The Connection Between Wathanism And Demonolatry
The Goetia is, among other things, an accidentally preserved record of pre-Islamic deities. Upon research and experience with the demons of modern occultism, many seem culturally Arabian in a few ways. Demonolaters have even reported Azazel telling them to read the Koran when asked about what he really is, most likely because the Koran speaks of djinn. King Paimon is said to appear riding a camel which makes the association with Arabia seem obvious in hindsight. Asmodeus is Aeshma Deva, Astarte is Astaroth, Lilith has Mesopotamian roots. Knowing that many of these entities originated in Arabian, Zoroastrian, or generally Pre-Islamic middle east means that for someone of our faith, it would likely be more culturally continuous with Wathanism to call upon them as Djinn and abandon the demon framing put onto them by Christianity.
However, it must be noted that many demons exist in the Goetia or other occult sources which are not Djinn and do not originate from Pre-Islamic Arabia or Persia. Egyptian, Canaanite and Judaic demons found their way into the roster of demons so the left hand path cannot be categorically replaced with Wathanism or argued to be djinn worship in its entirety. The category of demon is extremely broad and inconsistent, with the only common thread being that religious authorities disliked them enough to label them evil.
While Arabian Pagans living in the middle east may feel uncomfortable about demons in the practice alongside the gods, this is correct from a historical standpoint. Even for demons who are not djinn like those that originate in Canaanite practices, they still originate in close enough proximity to Pre-Islamic Arabia that an argument can be made for syncretism based on geography and time period. Christianity is believed to have influenced the Pre-Islamic Arabs to adopt the idea of a high god known as Allah which implies that the worship of biblical demons is plausible in that region of the world. The same argument can be made about influence from Persia and Zoroastrianism regarding demons originating in Persia such as Asmodeus.
For Wathanists who are uncomfortable with the demonic framing, it is worth remembering that the discomfort itself is a product of Abrahamic conditioning rather than anything intrinsic to the practice. These beings were not born demonic and were not considered demonic by the cultures that originally venerated them. Working with them is not an endorsement of the Abrahamic distortion. It is a mockery of their judgement and a transgression against their moral authority. The Djinn framework exists within our tradition precisely because the Pre-Islamic Arabs had working relationships with these beings long before Christianity or Islam defined them as evil. Demonolatry practitioners developed their own relationships with these same entities in the absence of that original context. Wathanists have the context. Approaching these beings as Djinn, as pre-Islamic spirits, or simply as beings whose demonization was a political act rather than a spiritual truth is not demon worship in any meaningful sense. It is the older practice reclaiming what was taken from it.
Wathanism and the Left Hand Path are not the same thing, but they overlap for many historical reasons. The demons of Western occultism are suppressed gods of the pre-Islamic Middle East, demonized by the traditions that conquered the region and inherited by Western occultists who reversed the valuation on the characteristics attributed to them by religious authorities. For a Wathanist this is less a theological controversy than a historical observation. Simply refusing the verdict Abrahamic tradition passed on them is the more culturally continuous position, and keeps the practice more consistent with how paganism was historically practiced.
However, it must be noted that many demons exist in the Goetia or other occult sources which are not Djinn and do not originate from Pre-Islamic Arabia or Persia. Egyptian, Canaanite and Judaic demons found their way into the roster of demons so the left hand path cannot be categorically replaced with Wathanism or argued to be djinn worship in its entirety. The category of demon is extremely broad and inconsistent, with the only common thread being that religious authorities disliked them enough to label them evil.
While Arabian Pagans living in the middle east may feel uncomfortable about demons in the practice alongside the gods, this is correct from a historical standpoint. Even for demons who are not djinn like those that originate in Canaanite practices, they still originate in close enough proximity to Pre-Islamic Arabia that an argument can be made for syncretism based on geography and time period. Christianity is believed to have influenced the Pre-Islamic Arabs to adopt the idea of a high god known as Allah which implies that the worship of biblical demons is plausible in that region of the world. The same argument can be made about influence from Persia and Zoroastrianism regarding demons originating in Persia such as Asmodeus.
For Wathanists who are uncomfortable with the demonic framing, it is worth remembering that the discomfort itself is a product of Abrahamic conditioning rather than anything intrinsic to the practice. These beings were not born demonic and were not considered demonic by the cultures that originally venerated them. Working with them is not an endorsement of the Abrahamic distortion. It is a mockery of their judgement and a transgression against their moral authority. The Djinn framework exists within our tradition precisely because the Pre-Islamic Arabs had working relationships with these beings long before Christianity or Islam defined them as evil. Demonolatry practitioners developed their own relationships with these same entities in the absence of that original context. Wathanists have the context. Approaching these beings as Djinn, as pre-Islamic spirits, or simply as beings whose demonization was a political act rather than a spiritual truth is not demon worship in any meaningful sense. It is the older practice reclaiming what was taken from it.
Wathanism and the Left Hand Path are not the same thing, but they overlap for many historical reasons. The demons of Western occultism are suppressed gods of the pre-Islamic Middle East, demonized by the traditions that conquered the region and inherited by Western occultists who reversed the valuation on the characteristics attributed to them by religious authorities. For a Wathanist this is less a theological controversy than a historical observation. Simply refusing the verdict Abrahamic tradition passed on them is the more culturally continuous position, and keeps the practice more consistent with how paganism was historically practiced.