Chapter 3
Continuing on
The Goetia is an imitation of the Shem ha-Mephorash, as the Shem ha-Mephorash is an order of angels which can be accessed through performing rituals during certain astrological/planetary hours and the use of sigils. The same applies to the Goetia; and as there are 72 angels in the Shem ha-Mephorash the same number of demons can be accessed by the Goetia.
Magic using the Shem ha-Mephorash can be accessed through all four worlds (Atziluth, Briah, Yetzirah and Assiah) but the demons of the Goetia and thus their ‘magic’ can only be accessed in the world of Assiah. So the Goetia does not and cannot exist in Atziluth, Briah and Yetzirah and thus the Shem ha-Mephorash operating in those worlds is not ‘counter balanced’. But the Shem ha-Mephorash is balanced in any event as each angel by default can produce a virtue and a vice, it is what the magician or operator does in ritual that decides the overall result of any ritual petitioning an angel.
In Assiah the Shem ha-Mephorash still operates in the same manner as in the other worlds, the Goetia does operate in a similar manner but there are differences. Let me give an example by comparing the first angel of the Shem ha-Mephorash (Vehuiah) and the first demon of the Goetia (Bael).
Vehuiah:
Positive aspect – Subtle spirit. Endowed with great wisdom, enthusiastic for science and the arts, capable of undertaking and accomplishing the most difficult things.
Negative aspect – Unquiet man, anger.
Bael:
‘Positive’ aspect – Imparts invisibility and ‘wisdom’.
Negative aspect – None is mentioned.
It seems that the angels of the Shem ha-Mephorash are more inclined to do something for you, while the demons of the Goetia are inclined to ‘give’ you something. With the Shem ha-Mephorash it is more a case of them getting you to help yourself, you do a ritual but you also have to make an effort to do something in order to receive the help you are seeking. On the other hand the demons of the Goetia just seem to do a simple exchange much like a transaction, but if you are buying goods from the demons then what are you using as currency?
So we see that in actions with angels that they are balanced with both a virtue and vice within themselves. But with demons they need us to interact with them to get a ‘taste’ of a type of balance and that is why they will offer us a measure of what we desire in Assiah. And in return we will allow them to access our soul, from which they take pieces of our soul ‘essence’, the more they give us then the more they will take away. When they have your soul then your body will follow, if a demon wants a soulless body it is no big deal to take it. This might explain some mental illnesses where people change personality overnight.
Another difference between the angels and demons in these opposing systems is the order of their astrological influence. I‘ll explain it to you, so just bear with me. In both the Shem ha-Mephorash and the Goetia there are 72 individual beings, in the Shem ha-Mephorash there are 72 angels and in the Goetia there are 72 demons. Each angel/demon is accessed by facing a certain direction, so starting due East with the first angel/demon and going clockwise 5 degrees for every angel/demon a complete circle is made (72 x 5 degrees=360 degrees).
As to the astrological influences, these come into it in regards to planetary hours for performing ritual. With the Shem ha-Mephorash the angels are divided into blocks of six in sequence (12 x 6=72), both the Shem ha-Mephorash and Goetia start of with the star sign Aries. In the Shem ha-Mephorash the first six angels are under Aries, the next six are under Taurus and so on. With the Goetia it differs; the first, second and third demons are under the Aries sign but also the demons on the ‘opposite’ side of the circle (37th, 38th and 39th). I can only take this as it is the only way that the circle can keep a balance as it seems to be disruptive if there are ‘opposing’ star signs. Whereas the circle of the Shem ha-Mephorash is continually in balance regardless of which star sign faces the other in the circle.
