I shall give a sort of evaluation on the Goetia as the header suggests; most occultists, especially beginners or wannabe practitioners think a great deal of the Goetia, but the truth is that there are much more applicable ways of going about achieving one’s desires as a magician; don’t get me wrong, the Goetia has great spirits that one can work with, but there are a number of misconceptions.
1. The Goetia only contains demons; WRONG- more than a few of the spirits mentioned in the Goetia are pagan Gods. e.g. Vassago, Bael.
2. The information in the Goetia is 100% correct; WRONG- more than a few spirits have attributes assigned to them that are incorrect, e.g. Bael’s so called “invisibility”, not to mention being able to see into the past, present & future- this is meant in a metaphorical or better said occult manner– NOT literally. As a matter of fact, a good deal of those attributes or specialties are deliberately incorrect as a means of “testing” the operator- only those that possess the skill, wisdom & insightfulness and can withstand the errors He / She makes through experience and trial and error will see past the misdirection & uncover the truth of things.
3. One must have all the implements as described; WRONG- a number of the items described were mentioned in a metaphorical or figurative sense, but not to be taken literally; besides, implements are necessary primarily within the scope or limits of traditional Magick– practicing Magick in a modern context is more practical, especially to the average person.
4. The spirits mentioned are parts of the brain; WRONG- See here.
These are a few notable points that I addressed, and aside from the Goetic spirits mentioned above, I have worked with Paimon, Agares and Bune too. So plenty of experience in dealing with the Goetia to say the least (see the playlist below). Again, these guys are good for work, but I still generally choose the Archangels over them, and spirits mentioned in other grimoires, like The order of the pentacles, e.g. Bariel or Parasiel. These guys pack quite a punch. But for the last time, don’t write the Goetia off- Belial is one of those that I hold dear to my heart, as well as Lucifer from the Grimorium Verum.
Goetic spirits I’ve covered below
See these interesting articles/videos as well regarding the other Magickal systems of the Lesser key of Solomon / Goetia:
- https://morinoravenberg.com/en/2019/04/06/theurgia-goetia-analysis/
- https://morinoravenberg.com/en/2019/05/11/the-bornless-ritual/
- https://morinoravenberg.com/en/2023/04/25/refining-my-levels-of-clairvoyance-with-barbatos/
- https://morinoravenberg.com/en/2023/07/26/fixing-an-error-regarding-the-goetia/
* A search query on my website for the word “Goetia” also yields interesting results: https://morinoravenberg.com/en/page/4/?s=Goetia
