Can you sell your soul to the devil?

The notion of selling your soul to the devil has been around since the advent of Christianity and stories have been passed down through the ages despite there being no reference to the soul selling process in the Bible. Made popular by Christopher Marlowe's play Dr. Faustus, which was written in 1592, it tells the story of a German scholar who grew dissatisfied with the limits of the traditional forms of knowledge so he turned to magic where he summoned up Mephastophilis.

Mephastophilis is a devil and although he warns Dr. Faustus about the horrors of hell, Dr. Faustus wants him to go to hell where Lucifer reigns and offer his soul in exchange for 24 years of service from Mephastophilis. Lucifer accepts the pact and Dr. Faustus gains immense powers but ends his 24 years trying to repent his bargain.

There have been many cases in history of people who claimed or were accused to have made a deal with the devil.

Robert Leroy Johnson (1911-1938), an American blues musician was purported to have met Satan at a crossroads and, in exchange for his soul, was given the power to play the blues and become a guitar master.

Niccolo Paganini (1782-1840) was an Italian musician and composer who unknowingly sold his soul in exchange for his talents. The Catholic Church denied him a Catholic burial for many years because of these claims.

General Jonathan Moulton (1726-1787) was from New Hampshire and defeated the British Army's invasion of the New Hampshire Coast in the American Revolution. He was believed to have sold his soul in exchange for a never ending supply of gold. The deal was that the devil would fill his boots with gold on the first of every month. Unbeknownst to the devil, Moulton cut the soles from the boots and put the boots over a hole in the floor. The devil was never able to fill up the boots with gold. When the devil found that he had been outsmarted, he burned Moulton's house down in revenge.

If you have ever wondered how deals with the devil are made you may want to read this book by Dr. Rex Touth who is an expert on satanic rituals and the author of How to Negotiate Unholy Contracts. He believes the devil will cheat you blind unless you learn to negotiate with him and provides some key points to take into consideration before signing the deal.

SET THE DEAL UP PROPERLY. There's a right and wrong way to make contact with the Devil. The right way is to be alone in your room, close your eyes and say, "Satan, I summon you. I have a quality soul to sell if the price is right." It may take dozens, even hundreds of tries but at all costs, avoid sounding desperate or needy. He'll show up eventually.

DEAL FROM A POSITION OF POWER. By far the biggest mistake people make is to underestimate how badly Satan wants their soul. It's like precious gold to him and he'll pay anything to get it. When he appears, get him to make the first offer, then up it.

GET THE ABSOLUTE BEST. Remember, you're going to burn in Hell forever. So no matter how badly off you are now, demand the best. For instance, even if you feel unlovable and desperate with loneliness, don't just say, "I want the most gorgeous woman on earth and I want her to be madly in love with me." Instead, add, "In fact, throw in 100 other women as well so I can pick and choose according to my mood."

REMEMBER TO DEMAND THE LIFE-EXTENSION CLAUSE. Satan won't tell you if you don't ask but you can get a guarantee of 300 years of youthful life before you go to eternal damnation. Why enjoy a mere 75 or 80 years of reckless living when you can get 300?

Religious groups all over the world are still trying to ban the book but Touth says he is just trying to present the facts and give people suggestions on how to bargain with the devil so they get the best deal possible.

It is even possible to sell your soul online now, which according to necronomi.com, is much easier today than in the past when soul sellers had to look for an elusive sorcerer to broker the deal for them. All you do is fill out a form, include your email address, choose your favorite sin from a dropdown menu and accept or decline the pact whereby you relinquish the ownership of your immortal soul in exchange for money in substantial quantities, the fulfillment of all your lusts and your life prolonged in good health for another two years and a day. The website is currently undergoing reorganization as it seems that people have been selling other people's souls without their consent.

Read more:

Doctor Faustus | Harvard Classics