---
title: "Demon Deals & Angelic Contracts: A Ceremonial Magician’s No-Nonsense Guide to Practical Power"
url: https://staging13.perseusarcaneacademy.com/post/demon-deals-angelic-contracts-a-ceremonial-magicians-no-nonsense-guide-to-practical-power/
date: 2025-07-14
modified: 2026-07-03
lang: en
author: "Perseus Arcane Academy"
description: "Introduction What follows is a clear and honest conversation with a practicing ceremonial magician— Astennu Sever -someone who treats demons and angels not as metaphors but as partners in the..."
categories:
  - "Interviews"
  - "Western Traditions"
tags:
  - "Ceremonial Magic"
  - "Evocation"
  - "Hermetics"
  - "Magic"
image: https://staging13.perseusarcaneacademy.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Default_Create_a_very_realistic_image_of_an_occultist_adorned_0-2-292x300-1.jpg
word_count: 2177
---

# Demon Deals & Angelic Contracts: A Ceremonial Magician’s No-Nonsense Guide to Practical Power

## Introduction

What follows is a clear and honest conversation with a practicing ceremonial magician— Astennu Sever -someone who treats demons and angels not as metaphors but as partners in the Great Work. Follow his work at[ Ocultist.net](https://occultist.net/) and see his books [here](https://www.amazon.com/stores/Astennu-Sever/author/B08CF311GF?ref=ap_rdr&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true).

In his own words:

*My journey into the occult began many years ago, driven by an insatiable curiosity and a desire to understand the hidden forces that shape our reality. Over the years, I have delved into various mystical traditions, honing my craft and expanding my knowledge. This includes Hermeticism, demonology, theurgy, Enochian magic, Thelema, spiritism, divinatory practices and much more.*

---

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**PAA: What sparked your initial interest in the occult, and what were some of your early experiences as you began your practice as a magician?**

I must say, I was pulled toward it like metal to a magnet. It wasn’t just curiosity that slowly built up, it was an intuitive understanding that this was the correct worldview. The world always felt like a shadow play with something more powerful behind the curtain, and I wanted to touch it.
Early on I consumed grimoires, studied historical rituals, and experimented a lot with different traditional approaches. My first real initiation came through full ceremonial evocations of spirits which I conducted with more experienced practitioners.
I discovered very quickly that demons were not only real but also responsive and transformative. The forces responded when approached with the proper attitude, and I believe that this attitude is mainly an inborn trait, but it can be developed with enough practice.
It is based on serious belief, but not the sort of seriousness that paralyzes a deeply religious person or opens them to malevolent influences. It is a combination of belief and cynicism with a tinge of pride and confidence that you are on the same level as the spirits you’re working with.
I’ve seen many beginners succumb to a stifling form of worship of a spirit or even a method, because it proved successful. One could argue that this is the trap of monotheism, or religion in general. Occultism is liberating in that the magician is the center of the play, the lead actor, and the spirits are the supporting actors. With religion it’s the other way around.
To put it simply, my early encounters with the demonic realm shattered the mundane structure of reality for me and made me embark on the occult path with great intensity.

**PAA: You’ve built Occultist.net into a comprehensive occult resource. What motivated you to start this platform, and what did you hope to accomplish by sharing your knowledge with the community?**

Well, I noticed that there were too many vague platitudes, too many people claiming results online without doing the work. I wanted to strip away the mystique in the worst sense, the empty aesthetic if you will, and return to the practice in the true sense.
My goal was to offer real insights, rooted in ritual practice. So I write for practitioners that actually want to experiment with rituals, not so much for passive readers. Most of the rituals I share are beginner friendly, but there are also some that are quite complex and aimed at more advanced practitioners who possess a greater degree of experience, as well as a greater variety of physical ritual tools.
In addition to this, the website provides an avenue for promoting my books and ritual service to potential online clients. Overall, if my work on Occultist.net sharpens someone’s Will, helps them gain power or freedom, then it’s serving its purpose.

**PAA: You identify as a ceremonial magician. How does that tradition shape your practice, and how would you compare it with other paths you’ve explored, such as Wicca or chaos magic?**

Well, ceremonial magic is not a path per se, it is a method. And there is plenty of ceremony in chaos magic and Wicca.
But speaking of my approach more specifically, it forces the practitioner to shape themselves into a vessel capable of commanding and containing forces far beyond ordinary perception. That structure is not restrictive, it’s a form of architecture that allows one to reach a higher level of precision, and precision allows for power.
Chaos magic, while liberating in its anti-dogmatic stance, often breeds flippancy if there is no real structure involved. Everything one imagines is treated as equally valuable as what has been observed and confirmed by countless practitioners as the more powerful option. Wicca, on the other hand, is often too focused on harmony and symbolism, and too much moralizing for my taste.
My path is about producing tangible results, and this is why I am so keen on working with demons, as they are the spirits of practicality par excellence. Some might classify this preoccupation with practicable benefits as “Lower Magic”, since demons are mostly summoned for achieving worldly success. But they are just as practically useful for personal transformation and reaching higher states of Being.

**PAA: Occult philosophy is a big theme in your work. What core principles or beliefs guide your approach to magic, and how do they influence the way you conduct your rituals or spiritual work?**

Two truths shape my work: First, all spiritual contact is relational. Every evocation is a negotiation, and every result is the result of will applied through structure. Second, you become what you invoke. There is no separation between method and transformation.
The magic you perform reprograms you. That’s why I approach each ritual as both a command and a sacrifice. I give time, energy, and at times physical offerings such as blood. And in exchange, I gain a response that can transform both my external and internal reality.
So I gain alignment with the current I am calling into being. It is like obtaining a different perception of reality, one that aligns with the powers and attributes of the spirit invoked.

**PAA: In your writing you emphasize that “you are what you do” — for instance, that the very act of studying and practicing magic is transformative in itself. Could you elaborate on this idea?**

There’s no such thing as passive occultism. Reading about demons doesn’t make you demonic, although it can spark the transformation.
For real change to occur, you must work intimately with them, and that requires proper ceremonial rituals, or at the very least a minimalist but intense approach through attunement practices.
Every act of ritual builds psychic infrastructure. You can read a thousand books on Mars, but until you invoke the spirit of war, you won’t feel your spine stiffen with fire.
Ritual is transformation and each repetition etches something into your astral body. Your attention is the scalpel and your results are the scar tissue.
When people say, “Nothing’s happening,” I always ask, “What are you doing every single day?” Because what you do, every day, is what you are.

> If you cannot hold a thought, you cannot hold a spirit. Mental discipline is the base currency of magical power
>
> Astennu Sever

**PAA: You often highlight meditation as part of occult training. Why do you consider meditation and mental discipline so important for a magician?**

If you cannot hold a thought, you cannot hold a spirit. Mental discipline is the base currency of magical power. There is a misconception about meditation, that it is about peace or relaxation. Sure, that can be the end result, but the practice of meditation is about building a steel mind which can then be undisturbed by externalities because it is impregnable.
Before any important working, I enter a trance state. I lock my attention onto a sigil, a name, or a sensation. I purge static from my field. One of my core techniques is single-pointed gaze on a sigil under red candlelight while breathing through the nose in a 6–6–6 rhythm. This prepares the mind to act as both transmitter and receiver.
A distracted magician cannot achieve any serious results. Certain visualizations can be used to bypass the surface disturbances however, and this can help beginners achieve some communication with the spirit world, but it not a long-term strategy.
If one wishes to have consistency in their workings, rather than treat them as sporadic, miraculous events of success, then they must work on strengthening their mind. Alternatively, they can hire myself or other advanced practitioners to help them connect with their spirit of choice.

**PAA: When preparing for a complex ritual, what steps do you take to get ready both practically and mentally? If something unexpected happens or a ritual doesn’t go as planned, how do you typically handle it?**

Preparation begins hours before the ritual: fasting, mental quiet, cleaning the space, charging tools, and pre-visualizing the entire ceremony.
The altar and the surrounding space is built geometrically, with a triangle, circle and often a crystal grid. Each movement is deliberate. Offerings are chosen to resonate with the entity. Blood, wine, incense, sacred names and incantations are all aligned.
But magic is not theatre. It’s contact. If something goes wrong and a candles blow out, wind shifts or rain starts pouring in (if it’s an outdoor ceremony) I don’t panic.
It’s important to be able to adapt in the moment. Spirits and some demons especially will want to test you. They sometimes obstruct to see what you’ll do and if you’re worthy of their attention. The magician must remain sovereign no matter what happens.

**PAA: Demonology is a major focus of your work. How do you approach summoning and working with demonic entities in a safe and respectful way?**

Respect is not weakness. In fact, demons respond better to respect than arrogance. You don’t grovel, but you don’t bluff either. You come with a clear request, a real offering, and a willingness to change.
I treat demons as real powers, not as metaphors. I build relationships with them over time. I don’t just ask them to give me things, I also offer my loyalty to the demonic realm and their side of the story.
I speak their names with reverence, but not fear. And they respond sometimes with visions, sometimes with opportunities and almost immediate, tangible results. One client, after a dual evocation of Mammon and Bune saw their income triple within just a few weeks. This is not superstition, it’s applied metaphysics.

**PAA: Your interests also include theurgy. In your experience, how does invoking a deity or angel differ (if at all) from evoking a demon?**

The energy is different because angels come with structure, hierarchy, and harmony. Demons come with force, ambition, and sometimes chaos. But both respond to rituals and proper intent.
I do not moralize about spirits. I work with what is appropriate to the goal. When invoking an angel, I use more light, geometry, psalms, and divine names. When evoking a demon, I focus on flame, incantation, sigils, blood. One uplifts and refines, the other excavates and transforms. Both serve the Work when handled correctly.

**PAA: Grimoires — the classic textbooks of magic — are clearly important to you. What role do traditional grimoires play in your modern practice?**

Grimoires speak a symbolic language that might differ based on the time of writing, but the core principles are timeless: alignment, preparation, ritual, control.
I do not follow every word slavishly, but I respect the structure which produced satisfying results for the author and adapt it according to my own style of magic and tools that are available to me.
That’s why I wrote Goetia Rising, to demonstrate to my readers how the old doors still open today, if you knock with the right hand.

**PAA: For someone just starting out, what do you consider the most important first steps or habits to develop in occult practice?**

Start by building your will: meditate, visualize, do daily energy work. Then choose one path and follow it deeply. Don’t jump from crystals to chaos sigils to Norse runes every week. Read grimoires, practice simple conjurations, build a relationship with one or a few spirits that align most intensely with your actual goals in life.
It’s also useful to keep a journal, although I know that it’s annoying for many people to take notes. Well, it helps and I encourage you to see it as your own personal grimoire that you can return to after a while with great joy.
Observe synchronicity. And avoid the biggest beginner mistake: expecting results without action. The spirits are meant to support you, not to replace you. You are the greatest vessel through which they can exert their power, and so your actions should be in line with the purpose for which you summoned them.

**PAA: Looking back on your journey, is there one ritual or magical experience that stands out as especially transformative?**

There is one, yes. A pact with Lucifer beneath a black sky, only stars. The ritual included offerings, blood, silence, and a large bonfire. I intoned his name until the veil shattered.
What followed was a visitation during which I felt like my mind was peeled open and rewired. I came out different: sharper, more sovereign, more detached from the trivial. That ritual marked the end of who I was before, and I’ve been walking forward ever since, eyes lit from behind.

**PAA: Thank you for sharing with us. **

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