The Fool and the Devil

A Cunning Man's Journal

I’ve reflected on an encounter with a man I dubbed "The Fool." Several years ago, this man approached me for help after getting tangled up with a German witch who roped him into ritual work involving the devil. His fascination with the occult, combined with a lack of real understanding, led him to become a pawn in her rituals. Even after their relationship ended, he couldn’t shake his obsession with the entity she summoned, continuing to offer it energy and attention despite receiving nothing in return. When he returned to me two years later, his situation had worsened, as he found himself manipulated by not only the entity but also a girlfriend and her mother, becoming their personal servant. Despite his hopes for power, he was stuck in a loop of servitude.

I offered him advice again, this time urging him to develop his own magical abilities, work on energy manipulation, and stop relying on spirits to do all the work. The core issue with the Fool wasn’t his magical potential, but rather his psychological state—he was naturally submissive, a slave to others' will, which is counterproductive for any serious magic practitioner. Though things eventually improved for him, it was a slow process, and he had to learn to reclaim his personal power. There are lessons to be learned here about the dangers of giving too much power to others—whether they be humans or spirits—and the need to stand on one’s own feet in the craft.