Graveyard Etiquette From A Cranky Traditional Witch:

Tips For Working With Demons

Here are some tips and general advice for working with demons and spirits. I'll probably add more to this list as things come to mind.

• These are individuals, people like you and me. Many of them have had human incarnations here on Earth. They understand your struggle and have their own issues and emotions as well. They have favorite things, best friends, family, and feelings. They are powerful, yes, but should also be treated with love and respect.

• They can and will speak to you. If you possess psychic abilities you may be able to channel some or all demons. People often ask how to tell the difference between the voice of a spirit, or an internal voice or hallucination. Spirit will never speak over you, interupt your ability to think freely, or control your mind. They simply speak, if you're willing to listen. They may also manifest physically, move objects, visit your dreams, send you signs, they have many ways to get their point across.

• Do not stress over time. If you haven't spoken to or left an offering to your patron demon in a few weeks because you've been depressed or busy, this is fine. Spirits do not experience time as we do and your absence is little more than a blink of an eye to them.

• Get creative with your offerings. King Paimon loves chocolate, Bune loves fancy perfume, Lucifer fancies himself some whiskey. You may wonder how offerings help demons, since they lack a mortal body. All physical beings possess a spirit and as such, all physical objects possess an essence. This essence can be absorbed by a spirit to allow them to taste/experience the offering. This gives them energy as well. Fun fact: once the essence of a consumable offering is taken it will be dull and tasteless. Try it sometime.

• Remember to say "thank you". Show appreciation and gratitude to any demons that lend their time and power to enhance your life. This is a team effort and no one likes to be used. Friendship and growth should be your top priorities when working with spiritual entities.

• Go ahead and draw that sigil badly. It's ok to only give a tiny drop of blood. Demons are far from perfect and do not expect perfection from you. Your effort and intention is what matters most.

• Stay away from Solomonic or Abrahamic methods that aim to control or trap demons. This is not likely to end well for you and it is a huge betrayal to the trust of a powerful cosmic being. If you are afraid of the interaction, there are many other forms of personal protection you can employ.

• Chances are there is a demon or spirit that resonates with you. Don't get discouraged if your first several attempts don't spark a connection. Read up on different entities and mediatate to find where you should try next.

• Let go of your preconceived expectations. Demons are not going to just make you rich, successful, or smart. These things are the result of forming strong bonds of power and raising one's consciousness. Often times you won't get what you want, but what you need instead. Spirits can see the bigger picture of who we are, our capabilities, and our soul's path. Trust their vision.

sometimes magic is literally just opening the windows and putting on some good music while you clean the house ✧

30 Tried & Tested Tips for Becoming a Great Tarot Reader

Stop bullshitting people.

Aim for truthful readings.

Be confident when giving a reading.

Avoid blanking when reading.

Avoid the most common mistakes.

Always trust your cards.

Don’t make your cards hate you.

Create a bond with your decks.

Learn proper tarot etiquette.

Don’t believe in superstitions.

Don’t mistake honesty for hate.

Master the Celtic Cross.

Predict timing accurately.

Read reversals the right way.

Treat rogue cards the right way.

Never pull clarifiers.

Never assign a yes or no value to cards.

Learn how to read feelings, thoughts & intentions.

Learn how to read physical appearance.

Learn tarot's astrological associations.

Know the cards’ literal meanings.

Know the meanings of tarot’s colors.

Know the meanings of tarot’s numbers.

Read one spread in many ways.

Deal cards the traditional way.

Have your own reading ritual.

Properly close every tarot reading.

Gauge yourself.

Master tarot.

Be the best reader you can be.

Designed to help you investigate deep emotional struggles and learn why you feel the way that you do.  1. The Issue This card represents the topic of the reading. It can represent the individual the reading is for, or the specific problem you are trying to understand.  2. The Struggle This card represents the thing that is your most immediate obstacle. 

The center six cards examine the things within you that impact card one. We could say that we’re looking at your hopes and fears, the factors that determine how you feel about your situation. The row is chronological from left to right, with present day in the middle.

Top Row. External The upper row is representative of lighter aspects of the psyche. This is the face you show others, and what you are consciously, externally aware of.  Bottom Row. Internal The bottom row is the shadow aspect, your hidden fears, the feelings you wont acknowledge to yourself.

Bottom of Cut. Outcome I use the bottom card on the deck or the bottom card of the cut, depending how I deal, as the destination or outcome card. This tells us how you can expect things to “shake out”, if you continue the current course. You can see the spread in action here using the Klimt Tarot deck.

When you're considering working with spirits, I highly, highly discourage seeking out the most vivid, intense experiences you can. This is for ones' own mental safety.

Not mental safety as in "ooooh you're not powerful enough yet" or "oooh you're not going to like what you see," but "hey this could easily fuck up your grasp on reality in a way that's difficult to recover from."

Naturally everyone wants to see the "hard evidence" of spirits, catching them on photo, hearing voices, receiving visions, something reaching out and touching you, etc. Everyone wants to see inanimate objects move and other "impossible" acts. But if this is the baseline for how we define spirit behavior and only strive for more and more it's going to unravel us pretty quickly.

Historically speaking, most spirit work has nothing to do with this. It mostly involves either warding/scaring them away for safety or paying your respects to them in some fashion. You might talk to the latter and and ask for guidance or help, but nothing is expected to manifest right in front of you. If we only treat these Grand Experiences as the most valid, we're skipping over a lot more meaningful work.

More importantly though, nothing is above the laws of physics. Actively seeking to break the laws of physics (moving/levitating objects, shape-shifting, physically changing dimensions or having spirits visually/physically manifest) can shred your ability to process the material world around you. You can't always find qualified research to back up what you'd like to hear, but there will always be some speculative pseudoscience ready to "prove" it for you. You can ALWAYS rationalize how something "could" happen, which becomes how it DOES happen. Once you've mastered the art it can can validate every delusion, every paranoia, every hallucination, every self-doubt, every ludicrous idea, with nothing solid to grab onto.

Mastering those leaps of logic, it's no wonder folks have zero trouble believing the earth is flat, amethyst cures cancer, vaccines cause autism, the government is secretly controlled by alien lizard people, you get it.

Let yourself draw a line of what you DON'T believe in. It's healthy.

Use what you have at home

When you first start out as a witch there is so much excitement to go out and buy all the “fancy” new tools, supplies, and books. You think that you need them. That you have to own specific things to make your spells work. It is easy to get caught up in all that. But there are plenty of things that you mostly likely already own that can be used as ritual/spell tools and supplies. Not as fancy as going to the local occult shop, but will help you get started right away or good for those who are in the broom closet.

I'm going to offer household suggestions for the main tools you may need.

Wand: A stick you can leave plain or decorate (try not to cut off a branch but look for something that has already been shed.) A chopstick that you have decorated (I like the hot glue handle then painted). A wooden spoon. You can wire or string wrap several kabob skewers together. A wooden dowel. Stirring rod.

Athame: Plain old butter knife. A pocket knife. A letter opener. A toy sword or dagger. (it would be symbolic only as it wouldn't actually cut anything, My athame is made of resin and I use it only symbolically.)

Chalice: Any cup will do. I have a wine glass that I use sometimes and a HP mug I use sometimes.

Besom: Anything that will “sweep” the energy. A folding fan(paper, lace or feathers.) A hand broom, a feather duster(please be careful around open flame)

Cauldron: Needs to be heat and fire proof. A small pot. You can fill a small ceramic or terra cotta bowl/pot with some sand(I'd also place on a trivet as well just to be on the safe side) Small camping cast iron pot.

Bell: Any bell with do, doesn't have to have a handle. Could be jingle bells from Xmas or sport's fan cowbell.(My old college was always handing those out for homecoming) Before I got a singing bowl I had one piece of actual crystal, I used to do the water on the rim trick for ringing.

Candles: Pretty much any candles will do, even flame-less if that is how you have to go. I like birthday candles, they come in every color, are easy to source, and burn quickly.

Mortar and Pestle: You just need to be able to grind and crush herbs, seeds, eggshells, etc. Alternatives could be a spice or coffee grinder. A rolling pin and baggie, round rock and bowl,

Grimoire or Book of Shadows(BOS): Notebook or composition notebooks. Journals. Binder and loose leaf paper. Digital journal. Sketchbooks. If you want something a bit bigger and fancier, you can combine several composition notebooks together by gluing the front and back covers together and binding with fabric or tape. You can keep all your writings in a box, envelope, or chest. It doesn't need to be a “book.”

You don't have to go out and buy all kinds of new things to get started as a witch. By all means, you can if you want to, but you certainly don't have to. There are so many alternative things out there that you can make use of. Take a look through your home with fresh eyes, maybe there is something that would work perfectly that you just hadn't noticed before.

demonolatry intro

Step One: Get Your Reading Straight

If you want to take this seriously, you must get your hands on some solid books. Not just the surface level crap that everyone regurgitates, but actual texts that present demons as what they are: ancient divine spirits, not edgy, misunderstood villains. Two books you NEED:

The Goetia Devils by Rev. Cain – Forget the old grimoires that call demons “liars” and “deceivers.” This book gives you real insight into their nature their personalities likes and interest and background It’s absolutely required reading. The Goetia Hymns by Rev. Cain – You want to actually call upon demons? Use these. 200 prayers and hymns for everything to all 72 goetic demons it is one of a kind

If you can’t get them, I wouldn’t mind sending info from them because this knowledge deserves to be shared with those who are serious about it. But do not just rely on basic "Google" tier knowledge.

Step Two: Stop Thinking Like a Christian

One of the biggest things that screws people up when they get into demonolatry is that they still carry Christian baggage. I dont mean that in the laveyan way of erm no war happened rather they didnt lose anything they fought and secured freedom, hell is not a prison yahweh and his slaves have no power over hell

Demons are not waiting around for "redemption," they already found salvation they are smart noble beings with their own wants and needs likes and dislikes they are not playing the game of Yahweh’s petty universe. They are the opposition, the divine rebels, the rulers of the Infernal Empire that will ensure hells ultimate victory You are not "selling your soul" (seriously, kill that thought), you are joining a side and that side is about power, knowledge, and liberation from the shackles of the false god.

Step Three: Pick a Few Demons to Start With

You do not need to call all 72 Goetic spirits at once like some overexcited fool. Work with a few to start, and get to know them personally. I can recommend good beginner demons

Step Four: Create a Sacred Space

No, you don’t need a massive ritual room, but at least set up something to dedicate to your work. Even if it’s a small altar in a private place, it helps to create a focal point for your devotion and rituals.

What you can include: A black or dark cloth (symbol of the unknown, the abyss, the infernal realm). Candles (color depends on the demon you are working with). Sigils (drawn or printed out, charged with your intent). Incense (sandalwood, myrrh, or frankincense work well). Offerings (wine, blood, poetry, personal dedication).

And before someone asks no, blood offerings are NOT required, but they are powerful .If you’re not ready for that, stick with incense and dedication first.

Step Five: Start With Meditation, Not Begging

This is where most people fuck up they start demanding favors from demons before even knowing what they’re doing. No. Stop.

Start simple: Sit in front of a sigil. Focus on it until it "moves" or shifts.

Chant the demon’s enn quietly. See what sensations arise.

Write down thoughts, visions, or dreams you experience.

Most people expect some loud, booming voice or shadow figure in their room. No. Demons communicate through impressions, emotions, synchronicities, and deep intuitive knowledge. If you’re not developing those senses, you’ll miss 90% of what they are trying to show you.

Step Six: First Invocation

Once you feel a connection, you can start formal invocations. The best approach is a polite, but firm invitation NOT "commanding" like some delusional Christian grimoires suggest.

Light your candles, incense, and set up your altar space. Draw or place the sigil of the demon. Chant their enn while focusing on their sigil. State your intention clearly and respectfully. Be patient and observe. Demons may communicate through thoughts, emotions, or later dreams and signs. Close the ritual properly. Thank the demon, extinguish candles, and ground yourself.

Step Seven: Keep a Grimoire

If you aren’t writing things down, you’re wasting your time. Period.

Log your meditations. Write down any dreams, symbols, or feelings. Keep track of what works and what doesn’t. Note what offerings and rituals seem to get the strongest results.

Demonolatry is a living practice, not a fixed set of rules. The more you explore, the deeper your understanding will be.

Final Notes: What NOT to Do

🚫 DO NOT command demons. You are here to learn, not to act like some arrogant king. 🚫 DO NOT expect quick results. Demons test your patience, intelligence, and dedication before revealing deeper wisdom. 🚫 DO NOT treat this like a trend. If you’re just here for aesthetics, they will ignore you at best, punish you at worst.

Demonolatry is a lifelong path of study, experience, and revelation. If you’re serious, then welcome aboard. But if you’re just looking for some quick magic trick or spooky aesthetic, you might as well quit now.

Found these simple, easy to understand Tarot card cheat sheets 💫

Types of Divination

I have touched a little bit on divination before in one of previous posts and I believe I did mention that I was going to be doing one of these post, so here you go!

I am not the most educated when it comes to divination, I know what I know and it works, so why should I try anything else? Because growth, girl! Because expansion of the mind! Because it’s damn amazing to know all these witchy things! That’s why!

So upon doing my mystical research, I honestly learnt some really cool forms of divination that I’m annoyed I didn’t know before, so here are the different forms of divination :

Tarot Cards - the most common form of divination on this planet (besides crystal balls). You go to a carnival and happen across a fortune teller in a caravan, what has she most likely got on the table in front of her? A crystal ball and tarot cards. The only difference here is that anyone who actually uses tarot cards knows that this is not going to “tell you your future”, it’s simply vague guideline, just some probable insight into the forces at work. When I first started I relied on this handy book that helped me translate every card through the reading, now I only look at it every now and then. Three-card spreads are my favourite! You can literally use them for anything. I personally don’t like just drawing cards, i lay them out and hover my hand over the top moving across the spread out cards and whenever I feel a slight tug I know that’s the card. I go over it a few times just to be sure, but i just don’t like picking random cards, not my style.

Nordic Runes - another one I am very familiar with, created by Odin and given to humankind as a gift. (”Oh, they’re lovely, thanks.”). When I first got into the craft I think it was one of the first few things I was taught out of my reading and the symbols and their meanings are fairly well known. I have passed a handful of strangers with runes tattooed on them and when asked about them they actually knew the meanings and details of the runes. Runes are similar to the tarot in the sense that they are a guideline not so much a prediction, also generally used to address issues. Readings are done by putting all the runes in a pouch and drawing, depending on the question, the select number of runes out. My go to number is always three. There are some amazing DIY’s for runes, but the real magic is in the carving of the runes. I really like the way they look when burnt into wooden disks, especially if the bark is still intact in the edges.

Celtic Ogham  - this is one I had surprisingly never heard of. Out of all the books I have read on Celtic magic and they failed to inform me of this? What the heck, guys? So, from my understanding, there are 25 letters in the Ogham alphabet; 20 if you wanna be super traditional. They have so many correspondences I will honestly need to learn them all, but now is not the time. It was supposedly created by Ogma, to show off how well spoken he was, or something like that. (I only skimmed the article when it came to this part, sorry guys.) Now the method for using the Celtic Ogham is very similar to runes. The symbols are normally carved onto wooden staves, placed into a pouch and drawn out when seeking the answer to a question. Very cool and I plan to DIY a set of these someday.

Tasseomancy - the art of reading tea leaves. This is one I haven’t tried, purely because drinking tea with loose tea leaves just sounds terrible. Basically you need to make your tea with the loose leaves and drink it. You have to leave a little bit of the tea left over to swirl the tea leaves around so that they can form a pattern. Just do it a few times so the leaves aren’t spread out everywhere. You might end up with one big picture or you will end up with a few little ones. In this case go clockwise around the cup. It works kind of like a timeline. Now look at your blobs and try to see the images in the blobs. There are plenty of guides for figuring out what these images mean or you could just go with your gut feeling.

Automatic Writing - this method uses the spirit realm to get messages. For this you would need to be in a meditative state, enter with a clear mind or a question or thought and, with a pen and paper in hand, just let the words come to you. You can even write the question or subject on the piece of paper and let the spirits take over. Like with any form of divination, you will need practice. If you have been sitting there for 20 minutes and haven’t gotten anything then maybe take a break and try to clear your mind a bit more. This method is used by loads of mediums for getting answers or just connecting to people who have passed on. I would advise that we take caution when it comes to using this method as it can open doors for spirits, not all of the things you’re opening yourself up to are friendly, so always make sure you are protected and ready for whatever there is to come.

Osteomancy - reading bones, being South African I’m fairly familiar with the cultural background of osteomancy. The Sangomas (basically the medicine men) of the villages have been known to use this method of divination. The way it’s done is the bones were placed into a bowl or pouch and mixed with various stones, shells and feathers and shaken out onto a mat. Reading it relies solely on intuition and requires a lot of training to master. Depending on the bone and it’s position on the mat, the way it’s facing, the objects surrounding it. In my opinion this is one of the most difficult forms of divination to master.

Scrying - this one is also pretty common and comes in loads of forms (I will need to do a separate post for all the different methods of scrying. There’s fire scrying, water scrying, using a black mirror, etc. There tons of different methods but I’m going to use the example of water scrying. Most people like using reflective surfaces to scry since it is the easiest. Simply clear your mind again or keep the intent in the back of your mind and focus on the water. Follow all the slight ripples until you’re fully connected to the small body of water. You could see images or shapes on the surface or you could see mental images. It’s different with everyone and what the universe is trying to show you.

Pendulum Divination - the easiest to make, since you can use your own necklace as a pendulum, this is purely for yes or no questions and is basically a simplified version of a ouija board. Again, take caution when working with spirits. You might think you’re talking to a recently deceased family member or one of your ancestors and it could end up being something else completely and be in a bit of trouble. When using the pendulum some people use sheets for more advanced questions but I would say just using the four directions; left, right, front and back; for answers. Ask some basic questions that you will know the answer to first to see which direction is “yes” and which is “no”. Once you have that down you can ask away.

Numerology - using numbers in divination. Numbers hold a lot of magical significance (any witch can tell you that). There are specific numbers that we like to stick to and we stick to it for a reason. Odd numbers are related to a feminine energy, while even numbers are related to masculine energy. Different numbers have different meanings and in order to use this method research should be done on the different meanings of numbers. Play around with numbers in magic. use numerology to find your birth number, name number, fate number, your pinnacle numbers, etc.

These are all the methods of divination I could cover for now. Watch this space for upcoming, in depth tutorials for each of these methods.

wizard advice 🔮