There are spirits in the Ars Goetia whose offices read like museum pieces; quaint, archaic, tricky to translate into a 21st century context, at least at first glance. Raum is not one of them. The Fortieth Spirit of the Goetia is a Great Earl who appears first as a crow, and his offices read as if they were written yesterday, for the structures we're living under right now.

There are many spirits I simply don’t vibe well with energetically, and a few of them have returned that sentiment in kind. And that’s fine. But I like to do hard things, I like to make my own way, I find transgression sacred, and I like to succeed out of spite.

And so, Belial and I became very close very quickly. And each year, I consult him on where my Will is best directed in the coming year.

You can’t do strong magic in a dirty house.

There, I said it. I personally don’t want to bring the dust and energy from a year I’ve put behind me into a new one, and I don’t think clearly or cast as effectively amongst clutter. I also don’t make much distinction between mundane cleaning and magical cleansing, since most of my actions on a daily basis serve a dual purpose. Here’s a brief overview of my process. Feel free to borrow and adapt to your own liking.