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Aurum Solis 17
Cabell, Asmodeus is the son of Sammael and Lilith
(who is Adam’s first wife). In the legends of
Solomon, Asmodeus (also known as Saturn,
Marcolf, or Morolf) is held responsible for creating
carousels, music, dancing, and drama.
See also Demons; Judaism
For Further Reading:
Godwin, Malcolm. Angels: An Endangered Species.
New York: Simon and Schuster, 1990.
Ronner, John. Know Your Angels. Murfreesboro, TN:
Mamre, 1993.
Astaroth
Astaroth is mentioned in a variety of sources,
often without much detail. In Arthur Edward
Waite’s The Book of Black Magic and of Pacts it is
declared that, before he fell from heaven, Astaroth
was a prince of the order of thrones. In Lewis
Spence’s An Encyclopedia of Occultism, it is argued
that Astaroth belonged to the order of seraphim.
In the Grimorium Verum, it is maintained that he
has set up residence in America.
Waite, in The Lemegeton, refers to Astaroth as a
great duke in the infernal regions, whereas according
to Francis Barrett in The Magus I, he is called
Diabolus in the Greek language. It is said that
when he is invoked Astaroth manifests as “a beautiful
angel astride a dragon and carrying a viper in
his right hand.” According to Voltaire, Astaroth
was an ancient god of Syria, whereas J. A. S. Collin
de Plancy argues that he was “one of the 7 princes
of Hell who visited Faust.”
See also Demons; Faust; Magic and Magical Groups
For Further Reading:
Davidson, Gustav. A Dictionary of Angels Including
the Fallen Angels. New York: Free Press, 1967.
Asuras
Asuras are South Asian demons, prominent in
both Hinduism and Buddhism. Hinduism is a
complex, multilayered tradition that has changed
across the several millennia of its existence. In the
Vedas, India’s earliest recoverable religious texts,
the term asura is used interchangeably with the
word deva, both of which refer to the gods and
goddesses of the Vedic pantheon. By the time of
the epics—the Ramayana and the Mahabharata—
asura had come to mean “demon” and deva had
come to mean “divine.” In the new pantheon of
classical Hinduism, the old Vedic gods were
demoted to the status of demigods (the devas).
The parallel between South Asian asuras and
Western demons is fairly good. In classical Hindu
mythology as it is embodied in the Puranas, the
devas and the asuras are locked in ongoing
conflict. While the legions of the Judeo-Christian
Satan failed to take over heaven in their original
rebellion and were cast into hell, in South Asian
mythology the asuras often storm out of the
underworld, succeed in taking over heaven, and
drive the devas out. The devas then appeal to the
high god (usually Vishnu, though occasionally
Shiva or the Goddess), who comes to their aid,
defeats the asuras, drives them back into the hell
worlds, and reestablishes the deva/asura balance
of power.
One of the factors at work in the Hindu religious
ecology that distinguishes it from Western
religions is the assumption of the notion of reincarnation.
As this notion was brought to bear on
South Asian mythology, devas became capable of
ignoble actions, which could result in their
punishment (their “fall”) by being reborn as
asuras. Asuras, on the other hand, unlike Western
demons, were capable of performing noble
actions, which could result in their being rewarded
by being reborn as devas.
See also Hinduism; Indo-Europeans
For Further Reading:
Garg, Ganga Ram, ed. Encyclopaedia of the Hindu
World. Vol. 3. New Delhi: Concept Publishing,
1992.
Stutley, Margaret, and James Stutley. Harper’s
Dictionary of Hinduism: Its Mythology, Folklore,
Philosophy, Literature, and History. New York:
Harper & Row, 1977.
Aurum Solis
Aurum Solis was founded in 1897 in England by
Charles Kingold and George Stanton. It was originally
opened as a school of high cabalistic magic.
Its philosophies are centered around the idea of
the magician who chooses to follow a path of
sacrifice, and who is reborn and passes into the