Your Part in Working with Deities
Whether you call them deities, entities or demons, the main thing they have in common is they're not simply wish-granters. When you petition a deity to help you with an issue, there are things you're expected to do - and it's not just providing offerings. That is what is meant by “working with” a deity. So, what exactly are you expected to do? As with everything in magick, there are no set rules for how to do anything. You should follow your own intuition and do what feels right to you. What I suggest here is the most favorable approach many practitioners have taken to receive wonderful – and sometimes pleasantly unexpected - results.
Get to know the deity and provide offerings FIRST
Getting to know the deity you want to work with is as simple as a few Google searches. At one time or another, you’ve probably spent some energy to find out about a person you wanted to impress: their favorite meal, wine, colors, hobby, etc. Doing this for the deity you’re about to petition, shows them your sincerity and initiative in working with them. You will need this information to present the most favorable offerings.
It’s a very good practice to START the process with an offering (or three) before you even present your petition. I know many practitioners will say they only “reward” the deity after the petition is answered favorably. This is especially true of some who work with demons. I personally feel this approach is likely offensive to the entity. First, this hints at a sense of doubt - that you’re not going out of your way until they provide what you want. Doubt in anything involving magick or the law of attraction is the fastest way to kill results! Secondly, these entities are not animals performing tricks and should never be treated as such. They should be shown respect and reverence. Contrary to what ancient grimoires say, entities cannot be controlled or commanded and you should not attempt to do so. It’s entirely up to the entity to decide to help you or not. How willing would you be to help someone who doubted your abilities or lacked trust that you’d come through for them? On the other hand, we’ve all been in situations where we want to give our best first impression. This is definitely one of those moments.
Continually open channels for their help to flow through
This is the part where you’re expected to help the entity grant your petition. Magick needs avenues to flow through. Let me say that again: magick needs avenues to flow through. One can petition a demon to help find their soulmate but, being a hermit, staying at home, and waiting for that person to ring the doorbell is not going to produce results. It only makes sense that it’s much more likely to happen if the petitioner continually puts themselves in situations to meet new people. When petitioning for help in finding a job, one still needs to send out resumes, accept and go on interviews and network for job leads. If we petition for money, we need to be willing to put in extra time into an online business, buy that lottery ticket, volunteer to be on-call at work and accept any overtime presented to us.
Sometimes being willing to do the mundane work is the hardest part. It's not unlikely that you may need to step out of your comfort zone to open these channels. You should assume that your deity partner is watching your effort to make sure you REALLY want whatever it is you've asked for. In some cases, the demon must move a lot of parts around to grant your petition. He needs to know his effort is worth it and appreciated. In this phase, you and the deity are helping each other fulfill your petition. This is the step that determines how quickly results manifest. It also determines the quality of your results. Being willing to do the work is essential. The more channels you open for the deity to help you, the quicker and better the results will be!
While you’re working on your part of the petition, it’s recommended to show your deity gratitude with regular offerings. Offerings can be things, your time or activities dedicated to the deity. It's entirely up to you.
Recognize and take the opportunities presented
Results can manifest in many different ways. Sometimes we get locked into a specific picture of how the result to our petition will come about. For example, “I’m sure I’ll meet my soulmate through this dating app.” Meanwhile, your soulmate is the cashier at the grocery store who’s been asking you for a date for the last few months. The lesson here is, first, keep your eyes open to recognize an opportunity. Second, even if the situation doesn’t seem like it fits with what you’ve asked for, go with it anyway. If it doesn’t work out, it could be a needed stepping stone to get you closer to your actual result.
While you’re working on your part of the petition, it’s wise to show your deity some attention with occasional offerings, meditating on their sigil/chanting their enn if they have one or, simply lighting a candle and having a small talk with them. The more you build your relationship with the deity, the closer your bond will be and the more blessings you’ll receive!