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Goetia
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Goetia (Medieval Latin, anglicised goety /o.ti/, from Greek

goitia "sorcery") refers to a practice which includes the invocation of angels
or of demons, and usage of the term in English largely derives from the
17th-century grimoire The Lesser Key of Solomon, which features an Ars
Goetia as its first section. It contains descriptions of the evocation of
seventy-two demons, famously edited by Aleister Crowley in 1904 as The
Book of the Goetia of Solomon the King.
Goetic Theurgy, another practice described in the Lesser Key of Solomon, is
similar to the book's description of Goetia, but is used to invoke aerial
spirits.

Contents
1 Etymology
2 Renaissance magic
3 The Ars Goetia

Aleister Crowley's variant of the

circle and triangle, used in the
evocation of the seventy-two
spirits of the Ars Goetia.

4 The Sacred Magic of Abramelin the Mage

5 In popular culture
6 See also
7 Notes
8 References
9 External links

Etymology
Ancient Greek (goitia) means "charm, jugglery"[1] from "sorcerer, wizard".[2] The meaning of
"sorcerer" is attested in a scholion, referring to the Dactyli, stating that according to Pherecydes and Hellanicus,
those to the left are gotes, while those to the right are deliverers from sorcery.[3] The word may be ultimately
derived from the verb "groan, bewail". Derived terms are "a charm" and "to bewitch,
beguile".
was a term for witchcraft in Hellenistic magic. Latinized goetia via French gotie was adopted into
English as goecie, goety in the 16th century.

Renaissance magic
During the Renaissance goeteia (Latinized goetia, French gotie, English goety) was sometimes contrasted with
magia as black (evil) vs. white magic, or with theurgy as "low" vs. "high" magic.

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James Sanford in his 1569 translation of Agrippa's Of the vanitie and uncertaintie of artes and sciences has
The partes of ceremoniall Magicke be Geocie, and Theurgie.
Georg Pictorius in 1562 uses goetie synonymously with "ceremonial magic".

The Ars Goetia

Ars Goetia is the first section of The Lesser Key of Solomon, containing descriptions of the seventy-two demons
that King Solomon is said to have evoked and confined in a bronze vessel sealed by magic symbols, and that he
obliged to work for him. The Ars Goetia assigns a rank and a title of nobility to each member of the infernal
hierarchy, and gives the demons "signs they have to pay allegiance to", or seals. The lists of entities in the Ars
Goetia correspond (to high but varying degree, often according to edition) with those in Johann Weyer's
Pseudomonarchia Daemonum an appendix appearing in later editions of his De Praestigiis Daemonum, of
1563.
A revised English edition of the Ars Goetia was published in 1904 by Samuel Liddell Mathers and Aleister
Crowley as The Goetia. based on manuscripts from the British Museum, with additions by Crowley, including a
Preliminary Invocation drawn from Goodwin's Fragment of a Graeco-Egyptian Work upon Magic, and the
essay The Initiated Interpretation of Ceremonial Magic. It is not a faithful edition of the source manuscripts but
contains several innovations,[4] including some evocations in Enochian written by Crowley. In his introduction,
Crowley argues that the work of demonic evocation is merely a form of psychological self-exploration. It has
since become a relatively well-known book of magic and has even been featured in places like the graphic novel
Promethea by Alan Moore and James Blish's novel Black Easter.

The Sacred Magic of Abramelin the Mage

The Sacred Magic of Abramelin the Mage[5] is considered both a theurgic and goetic book of magic, mostly
used in a religious context. Contrary to the other Goetia Grimoires, this book does not denote the evocation of
demons to do one's bidding or involuntary handywork, but describes how one might summon these infernal
forces, solely for the purpose of excommunicating them from the life of the Magus.[6] This book was
considered a system that led the aspirant closer to the goal of henosis, or spiritual reunion with God. Describing
how to summon the dukes of Hell, even Lucifer, for the purpose of resisting the temptation of their vices, and
binding their influence in the aspirant's life.
This book told a system of holy magic through a six-month purification, then after the conversation of the Holy
Guardian Angel, one would summon the four Great Kings of Hell (Lucifer, Leviathan, Satan, Belial), and make
them sign an oath. This Oath (after gaining the power of the supernal realm), would grant the Adept power over
the Infernal Realm and aid the Adept in discovering the "True and Sacred Wisdom" in the form of magic
squares.

In popular culture
See also
Grimoire

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List of magical terms and traditions

The Lesser Key of Solomon
Works of Aleister Crowley

Notes
1. ^ "LSJ" (http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?layout.reflang=greek;layout.refembed=2;layout.refwordcount=1;
layout.reflookup=gohtei%2Fas;doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0057%3Aentry%3D%2322589).
Perseus.tufts.edu. Retrieved 2013-10-18.
2. ^ "LSJ" (http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0057%3Aentry
%3D%2322587). Perseus.tufts.edu. Retrieved 2013-10-18.
3. ^ K. Mller, Fragmenta historicorum Graecorum Paris: Didot, 1841-1870, fr. 7, , ,
, , .
4. ^ Stephen Skinner & David Rankine, The Goetia of Dr. Rudd Golden Hoard Press, 2007, pp. 47-50
5. ^ The Secrets of the Magical Grimoires, By: Aaron Leitch Chapter 1
6. ^ "Sacred Magic of Abramelin: The Second Book: The Seventeenth Chapter. What We Should Answer Unto the
Interrogations of the Spirits, and How We Should Resist Their Demands" (http://www.sacred-texts.com/grim/abr
/abr036.htm). Sacred-texts.com. Retrieved 2013-10-18.

References
E. J. Langford Garstin, Theurgy or The Hermetic Practice: A Treatise on Spiritual Alchemy. Berwick: Ibis
Press, 2004. (Published posthumously)
Aleister Crowley (ed.), Samuel Liddell Mathers (trans.), The Goetia: The Lesser Key of Solomon the
King. York Beach, ME : Samuel Weiser (1995) ISBN 0-87728-847-X.
Stephen Skinner, & David Rankine, The Goetia of Dr Rudd: The Angels and Demons of Liber Malorum
Spirituum Seu Goetia (Sourceworks of Ceremonial Magic). Golden Hoard Press, 2007. ISBN
978-0-9547639-2-3

External links
Demon list with descriptions (http://www.enochian.org/daemons.shtml)

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