#divine-crossroads

[chthonic-sorcery]

People think necromancy is all "evil magic this, devil worship that" when the word itself really just came from Greek nekromanteia, where ancient Greek people tried to evoke spirits to, y'know, ask them stuff.

Throw an ashphodel flower into a burning bronze dish at the crossroads at midnight on a new moon (hail, Hekate) and boom, ya got yourself some necromancy!

Throw in some incantations for a little bit of spice, too:

"I adjure (exarkizó) you, corpse-daimon (nekudaimon) by the powerful and inexorable god and by his holy names, to stand beside me in the coming night in whatever form you used to have,

and inform me whether you have the power to perform the so-and-so deed, immediately, immediately; quickly, quickly"

And, you know, a ghost just might appear. Hopefully you have an offering so they're not mad!

☆ ☆ ☆

Learn more here

[venti-death-watch]

so on top of like, every ratiorine roleswap/personality swap au being just kaeya & albedo 2.0, now i have the additional realization that my nihility genius society!aventurine is just…… mini nous.

like the whole taller blue & black open chested leaning-more-toward-mischief one versus the shorter blue & white deadpan-ish researcher. jesus christ.

AND THEN my aventurine does probability to the point that he’s considered psychic… like that is what nous became an aeon around. jesus christ. nihility aven is not only considered sacrilege because he chose the name ananke (ananke = necessity to nous = intellect), he’s also hated because people see him as attempting to usurp nous/become nous 2.0.

[medkiitt]

" Is it ok to like girls if you're a girl? "

“ Of course it is. I mean... you are still yourself despite liking the same gender, no? Liking girls as a girl yourself isn't wrong at all. You're still a person, that alone won't drastically change anything about you. So. Yeah. It is definitely okay. I can assure you this won't change my perspective on you. You are still my child, and I want you to remember that. ”

[kindledspiritsbooks]

My Month in Books: November and December 2023

Why We Get the Wrong Politicians by Isabel Hardman I spend a lot of my time at work thinking about the UK’s political system (and to be honest way too much of my free time as well) so I was excited to get a slightly more outside perspective on the workings of Westminster. While the book is probably a little bit basic for hardcore politics nerds (though I was thrilled to see a whole section…

[rosesforhekate101]

Conjunctio

Symbol: CrossroadsElement: EarthPlanet: MercurySign: VirgoDay:WednesdayBody: Intestine and bellyGender: MasculineQuality:MobileKeywords: Interaction; organizations; conjunction Conjunctio means “union” and shows the convergence of forces. This might be the coming together of people, purposes and things. The obvious implication relates to relationships, engagements, and marriages. It also…

[wickedzeevyln]

Wick

At times, you choke on your breath as you fall. Then, the lids of your eyes shoot open. A sneak preview of a nightmare. You were asleep all along. Life is but a dream. Sunset-amber flames curled from the cedar kindling of the great divine,and lo, from an imperceptible dimension he crouches down to a wick,you,us,them,me,on a wax of chance,on dirt not far from the sun,we hiss into being and…

[godhymns]

Tag Drop PT. 3

[houseofdracula]

Happy Deipnon Xbox

[turiyatitta]

In the Midst of Unseen Certainty

In the theatre of the cosmos, I find myself seated at the crossroads of belief and disbelief. On one hand, the theist, passionately defending his faith, on the other, the atheist steadfastly voicing his skepticism. I observe this dialogue as an unbiased spectator, each side offering a symphony of thoughts that forms a rich intellectual melody that resonates within me. The perspectives of both…

[khaire-traveler]

🪄 Subtle Hekate Worship🕯️

Donate clothes, food, hygiene products, and the like to homeless shelters

Support food banks and homeless or animal shelters

Visit cemeteries; if allowed (please ask permission first), leave flowers on graves

Have a candle that reminds you of her (no altar needed)

Wear jewelry that reminds you of her

Keep a picture of her in your wallet

Have a stuffed animal polecat, dog, or toad

Have imagery of torches, crossroads, or magic around

Honor your ancestors; honor any spirits in your life

Volunteer at an animal or homeless shelter

Cook a warm meal for someone in need

Take care of yourself physically

Take a self-care bath/shower, especially those with herbs or candles

Visit a crossroads; walk/hike on paths that have a crossroads and pick the direction that calls to you

Take a walk during the new, half, or full moon (only if it is safe to do so in your area)

Take time to notice the phases of the moon; meditate under each one, and learn their meanings

Start a garden; tend to plants, especially herbs

Study herbalism; study the history of witchcraft

Ground yourself regularly

Include her within spell work, if you do any; practice discreet methods of spell-casting

Learn non-obvious divination methods; cartomancy, pyromancy, carromancy, etc.

Burn incense, if able; frankincense is great

Drink herbal teas; cook with herbs

Practice mindfulness and emotional regulation

Honor your home/space; keep it clean, and make it feel like your own

At the end of each month, cook a good meal and make drinks with added honey

Baking raisin and currant cakes

Practice patience and understanding

Work on your decision-making skills; what do YOU want? What do YOU need? What are YOUR goals/passions?

Making a bonfire; gathering around it, alone or with loved ones

Learning to have more confidence in your decisions and actions; you know what's best for you more than anyone else

-

I hope this helps someone! I may add to it later on. For now, this is my list of discreet ways to worship Hekate. Take care, y'all, and have a good day/night. 💜

Link to Subtle Worship Master list

[xxcrystalinerose]

Supergiant is absolutely COOKING with their characterizations of Nemesis and Moros.

It's deliciously ironic how the embodiment of divine retribution, meter of justice and avenger of evil, is in possession of grade-school-rivalry level of pettiness against Melinoë. Unfairly taking out her frustrations on Mel (about something that can't be helped wrt. Mel's birthright too!). Regularly steals her lunch money so she can buy more stuff from Big Bro Charon. Forced into the passive position of standing guard at the Crossroads, preventing her from doing what she does best: actively punishing evil. Not to mention the hilarious occasional "I punch you once and I give you stuff. This is definitely a fair exchange" encounters.

On the other hand, the official Bearer of Bad News™, who sometimes engineered horrifying deaths because he and Sisters Dearest get bored on the job, feared and hated by all mortals, is an unfailingly polite, nice guy who doesn't know how to deal with niceties because barely anyone has ever been nice to him (even the Fates bully him sometimes). Receives one (1) gift and instantly suffers critical damage, afflicted with "Down Atrocious" status effect. Sometimes weirdly optimistic and willing to make the best of his time in the Crossroads, to the point of asking Hecate herself to teach him witch stuff.

TL;DR I love Nem and Moros very much and they have ruined my life. Good fucking food, Supergiant writers.

[astra-ravana]

Witch's Runes

The Witch's Runes are a set of 13 pictographic runes. They are cast similarly in fashion to Futhark runes and interpreted using one's intuition.

To use Witch's Runes for divination, form a question in your mind and push that thoughtform into your runes. When this is complete, cast them all at once, like dice. Only the face up runes are relevant to the reading, disregard any that fall face down. The most significant rune in the reading is the one furthest from you. If all the runes are face down, you aren't yet meant to know the answer (if this happens don't attempt another reading for at least a week). You can also seek general guidance by drawing a single rune.

Witch's Rune Meanings

Sun

• New beginnings

• Good news

• Abundance

• Good health

• Fertility

• Joy

• Growth

• Prosperity

• Gods

Moon

• Intuition

• Long-term changes

• Transition

• Mystery

• Dreams

• Emotion

• Healing

• Psychic ability

• Shadow work

• Goddesses

Flight

• Communication

• Spirit messages

• Travel

• Birds

• News

• Information

• Movement

• Ascension

Rings

• Connections

• Binding

• Family

• Teams

• Alliances

• Alchemy

Romance

• Love

• Relationship

• Deep emotional connections

• Life, death, and rebirth

• Trinity

• Harmony

Woman

• The feminine

• Traditional female characteristics

• Birth

• Creativity

• Life blood

• Home

• Motherhood

• Life

Man

• The masculine

• Traditional male characteristics

• Action

• Goals

• Provider

• Strength

• Vitality

• Justice

• War

Harvest

• Blessings

• Rewards

• Abundance

• Wealth

• Security

• Manifestation

• Plants

• Education

• Self-investment

Crossroads

• Decisions

• Opportunities

• The unknown

• The in-between

• Blockages

• Spirits

• Hesitation

• Deals

Star

• Guidance

• Gifts

• Light in the dark

• Navigation

• Astrology

• Other worlds

• Destiny

• Authenticity

• Freedom

• Wishes

• Hope

Waves

• Being moved

• Deep connection to the spirit world

• Raw emotion

• Purity

• Rejuvenation

• Land of the dead

• Momentum

• Overwhelm

• Recovery

Scyth

• Sudden change

• Ending of an era

• Release

• Clearing the way

• Waning

• Death

• Reaping

• Autumn

• Final decision

• Danger

Eye

• Lifting of the veil

• Protection

• Watching

• Clairvoyance

• Awareness

• Evil eye

• Seeing the truth

• Focus

• Psychic abilities

[mikhailaraen]

Poem 21123

Pushing out

Guilt in the background

With no place to go

Vibrations flow about

Wrecking tranquility

A break in the sea

Currents push harder

Knocking down all that’s between

Thrums crescendo a tempo grown stronger in time

But only one can hear the rage that plucking strings break open wide

Swelling outward the conductor motions the energy to flow stronger

The symphony ascends only higher and higher

Until it plummets down with a rolling rumble

A hum in the silence

Colors swirl the tidal wave

A tsunami reals the body in

To drown within the cage

Nowhere they can go

Nowhere they can hide

Dancing, spinning, twirling, drowning

Belly flipping on the inside

Gulping,

Convulsing, screaming, crying

Eyes glaze within the night.

And finally,

Out goes the light.

[fairyysoup]

the devil i know

chapter one: god you've got the blackest eyes

(repost)

fic tag | fic playlist | fic masterlist

pairing(s): crossroads demon!eddie munson x fem!reader

summary: To summon a demon at a crossroads, simply cast a circle, make an offering, and recite an incantation. What happens from that point on is subject to your desire… and the demon’s.

cw: explicit, smut, dubcon elements, making a deal with a demon, inspired by american and european folklore, sacrilegious themes, horror, witch!reader, reader is 21+ in modern day, eddie is immortal, coercion (a bit), sex pact, marking, possessive behavior, animal death, trauma, reader is ostracized by her very religious hometown, dark comedy, tfw your accidental boyfriend is a demon who is obsessed with you bc he doesn’t know how to be normal about anything ever, dead dove: do not eat

please check masterlist and individual parts for content warnings before reading. this fic contains dark themes. your media consumption is your own responsibility.

a/n: Hi folks, for the month of October this year I'm going to be reuploading all the chapters of this fic onto tumblr, this time hopefully for good. I apologize for the time that it's been taken down. Genuinely, this fic has garnered so much kindness and support and I think of it as one of my biggest accomplishments. I hope you all enjoy it just as much the second time around as the first.

ALL OF MY WORKS ARE 18+ MINORS DNI

Through me you pass into the city of woe, Through me you pass into eternal pain, Through me you pass among forsaken people. Justice moved my exalted creator; I was wrought by divine power, Supreme wisdom, and primal love. Before me all things created were eternal, And eternal I endure. Abandon all hope, ye who enter here. -Dante Alighieri, The Inferno, Canto III

The book you’ve used for ages now, since late in your junior year of high school, has only one page in it that you haven’t utilized. You don’t know how much faith to put in it– you’re a little short on faith, these days– but, the spellbook lays it out simply, so you follow its directions to the letter. 

To summon a demon at a crossroads, go to a place where two paths meet on the dark moon. You find peace and quiet in the woods, deep where you know no one walks at night but two paths cross in a small clearing banked with trees. It’s your favorite place to go when you want to do a spell– ritual– and you don’t want to be bothered. The whole thing can’t be more than twenty feet across. Above the overhang of trees, there’s no moon in the sky, only stars.

Cast a circle of protection. That took more research than just the book in your hands, but years of collecting information have given you learned knowledge– there are a million ways to cast a circle, and different circles for different purposes. You do your best to create one for protection. You draw a literal circle in the dirt with a stick, fill it with salt, and walk around the circle three times clockwise to cast it. You light candles to give yourself some light, and to free up your hands of the flashlight you carried to see your way through the woods. 

Make an offering of copper. Your hand pauses on the copper dog tag in your hand. You’d thought of just offering a penny, but you remembered reading somewhere that pennies barely contain copper anymore, and you didn’t have anything else that was entirely made of the one metal. 

You run your finger over the embossed name on it. Lacey. Your pet’s old collar feels heavy in your hand as you remove the tag from the leather strap and bury it in the earth, you guess, to reach the… Underworld? Hell? You can’t honestly say, considering the text you’re referencing only calls it the Otherworld.

It’s a big sacrifice. It’s personal. But, you guess, that gives it more meaning. Making a deal is personal business, and you have your reasons.

Recite the summoning incantation. A stanza of words you don’t understand. You don’t think it’s in Latin, but you try your best, all the same. You read them from the book before you, and feel your blood rushing in your veins as you do.

State your desire out loud in a clear voice. Well, that’s a little more difficult. What is it that you want?

You take a breath, go to speak, and then stop. You don’t know how to start. You don’t know exactly how to describe your pain. You don’t know how to voice your anger well enough, you just know you need to… you need to get it out, somehow. This is a very crucial step in the ritual, you have to do it.

“I came here to make a deal,” you speak frankly, clearly. “I’m prepared to do anything. I’ve run out of options. I’ve been hurt too many times, by too many people who didn’t care what they did to me. I’ve lost everything I genuinely loved. I’m… I’m angry, and desperate, and I’m frightened. And I feel so alone. It’s eating me alive, and I just… I just want the ability to make things go my way, for once.” Good enough, you hope.

Wait for an answer.

You do. You listen intently, to the song of the leaves in the trees rustling in the slight breeze, to the crickets chirping in the grass. You wait long enough that you start to rethink your approach. 

It could be that things will turn around if you just wait another month, or another month after that. Maybe you’ll get the car back. Maybe you’ll get the promotion that was given to the newbie that you trained. Maybe your ex will stop coming around your work to intimidate you. Maybe you’ll get a new dog to take the place of the one that he killed. Maybe the evangelical town you live in will stop shunning you and calling you a witch, like something out of the middle ages.

Unlikely, that last one.

Just when you swear it’s a failure, that you should just pack up and leave, that’s when a strong gust of wind rips through the clearing out of nowhere. The candles blow out– and then, oddly enough, relight themselves. There’s a slight scent of smoke on the breeze, and you look around to make sure none of the candles fell over in the wind.

They’re all perfectly fine. There’s nothing amiss, it seems, until you hear a cough and movement across the clearing. You look forward, and see a pair of black combat boots in the stream of light from your flashlight. You follow the boots up to a pair of legs, clad in dark jeans, and then further up, to a torso, and a head, and a pair of sparkling eyes.

“Hi.”

You stare at him, probably looking like a fish out of water with the way your mouth opens and closes. You’d fully expected the traditional scary depiction of a demon– maybe horns, goat hooves, et cetera. But the man that answered your call is… just a man. A pretty one. He has long, curly hair, which falls over his broad shoulders and stirs in the wind. His plush lips curve up in a relaxed, cocky smile, as he takes in the sight of you in return. 

He quirks an eyebrow at you. “Are you just gonna stare at me all night?” 

“Sorry, hi. Hello.” You shake your head. “Can you believe I honestly thought I’ve been doing it wrong this whole time?” 

“I can believe a lot of things. You know, there’s a reason why the demon summoning ritual is first in that book.” His voice is soft and resonant. You get a mental image of heat waves radiating from tar-black and glowing magma, rolling slowly over lava beds. The image disappears just as soon as it flashes into your mind.

“Well, to be completely honest, I wasn’t sure how I felt about making a deal with a demon first thing,” you explain, looking away shyly. “But I’ve tried all the spells in this book and not a single one of them worked. Just seems like everything is getting worse all the time.”

He doesn’t look away– rather, he keeps staring at you, unblinkingly. Like you’re the most fascinating creature he’s ever seen. He leans up against the tree that he appeared beside, his leather jacket falling open to reveal a shirt with a demon’s head on it. Fitting. He takes a pack of cigarettes out of his jacket pocket. 

“So, now you wanna make a deal with little ol’ me, huh?” He grins, a gorgeous smile that flashes bright, sharp teeth at you. He lifts a cigarette to his mouth and bites it gently between his teeth. He doesn’t pull out a lighter. Instead, you watch him light up with a small flame that erupts from the tip of his thumb. 

“Depends on who you are,” you retort, eyes following the movement of his hands. They’re weighed down by large, silver rings that reflect the light of the flame before it snuffs out. “What’s your name?”

He makes a short noise in his throat, shaking his head abruptly. He doesn’t look nearly as intimidating as you feel he should– more like he’s trying to warn you against something you don’t want. He peers at you from beneath his wavy bangs as he pulls the cigarette from his mouth and uses it to point at you. “Names are really powerful things where I come from, babydoll. Best not to bite off more than you can chew yet. Once we cut a deal– that’s when you get my name.”

You make a face as you mull that over. “So what do I call you, in the meantime? Demon daddy?” 

“You could,” he chuckles. The demon rocks to the side, crossing his legs at the ankles. “If you really wanted to. I wouldn’t mind, it’s flattering.” 

You grunt. “I think I’ll pass on that, actually.” He tilts his head with a sicker, watching you with an amused smile while you shift in place. “So, do I– I mean, you need to know what I want, right? Is that how this starts?”

“No, I know what you want.” He exhales a stream of smoke from his nostrils. “You want power. To get a fair shake, find your place, change your life. Defend yourself against the assholes making that life, well. A living hell.” As he spits out the words, his voice rings sharp through the trees, like the strike of a hammer on glowing metal, shooting sparks off into the air. 

“I want to take all this pain and just… return to sender. Give it back to them, y’know? I never wanted any of it,” you justify. Your voice is too small in comparison with his. “Maybe then I’ll be able to fucking breathe.”

For how little space you allow yourself to take up, he seems to consume the rest of it. He nods slowly. “That’s a fair request, sweetheart.”

“It’s selfish, I know.”

“Making a deal for power is inherently a selfish thing,” he shrugs. “Own it. I’m certainly not judging.”

You let out a shaky breath. You’re still so nervous, being so near him– ten feet away and growing closer every second, it seems, even though neither of you have moved. You feel like, no matter how far you pull back, the flow of fiery lava he seems to embody will keep creeping towards you until you’re burned alive.

His dark eyes glow like coals in the night as he looks you up and down, and then he quickly pushes himself away from the tree. You startle at the abrupt movement, and watch as he swings around it like Gene Kelly on a lamp post. 

When he rounds the tree, he uses the momentum to throw himself toward your circle. You flinch, and he frowns, but continues moving toward you at a slower pace, holding his hands out innocently. “Wanna know a secret? About how all this,” he twirls a finger in the air, indicating the ritual you’re in the middle of, “works?”

You nod, gazing up at him shyly. If you felt at all powerful while casting the circle and starting the ritual, he’s managed to take the wind out of your sails. You can feel the power radiating off of him in waves.

He smirks at you. “You make your petition– when you say the words in that little book,” he points at the volume at your feet, “and that petition is answered by whichever demon caters most to that desire.” He points at himself emphatically, his eyebrows raised. “Me? Infernal majesty of freaks and misfits. I’m your demon daddy.”

You finally giggle, and it makes him smile fondly, like that’s what he’d been gunning for all along. He backs up a step and puffs his cigarette. 

“I’m here to help you, sweetheart.” He regards you for a second, like he’s thinking things over. “That is, as long as you agree to my terms.”

“Terms?” You echo, but you were sort of expecting that. Nothing for nothing, right? “What are the terms?”

“Ah, they’re simple. Very traditional,” he waves his hand like it’s frivolous. He holds his hand out in midair, and just like how he’d conjured the flames, he produces a weathered book. It looks like a composition book that has scribbles and doodles all over the front of it– the same demon head that adorns his shirt. “You sign your name with your blood in my little black book, you hop on one foot with your hand on your head and pledge your undying fealty to the dark lord Kthulu, and then you meet me on the sabbath to kill a child and make them into soup.” 

He smiles, fluttering his eyelashes at you innocently. 

“Are you fucking serious?” You blurt. 

“Of course I’m not fucking serious– what is this, the dark ages?” He snorts as he lowers the composition book. “Nah, we don’t do human sacrifice on the sabbath anymore, it was getting too difficult to evade the witch hunters.”

“What?”

“Nothing.” He flashes you a disarming grin. You can feel yourself halfway smirking as well, incredulous but somehow enjoying his humor. Then he shakes his head and says, seriously, “No, you do have to sign my book, though. And then meet me back here on the full moon to fuck.”

You blink at him, reeling from the whiplash of that. “You… I’m sorry?”

“I find it best not to sugarcoat it, y’know.” He shrugs, “Think of this as a marriage, of sorts. I give you the power to smite thine enemies, live deliciously, blah blah blah, and then you meet me at the crossroads every full moon to be my whore and we fuck like bunnies all night. Simple as that.”

“That’s far from simple.”

“It doesn’t have to be monogamous, if that’s what you’re worried about,” he continues frankly, “except on the full moon. I won’t compromise about that– you’ll be all mine, and I’m all yours. No takesies backsies.”

“No– that’s not–” You exhale, holding your hands over your eyes. “I’m just… not promiscuous like that…”

“Sweetheart.” He waits until you’ve lowered your hands to look at him, and he hums, with a saccharine smile that reminds you of the power you’d felt sweep through the clearing when he arrived. “You won’t be the first good girl I’ve broken, and you won’t be the last. If you’re worried about promiscuity, well… I answered your petition. I know what goes on in that pretty head, and it barely scratches the surface of what I’ve seen and done.” 

The toe of his boot barely nudges the edge of your circle, and a spark crackles in the dark from the impact. The light dances in his eyes longer than it remains in the air, like they caught the spark and ignited. 

“Trust me,” he says, drawing you in with the low register of his voice. “I can give you more than power. I can give you protection. I can give you real happiness. Karma’s a fucking bitch, so I can be, too. This is just such a little thing in return. And who knows… you may even like it.”

You shiver at that, even though his presence feels hot, like his stream of lava is surrounding you, crowding you in, boiling you where you stand. He’s right– you absolutely might like it. 

Because there’s just something magnetic between you, isn’t there? You can sense it, more than any heat and any sort of primal fear you might have instinctively at his presence. There’s a certain pull you feel toward him, emanating even through the salt barrier on the ground. 

You want to wrap yourself in him. Boil you alive, burn you to a crisp, destroy you– you don’t care.

“Or… is it that you don’t like this body?” He wonders aloud, striding backward two steps. He turns, his hand lifting his seemingly ever-burning cigarette to his lips. “Figures– y’know, I can be anything you want me to be, babydoll.”

Confused, you watch as he transforms in front of you. In the length of two steps while he paces across the clearing, his face and body stretches and contorts, until you’re not staring at the same visage anymore. He stops, and he turns to you with his palms up, like he’s waiting for your approval. 

You’re looking at Tom fucking Cruise. 

“Oh, no, absolutely not,” you shake your head vehemently, scowling. You wave your hands demandingly, “Put it back. You were so hot before– please, please go back to the way you were.”

The demon grins and turns his head, throwing the cigarette away. His hair grows back to its previous length, his face morphing as if made of clay until you meet the same pretty smile you’ve come to enjoy looking at. 

He chuckles, grabbing a lock of his hair and drawing it across his lips. “You think I’m hot?”

“Of course,” you murmur, but you know beyond a shadow of a doubt that he can hear it. His eyes are embers, blazing at you from beneath his bangs. “Is that what you normally look like? Is that your true form?”

He makes an iffy sound. “It’s what I looked like when I was human. My true form has more horns and unhinged jaws and claws and all that. You wouldn’t like it.”

“I thought you said you could read my mind. Do you know how much monster porn I’ve consumed? That’s hot as shit to me,” you argue, and he snaps his head towards you in surprise. You point at yourself. “Freak and misfit.”

He laughs, and it sounds like the roaring of an out of control fire, burning up everything in its path. He kicks his heel on the ground and steps up to your circle again. “I like you, baby. I really do. What do you say?”

“How do I know that I can trust you?” you ask, an annoying lump forming in your throat with the question. You’ve been burned before by people far less powerful than this demon, yet who still hold so much power over you. However much they have.

“You can’t,” he answers, more honestly than most would. He tilts his head with a crooked smile. “Not to get all preachy on you, but even if I wasn’t a demon… trust is built, not a given. ‘The devil you know,’ right? Better than the one that you don’t.”

“Yeah,” you agree, your voice coming out breathy and winded the longer you gaze up into his eyes.

“Trust me to be… intense, I guess,” he shrugs. “And probably impulsive. But I’ll always deliver on our deal. Be my witch, my wife, my whore– whatever you want to call it, but be mine. I think we’ll have so much fun together.”

“Yeah, I think– I think I will.” You’re nodding, and his smile grows with yours. “I want to.”

“Let me in, sweetheart.”

Your toe scuffs the boundary on the ground, breaking the circle. Immediately, your senses are assaulted by smoke, not just the tobacco he’s been smoking but the scent of a wildfire, of cities burned to ashes, of desolation and destruction and pyroclastic flow and roaring, exploding volcanoes. 

Your demon crosses the line you’d drawn on the ground with ease, producing the worn composition book in his hand again. The cover reads Hellfire Club in chicken scratch handwriting. 

“Are there others?” You ask, prompted by the word Club on the front as he flips open the book to a middle page. An agreement is already written out in red ink. “Do you have more than one, um…”

“Consort?” He whispers in your ear. Goosebumps rise on your skin, and your stomach flutters. “Not for a long time. I’m very picky about my partners. They have to be just as much of a freak as I am.”

Your heart thumps loudly in your chest, although the admission makes you feel… better, in a way. You squint in the dark, but with the exception of the candles around your circle, there’s nothing to allow you to properly read what’s written on the page. 

He sighs, shifting on his feet beside you. “Are you one of those people who’ll read the whole contract?”

“Absolutely I am,” you hum. The book feels heavier in your hands than it should. “Can you give me a light?”

“Jesus Christ.” He produces a flame from his forefinger just as you turn to give him a confused look. 

“Shouldn’t you, like… evaporate after saying that?”

In the yellow glow of the flame, he just blinks at you, looking amused. “Things aren’t as black and white as you think they are, believe me.”

You snatch his wrist and yank his arm closer to the page. His body collides with yours, and he grunts in your ear as he wraps his other arm around you, embracing you from behind. You’re engulfed in the scent of smoke and the heat of his flames, impossibly hot and comforting all the same. 

His hair brushes your shoulder as you read his contract. It’s just a few lines, but the weight they hold will seal your fate. 

The agreement made this night of the dark moon shall henceforth be enacted from the signing of this document, that hereby renders the human party’s soul bound to the infernal party. Witness that the first party must appear before the second party each full moon to lay in matrimonial fashion, and that in return the first party shall be protected and given the powers of the second from here until the human’s mortal passing. 

“Aww, that’s sweet,” you coo, tracing the red ink with your fingers. 

The demon over your shoulder rolls his eyes. “It’s a fucking pre-nup.”

“Doesn’t seem like a fair trade, though, does it?” You murmur. “I mean, I get the power to change my circumstances and you get– what– sex once a month?”

His hand tightens on your waist, and you pause. You turn your head to look at him, and his eyes flicker dangerously, so close to yours. They aren’t just glowing coals- this close, you can see the small details. You can see the swirling, the churning of lava within them.

“It’s not just sex, is it?”

“What do you think making a deal with a demon entails, sweetheart? Read the fine print.”

You look back at the page. There are no other words on it, save for the ones you’ve already read. “I don’t…?”

“It’s your soul, honey,” he mutters, pointing at the word. His mouth is muffled against your shoulder as he peers over it. “I won’t ask anything of you other than the sex, as long as you live. But right now, you’re offering up your soul. And once your life is up, you get to be just like me. Understand?”

“I… yeah. I understand.” You let go of his wrist, but pause over the pages of the book. “I don’t have anything to sign with.”

Wordlessly, the demon takes your hand. You let him caress your wrist, feeling your pulse with his thumb. Then, before you realize what’s happening, a sharp sting makes you yelp as he cuts your skin with his pointed thumbnail. 

He shushes you, letting the blood well up on your skin. “I did say you needed to sign with blood.”

Your voice shakes when you hold your dripping wrist over the page. “I thought you said you were joking.”

“Not about the book. Rules of the trade, I can’t change it.” Your blood splatters the notebook, dripping into the crease of the page. Once he’s satisfied, he lifts your wrist to his mouth and closes his lips around the small wound. It heals in a heartbeat. 

“Is that it, then?” You ask, mesmerized by the sight and feeling of his mouth on your skin. “Don’t you have to sign?”

Your demon kisses your wrist gently, his lips soft, inviting. “This is going to hurt,” he warns, and you nod. The heat of his breath makes your skin tingle, all your nerves on high alert. 

But then that tingling turns into a burn, that turns into a searing pain. You feel like your skin is on fire, an invisible hot brand held against your wrist. You cry out as he holds you close, letting you bury your face into his neck, holding you up as your knees threaten to buckle. 

“Such a good girl,” he murmurs to you as you whimper. He holds your arm as the pain fades into a throbbing ache, cradles your hand against his cheek as he coos into your hair. “You’re so strong. Not many people can handle my mark, you know. Fate works in funny ways.”

Your demon holds you until you can stand on your own, until your breathing evens out and you can compose yourself. He shushes you quietly, rocking you from side-to-side with a soothing hand stroking your head. Then he holds your face, and kisses your tear stained cheeks. The touch of his lips stokes at flames beneath your skin.

“I’ll look forward to our time together, little witch,” he whispers. And with a quick, chaste kiss to your lips, he disappears entirely. 

You stay in the circle for a while, clutching your throbbing wrist and crying frustrated tears. You wonder if you made the right decision, and yet, you don’t understand why you just want him to come back. You miss the comfort of his presence, even if you don’t know enough about him to justify it. All he did was hurt your arm and take your blood and kiss away your tears and make you a witch. 

It’s too late to go back on your decision now. There’s an all-encompassing fire you can feel burning in your veins, emitting from the pulsating wound on your wrist. His power. His fire. 

You pull your hand away from your wrist to finally inspect the mark that he branded you with, declaring you his in the same chicken scratch that had been on the cover of his book. It’s small enough that a well placed bracelet would cover it, but you don’t know that you’ll want to.

Eddie.

Your demon’s name is Eddie.

[theveil-and-thepath]

Montly PAC n°1: This will happen next month

Pile 1 - Pile 2

Pile 3 - Pile 4

You can pick more than one! Just follow your heart!

What will happen in December 2024? Or the next month of whenever you find this reading?

*This is a source of entertainment, your destiny is in your hands.*

Pile 1

■Ten of Cups , The High Priestess , The Lovers , Six of Cups , Six of Pentacles.■Key , Fox , House , Dog , Bear.■Mercury in sagittarius in the 8th house.■Week 1: Crossroad , Fish , Heart. - DIAMOND: Gift of jewelry.■Week 2:Sun , Mountain , Garden.- TABLE: Favorable period for you■Week 3:Coffin , Man , Moon.- GRASSHOPPER: Situations in the balance that require careful handling.■Week 4: Bouquet , Tree , Birds. - ROSE: Romance is in the air.

■ Cards were drawn from the Divination Table

■ Next month is a time of blessings! You shall have reconciliations with all whom you wish back into your life and your relationships will improve as well.

■ Family time will be overall favorable for you the entire month. You may receive financial help from generous hands of loved ones.

■ You may meet your siblings, cousins or dear friends.

■ Your intuition and psychic abilities will increase and deepen. You may write channeled messages or feel inspired to write about philosophical topics.

■ You may have to solve a tricky family situation, you have the knowledge or resources on how to do it and you'll have to be extra smart and anticipate people's intentions and next moves. Perhaps you're dealing with older and wiser people who "argue" or "fight" better than you do, but amongst them you may have one friend, or you'll have the intervention of someone who'll assist you in dealing with an overbearing parent or a proud authority figure.

■ In the first week, you'll become richer. Your paycheck will be more than double the usual amount, you may receive a bonus or an advancement in pay. A loved one may gift you or announce the gift they will give you and its either super fancy or an expensive item they'll help you purchase. This will be done with a lot of love. The money you receive will allow you more freedom on big choices in your life, it may cover financial holes and allow you to move on freely in your path. Very good pay week.

■ The second week will be a happy one. You'll move ahead on your goals,see how far you've come. You may have joyful encounters or get together at work or with friends. Good for networking, working, and solidifying existing connections. You'll feel great full.

■ In the 3rd week you will have to deal or face a situation with a man who had left your life or with whom you had been having little contact. It can be an ex, or someone you had a small disagreement with. Be careful with everyone's sensibilities, but also care for your emotions. Try to be grounded, remember the good and solid things in you life, and walk slowly. You may be more pensive or introspective. I don't see open fights nor arguments, but it'll require tact.

■ The final week of the month brings a peace offering, or a good outcome of what you had to deal with. Family gatherings, conversations, thoughtful small gifts. Some people may find new love, or have a great and romantic time with your current partner (or with whoever you willingly reconciled with). Some of you can start a new relationship or be proposed to. You open your heart, and open up in conversation.

☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆

Pile 2

The Fool , Eight of Cups , The World , Six of Swords , Seven of Pentacles■Bear , Snake , Coffin , Mountain , Woman■Neptune in pisces in the 8th house■Week 1: Stars , Fox , Sun. - PIG: Beware of greed.■Week 2: Fish , Child , Fox. - FEATHER: Someone you know is undependable, insincere.■Week 3: Clover , Tree , Heart. - OLDER WOMAN: Dealings or relationship with an older woman.■Week 4: Whip , Clouds , Woman. - DOLPHIN: Financial gain. Usually coming from something you did in the past.

■ Cards were drawn from the Divination Table

■ There is a moving on and moving ahead theme for you next month. You can leave your country, state, city, family. This can be about a vacation, but it's also about your freedom! Pluto in aquarius may be interacting with your birth chart.

■ You leave behind a shady and proud and overbearing person. You chase your own fulfillment no matter the time, effort, and obstacles faced it takes for you to become your best self or accomplish your highest goals.

■ It's about a process of becoming and of long term goals.

■ Be aware of dark energy around you so you don't absorb it. Watch out for negative thoughts, they are whispers from deep waters that aren't to be taken at face value! Don't let your shadow control you, don't have delusions either.

■ You can feel a thinner veil with spirituality, make sure it's good influence.

■ For week 1 you got the advice: chase your highest dreams because you'll reach them, but be very smart about them and don't bite more than you can currently chew.

■ In the second week you may feel you're standing in unstable ground and what you have is nothing but the beginning if an abundant life. You'll be aware of how careful you need to be, nurture yourself and you'd goals as you would tend to a newborn in your arms.

■ In the third week, some of you will be blessed with your grandmother, mother, or feminine spiritual guide or family member. Your ancestry of female line or feminine entities will bring you a strike of luck, or you'll realize how deeply loved you truly are by them and how rare this love is. Thus can refer to people who have passed away.

■ Finally, I do think you'll be paid either due to this lucky strike of rhe previous week or due to something you've done before. A woman you know may help clear your doubts or uncertainties about the future. You may be thinking "where do I stand" with a woman in your life, thinking of her role, just don't overthink for nothing, avoid making confusions worse for no reason.

☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆

Pile 3

Strength , Five of Pentacles , Eight of Pentacles , Seven of Cups , Wheel of Fortune■Bouquet , Sun , Bear , Woman , Rider■Jupiter in scorpio in the 11th house■Week 1: Scythe , Stork , Birds. - BIRD-FLYING: News is on the way.■Week 2: Mice , Scythe , Man. - MOON: Changes in your life.■Week 3: Ring , Birds , Snake. - CRIB: Birth or conception of a child or enterprise.■Week 4: Clover , Lily , Stork. - CARRIAGE: A journey either physically or mentally.

■Cards were drawn from the Divination Table

■ A powerful woman may offer you a job that will improve your situation and define your fate.

■ Sorry this is short, but there's a rich woman here. If that's you, then you'll greatly chanfe someone's life. If not, then I believe you'll be greatly assisted.

■ You'll have an upgrade you only dreamed of before.

■ Some friends may be jealous of your success or of the fact you're closer to your dreams.

■ Dude... You'll receive good news NOW! A swift message or rumor of positive evebt reaches your ears and may change your situation for the better in the 1st week of the month.

■ Then, say bye-bye to a man who's been a leach in your life. This person (or situation) has no room in your life, baby. For some people, it's another man who'll enable you or help you transition somehow.

■ You start a new partnership, job, or venture with a powerful person or organization from whom you'll learn a lot.

■ Finally, a sudden new year vacation. Or a lucy trip that leads you yo your destiny.

■ Somehow, in some aspect of your life, you'll find yourself this month.

☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆

Pile 4

Ten of Pentacles , Ten of Swords , The Lovers , King of Swords , The Magician■Ring , Whip , Book , House , Stars■Moon in capricorn in the 4th house■Week 1: Ship , Woman , Tree. - PIG: Beware of greed■Week 2: Dog , Clover , Sun. - CLOUDS: Temporary problems.■Week 3: Clover , Ring , Mice. - KANGAROO: Unsettled times. Need to plan ahead.■Week 4: Rider , Fish , Birds. - BARREL: You feel something is lacking in your life. Could be love, money, goals.

■Cards were drawn from the Divination Table

■ There is a restructuring in your home or family or in your close relationships.

■ One thing ends to give way to a new thing that also emerges this month.

■ You meet the right person, finds the right house. There are emotional and actual changes in what you hold close to you.

■ If a family member is cold, too smart, or keeps secrets, and you're bound to them, soon you may no longer be.

■ You're capable of manifesting your dream life. You'll do it. Others may appear to create with you, bit YOU will do it.

■ In the first week you may work with a female family member or older woman. Don't ask for too much money, don't ask for more than what you truly want because she will perceive it if you're asking for more just because you think she/they can pay you.

■ The second week may be slightly annoying with small things that you need to solve, you have some anxiety of how things will turn out. Ultimately, you solve everything you need with the help of your friends!

■ The third week is the one in which you realize who's the shady person or what's been holding you back. You plan on how to deal with it in the future because you realize these people or situations won't change

■ I think you end the month having clarity of what you desire. You pay attention to what others have, but this isn't a toxic nor envious comparison. You may talk about your money goals with friends. You may set your eyes on a new potential love interest.

[thiefcatmoth]

pac: what could you try in the occult arts?

general reading. pick a pile, listening to your intuition. if nothing resonates, leave this pac behind.

pile 1

how about trying to make dreamcatchers for your loved ones? or wind chimes? these instruments are relatively simple, but when made with good intentions, with magical power embedded, they bring many positive changes to the lives of those to whom they are given, from clearing thoughts to changing the atmosphere in the room. you have the power to bring these changes to others, and the process of creating these amulets will help you better reveal your creative abilities and gain generosity of energy.

pile 2

i suspect you've never tried this, but you could try smoke or steam divination. this is a rare form of divination, similar to water or mirror divination - you look at the figures the smoke shows you, and they tell you a story about the past, present and future. try lighting your favorite candle and blowing it out, watching the smoke sway, prepare the smudging ritual and look into the clouds. or even add your favorite essential oil to hot water and watch the rising steam speak to you. just remember to protect your respiratory system and your eyes, be careful.

pile 3

manifestation. moreover, you can turn not only to well known written forms, but also try vocal manifestation. first, listen to your voice, to every word you say, and try to endow them not only with meaning, but also with power. each of your words is important and weighty, remember this, and be confident in yourself and your desires. if you do not like the sound of your speaking voice, try using other sounds or also singing. the human voice is very transformative, and this will give you many opportunities to embody your will in sound.

pile 4

try working with the moon and making moon water. the moon helps to develop intuition, look deep into yourself and explore what can never be described in words. and moon water can help you on the path to knowing others and yourself. for many, moon water is a tool for clearing the mind and energy - and you can try using it by adding it to your bath to charge yourself with the energy of the moon, revealing your potential more fully.

pile 5

have you ever tried to create talismans? these are small special objects that can look completely different. they often help to overcome adversity, they protect, provide support. talismans are created with pure intentions and are given to those for whom they are intended - these are deeply individual objects that you yourself cover with the necessary symbols, use the necessary materials and choose the colors and textures.

pile 6

try cleansing rituals with earth or salt. you may have tried this before, but there is always a new twist on old. you can write down everything you want to get rid of and bury this text at a crossroads. you can create a witch's bottle for cleansing, using salt, stones and even bones that suit your intentions. and if you don't have access to such objects but want to cleanse your own body, soul and mind, get out into nature, touch the Earth with your hands and ask it to ease your burdens.

thanks for the reading!

dividers by @strangergraphics-archive, all images are not mine