70. Seere: a prince of the Ars Goetia

How to read the labels Historical what the old sources say. Later tradition what later writers added. Modern modern practice and my own notes.

Seere is number 70 in the catalog of 72 spirits that opens the Lesser Key of Solomon. The 1904 edition by S. L. MacGregor Mathers and Aleister Crowley calls him a prince ruling 26 legions, and the first office it gives him is this: Seere goes and comes, and brings “abundance of things to pass on a sudden.”

Here I go through his entry layer by layer: the old text first, then what later centuries added, then modern practice, each part labeled so you can see how old it is.

If you came here wondering whether Seere suits a beginner, the short answer is in the Practical notes below: he is counted among the spirits that fit my beginner criteria, but only partly, as I explain.

At a glance

Historical These are the facts of the entry itself, from the 1904 text and its Observations.

• Number: 70 of 72, in the 1904 order.
• Name and spellings: Seere in 1904; other spellings: Sear, Seir (1904).
• Rank and legions: Prince, 26 legions.
• Direction: the text places him in the under Amaymon, King of the East.
• Metal of his rank (Observations): tin.
• Hours for princes (Observations): “Any hour of the Day.”
• In Weyer’s catalog (1577): no. Seere is one of four Goetia spirits missing from Weyer; the others are Vassago, Dantalion and Andromalius.

The Observations also say to work only when the Moon is 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12 or 14 days old. These rules show how the Goetia imagined its spirits, as officials with office hours. You do not need them to read the entry, and the facts table above gives the short version.

The seal (1904)

Historical The seal shown above is Seere’s seal as printed in the 1904 edition, in a faithful vector drawing of that public-domain printing. The Observations ask for each seal to be made in the metal of the spirit’s rank, which for Seere means tin. In the text’s world the seal identifies the spirit and protects the magician; several entries say it is worn on the breast as a lamen.

Seals are not identical from one source to the next. The 1904 versions follow the manuscripts Mathers used, and later books and websites sometimes redraw, simplify or mix them. If two seals for the same spirit disagree, ask which edition each one follows.

Modern Looking at a seal does nothing on its own; it is a drawing in an old book. Modern practitioners almost always draw seals on paper rather than casting them in metal. Copying Seere’s seal slowly by hand is also a good study exercise, because you notice lines and circles that the eye skips.

Appearance

Historical Seere appears “in the Form of a Beautiful Man, riding upon a Winged Horse.”

Offices in the Ars Goetia

Historical These are all the offices the 1904 text gives him, in the order it gives them.

• Goes and comes, and brings “abundance of things to pass on a sudden.”
• Carries or re-carries anything wherever the magician wishes.
• Can pass over the whole earth “in the twinkling of an Eye.”
• Gives a true relation of all sorts of theft, of treasure hid, and of many other things.

He “is of an indifferent Good Nature, and is willing to do anything which the Exorcist desireth.” He governs 26 legions.

Offices of harm or compulsion are part of the historical record, and reporting them is not endorsing them. For how offices work across the 72, see ranks and offices.

Source comparison: Weyer and Scot

Historical Seere does not appear in Weyer’s catalog or Scot’s translation. He is one of the four Goetic spirits with no Weyer entry.

Because Weyer’s 1577 catalog and Scot’s 1584 translation lack him, the 1904 text is the oldest printed source for this entry. More in Weyer and Scot.

Later tradition

Later tradition Nothing of note was added to this spirit between the grimoires and the twentieth century.

Modern practice and pop culture

Modern Like Vassago, Seere is often recommended in modern writing because of his described temperament, “indifferent Good Nature.” Modern practitioners approach him for speed and efficiency in practical matters.

Some things said about Seere online are not in any grimoire at all: personalities, favorite foods, signs that a spirit has “picked” someone, or birth demons. They come from modern writing and social media. Treat them as one person’s experience, not as facts about the old text.

Beginner’s quick reference

Each line below is labeled by layer, so you can see how old each piece is.

• Rank metal and hours (Goetia): Prince: tin; any hour of the day.
• Planet (later tradition: Golden Dawn and Crowley’s 777): Jupiter.
• Decan and day or night spirit (later tradition: 777): Pisces, first decan (0 to 10 degrees); night spirit. 777 decan incense: thyme.
• Commonly reported color, incense, and plant (modern UPG; sources copy each other): Color blue; incense cedar; plant willow.
• Associated symbols: Goetia image: a beautiful man on a winged horse. 777 Magical Image: the same image. Modern Demonolatry/UPG: the seal, used as an altar image.
• Associated offerings: Modern practice, not in the Goetia manuscripts: most often listed, cedar and willow; one source lists maple syrup, tea, caraway, rosemary, juniper, elderflower, public praise, chocolate, and wine. Chocolate and alcohol are toxic to pets, and alcohol is for adults only.

Incense means smoke. If you burn any, use a stick or cone with a window open, no charcoal indoors, and none at all in a home with pet birds or anyone with asthma. A plant listed here is a correspondence, not something to eat or burn, and a plant without a warning is not automatically safe. Modern offering lists copy one another, so “most often listed” means widely copied, not confirmed. Water, light, time or a note of thanks is always enough.

Practical notes

Seere is a prince whose offices concern speed, transport, and finding stolen goods. None is harmful in the text, but he has no teaching office. He fits the beginner criteria partly. A question about organizing your study time would be a reasonable approach.

The beginner criteria I use have three parts: the spirit is not a king, at least one office is teaching, and the entry does not center on harm, deception or compulsion. In the directory, Seere is counted among the 31 spirits that fit, with the caution above.

To compare Seere with other spirits of his rank, read Orobas and Stolas. Princes, which the 1904 list treats as the same rank as prelates, are a small group of seven. The Observations give them tin, the metal of Jupiter, and the easiest rule of all: any hour of the day. Several of them, such as Vassago and Stolas, have offices of knowledge and teaching, which is one reason they appear so often in modern beginner lists.

How to study this entry

Studying Seere needs only the texts, a notebook and some patience. This is the method I suggest for every entry.

1. Read the offices above in order and write each one in your own words.
2. Read the 1904 entry next to a spirit that is in Weyer, and notice how a text with no older source differs.
3. Copy the seal by hand, slowly, and note anything you missed at first glance.
4. Keep a two-column log: what the text says on the left, and what you have read online or feel about it on the right.

Then go back to all 72 spirits and read a neighbor or two. The entries make more sense side by side than alone.