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How to summon and sell your soul to Satan and other devils
- JohnJamesRambo 5y agoOh, a guide to working at Facebook.
- ethbr0 5y agoI don't buy a lot of books on demonology, but when I do, I try to buy from the most successful author. Edit: If you're actually "interested" (definition to personal taste), plug for Stjepan Sejic's upcoming Fine Print series https://imagecomics.com/comics/releases/fine-print-vol-1-ogn-tp https://imagecomics.com/comics/releases/fine-print-vol-1-ogn... (No relation to disclose, just a fan of his work)
- dylan604 5y ago>I don't buy a lot of books on demonology, but when I do Naturally, this must be read in the voice of the Dos XX guy
- new_guy 5y agoLooking at those Demon sigils I'm wondering if any of them match Crop Circle patterns, at a quick glance they look pretty similar.
- unreal37 5y agoI thought they resembled hockey playbooks.
- throwanem 5y agoThey may or may not have been deliberately designed as apophenia targets. That is in any case what they are.
- ben_w 5y agoAlmost certainly, given they can be made whatever shape you like and the overlap of interests.
- _game_of_life 5y agoSince both are undoubtedly created by hoaxes and frauds, that's an interesting observation. I guess all artwork really is derivative. It would be neat to trace that artistic lineage back to its sources. Then again, there is a commenter on here claiming they look like circuit diagrams (whereas I look at schematics on a daily basis and see no resemblance). So stupid.
- Rd6n6 5y agoI thought this was just going to suggest you play old school dungeons and dragons https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=wL7lEwD1uGI https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=wL7lEwD1uGI
- h2odragon 5y agoResearch demonology: have computers casting summons over fractal fragments looking for any whose phone numbers we don't already know. cf the works of Charlie Stross Perhaps that pokemon game had more in it than we thought...
- yoloyoloyoloa 5y agoPlease explain? Are you talking about dwave?
- ben_w 5y agoCharlie Stross is an author (and occasional poster here) who has a series collectively known as “The Laundry Files” in which magic can be performed by computers as well as by humans, by having the computers perform specific calculations.
- phendrenad2 5y agoAlso books by Aya Nishitani
- h2odragon 5y agoif you mean these folks [1], then no; I think that falls under divination. I was thinking more about the graphical sigils; but there's surely other attractive signatures that could be found computationally, right? More practical: synthesize sounds and play them in a garden, with some cameras and vision software to count insects attracted, perhaps classify by type. Add some seeking function and you might make a mechanical pied piper for pests. Surely thats only an analogy. Cicadas are not actually demons. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D-Wave_Systems https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D-Wave_Systems
- tobmlt 5y agoIs wishful thinking part of divination? Then again they did manage to get, e.g. google and Lockheed Martin(?) To actually purchase some of their wishful thinking hardware. There might have been a deal with minor/slightly demonic imp to get that far. 2nd part - you could find the song of the mosquito. They suck blood at least, and seem to be good for nothing except feeding bats. So there’s that.
- deadalus 5y agoRecommended contemporary occultists(demonic/dark magic practitioners) and their works: EA Koetting (founder of BALG, 9 demonic gatekeepers) Konstantinos (Nocturnal Witchcraft) Somnus Dreadwood (Maergzjiran Cabal founder) Kurtis Joseph (Black Magick of Ahriman) Mark Alan Smith (Primal Craft books) S. Connolly (The Complete Book of Demonolatry) Asenath Mason (deals with Qliphotic magic) NAA 218 (unknown author, created 'Liber Falxifer' and 'Book of Sitra Ahra') Dragon Rouge (esoteric group that produces very detailed books) Baron and Baronessa Araignee (magic dealing with the dead) Frank White (knowledgeable YT channel - Grail of the Serpent) S. Ben Qayin (Djinn Magick, The Book of Smokeless Fire) International Guild of Occult Sciences - IGOS (group, produced a lot of books that are well respected) VK Jehannum (https://vkjehannum.wordpress.com https://vkjehannum.wordpress.com) Temple of the Black Light (Liber Azerate)
- thrwwy20210801 5y agoPlease please please for God's sake stay away from this stuff. It will steal your mind and your soul. This isn't something one can innocently dabble with. Turn to God instead, He will hear you. // Catholic ex-occultist
- cyberpunk 5y agoAh cool, was looking for something to do with the kids next weekend.
- rushabh 5y agoWhy is this on hackernews again? I thought it was a blog on Kubernetes or React!
- nprateem 5y agoPosted by someone with high karma. Yes, I know...
- sombremesa 5y agoYou’re mistaken about something - the only thing hacker news denizens have in common is that they could potentially feature in posts on /r/iamverysmart. You probably thought it was tech or something about startups…think again.
- jimmygrapes 5y agoIf you have showdead turned on, there's a fella spamming almost every thread saying it's a covid site
- _game_of_life 5y agoYeah, what the actual fuck. This really makes me question the audience on this site... Does anyone have any alternatives to hacker news? Preferably ones with more skeptics than there are occultist and "demonologist" morons? Fucking bizarre.
- Lammy 5y ago“It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.”
- whoaisme 5y agoFunny how the pretentious dorks that spam this never seem to apply the quote to itself. I mean do educated people have to entertain thoughts of pedophilia without accepting it? Idiot.
- _game_of_life 5y ago
- lordnacho 5y agoWhy would learning stuff require a deal with the devil? Two of the listed demons are described pretty much as what a scientist is. If you find a proof of P != NP or the Riemann hypothesis, why would that be as bad as using the Death Note book?
- drdec 5y agoThe demons are just trying to satisfy the marketplace. They provide whatever will sell.
- lordnacho 5y agoSurely there would be more demons in the vanity/jealousy/revenge market than the knowledge market?
- krapp 5y agoThere are many more demons to choose from than the ones listed in the article[0]. The interesting thing about demonology is that it was mostly being practiced in secret by Christians, even clergy (a lot of these spells and rituals use Christian liturgical elements.) They didn't believe what they were doing was "selling their soul to the devil," rather that Christ had given them dominion over angels and demons, so they had every right to summon demons and use them as they saw fit. Legend at the time was that King Solomon built the First Temple using demon slaves. Of course the Church proper would have strenuously agreed with this way of thinking. [0]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_demons_in_the_Ars_Goetia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_demons_in_the_Ars_Goet...
- krapp 5y agoThere was no such thing as "science" at the time - every aspect of human thought and philosophy had some religious dimension or spiritual connotation. The study of the stars and planets was tied to astrology, and the study of herbs and healing was associated with witchcraft and folk magic.
- hodgesrm 5y agoNotes for those planning to sell your soul online: eBay specifically prohibits such transactions. [1] Compared to some online bans, the reasoning is pleasingly coherent. eBay does not allow the auctioning of human souls for the following reasons: If the soul does not exist, eBay could not allow the auctioning of the soul because there would be nothing to sell. However, if the soul does exist then, in accordance with eBay's policy on human parts and remains, we would not allow the auctioning of human souls. This is unfortunate. eBay seems perfect as souls are by definition somewhat used. [1] https://www.businessinsider.com/soul-listing-policy-ebay-2012- https://www.businessinsider.com/soul-listing-policy-ebay-201...
- the_only_law 5y agoGiven what I know from retrocomputing eBay, I imagine people would try to sell their souls at much more than they’re actually worth.
- classified 5y agoBut in the long term the market would determine a fair price. Assuming demons are rational economic actors, that is.
- ithinkso 5y agoTo this day, constructive mathematicians at eBay are trying to close the remaining loophole in the ban's reasoning
- hodgesrm 5y agoGiven the subject matter, I'm going to hazard a guess they are somehow getting stuck on the Axiom of Choice.
- jesuslop 5y agoThey could use a paraconsistent logician also
- a1369209993 5y ago
- xyzzy21 5y agoI thought selling your soul was done by signing on to work at Google, Facebook, Twitter, etc.
- unmole 5y agoTo be fair, selling your soul definitely pays better than working a job where it's slowly crushed everyday.
- dylan604 5y agoI worked with someone that went on vacation, and never returned. Instead, he called in and said that the job was stealing his soul and would not be returning. Sadly, we all understood 100%
- 3gg 5y agoI guess this must be the premise of capitalism.
- the_only_law 5y agoStartup for a quick online soul market?
- dkersten 5y agoThat’s just the simplest and most common method.
- tobmlt 5y agoIf you are grinding leetcode, you are already in hell.
- praptak 5y agoIn the modern economy you are always a small, finite number of transactions from someone using slave labour, bombing civilians or using torture. At some of the big tech corps this number is 1 though - murderous regimes do use these companies directly.
- 5y ago
- daenz 5y agoIt's worth a read, but the ending is what brings it home, since (in my opinion) "selling your soul" has always been a metaphor, like many other religious ideas: >That being said, while you can’t sell your soul to the devil in a real transaction, you can do so at metaphorical level. This happens every time someone is willing to overlook their humanity and decency in exchange for external temptations: power, money, fame etc. Sometimes it doesn’t even have to be external pleasures. Ignoring basic human principles in order to obtain revenge, satisfy pride or envy can lead down the same path.
- egypturnash 5y agoHasty reader seems to have skipped the parts about circles to constrain the summoned demon in their haste to get through their grimoires. Well. Good luck with that.
- SlyShy 5y agoGenerally one stays inside a circle for protection and summons the demon into a triangle for containment. :P
- egypturnash 5y agoYeah, I should have said “designs”, not “circle”.
- neither_color 5y agoI will never get a more relevant chance to bring this up, so has anyone heard of Napoleon Hill’s(Think and Grow Rich) other book? It’s called Outwitting the Devil, where he interviews the devil. He refused to publish it during his lifetime, and his estate also put off publishing it for decades because it contains strongs critiques of the educational system, the government, and the church as being tools of the ‘devil’ to keep the population confused, ignorant, and demoralized from a young age. It was considered too controversial for its time and I found it to be a thought-provoking book, very different from the “here’s a secret to success/power within/what they dont want you to know” genre. Instead of “think positive” it’s “here are all the tricks the ‘Devil’ is using to try to sabotage you.” If you like self-help books its a fun read/listen. http://outwittingthedevil.com/ http://outwittingthedevil.com/
- cweill 5y agoAs much as people love Napoleon Hill and his book, he may have been one of the first and biggest fake gurus of the 20th century, having never actually interviewed Carnegie and other rich people for his beloved book: https://youtu.be/iEDzb9ZplX0 https://youtu.be/iEDzb9ZplX0
- briefcomment 5y agoWhat does that have to do with this other book?
- Ensorceled 5y agoThe original comment seemed to be recommending this other book based on the quality of this book.
- weare138 5y agoResearch Napoleon Hill. He was a notorious lifelong scam artist. He made all that crap up and it's painfully obvious if you read any of his books.
- praptak 5y ago
- optimiz3 5y agoMany of the demon sigils resemble circuit schematics!
- nukst 5y agoPerhaps demon culture is heavily influenced by electrical engineering.
- dafelst 5y agoAs someone who studied EE and briefly worked in the field before abandoning it, can confirm that EE and demonology are inextricably intertwined.
- deleted 5y ago[deleted]
- akomtu 5y agoI think they even play the same role. At least the prominent occult authors say that all these effects are nothing but electricity and magnetism (snake is a typical occult symbol for electricity). Levitating a frog by a magnet is legit magick, NMRI is high-end sorcery. Things that are considered magical are various magnetic effects that haven't been discovered (by science) yet, but are known to people who don't quite understand the underlying mechanism. But in each and every case it's the good old magnetism. I'd guess that these sigils are meants to shape a magnetic stream produced by something else, and when properly shaped it tends to capture a "fish" of some kind. As for why the low type occultists use blood to fill these sigils, it's because of its magnetic properties (if you live in medieval ages, getting access to a lab with ferrofluids and 100 Amp generators is pretty difficult).
- holoduke 5y agoEverytime I hear something about this topic I think about one of the oldest unchanged websites I know of: https://beyondweird.com/ https://beyondweird.com/ Many downloadable books there containing occultism.
- cududa 5y agoWow. Been nearly 20 years since I stumbled on this site. Unfortunately, I still am not psychic according to the test on there. Also, I did find it fascinating, just the first essay I clicked “The Body of God” from 1922, seems astonishingly similar to Scott Adams’ novella God’s Debris. As well, the preface is shockingly similar to Adam’s antisemetic views, views on women’s rolls in society/ child-rearing, and views on male “self determination”/ self-actualization. Wonder how foundational that was to a young Scott Adams, assuming he read it.
- ourmandave 5y agoJust agree to the GameStation EULA back in 2010. https://www.engadget.com/2010-04-16-uk-game-retailer-claims-7-500-souls-with-a-legal-agreement-prank.html https://www.engadget.com/2010-04-16-uk-game-retailer-claims-...
- tonis2 5y agoIn Catholicism and some Protestant traditions, you will enter into a state of Purgatory, (or purgatory-like phase) after death where you are cleansed of sins. This could potentially take a while. This should be written in the devil contract, like how long do I need to stay in purgatory...
- dylan604 5y agoDepends on your sins, wouldn't it? Murder would be one term, but working for an digital ads company, developing dark pattern UI, or social media companies would be at least half of eternity.
- tobmlt 5y agoIs eternity countable? I really want to know what I am in for, ya know. Plus, depending on the properties of the eternal manifold, maybe I can perform some useful closed timelike computation while there and use that to get rich when/if I return.
- syril 5y agoThey have no control over how long your purgation will last, that depends on your own sins. Anyway, if you make a deal with devils, you will go straight to Hell if you are unrepentant of the act.
- pipthepixie 5y agoFor me, becoming famous is similar to selling your soul, in the sense that you trade in your privacy in return for being famous and also presumably being rich too. It's like Cypher in the Matrix who wants to be reborn as an important actor in exchange for handing over keys to the Zion mainframe. Sidenote: The problem with fame is that you can't reverse it. If people know your face, then they know your face. There's no getting away from it.
- onecommentman 5y agoDavid Cassidy, former teen throb (yes I’m old) had a good quote, “If you want fame and fortune, try fortune first and see if that’s enough”.
- user3939382 5y agoOne of the best Christian theological treatments of the subject, for those interested — The Devil by Bishop Fulton Sheen: https://youtu.be/FuCw8UT5y6c https://youtu.be/FuCw8UT5y6c
- AlbertCory 5y agoThere's a movie about that [1]; well, not exactly "selling" it to the devil but upgrading to a better one. Paul Giamatti plays an actor named "Paul Giamatti" who feels he can't properly do Uncle Vanya without a Russian soul. Hilarity ensues. [1] https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1127877/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1 https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1127877/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1
- citruscomputing 5y agoThinking about how this plays with Gurdjieff's[0] idea that I've been partial to lately that one is not born with, but instead must develop a soul through effort. [0]https://www.wikiwand.com/en/George_Gurdjieff https://www.wikiwand.com/en/George_Gurdjieff
- mimixco 5y agoThat's an interesting concept which aligns well with our vernacular use of the expressions "soulless" and "selling your soul." If a soul is sensitivity to others then that certainly has to be developed. The fact that it's poorly developed in many people (and even less so down the line of animals) is a good indicator that it might be learned or built-up evolutionarily in the species and the individual.
- aurizon 5y agoI want to know how to sell the soul of someone who has aggrieved me with his holier than thou attitude. I want to see the look on his face when he confronts Old Nick and has a WTF moment...
- aurizon 5y agoThose with pet devils will be relieved to know that Devil's Food is for sale on ebay... https://www.ebay.ca/itm/Pillsbury-Sugar-Free-Devils-Food-Cake-Mix-16-oz-/370844507267 https://www.ebay.ca/itm/Pillsbury-Sugar-Free-Devils-Food-Cak... Also sold, cat and dog and fish food..
- quaintdev 5y agoSince we are on a metaphorical plane today. Let me put my comment along similar lines on a youtube video [1] You see in Zombie movies, the zombie is always trying to turn an individual capable of moral decisions, empathy, insight into just another zombie out of his own self interest. Our society is actually far closer to the truth shown in those movies. Just because people are not biting each other does not mean those movies are far from reality. Symbolically those movies are depicting the fact that there are people, groups, organizations, companies who are trying to rob a man from himself by trying to turn that individual into just another member of the herd who looks out for nothing more than self interest which are not even his own but of that group. Tell me this is any different than what is shown in those zombie movies. [1] Is a Mass Psychosis the Greatest Threat to Humanity? - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ojPcF-oLABE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ojPcF-oLABE You may also like [2] In Shadow - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j800SVeiS5I https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j800SVeiS5I
- deleted 5y ago[deleted]
- briefcomment 5y agoThat makes sense. So the majority of us are already zombies
- deleted 5y ago[deleted]
- sershe 5y agoInteresting, my take was always diametrically opposite, that if it has any meaning at all it's the allegory for getting converted to a collectivist religion or an ideology. Zombies are not really selfish - I mean, if you were chasing one human in a horde and you were selfish, wouldn't you, for example, try to eliminate or exclude the competition? They are, rather, single-minded to the exclusion of any priorities other than one.
- H8crilA 5y ago
- User23 5y agoOne might wish to be careful with this. While strict materialism is probably the dominant paradigm amongst HN readers, there is significant evidence and reliable testimony of inexplicable events[1] that defy a natural explanation. On the other hand, it may well be the fastest way to start speaking fluent Aramaic. Duolingo eat your heart out! [1] https://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2016/07/01/as-a-psychiatrist-i-diagnose-mental-illness-and-sometimes-demonic-possession/ https://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2016/07/01/...
- mimixco 5y agoAll quantum events defy natural explanation. Since all physical phenomena derive from quantum behavior, the physical world can neither be observed nor predicted accurately without access to the quantum view -- which we don't have.
- deleted 5y ago[deleted]
- nuker 5y agoI see only "Our system thinks you might be a robot!" Does it mean robots are excluded from the deal?
- deathcultoffun 5y agoAs it seems on topic, in case one wanted to join a quality internet death cult, but not sell one's soul, the Internet Death Cult of Fun is highly recommended. https://www.deathcult.fun/ https://www.deathcult.fun/
- ImpressiveWebs 5y agoOn a related note, let's clear up a few things... Myth: The "soul" is something separate from the body. Fact: The soul being a separate entity from the physical body did not come from Judaism or Christianity. In Genesis 2:7, the first man "became" a soul (Hebrew "Nephesh"[1]), he was not "given" a soul. The Old Testament teaches that the "soul" is the whole person. The Bible uses the word "soul" in reference to both humans and animals (Genesis chapter 1 and Revelation both do this). The Old Testament also teaches that the soul can die. See Ezekiel 18:4, 20. Myth: Hell is a fiery place of torment to punish those who reject God. Fact: There is no word "hell" in the original writings of the Bible. This was a later development. The idea that God punishes people for all eternity, essentially making him worse than Hitler, is not found in the Bible. In multiple places the Old Testament says that God does not condone burning your children in fire. See Jeremiah 7:31; 2 Kings 17:17; 2 Chronicles 28:3; Deuteronomy 12:29-31 for a few examples. When the New Testament speaks about "eternal fire", these are symbols or illustrations to demonstrate eternal destruction of the evil ones, not literal torment. Also, the place that Jesus said people would go for this "eternal fire" was called "Gehenna"[2] (not Hell) which in those days was just a garbage dump outside of Jerusalem. Myth: The Devil's name is Lucifer. Fact: The word "Lucifer"[3] comes from the Latin translation of Isaiah 14:12. It's simply a word that means "shining one", a word that was used to describe the King of Babylon at that time, not the Devil. The King's fall is similar to that of the Devil, but the Devil in the Bible is never referred to as "Lucifer". [1] https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/h5315/kjv/wlc/0-1/ https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/h5315/kjv/wlc/0-1/ [2] https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g1067/kjv/tr/0-1/ https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g1067/kjv/tr/0-1/ [3] https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/h1966/kjv/wlc/0-1/ https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/h1966/kjv/wlc/0-1/
- DangitBobby 5y ago> Also, the place that Jesus said people would go for this "eternal fire" was called "Gehenna"[2] (not Hell) which in those days was just a garbage dump outside of Jerusalem. You are taking the use of Gehanna literally. How do we know that Gehanna is not being used metaphorically as a representation to provoke an emotional visualization of real conditions in an actual Hell? How do you interpret > Mar 9:48 - Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. Other than that "the worm" the cause of death, decay, and suffering, never ending, and thus the suffering never ending? A while back I looked into what the Bible really seems to say about Hell in the hopes that something so evil could not have been written there, but I think ultimately any interpretation that leads to the belief that the Bible doesn't describe a Hell as it's commonly understood is just wishful thinking.
- adamredwoods 5y agoAs an atheist I must point out this is for entertainment purposes. Although, I see 'selling one's soul' as a contract with oneself. For example, if I say I would sell my soul for a hot-cooked meal, that means I'm going to get up and go cook. If I don't, then the consequences are that I will suffer with a cold sandwich.
- yoloyoloyoloa 5y agoPlease whatever you do, dont mess with this stuff. Ive really had interactions of this kind and I can tell you it is not fun, you will not be happy or at peace. Satan is a liar,murderer and deceiver. Jesus came to save you and even if you have "sold" your soul to satan then just know that Jesus defeated satan on the cross and paid for your soul with his blood.
- imjustsaying 5y agoLogged on just to upvote this. Lest one person out of a thousand that read this actually try the things mentioned in the article, I'd like to point out that the topics in the article such as summoning demons and dabbling in magic is ultimately not desirable.
- trasz 5y agoIf any of this were true, we would have a proof, and it would become science. We known it doesn’t work, because all the recorded attempts resulted in absolutely nothing.
- yoloyoloyoloa 5y agoIn order for it to work you must believe it will work. That is how christianity works and how witchcraft works.
- trasz 5y agoIt never worked even for people who believed it works.
- latexr 5y ago> In order for it to work you must believe it will work. In other words: if you are susceptible to having your mind play tricks on you, it will. Mentalists[1], mediums[2], and other proven charlatans[3] make a living out of that effect. Add some confirmation bias[4] and you do it to yourself. [1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mentalism https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mentalism [2]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mediumship https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mediumship [3]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_Million_Dollar_Paranormal_Challenge https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_Million_Dollar_Paranormal_... [4]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confirmation_bias https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confirmation_bias
- normac2 5y agoThis seems to be mostly a history of ideas about devils and demons, but it also has things that sound like the oversimplified/mythologized versions of history that neopagans come up with. Mainly this: > The traditional method of summoning demons involves drawing the sigil of your desired demon on the ground. If your summoning ritual is successful the demon will be conjured on the location of the sigil and be unable to move away from it. They are constrained to that particular location, and cannot affect anything beyond it. And then the list of sigils. Is that, or any other specific thing, the "traditional" way to summon demons?
- classified 5y agoGiven the stigma attached to summoning demons I would expect a dearth of accurate historical documentation. Practitioners would have taken pains not to leave evidence of their activities.
- normac2 5y agoThat's a fair assessment, and it's one of the reasons that neopagans have had to fill in a lot of gaps.
- samatman 5y agoActually yes. There is an historical body of literature on various kinds of summoning magic, starting with the Picatrix. Those particular sigils are from the Lemegeton, also known as the Lesser Key of Solomon. Which verifiably predates the neopagans. The general idea of constraining the demon by writing its sigil and summoning it has existed for a long time, although in the Lesser Key (and most sources afaik) the demon is summoned into a triangle, with the sigil drawn within, and it is the triangle which constrains it. I can't recommend doing any of these things, but if someone wants to, I highly suggest not naively following the directions of a satirical blogpost.
- normac2 5y ago> I can't recommend doing any of these things, but if someone wants to, I highly suggest not naively following the directions of a satirical blogpost. Very interesting stuff. Regarding this part, are you saying that that the supernatural claims behind these rituals are real in some literal sense, or that they have psychological effects that might not be desirable?
- hollerith 5y agoIf anyone is wondering what sort of writing would get you canceled in the US in the 1970s, this is a decent example. Source: I'm old enough to have been able to understand news stories of the 1970s as they were being published.
- earth_walker 5y agoSpeaking of selling your soul, this post is a veiled advert funnelling you to sign up for audible.
- mgh2 5y agoThe article does a great job at explaining an important topic (morality) to the common public, using analogies from popular culture and religion to make its point. It resonates with the tech community because some may have been struggling with this dilemma in the shadows for a long time, due to the conflict of interests. Since this was a “how to” guide, if you want to get serious, here is a short video how to do the opposite: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=XzWpa0gcPyo https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=XzWpa0gcPyo
- heikkilevanto 5y agoDo the opposite? Buy an extra soul from Satan? Why?
- mgh2 5y agoNope, how not to sell your soul while living in a dark world
- aflag 5y agoIf selling your soul to the devil works, you'd be a fool to sell it. Otherwise, you're just wasting your time.
- 3gg 5y agoIn America, you'd use it as collateral.
- OhMidER 5y agoI strongly advise anyone seriously considering this to not mess around with it. There is more out there than we know. Whether you believe in a traditional religion or not, bear mind that nobody knows what happens after death until they experience it (or not). That we exist and are sentient is evidence of the possibility of continuity AD. Don't make deals with Satan/demons, even jokingly.
- erikpukinskis 5y agoI read these stories much more literally. One of the things the human brain does is project an honest picture of your self. This is your soul, it's whatever you perceive is your true nature. It's not nice stories you tell about yourself, it's your honest bottom line appraisal. "Selling your soul" is doing something that you know will inflicting trauma on others in return for rewards to you. This is going against "God" where "God" is defined as the sum of all forces in the universe which heal trauma. If you do this repeatedly, it makes irreparable changes to your self image. It gets harder and harder to see yourself as part of the movement to heal trauma, and you start to see yourself as part of the non-healing world, which includes "The Devil"—defined as the sum of all sentient forces in the universe which inflict trauma, either delighting in it or by suppressing normal emotional responses. Alongside this, Christianity points at "seeking forgiveness", or asking for (external) trauma-healing forces ("God") to change you... with an earnest desire to be changed. That forgiveness, when granted, can then repair this self image in your brain. So that's the opposing side of this process. Where you "soul" gets "sold" is just that the more you engage in trauma-for-pay, the more distance you put between yourself and the flock of trauma healers in this world. And the harder it is for you to believe any interest you might have in forgiveness is earnest. Eventually you get far enough out there you need a Jesus-level counsellor to bring you back into the flock, of which there are VERY few in the world. That kind of person goes and finds the people with the most damaged self image, and is skilled at uncovering an old self image and healing their trauma. In Christianity, these are "saints". But that's the long shot. The "don't sell your soul" directive is saying, don't head down that path because it's hard enough to maintain a positive, honest self image as it is.
- dctoedt 5y ago> One of the things the human brain does is project an honest picture of your self. ... It's not nice stories you tell about yourself, it's your honest bottom line appraisal. That's quite counterintuitive: It seems extremely likely that for most people (including but not limited to your humble servant), their self-image is delusional to a greater or lesser extent.
- erikpukinskis 5y ago
- ryanmarsh 5y agoSunday mornings on Hacker News seem to have taken a turn for the dark side.
- onecommentman 5y agoSeems a bit Eternal September to me…online equivalent of fourteen year olds drawing pentagrams on their notebooks (I suppose nowadays putting demon stickers on their tablets).
- DangitBobby 5y ago> For example, a priest once asked the devil to build a bridge over a river, in exchange for the soul of the first one to cross the bridge. The devil upholds his side of the bargain and builds the bridge, but the priest then sends a dog to be the first one to cross it. Realizing he was tricked, the demon throws the dog over the bridge as a consolation prize. Sounds like the demon won. An evil man exchanges the soul of an innocent for some "free" labor.
- nukst 5y agoIf I buy someone else's soul, could that be resold?
- YeGoblynQueenne 5y agoI come to HN exactly to find detailed tutorials of obscure technical matters like this. Thanks!
- anthk 5y agoUntil Columbus no one had ever heard of neither God or Jesus from Canada to The Patagonia. Just think about it, FFS.
- anthk 5y agoOn Christianism, it's just a metaphor on the first agricultural societies and the fights between the hunting-hoarders and land workers. You know, the roots of.. civilisation. Solstice is celebrated and so is the harvest times which are exactly the months of Jesus' death. Oh, and the Virgo placement in the sky matches harvest times, too. So, all of you Christians are nothing more than secret vegetarians.
- korethr 5y agoThe passage about following the contracts to the letter and thus being able to get out of those contracts with a bit of cleverness reminds me of a similar principle in stores about faeries -- that faeries will follow their bargains with mortals to the letter. In faerie stories, this is what makes deals with faeries so risky, especially with the more malevolent ones; you never know just how your words will be twisted against your intentions and desires. I wonder how much of the to-the-letter aspect of demonic contracts borrows from the older European folk stories of faeries, or whether it is the opposite -- the to-the-letter aspect of deals with faeries being a medieval Christian projection upon those stories.
- yoloyoloyoloa 5y agoIf you have ever messed with the demonic and you want to feel safe again here is a prayer you can say out loud that will help: Father God, I come to you in the Name of Jesus, declaring that no weapon that is formed against us shall prosper and every tongue which rises against us in judgement we do condemn. This is our heritage as servants of the Lord and our righteousness is from You, O Lord of Hosts (Isaiah 54:17). If there are those who have been speaking or praying against us or who have rejected us, even cursed us, we forgive them and, having forgiven them, we bless them in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ (Matthew 5:43, Romans 12:14). Now we declare, O Lord, that You and You alone are our God, and besides You there is no other God. You are a just God and Saviour: You are Creator, Redeemer, Faithful, Loving God. You are Father, Jesus the Son and Holy Spirit – and we worship You! Your Word says: “Submit yourself to God, resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” So we submit ourselves afresh to You in unreserved obedience. Having submitted to You, Lord, we do as Your Word directs. We resist the devil: all his pressures, his attacks, his deceptions, every instrument or agent he would seek to use against us. We do not submit! We resist him, drive him from us and exclude him from us in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Specifically we reject and repel: • Every form of witchcraft. Every influence of the occult. • Every spirit of infirmity: infections, malignancies, viruses, pain, inflammation, and allergies. • Every spirit of depression and heaviness; confusion and deception. • Every spirit of accusation and condemnation. Thank You, Father, that You confuse the plans the enemy has against us. Finally, Lord, we thank You that through the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross, we have passed out from under the curse and entered into the blessing of Abraham, whom You blessed in all things (Galatians 3:13-14, Genesis 24:1). Thank You for Your favour, Your presence, Your provision, Your protection. Thank You for good health, victory, exaltation, reproductiveness, and prosperity.
- trasz 5y agoEven assuming the daemon thing would work, and that the daemons would turn out to be evil, why do you assume it’s your religion that would work, and not one of thousands others?
- 3gg 5y agoWell, it was their religion that was in large part used to wipe out every pagan religion and culture that existed prior to it -- and then some more -- and submit the heathens to the true god. So, obviously, this must be the one :)
- shannifin 5y ago> In this case, selling your soul is just a sin, a pretty bad one, but still a sin. In Catholicism and some Protestant traditions, you will enter into a state of Purgatory, (or purgatory-like phase) after death where you are cleansed of sins. Catholicism does not teach that you will necessarily enter Purgatory; if you are unrepented, into the eternal fire you will go. This isn't because Satan owns your soul, but because you rejected God, who will not force you to be cleansed against your will. https://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/_P2O.HTM;;catholic https://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/_P2O.HTM;;catholic
- aoetalks 5y agoI don’t see where this says selling a soul is “only” a sin.
- bladefire 5y agoSo early in the article and already a mistake. Humans are not God's creation. The word human comes after the creation, and is reference to what is of Man, but not Mankind itself. It is the vulgar / common tongue that distorts to their convenience. human (adj.) mid-15c., humain, humaigne, "human," from Old French humain, umain (adj.) "of or belonging to man" (12c.), from Latin humanus "of man, human," also "humane, philanthropic, kind, gentle, polite; learned, refined, civilized." This is in part from PIE (dh)ghomon-, literally "earthling, earthly being," as opposed to the gods (from root dhghem- "earth"), but there is no settled explanation of the sound changes involved. Compare Hebrew adam "man," from adamah "ground." Cognate with Old Lithuanian žmuo (accusative žmuni) "man, male person."
- krapp 5y agoIf anyone is interested in this from the point of view of folklore or mythology, or as a source for worldbuilding, I suggest the Youtube channel Esoterica[0] which covers historic occult rituals and texts. The Lesser Key of Solomon, referenced in the article, is discussed here[1]. [0]https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoydhtfFSk1fZXNRnkGnneQ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoydhtfFSk1fZXNRnkGnneQ [1]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M0HyPIwco38 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M0HyPIwco38 Edit: a depressing number of people in this thread seem to take this stuff seriously. A lot of your parents wouldn't let you play D&D or listen to Black Sabbath as kids, huh? Let go of your fear of the boogeyman, he isn't real.
- cwkoss 5y agoInteresting premise for a story: Act 1: Protagonist sells their soul to the devil for infinite riches, wealth and power. Act 2: Protagonist uses this power to solve the vast majority of the evils in the world: feeding and housing the poor, removing the corrupt from power, etc. Act 3: The devil and god fight in 'court' over protagonist's soul, with god arguing that protagonist used the faustian bargain so benevolently that it would be unjust to send them to hell.
- aoetalks 5y agoI’m appalled this is even on HN. - If you are an atheist, would you sell it for $5? If the answer is no, why sell it for more? What value can you place on your soul (or someone’s idea of it)? - If someone is willing to pay much more than $5, consider what they are gaining, and what you are losing. Why would they be willing to pay so much? - If only in the interest of self preservation, have you heard of Pascal’s Wager? [1] [1] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pascal%27s_wager https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pascal%27s_wager
- lazlee 5y agoWhat? No ones built an app to simplify the process and bring this amazing opportunity to the masses? Come on already... get on it boys.