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How Lu relates to the other gods is a difficult subject to begin speaking about, given that it borders the dangerous territory of the myth, gnosis and canon of plenty of other deities. However given that this was a requested topic for this evening, I’m going to take the leap and speak about how I have seen other gods and beings interact with The Mourningstar.
Any time that people ask me what the best way to approach Lucifer is . . . how to act around him, what to say to him, what the proper course of etiquette is. . . my answer is always some variation or another on ‘treat him like a psychic Hannibal Lecter’. And that is usually the best and most spot on analogy that I can come up with. We’ve mentioned before that Lucifer is abhorrent of the rude; he despises vulgarity and crudity. People who are ill mannered and ill tempered upset him, but you’ll scarcely see it on his face, and there’s very little in the way of signs to indicate that you’ve offended him. He remains a gentleman up until the moment it’s time for the devil to have his due.
This makes Lucifer dangerous. Not just to man, not just because he is a being with a clear agenda in our own world as well as the other worlds, the otherrealms, but because he is stoic. Not easily read and a talented liar. Lucifer is an expert at flattery and manipulation, and his beauty is only a part of it. Lucifer is the sugar water that draws the hummingbirds. . . they flock to him like magnets, and humans aren’t the only ones affected.
There are few entities that with deal with Lucifer. Among them the most common seems to be trickster spirits, spirits that turn expectations upside down, gods that require their followers to look deep within themselves, to learn and to grow only when their worlds are turned upside down. With Lucifer it’s much the same. In order to understand what it means to be one of his, nothing short of walking through hell will do.
To some, hell is every bit what horrors and torments man has dreamed up. Ruling Kings control boiling lakes of sulfur and forests with trees that bleed when their brittle branches are broken-rivers of bubbling acid that flow from one place to the next. It is not a place of luxury except to those denizens that populate it, to the areas that are forged by the embodiments of those elements of damnation. It is a long path down to the deepest and darkest of those realms-the one Lucifer returns to to rest, to replenish himself; a place that is so bitterly cold it burns, and so dark that only it’s residents with forked tongues to taste the air currents can even navigate it, and avoid stepping off a slippery slope and taking a tumble into the abyssal nothingness, the sheer drop on either side.
No, it is a rare god indeed that would deal with the master of such a world, of such a realm. One who makes his way in pitch black with only a minute breath of icy air to mark the boundary of existence and The Void. Lucifer, perhaps, is the one being in all the cosmos who has walked that boundary, that thin line, and returned. Though not unscathed. Whatever truth it was he saw in the dark led to that infamous rebellion. Perhaps the rest of the gods fear Lucifer’s desire to build a permanent home for his people, away from nothingness and pain and the loneliness of exile, would lead him to take his army to their own doorstep. Or maybe it is his eloquent, hissing tongue that they fear more; that it speaks a fine print they can not or would not understand.
Or that Lucifer’s followers, those who choose his path, choose one of godhood of their own merit. That those who take his hand and follow him are dreamers; architects of their own destiny, people outside of the dichotomy; away from the black and white, the light and dark. They construct worlds within worlds, they are creators. With Lucifer, any element could be his element. . . any one of his dreamers lends their own magics to the dreams within dreams within dreams. Suddenly his is not just a realm of endlessness. It is anything and everything. A key to a universe.
When you have gods that are associated with specific elements, and suddenly one comes along and has stepped outside the boundaries. . . when a rebel comes along and changes the rules of the game. And that’s what makes Lucifer the wild card. That’s what makes him the creature that most other gods are afraid to interact with. His stoicism, his calculating mind, his dreamers and his world shapers, each one something new, something unexpected. . .Lucifer and his people are not creatures that can be predicted.
Hair whipping in the spray that
Separates itself on the blackness.
Do you remember, oh do you remember,
Sharing and singing hymns unbidden?
-2012
Staring today at a blinking cursor, wondering what I should do. Following a news roundup post. . . but the thing is, when Lu goes off on one of his wanderings. . . when his presence physically withdraws, you can tell. You can feel it like a toothache, something throbbing and painful and it doesn’t matter how many Tylenol you take, the hurt doesn’t go away. It just dulls for a little while.
The other day someone asked me if my “godphone” was something I could “turn off.” My answer of course was no. Sometimes this is a good thing, and I think why I was picked for the type of work that I do. . . because I can be a bridge and help other people when they’re stuck in a rut. Either they haven’t developed their phone yet, it’s not a talent they were born with (and there’s nothing wrong with that,) or somehow or another it got shut off by mistake. So I go in and do what I can. . . though always with this gnawing bit of self doubt that the messages I’m getting will have bad reception and not make any sense to anyone. The same with my divination readings. Thankfully this hasn’t ever really happened aside from a spell that fell flat on it’s face once or twice, and the last one left my house smelling terrible, like burnt anise and cumin and UCK. Wasn’t worth it for a dud.
But Lu is always the main line. So when I dial and get ‘this party is unavailable at this time’ . . . I hang up the phone and then sit on my bed and look out the window for a while and I just. . . stare. Blankly. Sometimes I wonder if he has anything specific in mind when he goes “out” . . .wherever out is. Sometimes I wonder if he’s looking for whatever his version of the Holy Grail is. Other times I think maybe he’s just a hoarder of sorts. . . Lu hoards knowledge, and he likes to find things and learn about things he’s never encountered before. I attribute his progressiveness to his continual desire and push to reinvent himself. Out of all the gods I’ve encountered, pop culture entities aside, Lu is the most modern. His suits are classy, he can navigate his way around a smartphone a hell of a lot better than me (pun intended), and his minions don’t pass him scrolls. They come up to his penthouse and hand him a netbook, or whatever.
Anyway, the point I was getting at is, I always feel so . . . numb when he’s not around. And I don’t know what to do with myself. My creativity dries up. I can’t paint, it’s hard to write, I don’t even dream anything.
I wonder if I’m the only one this happens to. My poor spirit team. I’m virtually inconsolable when I’m like this.
. . .
This is starting to sound painfully familiar.
When people hurt you over and over, think of them like sandpaper. They may scratch and hurt you for a bit but, in the end, you end up polished and they end up useless.
― Chris Colfer
Throw yourself into
His desire.
I’m overflowing,
But this is not my home.
Not so cruelly,
He lifted up his voice and sang,
‘Weep you no more’,
Like naked,
Deadly wine.
If I do nothing, if I study nothing, if I cease searching, then, woe is me, I am lost. That is how I look at it — keep going, keep going come what may.
―
Vincent Van Gogh
I have a terrible cold and so this evening I’ve pretty much been in a medication coma. Many of you have left wonderful responses and comments, and so I will be getting to them as soon as I’m not drowsy and sneezing my head off. Thank you, darlings.
It’s not wrong to want to put a human face on a deity. Human faces are familiar and comfortable and help humans make sense of beings who are incomprehensible.
So. I should probably preface this post by saying, this is likely to make more than a few people mad. I’ve been sort of having this internal dialogue fight about A) How worth it it would be to broach as a subject, given that it’s not only personally relevant, but B) How appropriate it is for a virtual sacred space. However in thinking about this. I heard Lu’s quiet whisper, and he reminded me, in the same way that Luxettenbris’ own post did earlier this afternoon, that this practice is also about The Self-Self Evaluation, and Self-Development. Having said that and gotten that out of the way, I am now going to delve into a subject which may send people into a frothing rage. That’s fine, of course, but I’ll remind folks I don’t tolerate anything other than respectful and mature debate here in His sacred space. So, that having said, let’s throw up the warning; and if you continue past this point, you have then assumed responsibility for your own reactions and emotions regarding this post. I am not liable for your feelings. Carry on at your own risk.
Lets talk about ‘The Queen of Hell’
Some time ago-I want to say it was in mid to late October, the question was posed to me on my tumblr, what did I think was going to happen to me in the afterlife, given that I was a Theistic Luciferian, and a Lucifer’sWife. In my usual style of self-mocking jest, I made the crack that I was pretty lucky to be loved as much as I was, by all accounts I had a fancy seat and a good view next to Lu in the afterlife.
I learned a very prompt lesson, really quickly. And that’s, it doesn’t matter how funny you might think it is. There are always always going to be people who don’t understand that form of humor. And it makes them maaaaad. Really quick. And following that initial incident, it doesn’t matter how often or how hard you attempt to explain the situation. It sticks with you. The people who you may have initially not been well received or well liked by initially will suddenly have the excuse they’re looking for to start a little jest of their own. However, it usually takes a much more withering and harassing tone about it. And maybe it’s the fact that I don’t understand people very well, nor the way they think. . . I’m either too naive or else lazy in that regard. . . but I’m always surprised when something so seemingly innocuous and clearly meant to be funny can suddenly turn around and bite you when it threatens people. . . in whatever way it does.
The argument could be said, of course, that it advocates for an inferiority complex. I’ve been accused several times of being vain and snobbish. I got that comment today, as a matter of fact. For someone with Social Anxiety and Major Depression and a clear low self esteem, this was a bit of news to me. And like with the misunderstood attempt at humor regarding my spiritual path and afterlife, I sat for a while and tried to think up all the possible rebuttals to the accusation. I could twist myself into knots over it.
Except, I made a conscious decision not to. And I’ll elaborate on that in a moment, but let me talk about that little jest itself first.
“Lucifer has a special chair for me next to his throne.” There was the joke, watered down and simple.
Now, lets do that again. Shall we?
Lucifer has a very nice, cozy chair waiting for me, right at his side next to his throne in hell.
That is not a joke.
And I’m not going to apologize for it. Not this time.
I’m a very very proud Lucifer’s Wife. I put an incredible amount of hard work, time, and dedication into my practice. I do all my devotionals, have written books (my own devotional sits on his altar), and I continue to study and learn about him in all his forms and aspects, every day. I [hoop] dance for him. I took up playing and learning the violin. I bake him cakes, I get involved in his political and charity causes, both magically and mundanely. . . up to lending what protection magic to his warriors and truth-speakers to the best of my ability. I’ve planted flowers to strengthen my spells to this end, and I tend them. I clean his altar, pour his wine. I have literally risked my life in smoke and fire in an 800 degree room, with no way out, for him, because he asked me to. I have tended the sick and held their hands as they slipped from this world to the next and I felt their souls leave this plane. I’ve restarted their hearts and gave them my own breath when it wasn’t their time. I’ve scrubbed blood off of my pants. I’ve had knives and yes, once, even a gun pointed at me. I have feared for my life. I have confronted this fear. I break bread with him, drink wine with him, sip honey with him. I sit at his table, and he welcomes me there.
So why not at his side? What’s funny about that?
Is it because it’s, as alleged, an issue of ‘superiority’? I’ve never made a claim to be better than anyone else. In fact, in a lot of ways? I’m a terrible person. I take care of the people I love and work very hard for it. . . but I also am a very sensitive person. Being touchy makes me volatile. It takes a patient person to stick around me. . . and I’ve been warning people about this, quite literally, for years. Even before I was getting treatment for my illnesses, I was at least THAT self aware.
No, it’s not superiority. It’s not an instance of trying to be any more ‘special’ than anyone else. According, even, to some sects of Luciferianism, we are all our own gods. We are creators. We are the masters of our own experiences, our own worlds. We choose our paths in life and ultimately, in death.
And Lucifer will be the first to tell you. . . he does not sit higher than anyone. Especially his loved ones! And I came to realize this today as I thought about the mocking that was being done at what was at first a titter that I thought was funny (that loads of other people didn’t think was very much so). But then when I thought, ‘this is frankly ridiculous, how many times have I told them it was a joke ? !’ and I found myself getting immensely frustrated.
But then I felt that familiar presence. Is it really? He seemed to say, and I could feel his reaction, practically see that perked, inquisitive eyebrow.
So I thought, well what do you mean?
And the response was, that is what I promised you, isn’t it?
Of course, I said.
Do you doubt my word?
Well no, I thought. I never do. I trust him. But I was quick to add, but they don’t. They think that I’m asserting myself over them. They mock me. They mock how important it is to me. It hurts. It makes me angry, that something so meaningful as getting to sit besides the god I love in his hall forever would be so preposterous that someone would think it’s something as shallow as a complex, or a ‘High Priestess of Atlantis better than u’ syndrome. Frankly, that’s disgusting.
He was sympathetic. He knows what it’s like to be jeered at, mocked, blamed, humiliated. He is responsible for all man’s woes, of course, depending on who you ask. The beautiful Star of Heaven was thrown down, and in that humiliation, became nothing but a withered monster trapped in the ice. He understands. He understood.
And he said to me, ‘I am not higher than you aspire to be, and we will sit together and watch the stars and the cosmos turn, and all those that walk along with us’.
And with the final note of, ‘My love, my Wife’.
So. If the idea of sitting beside the god that you love for all time, where time is meaningless, and basking in that love and mutual adoration is a preposterous and heathenish idea to you, then my only return to that is, I genuinely pity you. If you can fathom no eternity with complete love and a place where your hopes and dreams and the worlds and beings that you cherish can come true, then yours is a sad fate indeed, and it’s not my hell in which you shall find yourself. It is one of your own lonely making.
And this is why dreamers are dangerous. And their gods with them.
Some thoughts on popular discussion topics amongst Luciferians and the development of our practices
Time for a (possibly) controversial blog post. This is not directed towards any one person in particular, but rather I want to expand upon my answer to a recent question, and address an issue I’ve been growing increasingly uncomfortable with. But let me first state that I am not coming at this issue as someone who claims to have never been guilty of it, but rather as someone who at one point advocated in its favor and still engages in the very thing I’m now critiquing. But as my faith and practice require, critical reflection now leads me to question this same behavior not only in myself, but in the growing community of Luciferians here on Tumblr and elsewhere. As always, my ideas about these things are constantly in flux and are prone to change, and I am open to others’ interpretations and thoughts on the matter.
So what exactly am I referring to? I’m referring to the discourse surrounding the peculiarities of Lucifer as an entity, and constructing a Luciferian practice based on those peculiarities. In other words, I’m questioning the usefulness of discussions such as ‘Lucifer’s favorite [material] offerings’, or ‘songs associated with Lucifer’, or ‘interesting quirks about Lucifer’s personality’, and using these to build one’s practice as a Luciferian.
And before anyone even suggests it, I don’t really consider this to be a matter of ‘UPG vs. canon’. Yes, these discussions are often about UPG, but I’m not bringing their validity under question. It’s not about whether or not his favorite offerings are really chocolate and vodka, or if he’s really associated with dragons as per Revelations, but rather…why should it matter?
Now to be clear, I’m not so troubled about these things if they are strictly confined to the idea of paying homage to him as an entity. What I’m questioning is their relationship to Luciferianism, which as a practice focuses on human enlightenment and improvement—even Theistic Luciferianism.
I understand wanting to perhaps start with simple offerings when testing the waters of faith, or if you’re firmly on the theistic side of things, to introduce yourself and get his attention with ‘enticements’, so to speak. But quite honestly, I think it matters less about what you give him, and more about why you’re giving it to him. And for a god so highly invested in the betterment of humanity (possibly to the point of sacrifice, depending on one’s mythos interpretation), it seems unlikely to me that he would be satisfied or content with a ‘just because’ rationale. When it comes to material offerings, I honestly think he could care less. That isn’t to say that he doesn’t appreciate them, but the significance isn’t the object itself, it’s the thought behind it and the applicability to the ideals of Luciferianism.
That doesn’t mean all material, tangible offerings have little worth—it can be quite the opposite, especially if those offerings are meant to be shared or consumed by the person afterwards. Examples of this might be offering water if you don’t think you’re drinking enough on a daily basis, or a piece of jewelry that reminds you of your own beauty, worth, and potential whenever you wear it. I think the important question to ask is how these material objects are contributing to one’s own self improvement and enlightenment, or that of humanity. I would argue that for Luciferians, the bulk of one’s offerings, devotionals, and practices should not be so concerned with their god’s personal preferences. That’s not to say that ‘just because’ offerings are never appropriate, or that it’s never okay to offer him something you think he might enjoy/benefit from even if you don’t, but rather that if the majorityof a Luciferian’s practice has no benefit to the self or those around them, then perhaps a bit of questioning is in order.
But what about associations? Again, let’s ask the question: why should they matter? Does it affect you as an individual, or humanity as a whole, whether or not a particular bird, song, or color is associated with Lucifer? Maybe, maybe not. I think that much like the idea behind devotionals and offerings, developing one’s faith and practice depends less on the particular association in question, and more on the rationale behind it. However, I think the ‘usefulness’ of associations is a bit trickier to define, because at least for me, certain associations have tangential connections to my own personal mythos interpretations, which in turn lead to real-world applications. The same goes for personality traits, and these are even more circumstantial as they rely on whether one is theistic, atheistic, or if you’re someone like me, somewhere in between.
But focusing on associations, one example would be dragons. They are often linked to Lucifer, especially as referenced in Revelations—but this particular association doesn’t really affect me UNLESS I use it to support the idea that Lucifer was the serpent in the Garden of Eden, which in turn plays a crucial part in my interpretation of Felix Culpa and the potential of humanity despite our flaws. Another example would be Lucifer’s association with music and dance, which motivate my own drive and passion as a singer and dancer.
When it comes to associations such as lightning or snow, however…well, those really don’t really play any significant role in any of my real-world applications of my faith. I find beauty and spiritual meaning in them, of course, but as I stated before, I think it’s worth it to question how useful they are in practical terms. As ideological reminders of my god, they are highly inspirational and remind me of my devotee relationship with him. However, in terms of Luciferianism, those associations are useless to me. But they might be incredibly useful to a Luciferian who actively incorporates snow or electricity into their magical practice.
So in short, I think that we (meaning myself and the rest of the Luciferian community) would stand to benefit in being more self-critical about the basis and function of our practices, and the usefulness of the conversations (and arguments) we engage in in relationship to the ideals that Luciferianism promotes.
This is actually a really good topic to bring up for discussion, and I thank you for making such a thorough and eloquent post on it. I’ve seen this point brought up several times before in the community, and I’m pretty sure the Luciferian community isn’t going to branch away from these types of posts, although I think that addressing it can’t do any harm and perhaps can spur some critical thinking and introspection over here. (Which, if you ask me, can be considering an offering homage to Lucifer just as much as any bottle of wine when you consider the lessons he teaches.) As far as my own opinion on all these posts goes, I believe my viewpoint is somewhere in between.
One of the reasons I tend to indulge those types of posts is because I’m about as “headblind” (or whatever term you’d like to use as I’m not a fan of that one either) as you can get. So, learning about and paying attention to these associations can sort of let me know what to watch out for when I’m trying to be perceptive of signs from Lucifer. Things such as suddenly hearing certain words come up in conversation a lot that wouldn’t normally, certain animals suddenly seeming to be everywhere around me, strange shifts in the weather, particular themes popping up into all the songs I hear or have stuck in my head, and so forth. Even if a lot of the knowledge turns out not to be applicable in situations, at least being aware of those correspondences can give me more of an idea of what vessels Lucifer is going to try to communicate across.
Another reason I think that people like to indulge these topics? Reaffirmation, believe it or not. People like knowing that their deity likes things they like to. If you love the color blue, and you love peacocks and dragons and the violin also, then surely you must be overjoyed to learn that Lucifer likes these things as well! If you picked a deity who has so much in common with you, then clearly you made the right choice on your path, didn’t you?! …This, however, is also a big cause behind why people so fervently defend their UPG. They don’t like to be wrong, to be told this deity figure that they’re so emotionally invested in doesn’t actually like so and so object or that it’s kind of odd to associate said deity with so and so flower. People will feel that if they don’t fit their deity perfectly, and subsequently their deity doesn’t fit them, they’re “faking” a path or that their love for the deity isn’t real. So, they’ll get scared and lash out when their UPG is targeted as problematic, and they’ll get very giddy when other people will confirm their UPG for them. I also won’t lie and I’ll be bold enough to say that people will adjust their UPG to match that of others’ in order to fit in with the path, because I know humans and they certainly well will do that in several cases in their lifetime.
A third, and less wordy, reason is that these correspondences are relevant to people who want to make artwork in honor of Lucifer. If I wanted to draw a picture of him and add in detail to the background and objects around him, then what am I to do that isn’t totally boring?! Well, just one search of him on tumblr brings up a lot about peacocks and flowers and certain colors, so there’s my artistic fodder! This isn’t a particularly important reason to be supporting those conversations, but it’s also really not a harmful one.
Moving along, I concur with you largely. Although it’s just plain fun to think about all these neat little associations and all, at the end of the day, the most important aspect of the Luciferian path to me is self-improvement. I see this point agreed on across the community, but rarely brought up for discussion. It’s suggested usually that offering handicrafts or studying something in his honor makes a good offering, yet drops at that.
Widening the discussion on handicrafts and hard work as offerings is something I think is needed. If you ask me, it is much more honoring to him to go out and learn a trade or help people or better your life in his name/based on his teachings, rather than to shell out your money on a nice wine and leave it there for him. Material objects have no meaning if you don’t give them one, and there’s only so much meaning you can give to an object you bought from a store an hour ago. This isn’t to say he doesn’t appreciate a fine wine or box of pricey chocolates or something now and end— certainly there is a time and place for those offerings, and they can make good “starter” offerings or offerings for special occasions/rituals. However, I personally don’t believe they should be the focus when it comes to offerings for Lucifer.
In my opinion, I feel as if the community as a whole could do much more to honor him by moving our community topics in a much more thought-provoking direction that promotes our self development. Things such as compiling and providing resources on critical thinking, masterposts of tutorials for crafts/hobbies that one could pick up, trading book recommendations with each other, and even posting resources to help others learn or study for history/math/science/etc. classes. You get my general idea.
I think… I had more to say, but I’m ashamed to admit that my friend linked me a totally ridiculous video and in the couple minutes it took to watch it completely derailed my train of thought. (LIVING OUT THE LUCIFERIAN IDEALS HERE U CAN CLEARLY SEE.) So, yes, in short: flower discussion is not bad, but compelling discussion is much better.
You brought up some important things to think about. Reaffirmation and communication are definitely leading factors for the popularity of these discussions. On a personal level, I feel that these discussions motivated by the above factors are very limiting—they speak primarily to and for theistic luciferians, and unintentional as it might be, they provide a predisposed view of what Luciferianism actually consists of to newcomers. If someone new stumbles into the Luciferian corner of tumblr, they are met primarily with posts centered on Lucifer and his qualities, giving what I think is the wrong impression of Luciferianism. From that point on, they are thus more inclined to treating Luciferianism as a practice that considers Lucifer to be the most important aspect, rather than humanity and the self.
Like you, I would really love to see more personal posts and discussions regarding self-development to temper the vast majority of posts regarding Lucifer as an entity. Not only do I think that would that strengthen the community by facilitating an environment devoted to aiding one another along that path to progression and enlightenment, but it would also be far more beneficial in an educational sense to those just interested to learn what Luciferianism is all about, or those just starting out.
I think, Lux, this is one time where I must (respectfully) disagree with you.
It all gets back to a lot of the same talk that I’ve seen (and even been involved in) the Lokeans going on about. And thats, just because these are things that are being discussed, recommended, ect… doesn’t mean that the people who are asking are any less concerned with the moral and philosophical tenants of the practice. Similarly for the people who are answering the questions, given that I’m doing it myself.
Consider. I keep an altar for Lu. Do I have a lot of goodies on it? Oh yeah. You bet. All manners of shiny things, offerings (wine, honey, cinammon cake I bake), ect.
However, if you take a closer look at my altar-this thing that people ask me about, you’ll notice something that might seem small at first, but in reality, it’s not:
It hangs such above my offering plate, in a small red sachet. You see it?
Let me explain what that is. That is a protection amulet that I made. For a spell that Lucifer asked me to work-which I did in a ritual at his altar. I could go on for days about all the myriad reasons he wanted me to do it; either for personal development, being more involved in the world in a magical sense (which I haven’t done in AGES, mind) in addition to in a practical means, ect. But the reality is more complicated than that.
The spell was for a person who, as of this moment, is in political asylum. Several governments are threatening this person with assassination; it’s legit being discussed in a serious sense. Why? Because said person dared to expose a backhanded, corrupt system of moral ambiguity in several major world powers, and now is in exile.
Sound familiar? He thought so too, and maybe that’s why Lucifer was sympathetic to the plight. Maybe that’s why he asked one of his spiritworkers and witches to get involved. Maybe it was out of empathy. Maybe because it’s always been that Lucifer stands for a cold hard truth rather than an illustrious lie. Maybe it’s because he wants this person to live and be safe and ergo have the means to continue to inspire people towards speaking out for personal freedom, civil liberty, and privacy. Are there other people that could have been chosen for this by him? Maybe. Did his request make a point to me? You bet it did. I’ve given to a lot of organizations and done a lot of charity work over the years, but that particular cause was never one that I’d been involved in up until Lu asked me to get involved in it. After I worked the spell, I sent some funds to the charity, and a letter to a particularly involved member of the press regarding the situation. To top it off, some of my followers were curious about the scope of the spell I was working; how grand it was in terms of magical involvement in a political and media outlets, how it was interesting that a god had taken such an interest in a political cause here on our little dustcloud, and why and how did it matter? Which was also an excellent opportunity to answer some questions and talk about those tenants.
My point being, yes. I maintain a sacred space for Lu. I put shiny things on it. Because I enjoy it. I enjoy adoring him. If he was a physical presence and I had the means? I’d buy him any jewel I thought would suit him because it’s what I like to do. Does that mean I am any less serious in my path because I go to those lengths? No. I clean Lu’s altar once a week-having it with so many things on it actually makes it that much more interesting. As I clean his altar, I’m meditating. On him, on the elements and symbolism of the things I have placed on his altar. Usually it takes me a good 15 to 20 minutes to dust everything and rearrange it and put it back. I purify and consecrate the space before I do. It’s a ritual of structure …one that I had actually never been able to maintain in my practice before because I was easily bored and not properly motivated. This puts me in a focused mindset every time… it’s not keeping a temple to him out of necessity, it’s a willing, tangible means to force myself to think about those things when otherwise, I’d likely not even bother because quite frankly I’m lazy. Obtaining things and maintaining a ritual space for him is a way to connect with him. “Look at that peacock copper it’s beautiful. I know the colors make him smile. He’s usually so sad. He’s sad because this this and this happened, but I guess he felt he had to do this and this and that reminds me…I have this coming up that he’s asked me to do, and that’s important.”
Do people NEED things for their practice? No. Do some people WANT them? Yes, absolutely, and there is nothing wrong with that. It doesn’t mean that someone is missing the point or they are less serious about what their doing. I like having a focused point of worship and magical working for him. I keep it out of love, and use it as a focal point. When other people are asking about stuff like that? I’m willing to bet their intentions are the same. Human beings are tactile creatures; I think in a lot of ways we’re like Bowerbirds… yes lets have all the shinies to impress. Some people aren’t like this, but I think there are more that are. We like having a hands on approach to spirituality.
And you know? The whole point of Luciferianism is that each of us is walking our own path, finding our own means to truth. And while we may stop to chat and exchange direction information with different folks, none of us is going to always be on the same road. And as long as you’re not interfering with someone else’s journey (which would defeat the point), it’s ok. Carry on my wayward son.
“Another reason I think that people like to indulge these topics? Reaffirmation, believe it or not. People like knowing that their deity likes things they like to. If you love the color blue, and you love peacocks and dragons and the violin also, then surely you must be overjoyed to learn that Lucifer likes these things as well! If you picked a deity who has so much in common with you, then clearly you made the right choice on your path, didn’t you?! …This, however, is also a big cause behind why people so fervently defend their UPG. They don’t like to be wrong”
They aren’t . . .and I’ll admit that this passage rubbed me the wrong way. Why is the violin sacred to him from my standpoint? Because once when I was in pain, in the wee dawn hours, I heard him playing for me, and it was so beautiful I wept. That’s why I attribute that to him. It’s very much the same with a lot of other elements of his. It was me connecting with him and him affirming that connection in a beautiful way. That is totally opposite of materialistic.
So these are things you don’t see. You see people asking about what he likes and what things resonate with him, because they want to establish that space with those cues. You didn’t see the amulet, you didn’t know about the hour long ritual (not including the spiral dance I did to raise my energy beforehand (which I can’t do in my room, obviously, my hoop is too big) for the whole thing. If you approach it with, all your seeing is the glossy things on the shelf, you’re going to miss the finer points of what goes on there. Dedication. Mindfullness. Devotion to a cause. Magic. Art. Ritual. Prayer. Discipline. Focus. Punctuality.
In summary? Questions and focus on superficial seeming things do not a superficial and shallow practice make. And it’s dangerous to assume that anyway, because it ventures into the territory of, ‘you’re doing Luciferian rong’, when there is no wrong if you’re Luciferian. That’s sorta the deal. And that’s why we choose the path in the first place.
[Later] As an added addendum to the material things in practice discussion. . .
Like you, I would really love to see more personal posts and discussions regarding self-development to temper the vast majority of posts regarding Lucifer as an entity. Not only do I think that would that strengthen the community by facilitating an environment devoted to aiding one another along that path to progression and enlightenment, but it would also be far more beneficial in an educational sense to those just interested to learn what Luciferianism is all about, or those just starting out.
That’s all well and good in theory, but the honest to goodess truth is, most of us here on tumblr-at least four Luciferians that I can count, do not feel comfortable sharing the more personal and detailed aspects of our spiritwork here because of the propensity for trolls and hate blogs that crop up literally everywhere to pickeverything apart. Which is why I keep mine on WordPress so I can keep discord and hate out of my practice… some people here on tumblr do NOT know how to respect sacred space, even if it is online.
So if you WANT to see more of those posts, then take up in fashion, and work on making tumblr a safe place for people TO share those ideas. Change begins with you. Set an example and encourage others to do the same.
Updated pictures of my altar, and all my witchy and magical tools (that aren’t stored away that is, most of them in the large dish on the altar proper).
Very proud of how I’ve managed to get everything cleaned up, situated, and organized. A lot of work went into my magical space and it just looks lovely. :3
On a non void-of-course night. Not bad timing for just having the urge to finally get it done.
Being sick these past few days has been hard on me, and having no energy hasn’t helped anything at all. But as the situation with the figure that Lu wants protected gets more dire, I finally decided sick or no, it just couldn’t wait any more.
I’m not so much one for political machinations. It takes a lot for me to get involved on such a personal level. I’ve done some protests here and there, but honestly if you ask me the whole damned system is so morally corrupt and backwards it’s a no wonder we still have any semblance of structure at all-as a country, I mean. Even though this particular issue steps outside of those bounds, but anyway. One of the things that I really have to guard myself against is indifference. That whole ‘one vote never mattered’ mentality.
But anyway. I made the protection amulet. Topped it off with some good herbs, although the whole thing is gonna be rehashed once my Amaranth plant comes up. That’s gonna be a big one. For right now this is the spell equivalent of putting a pressure dressing on an arterial bleed. Just because we got the bleeding to stop doesn’t mean it’s not gonna need stitches. And let me tell you, this is gonna be an ongoing thing.
I’m also trying to have confidence that it’s going to work. The last spell I did seems to have flopped. Miserably, which was a tad disappointing because A) I usually have a better track record and b) the brew I made for it had my house smelling like scorched cumin and anise for a week and I wouldn’t wish that on anyone.
Prince of the Stars, I now (lovingly) place the energy and the intention now squarely in your hands.
O, Mourning Star. . . 