S. Connolly’s Drawing Down Belial

In continuing my dive into darker practices as an exercise in open-mindedness, I thought about pursuing something I have only minor experience with. As a green witch and someone who follows the path of druidry, demons and other similar entities seem counter-intuitive to my practices. Not only that, but close friends of mine who have attempted following Left Hand paths have shared close encounters with unfriendly spirits. It’s a double-edged sword, a tool that can be just as easily turned back on you if you’re not careful. I don’t make many references to pop culture, but demon worship seems like Daedra Worshippers in Elder Scrolls: The people of Tamriel serve them, but not always to their own benefit.

After S. Connolly’s Curses, Hexes and Crossings, I decided to take another look into her beliefs and what she pursues on her path. For this, I went to one of her core books: Drawing Down Belial. S. Connolly’s ability to clearly explain her methods without sounding hokey continue to impress me. She approaches her topic like any serious writer: Without fluff, filler or unnecessary prose to make her point. She’s direct, which is why I will say that if you’re looking to contact demons, she will get you there. Follow S. Connolly’s books and methods, you will arrive at your destination.

I attempted several of S. Connolly’s rituals with Fae interference as my only connection to other entities. Most of the experiences were minor. My chosen path in life has held a lot of interaction with the Fae, making it plain to me that I was not reaching anything beyond what I’ve already had contact with. I decided to meditate and focus on this while I cleansed my pendulum in moonlight and salt overnight for S. Connolly’s scrying ritual. I decided to put all of myself into this ritual and allow my mind to become empty. I would meander from my path as opposed to looking at a new path while keeping my feet planted on my own.

The next night I anointed my pendulum and began the scrying ritual. I will leave out the name of the demon I attempted to contact for safety’s sake. During the ritual, several bags of my runes fell off nearby shelves. The candle I lit for focus went out. Shadows appeared where light could not have possibly cast them. Had I succeeded in contacting some darker presence? The chill I felt through my body told me I had. Did I reach my goal of transplanting myself onto new soil? My feelings of being separated from my energy told me I could not easily turn back. I had the feeling that I went too far and that I needed to follow this through.

After steeling myself against the face of this entity, I attempted to feel it out, to connect on a different level. That’s how I found out what was actually happening to me. The behavior seemed more menacing than it really was. After all, S. Connolly’s books didn’t reveal any grandiose happenings through these rituals. My experience had all the tell-tale signs of a Trickster Fae.

I called it out on its trickery and immediately the entire event halted. I had a mess to pick up, but everything was calm otherwise. The Trickster Fae is a rare visitor and I will have to write about the significance of its appearance some other time. After I had restored everything to its proper place, I spent a long while meditating on the meaning of my experience.

With Drawing Down Belial, I recommend learning about everything you are attempting to do. It’s easy to let your psyche get the better of you, or worse, the Fae. If Fae can get a rise out of you, I would say that darker forces could do worse if you take the practice too casually. Set up a system of self-check-ins to make sure you are of clear mind and body so that you can easily identify what sort of phenomenon is occurring.

For its purposes, this book carries weight in the occult circle. Just heed S. Connolly’s advice and do your research. These practices are not light-hearted and they’re not meant for the fragile-minded.

You can grab Drawing Down Belial from Amazon. You may also want to check out demonolatry.org and sjreisner.com to follow S. Connolly so that you can learn more about her and her experiences.