Faces Of Lucifer #2

Who is Azazel to you?

My view of Azazel is very shaped by his role in the Book of Enoch, which I'll explain for those reading this who are less familiar, and also because I don't know if you have any knowledge of the story therein. There's also a bit of him that borders on UPG/Unverifiable Personal Gnosis, which I'm fine admitting to. I think more people should be inclined to fess up to when there's ideas or experiences that work for them (and maybe others) that might not have textual evidence.

I suspect I was sent this question at least partially because, depending on your religious background, the name can evoke a pretty different set of emotions and ideas. I can't get into it in dept here without writing an essay, and the question was "who is Azazel to you" instead of just "who is Azazel", but I've found in my research that the name appears in some form in Christianity, Islam to a degree (not as Azazil/Iblis though, their names are just similar, but rather in a story similar to his Enochic appearance), Judaism, and the apocrypha. That last one is where my view of him comes in!

In the Book of Enoch, Azazel is one of the Watchers or Grigori: angels who were meant to watch over mankind, but who were enticed by their leader to pursue their desire for mortal women. The result of this union was the Nephilim, a race of giants. Genisis describes them like so.

Genesis 6 1 And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them,

2 That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.

3 And the Lord said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years.

4 There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.

During this time, the Watchers were said to teach mankind new knowledge and skills... the act of which ultimately led to them being cast out of Heaven. Each Watcher taught something different, such as Penemue teaching about ink and paper so mankind could write, Sariel teaching about the lunar cycle, and Baraqel teaching astrology. Azazel, in my opinion, is credited with an incredibly interesting set of teachings. We get in Chapter 8...

And Azazel taught men to make swords and knives and shields and breastplates; and made known to them the metals of the earth and the art of working them; and bracelets and ornaments; and the use of antimony and the beautifying of the eyelids; and all kinds of costly stones and all colouring tinctures.

I just think it's very interesting that blacksmithing for the purpose of making armour and weaponry came from the same entity that was said to teach the creation of jewelry and cosmetics. So to me, all three of these acts and their results are very connected to Azazel. His punishment for being generous with this knowledge also makes him (and every other Watcher for that matter) an incredibly Promethean figure, which is a theme that comes up A Lot in my Luciferianism to the surprise of literally no one. It's not that unique a taste to have.

And now comes the parts that get a bit less concrete textually, but I incorporate into my understanding and relationship with Azazel: I see him as a potential teacher of magic, particularly witchcraft, occult and medicinal herbalism, and by extension veneficium. My reasoning for this is twofold.

To be fair, magic is not attributed to him specifically by name among the skills he taught. It is mentioned in regards to their leader Semjaza, who taught enchantment, and Armaros, who taught the "resolving" (I assume breaking) of enchantments. These two are interesting to me (as all the Watchers are) but I don't want to bite off more than I can chew when dealing with this sort of entity, if you follow, and Azazel was the one I felt most drawn to and got a very positive response from.

However! This is just when looking at their individual attestations that begin in Chapter Eight or so. In Chapter Seven, when their actions are described as a group, we get the following passage:

And all the others together with them took unto themselves wives, and each chose for himself one, and they began to go in unto them and to defile themselves with them, and they taught them charms and enchantments, and the cutting of roots, and made them acquainted with plants.

The fact that no other Watcher is credited as teaching herbal lore leads me to believe that magic and herbalism were skills that they universally understood and taught as a collective regardless of other specialties/focuses/areas of mastery, rather than this being an overview of a few subjects they individually taught. So, in my opinion, if you feel drawn to the Watchers but Azazel doesn't feel right to you and/or doesn't seem to reciprocate your interest, I personally do not believe he is the only means of working with them in an explicitly magical context.

He is, however, the only one of them with a long and repeated association with goats, which are of course also a very popular symbol in witchcraft (especially portrayals of the Witches' Sabbath when the Devil is involved), so to me that only furthers my association between Azazel and the teaching of magic, but witchcraft in particular. I'm not saying he's the true and universal identity of the Witch's Devil, or the Sabbatical goat, or the Man in Black, or anything else so universal. Many, many figures can fill those roles for different people, practices, and traditions. However, for me (so far), he seems well suited and well inclined to fill that role, and it's another appealing detail when viewing him through a lens of folkloric witchcraft.

I hope that answers the question! Thanks for asking.

Lucifer

By Federico Ferro

A Prayer To Vepar For Protection

Come, charming Vepar, demon of the seas,

Of enchanting voice, oh siren of old,

Fierce as a storm and gentle as a breeze,

One whose heart is kind yet vengeance ice cold,

One able both to bring and kill disease,

Come, warrior mermaid, terrible yet sweet,

Be our defender, oppressors defeat.

More about Vepar in my new Wordpress post.

Of Bald Mountain

Introducing Vepar

Come, charming Vepar, demon of the seas,Of enchanting voice, oh siren of old,Fierce as a storm and gentle as a breeze,One whose heart is kin

Hymn to Grand Marquis Phenex

Hail Phenex, you numinous wonder

Let your praise be loud as thunder

He who from the dross rises renewed

With feathers of fire you are viewed

Science and art are things you love

In a moonlit sky you sing from above

Your poetic verse echos through the land

The natural world is what you understand

Inner alchemical transformation

This education is your operation

Honor and splendor are your praise

You inspire in infinite ways

Lightrising

Luciferian Winter Holidays

Celebrating the stories of the Heavenly Rebellion and of the Garden of Eden, Lightrising - the renewal of light at the Winter Solstice - is perhaps the most important festival in my developing liturgical calendar. This year will be the first time I'm celebrating it, so it will be a kind of experimental celebration, but I decided to share my ideas here.

EDIT: to make things clear, the holiday is created by me.

[Image description: the post begins with four black and white drawings, illustrations of Paradise Lost:

The rebel angels falling, Michael commanding the triumphing angels loyal to God

Lucifer speaking to the Fallen, raising his spear belligerently

Lucifer flying to land on Earth, a sphere among the stars

Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, Eve giving the fruit to Adam

All pictures by Gustave Doré.]

The holiday lasts seven days, each dedicated to an event or motif from Luciferian mythos:

The Day of the Rebellion

Start: the dusk two nights before the Solstice Night

End: the next dusk

Theme: Rebellion in Heaven, the struggle for justice and liberation.

Celebration ideas:

Bless and light a Lightrising Candle. Any candle big enough to not burn out too soon will do. Let it burn for a while to symbolize the fires of rebellion. Remember fire safety. Before, you can have some fun decorating your candle!

If your practice involves acts of transgression and reversal (for example an ex-Catholic saying Credo in reverse), now is a good time for that. While such things can be helpful for those with religious trauma, make sure to be gentle with yourself and don't overdo it in a way that would hurt you.

Seeking out ways to help someone disadvantaged by the toxic system we live in (though remember it's always a good time for that!)

The Day of the Fall

Start: the dusk one night before the Solstice Night

End: the next dusk

Theme: the Fall

Celebration ideas:

Instead of lighting the Lighrising Candle, cover it with a dark cloth until the Lightrising Dawn.

Shadow work and cathartic activities.

You can wear something to signify mourning.

Lightrising

Start: the dusk of the Solstice Night

End: the next dusk

Theme: the Fallen rising again. Survival, persistence, hope, and renewal - even in face of Hell.

Celebration ideas:

If possible, the Lightrising night is a good time to hold a vigil.

At dawn you can again light the candle you lit on the Night of Rebellion and let it burn for a while. If you were not holding a vigil, you can just do that when you wake up.

Magic for healing and regeneration.

The Day of Pandemonium

Start: the dusk one night after the Solstice Night

End: the next dusk

Theme: fallen angels becoming demons and making Hell their own. The story of the building of Pandemonium.

Celebration ideas:

Making offerings and giving thanks to the demons in your life. Taking time to spend with them and appreciate them.

A shared meal with them.

DIY and upcycling.

The Day of the Serpent

Start: the dusk two nights after the Solstice Night

End: the next dusk

Theme: Lucifer as the Serpent and the bringer of knowledge to humanity.

Celebration ideas:

Did you know that in the Christian tradition, the Christmas tree was often associated with the tree of Eden? You can easily subvert and adapt it for your practice, and even make your own decorations!

Decorating and blessing fruit to be offered and eaten on the two following days.

Studying philosophy (or other things!)

The Day of Eve

Start: the dusk three nights after the Solstice Night

End: the next dusk

Theme: Eve as the mother of humanity, and her decision to take the fruit of knowledge and share it with Adam.

Celebration ideas:

Sharing a meal with Eve, Adam, and the Serpent. Eating the fruits you blessed the day before.

Discussing or, if alone, just reflecting on what you learned yesterday.

Sharing knowledge with others. For example, if celebrating in a group you can do short talks about things each of you is knowledgable about, or if solitary you can make a post on Tumblr!

The Day of the Earth

Start: the dusk four nights after the Solstice Night

End: the next dusk

Theme: humanity leaving Paradise. But it's not a sad holiday. As the Day of Pandemonium is dedicated to the demons of Hell, this day celebrates being human on Earth.

Celebration ideas:

It is a great time to spend time with your beloved people and do things that bring you joy. If you celebrate with others, you can incorporate the tradition of exchanging gifts on that day.

Animals count as earthly loved ones too! If you live with an animal friend, maybe give them a special treat?

The Day of the Earth is also a good time for ancestor veneration, and to make offerings to your local land spirits - including local folk devils.

[image description: a divider with the sigil of Lucifer made by @peculiar-666]

If you want to take inspiration from this, feel free to do so, as well as to share what you're doing and tag me so I can see!

I honestly believe the gods want you to be independent. They do not want you calling on Them five times a day. They are not constantly hanging over our shoulder, telling us "make the bed, eat healthy, don't skip breakfast, work out, try harder on that math question, take the water instead of soda, do your homework right after school, shower, brush your teeth, go to sleep on time, etc"

We should be able to manage ourselves. They are there to support us, and They might help in certain areas, like if you have an ED then yes maybe They do push a little harder for you to eat healthily, but for the most part no. They are gods, not our parents.

If you rely on Them too much throughout the day, if you keep calling on Them out of loneliness and needing someone to tell you to make the right decision, you've got

✨ A co-dependent relationship ✨

Which means if that deity leaves, takes a break, or if your connection is severed for some reason, you will completely break down. That is not sustainable. That is not healthy.

And no god wants that for Their worshiper.

You heard it here, having self-confidence and self-love is satanic!!

Rebel Angel

Angel of Darkness

You've experienced heaven and hell

You have strength of mind and body

Spirit of self-preservation

Guide me, advise me

Lead me to a better me

A wiser me

Do you know anything about trickster Spirits pretending their deity's?

I don't have much experience with that, sorry.

Can you tell me something about the symbols of Satanism? I mean, for example the meaning of the inverted pentacle; or of the inverted cross. Sorry my bad English and thank you.

Hi anon! I worked with @aspiringghostt on this since he's more knowledgeable on Satanism than I am.

There's a decent amount of disagreement (I guess??) on what symbols mean, since satanism tends to splinter off and isn't just one single thing.

I'll try to include images!

Inverted cross

Bastardisation of christ, mockery of christianity, rebelling from god.

There's some discourse on if this is actually the cross of St Peter but like... Personally I use it.

Inverted Pentagram

The 4 points represent the 4 elements (fire, earth, water, air) and the bottom point points to the spiritual place, hell.

Sigil of Lucifer

This is just simply the sigil of Lucifer! Pretty self explanatory!

Baphomet Pose

Two fingers up and two fingers down mean "It is above as it is below. It also represents harmony and justice.

Hopefully this helps! Symbols like the goat pentagram aren't actually associated with theistic satanism, so I didn't include them.