#goetic imagery

[bobonboon]

One’s testament to a god is shown with their support in your hardship. Remain alive without picking at your wounds.

[majestativa]

The dreams themselves offer a number of clues; they begin to suggest in their imagery a kind of psychic map of the territory in which the poet-magician navigates his goetic course.

— PAUL WALDO SCHWARTZ ⚜️ Art and the Occult, (1975)

[prof-ramses]

Decided to rant about Striker's character and why I think he works (Warning: This ended up being massive)

The best analogy about Striker that I can make is that he isn't really a cowboy, but a comic book villain who themes himself around being a cowboy. Now that I've done the meme-y version, allow me to actually explain.

A lot of people seem to overlook that there is a single thread that holds together Striker's personality, and is the root of most of his characterization. And that thread is a need for respect.

Let's look through his appearances and explore how his obsession manifests:

Harvest Moon Festival:

In his first episode, Striker presents himself as a model Wrath imp in order to gain the trust of Millie's family and Blitz. The only person he breaks character around is Moxxie, since he assumes Moxxie's insecurity about not being good enough in the eyes of his in-laws will make him automatically respect someone who they do approve of.

He later breaks character when Blitz catches him, he tries to convince Blitz that they're too good to live their lives around the whims of nobles, he tries to show himself as someone who can get Blitz what he wants, or rather, what Striker thinks Blitz wants, again to seem like someone who's "got it figured out" .

Another note worthy thing is his very professional way of speaking with Stella in both this and the next episode he's in, we'll get back to this later.

Western Energy:

The first point of interest is easy to miss the significance of, when breaking into the Richest Cup he makes it as dramatic as possible, he's trying to show himself as dangerous enough to warrant such cocky recklessness while surrounded by goetic demons.

After he takes Stolas we see his hideout which is full of scavenged western imagery that looks like an ominous lair, but upon closer inspection is actually a meager living arrangement for a deeply troubled demon.

His actual rant to Stolas includes a line about nobles taking everything lower class demons care about, showing WHY respect is important to him, he's never felt that he, or the part of society he belongs to, have been respected, or as he later says, all nobles do is try to talk over them.

Striker torturing Stolas shows how his need for respect is reflected in him being an assassin, he thinks he can get respect through fear, that having the most primal form of authority over someone will make him feel more significant. And this is why Stolas and I.M.P. are his greatest enemies, their irreverence makes them the only targets that don't play his game, that remind him of what he really is, a desperate, fragile, hero in his own mind, willing to do whatever it takes to prove his importance, not to others, but to himself.

Once again, he's begrudgingly cordial towards Stella despite his hatred of royals, in an effort to get even a fleeting acknowledgement of his worth. Showing that his belief that he can play into people's minds to get what he wants extends to his emotional wants as well.

Oops:

Here we see Striker in a much different light, mostly due to his new employer. First off, he's much more open with his frustration and moments of weakness, despite Crimson actually being physically present there and being able to see and hear everything. I think this is because Crim is a rare example of someone Striker doesn't feel he needs respect from. Crimson is, at least in Striker's eyes, an imp who has found moderate success by mimicking the lifestyle of a royal. He might not show it, but Striker probably resents Crimson just as much as, if not more than, he resents Blitz and Fizz, since Crimson has no actual royal support (that we know of).

Speaking of Blitz and Fizz, in his interaction with them in the cage scene we get the most blatant example of Striker thinking that his victimhood as an imp makes his "accomplishments" more worthy of respect, as he completely skirts around the fact he's the only hybrid out of the three, and we also learn he's aware of all this on at least some level when he threatens Fizzarolli for comparing him to a royal due to his arrogance.

And lastly, the climax when he grabs Fizz and the moment when we get the immortal line "Why is it always a sex thing!?", and why is it always a sex thing? Why do the members of IMP and those close to them not fall for his act? Put simply, it's due to trust, no matter how skilled or intimidating he is, Striker is still a loner with no one and nothing to fall back on beside his own skill. In sharp contrast to this the main cast have strong enough bonds that they know someone will oppose him. For example, Striker's attempt at demoralizing Stolas fails because he didn't think Blitz would trust his employees enough to do the saving.

So, yeah, I think Striker currently has a better thematic through line than any other villain in the series and I'm interested in seeing where they take him next. That being said, I feel Crim could be just as great and will probably make a similar post for him after his third episode.

[thrashkink-coven]

Ritual Report: Wednesday July 26, 2023

My glorious and profound Father Lucifer, I thank you humbly for this marvellous experience as well as your permission to share this experience with my peers. You are infinite in your loving grace and wisdom. I revere you deeply and truly. Thank you, bless you. 🖤

“My Ritual with Lord Lucifer was fucking Amazing

I didn’t truly understand what everyone meant when they say that the Marvellous Light Bringer is beautiful and gracious beyond comprehension before this ritual. It’s been a day and I am still absolutely shaken and awe inspired. Ave the wonderful prince of darkness, Lord Lucifer. 🖤

Ritual with Lucifer (Holy Shit) (1)

Okay guys I’m not trying to be dramatic, seriously. I’m just super ?!??? aaaa ?? after the ritual I just did? But in a really great way. I just need to get this out and write this down because I’m ??? so happy? ? aa

I didn’t consider myself to be a Luciferian, but I’ve been reaching out to Lucifer for a little bit now, nothing super intense but I have definitely felt his presence and done some small offerings for him. Another spirit I work very often with is very close with Lucifer, and through him I came into contact with The Prince. I’ve worked a lot with other angels but I’ve only really started dabbling with Lucifer within the last year. He’s been good to me. Whatever whatever, just context.

I wanted to do something a little deeper, really get a solid good connection. Honestly, I just wanted to get to know him better. I’ve been thinking about him very often, seeing him in dreams. The energy in my room almost called for it. Idk.

A mutual of mine who also works with Lucifer suggested I try meditating with an enn. I’ve been meeting an unusually high number of people who also work with Lucifer within the past few weeks and they’re always sharing awesome resources I’ve never seen. As soon as I start thinking about him long enough I’ll see something that I could use to work with him. I recently went to a trip to Nelson BC and picked up these Hermetic Tarot Cards. Also came to find out that the town has a SUSPICIOUS amount of occult imagery (and a Freemason temple? very cool.)

Life is one funny motherfucker.

I think it’s worth noting that before I started this ritual, when I was writing up invocations for him, I drew a card out of a box of oracle cards that reads “become willing to see the innocence in that which you condemn” which I found very baffling at the time because I was grappling with nerves around the ritual. I’m like a full time witch so I usually don’t get the jitters in rituals. Angels usually never make me nervous, and Lucifer in no way scares me. I don’t at all see him as an evil scary thing, quite the opposite, but I was raised extremely Christian so it’s ingrained in me. I was just having that split second satanic panic thing. I think that’s important to acknowledge. Lovely shadow work exposing my deep prejudices and insecurities :)

I began the ritual by drawing his sigil on the desk in white chalk. I had already prepared a candle carved with the sigil. I like to use this card from the Goetic Tarot whenever I do rituals with Lucifer because the artwork is so stunning. This was also the first time I was using these Hermetic Tarot cards and they were wonderful, probably one of my favourite decks now.

After some meditative exercises and prayers I layer back on the floor and listened to music for a while. I do all my rituals like this naked. I like to listen to classical music when I’m preparing to go into a trance because it tickles my brain and is easy to ride. Gets all the goo out? I don’t know.

After a while of that I switched it to the enns…

So, the Enns…

I started with Lucifer’s Enn by Demonic Enn. It filled my chest. It was powerful and intimidating and my heart was pounding. It was overwhelming for me. What I felt in it was power, but not the Lucifer I’m familiar with I guess. A different aspect of Lucifer that is mighty and strong but unfamiliar. Not my Lucifer.

((Honestly the instrumentals are top tier and I really could feel it’s power but the dude’s voice just threw me off. I’m sorry I don’t know if we’re allowed to leave reviews on enns but it just wasn’t my favourite.))

It scrambled the fuck out of me and it made me nervous again. I started to doubt myself and wondered if I was making a mistake. I know that sounds stupid but I was caught in the adrenaline. What if the Lucifer I’ve felt all this time isn’t what I thought? I know that everyone experiences him differently, but what if I’m reaching out to someone I don’t really understand? I know Lord Lucifer is an extremely powerful entity and I don’t wanna fuck around and do something stupid, yknow?

I sat for a moment and then asked my deck the first question of the ritual. “What advice can you give me to continue this ritual? Am I making a mistake?”

I got this Nine of Swords, Lord of Despair and Cruelty.

“The Nine of Swords suggests that dark thoughts and disturbing feelings are weighing you down. You are worrying excessively about a situation, and your negative thoughts are getting the better of you, leaving you stressed and anxious. The more you associate with your fears, the more they will rule your life. The fear and worry in the Nine of Swords can become a self-fulfilling prophecy. As you obsess over what may go wrong, you are more likely to manifest your worst-case scenario.”

I was freaking myself out, and I needed to calm down. The jitters were holding me back and I needed to regain focus. Stop being a little bitch, basically. And idk… as soon as I read that card, I was calm again, and the energy felt warm. He needed me to preserve. I was safe with him, and he was guiding me through the darkness. If he is the Lucifer I know him to be, he will guide me well.

I tried one more enn which was Lucifer’s Enn by Carl Spartacus. Beautiful.

This is the most vivid trance I have ever been in. Like holy shit. I don’t know how best to describe this without sounding totally crazy. My body completely relaxed as I fell into the music. My face got warm, I felt embrace around my shoulders and chest. As soon as it began I saw a warm light emerge from the darkness behind my eyes. The familiar energy of the Lucifer I’ve come to know emerged. I felt close to him like I always had, it was like he was standing right before me. Like he could just reach out and touch me.

I emerged in shrubbery, I was surrounded by trees and bushes. As I turned to look into the clearing I saw a magnificent illuminating light. The energy was rich, so heavy I could reach out and grab it. I felt warmth blanket my entire body, and I began to drift from the ground and float towards him. If I didn’t know any better Id fucking swear I was levitating in the real world. It felt that real. His energy elevated and touched every part of my body and filled it with absolute bliss. There were others there, naked men and women surrounding him and singing, floating around him with laughter and glee. We were in a large stretch of field now, prancing around like children, the drum of his energy pounding like thunder and lifting us into the air. I didn’t know these people, if they were spirits or humans, but we were all in love with each other. We held hands and swung each other around. We were all so happy to be together.

Lucifer was a tall masculine energy with long black hair and deep, gentle, wise black eyes. Like all the others he was naked and seemed to glow. He took us all up and we drifted among the clouds. He danced with us, his smile was light itself.

This was all so vivid. I could feel the wind and heat on my skin. I got butterflies as we drifted. I actually felt like I was floating. Honestly I was high on it, maybe I still am.

And then, I felt my body sit forward, and I returned to our world. The candle which I had carved Lucifer’s sigil on stood tall and I could feel him within the flame. He whispered for me to come closer. It was then that I heard his voice. His smooth, gentle, careful voice. It was a whisper that washed over me like mist. Had I not been in such a high state of mind it would have scared the shit out of me.

He said in great vividness “Why have you come before me?” (Deal time!!!)

I replied simply that I wanted to know him. I said that I could not worship him, for I must worship myself. I seek him not for religion but because I have great love and reverence for him. Through magick we can connect and come to know each other. I hope only that he can show me how to be more like him. Powerful and dominant, warm and protective. He is beautiful, illuminating knowledge and purity. I want nothing more than to know him as one would know an old friend. Behold his energy, magnificent and splendid. May we dance together like we just did for as long as it serves us. He seemed very satisfied with that answer.

Lucifer commanded me to draw a card from the tarot deck, the question to which was essentially “will you take me as one of you kin, Lord Lucifer?”

I drew the Sun. Lord of the Fire of the World. Success, radiance and abundance. The Sun gives you strength and tells you that no matter where you go or what you do, your positive and radiant energy will follow you and bring you happiness and joy. This beautiful, warm energy is what will get you through the tough times and help you succeed.

We then spoke for a bit about fire and its ability to purify. It is a powerful force with the power to harm, but it is a mighty cleanser of impurity. He asked me to put my hand above the flame to feel it’s heat. I promised to always respect that flame. Allow it to burn away all that does not serve us, to never abuse it, to never try to control it. He kissed me on the forehead.

I was beyond happy. I offered him my smoky quarts and obsidian tower just to give him something, and when I did I saw him bow to me when he reached out to accept. I bowed back, and he bid me farewell for now. When I was finally completely out of the trance, his protective energy was still there. Actually it’s still everywhere, filling my altar. I can’t describe this feeling.

I can’t explain how rich and beautiful that energy was, how marvellous it felt to float in his orbit like that. The physical sensations were realer than reality. I’m still shaken. I feel ridiculously lucky which is a strange feeling I’ve never really had with a deity before. It’s so strong. aaa

I can’t bring myself to clean up the ritual lol.

Thanks for reading this holy fuck, I guess I’m a bit of a Luciferian now “

Ave the wondrous Lord Lucifer! ❤️🖤

[elixirvitae]

Alucard- Occult References

I’m putting my slideshow into text post format, so buckle up! It’s history lesson time!

The “Cromwell Initiative” is most likely a reference to Oliver Cromwell, a leader of Parliament armies during the English Civil War during the 17th century. Despite being one of Britain’s most widely regarded controversial figures, he was chosen as one of the Ten Greatest Britons” in a 2002 BBC poll.

A legend surrounds Cromwell. It is said that on the eve of the Battle of Worcester, Cromwell snuck away from the camp and met the Devil in the woods. In exchange for 7 years of prosperity, he would give his soul. He died precisely seven years after. So, who in Hellsing Cromwell contract sold his soul? Alucard to Abraham for survival, or Abraham to Alucard in exchange for a lethal weapon he could wield and monetize?

Alchemy is referenced in the content of Alucard’s characterization as well. The quote inscribed on Alucard’s coffin (in Ultimate, it is written in its original Greek language) is translated as “The Bird of Hermes is my name/ Eating my wings to make me tame.” This quote is taken from the 15th century alchemical work known as the Ripley Scroll. While George Ripley is the suspected author and artist behind the scroll, the Hermes named is a reference to Hermes Trismegistus, a philosophy figure that was the product of merging the Greek god Hermes with Thoth, the Egyptian god of knowledge and wisdom.

The quote is taken from a part of the scroll that allegedly details the way to obtain the Philosopher’s Stone, a commonly sought after target by alchemists seeking power, immortality, and enlightenment.

The Left-Hand Path, which is one part of a dichotomy opposite the Right-Hand Path, focuses more on the elevation of the self through reaching one’s own potential, while rejecting religious authority and most commonly rejecting the notion of a higher power. Laveyan Satanism, Theistic Satanism, and Luciferianism are all Left-Hand Paths. We see references to Satanism in Alucard’s gestures, both in the inverted cross commonly (and widely mistakenly) associated with Satanism, and in the positions of his hands which match those of the iconic imagery of Baphomet.

Speaking of his hands, let’s look at his gloves. Working from the outside in, we find Theban script, also known as the Witches’ Alphabet. Hirano’s Theban is poor, but we can make out enough to correct the script into what translates to “Hellsing”, “Hell’s Gate Arrested”, and “Shine Heaven Now”. 

Closest to Alucard’s wrist, we see a number of 812. Knowing Hirano, this could just be a random number but I think the number refers to Gematria, a Jewish alphanumeric code that assigns numeric value to words and phrases, originally meant for the Torah. My favorite phrase I found that has a Gematric value of 812 is “Lucifer Begotten Son”, which would fall in line with the byname “Dracula” translating to “Son of the Dragon/Devil”. 

And then we have the sigil, all placed within a circle. The sigil itself is reminiscent of those belonging to Goetic demons, found in the Ars Goetia, a section of “The Lesser Key of Solomon”. In the Ars Goetia, the Goetic demons images, descriptions, and sigils are displayed. For example, here is Astaroth’s sigil.

I think the way the sigil glows during the Cromwell Invocation means the sigil acts like a binding to Alucard as the sigils of the Goetic demons act to them.  The characters around the five-pointed star in Alucard’s sigil contain the alchemical symbols for Uranus and Neptune, representing the elements of Air and Water respectively, and stylized characters from other languages and cultures that represent the other three elements Fir, Earth, and Spirit.  And that’s all I can remember now, save for the references made in Stoker’s novel. I hope these are fun facts, because I have had fun picking up on them over the years.

[cybercultnzicd]

Goetic Magic  using autonomous imagery to produce flows of mnemonic information. Usually, this term is synonymous with spirits of the dead, whether they used to be human or they’re Something Else depends on your interpretation (lemurs, daemons, dreams, delusions, etc.)  Classic Concept Creation: 1. You get a group together of at least an virtualist and a cybersemiotician 2. Construct a sensory environment of potent encoding specificity with intensive narrative association. 3. Cybersemiotician starts the machine by instantiating a mnemonic device (rite or ritual, often connected to a mythology, or else will become so) 4. Generative query of the virtualists interpretive reality as the virtualist couples with the device, evoking a daemonic inscription onto their psyche. 5. The cybersemiotician transcribes and maps these evocations, thus compiling a mythology of daemonic residue. 6. Through continued dyadic ritualization, the scene should come alive as a hypno-gothik image crystal.

[agentgrange]

FIELD NOTES 9-30-22

ON LLOIGOR & THE DEMIURGE

------

Part of my ongoing ideas on blending Lovecraftian themes and mainstays with modern magical principles and UFOology means looking at one of my favorite historical entities-- The llloigor.

Lloigor have always been these formless parasitic wells of bad psychic vibes and are able to merge into one larger entity as a Lloigor Field. Their ability to manifest as dragon-like physical entities has kind of stuck as how they're represented, but at the end of the day these are just holographic projection on reality using the orgone energy the Lloigor syphoned from living creatures. It takes an immense amount of energy to do and will leave the Lloigor dormant for years after, so I imagine they just have a preferred "optimized" form as a dragon or wyrm when threatened as a sort of battle form.

When I make a campaign I portray Lloigors less as a specific race of reptilian invisible aliens but fragments of a greater parasitic cosmic energy that broke from one original, massive Lloigor Field. Depictions of the Demiurge and Yaboloath originate from this larger being feeding on the suffering of the material world, with many poltergeist hauntings, "demonic" possessions, or other manifestations of negative energy being a fragment of this greater force attempting to rejoin the whole. What Delta Green interprets as the "Lloigor" phenomenon are just one of many forms fragments of the Demiurge Lloigor Field manifests as, along with Goetic demons, southeastern Naga and other malevolent serpent imagery in other cultures.

While gnostic myself I typically omit portraying how this manifests in non-European cultures however, to avoid misrepresenting them or projecting problematic themes where they don't really fit so if you have any insights into how to adapt and represent this more universally please let me know.

[comparativetarot]

The Devil. Art by Joe Sparrow.

The Devil is another one of those cards that seem bad at face value but are widely misinterpreted… kind of. It simply depicts a focus on “earthly” values.

As humans we have clearly developed an appreciation for the immaterial, the theoretical, even the spiritual - to such an extent that we sometimes lose our connection to the ruddier, physical end of existence. The Devil is a reminder that that “low end” exists; that the physical sensations that make up our lives, good and bad, are just as important as the lofty structure we imagine onto the universe around us.

The Devil is usually accompanied by some common imagery, some of which I’ve used. The typical image depicts him with a man and a woman in chains - the implication being that our “earthly desires” can enslave us. I like this symbol but I don’t like its association with the classical concept of sin. I prefer the interpretation that the chain is there simply because the physical element of our universe is inescapable - we’re inseparable from it (for the time being, at least).

He’s also commonly seen with an inverted pentagram, a star whose points stand for the four “elements” - earth, fire, water, air, and (nebulously) “spirit”. The purpose for the inversion is fairly straightforward - it represents the four material elements being on top and “spirit” being on the bottom! I didn’t use it here because it felt a little hackneyed.

Finally - the design of the big guy himself is based on a mixture of the goetic demon Baal (a favourite of mine) and Dante’s famous depiction of Satan.

[jakattax]

Tell me 3 great things that you have achieved with magic

Hey anon! Ooh that’s a very good question!

1:) ritual evocation of the Goetic spirit of Buer. Years ago at university my ritual partner had quite a bad experience during a ritual for Buer. A few months later I decided to conduct another to Buer, mainly to apologise but for personal medical reasons also. It was one of the most rewarding evocations I’ve conducted in terms of manifestations. I straight up got the typical Louis Breton interpretation of Buer, being a great lion with many, circular legs. It was just an amazing experience all around.

2:) for quite a while I was a tad obsessed with the headless/bornless rite. As in I’d be conducting it on a daily basis for an intended month long period. Around two weeks in I started to flounder and stopped doing it on a daily basis, which I think is quite reasonable. It is a tad lengthy and exerts a fair bit of energy. I had the most bizarre and abstract dreams during this period of regular headless rite. Like I can’t precisely remember the imagery but you know that scene in Doctor Strange when the Ancient One sends him through the Multiverse! Yeh it was precisely like that. Just a torrent of colours, sights and sounds that were utterly eldritch but I was utterly convinced that I was being exposed to something greater, something possibly divine in nature. Unfortunately I’ve not had an experience like this since.

3:) this is going back to baby jack who practised more traditional English witchcraft and Wicca than ceremonial magic. It was something really tiny yet hugely significant. I was kind of egged on by kids to make it rain you know the whole “prove it! Do something!” So I did an incredible easy incantation from a Book of Shadows that I always carried. And it rained on cue. All I can remember is that they ran off in mild fear of the little kid who controlled the weather. At the time I genuinely took it for coincidence, but now being older and wiser this was my first successful spell. Hence it’s significance.

Thanks anon! Awesome question as ever ☺️☺️

[sithisreadingcorner]

May 2nd 2004, 🧿. I feel as though my deity Astaroth has a message for me but I am unable to use divination to figure out what it is rn. If you are able to could you do a tarot reading on waht they have to say?

Welcome Anon! Astaroth... as in the goetic demon? Very well. As usual, trust your own judgement before whatever I say, there may be messages that remain hidden between the lines for your eyes only.

the devil eight of wands. three of wands reversed. four of cups ten of wands reversed. five of swords. the lovers

There is something that Astaroth seems unhappy with.. not something that you did, but rather just the trajectory that you are taking overall. You are way too caught up in something that, in their belief, seems completely trivial, and is merely a distraction. If you don't believe that this is a big deal, perhaps in the very moment it isn't, but if you consider a bigger perspective, you may see that this is becoming self-defeating, and even self-sabotaging on the long run. For one, it adds up over time and begins a slippery slope downward. And on the other hand, there is some kind of change on the way that you probably already know about and you should be preparing for, but you are not learning or adapting, just staying in one place and allowing yourself to become entangled in these distractions. You still have enough time to correct course, but the best time is now.

I don't really know what this is about, but I see some kind of misplaced emotional attachment to someone or something, and a lot of fights with people. I think that you are trying to fight for something that is either not worth it, or might have already slipped out of your hands. This might be really hard to hear, I'm sorry. But if that's any consolation, it seems as if it were healthier to let this go anyway. It doesn't seem like it was good for you or serving you in any way.

This might sound odd because I don't really see into the details of what is going on with you, but I find myself, just somehow intuitively, not completely agreeing with Astaroth. Maybe you have disagreed on something recently and you also have a point. Try to talk this out with them more directly. But I will say one thing, that this is just my personal opinion but you are clearly procrastinating with this allegedly trivial thing for a reason, and instead of blindly replacing one coping mechanism with another, maybe you should try to think about it and investigate that reason. What are you running away from? Why are you scared? Not mental health advice but this is what I would be thinking about right now.

What I thought of seeing the lovers card is that you have to make a choice, or perhaps your choices in general, not just drifting with the flow and the impulse but very consciously. However i also think that there is something about this card that was perhaps only for you to understand. Ponder the snake imagery, perhaps that came up for a reason.

I hope this was helpful, and good luck Anon. I believe that you will be able to turn right what went sideways. 🧿

tip 💜

january readings

[b4phomet]

i heard of ppl asking deities for signs before they start to work with them to see if interest is mutual(ex. sending imagery to u to remind u of them), would goetics do this? ive been question working with stolas recently & i think i inadvertently asked for a sign, & then the other day i was smacked in the face(metaphorically) w a license plate that said BIG OWL. could be coincidence ofc but? im heavily question if a goetic even WOULD since they usually are summoned to begin communcating w them?

lord im so srry i forgot to reply to this, i’ve been really busy and in a weird place 😷

i don’t see why they wouldn’t, they want followers too, not just deities. demons reach out to people before people reach out to them sometimes, it could be him trying to communicate with you. i suppose if you see it a couple more times without looking too hard, i’d say it’s a sign 🐢

[ckret2]

Man, it took like one day for this post to reach somebody who thinks I magically forgot that Christian eschatology exists, rather than thinking that maybe, just maybe, I'm explicitly referring to Christian eschatology.

You say "you forgot God exists" in the tags like you think I didn't consider "if Hell is attempting to cause the apocalypse then obviously Heaven led by God is their enemy" TOO OBVIOUS to bring up—and also IRRELEVANT to the question of "is this funny cartoon about by demons gonna feature Armageddon?"

See, the fact that the Bible features end-of-the-world lore is, as it happens, the reason this song makes me wonder whether they'll use it that lore in the show. Because up until now, aside from "oh hey, Heaven & Hell exist, and also the devil has a child and we're gonna make 666 references," there's been no indication that the show plans on drawing its plotline, specifically, from the Book of Revelation, much less that it plans on featuring the apocalypse itself during the runtime of the show.

Because just because something happens to be featured in the Bible doesn't necessarily mean it's going to be featured in the show—and, vice versa, just because it ISN'T featured in the Bible doesn't mean it WON'T be featured in the show. Examples: Lilith isn't a figure in the Bible (she isn't even a figure in CHRISTIANITY, she comes from Judaism) and yet she's in the show. The seven deadly sins aren't from the Bible (the earliest concept is 4th century and was EIGHT evils, not seven; and was from a paper written by a monk, not from the Bible), and yet the seven deadly sins appear to be getting used in the show, based on the fact that Hell is apparently divided into seven rings—which is also not a Biblical idea, the rings come from Dante's Inferno; and which also means the show is contradicting the Inferno, which divided Hell into NINE circles, not seven—so the change from nine to seven suggests a tie to the (again, not-Biblical) seven deadly sins...

Even Stolas (along with all other Goetic demons) isn't from the Bible. The Goetic demons originally come from the Pseudomonarchia Daemonum, a list of demons published in 1577. Meaning that going "I wonder what role he'd have in the apocalypse" is due to the fact that, according to Biblical lore, he doesn't HAVE an assigned role, since he doesn't exist in the Book of Revelation. And while the Pseudomonarchia Daemonum is happy to mention that Stolas is cooperative with humans and is an expert in plants, minerals, and astrology, it DOESN'T mention that he's a gay bottom in a strained marriage who's trying to connect to his teenage goth daughter... so, yknow, clearly Hazbin/Helluva are willing to branch out past established historical characterizations for these characters—so what else are they going to change around for the sake of making an entertaining story? So while it's obvious the song here is using some apocalyptic imagery, that doesn't guarantee there WILL be an apocalypse in the show, or if there is one, that it's gonna be portrayed the same way as in Biblical lore.

So, tl;dr: if someone goes "I wonder if [certain concept that's mentioned in the Bible] is going to show up in Hazbin/Helluva?" it's probably NOT because they forgot about the existence of the biggest religion on the planet—much less that they forgot the main setting of the shows. It's probably because they're wondering how much of that religion is going to be used in a cartoon show.

Is it just me or was Stolas's song, like, super ominous?

"as the stars start to align"?

"if the seven rings collapse, although the day could be my last"?

"when I'm gone you'll be okay"—not if, when, like he expects he WILL be gone

"when creation goes to die, you can find me in the sky upon the last day"

Now, maybe lullabies about the apocalypse are just normal and traditional in Hell, the way that a lot of us just sorta grew up with a lullaby about a baby in a cradle at the top of a tree and just didn't question it—but without knowing if that's the case... it sure sounds very end-of-the-world-y.

I wonder if Helluva is gonna be playing with the idea of some sort of apocalyptic endtime scenario—and whether if, as a high-ranking and clearly powerful demon, Stolas knows it's coming and is preparing for his assigned part in the apocalypse.

[swordarkeereon]

Movie Review: Hereditary #horror #demons

There was a LOT of vitriol and criticism of this movie within the non-generational Daemonolatry community when it came out.  I generally roll my eyes when people criticize movies like this because movies are fiction and the simple fact is that the idea of supernatural demons scares a lot of people. Not to mention daemons have been used as plot devices to scare the pants off of primarily Judeo-Christian audiences since the nineteen-sixties at least.  That’s not going to change.  The sooner occultists accept this and move on, the more they can save their outrage for things that matter, like racial and gender inequality or the skyrocketing prices of housing.

I have only recently gotten around to seeing this film after certain friends – generational friends – who loved it, kept prodding me to see it  – and the truth is: I wasn’t expecting to like it at all because I also had close friends who hated the movie with a passion due to the stigma of mental illness that the film perpetuated – which is a fair criticism.

I already had it set in my mind that it was likely stupid, contrived, and rehashed nonsense as I’d heard it compared to The Exorcist and Rosemary’s Baby – both fun yarns in their own right.  

So first — I felt this was a well-done psychological horror film. Absolutely amazing AND (now I’m going to say something that may piss off some fledgling Daemonolaters who may not understand this) the choice of including the Daemon Paimon in the movie was both brilliant and astute on the part of the writer(s).

Let me tell you why.

If you, as a magician, were working through emotional issues and family trauma — out of the entire Goetic hierarchy — Paimon would be an excellent and, dare I say, the most logical choice for that. What do Daemons make us do? Face our fears and our traumas in order to grow, change, and become stronger.

The writer of the film had a more solid understanding of the Daemonic than a lot of folks gave him/her credit for. In this film, Paimon becomes a metaphor for the emotional trauma we carry with us – and the need to face that fear of our emotional inheritance and to find the strength to keep going.  ::mic drop::

It’s so fucking obvious.

SPOILER ALERT: When Peter, at the end, becomes a host for Paimon – that whole scene is a metaphor for survival. To draw in Paimon is to draw strength and to keep going, and hopefully begin healing emotionally. It is only through Paimon that Peter can survive at all. The horror in this story is actually that the mother (who is likely already mentally ill – as some mental illness is oftentimes hereditary) snaps after both her mother and daughter die, kills her husband and herself — leaving her son as the only survivor. He blames himself for his sister’s death and the chain reaction it started. THAT psychological trauma is the horror. Paimon is the one who saves Peter from that horror and helps him continue on despite it.

Now – about the coven. We assume the coven is actually making all of this happen in order to drive the mother into madness, destroy the family, etc… in order to take Peter as a host for Paimon. But notice that the only time you actually see the coven – they’re trying to help. We don’t see them put the dead body of the grandmother in the attic — that could be the mother’s psychotic delusion or something she did herself (there are hints that a lot of what the mother is seeing is due to a psychotic break and is not a supernatural reality). The mother fears the coven due to her own paranoia and mental illness. The mother’s POV is not to be trusted. The only time we actually see the coven — they are there to help the mother through the trauma of losing her daughter. They are there to support Peter after his ordeal of losing his entire family. Also notice that Peter doesn’t change a whole lot after Paimon “possesses” him at the end. He still looks traumatized – even “as” Paimon. Which is a huge clue that the Daemon didn’t possess him in the same way most horror films portray Daemonic possession. So the possession didn’t solve everything or change him. It was only the first step in Peter’s journey to survival and healing. Just my thoughts on the matter.

ADDED: A FB friend also pointed out that the beheading imagery is about Peter’s transcendence (transcendence of his own limitations brought on by the trauma), which I also agree with. I viewed that last scene as a fresh start or new beginning for Peter, which goes hand in hand with that transcendence imagery.

This was yet another one of those movies where occultists either get the meaning behind it and understand the horror, or they don’t – much like A Dark Song or The Ninth Gate. People who know nothing of the Abramelin Rite didn’t “get” A Dark Song.  People who don’t enjoy Polanski’s puzzles and subtle foreshadowing don’t “get” The Ninth Gate (a movie I originally HATED btw until someone pointed out a few things – like the fact that the journey matters, and that without the work – magick will often fail). Just like occultists who don’t truly understand Paimon as the Goetia’s equivalent of the Water Element and his role in emotional healing won’t get Hereditary (or will find it offensive for its use of Paimon in the story).

If you absolutely hated this movie, re-watch it with the above in mind and see if it grows on you. Of course with all things, art is subjective. I would no more be offended by someone who hated it and found it offensive, than I would be by someone who loved it for what it was: a fictional psychological horror film about fractured family and the emotional/psychological trauma we inherit (and must overcome). 

The novel A Headful of Ghosts by Paul Tremblay comes to mind, which I highly recommend if you haven’t read it.

[kmclaude]

Was all of the mirror symbolism and imagery in 99rm a reference to the usage of mirrors, specifically black-backed mirrors, in some forms of Goetic summoning?

Sure let's go with that.(Or リング)

[ordosonituslux]

Hello! Are you still selling readings on etsy? If you are, do you have any advice for formulating an appropriate and proper question for your tarot cards? Especially the Goetic ones. Thank you!

Sorry it took so long to answer you anon, but I am pleased to say that we do still sell readings through Etsy at this time! When asking a question to any deck, I find that leaving it an open ended question is one of the most important things.  Because of the nature of tarot cards (and oracle cards), yes or no questions just don’t work, and honestly, I would recommend using a pendulum for those. Or a divination coin. The cards tell a story, they are full of imagery and often, certain things will jump out more than others in a given reading, allowing the reader to put the pieces together to form the narrative the cards want to tell.  Allowing the cards room to make a story is crucial in getting the most out of a reading. Personally, I enjoy doing readings about a person’s spiritual path the most.  I like sitting down with the cards and with the demons I work with, and asking what sort of guidance the person needs, what sort of things they might be overlooking, and what sort of shadows they need to face down in order to make further progress.  The small consultations that I do are great for this, because I am able to ask whom among the demons represented has something that you need to learn at this specific point in your path.  Sometimes, that’s all someone really needs to affirm the pull they have recently been experiencing or to break through a spiritual block, where they aren’t sure what to work on next.

[weirwoodforest]

I’ve been working on this big drawing of Aloy and Terra and I’ve made a lot of progress on it, but my arm is starting to tense up. Gonna take a break tomorrow... I found out that The Polar Bear King is on Vimeo so after I get home from doing some errands I’ll probably watch it along with that Russian mermaid movie that I found out is on YouTube :)

Also I watched Hereditary tonight and loved it. I don’t love “mental illness is actually goetic demons” but it wasn’t like, the main point of the movie and I highly enjoyed the goetic demons and just the creepy imagery in the movie. I can’t wait for Midsommer!

(Also yes, I am still not a big movie person, but when I get rolling on a big project and I start getting RSI pain, I NEED to watch movies or else I will just keep making art and irritating my RSI further)