THE NATURE OF ENTITIES
The word entity has been mentioned
several times in the introduction, and
rightly so, because the whole point of performing
an evocation is to come into contact
with one of these beings. But what are entities,
really, and where do they come from
when called?

Without an understanding of the nature
of entities, it is incredibly difficult to perform
an evocation and virtually impossible to control
the outcome of one. It is for this reason
that this chapter is devoted to explaining the
inhabitants of the unseen world. Like many
Planetary intelligences are very powerful and
can help the magician in a number of related
tasks simultaneously.

In other occult truths, however, the nature of
entities has been explained both correctly and incorrectly over the years. To understand why this is so, it is important to first understand who originated these theories.

Throughout the ages there have always been two kinds of occultists: armchair theorists and practicing magicians. The former have, in the past century, attempted to explain occult phenomena using the science of the time, neglecting the fact that occult science is a science of the future. As a result of the efforts of these armchair occultists, all sorts of
psychological theories about magic have surfaced. These concepts are hopelessly flawed, as their creators were basically guessing about a topic
they didn't understand. Practicing magicians, on the other hand, have experimented with magical techniques and achieved repeatable results.
These tested theories are the ones the student of the occult will find most useful.

The theory that entities only exist in the magicians mind originated with the armchair occultists of history. According to them, evocations do nothing but bring these entities up from ones subconscious,
and out into seemingly external appearance. Followers of this teaching feel all information gained by evocations is the result of some type of telepathy, and that materializations witnessed by a number of practitioners are the result of some type of telepathic projection on the part of the magician performing the ritual. To someone who has never practiced magic, this concept could seem feasible. But to a trained magician, the flaws of this theory are immediately obvious, for a number of reasons.

In philosophy, there are two concepts known as the Efficient Cause and the Final Cause. The Efficient Cause of an object is that which caused it to originate, and the Final Cause is the purpose of the
object. Upon applying these principles to mystical study, a great number of occult secrets can be learned. Practicing magicians realized this, and used these ideas as a basis for their experiments in trying to identify what entities are.

The Efficient Cause of everything in the universe is Godthe Infinite and Divine Providence. Of course, it can be argued that we ourselves have created magnificent things and that certain natural
processes create things all around us. For example, plants and animals reproduce, tectonic plate movement creates mountains, and artists
paint masterpieces. But Divine guidance affects all of these things. The inspiration for a painted masterpiece comes from God, as does
the ability for plants and animals to reproduce, and mountains to form.

If it is accepted that Divine Providence is responsible for all creation, then the next logical step is to try and figure out what certain things were created for. The best way to facilitate this is to look at a Kabbalistic map of creation called the Tree of Life (figure 1.1). Each of the Ten Sephiroth, or spheres, on the Tree serves a specific purpose in
maintaining cosmic order, and as a result, each are made up of different types of energies related to their tasks. For example, the energies of the lowest Sephirah, Malkuth, help maintain order in the physical plane, while Yesod governs things related to lunar energies and the astral plane.

Just as these Sephiroth were created to serve a specific purpose, the entities of the universe were also created to fulfill some type of office. Each of the Sephiroth, for example, is inhabited by beings
that are in agreement with the energies represented there. The angels were created to oversee certain of these aspects, and for this reason they will maintain these posts forever. While humans have the ability
to advance spiritually and achieve higher and higher levels of being, the entities and angels of the universe are fixed to their appointed tasks as part of Gods way of maintaining order in the cosmos. This is the Final Cause of all entities.

How could entities exist only in the mind of the magician if we accept the above as true? The answer is simple: They cant. Neither the existence
of the universe nor the existence of its inhabitants depends upon the presence of one human. Whoever actually wrote the Goetia is no longer living, yet the beings described in the book can still be conjured. The spirits he or she worked with still exist, independent of him or her, even if this author created them in the first place.

By now it should be clear that the beings of the unseen world are not accidental creations. They were created with specific attributes to help them accomplish their assigned tasks, and exist completely independent of us. However, just as some forms of physical creation are accomplished through human mediums, the creation of entities is
sometimes facilitated by trained magicians. Like a painter who takes Divine inspiration and creates a marvel on a canvas, a magician can sometimes channel Divine energy into the creation of a completely new entity. This magical construct, commonly known as an egregore, is an energy being created by the magician to carry out a specific task. Egregores, like other entities, are completely independent of the magician
once created.

Whether an entity is created or conjured, the fact it is independent of us does not mean we are not responsible for its actions. If one were to command a being of any type to perform an evil act, then he or she would be responsible for the karma of that evil act. It goes without saying that this type of black magic would eventually destroy the person
who practices it.

Sometimes, creating an egregore can be dangerous, regardless of the use a magician puts it to. This is because egregores grow stronger
the longer they are allowed to exist. While an existing entity can be banished back to its realm of origin once its task is completed, an egregore has no place to go back to. It is for this reason that magicians usually give egregores a set amount of time to live, and after this time runs out they are ritually destroyed. This prevents them from
becoming more and more powerful in the astral plane, until they are virtually uncontrollable. The legend of the golem illustrates this possibility
in an accurate, yet allegorical way, and what follows is a short summary of the tale. I still recommend, however, a very careful reading of the actual story before attempting this type of magical creation.
The story of the golem takes place in Prague, where Jewish people lived in constant fear of the Blood Accusation. This was the belief that Jews needed the blood of Christians to perform certain Passover rites. Every year around Passover, riots would break out, and false accusations would be brought up against the Jews. Rabbi Judah Loew, a village
elder, felt someone might be planning the destruction of his people, so he prayed to Heaven for help.

Rabbi Loew was told in a dream to make a golem out of clay to protect his people. Following this advice, the rabbi and his pupils constructed
a man-shaped clay figure. The rabbi was well versed in Kabbalistic magic and enchanted the creature to give it life. He named it Joseph.

Joseph did as he was instructed and protected the Jews from physical harm. He also investigated some of the accusations brought against the Jews so, eventually, the truth behind most of these allegations was exposed. Christian people were soon shown how the Jews had been framed all along. After the monk Thaddeus was exposed as the mastermind of the plot to destroy the Jews, Rabbi Loews people were no longer persecuted.

Since the golem had done such a good job, Rabbi Loew and the others grew accustomed to having him around, and one day they forgot to assign him a task. Joseph wandered around the village and saw
a flower in a windowsill, which he then plucked. Consequently, a woman in the house screamed at him, and Joseph became uncontrollably angry. He ran around the streets, causing all sorts of damage to the buildings and scaring the villagers.

The rabbi heard what was going on and tried to stop the golem. With a great amount of difficulty he managed to bring Joseph under control again. Along with his pupils, Rabbi Loew brought the golem
to his house, where he ritually destroyed him. The clay body was then stored in a secret room, where no one could find it, to ensure Joseph would never be brought back to life.

Even though the golem was a clay creature and not a spirit, it is still an accurate metaphor of a real egregore. Once named and created, the golem was a servant to Rabbi Loew, yet when the rabbi neglected to give it instructions, the golem went off on its own and caused mischief. The warning of the story is clear. These beings have no place to return to once their purpose is accomplished, and they
must not be allowed to linger. Cruel as it may seem, they have to be destroyed.

You will find a method for creating egregores later in this book. The actual process of creation contains a segment that establishes the limit of the entity's existence, and gives a method for easily terminating
it when the time comes. There is nothing evil about this practice, as egregores are simply energy constructs created for one task. Upon their
dissolution, the energy built up in egregores returns to the cosmos.

Types of Entities
We have seen how entities could originate in the minds of humans, and how they can only exist independent of them. While the purpose
of an egregore is determined by a magician, the purpose of other entities in the universe has to be discovered. Egregores were dealt with first because they are relatively easy to understand. The nature of preexisting entities is a little more complex, however, because there are so many different types of them to learn about. By way of introduction, following is a list of some of the types of
entities found in the universe.

P l a n e t a r y
These are some of the easiest entities to work with. Each of these beings represents the magical and astrological aspects of a planet, and can use these forces to aid the magician. For example, a spirit from the Venus sphere would be helpful if a magician needed advice in matters concerning love and friendship, while a Mars intelligence would aid
the magician in gaining courage and willpower. Planetary intelligences are very powerful and can help the magician in a number of related tasks simultaneously. The attributes of each of these planets intelligences closely correspond to specific Sephiroth on the Tree of Life. Therefore, to avoid repetition, I will be exploring the powers of the
inhabitants of the Sephiroth and planets in the following description of angels.

A n g e l i c
These entities are, without a doubt, the most beneficial ones a magician can work with. They are more than willing to help a magician with a task they are proficient with, and answer truthfully any questions put before them without hesitation. Angels were assigned to certain tasks by God when they were created, and unlike us, can never advance from their current spiritual level of development. The Almighty intended for them to be keepers of universal order, and as such, they possess great
power in areas they oversee. Many angels, especially the archangels, are assigned to individual Sephirah on the Tree of Life, and it is important
to understand the attributes of their respective spheres before evoking them. The following is a listing of the Ten Sephiroth, containing the
name of the planet each Sephirah represents, the name of each ruling Archangel and Angelic Order, and some of the general abilities of the angels and planetary intelligences that inhabit each sphere:

1. Kether (Uranus): The Archangel of this Sephirah is Metatron and its Angelic Order is Chayoth ha-Qadesh. Beings representing these forces can help the magician in matters concerning presently understood technology, and can also aid him or her in developing new inventions. Kether and Uranus represent intense mental energies, and as a consequence, the entities of these realms
possess great intellectual abilities, which they can help a magician develop. Frequent contact with the angels of Kether and repeated use of this Sephirahs energies results in a close attunement of oneself with his or her Higher Self, which is the true goal of all magic.

2. Chokmah (Neptune): The Archangel of Chokmah is Raziel and the Angelic Order of the sphere is Auphanim. The spirits of this Sephirah can help the magician perfect  his or her psychic abilities to an amazing degree by teaching him or her special rituals to enhance whatever faculties are desired, including telepathy, clairvoyance, psychokinesis,
and even the ability to manipulate various
energies. Entities from this sphere are extremely knowledgeable about the many forms of energy in the universe, and can pass this information on to the magician.

3. Binah (Saturn): The Archangel of this Sephirah is
Tzaphqiel and the Angelic Order is Aralim. Saturn and Binah represent some of the most misunderstood energies in the universe. Destruction, death, and limitation are the forces the entities of this realm oversee, and contrary
to popular misconception, they are not negative
forces. After all, these forces could be used in positive ways. The beings of this sphere could destroy disease, kill bad habits, and could limit the potency of certain influences in a magicians life. For example, the effects of probability could be affected by limiting the amount of bad luck in ones life. In other words, contests are easily won with the aid of these beings. Entities from Saturn and Binah can also teach the magician many hidden truths, from little-known occult knowledge to accounts of what occurred in ancient cultures.

4. Chesed (Jupiter): The Archangel Tzadqiel and the
Angelic Order Chashmalim rule this Sephirah. Just as Jupiter was the king of the mythological gods and goddesses of ancient Rome and Greece, the spirits of this realm represent various king-like energies. A magician who works with Chesed entities could acquire great riches and material pleasures. These beings could also teach a magician how to rule wisely, whether it be in a
business or a kingdom, and could guide him or her to career success and fame. One should never underestimate the power of these beings. Entities from this realm could make a magician very happy, but he or she must be careful not to abuse their powers. Greed is not looked upon kindly by Higher Powers, and one should try to ask for only what is really needed.

5. Geburah (Mars): The Archangel of this fifth Sephirah is Kamael and the ruling Angelic Order is Seraphim. The spirits of this emanation possess an enormous amount of energy and vitality. They can literally charge a magician with energy and strength to perform whatever tasks he or she needs to accomplish. Certain entities from this Sephirah and planet can actually show a magician how
to become physically and emotionally stronger. They can also teach one how to become courageous, determined, and aggressive, with the ability to overcome any obstacle. Occult students in military or law enforcement careers should especially find Mars and Geburah intelligences
helpful.

6. Tiphareth (Sun): The Archangel of this Sephirah is
Raphael and its Angelic Order is Melekim. Beings from Tiphareth and the Sun can help a magician obtain harmony in his or her life by granting health, and reasonable amounts of money and friendship, and by showing him or her how to find peace through wisdom, all of which are essential to happiness and success. Conversations with
these spirits are nothing short of inspiring, and they can teach one about several beneficial mystical secrets, including the miraculous art of healing.

7. Netzach (Venus): The Archangel of Netzach is Haniel and the Angelic Order of the Sephirah is Elohim. Love, pleasure, art, fertility, and friendship are the energies represented in this sphere. Netzach and Venus entities can grant all of the above to a magician who seeks them. In addition, they inspire artistic creations, and many
beautiful works of literature, music, and art were created with the aid of these beings. When requesting the help of these entities in matters of love, however, the magician should be very careful. Never, under any circumstances, should a magician try to force someone to love him or her magically. This is an evil act, and these pure beings will not assist a magician who attempts it. Instead, they
will help one find a mate or friend who is suitable, and will help draw that person into ones life.

8. Hod (Mercury): The Archangel of this eighth Sephirah is Michael and its ruling Angelic Order is Beni Elohim. The intelligences of the Mercury and Hod sphere are some of the best teachers a magician can ever hope to work with. From help in everyday scholastic subjects to unlocking the secrets of alchemy and divination, these
spirits can teach their evoker the secrets of the universe.

9. Yesod (Moon): The Archangel of Yesod is Gabriel and the Sephirahs Angelic Order is Kerubim. This sphere represents the astral plane, and its inhabitants can teach the magician several types of astral magic. Whatever is created on the mental plane goes through the astral and eventually manifests on the physical plane. These spirits
can teach the magician how to manifest objects seemingly from thin air. Yesod and Lunar intelligences can show one how to explore the astral plane and other dimensions of reality using true astral projection. They can also teach the secret arts of dream magic and prophecy.

10. Malkuth (Four Elements of Earth): The Archangel of this Sephirah is Sandalphon and the ruling Angelic Order is Ashim. The powers possessed by the beings of this realm are the same as those of the elementary spirits and are explained in the next heading.

E l e m e n t a r y
Spirits of this type are relatively easy to contact if a magician has an understanding of the magical elements they represent. These intelligences
are very specialized, and unlike planetary spirits who often possess many areas of knowledge, each elementary usually has only one area of expertise in which it is proficient. This may seem like a weakness, but actually elementaries perform assignments within their power so quickly and effectively that most magicians do not mind the
trouble of looking for the right one to conjure. Following are the powers of the elementaries along with the name of each type:

1. Earth (Gnomes): Earth Elementaries can help the
magician acquire riches, material goods, and better jobs or promotions. They are also excellent teachers and can instruct one in the esoteric properties of gems and minerals. Like all other elementaries, Gnomes can provide the magician with excellent familiar spirits that will obey him or her.

2. Air (Sylphs): Sylphs are excellent teachers and initiators. They can help a magician learn almost anything by teaching him or her unique ways of studying and by actually influencing his or her mind to make absorbing information easier. Air intelligences can also show a magician
how to telepathically contact anyone in the world.
Familiars of this type are valuable servants, as they can show the magician how to control the winds and practice levitation.

3. Fire (Salamanders): Beings of the Fire Kingdom can show an evoker how to control the energy and vitality of this element to bring about change in the world. From protecting the magician to giving him or her the power to accomplish what needs to be done, these beings are extremely helpful. They can also teach the magician how to manipulate actual heat and flame, which is an awe inspiring power.

4. Water (Undines): These gentle spirits can help a magician with relationships of all kinds and can help him or her solve all kinds of discord among loved ones. Undines can bring great peace to a household and are some of the friendliest spirits a magician will encounter. Unfortunately, they possess such great beauty that many magicians become infatuated with them. As I mentioned in the introduction, this could be very dangerous. Remember, no matter how attractive and enticing a spirit may be, it is
still just that, a spirit. Try to limit the amount of contact you have with a particular Undine until you have mastered control of the art of evocation. Undine familiars can teach one how to control rain and fog and are especially helpful to magicians who are involved in sailing, fishing, surfing, or swimming.

Demonic
These are the hardest types of beings to control and rightly so, because they are by nature antagonistic to the magician. The last thing they want to do is help an agent of the Light perform a task. Even though they could be commanded to do so, the chances of receiving false information and weak results are increased when working with demons. My advice is to avoid working with them in the first place.

G o e t i c
Some people feel the spirits listed in the Goetia should be considered demons, but I have my reasons for disagreeing. Throughout history,
the gods of one group of people would always become the demons of their conquerors. This seems to occur in the Goetia. One of the spirits,
Astaroth, is actually a thinly disguised godform of the Mesopotamian goddess Astarte. While some of these entities do seem a little on the evil side at first glance, practice shows that many of them perform useful tasks, such as healings, and teach a great number of useful things, such as languages and sciences. They are easy to command and personal
experience has shown me that many Goetic entities are far from demonic in nature.

Godforms
These are beings of incredible power, and should only be evoked under the most extreme circumstances. One of the safest ways to work with
these energy sources is to invoke rather than evoke them, as an invocation or assumption of a godform only allows one to come into contact with a reasonable amount of its power and influence. Depending on his or her magical development, a magician will only be able to call in as much godform energy as he or she can control. Trying, however, to externally summon a force like that of the Egyptian gods and goddesses, for example, is difficult and could be dangerous. For this reason,
the evocation of godforms will not be dealt with in this book.

Wands