Category: Portraits

Spring Awakening

I continue to work on my personal oracle over this last week, painting portraits of Leviathan, Eurynomous, and Astaroth.

I’m particularly pleased with the work I did on Astaroth’s painting, as I’ve struggled to capture her on paper for some time. I also began canvases for Unsere, Verrine, and Amducius. I still have at least eight more cards to go, but I do not think I’ll be able to finish that many by April 1. Even so, I’ll keep at it so that I will have the oracle deck for use for at least part of the next Domagick challenge.

However, I must now set my painting on the back burner and concentrate on a couple of different tasks over the next week instead.

First, I must prepare for the Spring Equinox and the First Rite to Lucifer. In this ritual, I will celebrate him as Lord of the air, enlightenment, and new beginnings. At other times in my life, I have participated in shamanic journey circles dedicated at this time of year to Waking the Bear: a harbinger of spring where I live who begins to emerge from the dream of hibernation around the Equinox. I do not typically associate Lucifer with this animal, fierce and powerful as it is, but I will undoubtedly still journey deep within the Bear’s cave this week to see what both may have to say to me. Now is when the world reawakens and all can be reborn anew.

Right after the Equinox, I’m taking part in a Spring Novelama from March 22 to 25th. The goal is for each participant to produce twenty-five thousand words from the comfort of their own writing cave. I may not hit that target, but I’m dedicated to completing at least one story I have on the go. I’ve set up my entire schedule to focus on those four days.

Wish me luck, and Happy Equinox!

Painting an Oracle – AND A GIVEAWAY

At the beginning of this year, I made a promise to myself that I would only participate in magickal challenges if they genuinely aligned with what I wanted to be doing in my practice. I’ve been lucky so far and have found some fantastic ones each month, either through Domagick.com or divination.challenges on Instagram. (Props to folks who run both.) In March and April, I may have a chance to mingle the gifts of these two resources when the Domagick challenge shifts its focus to “applied divination.”

I’ve been painting my own oracle in preparation. It took three attempts and as many styles to get the first card for Belial. Finally, I settled on creating a random wash, turning and tilting the paper to let the paint pool and dribble as it liked. Once it was dry, I meditated on the background to find his face there, then painted the other layers needed to bring that face into the foreground. I completed two more cards using this technique, one each for Lucifer and one for Flereous. Sometimes we sat together in silence, while other times I used atmospheric music or a drumming disk to accompany my work.

I don’t know how many cards there will be in total, but I was originally hoping to finish sixteen of them before the first of April. At my current rate, I can see that was an optimistic estimate on my part. Along with everything else on my plate, I might get that many done by the end of next month—fingers crossed! That means I’ll more than likely have to use another form of divination for the Domagick challenge in April, but I haven’t decided which kind yet. I’m currently focusing on Lenormand, participating in the March Madness challenge hosted by Patricia Weston on Instagram, but I may wish to switch off by the first.

Lenormand is one of my favorite forms of divination. Sadly, it isn’t as well-known as Tarot yet, so my clients don’t ask for it nearly as often. I’d love to make it just as popular! I find it to be a straight-forward, nonsense way of getting to the heart of a question quickly, without any sidestepping around the issue. To help it shine, I’ll be holding a giveaway on FaceBook later this week (March 10 – 16) of one free Lenormand reading. Make sure to follow me there and look for this graphic!

lenormand reading tarot free contest giveaway divination oracle

More giveaways to celebrate my first love, divination, and the upcoming spring Equinox will follow later in the month. Stay tuned to this space for more details.

Have a good one!

Joy Through Play – Feb Domagick Week 4

The latest Domagick challenge is nearly complete. Its theme was meditation, and while it was recommended that we give classical forms a try, I chose to meditate each day with my paintbrush in hand on the Daemonic Divine. I’d hoped that the artistic meditations would deepen my connection to the Daemonic Divine as well as prepare me creatively for any other work I had to do later in the day. Now, a month later, I would have to say that this is a successful technique—with some caveats.

Artistic meditations depend on lighter work—quite literally. Unlike meditations it can be conducted by candlelight or even with your eyes closed, these kind of meditations require good lighting and your eyes open. Some people may feel they are not able to go as “deep” while doing art, either into their trance state or into their own psyche. To rectify that, I would suggest putting on a pair of headphones while you paint or draw, noise canceling if possible, and listening to either a drumming track or music you find atmospheric but nonintrusive. This will disconnect you from the outside world while helping anchor you more profoundly to the subject of your meditations. Even so, I was still experimenting with color and shapes using this technique—playing to a certain extent—and it was nearly impossible for me to finish an artistic meditation in a dark mood. Therefore, while this technique could be used for hexcraft and the like, I believe it is better geared towards “lighter” magick.

Secondly, the artistic meditations tended to satisfy my need to be creative well enough that I often felt done for the day once completing them. I would become so completely absorbed in my task that I sometimes lost track of time. That, coupled with a hectic month, meant I got less writing done that I wanted. Despite this, my mood was vastly brighter than usual during these dark winter months, and I felt marvelously accomplished despite the lower than desired page count. Regardless of whether my paintings were decent or not, I now look over this month’s sketchbook with a certain amount of pride for a job well done. Seen this way, they are possibly too involving to successfully prime me for other creative work later in the day, but shouldn’t be dismissed when it comes to emotional control and regulation.

These meditations have helped me see a different side of the Daemonic Divine too. They helped me realize I can relax more than I have been with the Daemonic, that I can have fun and just bask in their energies, rather than doing hard labor all of the time. Occasionally, resting and restoring your reserves is enough. I frequently tell that to my students but have a hard time listening to my own advice. It was good to absorb the lesson so easily and intrinsically that I didn’t fight against it every step of the way.

When I was pushing for a higher wordcount, my writing caused me repeatedly to meditate on Astaroth this week, as I have many times throughout February. As before, I struggled to capture the seduction and confidence of this powerful demoness. More than anything, I’ve wanted to get her eyes down on paper, as I find these the most arresting thing about her. I’m not sure I’ll ever get the Queen of Heaven right at this point, but I have greatly enjoyed the time I have spent with her. It’s been frustrating at times, but enlightening.

May your March be filled with light and joy!

Exploration and Experimentation – Feb Domagick Week 3

I’m entering the final stretch of February Domagick challenge. While I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the daily relaxation and rejuvenation that the artistic meditations have provided, I’ve also been keenly aware of how easily their routine could become a rut. I get bored after too long doing the same thing, so I’ve made sure to keep my work fresh this month by rotating both the spirits I’ve worked with and the techniques I’ve used artistically. The first is a matter of listening to my muse and going with my gut. The second is a balance of Instinct and trying to grow as an artist. My muse may urge me to include certain colors, but it is my growing knowledge of how watercolor works that has encouraged me to experiment with different methods this week.

This week’s keyword was exploration. By taking a risk and trying new things, I produced works that not only brought me joy during creation but continue to do so afterward. For the first time, I found pleasure in the finished product. I don’t believe it is a coincidence that these two pictures produced the most profound and connecting meditations of the week as well, even though their subject matters were very different.

Lucifer – I spent three days with Lucifer this week, with the second piece I created for him taking two separate days to manifest. It proved that the Daemonic Divine does not always come to me in humanoid form. In fact, the Daemonic can appear in anyway it likes…

Belial and the Land spirits – After spending time grounding with Belial, I realized that I had been neglecting the land spirits nearby. And by nearby, I mean as close as my bookshelf! I meditated with my personal bonsai tree, who told me in no uncertain terms that zie needs more love. What a feisty creature, but what else should I have expected from ginseng?

 

Eurynomous – Ah! I’m still glowing from this meditation. I find the presence of Eurynomous warm and soothing—not what some would expect from the Death Daemonic. Spending time with him is genuinely like checking in with a long-term friend. I walked away thinking, “Yes! I needed that!” This is my favorite piece so far.

eurynomous daemon demon demonolatry daemonolatry dukante skull death daemonic demonic

 

Now off to today’s meditation!

Thanatos – O Death

thanatos death deathdemonic demons greek mythology
“Thanatos” by William Briar created with modified stock art from Pixabay.

While I did spend time with my Lenormand deck today and even completed my Month of Spreads reading, I spent far more time contemplating my Death Daemonic card of the day: Thanatos. In Greek mythology, he is the personification if death, but rarely appears in any stories. When he does appear, he can occasionally be outwitted—a good thing, since Death was originally meant to be feared by both god and mortal alike in the Greek mindset. Over time, however, Thanatos became associated with gentle passing.

When depicted in art, it is typically with his twin brother Hypnos, better known as Sleep. Thanatos is sometimes shown as winged and bearing an inverted torch, symbolized life snuffed out. He carries a sword at his side. Other symbols include butterflies and poppies.

An Orphic hymn to death begins:

“Hear me, O Death, whose empire unconfin’d
extends to mortal tribes of ev’ry kind.
On thee, the portion of our time depends,
whose absence lengthens life, whose presence ends.”

Not the similarity to “O Death,” a traditional American folk song. Jen Titus made this track famous through its association with the show Supernatural, where it became the theme song for the character Death. It also featured in the video game “Until Dawn.”

Eurynomous: Talking with Death

eurynomous sigil demons daemons demonolatru daemonolatry deathIt feels like the weekend threw my routine off. Everything’s a little out of step today. I spent much longer with the nine Daemonic Divinities than I do normally today: almost two hours. I wanted to speak at length with Eurynomous, both through the Lenormand and with art. From what I read, it looks like this will be the first of many conversations, although his choice of topics sometimes perplexes me. I know there will be a point. There always is.

This evening I’m attending a short workshop with my brother. The class is being taught by one of our friends, and I’m looking forward to it for that reason alone. Still, the timing feels especially auspicious. Tonight, I’ll learn how to better connect with my ancestors, right in the midst of my sitting down each day with my deceased grandfather. With any luck, I’ll be able to put what I learn into practice right away!

The Star of Hope

DOMAGICK CHALLENGE DAY 25

Since I found it successful yesterday, I started my work with a Tarot reading again today. This time, I asked Sitri if a specific endeavor would reawaken my passion for writing. She responded with the Star. This card is a symbol of hope for me. It also represents the goals we strive to attain, and that we need to keep our spirits up when they seem beyond our reach. The Star means inspiration, rejuvenation, and a new burst of energy. If felt extremely comforted by her answer.

I created a picture for Sitri in thanks. Pastels are a new medium for me—and a challenging one. I is difficult for me to depict the kind of detail I want with them. Even so, this is the first piece I have felt truly happy with in as long as I can remember. I wanted to capture the joy I felt dancing with her yesterday as well as the meaning of the card I’d turned over today, the Star. I think I did that.

While I drew, I repeated Sitri’s enn in my mind. I may or may not get around to working with the Five Warrior Syllables today. The rest of my day is slated as family time, and I mean to enjoy it thoroughly. May the Star of Hope light your way!

Portrait of Passion: The Demoness Sitri

DOMAGICK CHALLENGE DAY 20

Insomnia plagued me last night, and since I need to get some writing done tonight I decided to take it easy on the Domagick front today. I concentrated on connecting with the demon Sitri through art, getting my first impressions of her down in watercolor and ink portrait. I typically use watercolor pencils rather than watercolors proper and found these demanded I worked much more quickly. Because I could erase them either, the paints also demanded I commit to any line I made immediately since I couldn’t take it back. That was somehow constrictive and freeing at the same time. I’m not entirely happy with the piece but then again I never am. I am pleased with the look on Sitri’s face, though. I think I managed to capture the expression of a demon of passion very well.

Satan as the Fifth Element #domagick

DOMAGICK CHALLENGE DAY 10

My entry today will be extremely short as the majority of my practice will occur too late in the day for me to write about it until tomorrow. After dinner, I will be attending the first part of the Five Warrior Syllables workshop, and that’s where I’m focusing the majority of my energy. I may have to play catch-up all weekend, if not right a huge entry on Monday with very brief ones in between.

Continue reading Satan as the Fifth Element #domagick

Anubis – The Holy Jackal #domagick

DOMAGICK CHALLENGE DAY NINE

Last night’s sound healing class was as fantastic as the first. I found it easier to open up this time around than I did previously, possibly due to having met each of the participants once before, but more likely because we spent a portion of the evening sharing: song, stories, and tea. I was in a good mood when I left—and intrigued but a new idea. We’d talked about how the word ‘holy’ connects to the concept of ‘wholeness;’ in some traditions, healers do not consider their patients broken at all. It’s certainly something to ponder in regards to my personal domagick challenge.

Continue reading Anubis – The Holy Jackal #domagick