My question today is a dilemma brought on by two books I’ve read recently-
The first is Demons of Magick by Gordon Winterfield. The things I liked about this book were the easy to understand rituals , and the choice it gave it to the reader to the extent of which they wanted to handle communications with the demon. I also liked that it specifically outlined the powers of each demon , and how they could be used.
The second book I’ve read was Black Seals of Solomon the King by Carl Nagel. This was a short book , 41 pages. But it was concise , and didn’t consist of a large intro like in DoM. The things I liked about this book were that , while it didn’t outline the powers of each demon with as much detail as DoM , it was sufficient detail , and it consisted of a simple ritual , which IMO was simpler than the rituals in DoM.
My dilemma is this , there are a few powers and benefits with working with the demons mentioned in Black Seals of Solomon , that I feel would be very beneficial , but at the same time , DoM , doesn’t mention those powers. For example , Black Seals mentions that King Paimon and Duke Dantalion can give the reader the power of manipulation and influence , whereas DoM only mentions that King Paimon and Duke Dantalion can only help with influence in the sense that every time we want a target to be influence , we will need to evoke either of them.
Also , please understand that I’m not bashing Gordon or DoM in any way , I’m just venting my frustration at the confusion this has all caused considering both books are about the Goetia.
I’m just asking for a little help on clearing this confusion, and of people’s opinions on each book. Lemme know guys!
I recently purchased Demons of Magick, and have read it through twice already. In it, the author states that he deliberately kept the list of powers of the demons vague, because he expects the readers to use their own intuition in how to use them.
Direct quote from pgs 27-28:
“You may be aggravated by the lack of detail provided in the description of the powers, but more detail regarding these powers would do you a disservice. If I suggested that to influence somebody in authority you should call on three particular demons, I would be limiting your magick. This is not a recipe book, but a grimoire of fundamental powers that can be applied in thousands of ways. This is a book of magickal protection, influence, seduction, love, attack, prosperity, power, and persuasion. Consider that, and know that by choosing and blending powers, you have the opportunity to make changes in your reality, merely by choosing which powers to use and when to use them. This will require you to develop some faith in yourself and your ability to determine what you want and how best to get it. Trust your intuition, without over-thinking the process, put the powers into practice…”
Winterfield, Gordon (2017-05-26). Demons of Magick: Three Practical Rituals for Working with The 72 Demons (p. 27). Kindle Edition.
Hey man! Thanks for getting back to me. I get what you’re saying , but my questions are about contradictions in the abilities of demons detailed in each book. For example , in Black Seals , he directly states that Duke Dantalion can give the bearer of the seal the power to influence and control minds , whereas DoM states that Duke Dantalion has the power to influence the thoughts of a named individual. So like , if I were to use the Black Seals , I’d be able to use that power any time I wanted , as opposed to DoM , where I’d have to evoke Duke Dantalion everything I needed to influence someone. When I looked at it that way , it seemed that Black Seals was the best choice , but at the same time , a lot of people have claimed that DoM works wonders , and it’s methods are very effective.
Dantalion and King Paimon are demons of influence, which means they can do anything related to that specialty. All you have to do, using the Demons of Magick methodology, is phrase your request for the demons to give you the ability of influence. Just because it says the demons can “influence a named individual” doesn’t mean that is what they are limited to. The author expects you to extrapolate from what is listed and use your own creativity. He literally says in the book that there are thousands of powers available and not to limit yourself to what is listed.
So there is really no difference between what Winterfield says in his book, and what is said in Black Seals.
I think you are just getting bogged down in semantics.
