Names of Spirits

Since virtually all Ceremonial Magic is essentially nominative — that is, reducible to manipulating the names of the spirits and powers taking part in the World process — the key skill of the Magus is the ability to recognize names that possess power.

The importance of this skill has always been keenly perceived by the Magi, among whom the so-called “Masters of Names”, the Ba’al Shems, were especially esteemed for their ability to find, construct, and employ Names of Power.

In Babylon, and subsequently in Ancient Judea, the Ba’al Shems consistently formed the elite of the clergy; it was believed that they could direct the very course of Creation.

We have already noted how important the notion of “True Names” of the objects and subjects of the World process is for Magic — it is no accident that the ancient Egyptians gave children two names: a lesser name, which was publicly known, and a true, or great, name kept secret. They believed that everything that exists has a “proper” name, innate to it, and that this is not the conventional name people use, but some “true” name common to all peoples.

However, whereas the names of gods are, broadly speaking, relatively stable over long intervals of time and change only with the specifics of their particular activity — and therefore, once found, a deity’s Name retains power for quite a long time — with the names of ministering spirits the situation is considerably more complicated.

As the World process unfolds, the character of the powers associated with ministering spirits changes substantially. Accordingly, the nature of the spirits changes, and with it their names. Depending on the particular historical moment, one name or another may be more appropriate, reflecting a specific mode of influence of that power.

Consider a simple example. One of the higher involutive ministering spirits is called Habaot or Havaiot in Ceremonial Magic, in black magic Shavaiot, and in Lovecraft — Abhoth. All use the letters He, Vav, Yod — with the three Hebrew letters He, Vav, Yod. The question is how to read this name.

It turns out that in practice all three variants possess operative power, but the character of the force actualized in each case is different. The first reading — the “literal” — relies on the passivity of the letter He and is therefore best suited to “expelling” rituals; by this name the force is most effectively expelled. The second reading, which introduces the “fiery” element Shin, is understandably popular with devil-worshippers — it renders the force active. Finally, the third reading, deriving from Aleph, relates the force to the origin of the process and thus removes pronounced individuality from it, assigning it the role of one of the principles of being.

An analogous pattern is observed with other spirit-names. It is particularly important for Magi who build invocations using such names to understand this point. Instead of seeking the “true” name of a ministering spirit, it is more effective to select the name or the pronunciation that most precisely fits the planned operation — and that name that will be “true” for that operation.