A magician in 1650 opens the Lemegeton. He finds two lists of spirits: one of seventy-two kings and ministers of hell, the other of spirits that “appear in the form of a man” and are “good and evil mixed.” He must decide which to call. The first is the Ars Goetia. The second is the Theurgia Goetia. They share a manuscript but not a cosmology. One binds demons. The other negotiates with aerial spirits that answer to no infernal throne. The Ars Goetia and Theurgia Goetia are two of the five books of the Lemegeton, a 17th-century grimoire. The Ars Goetia details the seventy-two demons of Solomon’s conjuration, traditionally bound to serve the magician through threats and divine names. The Theurgia Goetia describes a hierarchy of spirits that dwell in the “equinoctial regions” of the air, neither fully infernal nor fully divine. They are often confused, but their origins, hierarchies, and ritual uses are fundamentally different.
Where Did These Two Grimoires Come From?
The Lemegeton, also called the Lesser Key of Solomon, first appears in manuscript form in the mid-17th century. The earliest known copy is Sloane 3825 in the British Library, dated to the 1640s. It compiles material from older sources. The Ars Goetia draws heavily on the Pseudomonarchia Daemonum (1583) by Johann Weyer, a physician and demonologist who listed sixty-nine demons with their seals and powers. Weyer’s work was itself a reworking of the Liber Officiorum Spirituum, a 15th-century Italian grimoire. The Theurgia Goetia has no direct parallel in Weyer. Its sources are murkier, but it shares language with the Heptameron of Pietro d’Abano and the Sworn Book of Honorius. The two sections were bound together in the Lemegeton because they both claimed Solomonic authority. But they were never meant to be used the same way. The Ars Goetia treats spirits as enemies to be subdued. The Theurgia Goetia treats them as intermediaries to be courted. The difference mattered to the working magician. Calling a Goetic demon without the proper circle could result in death or madness. Calling a Theurgia spirit without the proper suffumigation might simply earn you a lie.
What Do Their Spirit Hierarchies Reveal?
The Ars Goetia lists seventy-two demons, each with a rank (king, duke, prince, marquis, count, knight, president), a seal, and a specific power. The most famous are Bael (first king), Agares (duke who teaches languages), Paimon (king who answers questions about the past and future), and Beleth (a terrible king who must be greeted with respect). The hierarchy mirrors a royal court of hell. Each demon commands legions of lesser spirits. The magician’s goal is to compel them to appear and obey. The Theurgia Goetia lists thirty-one chief spirits, each ruling over a cardinal direction and a “region” of the air. They are not demons. They are described as “good and evil mixed,” meaning they can be helpful or deceptive depending on the magician’s character and intent. Their names are often angelic-sounding: Carnesiel, Samael (not the same as the archangel of death), Ariel, Uriel. They do not have legions in the same sense. Instead, they command subordinate spirits that are tied to specific hours of the day and night. The difference in hierarchy tells us something about the cosmology. The Ars Goetia assumes a universe where demons are fallen angels, bound by God’s names, and the magician wields authority over them. The Theurgia Goetia assumes a universe where spirits occupy a middle realm between heaven and earth, and the magician must earn their trust.
How Does the Ritual Practice Differ?
We open the grimoire and read the conjurations. The Ars Goetia demands a circle, a triangle of art, a wand, a ring, and a seal for each spirit. The magician must recite long prayers in Latin, invoking the names of God, and threaten the spirit if it does not appear. The tone is aggressive. The spirit is commanded to be “obedient and true.” The magician must not show fear. If the spirit refuses, the magician can burn its seal or curse it. The Theurgia Goetia is gentler. The conjurations are shorter. The magician calls the spirit by name, offers a prayer, and asks for its assistance. There is no triangle of art. The spirit is not bound. Instead, the magician must be pure of heart and free of sin. The suffumigation is different too. For the Ars Goetia, we burn sulfur, asafoetida, and other foul-smelling resins. For the Theurgia Goetia, we burn frankincense, myrrh, and aloeswood. The spirits of the air are offended by animal products. We light a candle of virgin wax, not tallow, because the Theurgia spirits are said to detect impurity. The practical consequence is clear. A magician who tries to use Goetic methods on Theurgia spirits will likely fail. The spirits will not respond to threats. A magician who tries to use Theurgia methods on Goetic demons will be torn apart. The two systems require different temperaments.
What Do the Seals and Symbols Mean?
The seals of the Ars Goetia are complex geometric figures, often containing Hebrew letters and crosses. Each seal is unique to a demon and is used to compel its appearance. The seals are drawn on virgin parchment or engraved on metal. The Theurgia Goetia seals are simpler, often just a circle with a name inside and a few lines. They are not used for compulsion. They are used as a focus for the spirit’s attention. The symbolism reflects the source. Goetic seals derive from medieval Jewish angelic magic, filtered through Christian demonology. Theurgia seals derive from Arabic astrological magic, where spirits are tied to the planets and the fixed stars. The difference is not just aesthetic. It tells us that the two grimoires come from different magical traditions that were only later combined.
How Does the Theurgia Goetia Compare to Other Books of the Lemegeton?
The Lemegeton contains five books: the Ars Goetia, Theurgia Goetia, Ars Paulina, Ars Almadel, and Ars Notoria. The Ars Paulina deals with the angels of the hours and the zodiac. The Ars Almadel deals with the angels of the four quarters. The Ars Notoria is a system of prayers for acquiring knowledge. The Theurgia Goetia sits between the Goetia and the Paulina. It is not as dark as the Goetia, but not as pure as the Paulina. It is the middle ground, the spirits of the air that are neither saved nor damned. Some scholars argue that the Theurgia Goetia was added later to fill out the manuscript. But the evidence suggests it was always part of the Lemegeton. The earliest manuscripts include it. The distinction between “goetia” (sorcery) and “theurgia” (divine work) was well known in Renaissance magic. The title itself is a paradox: divine sorcery. It captures the ambiguity of the spirits it describes.
What Do People Get Wrong?
The most common misconception is that the Theurgia Goetia is just a continuation of the Ars Goetia. It is not. The spirits are different. The ritual is different. The cosmology is different. Another misconception is that all spirits in the Lemegeton are demons. The Theurgia spirits are not demons. They are aerial spirits, similar to the “sylphs” of Paracelsus. They can be dangerous, but they are not evil. A third misconception is that the Theurgia Goetia is safer than the Ars Goetia. It is not necessarily safer. The spirits are unpredictable. They can deceive. A magician who calls a Theurgia spirit without proper preparation may be led into error or obsession. The grimoire itself warns that the spirits will “lie and deceive” if the magician is not virtuous. Finally, some believe that the names in the Theurgia Goetia are interchangeable with those in the Ars Goetia. They are not. The name Samael appears in both, but in the Theurgia Goetia it is a chief of the air, not the angel of death. Confusing the two can lead to disastrous results.
FAQ
What is the difference between the Ars Goetia and the Theurgia Goetia?
The Ars Goetia deals with seventy-two demons that are bound and commanded. The Theurgia Goetia deals with thirty-one aerial spirits that are invoked and petitioned. Are the spirits of the Theurgia Goetia demons?
No. They are described as “good and evil mixed” and dwell in the air. They are not fallen angels and are not part of the infernal hierarchy. Can you use the same ritual for both?
No. The Ars Goetia requires threats, binding, and a protective circle. The Theurgia Goetia requires purity, prayer, and a respectful approach. Which is more dangerous?
Both are dangerous, but in different ways. The Ars Goetia risks physical harm from hostile demons. The Theurgia Goetia risks deception and spiritual confusion. ---
The two grimoires sit side by side in the same manuscript, but they answer different questions. The Ars Goetia asks how to compel the fallen. The Theurgia Goetia asks how to negotiate with the ambiguous. A serious practitioner learns both, but never confuses them. For more on the spirits of the Lemegeton, see our guide to demonology and goetia. Study the seals of the Goetic spirits to understand their power. And if you are ready to work with the seventy-two, read our ritual guide to the Ars Goetia.