopeth to returne to the seventh throne after a thousand two hundreth yeares, and governeth twentie legions.

From the Ars Goetia: PHENEX. - The Thirty-Seventh Spirit is Phenex (or Pheynix). He is a great Marquis, and appeareth like the Bird Phoenix, having the Voice of a Child. He singeth many sweet notes before the Exorcist, which he must not regard, but by-and-by he must bid him put on Human Shape. Then he will speak marvellously of all wonderful Sciences if required. He is a Poet, good and excellent. And he will be willing to perform thy requests. He hath hopes also to return to the Seventh Throne after 1,200 years more, as he said unto Solomon. He governeth 20 Legions of Spirits. And his Seal is this, which wear thou, etc.

What he can help with (based on grimoire information, not UPG):

☆Songwriting

☆Musical Magice

☆Poetry

☆The Sciences

☆Anything else you could ask of him (first grimoire appearance)

Others' Experiences:

"Phenex was quite excited when talking to me about the sciences last time I talked to him"-Anonymous

"My experience with Phenex is that he's a patron of amatuers. That is amateur in the original definition, "one who does things out of love." I petition him for aid in creative endeavors, mostly, and he never pushes me to be creative just to meet a standard or to make money. He encourages me to try new things or pick up new artistic skills purely for the joy of creation. I've also noticed he seems to prefer devotional singing, over spoken or silent prayer, at least from me. Singing is one of the things I've asked for his help with, so maybe he considers it a way to keep track of my progress."-Anonymous

Offerings:

Music note imagery, Pheonix imagery, Poetry, Burning him Incense, Orange Imagery, Fire Imagery, Art