S. Connolly FAQ

I get so many emails addressed to S. Connolly, my assistant and I thought we’d answer the most common questions here so we’d have a page we could direct people to.

Updated 06/05/2024

Will you mentor/teach me? Unfortunately, I don’t have the time required to be a mentor to everyone, and even less time required to take on an actual apprentice.  For aspiring occult authors, I have turned my best blog posts on the subject into a book called “The Indie Esoteric: A Publishing Guide for the Independent Occult Author” (recently updated for 2023-2024).  Your best option to learn magick from me is to read my books, the demonolatry.org blog, or to join my Patreon to take my ongoing and past classes. You can book hourly coaching/mentoring sessions from me from this page.

Will you join and participate in my FB group or forum? Again, it’s a time issue. You can add me to your FB group, but if it doesn’t look interesting I’ll likely remove myself. I just don’t have the time to hang out online and discuss Daemonolatry to death. I used to, but at some point, it became a barrage of the same questions and conversations over and over again.  Questions I’ve answered or addressed in my books.  I think my biggest issue is that after 40+ years of practicing, it takes an interesting conversation to hold me and get me to participate. I have been burnt out on discussing beginner topics for about fifteen years now. It’s very rare that I find an online conversation, in an open forum, that interests me. Usually, it’s like, “I saw a Daemon that looked like XXX, who is it?”  Or, “I have found myself interested in working with XXX. Any advice?” Or such vague, sweeping questions, that answering them would require me to retype my books in a message thread. Hence the reason I often answer questions like that with, “That was covered in my book XXX.”

One of the most common questions I get is “What order should I read your books in?” Here’s the answer Frank, my assistant, usually sends to folks:

These are the foundational beginner books to be read in this order:

1. The Complete Book of Demonolatry
2. Daemonolater’s Guide to Daemonic Magick

3. Psychic Self-Defense & Protection Magick

4. The Daemonolater’s Book of Foundational Correspondences.

Next you would move into specific areas based on interest. If the first two books are the 101, the following are still beginner, but address more specific topics. Let’s call them 201. There is no specific order for these unless stated:

  • Honoring Death – Necromancy
  • a. Necromantic Sacraments – read this after Honoring Death
  • Daemonolatry Goetia – Working with Goetic Spirits from a Daemonolatry Perspective.
  • Drawing Down Belial – Daemonic Communication & Divination
  • Sigillum Diaboli – Divination via Daemonic sigils
  • Demonolatry Rites
  • Abyssal Communion & Rite of Imbibement
  • Modification & Practice Series – Scales of Ma’at, Hidden: Living with the Uninitiated, Modified Daemonolatry. (You can get FREE pdf’s of these books on demonolatry.org)
  • Wortcunning for Daemonolatry – Daemonic Herbalism & Alchemy
  • Any of the Daemonolater’s Guide Series including:
    • Sex, Money & Power
    • Daemonic Pacts
    • Daemonic Offerings
    • Daemonolatry Groups
    • Daemonic Possession
    • Spirit Keeping & Spirit Vessels
    • Daemonic Prayer & Prayer Cords
    • Daemonic Love Magick 
  • Book of Agares
  • Lake of Fire: A Daemonolater’s Guide to Ascension
  • Daemonic Prosperity Magick 
  • The Preeminent Curse
  • LARVA: The Book of Transformation
  • How to Draw Friends & Sacrifice Toxic People
  • Four Daemon Queens
  • Four Daemon Kings (Forthcoming)
  • Magickal Servitors (Forthcoming)

Then you have the 301 books –

  1. Kasdeya Rite of Ba’al, and this should only be read and used if you’re an experienced magician and you’re ready for a major life change.
  2. 76 Week Goetia 
  3. Alchemy of Goetia

Finally – you have your advanced books. Let’s call these 401. Readers shouldn’t even delve into these books unless they’ve been practicing a few years. These books include (and should probably be read in this order):

1. Infernal Colopatiron or The Abyssal Angels – theophany and gate opening
2. Nuctemeron Gates – gate opening
3. Keys of Ocat — Keys of Death is a companion text to this and is used in conjunction with Keys of Ocat. – Necromancy.

Finally, you have two books that are occult-based, but stand alone and aren’t Daemonolatry specific. These can be read at any time and are suitable for beginners of ANY path.

–Curses, Hexes & Crossing – execration magick
–The Art of Creative Magick – creating your own ritual

-The Kitchen Witch Cookbook – the magick of food. (Forthcoming)

I also have a book of Daemonolatry related essays, articles, and “best-of” blog posts as well as a book of my essays found in several anthologies, some out of print-

–Bound by Blood

-Daemonolatry Monograph I  and Monograph II (Must be on my mailing list)

I’ve also played editor and publisher to a lot of books including books by Martin McGreggor, J. C. DeCesari, E. Purswell, M. Delaney, Ene Pithas, and many other authors (some now out of print) who write Daemonolatry and Traditional Witchcraft based books.

How do I get started working with Daemons?

I wrote a post over on demonolatry.org about this. You can read it HERE.  It’s about establishing a daily practice.

I want to learn to develop my gifts for communicating with Daemons like you are able to do. How can I do that? or I have been working on learning Daemonic communication for XXX time now, and nothing is working.

Well, you have to understand that I was born with the gift to be able to communicate with spirits. I also believe everyone has some degree of clairsentient ability. But I can’t really tell you how you can develop an ability you may not have. I can tell you how to hone your existing talents – and that’s by using them. A LOT. I work with Daemons daily. My skills are fine tuned. It took me years to gain control of my natural talent “at-will”. I wrote Drawing Down Belial to help people learn and hone communication and divination techniques with the Daemonic. SO – practice, practice, practice. But if, after a year of consistent effort (by that I mean 365 straight days of 1 hour a day) you’re still not getting results – you’re likely a squib in that department. 🙁  I hate telling people that, but sometimes it’s true.

Why don’t you answer all of your email? Why do you give short, terse answers or tell me to read XX book? I was hoping for more in-depth answers and/or discussion. 

In many cases, I’ve answered the question(s) you’ve asked already in one of my books.  I wish I had more time to have a full conversation with everyone who writes to me, but sadly there isn’t enough time in my day.

Can you do magickal work for me?

You can order magickal work from me here – please note I don’t do love magick or execration magick for anyone.

There are TWO things I do for free for ANYONE who comes to me and asks. You’re welcome to CONTACT ME if you think either of these things will help you:

  • Thursday Night Healing Light Meditation – You can add yourself, friends, or family members to the list of people I will include in my regular Thursday healing light meditations.
  • Prayers – I am ALWAYS willing to send prayers to the Daemonic Divine on your behalf. Please note that this is NOT MAGICK. I will not pray for you to “get stuff”.  I will pray on behalf of others for Divine intervention, understanding, healing, personal gnosis, and those types of things.

I am in need of an exorcism! Will you please help me?

Obviously, I don’t believe in the classical, Christian version of “Daemonic Possession”. I believe that if you’re being possessed by Daemons – they’ve got serious shit to do and they need your body to do it. Many Daemonolaters are willing to be host bodies for such things, meaning Daemons don’t possess people willy-nilly. But I do believe that in rare situations, sometimes feeder spirits (or negative “others”) will attach to someone or someplace and it does require banishing or exorcism. These can be done remotely, though admittedly in person is best. For exorcisms, a full work-up would have to be done, including a report from a licensed psychiatrist or psychologist saying that the possessed person has sought professional assistance and that the person does not suffer from a histrionic disorder, bipolar, schizophrenia, or any other psychological disorder that could produce similar symptoms. Depending on symptoms, I may ask the person to have tests done with a regular doctor to rule out epilepsy, vitamin deficiencies, cancer, or hormone imbalances. Decades of working with Daemons and the paranormal/supernatural has taught me that it is imperative to have as much information as possible before proceeding with an exorcism because it is extremely unhealthy (and sometimes dangerous) to pander to delusions, fantasies, or attention-seeking behaviors of mentally ill individuals. It would also be extremely dangerous to ignore a possible physiological condition that could be causing the symptoms. I have encountered several situations where the “possessed” had symptoms caused by a dangerous vitamin deficiency (in one case due to an eating disorder), and in another case – it was a brain tumor. I’ve also encountered several instances where “possession” symptoms were induced by alcoholism, blood sugar issues, and hormone imbalances.  It would be negligent for ANY Daemonolater, especially a priest to perform an exorcism when a person actually needs medical intervention. Once I am satisfied the person is mentally and physically fine, I would do an interview with the possessed to see if what they’re really suffering from is stress, depression, anxiety or other major life change emotional stressors – as violent outbursts and moments of rage can be triggered by such things. What people often need here are coping devices to learn how to deal with the life change, and in some instances, it is best to refer them to professional counselors. If all of this checks out —  divinations would commence so I could see what I was dealing with. If divination confirms that an exorcism would be of benefit, the possessed (or someone acting on that person’s behalf) would need to sign an NDA as well as a release of liability. Once all of this is done, I can perform an exorcism. The traditional Daemonolatry clergy has a system for these things. Our priests are trained in how to handle these types of situations in a way that doesn’t feed mental disorders, physiological disorders, or cause spiritual harm to a person.  We never outright refuse to help, but we don’t just do exorcisms willy-nilly either.  I’ve discovered most people are unwilling to undergo the first two things on the list. Real spiritual possession is not a game to me. I take it very seriously because even if it isn’t an actual spirit — the possessed person NEEDS help of some type.

21 Comments

  • Aaron

    September 6, 2016 at 4:58 pm

    I’m a huge fan of your work S. Connolly but I’ve noticed the “The Complete Book of Demonolatry” & “The Daemonolaters Guide to Daemonic Magick” covers much of the same material. Can you please explain to me any major differences or keys as to why I should keep both books in my library?

    • Steph

      September 6, 2016 at 5:18 pm

      There are huge differences actually. Daemonic Magick has a ton of correspondences, it discusses various types of magick, and far more rituals than the Complete Book of Daemonolatry has. Sure, there is some overlap, as some things required it, but The Complete Book of Demonolatry is for the spiritualist and philosopher (i.e. people who like to sit around, pray, and meditate mostly). The Daemonolater’s Guide to Daemonic Magick is for the beginning Daemonic magician. You’ll also note that Daemonic Magick is over 100 pages longer. Just compare the table of contents on each book and you’ll see the differences. The major overlap is in some beginning exercises (meditation, tablet creation), the sigils, and the enns. Beyond that, both books have material unique to them.

      So if you’re not a magician (and since you didn’t really notice the differences anyway, only the similarities) – go ahead and get rid of Daemonic Magick. You’ll likely never use it.

    • Steph

      January 9, 2017 at 4:42 pm

      @Matt – yes. You’ll notice that a lot of Daemons have more than one spelling of their name. This is rather normal. Check out The Complete Book of Demonolatry which explains the “name game” in more detail. It’s the reason Gamigin and Samagina are the same Daemon in the Goetia, and why there are so many variations in the spelling of Astaroth and Asmodeus (to name a few off the top of my head).

  • Steven

    July 1, 2017 at 3:30 am

    With the “Black Power Prayer Cord,” does it matter if you use/ start at the one end, but then use the different end the next day to begin, as long as you are completing the nine knots/ beads?

  • Steven

    August 21, 2017 at 12:52 pm

    Hi Stephanie,

    I’ve been thinking about your Zagan rite and situations he may be able to help in. I wrote a book years ago and have only just started sending it off to literary agents, with little success. Writing is my passion and if I could turn that into a career, well it would be a dream. It just seems so bloody hard getting my foot in the door. Is this something Zagan could help me with?

    Thank you

    Steven

    • Steph

      August 21, 2017 at 12:58 pm

      Steven, Personally, I’d go with Sorath instead of Zagan for that. Because landing an agent or a publisher is not about changing YOUR life, or really turning anything to its opposite. It’s about gaining attention for your writing. Sorath will shine a brilliant light on your work (and you). In the meantime – don’t put all your hopes and dreams into one book. Sit your butt back down in the chair and write the next book, and the book after that. 🙂

  • Nicole

    October 27, 2017 at 10:29 pm

    Dear Connolly,
    I’m a huge fan. I own most of your books on kindle, because I live in Brazil and the process of importation is a nightmare. Things get lost, stolen or take months to arrive. I noticed that the book I want the most, the Daemonolater’s guide to daemonic magick is not available on kindle. It made me very sad, since I’ll have to order it and hope it arrives someday, so I have a question: is there any possibility or plans for it to be available on kindle? I’ll be hoping for a positive answer, so I can keep my studies at a good pace.
    I really enjoy your work. Thanks for sharing so much with us!

    • Steph

      October 29, 2017 at 7:36 pm

      I am hoping to have the ebook done sometime next year. With all the graphs/graphics etc… I have to hire a professional service to do the formatting for the book to come out right. Right now the book doesn’t sell enough to earn its formatting for ebook. So, we shall see. Unfortunately, due to the high number of pirates, there may be future books that either won’t be available as ebooks, or won’t be available in bonus editions (with extra info) in ebook. I hate doing that, but the pirates make life hard and a girl still has to eat and be able to feed her family. 🙂

  • Giovanni

    October 30, 2017 at 9:06 pm

    Is it possible to not use a sigil in making a pact in the event that you do not have the spiritual entity’s sigil? For example I cannot find oueillet’s sigil ( demon of luck) or batthan (wealth). Can I instead write down the Name if the being and his superior at the bottom of the pact instead . Example “ossidiel under Usiel” then followed by my named signed in blood?

    Thanks

    • Steph

      April 11, 2019 at 6:55 pm

      Giovanni, sorry I missed this. Try more common spellings of the Daemon’s name. Like Olliet, and Bathin. You can just use their name instead of a sigil, but always check variant spellings. Due to how books used to be copied (by hand), spelling errors were common which is why there are so many variations on Daemonic names.

  • Anonymous

    February 22, 2018 at 5:44 am

    S. Connolly I  am seeking an answer regarding your book. Sex, Money and Power. I am a 20 years and haven’t worked in my life before. My budget worksheet will obviously be empty but I would like to find a job that suits me. Is it possible to call on Belphegor to help me find a job? even though my budget worksheet is empty?

    And also regarding drawing confidence through Astaroth. Can the prayer alone be done without facing Southwest or is it a must to face Southwest, even if there’s no alter? Can you use the prayer everyday since its so short and can be squeezed in a little time? I’m seeking clarity. Thank you very much for this small master piece. Lots of love!

    • Steph

      February 22, 2018 at 11:56 am

      Yes, you can work with Belphegor for a job even if you’ve never had a job before. Also, you can use that prayer to Astaroth every day. And sure, you don’t have to be formal and face the Southwest, that’s more of a formality that can be skipped if necessary.

  • Karl

    July 15, 2019 at 4:33 pm

    Im looking for some help in order to know the origin and meaning of the Satanachia’s seals, symbols, glyph that I have. I made an internet research using other names for satanachia with no success.

    Please help me.

  • Steven Vaughan

    August 22, 2023 at 8:28 am

    I told you once, year’s ago, maybe about 6? Wanting help from Zorath. You being like a big sister, told me to sit my ass down and write a book and then write another. I want to know if it’s acceptable to use a real daemon or to make a ficticious one up, in order to not disrespect the Devine Intelligence?

    Kind regards,

    Steven

    • Steph

      August 22, 2023 at 11:38 am

      I find the Divine Intelligence isn’t like a petty teenaged girl who is a slave to her unpredictable hormone levels. If you don’t think you can treat Divine Intelligence respectfully in your writing, use fictitious Daemons in your fiction. If you think you are able to be respectful and true to the Daemon in fiction, go ahead and use the actual Daemonic name. Totally up to you, because you’ll be the one reaping the consequences either way. I use real Daemonic names in my fiction all the time. The Daemonic knows my INTENT is “all in good fun”, like my depiction of Paimon as a foul-mouthed, sarcastic, bourbon swilling djinn in my Djinn & Bourbon series. I like to think the Daemon found his fictional namesake amusing because ultimately, he does help the MC overcome some the deep trauma over the loss of his dad, and his uncle, at such a young age, and guides the MC to stand on his own two feet and fight for what matters to him. So in my stories, if Daemons are ever tropey or ever initially “evil”, it always comes back around to the Daemon was a catalyst to enlightenment, understanding, and change in the characters. Or that the true devils are the characters in the stories. Not the Daemons. Though, undoubtedly, that doesn’t get through to everyone because not everyone is smart enough to read beyond their Christian upbringing. Some people hear the word Daemon, and immediately think evil, bad, naughty, sinful, death, destruction, etc… And there’s nothing you can do about that. Each reader’s interpretation is on them. So, it’s all a matter of your intent. If your intent isn’t to be disrespectful, it won’t be.

  • Thalli

    April 28, 2024 at 5:10 pm

    Hello Steph! I’m a huge fan of your work and would really like to buy some of your books that are not available as e-books on any websites as of now, unfortunately, I’m also not able to buy the books on physical format as it seems neither Amazon nor any other sites won’t ship to Brazil. Can you help me find a solution, please?