It’s funny, there are a lot of schools of thought regarding how easy or hard it might be to get the Devil’s attention. 

In one school of thought, which is most commonly held by certain types of Christians, almost anything can summon Old Scratch. Ever hear the phrase “speak of the Devil and he will appear?” In this worldview, things like masturbating, listening to rock music, any stray “sinful” thought whatsoever, is pretty much enough to bring down the Evil One. 

On the far end of the spectrum, you have the ceremonial magicians, who might say that to summon Lucifer you need to be a powerful magus and do the six month long Abramelin ritual, complete with all sorts of prayer, fasting, sexual abstinence and spiritual cleansing. 

So which is it?

Hilariously, I lean closer to the first opinion. The Devil is everywhere, in every shadow, every restless breeze, every floorboard creak. He’s in the rain and the lightning, in the stars, in the city lights, lurking in every dark ally, loitering on every corner, haunting every crossroads. He’s in music, in poetry, in technology, in every single thing that springs from human genius and invention. He stares back at me from the eyes of every animal. Most of all, he’s in my most intimate thoughts and feelings. He’s in my desires, my questions, my hopes, my dreams. The Devil is never far away. 

I have a little ritual I do when I want to deliberately call him up and really connect with him. It’s simple. I light some frankincense and some candles, maybe eat an apple in memory of Eden. I might recite the Lord’s Prayer backwards or chant his enn. But I do these things for me, not for him. He’s already there. The ritual is just to get me focused enough so I can hear him.