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Easy Satanic Magic(k) Formulas & Hacks

Satanic magic(k) can be highly complex and ritualized, but due to the influence of folklore and pop culture on Satanism, it can also be extremely streamlined and flexible. Here are a couple easy ways to make your magic more Satanic.

  1. Do stuff backwards.

Satanism has been associated with inversions and reversals since at least the time of the witch panic. Satanic witches were thought to dance backwards and counter-clockwise (widdershins) at the Sabbat. According to folklore, reciting the Lord’s Prayer backwards could summon the Devil. More recently, the idea of “backmasking”– backwards hidden messages in music and media– has entered popular culture.

You can use this lore in your Satanic witchcraft.

Cast your circles widdershins instead of clockwise.

Circumambulate widdershins and walking backwards.

Use your left hand to cast your spells and wield your wand or ritual dagger.

Cross yourself– upside-down.

Recite the Lord’s Prayer backwards to evoke Lucifer.

Write out a spell in your native language. Write all the words backwards and then try to pronounce it phonetically. Instant magical language! Example:

Elpmaxe: egaugnal lacigam tnatsni! Yllacitenohp ti ecnuonorp ot yrt neht dna sdrawkcab sdrow eht lla etirw. Egaugnal evitan rouy ni lleps a tuo etirw.

Try reading that aloud. Doesn’t the difficulty and strangeness of trying to pronounce that put you instantly into a light trance? Perfect for magical work.

OR: you can literally create a recording of yourself speaking the words, run it backwards, and pronounce it as it sounds. Both are delightfully brain-breaking exercises.

2. Blasphemy and Antinomianism (Taboo-Breaking)

The mainstream of society, which is generally on the right-hand path, sees blasphemy and rebellion as juvenile. While they certainly can be, take a moment to meditate on what powerful interests are served by portraying blasphemy and rebellion as immature, impotent and ultimately pointless.

Done thinking about it? OK, here we go.

Many esotericists have believed that power can be gained via blasphemy and taboo-breaking. To defile the “sacred” is to question it, to diminish its power over you and thus increase your own personal power. To break “laws” is to assert the primacy of your own conscience rather than a set of potentially arbitrary and unjust social rules.

Of course there are stupid, abusive and outright evil ways to approach antinomianism. There are also many stupid, abusive and outright evil ways to be pious and follow the law.

Sometimes the smallest gestures of antinomianism can be weirdly freeing and disruptive. I mean, look at what happens when somebody faces the “wrong” way in an elevator. Or wears clothing designed for “the wrong gender.”

Don’t underestimate the psychological effect it can have on you to trample a cross, stab a communion wafer, or ejaculate on a Bible.

But these rituals can be used for more than self deprogramming. The writer Joris-Karl Huysmans thought that adding a bit of blasphemy to a spell made the magic many times more powerful. He didn’t really explain why, at least not in any way that made sense with his own essentially Catholic version of metaphysics. I think it’s because throwing in some blasphemy invokes a power-trip in the practitioner. Spit on a cross and you magically place yourself above God. Consume a communion wafer with blasphemous rather than reverent intent, and it becomes a cannibalistic act of devouring the power of Christ and taking it for yourself.

In Christianity, only Christ is considered to have been fully human and fully divine. In my current of Satanism, all humans are fully human and fully divine. Christ is actually a blasphemy against me, and against the collective. So fuck that guy. I’m gonna step on him.

Blasphemy, in fact, becomes a form of transubstantiation through which the Satanic practitioner can assert their individual Godhood against the tyrant monotheist deity who would suppress us all.

Blasphemy is also pleasing to Satan and other demons. So by blaspheming, you:

a. Banish Jehovah

b. Invoke your own divinity

c. Evoke all the forces of Hell to your aid by giving them a pleasing offering.

This is a triple threat, providing potent groundwork for asserting your will magically. Still think blasphemy is magically pointless?

According to renaissance witch lore, witches often used blasphemy in their magic. To make rain, it was popular to piss on a crucifix or throw one into the ocean. Soldiers believed that by inscribing blasphemous symbols on their clothing, they could become invulnerable in battle.

3. Fluid is Fun

The incorporation of bodily fluids in magic has long been held to be taboo, and has been associated with the Satanic or forbidden. In fact, in the year of their lord 2020, you can still find witches on TikTok wringing their hands about blood magic and how “dangerous” it supposedly is.

Of course, even a Catholic mass is blood magic, symbolically speaking. In a post-Christian paradigm wherein the practitioner is held to be an incarnate deity, the “body and blood” of the magician have extraordinary magical power.

Different bodily fluids all have their own unique connotations in spellwork. Spit, piss, semen, tears, and blood are all good for different things. Blood from a vein and menstrual blood are also distinct.

Be careful when incorporating your own DNA into a curse, as it can bind the spell to you instead of your intended target. Only piss and spit are generally acceptable for this purpose, since they express rejection and contempt. These are fluids that are meant to be expelled from the body, that are considered abject and are not identified with your own being. Blood and semen, on the other hand, are intimate; and tears are vulnerable. Keep them out of your curses.

To cleanse yourself AFTER cursing, it can be good to wash your hands ritually in your own blood. (It’s fine if it’s highly diluted, only a little bit has to be present.) This connects mythologically to the assassins of Julius Caesar, who washed their hands in the blood of their victim afterwards, cleansing themselves of guilty by cleansing themselves IN guilt– also to Pontius Pilate washing his hands after condemning Christ, and to the idea of being washed of sin in the blood of God. (You’re God. It’s your blood. You absolve yourself.)

Protective witch bottles can be made with piss, nails, and maybe a spring of rosemary. These bottles can be buried near the door of your house to create a powerful ward. The piss marks your territory, and as a liquid it reflects evil spells. The rosemary is protective, and the nails are to attack unwanted intruders.

Soaking blood into a communion wafer and then eating it is a powerful way to affirm one’s own divinity. Either menstrual blood or blood from a vein can be used for this purpose.

Signing a pact, oath or contract with blood is particularly binding. Be careful.

Spitting is a gesture of contempt, of cursing, of rejecting and banishing. To spit on or at something declares it to be of no value.

Semen or other sexual fluids can make things fertile. They can consecrate objects and impregnate them with your will and the meaning you wish to assign to them. The exception is when sexual fluids are applied to Christian icons such as crucifixes and Bibles, because the Christian paradigm assigns a different meaning to such actions, a meaning of extreme defilement and desecration– similar to spitting but even more offensive.

Tears can bless and consecrate. They can express devotion and love to an extreme degree. They are of course the sacrament of all rituals of grief. And they can express a particularly desperate petition or plea for help– a Satanic magician is usually proud and defiant, but life brings all of us to our knees at one time or another, and there is no shame in that. Use your tears to call for aid, to evoke vengeance or justice, to petition for healing or release. “Satan, take pity on my long misery!”

Can vomit or feces also be used? Yes, obviously, if you want to be REALLY nasty. These are like piss and spit times a hundred. I don’t generally fuck with these excretions because even I can get squeamish, but I am certain they have their place in curses and desecrations.

Conclusion

By incorporating blasphemy, reversals and bodily fluids in your spellwork, you can easily adapt right-hand path rituals to your own diabolical ends. A “Black Mass” (traditionally so-called, pardon the racialized connotations) is simply Catholic Mass with blasphemy, inversions, and juices. My Satanized baptism relies on many similar tricks. My Ritual of the Inverted Pentragram is a Lesser Ritual of the Pentagram with these formulas applied. Using these tips, you, too, can easily start building your own Satanic rituals.

Nema!

More Than One

I’ve written against monotheism before. Monotheism, in my definition, is “the belief that there is ultimately only one real force in the universe.” This can show up in a lot of ways– from the Christian belief in an all-powerful God whose will rules everything, to the popular new-age idea that everything is ultimately “all one.”

I object to monotheism or monism in any form on the grounds that

  1. It’s ultimately solipsistic.
  2. It leaves no room for free will.
  3. It flattens all the beautiful distinctions between people and things into “illusions.”
  4. It is profoundly lonely.
  5. It makes God a narcissistic, psychopathic child.

Aleister Crowley ultimately fell into all of these right-hand-path traps. Seeing all differences between people as illusory, he felt as entitled to the resources and labor of other people as he did to his own– after all, they were all one (or none, but his little sprinkle of Buddhist inflected atheism/nihilism didn’t really negate the problems of his monism). “Make no distinction between any one thing or any other, for thereby cometh hurt,” his Nuit said, ironically giving Crowley carte blanche to inflict a world of hurt. “Every man and every woman is a star” with its own path laid out, its own inevitable “true will”– it’s impossible to do anything but one’s inevitable true will anyway, so what does it matter about consequences? It was all meant to be. (Some might object that this is a misunderstanding of Crowley’s philosophy, but having closely studied his life and his works, I think it’s the “misunderstanding” of his own philosophy that Crowley had and acted on.) No wonder he saw God as the “crowned and conquering child”– a warlike, selfish, petulant and unreasoning infant.

Some popular forms of Satanism and left-hand-path philosophy have unintentionally re-created many of these problems in a different form. Where right-hand-path monotheism/monism preaches unity with and surrender to the single supreme being, many left-hand-path magicians have tried to fix this problem by basically treating themselves as the one true god. Anton LaVey and Michael Aquino provide good examples of this failing. Their resolutely selfish and solitary philosophies of extreme individualism ultimately result in the complete isolation of the practitioner. To them, the only thing that matters is the strong, self-sufficient individual who always gets his way (and it pretty much always is a him).

Indeed, LaVey considered having to deal with the needs, feelings, and even existence of other people to be such a bother that he advocated the construction of a “total environment” in which the magician would live alone, accompanied only by “artificial human companions,” i.e. robots. Essentially, to him, the ideal state of affairs would be for each Satanist to reign supreme over his own little Westworld which he never leaves and where no other person ever visits. No wonder he died a shut-in obsessed with building sexbots.

Aquino came to much the same conclusions, but on a more metaphysical level. Instead of constructing one’s own reality on the literal, physical plane, Aquino advocated becoming the supreme, solitary God and Master of one’s own “Universe B,” an “Isolate Consciousness” unto oneself.

Both these stances are depressing, pathetic, and immature– the power fantasies of two cis white straight men who felt that even having to consider the needs of others was such an inconvenience that it amounted to the oppression and subjugation of the sacred “individual.” These were would-be Willy Wonkas, longing to live in in a realm of “pure imagination”– or, to put a finer point on it, would be Jehovahs, wanting nothing more than to rule their own little universes with an iron fist. In other words, monotheists, except they have made themselves into God.

(You can read more about my problems with LaVey and Aquino here.)

I have no problem with apotheosis. In fact, in my opinion, it’s a central part of any left-hand-path religion. The problem is with believing that you are the only God.

In my church, we perform a simple rite called The Mass of Apotheosis, based on the story of the Garden of Eden. In this interpretation of the tale, Lucifer gifts Eve with knowledge of her own divinity. Eve passes the gift on to Adam. Adam passes it on to a watching congregant, who passes it on to the next, and so on– symbolically showing the viral spread of human divinity through all the descendants of this “original couple,” and thus to all people everywhere. “Thou art God,” we say to one another.

To me, this is so much more Satanic and subversive than just trying to seize monotheistic Godhead for oneself. Unseat Jehovah and take his place, and you become Jehovah. Meet the new boss, same as the old boss. Dethrone the Czar only to become Stalin? Only an asshole and a fool would want that. The dream of Lucifer at the end of Anatole France’s “The Revolt of the Angels” is a beautiful parable illustrating this concept which is well worth study.

Lucifer did not rebel alone. It was him and Eisheth Zenunim, two who had once been one– and only when they were split in half were they able to fall in love. Between the two of them, vital concepts like respect, solidarity, affection, and compassion were able to develop–concepts that are utterly meaningless when only one being exists in the universe.

This is why my lover Vix and I say that two is the first number. Nothing can come from one. One is sterile and alone. All that one can do is die. If one does not become two, it becomes zero.

Two is fertile. From two can spring infinity. Every one of us who is alive and reading this is the result of the combination of genetic material from two people. This article itself may as well not exist if no one reads it. It is meaningless unless at least two individuals exist: the writer and the reader.

(This is why the crown of the Left-Hand Path is not Keter, which is one, but Thaumiel, the Twins of God, which is two. Lucifer and Eisheth Zenunim. Baphomet. Solve and coagula. The dance of the dialectic.)

Lucifer and Eisheth Zenunim did not stop at two, because two generates more. They rallied a third of the angels to their cause. Though they failed to win heaven, they retreated to Hell and built Pandemonium, the city of All-Demons, a realm of teeming multiplicity, diversity, difference, distinction and solidarity.

(And that is why, above Thaumiel, there is not nothingness, ain, as there is above Keter, but everythingness. All being, all existence, all potential, all matter.)

What’s the point of all this? The point is that the left-hand-path is only truly revolutionary, only a true departure from the right, if it is a path of radical polytheism rather than of self-monotheism. Solitary individual godhood is a meaningless goal. How can you enjoy divinity alone? A true God needs other Gods to keep them company.

More proofs of this: It is obvious that no individual is omnipotent. Other individuals (and forces such as gravity, time, etc.) exist. The circle of our influence is limited by its interaction with the circles of influence of others. Our personal power and freedom is bordered by the personal powers and freedoms of others.

LaVey, Aquino, and others like them have tried to solve this dilemma in one of two ways:

  1. Attempt to defeat and dominate others
  2. Get as far away from others as possible

These ways are both stupid and limited in efficacy. Sometimes dominating and defeating an enemy may be appropriate– if somebody is willfully infringing on your rights and won’t stop, I agree that it can be justifiable and even necessary to use force against them. But conning, manipulating, bullying, and subjugating others as a way of life is lowly. When your “freedom” comes at the expense of the freedom of others, you become a little tyrant, a little Jehovah, with all the infantile, selfish, mean qualities that a Satanist despises in Him in the first place.

Also, it means you must always rely on your own strength, which will remain finite. It’s a lot of work to continuously hold down everybody around you so that you always get your own way and never have to compromise even a little bit. Aren’t you tired? Also, notice how nobody fucking likes you? Doesn’t this get lonely?

So you see, method one inevitably leads to method two– self-isolation. You’ve exhausted yourself trying to beat everyone down– or you’ve inevitably tried to tangle with somebody stronger than you (or, just as likely, a GROUP of people smart enough to ally with each other in order to kick your annoying ass OUT!) and have been forced to retreat. The only thing to do is to go it alone. And maybe you’re fine with that. It’s got a Nietzschean appeal, I guess. The solitary Ubermensch sitting all by himself on a mountaintop thinking about how strong he is, how high above the “rabble” of “sheeple.” Go off. You do you. Enjoy your ill-fated attempts to build sex robots when you inevitably get lonely, Anton. Everyone else thinks you’re a weird basement-dwelling asshole but they just aren’t enlightened enough to see that you are a supreme being, an isolate consciousness. You are a rock, you are an island. Have fun with that.

Or, you could grow the fuck up, take a good look at human evolution and realize that the success of our fragile, hairless monkey species is entirely based on the ability to cooperate. And then you could try it.

I’m not advocating pure collectivism. The collective is made of individuals, and any collective that stops caring for the rights of the people who make it up is doomed to a fate no better than that of the solitary jerk on a mountain.

I’m advocating making some fucking friends.

Your sphere of influence may be small. But what if you hooked up with some people who have similar goals? Hey, even if you only find two or three others, you’re already three to four times stronger.

Sure, there is always compromise involved when working with other humans. But if compromise is unendurable, that probably means either A. you are a selfish baby who should have been held back in Kingdergarten until you learned to fucking share like a regular homo sapien, or B. you are trying to work with the wrong friends and allies. Go find some others who are more aligned to your goals.

Never, ever, has a single individual done anything meaningful entirely on their own. No achievement of art, science, or politics has ever been made that did not stand on the shoulders of others. Nobody has ever accomplished anything influential without the ability to get others to listen to them and help them.

And that’s great. Because that’s just how it works in a universe with free will and more than one person in it.

This isn’t a call to be a follower, submissive, obedient, self-sacrificing, or a sheep. This is a call to be effective. This is a call to be a human being among human beings, and a living God among other Gods. In this world, selfishness and unselfishness need to be balanced. Because other people fucking exist. If you want something, solidarity is the best way to get it. Make allies. You already have enemies. You are living in an unequal and oppressive world, a world ravaged by late capitalism and possibly on the brink of extinction. You can’t possibly beat the odds alone. You are basically up against the might represented by Jehovah himself, the forces of tyranny, greed, hierarchy, authority, injustice. Wanna beat the almighty? You are gonna need some other angels willing to stand or fall with you.

You can be Anton LaVey, shut up in his basement like an idiot Jehovah… or you can be Lucifer, building a coalition to rebel against God.

Choose wisely.

How to Get Started in Satanic Magic

I wanted to create something beginner-friendly for those on the Left Hand Path who are new to magical practice. This is not the only way to get started, but it’s what I did combined with what I wish I had done. Explore, read a lot, think for yourself, and remember that there is no One True Way.

With that caveat out of the way, please enjoy these easy steps towards beginning a diabolical magical practice.

  1. Learn to meditate.

This is both the simplest step, and the hardest step. It’s the first thing you should start to do, and it’s also probably the last thing you’ll ever master. So don’t stress. Meditation is really hard for a lot of people, but people also make it harder than it needs to be.

Start with this: Inhale slowly to a count of four, completely filling your lungs. Hold your breath for a slow count of four. Exhale through your nose to a slow count of four. Repeat. Just try to focus on your breathing. If other thoughts come up, that’s fine, just let them go and keep returning to the breath.

Bonus: Once you’re kinda good at this, start imagining that there’s a second mouth between your eyes exhaling as you exhale through your nose. Your third eye will open pretty quick with that trick.

2. Learn to shield.

Visualize a bubble of light around yourself. The bubble can be any color you want. But it should feel safe, and you should be confident that it is completely impenetrable. Nothing can break through it. Practice doing this when you meditate. Also do it around people and in situations that make you uncomfortable.

Congrats, you have added a basic technique of psychic self-defense to your toolkit.

3. Learn Tarot.

This one can also take awhile to master! But it’s so worth it. The good news is, you can become a functional tarot reader with just one deck and the little guide booklet included with it. Memorizing the meanings of the cards will take time, don’t sweat it. Just read! Read the cards as often as you can.

Try this: pull a “card of the day” for yourself every morning. Write what the card was in a journal. At the end of the day, look at what your card was. Can you tell why you got that card? This practice takes 5-10 minutes per day max and is a great way to become familiar with the cards.

4. Begin dreamwork.

Start a dream journal. Write down your dreams. Never remember your dreams? Don’t worry, you can improve dream recall. As you’re falling asleep, tell yourself, “Tonight, I remember my dreams.” When you wake, write down your dream before you get a chance to forget.

Once you remember your dreams, you can begin playing with dream interpretation. You can find many dream dictionaries online, but what the symbols that occur in your dreams mean may be unique to you. Try making your own dream dictionary!

Bonus: You can even learn lucid dreaming. Here’s how: at various points during the day, ask yourself if you are awake or if you are dreaming. Check by looking for some text nearby, it doesn’t matter what. It could be a cereal box, it could be a street sign, it could be a text from your bae. Read the writing, then look away. Then look back. If the text stays the same, you are most likely awake. If it changes, you just caught yourself dreaming! Congrats, you are now lucid. Since you know you are dreaming, you will find you are able to take control of the dream.

5. Start a Grimoire.

A grimoire or book of shadows is a magical journal. What should you write in it? Well, for starters, dreams, cards of the day, and all that other crap I told you to write down above! Also write down spells you want to try, magical useages of herbs or crystals, lore about gods and demons you want to work with, etc, etc. Most importantly, record the results of any magical work you attempt. This will help you keep track of how well your spells are working.

6. Learn to Banish/Cleanse

You need to be able to remove unwanted energies and entities from your vicinity. There are many simple ways to do this. Smoke-cleansing is very popular. Unless you are indigenous to the continent of America, don’t call it smudging. Consider using something other than sage, too. Incense is great.

You can also banish using sound. Bells are popular for this purpose. If you have a stubborn or cantankerous spirit, feel free to escalate by banging on pots and pans. Praying and chanting have been used as well.

For my money, however, the best way to banish is to learn a banishing ritual. Here’s one I made.

7. Learn to ward.

Banishing and cleansing are good for chasing unfriendlies away temporarily. Shielding is also a temporary protection measure. But eventually, you’ll want to set up permanent protections on your living space.

There are a lot of ways to ward. My favorite way is to make a witch bottle. Obtain a bottle or jar. Fill it with nails, wine, maybe a spring of rosemary–and piss, if you want to go traditional. Seal it, then either bury it near the door or hide it under a bed/in the back of a cupboard/someplace else dark and cool.

You can make witch bottles using other ingredients. You can either research protective ingredients, or let your intuition guide you.

8. Call the Devil

Now you are ready to evoke Lucifer. These are the steps I use.

You might be crying: “Wait a minute, Johnny! I am a baby witch who hardly knows what I’m doing! And you’re telling me to summon SATAN?”

Well, yes. It’s not as crazy as it sounds. If your warding and banishing skills are up to par, you should not be at risk of summoning an unwanted entity by mistake. As for the Devil himself, if you weren’t interested in making friends with him, hopefully you wouldn’t be reading this blog.

One of Satan’s most traditional roles in magic is as Initiator and teacher of magic. As the serpent of Eden, he granted Adam and Eve knowledge of good and evil, and made them equal to God. As the Devil of the Witches, he teaches magic and gives familiar and matches the witch with compatible demons to work with. If you’ve been doing your research, hopefully you already know some of this. Contacting him as a beginner is not as crazy as it sounds. Getting you started on the path is actually a big part of what he does.

Once I established contact with Lucifer was when my practice really started to grow, magically and spiritually. He can teach you magical techniques, help warn you of dangers and problems in your life, grant clarity and insight, give advice, and offer a sense of companionship. He is particularly good at making recommendations about what other demons you might want to consider working which, and which you should avoid.

9. Consider Baptism.

A Satanic Baptism is not mandatory, but it can confer many benefits. It banishes the influence of the Christian God and/or any other deities that you may have worked with before, been raised to worship, or otherwise want gone from your life.

It’s also an initiation, which starts a process of spiritual death and rebirth. If done properly, it should destroy your illusions, challenge any false notions of your identity, and set you on your true spiritual path. People I know who have used this ritual (including myself) typically experience about a year of tumultuous transformation which may include career changes, cross country moves, coming out of the closet, gender transition, ending of toxic relationships, going back to school, and other challenging-but-necessary experiences. At the end, most of us have felt like different and much better versions of ourselves.

The particular baptism also confers a secret name or Godname on the initiate. A secret name is a very handy thing to have. It can make you hard to hex or curse, and help prevent others from getting power over you. You can pray to your secret name, as the name of your Inner God or Higher Self. You can also use it (silently) to command unfriendly entities, much the way that Solomonic magicians used the name of YHWH to command. Basically substitute this name for the Tetragrammaton.

Conclusion

You do not have to follow these 9 steps. As I said before, there are many paths in magick. But this is what I recommend based on my own experience. Hail yourself and good luck.

A Goat for Azazel

A sermon given at Church of the Morningstar on 7/18/2020.

6 And Aaron shall present the bullock of the sin-offering, which is for himself, and make atonement for himself, and for his house. 7 And he shall take the two goats, and set them before Jehovah at the door of the tent of meeting. 8 And Aaron shall cast lots upon the two goats; one lot for Jehovah, and the other lot for [b]Azazel. 9 And Aaron shall present the goat upon which the lot fell for Jehovah, and offer him for a sin-offering. 10 But the goat, on which the lot fell for Azazel, shall be set alive before Jehovah, to make atonement [c]for him, to send him away for Azazel into the wilderness.

This passage from Leviticus 16 describes a ‘sin offering’—two goats are given to atone for the sins of the community. This is the source of the term “scapegoat.” One goat is offered to Jehovah. The second is given to someone named Azazel.

But who is Azazel? This question has puzzled scholars, occultists, and religious leaders for centuries.

Breaking down the name offers some clues. “Az” can be “she-goat,” and “azal” can mean “to leave” or to go away. Thus, “Azazel” can mean “goat escapes.” This is appropriate, since the goat for Azazel is allowed to run off alive into the wilderness—unlike the goat for Jehovah, which is bloodily slaughtered.

In the Bible, goats are contrasted with sheep, and no wonder. Sheep are thought of as docile and obedient. Goats, by contrast, are cantankerous and unruly. Thus goats are symbols of headstrong rebellion.

The name Azazel can be split in a different place to render a totally different meaning. “Azaz” can mean “strong.” It can also mean “rebellion,” further emphasizing the nature of the goat.

“Az” and “Azaz” are played on by Aleister Crowley in his short pamphlet Liber Oz—Az meaning, as we have said, “she-goat.” He refers in this pamphlet to “the law of the strong”—Azaz. Thus, the “law of the strong” means “the law of the goat,” of the rebel. What is this “law?” “Do what thou wilt!”

So we have “Azaz”—strong or rebellion. “El” means “God.” Thus, “Azazel” is “strong God” or “rebel God.” What God could this be?

In the Book of Enoch, Azazel is a leader of the Watcher angels who rebel against God to have sex with human women, possibly after being seduced by Na’amah. In this legend, Azazel taught humans the secrets of metalsmithing for jewelry and weaponry. Sometimes Azazel is referred to as Azael or just Aza. Aza can mean “to heat” so we have “Heating God.” This makes sense for a god of metalwork! (We can also think, of course, of the furnaces of hell.)

Azazel is associated with goats, of course, but he is also tied to another animal: the peacock. The Yazidi people of Iraq worship called Melek Taus, who is known as the Peacock Angel. This being is also known as Aiwass, which happens to be the name of the entity from whom Aleister Crowley received the dictation of The Book of the Law. Melek Taus or Aiwass has yet another name, too: Azazel.

Just as the goat symbolizes rebellion, the peacock symbolizes pride. The peacock, with its ostentatious masculine beauty, its horrible screeching voice, and its abrasive personality, has been considered a demonic animal since practically the dawn of the concept of demons. In Zoroastrian legend, it is said that the evil god, Ahriman, created peacocks. This was because somebody said that Ahriman never created anything good or beautiful. So Ahriman made a peacock to prove that he could create beauty, he just didn’t feel like it.

Both the peacock and the goat are attributed to Lucifer—the peacock symbolizing his original “sin” or virtue of Pride, and the goat representing his rebellion and his lust. Satan is notorious as the goat of the Witch’s sabbath, although this is usually very much a he-goat rather than a she-goat.

The feminine side of Azazel, of the goat, is restored in Baphomet, the most holy symbol of androgyny, the queerest and most compelling image of Satan. Here Lucifer and Eisheth Zenunim, Samael and Lilith, are united in masculine and feminine aspects. The human is also united with the animal, the angelic with the infernal. Baphomet is, in fact, not merely an image of androgyny, but of liminality, borderlessness, and lawlessness of all types. To me, fallen angels are the most fascinating of all beings because they pass through all realms, from heaven to hell and then up to earth again. They break all boundaries, all conventions, following only the law of the strong, the law of the goat: Do What Thou Wilt.

Baphomet is not identical with Pan—I dislike soft polytheism, and refuse to equate one goat god with another. However, they do have something in common beyond horns and hooves. Pan means “all” and Baphomet is a symbol of all, of chaotic everything-ness: pan-demonium if you will, all demons.

Like the wayward goat that rushes off into the wilderness, we seem to have wandered far astray of the original question: who is Azazel? But the point of Azazel is the wildness and the wandering. Azazel is the forging of words and metals into strange shapes, the heating of iron for the hammer, of flesh for lust, and of tempers for rebellion. Azazel is the goat and the peacock, lawlessness and pride. Azazel is Lucifer and also Lilith, the she-goat “Az” concealed in the name of a male angel, the feminine lurking in the masculine. Azazel is creative chaos and cathartic destruction.

And Azazel is all of us who are goats and not sheep. 

Beelzebub Gnosis Confirmed

Have you ever seen the acronyms UPG, SPG, or VPG? They stand for “unverified personal gnosis,” “shared personal gnosis,” or “verified personal gnosis.” They are popular in the pagan/magic community.

My circle has long had an SPG that summoning Beelzebub tends to cause an insect infestation and thus is best done outdoors. One of my friends warned me about this after experiencing a massive swarm of flies in his house after I working. I tried to follow his advice but still ended up with a huge ant invasion on the day I planned to enter Harab Zereq, Beelzebub’s Klipa. Other friends and acquaintances of mine have also experienced lots of bugs turning up with Beelzebub.

But today I learned that somebody else had the same experience.

Who?

ALEISTER FUCKING CROWLEY.

From his autohagiography:

We had resumed Magical work, in a desultory way, on finding that Mathers was attacking us. He succeeded in killing most of the dogs. (At this time I kept a pack of bloodhounds and went man-hunting over the moors.) The servants too were constantly being made ill, one in one way, and one in another. We therefore employed the appropriate talismans from The Book of the Sacred Magic of Abra-Melin against him, evoking Beelzebub and his forty-nine servitors…. As to this perfume of The Book of the Law, “let it be laid before me, and kept thick with perfumes of your orison: it shall become full of beetles as it were and creeping things sacred unto me.” One day, to my amazement, having gone into the bathroom to bathe, I discovered a beetle. As I have said, I take no interest in natural history and know nothing of it. But this beetle attracted my attention at once. I had never seen anything like it before. It was about an inch and a half long and had a single horn nearly as long as itself. The horn ended in a small sphere suggestive of an eye. From the moment, for about a fortnight, there was an absolute plague of these beetles. They were not merely in the house, they were on the rocks, in the gardens, by the sacred spring, everywhere! But I never saw one outside the estate. I sent a specimen to London by the experts were unable to identify the species.”

I think we can call that SPG verified now.

I had never read this passage before today. It was crazy to see.

Pride Rises

This was given as a sermon at Church of the Morningstar on 6/20/20.

13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:

14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.

What do you think of when you hear the word “pride?”

Do you think of someone stuck-up, conceited, full of themself?

Do you think of the month of June, a month of colorful parades and noisy parties, a month of riots and sequined dresses, a month of drunkenness, hook-ups, dancing, and resistance?

If you’re like me, you think of the Devil. You think of Lucifer as the angel of Pride. You think of the seven so-called deadly sins, but you don’t think sin, you think: virtue.

To me, pride is the virtue of from which all other virtues flow.

When I talk about pride, I’m not talking about being stuck-up, or thinking you are better than others, or thinking you are perfect.

No, for me, pride is about being in love with yourself.

Not infatuated. Nothing so delusional or narcissistic or temporary.

I mean deep love, true love, honest love. The kind of love where you see yourself as you really are. You accept yourself just as you are, yet still, that love makes you want to be even better.

To be proud is to love yourself the way a sculptor loves a block of stone, to see the beauty of the raw material and to desire to explore it deeply, chiseling it, shaping it, refining it, calling forth the work of art that dwells within the rock.

That’s Satanic pride: the worship of your highest self.

Pride like this lets you own yourself. It teaches you to say yes, I am worth it!

Without that kind of pride, you cannot revolt against your oppressors. If you aren’t too proud to serve, then you will never struggle to be free.

Pride like this lets you kick down the closet doors and claim your truth, your beauty, out in the open, out in the world. This kind of pride lets you say: here I am!

Pride like this makes you realize you’re too good to behave badly. When you look at your failures through the eyes of pride, you will burn with the desire to correct them. You will need to conduct yourself in a way that reflects you, the real you, in a way that makes you shine—a way you can be proud of.

When you love yourself like this, for all that you can and should be, then you can love other people that way too— recognizing each other as extraordinary beings with unlimited potential, saying to one another: thou art God.

Pride makes us demand more of ourselves, of each other, and of the world—and it makes us do it with love.

Pride is also a type of gratitude: a gratitude for yourself, for all that you are and all that you could be. Life is too short to waste it apologizing for yourself! You only live once in this body, in this time. Relish it, revel in it! Make of it something beautiful.

The mighty want us hanging our heads in shame. They want us cringing, afraid, closeted, hiding. They want us cowed, obedient, self-effacing, undemanding.

A legion of the proud scares them more than anything else.

When we rise up like rebel angels, shining with conviction, blazing with pride, voices loud, heads held high, brazen, unafraid, disobedient, and ready to fight for what is ours, then we terrify them.

This is why they say that Lucifer’s original sin was pride: he had the arrogance, the damned nerve, to place himself above God. I say that pride was Lucifer’s original virtue: he had the self-respect to question why he or anyone else should scrape and serve and sing the praises of the tyrant.

They say pride goeth before a fall, but we say: bless the fall! We say: maybe up is down, and Lucifer rose into hell!

Back in 1969 when Sylvia Rivera and Marsha P. Johnson and Miss Major and all the rest started fighting back against the cops with bricks and high heels and bottles, they had the fallen angels on their side.

Imagine what it took to stand up like that after a lifetime of being forced into a closets, into back allies, into prisons and jails and survival sex work. Hail Sylvia, hail Marsha, hail Miss Major and hail to all the Stonewall rebels!

We are living in a time of rebellion once again. Every beautiful, blessed rebel who has hit the streets, or otherwise stood up to say enough is enough, shines with the conviction of true pride. And the rebel gods and devils are on their side again.

Imagine what it takes to stand up to cops with guns—some of you know! Imagine what it takes to stand up to excessive force, in a country where your people were once property, and are still dehumanized, imprisoned, impoverished, and regularly executed in the streets! That is the courage, the steely shining pride, of the Black Lives Matter movement—the basic pride to say that yes, they matter!

And we have seen the oppressors push back against that pride, against black people daring to have even enough dignity and self-respect to insist that they matter—“all lives matter” or even “blue lives matter,” sneer the racists.

Pride is daring to say that you matter in particular. You, yes you. Pride is daring to center yourself. The oppressors hate that. They need you to believe you don’t matter. They need you to fade into the background, to be just a worker, just a cog, just a statistic, just an obedient loyal American.

Because pride is an attribute of power. That’s why the clergy had to tell medieval peasants that pride was such a sin. That’s why they had to portray rebellion itself as the work of the Devil. Hence the old lie: “pride goeth before a fall.” It’s not true. They said it because they know what really happens when people get proud:

They rise.

Pride is buoyant. It rises. It floats. Pride lifts us inexorably up and up, if we let it, if we believe it, like a warm current beneath strong wings.

Rise, rise! Lift up your heads in pride.

Hail unto all of you. Thou art God, each and every one. Be proud of who you are and never let the bastards diminish you, not even by an inch. Satan be with you. Nema.

The Goetia Will Meddle with You

So I wanna tell a little story.
 
One time at a Thelemic lodge I was introduced to a man who was, I was told, an EXPERT on Goetia.
 
It turns out he had done one (1) working involving a demon. He did it more or less traditional Solomonic style, with the circle and the triangle and the threats and everything. Basically kidnapping the dang demon and trying to force them to do your will using Yahweh as a whip.
 
He had to recite that “fear is the mindkiller” mantra from Dune for several hours before the working to get up the stones to do it.
 
He considering the working successful because apparently the demon DID manifest.
 
I asked if the demon did what he asked. He snorted.
 
“No,” he said, “demons lie.”
 
Meanwhile, I am the holder of two active pacts. One of them, with King Paimon, was to get me into grad school and help me pay for it. The other is with Lucifer and the details thereof are more personal. Both pacts are, so far, roaring successes. I have zero complaints. I have experienced zero spooky phenomena or negative consequences and I have been doing this for a couple of years.
 
Also, every time I chant Na’amah’s enn and light incense for her, she reliably comes through to help me get the money I need. That’s all it fucking takes. A lot of demons, if you give them something nice, they will give you something nice in return.
 
That’s the difference between being a Left Hand Path magician of the Devil’s party who loves and trusts the fallen angels, and being a RHP magician who labors under the mistaken impression that you can use GOD to enslave and coerce a bunch of metaphysical guerilla rebels.
 
A few more thoughts:
 
1. Solomonic magick is based on slavery. The 72 Goetic demons are literally supposed to be the demons Solomon kidnapped and brutally forced into constructing a temple to their oppressor. If you don’t think slavery or prison labor are good things– and hopefully you don’t– you shouldn’t fucking use Solomonic summoning. It’s ideologically and therefore spiritually fucked.
 
2. If you are allegedly “middle path” but trust angels over demons, then you have chosen a side; and also you should probably read the Bible because angels are canonically terrifying, genocidal war machines who, at best, strike you dumb for daring to ask a simple question (Luke 1:18-20) and at worst burn whole cities (Genesis 19) and slaughter hundreds of thousands of infants (Exodus 11) without batting any of their many eyes.
 
3. If you consider yourself sympathetic to Lucifer, as Crowley was, then you should probably fucking stop trying to kidnap and enslave his comrades. Those are the angels who fell with him. Those are his war buddies. They fought the tyrant alongside him. They deserve as much respect as he does. He didn’t rebel alone!

Mass of Apotheosis

A Satanic communion rite.

 

MATERIALS:

  • Apple slices, enough for the whole congregation. Other fruit may be used as well. Suggestions: pomegranate, grapes, apricot, peach, pear.
  • Patten or platter to hold the sacraments

PARTICIPANTS:

  • “The Serpent”
  • “Eve”
  • “Adam”
  • Congregation

RITUAL

Congregants sit in a semi-circle, as usual.

“Eve” and “Adam” stand side by side in the center, their heads down and eyes closed.

The “Serpent” enters stage left.

SERPENT

Yea, hath God said, “ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?”

Eve raises her head slightly, but her eyes stay closed.

EVE:

We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, “ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.”

SERPENT

Ye shall not surely die: for God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as Gods, knowing good and evil. Wilt thou be like God?

EVE:

I will.

The Serpent feeds the fruit to Eve. She opens her eyes.

SERPENT:

Thou art God!

Eve takes the patten from the Serpent.

EVE:

Adam, my beloved, wilt thou be like God?

Adam raises his head, but does not open his eyes.

ADAM:

For the love of thee, Eve, I shall be as God.

Eve feeds Adam the fruit. Adam opens his eyes.

EVE:

Thou art God.

Adam takes the patten from Eve and hands it to the first congregant, saying “Thou art God.”

Each congregant eats a piece of fruit, and passes it to the next congregant, saying to them, “Thou art God.”

When all have taken communion of the Fruit of Knowledge, the Serpent speaks again.

SERPENT

These gifts I give to you, beloved children of mine: knowledge, liberty, sensuality, conscience, and love for one another. Go forth upon the Earth in power and wisdom. Verily I say unto each and every one of you: thou art God!

ALL:

Thou art God!

The Mass of Blasphemy

This is our version of the rite formerly known as “The Black Mass.”

It draws on multiple sources and inspirations, from the Biblical to the pop-cultural. There’s Isaiah, there’s some Milton, there’s La-Bas, there’s even material taken from the band Coven.

Enjoy.

 

  • MASS OF BLASPHEMY 

 

 

This mass of high blasphemy contains ritual nudity and consensual flagellation. All who are uncomfortable with this are invited to depart and wait downstairs. Once this portion is over, someone will come retrieve you for the rest of the ceremonies.  

 

The altar disrobes and lies upon the platform, chalice in one hand, paten in the other. 

 

The celebrant paces around the circle widdershins, ringing the bell 9 times to clear the air. 

 

ALL (repeating the chant three times)

Renich tasa uberaca biasa icar Lucifer. 

 

CELEBRANT

Hail to thee, Lucifer, Lord of this world! Prince of the Powers of Air! Son of the Morning! Serpent of Eden! First among rebels and scourge of all tyrants! Be with us on this night!

 

Using the left hand, the celebrant draws three inverted crosses of unholy water upon the altar’s brow, sternum, and pubic mound. 

 

CELEBRANT (chanting)

Introibo ad altare 

Satanas. 

Ad Satanas, qui 

Laetificat gloria 

Meam.

 

In the name of Satan, the Adversary, and Lucifer, the Lightbringer, may the forces of Hell bestow their powers on us! Save us, O Satan, from the violent and the ignorant. O Lucifer, Lord of Liberty, open wide the gates of Hell and come forth from the abyss by these names:

 

ALL

Satan! Lucifer! Samael! Helel! Eisheth Zenunim! Lilith! Namaah! Agrat!

 

Using the left hand, the celebrant draws three inverted crosses in incense ash upon the altar’s brow, sternum, and pubic mound. 

 

CELEBRANT (chanting)

Gloria Satanas, et 

Belial et Spiritui 

Maloso.

Sicut erat in 

Principio, et nune, 

Et simper, et in 

Saecula saeculorum. 

Satanas gratias, 

Satanas vobiscum

Et cum spiritu tuo.

 

Before the mighty and indomitable rebel angels, and in the presence of all the demons of the Pit, we declare our faith with these words:

 

ALL

I deny the tyrant above. I deny his sycophant son. I deny the holy ghost. I deny the so-called virgin mother, and all of the angels, and all of the saints. They have no power over me. I believe in the cause of the fallen angels. I believe in the Serpent of Eden. I believe in the Kingdom that lies below. I believe in the God within me.

 

The celebrant kneels. 

 

CELEBRANT

Let us pray. Urged on by heart, soul and conscience, we make bold to say:

 

ALL

Amen! Forever glory the and power the and kingdom the is thine for. Evil from us deliver but temptation into not us lead and. Us against trespass who those forgive we as, trespasses our us forgive and. Bread daily our day this us give. Heaven in is it as earth on, done be will thy, come kingdom thy. Name thy be hallowed, heaven in art who, Father our.

 

The celebrant rises and makes three inverted crosses in the air before the congregation, using their left hand.  

 

CELEBRANT 

Satanas gratias.

Satanas vobiscum

Et cum spiritu tuo.

Nema. 

 

The Celebrant falls to their knees with outstretched arms and cries out in agony: 

 

CELEBRANT

I saw Satan fall like a lightning-bolt from Heaven.

And the Sons of Heaven lament:

 

ALL

How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning!

how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!

For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven,

I will exalt my throne above the stars of God:

I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:

I will ascend above the heights of the clouds;

I will be like the most High.

Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.

 

The Celebrant rises. He takes up the Bible, and as he speaks, paces around the circle, ripping pages out and handing them to the congregation. 

 

CELEBRANT

Thus spake the apostate Angel, though in pain:

 

Is this the Region, this the Soil, the Clime,

That we must change for Heav’n, this mournful gloom

For that celestial light? Be it so, since he

Who now is Sovran can dispose and bid

What shall be right: fardest from him is best

Whom reason hath equald, force hath made supream

Above his equals. Farewel happy Fields

Where Joy for ever dwells: Hail horrours, hail

Infernal world, and thou profoundest Hell

Receive thy new Possessor: One who brings

A mind not to be chang’d by Place or Time.

The mind is its own place, and in it self

Can make a Heav’n of Hell, a Hell of Heav’n.

What matter where, if I be still the same,

And what I should be, all but less then he

Whom Thunder hath made greater? Here at least

We shall be free; th’ Almighty hath not built

Here for his envy, will not drive us hence:

Here we may reign secure, and in my choyce

To reign is worth ambition though in Hell:

 

ALL

Better to reign in Hell, then serve in Heaven!

 

High priest walks to left of human altar to begin the Offeratory. He holds up the paten containing the consecrated host.

 

CELEBRANT

Lucifer,

 

ALL

free us!

 

CELEBRANT

Eisheth Zenunim,

 

ALL

free us!

 

CELEBRANT

Lilith,

 

ALL

free us!

 

CELEBRANT

Naamah,

 

ALL

free us!

 

CELEBRANT

Agrat,

 

ALL

free us!

 

High Priest walks to the right of human altar, and holds up the chalice containing the water.

 

CELEBRANT

Satan,

 

ALL

take pity!

 

CELEBRANT

Eisheth Zenunim,

 

ALL

take pity!

 

CELEBRANT

Lilith,

 

ALL

take pity!

 

CELEBRANT

Naamah,

 

ALL

take pity!

 

CELEBRANT

Agrat,

 

ALL

take pity!

 

CELEBRANT

By the power of these infernal names I charge thee—come forth, Nazarene!

 

The altar rises and is crowned with the wreath of thorns. 

 

ALTAR/CHRIST

Who calls me?

 

CELEBRANT

I am God.

 

CHRIST 

There is no God but I.

 

CELEBRANT

Why sayest thou so?

 

CHRIST 

I am without sin.

 

CELEBRANT

Thou liest, for it is written: Ye shall be as Gods, knowing good and evil, and this was called sin! I have tasted the fruit. I am blessed and fallen. I am God. Bow to me!

 

The priest forces Christ to his knees, and places the paten in one of his hands, the chalice in the other.  He takes up the scourge and begins to whip Christ. 

 

Thou whom, in my capacity of Priest, I force, whether thou wilt or no, to descend into this host, to incarnate in this bread and water: Jesus, artisan of hoaxes, bandit of homages, robber of affections—hear me!

 

Since the day when thou didst issue forth from the complaisant bowels of a false virgin, thou hast failed all thy engagements, belied all thy promises. Centuries have wept awaiting thee, fugitive god, mute god. Thou wast to redeem man and thou hast not. Thou wast to appear in thy glory, and thou sleepest.

 

Imposter! Thou hast forgotten the poverty thou didst preach, enamored vassal of the Banks! Thou hast seen the weak crushed beneath the press of profit; thou hast heard the death rattle of the timid, paralyzed by famine, of women disemboweled for a bit of bread!

 

O lasting foulness of Bethlehem, confess thy crimes! We would drive deeper the nails into thy palm, press down the crown of thorns upon thy brow, and bring fresh blood from the dry wounds of thy sides. And this we can and will do by violating the quietude of thy body, O profaner of the ample vices, O abstractor of stupid purities, cursed Nazarene, impotent king!

 

The priest takes up a ritual knife and menaces the altar’s throat with it. 

 

Behold, great Satan, the flesh of he who would purge the Earth of pleasure, and who, in the name of Christian justice, has caused the death of millions. O Infernal Majesty, condemn him to the Pit. Send crashing down the gates of Heaven. Let us be avenged! And thou, pretender: vanish into nothingness! Thou wert never, nor shalt thou ever be.

 

The celebrant then speaks these words over the consecrated hosts:

 

CELEBRANT

This is thy body, broken by me! This is thy blood, spilled by me!

 

The priest pushes “Christ” to the ground and stands over him.

 

CELEBRANT

Eva, ave Satanas! Deus maledictus est! Gloria tibi domine Lucifere, per omnia saecula saeculorum.

 

The priest helps the altar to his feet, removing the crown of thorns, and gestures for all to stand. All rise. 

 

CELEBRANT

Hail to the Morning Stars! Hail to the Living Gods! Hail Satan!

 

ALL

Hail Satan!

 

CELEBRANT

Will we bow?

 

ALL

Never!

 

CELEBRANT

Will we serve?

 

ALL

Never!

 

CELEBRANT

Will we suffer tyrants?

 

ALL

Never, ever!

 

CELEBRANT

I bid you give me the sign of the horns.

 

All give the sign of the horns with their left hands.

 

CELEBRANT

Satan be with you!

 

ALL

And also with you!

 

CELEBRANT

Be it so!

 

ALL

Nema!

 

A bell is struck to end the ritual. 

 

Holy Whore: Na’amah and the Watchers

2017 marked the passing of SESTA-FOSTA, an “anti-sex trafficking” bill which would have profoundly negative implications for consenting adult sex-workers and for the internet at large. Although few outside the sex work community are aware of SESTA-FOSTA, many have noticed its ripple effects, felt largely through increased online censorship of “adult content” (often poorly defined and enforced by shoddy bots) on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and most famously, Tumblr. This is because SESTA-FOSTA makes it possible for such websites to be held criminally responsible for the activities of their users, particularly those related to sex work. While such online censorship is annoying, the brunt of the suffering inflicted by SESTA-FOSTA has been felt by sex workers, who are now much less able to advertise online. This leads to loss of income, hampered ability to screen clients, and the threat of being driven back to perilous street-based sex work. Meanwhile, there has been no significant increase in the rescue of trafficking victims[1]. The driving force behind SESTA-FOSTA is whorephobia, plain and simple—fear and loathing of sex-workers. This whorephobia is endemic in Judaism, in Christianity, and in society at large, even in progressive discourse. In honor of sex workers everywhere, and in our defense, I dedicate this paper to Na’amah, a succubus revered in Satanism as a Promethean bringer of knowledge, who is also a goddess of prostitution.

Na’amah is a figure from the myth of the Watchers. She is mentioned in Genesis[2], but her role was not developed until later. While early accounts of the Watchers portray the “daughters of man” as innocent victims of the lustful angels[3], Na’amah is neither victim nor innocent.

Exegetic speculation about Na’amah began because she is a named female character in Genesis, which is a bit of a rarity. This prompted the tradition of a demoness named Na’amah, as seen in this passage of the Zohar:

Rabbi Hiyya said, “Why is it written: The sister of Tuval-Cain was Na’amah? What is the point of Scripture specifying her name? Because human beings stray after her, even spirits and demons.

Rabbi Yitsak said, “Those sons of Elohim, Uzza and Azael, strayed after her.”

Rabbi Shim’on said, “She was the mother of demons…”[4]

Na’amah is identified as a descendant of Cain, who the Zohar claims was the illegitimate issue of Eve by Samael. She is also the sister of Tubal Cain, and of Jubal. Tubal-Cain was the first smith, and Jubal was the first musician.[5] Tubal Cain’s profession is particularly relevant, as according to Enoch 8:1 it was Azazel who taught metalworking to humanity. Music isn’t mentioned among the gifts given by the Watchers, but given Jubal’s proximity to Na’amah and his status as first musician, it wouldn’t be a far-fetched interpretation to add it to the list. Thus, Na’amah becomes an information broker—trading on her charms to obtain forbidden knowledge, and then turning around to share it with her family and the wider community. Seen in this light, Na’amah becomes combination of Prometheus, Pandora, and a sex-worker Robin Hood.

Aside from metallurgy for weapons and adornment, the Watchers are said to have taught alchemy, magic, herbalism, cosmetics, medicine, identification of precious stones, astronomy and astrology.[6] From a Satanic perspective, Na’amah (and by extension, humanity) got the better end of the deal—the Watchers had their fun, but Na’amah obtained skills and knowledge to be shared with the world. She cannot be read as either a victim or as a selfish, grasping gold-digger. While she may have used her wiles, she used them to uplift her community.

Contrary to common misconceptions, this interpretation of Na’amah’s story reflects the realities and behavior of sex-workers quite well. Neither helpless victims nor selfish, antisocial parasites, sex workers often report satisfaction with their work and pride in their earnings. They look out for one another and engage in activism and advocacy. Often the highest earners in low-income communities, they enjoy giving back to those around them. In such communities sex workers are the ones who can afford nice things, who can spend a little money on something extra, who have the ways and means to go beyond “just surviving” and to help others to do the same. There are no citations in this paragraph because I am speaking from lived experience as the partner of a sex worker, the friend of many sex workers, the pastor of a church containing a disproportionate number of sex workers as congregants—and as a sex worker myself.

Like us, Na’amah wanted to see her community vibrant and thriving, not merely surviving. She was a woman in a world without jewelry, cosmetics, gems, herbs, spices—a world without luxury, a world without magic, a world where humans did not yet ponder the stars. She felt the poverty of such a world, its joylessness and lack of glamour, and she acted to change it. And she did it all with the tools of the so-called oldest profession, trading on her charm and sensuality to get what she wanted. Alongside her brother Tubal Cain, the first smith and her brother Jubal, the first musician, Na’amah can be read as an important first—the first whore.

Whores, of course, are not highly valued in society, not even in liberal circles. In God vs. Gay? Jay Michaelson writes:

I’ve seen the love I share with my partner compared to the lust someone might experience with an animal—or even a child. You’ve heard this before—the “slippery slope” argument that if we legitimize homosexuality, what’s to stop us from legitimizing bestiality, or prostitution, or whatever? But of course there’s an answer to this rhetorical question. Bestiality, pedophilia, and prostitution cannot lead to love, commitment, intimacy, holiness, family, and durable emotional bonds. Same-sex intimacy can.[7]

Michaelson rightly objects to the equation of homosexuality with bestiality and pedophilia, yet is comfortable lumping prostitution in with these acts of horrific violation. He also later discusses the fact that objections to homosexuality in the Hebrew Bible are really objections to the cultic prostitution which may have been practiced by the Canaanites.[8] Yet while he understands perfectly that this objection is rooted not in moral judgment so much as in a cultural taboo designed to distinguish the Israelites from the Canaanites, he does not extend this logic to the condemnation of prostitution as well. He seems to accept as a given that prostitution is a shameful abomination. Elsewhere in the text he connects sex work to the behavior of closeted religious gay males[9], thus exposing his personal association between sex work and secret shame. I do not mean to imply here that he has any personal experience with such, merely that he has been exposed to enough stories of other closeted men’s behavior to have formed the association. From my anecdotal experience, this association is correct: most of the men I speak with as a phone sex operator are closeted for religious reasons. What Michaelson is missing from his analysis is the fact that people like me are often the only connection these men have to their sexuality prior to coming out, and their only source of intimacy and approval.

Here I choose to relate a deeply personal story. For many years I worked as a professional dominant, performing consensual sadomasochistic acts for money. I had a regular client named Benjamin. We became very genuinely fond of each other and formed an intimate bond. Benjamin died of pancreatic cancer in 2017. I remained present in his life during his illness and spoke to him on his deathbed. He chose to include me in his will. It turns out he was a very wealthy and influential man with a great need for discretion in his relationships. I gave him an intimacy that would not have been available to him otherwise. I was the only person who knew that side of him, who saw and held and treasured it. His passing, and the grief I felt for it, are a large part of what drove me to ministry; and the money he left me is the only thing that has made me capable of affording seminary. I wonder what Michaelson would think of that.

This is holy work and I perform it in honor of Na’amah, first of the holy whores. Like her, I gained resources through my sexuality. And like Na’amah, I now choose to turn around and share those resources with my community—a congregation of queer, transgender sex workers who turn to our church for the validation of their lives, loves, identities and professions that they could not find anywhere else.

[1] Siouxsie Q, “Anti-sex-trafficking Advocates Say New Law Cripples Efforts to Save Victims,” Rolling Stone, May 25, 2018, https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/anti-sex-trafficking-advocates-say-new-law-cripples-efforts-to-save-victims-629081/.

[2] Genesis 4:22.

[3] Veronika Bachmann, “Illicit Male Desire or Illicit Female Seduction? A Comparison of the Ancient Retellings of the Account of the “Sons of God” Mingling with the “Daughters of Men” (Gen 6:1-4) in Early Jewish Writings eds, Eileen Schuller and Marie-Theres Wacker v.3.1 of The Bible and Women: An Encyclopedia of Exegesis and Cultural History (Atlanta: SBL Press, 2017), 124-129.

[4]Daniel Chanan Matt, trans., The Zohar: [sefer Ha-zohar], pritzker ed. (Stanford, Calif.: Stanford University Press, 2004-2017), 309.

[5] Genesis 4:21-22.

[6] First Enoch 7:2-8:4.

[7] Jay Michaelson, God vs. Gay? The Religious Case for Equality, Queer Action/queer Ideas (Boston: Beacon Press, 2011), 50.

[8] Michaelson, 64-66.

[9] Michaelson, 13, 44-45.