"Seven Devils" by Florence + the Machine

My sister went to go see Florence in concert over the weekend, so she was on my mind. This song is one of her more disturbing songs. I think it has a lot to do with the discordant piano and the screechy violins in the background - the sound is jarring. I think it's positively witchy. We'll look deeper into the lyrics, because those are quite dark as well. In the 33 1/3 book I want to write for "Ceremonials," the setting for this song is New Orleans and I spend a week or so exploring the occult history of the city. I'd attend a Voudun ritual, participate in a Gnostic Mass with the local OTO chapter, hang out in St. Louis #1 with necromancers, then I'd probably get really drunk on Bourbon Street just for the hell of it. When am I going to do this? I don't know - I'm still trying to figure out the logistics between working full time and being a mom. But one day, I will.

The number seven is incredibly significant in numerology. It represents the search for Truth and Divine Perfection. Seven is particularly important in the Bible, especially in the Book of Revelation. There are seven churches, seven trumpets, seven seals, etc. If I remember catechism correctly, there were also seven sacraments that every good Catholic participated in - Baptism, Communion, Confirmation, Reconciliation, Marriage, Holy Orders, and the Anointing of the Sick (includes the Last Rites). And Jesus cast seven demons out of Mary Magdalene. I may be an apostate but I still remember most of what I learned in Sunday School. For some reason, seven is a spiritual number. There are 7 Deadly Sins, 7 primary chakras, 7 Wonders of the Ancient World, 7 dwarfs, 7 colors in the rainbow, 7 days of the week....it's weird. I don't know why humans are obsessed with the number 7, we just are.

Holy water cannot help you now

See I've had to burn your kingdom down

And no rivers and no lakes can put the fire out

I'm gonna raise the stakes, I'm gonna smoke you out

I looked up potential meanings for "Seven Devils," and only one of them made sense. Someone on the internet reckons that it's about a relationship that is going to end badly. Because he betrayed her (by lying or cheating or some combination thereof) and now Florence is going to destroy him. Because instead of just letting it end and casting her devils out, she wants to use them and leave him in as much pain as she feels. Florence says that she was dead when she woke up and she'll be dead when the day is over, but at least she's taking him down with her. Is it worth it in the end? Maybe not, but I suppose it makes you feel better in the moment.

This reminds me of countless Lifetime movies where a woman goes insane and burns down a guy's house after they break up. I almost think those movies are more scary than horror films....because that shit actually happens in real life. There's even a whole docu-series on it - "Deadly Women," hosted by former FBI Profiler, Candace DeLong (who I dreamed of being one day, when I was studying forensic psychology). For example, Katharine Knight stabbed her boyfriend and cooked him in a stew. And Kimberly Hricko set her husband on fire to hide a romantic affair. Or perhaps you remember the Jodi Arias trial a few years ago - she was an Arizona woman who killed her ex-boyfriend after he dumped her and started dating someone else. She stabbed him 29 times, then slit his throat and shot him in the head for good measure. It was a pretty big deal in Arizona, or at least it felt like it - my parents were big on watching Nancy Grace (ugh) at the time, so my memory may be a little distorted. I forgot where I was going with this but the point is.....women are fucking crazy. Scary crazy....you think you know but - trust me - you have no idea. That's probably why I preferred to hang out with guys and lesbians in my youth. Just walk away, ladies...The karma isn't worth it. Neither is prison.

"Seven Devils" Video