Like this:

In February I posted an essay here about Samael. It gave a very basic overview of how he appears in a range of cultural, religious, and magical writings, as well as some of my own UPG. To my surprise, it became one of my most-read posts, and since then I’ve been contacted by a number of people who work with him. To me, this suggests a hunger for more information about him…and that, like Lilith, he’s been active lately.

I also have my own reasons for posting on him again. For the past six months, I’ve had a number of encounters with him, sometimes in solo practice, sometimes in partnered rituals. I’ve seen his interactions with Lilith – as his sister, his lover, and his co-conspirator. These experiences have been eye-opening and often overwhelming in their intensity. They have stretched my capacity as a priestess and a devotee.

There is something extraordinarily difficult to grasp about Samael, which is one of the reasons I haven’t written about him more. To be honest, I’ve had a hard time writing about him at all. When the Dexter poster at the top of this post started following me around the city, however, I realized he’s not one who can be avoided.

One of the best descriptions of Samael I’ve read came to me from a fellow devotee, who has been generous enough to let me share his words here:

“After a couple decades of working closely with the one called (among other things) Samael I have come to a firm conclusion about His identity and nature: I have no idea what the hell He is. This seems to be a fundamental aspect of His being and acknowledging it is a major step forward in understanding Him. His legends crisscross each other in strange mirrorings and reversals, not just random noise but nested echoes and inversions. These labyrinthine intersections of conflicting tales do not cloud the true meaning of His story, they are the true meaning. He (and his sister, and it seems almost impossible to consider one without the other) requires and embraces opposites to create a union that is beyond either of them. Many terms are used to describe him (Angel, Demon, God, Titan, etc) but none of them are satisfactory, none of them are enough. That is a clearer indication of his nature than any title could provide. He strains at the limits.”

Yes. All this. And still, I will try to weave a thread through some of those labyrinths. (And I know this person will wince at me picking out the term “Angel” for the title of this blog. I can’t resist a good marketing slogan.)

In the series of posts to come, I will examine some of the recent ways in which I’ve encountered him, including as the Lover the Lilith, the Angelic General, and the Dweller in the Void. Although these essays will include some research and references, ultimately this is my personal account, not a prescriptive how-to or a rigid guide.

As the presence of the Dexter poster suggests, there will be a lot of embedded media. One of the ways I can grasp after the elusive threads of what is he is by catching a glimpse of him here or there in pop culture.

Along those lines, here’s a cover of Danzig’s “Am I Demon” by Bonnie “Prince” Billy. For at least two of us who’ve crossed his path, it seems to capture something of him.

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