How to read a spirit entry

Your goal in this lesson: to read any of the 72 entries like a historian, separating the old text from later layers.

An example: Stolas

Historical Here is spirit 36 in the 1904 text. Stolas is a great prince who appears “in the Shape of a Mighty Raven at first before the Exorcist; but after he taketh the image of a Man.” He teaches astronomy and the virtues of herbs and precious stones, and he governs 26 legions of spirits. Then comes his seal. Almost every entry has the same five parts.

The five parts

1. Rank. The titles are those of a European court: king, duke, prince, marquis, earl, president, knight. The 1904 “classified list” counts 9 kings, 23 dukes, 7 princes, 15 marquises, 14 presidents, 10 earls and 1 knight. That adds to 79, because seven spirits appear twice in the list.
2. Appearance. Often an animal first, then a human shape when commanded, as with Stolas. Some entries mention a voice or temperament: Vassago is “of a Good Nature”; Beleth is “very furious at his first appearance”.
3. Offices. What the spirit is said to do or teach. Many entries mix gentle offices, such as teaching languages or the virtues of herbs, with harsh ones, such as causing discord or wounds.
4. Legions. The number of spirits under its command, an echo of “Legion” in Mark 5.
5. Seal. A sigil drawn in the manuscripts and redrawn for the 1904 printing. The “Observations” link ranks to metals: gold for kings, copper for dukes, tin for princes, silver for marquises, mercury for presidents, copper and silver for earls and lead for knights.

Layers on top

Later tradition Planets, zodiac decans, tarot cards and colors for each spirit mostly come from the Golden Dawn and Crowley’s 777 (1909), not from the Goetia itself.

Modern Personalities, favorite offerings and “what the spirit wants” usually come from modern practitioners’ unverified personal gnosis (UPG). The old text names offerings for only three spirits: Paimon, Belial and Malphas. Modern lore can be meaningful, but label it.

Reading offices of harm

Some offices describe harm: wounds, death, storms or love by compulsion. Read them as history. They tell you what early modern people feared and hoped for. On this site, offices of harm are marked as not taught.

Comparing with Scot

Historical For any spirit in Weyer’s list, compare the Goetia’s wording with Scot’s English of 1584. Ranks and numbers sometimes differ: Barbatos is an earl and a duke in Scot but only a duke in the Goetia. Each spirit page on this site shows these differences.

If you are struggling right now, call your local emergency number (112 in Europe, 911 in the US and Canada) or see Getting help.

All 72 spirits

Every spirit has its own page, in the 1904 order. The spirit directory has them as cards with seals.

1. Bael, 2. Agares, 3. Vassago, 4. Samigina, 5. Marbas, 6. Valefor, 7. Amon, 8. Barbatos, 9. Paimon, 10. Buer, 11. Gusion, 12. Sitri.

2. Beleth, 14. Leraje, 15. Eligos, 16. Zepar, 17. Botis, 18. Bathin, 19. Sallos, 20. Purson, 21. Marax, 22. Ipos, 23. Aim, 24. Naberius.

3. Glasya-Labolas, 26. Bune, 27. Ronove, 28. Berith, 29. Astaroth, 30. Forneus, 31. Foras, 32. Asmoday, 33. Gaap, 34. Furfur, 35. Marchosias, 36. Stolas.

4. Phenex, 38. Halphas, 39. Malphas, 40. Raum, 41. Focalor, 42. Vepar, 43. Sabnock, 44. Shax, 45. Vine, 46. Bifrons, 47. Vual, 48. Haagenti.

5. Crocell, 50. Furcas, 51. Balam, 52. Alloces, 53. Camio, 54. Murmur, 55. Orobas, 56. Gremory, 57. Ose, 58. Amy, 59. Orias, 60. Vapula.

6. Zagan, 62. Volac, 63. Andras, 64. Haures, 65. Andrealphus, 66. Cimejes, 67. Amdusias, 68. Belial, 69. Decarabia, 70. Seere, 71. Dantalion, 72. Andromalius.

Try this

Today’s exercise: choose one spirit from the list above. Open its page and fill in five lines: rank, appearance, first office, legions and one thing that was added after 1904.

Quick recap

• Each entry has rank, appearance, offices, legions and seal.
• Ranks come from a European court; metals come from the Observations.
• Planets and decans are mostly Golden Dawn; personalities are mostly modern UPG.
• Read offices of harm as history, not instructions.

Keep going

Press “Mark as done” and continue with Safety, ethics and myths. For more detail, see ranks and offices and seals, circle and triangle.

Need a refresher? Go back to Weyer, Scot and the 1904 Goetia or see the whole course.

Sources

• S. L. MacGregor Mathers and Aleister Crowley, The Book of the Goetia of Solomon the King (Boleskine, 1904), spirit 36 and the “Observations”.
• Aleister Crowley, 777 (London, 1909).
• Reginald Scot, The Discoverie of Witchcraft (London, 1584), book 15.

Go deeper: the Goetia pages on this site

Mark as done