A Bowl of Hellfire – Using Luminarium for Demons

As I mentioned in a previous post, one of the key elements of my new book, Luminarium: A Grimoire of Cunning Conjuration, is that it is modular. The book presents an approach to preparing for and developing for conjuration, and then gives a system of conjuration. That system is presented as a means of working with angels and aerial spirits, but the system is also modular. Modes of connecting with magical powers can be adapted to different symbolic and mythological language based on your religious or spiritual leanings. Each part contributes a piece to what is being done, so you can identify areas in which you can do something similar and make a substitution.

 

Like in other areas of magic, a substitution does not necessarily do the same thing as the original piece, but it might accomplish the same goal in a different way. These ways might be related or unrelated. The substitution can possibly adjust the over all course of what you’re doing. For example, I can vanilla frosting by mixing powdered sugar, shortening, and vanilla, or I can mix powdered sugar, butter and vanilla. The consistency and the flavor will be a little different between the two but I will still have a sweet vanilla flavored icing for my cake. The shortening and the butter will do similar things but they aren’t quite the same. They’ll each serve the same purpose in the recipe, but accomplish the goal with their own style.

 

The same logic applies in magic. If we know why a tool, or a rite is present, sometimes we can substitute something that accomplishes the same need by doing something similar. They won’t be the same. Diverge too much and you might get something recognizably different. Sometimes you just change the tone, or the way the connection comes through. Sometimes you might change the approach enough to direct the work in an altogether different direction as far as what sorts of spirits are being reached. Sometimes, but probably not most times, you might break the thing altogether and need to go back to the drawing board.

 

With Luminarium you could change out pieces because they don’t connect with you. For instance, if you don’t connect with your ancestors through a Greek influenced lens like the one that I present in the book you could substitute a rite which does similar things in so far as drawing your ancestors to be present and empowering them to work with you in the world. This probably wouldn’t change much of the over all ritual, but it could have some effect depending upon how your ancestors are encountered.

 

Alternatively, you could make changes built around working with different sorts of spirits through this structure. In our previous post we talked about recontextualizing to focus on building your space with nature spirits. Today we’ll talk about conjuring demons.

 

The book presents options for conjuring angels and aerial spirits, but there is no reason you can’t…and no reason you shouldn’t, use this for work with devils, the dead, and the fair folk as well. Each might need its own tweaks or additions, but it’s designed to accommodate that.

 

In the case of working with demons or devils we don’t need to change the ritual so much as add to it. The book already presents the option to conjure an angel and then conjure an aerial spirit under the authority of that angel. We can do the same with demons.

 

Now if we’re conjuring the demons under the authority of an angel, how do we know under which angel we should work?

 

There are a few ways to answer this, but none of them are definitive. You can try various options.

 

If you decide to go with the Testament of Solomon as your Liber Spirituum the demons provided Solomon with the names of the angels who “thwart” them. Beelzebul describes this process as being adjured by the oath. We often take the thwarting angel concept of one in which the angel is called to smite the demon, but Beelzebul’s description is one in which the angel is the power by which the demon is conjured. When working with the Testament of Solomon it provides the names of the powers by which the demons are bound in conjuration.

 

If you go with the text now called The Book of Oberon, a section of the Book of the Offices of Spirits describes several demons under the rulership of the Kings of the Four Directions. If working with that spirit list you could call upon the angel related to that king.

 

If not working with that text, you can take the same approach if you find some other means by which to accord the demonic hierarchy under the four kings.

 

Another option would be to look at the powers and appearance of the spirit, or the direction from which it comes if that is listed and try and determine a planetary association for the spirit. Once you have a planetary association you could call it under the angel associated therewith. If you work with spirits from the Hygromanteia planetary correspondences will already be available for many of them.

 

Once the angel is conjured you will instruct it to help retrieve the King and the demon and to aid in ensuring your safety and the safety of any of your concerns while the demon does its work. Then conjure the King, and then request that the King give access to the spirit and that the King or his messenger retrieve the demon in question and aid in its conjuration.

 

Then conjure, constrain, and bind the demon. If there any offerings or gifts to be given to the demon this would be done now along with any questioning and bargaining. Once this is done license it to depart.

 

You can obtain all the needed additions pretty easily, but we’ll provide some here as well.

 

Once you’ve picked your demon, and the angel you intend to call the next step is to select a conjuration for the appropriate king. Here are examples.

 

Oh great and potent spirit Oriens, King of the East, who rules the Eastern region of the world, I adjure you, I call upon you, and most powerfully and earnestly I urge you by, in, and through the virtue power and might of these efficacious and binding names, YHVH+, EHIH+, Adonai+, AGLA+, El+, Tzvot+, Elohim, of the Almighty, Immense Incomprehensible and Everliving God, the omnipotent Creator of heaven and Earth. I call you in the name of the Most High, whose name all the Celestial Angels honor and obey, and before whom all the holy Company and Choir of heaven, Incessantly sing Kadosh, Kadosh, Kadosh, and at whose Divine and inestimable name, all Knees on Earth give homage and bow, and all the aerial terrestrial and infernal spirits do fear and tremble and now by all these names I do now again powerfully adjure, call upon, constrain and urge you Oh great and Mighty spirit Oriens, King of the East, in the holy name YHVH+, within the presence of Michael+ that now immediately without further tarrying, or delay the spirit, you appear visibly, plainly, peaceably, affably in all serenity and humility here before me, and positively effectually faithfully, and fully aid me in all I request and answer all questions I ask, especially those things which accord to your office, without any delay guile or deceit or other illusions whatsoever. And I call upon you, Oh you powerful and regal spirit Oriens, by the power of YHVH+ in the presence of Michael+ to appear plainly visible before me, in pleasing form, in all mildness, peace, and friendliness, without any hurt, disturbance, or any other evil whatsoever, either to me, or this place, wherein I am, or any other place, person or creature whatsoever, but that quietly courteously and obediently you fulfill my desires and do my commandments in all things which I earnestly urge and command for you to do for me, Oh Royal and Potent spirit Oriens, in the name of YHVH+.

 

 

Oh great and potent spirit Egyn, King of the North, who rules the Northern region of the world, I adjure you, I call upon you, and most powerfully and earnestly I urge you by, in, and through the virtue power and might of these efficacious and binding names, YHVH+, EHIH+, Adonai+, AGLA+, El+, Tzvot+, Elohim+, of the Almighty, Immense Incomprehensible and Everliving God, the omnipotent Creator of heaven and Earth. I call you in the name of the Most High, whose name all the Celestial Angels honor and obey, and before whom all the holy Company and Choir of heaven, Incessantly sing Kadosh, Kadosh, Kadosh, and at whose Divine and inestimable name, all Knees on Earth give homage and bow, and all the aerial terrestrial and infernal spirits do fear and tremble and now by all these names I do now again powerfully adjure, call upon, constrain and urge you Oh great and Mighty spirit Egyn, King of the North, in the holy name Elohim+, within the presence of Gabriel+ that now immediately without further tarrying, or delay the spirit, you appear visibly, plainly, peaceably, affably in all serenity and humility here before me, and positively effectually faithfully, and fully aid me in all I request and answer all questions I ask, especially those things which accord to your office, without any delay guile or deceit or other illusions whatsoever. And I call upon you, Oh you powerful and regal spirit Egyn, by the power of Elohim+ in the presence of Gabriel+ to appear plainly visible before me, in pleasing form, in all mildness, peace, and friendliness, without any hurt, disturbance, or any other evil whatsoever, either to me, or this place, wherein I am, or any other place, person or creature whatsoever, but that quietly courteously and obediently you fulfill my desires and do my commandments in all things which I earnestly urge and command for you to do for me, Oh Royal and Potent spirit Egyn, in the name of Shaddai+.

 

Oh great and potent spirit Amaymon, King of the South, who rules the Southern region of the world, I adjure you, I call upon you, and most powerfully and earnestly I urge you by, in, and through the virtue power and might of these efficacious and binding names, YHVH+, EHIH+, Adonai+, AGLA+, El+, Tzvot+, Elohim+, of the Almighty, Immense Incomprehensible and Everliving God, the omnipotent Creator of heaven and Earth. I call you in the name of the Most High, whose name all the Celestial Angels honor and obey, and before whom all the holy Company and Choir of heaven, Incessantly sing Kadosh, Kadosh, Kadosh, and at whose Divine and inestimable name, all Knees on Earth give homage and bow, and all the aerial terrestrial and infernal spirits do fear and tremble and now by all these names I do now again powerfully adjure, call upon, constrain and urge you Oh great and Mighty spirit Amaymon, King of the South, in the holy name Adonai+, within the presence of Uriel+ that now immediately without further tarrying, or delay the spirit, you appear visibly, plainly, peaceably, affably in all serenity and humility here before me, and positively effectually faithfully, and fully aid me in all I request and answer all questions I ask, especially those things which accord to your office, without any delay guile or deceit or other illusions whatsoever. And I call upon you, Oh you powerful and regal spirit Amaymon+, by the power of Adonai+ in the presence of Uriel+ to appear plainly visible before me, in pleasing form, in all mildness, peace, and friendliness, without any hurt, disturbance, or any other evil whatsoever, either to me, or this place, wherein I am, or any other place, person or creature whatsoever, but that quietly courteously and obediently you fulfill my desires and do my commandments in all things which I earnestly urge and command for you to do for me, Oh Royal and Potent spirit Amaymon+, in the name of Adonai+.

 

The conjurations could also be used if working with the King was your end game. You could use an abbreviated form if you’re conjuring the king to aid with calling another spirit, particularly if you’ve worked with the King previously.

 

Here is an example:

 

Oh great and potent spirit Paymon, King of the West, who rules the Western region of the world, I adjure you, I call upon you, and most powerfully and earnestly I urge you by, in, and through the virtue power and might of these efficacious and binding names, YHVH+, EHIH+, Adonai+, AGLA+, El+, Tzevaot+, Elohim+, of the Almighty, Immense Incomprehensible and Everliving God, the omnipotent Creator of heaven and Earth. I call you in the name of the Most High, whose name all the Celestial Angels honor and obey, and before whom all the holy Company and Choir of heaven, Incessantly sing Kadosh, Kadosh, Kadosh, and at whose Divine and inestimable name, all Knees on Earth give homage and bow, and all the aerial terrestrial and infernal spirits do fear and tremble and now by all these names I do now again powerfully adjure, call upon, constrain and urge you Oh great and Mighty spirit Paymon, King of the West that you might bring the spirit [NAME] and grant us peaceable access to his presence.

 

The others can be modified in this same way.

 

Then you would call the spirit. I will provide an example using Hoistros from the Hygromanteia. A ritual for conjuring him appeared in my book Living Spirits:

 

I do invoke and conjure you Hoistros by Beralanensis, by Baldachiensis, by Paumachia, and by Apologia Sedes, by the most mighty kings and powers, and the most powerful princes, genii, Liachidæ, ministers of the Tartarean seat, chief prince of the seat of Apologia, in the ninth legion, I invoke you N, and by invoking, I conjure you Hoistros and being armed with power from the supreme Majesty, I strongly command you Hoistros, by Him who spoke and it was done, and to whom all creatures are obedient; and by this ineffable name, YHVH, which being heard the elements are overthrown, the air is shaken, the sea runs back, the fire is quenched, the earth trembles, and all the host of the celestials, and terrestrials, and infernals do tremble together, and are troubled and confounded: wherefore, forthwith and without delay, shall you, Hoistros, come from all parts of the world, and make rational answers unto all things I shall ask of you; and come peaceably, visibly and affably now, Hoistros, without delay, manifesting what we desire, being conjured by the name of the living and true God, Heliorem, and fulfill our commands, and persist unto the end, and according to our intentions, visibly and affably speaking unto us with a clear voice, intelligible, and without any ambiguity.

 

Once the spirit arrives it must be constrained to appear in a particular spot, in a particular manner, and in a way which is not harmful to the magician:

 

By the seals which are present, by the Great Seal of Solomon, by the names which have been aforesaid, by the name of John the Baptist I command Hoistros that you appear in pleasing form in this bowl and answer honestly all questions and expediently provide for all requests bringing no harm upon those of us who have called you.

 

Finally, the magician binds the demon by whichever divine and angelic names are appropriate to the agreement which they have come to. This agreement will include what the demon is to do, and any proscriptions on how, as well as what the magician is willing to pay the spirit for this work.

 

You could also make these adjustments without working in the context of calling an angel. In that case the ritual would open as normal up until the point of calling the angel. If you’re working in a planetary context then you would proceed with some other prayer accorded to the day of the week, or the hour in which you are working. If not working in a planetary context and electing to work under the auspices of the chiefs and princes of Hell, then invoke the appropriate chief followed by the appropriate prince as provided in Agrippa’s table of four. Then the king and then the demon.

 

One of the test team for Luminarium referenced using the method given for work with a demon. The method in Luminarium was originally tried in a group ritual for conjuring a demon which provided several people with several large manifest results involving jobs, property, and money.

 

Have you tried using Luminarium for working with demons? Or for something other than angels? Let me know about it!

 

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Beginning Conjuration and Spirit Magic pt 5: Intermediary and Crossroads Spirits

Presenting part 5 of 8 of our series on Conjuration and Spirit magic for beginners. Today we'll talk about establishing relationships with Intermediary and Crossroads spirits. Last week we posted a series of book recommendations and information on setting up a devotional practice to develop support in the spirit world. Monday we introduced scrying, and yesterday conjuring the elementals. Today we'll look at the elementals before moving on tomorrow to intermediary and crossroads spirits. So please like us on Facebook, and share the post with your friends so that can enjoy it as well. Bonus...in our scrying post we linked to a class on angel magic, but the link did not go through so we're including it today.

Beginning Conjuration and Spirit Magic pt 5: Intermediary and Crossroads Spirits

So maybe now you've gotten comfortable making offerings at your devotional altar, and you've become friends with some elementals, and you're ready to move on to some more...interesting...spirits. Angels? Demons? The stuff we tend to think of when we think of magical conjuration. So you strip down, spritz yourself with spring water, put on your nicest robe blessed by a priest, pull out your sword consecrated at Mass, put on your crown burn your incense, and sonorously intone in your most beautiful voice all the glorious invocations of God and all the most heinous and intense curses which command the spirits, and no body answers.

 There could be a few reasons why. One possible question we could ask to find one solution is “who are you that they feel they should answer?” Spirits aren't all just functional manifestations that run automatically like computer programs when the right buttons are pushed. They aren't anthropomorphized externalizations of internal mental and emotional concepts. They are spirits. They don't have the same sort of conscious will as humans, but they are still aware individual beings. Now there are some people that take the view that when Iamblichus describes spirits who aren't very bright and are easily tricked by magicians, that these spirits are the demons of the grimoires, and so a magician dressing like a child playing at being King Solomon is enough to trick them into thinking you're Solomon. Others might take the view that angels obey magicians because God says so, and demons do because man is above them in the hierarchy. There are lots of philosophical and cosmological explanations, and some of them can work well, but it remains that the interactions don't always run perfectly, so spirits clearly have some wiggle room, even if they don't have full freedom in the matter.

So, the spirit isn't answering so you ramp up your use of names of God. But do the names belong to you? Do you have the power to use them. Think of more modern vampire movies...the clumsy would be hero tries to stop the vampire with a cross or religious relic, and the vampire laughs it off because the hero, being your average modern person, has no real faith in the spiritual power behind the symbol. The spirits obey the names but you have to be in a position to actually use them. A large part of grimoiric magic comes from the sacramental rite of exorcism, in which the exorcist by virtue of names and signs calls upon divine power to command spirits. The exorcist however had to be spiritually fit and in a state of sacramental grace to make use of the names with any efficacy. So the exorcist had to attend confession, make prayers to prepare themselves, and preferably attend Mass prior to the exorcism. Liber Juratus has this same admonition to attend Mass. Most grimoires require a period of spiritual purification, the use of psalms to prepare and consecrate oneself, and various prayers found in the grimoires to that bring about that effect as well. So you need to be spiritually fit and able to connect to the power of the names. This doesn't necessarily mean being a good Christian. In the case of some of the PGM rituals it might mean being initiated into a mystery tradition, or having done a magical ritual to give you access to the powers behind the names. In the grimoires it might just mean having a certain spiritual steadiness and balance while accessing some authentic understanding of a spiritual power behind the divine names or the thwarting angels. As you explore these systems you can find what this readiness means to you, and the more in touch with it you become the better your results will be.

There is another element which might help in addition to this readiness, and we find it referenced in the PGM, as well as hinted at, or maybe expressly present, in some of the grimoires. The idea of an intermediary spirit, or a spirit who helps connect you with other spirits. Now, calling it an intermediary spirit kind of pigeonholes this function, when in reality several systems have several ways of filling this helping and idea, and they're not all precisely by using go-betweens. To illustrate the essential idea though. If you didn't like something Microsoft was doing, and you walked into a board meeting and told them to design some new software that fit your needs better, they would be confused as to who you were and why you were there, and they probably wouldn't listen. If you were friends with Ted Turner, and Ted called up Bill Gates, and Bill called the board and said “Hey, Johnny Magician is a cool guy, he needs this software, can you help him he'll call you tomorrow about it” then they'll be expecting you and know you're someone they should listen to.

The PGM presents this idea in various rituals having to do with acquiring a daimon or a spiritual assistant. In the NeoPlatonic worldview this was a spirit who wasn't quite a human spirit and wasn't quite a divine spirit, but it could go between human theurgists and the gods and carry prayers and offerings up and blessings an assistance down. In a more magical context it could go about and accomplish things for the magician and it could help the magician in calling upon gods and spirits in other spells to aid in his work.

In The Testament of Solomon St. Michael the Archangel comes to Solomon and delivers a ring which imparts divine grace and wisdom upon Solomon allowing him to command spirits. The demons are commanded by angels, but the ring and the spiritual presence which accompany the ring give Solomon the authority over the demons and probably also make the angels obedient to him, even though we don't ever see him needing to make use of the angels. In Solomonic grimoires this same presence, essentially the Holy Spirit, is sometimes called upon by magicians to grant the power and authority to command the spirits. In such an example we could look at either the angel, or the Holy Spirit as functioning somewhat as an intermediary spirit, however we could also look at the presence of the Holy Spirit as simply initiatory in nature if it were taken as a permanent presence.

The Abramelin presents this idea with the Holy Guardian Angel. The magician goes on vacation, and brings back an angel! Or...more honestly, the magician cloisters himself in an ever increasing devotional ceremony of prayers, culminating in an intense period of prayer and meditation at the end of which his Holy Guardian Angel appears. The angel teaches him magic and as part of teaching him magic aids him in conjuring the Demon Kings, and then all demons subordinate to them, and subordinate to their subordinates, and so on, and eventually including familiar spirits granted to him. He is then by the agency of his angel able to call upon these demons without the trappings of a ritual magician and make them do things they have sworn to do. He can start with his familiars and if they can't do something they will refer him to the proper demon to do it. So he has both the angel and his series of familiars to assist him in navigating the spirit world. The Golden Dawn and Crowley kind of took this idea and worked it into a variant of the Pentacostal initiation of the Holy Spirit we referenced above, but even in their approach the Holy Guardian Angel teaches you magic and helps you command spirits. In fact the Stele of Jeu from the PGM, which was an exorcism of spirits, was reworked by the Golden Dawn, and moreso by Crowley, to make it into an invocation of this angelic presence. One of the key adaptations is replacing the exorcism language with language directed at making spirits and magic subservient to the magician.

Liber Juratus takes an approach that is similar to the Abramelin, but taken in a direction again more like this baptism of the Holy Spirit kind of view. The magician engages in a spiritual retreat to achieve the beatific vision, or the vision of the face of God. By achieving this the magician then gains the authority to command the spirits and do the magic described in the grimoire. In this case it is not so much an example of use of an intermediary spirit but rather creating that spiritual rightness by which the power of divinity can be accessed. Juratus also seems to take an approach that the angels and the magician share in a love for the divine and this is why the angels are willing to work with the magician. Achieving the beatific vision is a reflection of this state of grace, or perhaps a cause of it.

Maybe we don't groove on all this Catholic type angel helper stuff. Maybe we want something more down to earth? In sorcery traditions part of the initiation is accessing a connection to the spiritual powers of the ancestors of the house into which you are initiated. In witchcraft you are born into the bloodline of your ancestors and therefore you are born with a connection to their spiritual presence. These spirits therefore are able to serve as your intermediaries. They help make introductions for you in the spirit world. They can help exert spiritual force when needed to help keep a spirit on board with doing whatever they agreed to do. They can help protect you from spirits who are taking advantage of the opportunity to work in the world that you are giving them in ways which might have otherwise been disadvantageous for you. So your dead, again, those guys you're feeding at your devotional altar, are a whole crew of spirits ready to vouch for you in the spirit world, and who other spirits know have your back if things go sideways.

Witches also often keep fairy or other kinds of spirit familiars who help teach them magic and accomplish magic for them. These spirits can also work as intermediaries to help call other spirits, and help leverage agreements with them. On the point of witches and sorcerers, we also have forest spirits and crossroads spirits who give power and grant access to familiars and to spirits. In European witchcraft this spirit is the Witches' Devil, who contrary to popular modern opinion, is not precisely Lucifer and has nothing to do with fallen angels. Rather this black spirit makes an agreement with the witch and teaches the witch magic. He can be met in the forest under a tree, at the cross roads, or at night at the steps of a church. He is sometimes described, and depicted in artwork, as cavorting with the witches and participating in magical rituals with them. Frisvold describes a similar spirit in the forests of Trinidad in his book Obeah: A Sorcerous Ossuary. The forest power of obiya is granted by these spirits who inhabit the forest, or the wild natural places, therefore a place with a power similar to that liminal power of graveyards and crossroads in that it is a place not fully held by society and it is a place containing some uncertainty. The spirits he describes remind me very much of the Witches' Devil.

Like the devils of witchcraft and Obeah, Vodou has Papa Legba. Legba is a crossroads spirit who either grants permission of denies permission of the person approaching him to speak with the Loa and other spirits. In Santeria Elegua also connects to the crossroads and grants access to spirits. Now I am not suggesting that you begin all your grimoire conjurations with an offering to Legba and Elegua, or by making a call to the Witches' Devil, but these traditions which present a more living view of conjure work all involve some intermediary to work with spirits. Even looking back to Europe we have Hecate, and Mercury at the crossroads and able to grant access to magic and spirits, and to move between this world and the underworld.

So maybe the grimoire work needs to work with gatekeeper spirits too. Fortunately the grimoire tradition has a few of these. Oriens, Egyn, Paymon, and Amaymon, are the Kings of the Four Directions and they grant access to this world by the spirits who reside within each of their directional kingdoms. They sometimes appear in lists of demons, but are also often listed elsewhere. They are terrestrial rather than infernal, and have infernal, aerial, and celestial spirits to whom they accord. They clearly stand in conjunction with this world, at the spokes of the cross roads, each one ruling the vertical crossroads between spiritual worlds. They are a little different than the basic idea of an intermediary spirit in that there are four of them, and they don't feature in the grimoires as being called upon before calling other spirits. Some magicians think you shouldn't ever conjure them directly, some think you can start at the bottom of a hierarchy and work up to them, some think you should start with them and work down. Maybe working with your intermediary spirit...you're spiritual assistant, your Holy Guardian Angel, you might under the presidency of the angel connected to the King and make yourself known to the king, maybe share some offering, and create an awareness of who you are so that when you call spirits from the direction he rules you can reference the king if need be in calling the spirit. In addition to name dropping the king also you have the gatekeeper willing to open the gate so your spirit can be drawn to manifestation.

Start slow though. Keep feeding your ancestors. Talk with them about what you're going to be working on. Get them to sign on with helping you out with your conjure work. Just lighting some candles and leaving some candy and whiskey on an altar doesn't mean they're going to jump in and help with specific things you want. Talk with them about your life, and talk specifically about the work you plan to do and the help you want from them. When your ancestors are on board, pick what kind of intermediary you want. Do you want the spiritual assistant from the PGM? Do you want to work with the agathodaimon? Do you want to do devotional work to the Holy Sophia and draw on the Holy Spirit, or turn to the cults of the Saints and honor a saint related to spirits and magic? Saints like Cyprian, or Nicholas, or Benedict, or perhaps Joan of Arc, even St. Peter as the Gatekeeper could be an option. Maybe you want something more naturalistic and you do want to find a way to incorporate the witches devil or a crossroads spirit into your work. Maybe look at religions local to your environment and find what spirit locally served that purpose and make propitiation to him or her before your rituals. Or maybe you want to go all in with the grimoire approach as seen in the Post-Golden Dawn world and do the Abramelin working, get in contact with your Holy Guardian Angel, and work with him or her as part of your conjure work. Once you have your friend at the center of the crossroads, then maybe incorporate the kings, and see if your calls get answered more clearly.

You have options. Quite literally a world of options since there are so many variants of this idea from so many places. Poke around, find yours, fit it to your work.