#high magic

The Olympic Spirits (or Princes) come from the 16th-century grimoire The Arbatel of Magick. They rule regions of the cosmos, correspond to specific planets, and are generally considered benevolent, focusing on cosmic wisdom and natural magic:

· Aratron (Saturn) – Alchemy, hidden treasures, reconciling spirits, commanding elemental forces. He has 49 lesser spirits.

· Bethor (Jupiter) – Wealth, dignities, precious stones, true judgments, and familiars. He rules 42 legions.

· Phaleg (Mars) – Military honor, victory, courage, waging war, and healing. He has 35 lesser spirits.

· Och (Sun) – Wisdom, health, transmutation of metals (to gold), and the Philosopher's Stone. He commands 28 legions.

· Hagith (Venus) – Art, beauty, pleasure, turning copper to gold, and invisibility. He has 21 lesser spirits.

· Ophiel (Mercury) – Eloquence, knowledge, cunning, turning mercury to the Philosopher's Stone, and spirit summoning. He rules 14 legions.

· Phul (Moon) – Long life, travel, water transformation, alchemy (base metals to silver), and spirit visions. He has 7 lesser spirits.

Aratron (or Arathron), "the alchemist who commanded seventeen million six hundred and forty thousand spirits". He rules 49 provinces. His planet is Saturn.

Seal of Saturn

ARATRON governs those things which are ascribed astrologically to Saturn. He can convert any living organism, plant or animal into stone, and that in a moment of time; he can also change coals into treasure and treasure into coals; he gives familiars and reconciles subterranean spirits to men; he teaches Alchemy, Magic and Medicine, imparts the secret of invisibility, makes the barren fruitful and, lastly, confers long life.

— Arthur Edward Waite, Book of Ceremonial Magic[2]

Bethor, "who commanded twenty-nine thousand legions of spirits". He rules 42 provinces. His planet is Jupiter.

Seal of Jupiter

Raises a person to great dignities and should appropriately be called upon for promotions and improving your life.

Reveals treasure and transports precious stones from place to place. Gives true answers and heightens psychic abilities. Prolongs life and gives familiars of the firmament.

— Arthur Edward Waite, Book of Ceremonial Magic[3]

Phaleg (or Phalec, Pharos), "the War-Lord". His planet is Mars. He rules 35 provinces.

Seal of Mars

PHALEG governs the things that are attributed to Mars. The person who possesses his character is raised by him to great honour in military affairs.

— Arthur Edward Waite, Book of Ceremonial Magic[4]

Och, "the alchemist, physician, and magician". He rules 28 provinces. His "planet" is the Sun.

Seal of the Sun

— Arthur Edward Waite, Book of Ceremonial Magic[4]

Increases personal beauty and attractiveness. Giver of familial spirits. Can transform copper to gold.

Hagith, "transmuter of metals, and commander of four thousand legions of spirits". He rules 21 provinces. His planet is Venus.

Seal of Venus

— Arthur Edward Waite, Book of Ceremonial Magic[4]

Ophiel, "who commanded one hundred thousand legions of spirits". He rules 14 provinces. His planet is Mercury.

Seal of Mercury

OPHIEL is the ruler of those things which are attributed to Mercury; he gives familiar spirits, teaches all arts, and enables the possessor of his character to change quicksilver immediately into the Philosopher's Stone.

— Arthur Edward Waite, Book of Ceremonial Magic[4]

Phul, "lord of the powers of the moon and supreme lord of the waters". He rules 7 provinces. His "planet" is the Moon.

Seal of the Moon

Lunary concerns are under the government of PHUL, who truly transmutes all metals into silver, heals dropsy and provides Spirits of the Water, who serve men in a corporal [sic] and visible form; he also prolongs life to three hundred years.

— Arthur Edward Waite, Book of Ceremonial Magic[5]

Entry for the 23rd day of the 3rd Moon of Spring, 5365 ASE (After Solar Eclipse)

The modern view of demons is more than a tad departed from the doomsaying doctrines of the past, for many who are familiar with magical traditions, and especially Western esotericism and grimoires. With the Enlightenment's ridicule of the dogmatic belief of many world religions, most of which paint the demonic in a decidedly unfavorable light, it became the norm for fewer people to acknowledge a spiritual world at all. As Western interest in the metaphysical re-emerged in the mid-late 20th century, however, a new understanding of demons emerged. Relying upon structures that shirked the developed beliefs of Hegemonic Christianity, spirits of bargains, carnality, and heretical belief have been elevated to near-deific status by some circles, and awoken by others to be praised as representatives of subconscious humanity. It is difficult to define, in certain terms, what classifies a demon. However, certain behaviors can be observed in many traditions involving them:

Covetousness for hedonic pleasure.

High responsiveness to ritual, evidence of a desire to be seen and heard.

Strict, bureaucratic hierarchy, rife with contracts, subordinates, and motivations towards specific and exacting tasks.

Collective distaste for the Divine Source and its servants.

Desire to escape the bounds of contracts that take advantage of them, but a apparent incapacity to turn down such deals outright.

Collective association with harm, death, and vectors for both, such as plague and warfare.

Propensity to hoard and assimilate useful information.

Tendency to encourage periods of magical growth and empowerment in magi, pushing boundaries erected in their lives.

Many of these traits, while once seen as antithetical to a virtuous existence, have become associated instead with earthly power and influence. The world's spiritual and social structures have shifted so that the bold, defiant, and dynamic are rewarded over the humble and honest. It is no wonder that contemporary Christians believe that the world lies in the power of Hell.

Little, though, is truly known of demonic motives. It is no longer enough to assume that they desire to make war on the Divine Source- indeed, most demonolaters/ologists attempt to avoid awkward conversations with monotheists at most. Demons are secretive and viciously protective of their knowledge and those with whom they hold a devotee, student, or client relationship. But what's in it for them?

That answer varies almost as much as the demons themselves: Blood. Souls. Life force. Freedom from service. Servants. Favors. To inspire fear, or worship, or mockery of fear or worship. No two demons want the same thing. Like magi, they prefer to achieve their ends through ritual, collaboration, and schemes. It's possible that they merely represent our relationship with power- the zeitgeist of which posits that it requires sacrifice, inspires awe, and is achieved through networks of information and favor. On a practical and material level, relations with devils yield either profit or loss, depending on how responsible the magus is in their dealings.

To strengthen this argument, other, wilder demons lie outside the traditional circle-and-summons ilk of the grimoires, representing the raw force of powerful emotion. Spirits risen from slaughter, grief, hatred, fear-- these, too, are to be counted among demons; the dybbuk, hinzelmann, shuck, and Hat Man are all examples of demons that arrive to occupy the place of a certain kind of misery or dread in their respective mythologies-- representing guilt, oppression, fear of death, hallucination. They are illustrations of power without a conscious or controlled source, the power that compels us without our knowledge-- why do we avoid the cemetery? Do you feel watched in the old prison? Only truly proficient sorcerers are capable of sidestepping the danger posed by such beings and binding them to a useful end.

So why humans? Assuming that these entities exist independently of us (a claim that cannot be verified, but is worth at least considering) it makes one wonder what they have to gain from their influence over people. Inspecting their behavior further reveals that they see us a source of food- indeed, many of them farm us.

A small kick of revulsion might accompany that notion. But consider: Paimon, a Goetic prince who delights in art and inspiration, bends his efforts toward the making of great artists. Lucifer, spirit of rebellion, demands rebellion of his followers. The Greek daemons and Roman genii desired self-inspection of their masters. The outcast Grigori taught metallurgy, warfare, astronomy. Even the wilder demons are apparent in their influence on the human psyche: they have evolved or formed to inspire more of what gives them power. Our souls are the perfect beds in which to grow their food. While some are hunters, which ruin the subjects of their influence, one-and-done, others are gatherers, symbiotes, or parasites, flitting here and there to collect the odd ration of lust, gloom, inspiration, or other such thing. Still others are meticulous gardeners, who cultivate knowledge and skill that they value, the same way you might water your tomatoes or prune a rosebush on your doorstep.