The Magical Phenomena (Ritual Preparation)

I consider a demonic ritual an extremely solemn ceremony, so my place for work is like a temple sanctuary. I'm so glad I wasn't born in the 17th century - I couldn't have escaped. 

The components of a ritual, in addition to the essentials like sigils, can be improvised based on their significance to the magician. I consider my craft a league on its own because of the results, so I give myself a lot of credit, and I mix my knowledge with my personal taste. 

Before the casting, there must be a sense of respect brought to the preparation. I show mine with the elements chosen. 

I won't share certain things, but here is some. Oh, and important: in all my years of practicing and casting, I don’t think I have ever cast a circle.  

A Clean Space

One of the things that really surprised me about demonic magick was to know demons truly appreciate clean and tidy spaces. The reason is very simple: if they are going to appear somewhere, it had better be a beautiful and immaculate place. 

My first rituals ever were performed in my villa's cellar - well, because I mistakenly believed that my house needed to be protected from the energy of my work. How silly. The cellar was old and musty, smelled of wine and was cold as ice in winter and hot as hell during the warmer months of the year. Made me feel very miserable before the rituals. One summer night, I woke up around 2 AM with the uncontrollable desire to have the cellar clean as a whistle. Not only I spent two hours tidying up it like a maniac, but the morning after, I felt the need to buy crazy cleaning products I've never used in my life, like a scrubbing brush, and I ordered a portable air conditioner that costed me a lot of money. 

Now, I can call myself an hygiene freak. Is not that I was slovenly before, but my way to see any space of mine changed radically after my full immersion in witchcraft. It was nice, but strange. 

No surprise, one of my favorite grimoires contained the answer: one straightforward aspect of work with demons involves cleanliness. Ritual baths were always present in ancient magical practices, and even more, special washes were required before demonic evocations. For example, before speaking with Lucifer, one must be carefully cleaned as a sign of respect. Clean white linen cloth and shiny and polished plates are often mentioned in major magical operations. Others warned us to not let "nothing hanging or on hooks" before a spell. 

And we are talking about a period in history when concepts of hygiene were very rare.

A clean house is a very positive space and demons push us to be well groomed. After all, being a Luciferian is being a part of the elite. It should not come as surprise if you find yourself becoming more and more refined, poised and suddenly adopting a new routine involving cleaning, putting things together and adoring expensive objects. 

This habit is not of sinister nature, but should be seen as a warning that demonic magick is not to be taken lightly. Laziness, messiness, losing the opportunity to reach your full potential, being your worse enemy... these are negative attributes not appreciated by demons. They want you to blossom. 

Modesty aside, my home could be featured in an interiors magazine. This is usually a sign of a successful practitioner. Beware of any witch who is and looks broke. If they don't live the life, they have nothing to offer you. 

The Sacred Oil

The heart of the ritual is the working, but believing talent is the only thing that matters is far from the truth. I believe that atmosphere may be strongly underrated or overrated when it comes to magic rituals. Allow me to explain. 

Do I use the famous Abramelin Oil? No, I don't. The reason is I don't need it. Abramelin oil is used for several modern occult traditions, but let's not forget is an adaptation of the Jewish holy oil described in the Old Testament. In my practice, I refuse to believe in rules that have no sense to me and I don't want to follow instructions that come from a book for which I feel no respect. This includes tedious conjurations, salt circles, archaic languages and other paraphernalia. 

Back to the oil thing. Interestedly, the most know Abramelin Oil recipe is barely tolerable for the skin due to the huge amount of cinnamon essential oil that contains. You can buy the safe version online, but some of the metaphysical stores which provide it claim to send it blessed, and who knows what this means. 

That said, anointing yourself before a ritual is highly recommended. My secret formula contains rosemary, opoponax resin and lavender. 

Candles

My magical phenomena, the preparation before a demonic ritual, is full of personality. It inspires me through the paths of life and mysteries. Glamorous, but I admit, also a little crazy and over the top. 

I'm a regular customer of the oldest candlemaker in the world, which was the official candle supplier of the French court and their great churches in the 17th century.  Made in Normandy, these candles of exceptional quality not only represent opulence and power, but the true dedication to a craft, values that I believe are quintessential to any advanced demonic ritual. They are truly expensive, but an excellent investment. 

Some witches enjoy a prolonged ceremony of candle cleansing but I personally find this step unnecessary and redundant. However, I do like to anoint a few with my special blend of magical oils. 

My candles and the other elements that I use make my magical space look like an ancient room that hasn't been disturbed for years, waiting patiently for the spirits to appear.

Chants

A chant is a sentence of invitation for demons, entities and spirits to add their energies to our magical workings. Chants or enn are sound frequencies and good tools to test the waters. For people who don't have access to magic supplies due to their location or financial situation, chants are highly appreciated by spirits. Demons are excellent at sensing intent. 

My personal problem with them is that chanting doesn't feel uplifting. I once assisted in a shamanic session for dispelling ghosts that involved a crazy chant and I had a very hard time trying not to laugh. Since then, I rarely use chants. It's a shame, because one of my most precious possessions is a Sumerian hymn from 1800 BC to chant before banquets, but I can't honor its meaning and beauty. 

I guess for me chants invoke a feeling of awe. Horror films use the Gregorian chant Dies Irae as part of their scores with the intention to unnerve the public and make them uncomfortable. Many of the emotional connotations we place on musical meaning are culturally derived.

In other words, if you were raised in a Christian country, maybe you have a difficult time dealing with chants. If you are of African or Asian origin, you will easily associate them with meditation and calm, as it should. 

Another problem is that there is no real knowledge about the demonic chant's grammar. This makes the process too robotic and passive to raise enough energy, because you may simply have no idea about what you are saying. 

So do I sing, yell and everything? No. I enjoy following my intuition, and I am a woman of few words, that prefers to listen than to talk, and I see no reason to change my personality during work. I like the Latin words mandatory in some of my rituals, but that's all. Also, contrary to popular belief, yelling to demons with barbaric words is a gigantic mistake. 

By the way, you have a lot of dark music available. Listen and enjoy.