Moloch

“…a Canaanite god associated with child sacrifice, through fire or war. The name Moloch results from a dysphemic vocalization in the Second Temple period of a theonym based on the root mlk, ‘king’. There are a number of Canaanite gods with names based on this root, which became summarily associated with Moloch, including biblical Malkam ‘Great King’… which appears to refer to a god of the Ammonites, as well as Tyrian Melqart and others. Rabbinical tradition depicted Moloch as a bronze statue heated with fire into which the victims were thrown. This has been associated with reports by Greco-Roman authors on the child sacrifices in Carthage to Baal Hamon… In interpretatio graeca, the Phoenician god was identified with Cronus, ue to the parallel mytheme of Cronus devouring his children.”

Source: Wikipedia

I have given Moloch the tarot card of the Devil in my personal deck of cards. The office of this demon is to trick mortal men until they are bound. Alternatively, he makes one worse by increasing the extent to which they engage in vices or other vile acts. Throughout history, child sacrifice to Moloch by the parents themselves has been associated with fertility. However, path working with this demon today is generally for malevolent purposes as he can be compelled to attack the enemies of the conjuror.

The tarot card of the Devil belongs to the Major Arcana. The card is associated with worldliness and an obsession with material possessions, luxury, money, and power. It is also associated with lust for physical and carnal pleasures. If reversed, it is associated with living in fear, damnation, or bondage. If it appears in a reading, this card indicates the possibility of the world’s pleasures tricking the individual. This tarot card therefore indicates that the individual is at risk of becoming obsessed with worldly endowments to the point of engaging in vile or sinful activities. It can also mean the subject runs the risk of becoming caged in fear, damnation, or bondage.

Evil archetypes are commonly associated with greed, lust, and preoccupation with the pleasures of the world to the point of sinning just to acquire these. This is true throughout various historical accounts as the prospects of wealth and worldly pleasures are among the leading triggers of the primal human mind. The Devil here represents the likelihood of one falling for the trappings of the world and eventually becoming worse than they were initially. The enticements of Moloch therefore affect people who are already predisposed towards vices and other antisocial or deviant behaviors.

 

The Demon

Moloch was a pagan god who was worshipped by the Ammonites in earlier times. He is also passed as Cronus in the Phoenician culture as a result of the similarity in their attributes. Moloch is essentially a demonic fertility entity. The majority of depictions show him as a bronze statue with the head of a bull and sitting on a throne. He also wears a crown on his head to indicate his status as “king” within ancient Ammonite mythology. His statues are shown with arms outstretched in anticipation of the child sacrifices which he required of his followers. Moloch is described as an evil entity and is generally malevolent towards human mortals.

The origins of this demon are largely Judeo-Christian. There are several variations to his name such as Milcom, Molech, Malik, Malcam, Malkam, Molekh, Molok, Molcom, Chemosh, Molek, Moloc, and Molock. He is mentioned multiple times within the Old Testament of the Christian bible in books such as Leviticus, Amos, Psalms, Kings, Jeremiah, and Isaiah. The mentions of Cronus who shares his attributes can however be traced back to ancient Graeco-Roman mythological accounts.

 

Significant Symbol – Crown

The crown is a universally known symbol that depicts loyalty or authority. This is consistent with his placement as “king” within ancient Ammonite culture. Moloch is a powerful entity to whom early Ammonites would engage in a purification ritual through sacrificing their children to him. It was believed that purifying oneself before him would make parents fertile and provide an abundance of offspring.

With Moloch’s ability to make an individual worse than they previously were, this demon can be a useful ally in times of conflict. He is equally capable of enticing an individual with the pleasures of the world to a point where they are essentially bound. For evil types, this is just the demon to summon as he can help to attain malevolent goals. He can be used to target the enemies of the conjuror hence making them unable to retaliate or brought to ruin. It is this association with evil, trickery, and worldly pleasures that make him suited to the Devil tarot card.

Note – caution must be taken with Moloch seeing as his malevolence renders his summoning only suitable for the most experienced conjurors.

 

The Message

 

Am I at risk? Am I indulging myself too much?

 

If the Devil appears in a reading, I am immediately drawn towards caution. I begin to wonder what the motives of people around me are – this is because I myself do not practice malevolent magic. I begin to examine my spending habits and how much I have been chasing worldly pleasures in the recent past. Examining these can provide indicators of whether I run the risk of becoming trapped in the pursuit of hedonistic pleasures.

I believe that Moloch comes to trick human beings who are obsessed with the things that the world has to offer. His presence alone should sound warning for the subject of any reading because it implies a risk of becoming caged by one’s own behavior. Within a week or two, I should become aware of whether my behavior has amounted towards becoming entrapped. I can also discern whether I have become worse through calculating my expenditure on items suited only for pleasure

The tarot readings and symbolism stated here are all subjective and open to interpretation. We would love to know what you think of the Devil and Moloch. Leave us a comment in the section below!

 

Occult Tarot by Travis McHenry

Drawing on daemons, symbols, and sigils from ancient magickal grimoires including Archidoxis Magica and the Key of Solomon, Occult Tarot presents a fully realized divination tool to finally embrace and behold the mysteries of the night.

The first tarot deck to faithfully adhere to the Solomonic principles of demon conjuration, Occult Tarot allows practitioners to discover the power of ancient demons and learn to tame the beasts that wander between the physical and spiritual worlds.

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Moloch

References

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moloch

https://the-demonic-paradise.fandom.com/wiki/Moloch