I’ve described my ethics on love, lust, and attraction magick in previous posts. In the majority of cases, I’m opposed to directing love magick at someone. It not only demonstrates neediness and lack of self-confidence, but it also violates the free will of the ‘target’.
But what if mutual attraction already exists? What if there is already chemistry between yourself and a special someone, and your goal is to nurture and cultivate that spark into something truly exquisite? Where free will is already exercised by both parties, and you seek to utilise the art and science of magick to inject a little fire into what already exists, it’s a different story.
And with that, my friends, as a Valentine’s Day treat, I will share some love with you all by addressing this very situation. It is the result of the gnosis I received from Duke Sallos, and this post is a tribute to him.
Duke Sallos is a demon of the Goetia whom one might invoke for love-related matters but, unlike Prince Sitri, who specialises in developing charisma for becoming more attractive, or Duke Zepar, who specialises in cultivating masculine sexuality, Duke Sallos’ speciality is about cultivating romance.
He is described in the Ars Goetia as…
… a Great and Mighty Duke, and appeareth in the form of a Gallant Soldier riding on a Crocodile, with a Ducal Crown on his head, but peaceably. He causeth Love of Women to Men, and of Men to Women.
The Lesser Key of Solomon (Mathers and Crowley edition)
Many folks petition Sallos for unethical reasons – to put a spell on someone who probably isn’t reciprocating your interest. But, like the other two love demons I mentioned above, Sallos has a side that can help you in a more wholesome, and less manipulative way.
Read on, and ye shall understand…
Duke Sallos’ vibe and appearance
Sallos is really chill and calm. Not intense or draining at all. His energy is masculine, but in a sweet elderly gentleman kind of way. He indeed appeared in my mind’s eye as an armoured knight, but in ‘peaceful warrior’ kind of way – a bit like a Shaolin monk. He was even sporting a stereotypical oriental moustache and was Asian in appearance.
Taking into consideration that he rides a crocodile, a sacred animal in South-East Asia, I wonder if Sallos has his roots in Asian mysticism.
In addition to romance-related magick, my intuition tells me that he would be able to bestow knowledge about understanding one’s emotions, and for cultivating the cool, calm confidence that he shows up with.
I’m not sure how Sallos came to be associated almost exclusively with love, but it is what it is.
Working with Duke Sallos
Again I will reiterate: a love spell with Sallos (or indeed any love spell, with or without demons, angels, etc.) should not seek to rob someone of their free will.
In all honesty, I rarely hear about these kinds of spells working anyway. This is by simple virtue of the fact that they are based on fear – fear of loss, fear of being not enough, fear of being alone and countless other insecurities. Doubt and desperation are the magick-killers. Plus, if you’re in that place, your recipient’s Will is probably much stronger than your own and you’re pretty much screwed from square one.
On the occasions where I worked successfully with Sallos in love-related matters, it was in situations where there was already chemistry and attraction in the air between myself and another person. That is, there was already a spark and both parties had already made up their respective minds that they liked each other.
Sallos simply took what already existed and made it stronger and more obvious. This could be useful in situations where both parties are obviously into each other but, for some reason or another, are a bit hesitant to move things forward. Perhaps the social conditions place a bit of pressure on the situation, or they’re both just plain shy.
In a nutshell, you should regard a love spell with Sallos as a celebration and appreciation of what already exists, rather than trying to create something out of nothing.
In my successful work with Sallos, the interaction evolved in a slow, organic fashion, resulting in a wonderful experience for both myself and the other person. Both parties were active participants in the whole adventure and, even though they were relatively short-term flings, they were intense and reciprocal. An added bonus is that there was no drama and no hard-feelings when we ultimately went our separate ways.
I like to think of romance as a bubble that exists between two mutually attracted people. It starts small and inconspicuous but grows over time until it becomes more salient and obvious, and each individual in the couple wilfully step into it. Sallos can nurture, and even accelerate, that process by adding some passionate energy into the mix.
Ritual to Duke Sallos
As a minimum, you need Sallos’ handdrawn sigil and a candle. I prefer to use a green candle as it corresponds to the planet Venus. Failing that, use a natural beeswax candle. In either case inscribe his name on it. You can also add two red candles to represent you and your romantic interest. Inscribe your name on one candle and the other person’s name on the other candle.
Other embellishments to the ritual include:
- Mantra: Serena Alora Sallos Aken
- Incense: Red Sandalwood
- Colour: Green and Red
- Metal: Silver, copper
- Element: Earth, with a sprinkling of Water and Fire
- Offerings: Anything romance-related, including chocolate, strawberries, mint, two glasses of red wine.
- Tarot: 2 of Cups