There are many forms of knowledge that can be gained through an intimate association with demons. The quest for knowledge is a never ending journey, and having a demon of knowledge on your side can help you traverse the intellectual terrain with greater efficacy.
Some demons can help you discover great opportunities, enemies in disguise and even things that happened in the past or are about to happen.
Because all demons provide some type of knowledge and power, I won’t be mentioning all of them. I will do my best to keep this list diverse enough that everyone can find something useful. There are four general categories we can make for demons of knowledge:
- Demons that improve mental capabilities and intelligence so that you can more easily obtain any form of knowledge.
- Those that provide knowledge within specific fields of inquiry such as philosophy, astrology, chemistry, engineering and magic.
- Those that share insights on one’s enemies and imminent dangers.
- Divinatory demons that tell of past, present and future events.
Remember that all demons on this list can be summoned by a skilled magician in order to obtain their favor. These are well documented entities from the greatest demonological sources, most notably The Lesser Key of Solomon, Dragon Rouge and The Book of Honorius.
1. Furcas
Furcas is my favorite spirit for enhancing general learning capabilities, reading comprehension and mental stamina. This demon is described in The Lesser Key of Solomon as follows:
The Fiftieth Spirit if Furcas. He is a Knight, and appeareth in the Form of a Cruel Old Man with a long Beard and a hoary Head, riding upon a pale-coloured Horse, with a Sharp Weapon in his hand. His Office is to teach the Arts of Philosophy, Astrology, Rhetoric, Logic, Cheiromancy, and Pyromancy, in all their parts, and perfectly. He hath under his Power 20 Legions of Spirits.
The first time I summoned Furcas was when I decided to delve into Hegel’s philosophy. As you might know, Hegel is one of the more difficult philosophers to read and comprehend, especially if German is not your native language. However, through Furcas’ power I was able to read all of Hegel’s major works and understand them in an expertly way in less than a month, while following through with all of my other obligations. So, if you are studying a difficult subject, especially in the field of humanities, Furcas is the correct demon to summon.
2. Marbas
I’ve already written a small beginner’s guide on summoning Marbas and valid reasons for summoning him. This is the Ars Goetia description:
he 5th spirit is called Marbast – he is a great presedent, and appeareth at first in ye forme of a great Lyon: but afterwards putteth on humane shape at ye Request of ye Master. he Answareth truly of Things hidden or secreet, he causeth deseases and cureth them againe & giveth great wisdome & knowledge in mechanicall arts & changeth men into other shapes. He governeth 36 Legions of spirits.
Marbas is not exclusively a “demon of knowledge”, as he can clearly provide assistance with other things as well. But if you were to summon him to obtain knowledge, it should be for learning mechanical arts.
Anything involving mechanics falls into this category, including engineering, programming and human anatomy. Students of medicine, veterinarians as well as engineering students would benefit from having Marbas on their side in order to fully grasp the functioning of a complex mechanical system.
3. Paimon
Paimon is my guardian spirit. His influence guided me on my journey of ceremonial magic with quite fortuitous results. This is part of his Ars Goetia description pertaining to knowledge:
This Spirit can teach all Arts and Sciences, and other secret things. He can discover unto thee what the Earth is, and what holdeth it up in the Waters; and what Mind is, and where it is; or any other thing thou mayest desire to know. He giveth Dignity, and confirmeth the same. He bindeth or maketh any man subject unto the Magician if he so desire it. He giveth good Familiars, and such as can teach all Arts.
From my experience, Paimon is the best demon to summon for obtaining esoteric and magical knowledge as well as direct experience in these areas. He will intuitively guide you as a practitioner of occult arts. Because this form of knowledge is not purely theoretical but also practical in nature, Paimon enhances understanding (and interest) in both of these areas.
4. Agares
Knowing multiple languages indubitably opens you up to many life enriching experiences. The go-to demon for learning languages faster and more effectively is Agares:
The Second Spirit is a Duke called Agreas, or Agares. He is under the Power of the East, and cometh up in the form of an old fair Man, riding upon a Crocodile, carrying a Goshawk upon his fist, and yet mild in appearance. He maketh them to run that stand still, and bringeth back runaways. He teaches all Languages or Tongues presently.
I invoked Agares while studying Latin and Greek with a private tutor. I am definitely not talented when it comes to languages. Yet my tutor was astonished by the quickness with which I was able to master the grammar and retain vocabulary in both languages simultaneously. Now I am able to read well in both languages, which is very important for studying older magical texts in their original form.
So, if you’re picking up a new language, I recommend giving yourself a boost through an Agares invocation, regardless of your natural talent or lack thereof.
5. Glasya-Labolas
Of Glasya-Labolas it is said:
He is a Mighty President and Earl, and showeth himself in the form of a Dog with Wings like a Gryphon. He teacheth all Arts and Sciences in an instant, and is an Author of Bloodshed and Manslaughter.
I haven’t had personal experience with summoning this demon for obtaining knowledge. However, I have heard significant accounts from reputable magician friends of university professors and authors being most extremely infatuated with this demon. So much so that they owe their livelihood to the arcane secrets that suddenly popped into their heads shortly after their rituals were complete. I will definitely be delving more deeply into Glasya-Labolas rituals to this particular effect in the upcoming months.
6. Ronove
If your desire is to swoon a crowd with your amazing oratory skills or dominate in debates and discussions, Ronove should be high on your list of demons to work with. In Ars Goetia we can read the following:
The Twenty-seventh Spirit is Ronove. He appeareth in the Form of a Monster. He teacheth the Art of Rhetoric very well and giveth Good Servants, Knowledge of Tongues, and Favours with Friends or Foes. He is a Marquis and Great Earl, and there be under his command 19 Legions of Spirits.
Ronove is one of the easier spirits to summon. Truth be told the effects procured are not as spectacular as with some of the other demons on the list. However, this demon is rarely unwilling to provide assistance and should therefore be recommended to beginners in ceremonial magic.
It’s not uncommon that the person becomes stunned by the ease at which just the right words come out of their mouth. Whereas previously they might have stuttered or couldn’t speak to a crowd at all due to anxiety. Obviously, the ability to speak properly and fluently can be a great asset in various careers, private dealings and relationships as well.
Forneus is another demon with very similar attributes and powers to Ronove, but I will write more about him in another article.
7. Gaap
This is a very interesting demon because in addition to having the power to bestow knowledge, he can also take it away. This makes Gaap a suitable demon for black magic (i.e. using magic to harm others). This is the relevant part of his description:
His Office is to make men Insensible or Ignorant; as also in Philosophy to make them Knowing, and in all the Liberal Sciences. .. He can deliver Familiars out of the Custody of other Magicians, and answereth truly and perfectly of things Past, Present and to Come.
In addition to these powers and attributes, there are others that fall under his dominion, including protection on dangerous voyages.
8. Malphas
Similarly to Gaap, Malphas is another suitable demon for dealing with one’s enemies:
The Thirty-ninth Spirit is Malphas… He can build Houses and High Towers, and can bring to thy Knowledge Enemies’ Desires and Thoughts, and that which they have done.
Having knowledge of your enemies secrets and being able to figure out their next step can keep you ahead of the curve. When summoning Malphas you might feel the urge to offer some sort of sacrifice. In all cases, you should refrain from doing so. The author of The Lesser Key of Solomon makes it explicitly clear that doing so will make the demon deceive the magician. Truth be told, I didn’t test this theory but such warnings in grimoires are typically included after (painful) trial and error.
9. Camio
Camio is a very unique demon. According to Ars Goetia:
His Office is to give unto Men the Understanding of all Birds, Lowing of Bullocks, Barking of Dogs, and other Creatures; and also of the Voice of the Waters. He giveth True Answers of Things to Come.
This might seem more wonderous to us today than any other demonic services. Understanding the barking of dogs? Does that mean you will be able to understand your pets language? We need to remember that even the Christian tradition knows of saints who could tame wild beasts and understand birds. “Voice of the Waters” gives us the clue on what is meant. “Waters” are symbolic of emotions and psyche, especially what C.G. Jung called “the collective unconscious”.
Having a sense of Oneness with reality bestows upon the person the ability to attune to others in deeper and more profound way. This is why enlightened persons, saints, clairvoyants, witches and other spiritually inclined people can easily intuit the thoughts and feelings of others. It’s a higher degree of empathy, they feel as if they were in that position because in a spiritual sense, they are there and everywhere at the same time. This is a very complex topic but I hope I’ve provided some insight into the meaning behind the power attributed to Camio.
10. Astaroth
Astaroth is my favorite demon for divination. For the uninitiated, divination is the practice of seeking knowledge of the future or the unknown by supernatural means.
There are hundreds of divination methods, Tarot card reading, astrology and ceremonial magic being the most famous. I am clearly biased towards ceremonial magic because it is the occult art that I’m deeply invested in. And within it, Astaroth is the demon I almost exclusively summon for learning about past, present and things to come.
Here is Astaroth’s description from The Lesser Key:
The Twenty-ninth Spirit is Astaroth. he is a Mighty, Strong Duke, and appeareth in the Form of an hurtful Angel riding on an Infernal Beast like a Dragon, and carrying in his right hand a Viper. Thou must in no wise let him approach too near unto thee, lest he do thee damage by his Noisom Breath. Wherefore the Magician must hold the Magical Ring near his face, and that will defend him. He giveth true answers of things Past, Present and to Come, and can discover all Secrets. He will declare wittingly how the Spirits fell, if desired, and the reason of his own fall. He can make men wonderfully knowing in all Liberal Sciences. He ruleth 40 Legions of Spirits.
Although I’ve shared some introductory rituals for working with Astaroth, it requires some effort to get a positive response from this demon. As you keep doing rituals and build a stronger spiritual link, you will find it easier to access Astaroth’s knowledge and discover many events and secrets that would otherwise remain hidden.
I performed a number of Astaroth rituals with clients where we ended up discovering remarkable events from their past which they were not aware of at the time, but which had a significant impact on their life trajectory. We also discovered dangers that would have led to crippling difficulties in the future were they not marked out and mitigated. Such useful insights are why divination has been a popular focus of magicians and witches since time immemorial.
Final Word
This is just a small list of “demons of knowledge” that I’ve selected according to my personal preference. I wanted this list to be diverse enough that various types of knowledge are included. I am aware that most of my readers don’t have the ritual setup or the ability to conduct ceremonial magic. If you want me to perform a ritual on your behalf, you may request a ritual on this page. See you on the other side!