On Spirits and their Domains

Okay, we know of spiritual powers, principalities, domains, authorities and rulers. I've always wondered how they were established, and for what purpose.

Well, in my reading I've come across several thrilling ideas. Daniel speaks of one of God's messenger angels being delayed due to having to fight the Prince of Persia, who might have been a man but is clearly animated by a spirit antagonistic to the Almighty. And Genesis writes of God setting angels over the nations according to the 'number of the sons of God' (angels).

This article posits that (some of) these angels rebelled and came under Satan's influence ! Could you imagine the process by which this could have happened ?

Imagine Satan appearing in the councils of the princes and slyly observing how skilful their stewardship has been, how the human kings under their counsel are expanding in territory and influence, and how the credit should accrue to them (the princes) rather than to their Author and Creator !

• Children are brought up in the faith of their clan, meaning that the adopt the god of their fathers and forefathers. At a certain age (just before they go to serve in the military or trade school, for example_ they have a bar/bat mitzvah-type ceremony wherein they affirm their allegiance to this go (or in rare cases, disavow it for allegiance to another). Amasa's father has stopped sacrificing and is a nominal follower of Ixcthu, and her decision to sacrifice in secret exposes her to the reidicule of her peers (Ixcthu the God of Coincidence ! they laugh. Ixcthu-whose-Powers-Were-Stolen !) and leads to estrangement from her father. Once, when he catches her sacrificing he sweeps her altar to the floor and rages about the injustice of a God who would let her mother die. So she is wracked by doubt despite her resolve to stay true (what follower of Ixcthu occupies high rank in the magi ? And she is a woman to boot !) What of those who do not serve Ixcthu ? Are they doomed ?
• Note that in the magick arts there is that which can be learned by any one with enough application (e.g. use of herbs and projection of one's spiriit to affect the natural world). That type of knowledge can take you to the level of -ai. Then there is that which requires a natural ability (e.g. invocation of other spiritis to divine, gain knowledge, control the physical world) and can take you to the level of -rai, -kai. Those who don't have the ability usually drop out to become philosophers, priests, etc.