The Book of the Goetia of Solomon the King

The Book of the Goetia of Solomon the King is a classic work of ceremonial magic and Western occultism, published in 1904. Based on the first section of the Lesser Key of Solomon, a grimoire traditionally attributed to the biblical King Solomon, it was translated into English by S. L. MacGregor Mathers and edited, introduced, and annotated by Aleister Crowley.

The book describes 72 spirits or demons said to have been commanded by King Solomon, presenting their names, ranks, appearances, supernatural abilities, and individual magical seals. These spirits are organized into a hierarchy of kings, dukes, princes, marquises, presidents, earls, and knights, each associated with particular powers, including revealing hidden knowledge, discovering treasures, influencing human affairs, and answering questions.

Alongside its catalog of spirits, the text provides elaborate instructions for ritual invocation and ceremonial magic. It describes the preparation of magical circles, protective symbols, conjurations, and sacred instruments intended to summon and control supernatural entities. Drawing on traditions of Solomonic magic, the rituals emphasize the authority of divine names, the importance of precise ceremonial procedures, and the relationship between the magician and the spiritual world.

In his introduction and commentary, Crowley offers an additional interpretation of these ancient magical practices, connecting them to the human mind, spiritual discipline, and the symbolic meaning of ritual. Combining medieval and early modern magical traditions with the ideas of modern occultism, The Book of the Goetia of Solomon the King remains an influential text in the study of demonology, ceremonial magic, and Western esoteric traditions.

"MAGIC is the Highest, most Absolute, and most Divine Knowledge of Natural Philosophy, advanced in its works and wonderful operations by a right understanding of the inward and occult virtue of things; so that true Agents being applied to proper Patients, strange and admirable effects will thereby be produced."