He/They ~ 23 ~ British folk practitioner ~ Not sure what to call myself anymore ~ lover of flint and everyday magic ~ Demonolator ~ main hotcryptidsummer
I have been doing witchcraft stuff lately but it's my own fault for making this blog so high effort I hardly ever post. I will eventually do another proper long one or whatever. Hello I am alive
I have a few academic books on the historical and sociological study of witchcraft, which I have been meaning to collate into a post for a while now. There is so much to cover that one post would be so long it was bordering on ridiculous, so my solution is to break it into bite-sized chunks. This first part will focus on the devil and the witch in the 16th century.
An important distinction to make when discussing historical portrayals and interpretations of witchcraft is between the sorcerer and the witch.
Especially prior to King James I's reign in England, there was a long history of mathematical and alchemical sorcerers with a background in the Christian Church. John Dee, Queen Elizabeth I's sorcerer, is one such famous example. He worked as Queen Elizabeth I's advisor from the 1550s to 1570s, a time of great religious turmoil in the area to put it mildly.
Sorcerers and Magicians were those people said to have god-given powers, whereas Witches weilded devil-given malignant magic. This distinction had been drawn over centuries of superstition and religious, gendered and raced persecution, particularly following the reformation. The (largely catholic) Christian White man, prior to the reign of King James I, had much more leeway when it came to accusations of devil worship and witchcraft.
To most witches, the Malleus Maleficarum and the Discoverie of Witches (not the YA fantasy novel) may be familiar texts, if not in content than in context of the witch trials. Both deserve their own post, but briefly put, the Malleus Maleficarum emphasises the primarily female aspect of witchcraft as women were seen as the 'weaker sex', and therefore more likely to fall to the devil's temptations. This interpretation in England was pretty uncommon until the death of Queen Elizabeth I.
A common misconception is that the majority of witch trials were carried out in the late 17th century, I.E. the Salem witch trials: but in actuality, the majority of European witch trials took place earlier, in the late 16th and early 17th century. The Malleus Maleficarum predates Christopher Collumbus' "Discovery" of America, originally published in 1486. It included details of how witches made pacts with the devil, often having sexual intercorse with demons at sabbats to solidify their service to him. Thus, it is an entirely Christian perspective and wholly innacurate representation of even witchcraft at the time.
You may then be asking "why do I need to know any of this?" at this point. Understandable, perhaps, as there is a lot of relatively dry historical work on the subject. But I personally believe that understanding the roots of the words we use in our practice is essential for effective spellwork: and what word is more central than "witch"? It is a word with literally 1000s of years of context to it, from persecution to power. The Christian devil, the great adversary, is a key part of that word's history which people quite literally died for. And while that is not how we use it today, understanding and respecting those that came before us is still important. The word 'witch' has only been partially reclaimed (Warlock even less so), it still carries with it negative connotations due to falsified accusations thrown at people for financial gain (Those who accused witches were often given compensation by the state in the UK). Reclamation must involve reckoning with this history of violence, or it is simply forgetting.
TL:DR
Witchcraft has historically been tied almost inseparably to the concept of the Christian Devil. What we think of today as witchcraft (horrorscopes, astrology, spells) encompasses both what would be considered god-given and devil-given.
Sources:
Benjamin Woolley, "The Queen's Conjuror: the science and magic of John Dee"
Alan Charles Kors, "Witchcraft in Europe 1100-1700"
Tracy Borman, "Witches: James I and the English witch hunts"
things i was taught about the infernal: ohh you will be TRICKED into GIVING UP YOUR SOUL and then you will SUFFER forever in a horrible pit of darkness and despair! they will take EVERYTHING YOU LOVE from you and make you commit ATROCITIES. even the seasoned practitioners cannot communicate with them without constantly being in danger!! having one (1) conversation with such entities counts as SELLING all your blood to them and signing a million soul contracts!!!!
my actual experience:
- literally being raised from the metaphorical dead and pushed to make one of the most important positive changes in my life
- being validated on one of the biggest traumas of mine that i didn't even share with anyone because i thought i'd never get treated seriously
- being taught that the material body is just as divine as the spirit and doesn't deserve to be treated as something inferior and unworthy of care
- having my love of life and curiosity be reignited tenfold and being shown just how interconnected everything in the world is
- and much, much more
honestly, i really hope to go a bit more in-depth about it because i can't overstate just how important all of this is to me. i was put back together and shown that there is so much more to keep going for, and i will forever be grateful for it all.
Hail the Prince of the Evening Star, Hail the Lord Of the Flying Ones, Hail the Master of the Cure and the Poison.
I've been working as a demonolator and devotee to Asmodeus (previously celtic pagan) for well over a year now, and there are a few things I've learnt that I'd like to share:
1. Demonic forces feel physically different to pagan deities. I don't know how else to explain it besides it feeling more carnal. Not unsophisticated or primal, but certainly relying on base instincts.
2. It is natural to go through phases where you're more or less connected to your patron demon. Especially as a disabled practitioner. This is partially why it is important to take a long time to choose them in a more permenant fashion (I'm aware a lot of demonolators get tattoos of their patron's sigil, I still don't have one as of yet.)
3. Asmodeus likes coffee. Personally I offer it to him black, but maybe others have a different experience of this.
4. He values dedication and service over short-term offerings. I find when I forget to do anything lustful for a while, his presence fades away. If I'm focused on my practice, his presence is much more... palpable.
5. Interacting with people of other faiths can sometimes be challenging. Not so much pagans, but I have found it necessary to reset and cleanse more frequently when Christian or other Abrahamic practitioners visit my home.
6. Consent is an essential part of "do as thou wilt". Demons do not take kindly to their name being used for the pushing of boundaries. (Someone who assaulted me learnt that the hard way)
7. A lot of the "protection is really important when working with demons" discourse comes down to Christian perspectives on the infernal divine. I'm not saying don't use any protection, but in my experience, they do not wish you harm any more than other divine forces.
Struggling to find Resources for the Infernal Divine?
I know how difficult it can be finding information about the Infernal Divine considering there is a lack of information that isn't written from someone's personal gnosis or beliefs who was also a terrible person outside of their published books or most of the media and sources today have absolutely written the Demonic Divine as “ evil ” and “ the big bad that should be avoided because Christianity said so. ” Christianity is a rather recent religion that stole from other religions ( which those religions stole from others, mind fuck huh? ) and stole pagan practices and holidays all to fill their own non - existent ego and pride since they couldn't come up with traditions on their own. Unfortunately, we will be unable to find the original texts of the true mythology of these heavily misunderstood deities because it has been lost to time or other circumstances. Unless you can time travel, all we can do is scour for information about them online and in books and fact - check everything.
Below this short wall of a paragraph is a list of authors you should avoid along with reasons why as well as some books and websites focused on the Infernal Divine to get you started. Even though I just told you to avoid certain authors, it is important to read through their books anyways for information to fact - check, keeping their problematic beliefs and gnosis in mind.
AUTHORS TO AVOID.
Witch Authors to Avoid with Reasoning.
BOOKS.
The Encyclopedia of Demons and Demonology by Rosemary Ellen Guiley.
The Complete Book of Demonolatry by S. Connolly.
The Dictionary of Demons by Michelle Bellanger.
Rites of Lucifer by Asenath Mason.
Apotheosis: The Beginner's Guide to Luciferianism and the Left Hand Path by Michael W. Ford.
The Daemonolator's Guide to Daemonic Magic by S. Connolly.
Daemonolatry Goetia by S. Schneider.
WEBSITES AND VIDEOS.
occultist.net
demonsanddemonolatry.com
vkjehannum.wordpress — This is a huge collection of gnosis of tons of spirits.
Teala Youtube Playlist
Esoterica YouTube Playlist
Personal Experiences with Infernals from DancingCorpseWitch
You can also use wikipedia as long as you fact check information. Fact - checking is important!
It's October and you know what that means! I am updating my blog after not posting for like... a year (I am sorry flintlings, I have had a LOT of life stuff going on). To start us off, a fresh cup of autumn coffee.
Autumnal coffee:
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
A pinch of nutmeg
1tbsp coffee grounds
Add these to your cafetiere/coffee pot and pour over not quite boiling water. Let it sit for 10 minutes, then add sugar to taste in your usual brew.
Drink your coffee mindfully, taking your time to really experience and ground yourself in the moment as you do. Taste it, experience it. And while you do, think of your intentions for the spell.
stormborns
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annaxmalina
kaledo-art
