The Book of Ceremonial Magic (A.E. Waite) · 112 of 175 · tr. Arthur Edward Waite
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Click to view THE SEAL OF FORAS XXXI. FORAS, a great president, who appears in the form of a strong man and teaches the virtues of all herbs and precious stones, as well as logic and ethics; he makes men invisible, imparts wit, wisdom and eloquence, discovers treasures and restores things lost. Click to view THE SEAL OF ASMODAY XXXII. ASMODAY, a strong and powerful king, appears with three heads, the first like a bull, the second like a man and the third like a ram. He has a serpent's tail, the webbed feet of a goose and he vomits fire. He rides an infernal dragon, carries lance and pennon and is the chief of the power of Amaymon . He must be invoked bareheaded, for otherwise he will deceive. He gives the ring of virtues, teaches arithmetic, geomancy and all handicrafts, answers all questions, makes men invisible, indicates the places of concealed treasures and guards them, if within the dominion of Amaymon . XXXII. GAAP, a great president and prince, appears when the sun is in the southern signs, coming in a human shape and preceded by four powerful kings. He teaches philosophy Click to view THE SEAL OF GAAP and the liberal sciences, excites love and hatred, makes men insensible, gives instruction in the consecration of those things which belong to the divination of Amaymon, his king, delivers familiars out of the custody of other Magicians, gives true answers as to past, present and future, transports and returns men speedily from place to place at the will of the exorcist. He was of the Order of the Powers. Click to view THE SEAL OF FURFUR XXXIV. FURFUR, a great earl, appears in the form of a hart, with a fiery tail, and will not open his mouth till compelled within the triangle. He then assumes the form of an angel, speaking with a hoarse voice. He causes love between man and wife, raises thunder, lightning and great winds, gives true answers about secret and divine things. Click to view THE SEAL OF MARCHOSIAS XXXV. MARCHOSIAS, a mighty marquis, appears in the form of a wolf with the wings of a griffin, a serpent's tail and fire issuing from. his mouth. At the command of the operator he assumes a human form. He is strong in battle, gives true answers to all questions and is extremely faithful to the exorcist. He belongs to the Order of Dominations. XXXVI. SOLAS or STOLAS, a powerful prince, appears in the likeness of a raven and then as a man. He teaches the art of astronomy and the virtues of herbs and stones. Click to view THE SEAL OF SOLAS Click to view THE SEAL OF PHŒNIX XXXVII. PHŒNIX, a great marquis, appears like the bird of that name, singing dulcet notes in a child's voice. When he assumes human shape at the will of the Magician, he speaks marvellously of all sciences, proves an excellent poet and fulfils orders admirably. He hopes to return to the Seventh Thrones in 1200 years. Click to view THE SEAL OF HALPAS XXXVIII. HALPAS, a great earl, appears in the form of a stockdove, speaking with a hoarse voice. He burns towns, visits the wicked with the sword and can send men to fields of war or to other places.
Attributing human characteristics, emotions, or form to the divine; embodied divine imagery.
The spirits are frequently described in human or semi-human forms (strong man, human shape, child's voice) and possess human-like attributes (teaching, riding, carrying weapons).
The Hermetic axiom that the structure of the cosmos is reflected at every scale — 'as above, so below; as within, so without' — making each level a legible map of the others.
The association of spirits with specific elements (fire, wind), animals, and sciences reflects a system of correspondences linking spiritual entities to natural phenomena.
The doctrine that human volition, cultivated by discipline and emancipated from passion and servitude, is the primary instrument of magical operation — will confirmed by persistent acts acquires causal power over self, others, and nature; distinct from faith and from mere desire.
The text emphasizes the operator's command over the spirits ('At the command of the operator', 'at the will of the exorcist'), highlighting the doctrine that human volition directs these entities.
Form-mutability as a constitutional property of divine and preternatural beings — gods, heroes, spirits, and their human practitioners possessing inherent capacity to alter form across human, animal, plant, or elemental states. Loki and Odin's transformations in Norse, Math's pigs and Blodeuwedd's owl-shape and Pwyll's exchange with Arawn in the Mabinogion, the Greek Proteus, the Indian dasavatara, Vainamoinen's bird-flight in the Kalevala, Ovid's metamorphoses, the shamanic and witch's capacity for ritual form-change. Distinct from anthropomorphism (divine taking specific human form, single embodiment) in that anthropomorphism establishes a stable form whereas this concept establishes form's plurality and instability.
Multiple spirits are described as appearing in various forms (e.g., Asmoday with three heads, Furfur as a hart then an angel, Marchosias as a wolf then human), indicating form-mutability.
The grimoire-tradition practice of ceremonially commanding or binding a spirit through consecrated seals, circles, divine names, and prescribed instruments, compelling its appearance and obedience. Distinct from theurgy in the direction of the power relationship — theurgy is reverent engagement with the gods on the premise of the operator's own ascent, this is subordination of a lesser spirit to the operator's will — and from word_power_incantation and sacred_names, which name components (verbal force, name-power) this practice deploys rather than the ritual structure itself.
The passage details specific spirits to be invoked, their seals, forms, and the conditions for their appearance (e.g., 'invoked bareheaded', 'compelled within the triangle'), which is the core practice of spirit conjuration.