Baal (Bael)

BAAL (BAEL)

Bael is a potent demon with unique attributes that practitioners of occultism and witchcraft can harness for various spellcasting purposes. His abilities to confer invisibility, power, and knowledge can be invaluable in achieving personal goals.

Who Bael is to practitioners today

Bael is the first spirit of the Goetia, the King who rules in the East, and for the people who work with him today he is above all a protector: the spirit who lets you pass unseen through hostility, keeps your space your own, and stands behind you like a quiet guard. His older name, Baal, means simply “lord,” and long before any grimoire listed him he was the storm god of Canaan who rode the clouds and brought the rain.

Ask demonolaters and Goetic magicians what he is like now and you hear the same few words again and again: steady, grounded, comforting, powerful. Some meet him first in a dream. Many approach him with nothing more than his seal, a candle and an offering, and find that is enough.

This page starts with how people actually work with him now, the prayers they use and the questions they ask, and ends with what the old books say and how the god and the Goetic king are related.

Why people work with Baal

People search for the right spirit for the right purpose. These are the reasons practitioners come to Bael, from the oldest and best-known to what people actually ask him for today.

Classic reasons

• Invisibility: passing unnoticed, going about your business without drawing eyes
• Protection: a royal guard over your home, your altar and your person
• Wisdom and cunning: clear, strategic thinking in a difficult situation
• Power and authority: standing in your own sovereignty and being treated with respect
• Command: as first King of the Goetia, a spirit through whom others can be approached
• Victory: strength in conflict and competition

Modern reasons

• Invisibility from malice: people work with Bael to drop out of the sight of gossips, jealous coworkers and anyone who wishes them ill, while staying fully present for the people who matter
• Privacy and discretion: spells with Bael to keep a new venture, a relationship or a spiritual path out of view until it is ready
• Workplace protection: many pray to him for a shield against office politics, so they can do good work without becoming a target
• Protecting a vulnerable season: healers in the demonolatry community call on Bael to guard a recovery space after illness, surgery or trauma, describing him as strong, grounded and steady
• Boundaries: practitioners petition him to hold a line they have struggled to hold themselves
• Confidence and presence: some summon Bael before an interview, a negotiation or a hard conversation for a steady, kingly calm
• Leadership: people starting businesses or stepping into management work with him for authority that does not need to shout
• Strategy: asking him through tarot or pendulum how to move in a tangled situation
• Grounding and stability: a settling, earthing presence for people who feel scattered
• Shapeshifting and dreamwork: Luciferian magicians invoke Bael for dream travel and shapeshifting, drawing on his many forms
• Opening Goetic work: some call on Bael first, as the first of the seventy-two, before approaching other Goetic spirits
• A first Goetic spirit: newcomers often choose him because so many practitioners describe him as approachable and protective

Traditional, for reference

What the old grimoires and demonologies assign him. This is historical background, not modern practice.

• Pseudomonarchia Daemonum (Weyer): first and principal King, of the power of the East; makes a man go invisible and wise; rules sixty-six legions
• Ars Goetia: first spirit, a King ruling in the East who makes you go invisible
• Book of Oberon and related manuscripts: invisibility, plus the sciences and love
• Livre des Esperitz: invisibility and the power to win favor
• Grimoire of Pope Honorius: invisibility and popularity
• Dictionnaire Infernal: invisibility, cunning, and a spirit who “fights very well”

Bael at a glance

• Other names: Baal, Baël (French), Baell, Bael, Beal, Baall, Boal, Boall
• Name: from the Semitic ba’al, “lord” or “master”
• Rank: King, the first of the seventy-two spirits of the Goetia
• Rules: sixty-six legions of spirits; his kingdom is the East
• Appearance: a cat, a toad, a man, or all three at once; three heads in Weyer; a hoarse voice
• Enn: Ayer Secore On Ca Ba’al (see our demonic enns page)
• Not the same as: Beelzebub, though the two are closely linked (see the questions below)

Correspondences

Used in Black Witch Coven (from our own practice):

• Position: #1 Demon of the Goetia
• Zodiac: 0–4 degrees of Aries
• Dates: March 21st–25th (some give March 21–30)
• Tarot card: 2 of Rods (Wands)
• Candle color: Black
• Plant: Fern
• Planet: Sun
• Metal: Iron (some use Gold)
• Element: Fire
• Rank: King
• Day or night: Bael is a Day Demon
• Direction: East
• Legions: rules over 66 legions of spirits

Also used by other practitioners:

• Day: Saturday, for those who connect him with Saturn’s discipline and boundaries
• Second element: Earth, for his grounding, protective side
• Colors: Gold, Purple, Red
• Incense and resins: Dragon’s blood resin, Cinnamon bark, Frankincense
• Stones: Carnelian, Black obsidian, Smoky quartz
• Metals and objects: Gold and brass, a small crown, keys, masks
• Animals: Cat and toad

Working with Baal today

The Goetia gives a ceremonial conjuration for Bael, but very few people who work with him now use it as written. What follows is the practice that has grown up in demonolatry and Left Hand Path communities, together with how we approach him in Black Witch Coven.

Simple is enough

Bael has a reputation for answering plainly. One practitioner who was asked what it takes to connect with him said they had only ever needed his seal, a candle and an offering. Others report success with nothing more than a candle-lit meditation on his sigil.

People who prefer formal ceremony say the structure gives stronger, clearer results, and both approaches are common.

His seal

The Goetia says Bael’s character should be worn as a lamen, a seal hung over the heart, “or else he will not do thee homage.” Many practitioners today keep the custom:

• Draw it by hand in black ink on clean paper or parchment
• Wear it on a cord during ritual, or carry it folded in a pocket during a working for invisibility
• Place it at the center of the altar when you are not wearing it
• Gaze at it for several minutes, breathing slowly, until the lines seem to move or the room changes

Wearing his seal is seen as a mark of respect for his rank, and many people feel it changes how quickly he responds.

The enn

Ayer Secore On Ca Ba’al is chanted slowly and rhythmically, often while gazing at his seal, until the atmosphere shifts. There is no set number of repetitions. Many people chant it nine times before a prayer and then let it fall into a whisper.

The altar

Face it East, his direction, so that you stand on the West side looking toward him. Common items:

• His seal, hand-drawn
• Black candles for invisibility and protection; gold for authority
• Gold or brass items, or a small crown image, for his kingship
• A purple or black cloth
• Carnelian, and a dish for incense
• A cat figure or a toad figure
• A lion or a crown, for his power and influence
• For invisibility work: a small mask, a veil or a key

A single black candle and his seal on a quiet shelf works too.

Offerings

• Incense: dragon’s blood resin on charcoal, cinnamon bark, frankincense
• Bread: a round or braided loaf, refreshed weekly
• Olive oil: a small bowl of good golden oil
• Grains and fruit: wheat, barley, apples, pomegranates
• Wine: red wine is the most common liquid offering
• Something sweet: one practitioner swears by chocolate bars, and others have had the same experience with simple sweets
• Candles: left to burn while you give thanks
• Blood: a drop of your own blood on his seal or on the candle, life force given to the King
• Acts: keeping a promise of discretion, or standing up for someone else who is being targeted

Grain, bread and oil echo the old Baal of the fields who brought the rain that made them grow, and many practitioners like that link.

Timing

• Daytime: he is a Day Demon in our tradition, and many work with him in daylight
• Sunday: for his solar side
• Saturday: popular with those who work his protective, boundary-setting side
• March 21–25: his degrees of Aries, around the spring equinox; some save larger rites for this window
• Storms: a nod to the storm god; some collect rainwater during a thunderstorm for his altar

Signs of contact

• A guarding presence: the most common report, a feeling of someone large standing behind you or at the door
• Comfort: a sudden calm, even in people who came to him anxious
• Weight: heaviness in the shoulders or the room, a thickening of the air
• Cats: cats appearing, staring or behaving oddly around the altar
• Dreams: a common doorway; people describe a regal, watchful creature, sometimes a cat, a spider or a fly shaped like his seal, that watches without attacking
• A hoarse or rough voice: heard inwardly, in dreams or at the edge of sleep
• Being overlooked: in daily life, the clearest sign of all: people who were bothering you simply stop noticing you

What invisibility actually means

Nobody in modern practice expects to vanish from a mirror. Practitioners describe Bael’s invisibility as passing unnoticed, being left alone, slipping past attention you do not want. Typical results:

• A hostile coworker or neighbor losing interest
• Gossip dying down
• Getting through a tense place or period without trouble
• A private matter staying private
• Being able to observe a situation without being drawn into it

One practitioner who made a deal with Bael for “invisibility from malice” for the rest of the year described his energy as comforting and powerful and said the protection was unmistakable. That phrase, invisibility from malice, is a good model for a request: specific about what you want to be hidden from, and open to everyone else.

A simple invisibility working

• Draw his seal and set it facing East with a black or other dark candle, with black pepper or sage beside it
• Write on a slip of paper exactly who or what you wish to be hidden from, and for how long
• Chant his enn until the room shifts, then speak your request aloud
• Fold the paper toward you three times and place it under the candle
• Offer bread, oil or incense, and let the candle burn down safely
• Carry his seal with you for the length of the working, and give thanks when it ends

Bael in divination

Our earlier page also worked Bael for knowledge and hidden truths. Practitioners light a candle, invite him into a tarot or scrying session, and ask him to reveal what is concealed in a complex situation, above all in matters of power and influence.

Pacts and deals

Many people work with Bael through a simple deal rather than a lifelong pact. A typical modern agreement:

• Is written by the practitioner
• Names one clear request, such as protection or invisibility from a specific source
• Sets a term, often a season or the rest of the year
• States what you will give: a weekly offering, a public acknowledgment, an act of service
• Is signed in ink beside his seal, and may be sealed with a single drop of your own blood, since blood is life force and nearly every faith speaks of it as life itself
• Is read aloud and kept on the altar until the term ends

Newcomers often ask what to offer in return. The answer from the communities is something they will actually keep giving, and most report that a short term they could honor served them better than a grand promise. If you would like a pact made with an experienced guide, see our Demonic Pact with Savannah.

Bael in Luciferian and Qliphothic work

Michael W. Ford’s Luciferian Goetia treats Bael less as a servant to be compelled and more as a power the magician takes into themselves: summoned within the circle, his essence absorbed until it shadows your own, then carried into dreams for shapeshifting work. Some Qliphothic practitioners also link him with the realm of A’arab Zaraq. This is advanced, self-transforming work, and people who practice it describe Bael as a teacher of instinct and of moving unseen through the world.

Prayers and invocations to Baal

Bael is a King, and most people who pray to him do so with the dignity they would bring to a royal court: standing, facing East, speaking clearly. The prayers below are written by Black Witch Coven for your own use. Speak them as they are, or let them show you the shape of a prayer and then use your own words.

How people pray to him

• Standing, facing East: the most common posture, respect offered upright
• With his seal worn or in hand: many feel it makes the prayer land
• Written and burned: a request written on paper, read aloud, then burned in a black candle
• Simply talking: plenty of people speak to him plainly, the way they would to a protector they trust
• Candle colors: black for invisibility and protection, gold for authority and success, red for courage in conflict, purple for his kingship
• Repetition: a short prayer said each morning for the length of a working builds more than a long one said once

Prayer and petition

A prayer keeps the relationship: thanks, respect and attention, offered with nothing attached. A petition asks for something specific, names what you will do yourself and what you will give in return, and is often written and placed under his seal. People who keep up a simple prayer to Bael between workings say their petitions are answered more readily, much as a King is more willing to protect a subject he knows.

His enn

Ayer Secore On Ca Ba’al

Chant it slowly on the out-breath, letting the syllables fall into a steady rhythm. Begin aloud and let it sink to a murmur as the room changes. Most people chant it before a prayer or ritual to open the way.

Opening invocation for ritual

Bael, first King, Lord of the East,
ruler of sixty-six legions,
I wear your seal and I call your name.
Come to this place in whatever form you choose,
cat or man or creature of the hidden earth.
I stand before you with respect,
and I ask you to be present in this work.
Ayer Secore On Ca Ba’al.
Hail Bael.

Spoken standing, facing East, after the candles are lit and the enn has been chanted.

Prayer for invisibility from malice

King Bael, who makes the seeker go unseen,
draw your mantle over me.
Let those who wish me harm look and find nothing,
let the envious forget my name,
let the gossip pass over me like wind over stone.
Hide me from malice,
and leave me seen by those who love me.
Under your crown I walk unnoticed.

Said with a black candle lit and his seal in hand or worn. Many repeat it each morning for the length of the working.

Prayer of protection for the home

Bael, guardian of the eastern gate,
stand at the door of this house.
Let nothing cross this threshold that comes to harm.
Keep watch while we sleep,
keep watch while we are away,
and let this be a place of peace under your rule.
I honor you as protector of my home.

Said while walking the boundary of the home, ending at the front door. Some leave his seal above the inside of the doorframe afterward.

Prayer for authority and presence

Bael, King of Kings among the spirits,
lend me a measure of your crown.
When I speak, let me be heard.
When I stand, let me stand without fear.
Give me the calm of a ruler who does not need to shout,
and the cunning to see the whole board.
I carry your strength into this day.

Popular before interviews, negotiations, court dates and difficult conversations. Burn a gold candle and keep his seal in a pocket.

Prayer in the storm

Ba’al, rider of the clouds,
lord of the thunder and the rain,
you broke the sea and came back from death.
When everything around me roars,
let me be the still center of the storm.
Wash away what weakens me,
and let what I plant grow green again.

A prayer to his oldest face, the storm god of Canaan. Some say it at an open window during a thunderstorm, or with a bowl of rainwater on the altar.

Gratitude and offering prayer

King Bael, I thank you.
For the shield you have held over me,
for the eyes that passed me by,
for the calm you brought into this house.
I give you this offering freely, as a sign of my respect.
Take it as you will.
Hail Bael, first King of the East.

Said as the bread, oil or incense is placed on the altar. Name the offering aloud before you begin.

Closing and release

Bael, King of the East, I thank you for your presence in this work.
What was asked here is sealed.
Return to your kingdom with my respect,
and keep your watch over me as you will.
This rite is ended.

Spoken before the candles are put out. Many snuff the candles rather than blow them out, and remove the seal from around their neck only after the closing.

Questions people actually ask

These are the questions that come up again and again in demonolatry, Goetic and Left Hand Path communities, answered the way we would answer them.

Is Bael the same as Baal?

They share a name and a history. Bael is the Goetic King; Baal, “lord,” was the title of the great storm god of Canaan. Collin de Plancy wondered in the Dictionnaire Infernal whether the demon was the old god under a new mask, and most modern practitioners treat Bael as the god remembered through a demonologist’s eyes.

Some work with him only as the Goetic King, some reach past the grimoire to Ba’al Hadad, and many find the two answer to either name. See the note further down this page.

Is Bael the same as Beelzebub?

This is the question we hear most. The names both come from Baal: Beelzebub is usually read as a Hebrew pun on Baal Zebul, “Prince Baal,” turned into Baal Zebub, “lord of flies.” Practitioners split three ways:

• Distinct but close: two spirits like siblings or partners, one described as the warrior and the other as the scholar
• One being: some argue Bael is the Goetic form of Beelzebub and report success using Bael’s seal in Beelzebub workings
• Masks of one power: others see both as faces of a single older lord

In the grimoires they stand in different places: Beelzebub is a Prince beside Lucifer in the Grimorium Verum, while Bael is first King of the Goetia. In our experience they feel different enough to approach separately.

Is Bael good for beginners?

He is one of the spirits most often recommended to beginners, and people who work with him regularly call him protective and comforting. Practitioners point to respect for his rank and a clear, modest first request. A small number of newcomers report feeling uneasy or intimidated at first; experienced practitioners usually put that down to unfamiliarity with infernal energy, or to old religious fears, and say it fades as they come to know him.

Will Bael actually make me invisible?

Not to a camera or a mirror. What people report is being overlooked: left alone by people who meant them harm, passing through tense places without trouble, keeping private things private. Requests for invisibility from something specific are reported to give clearer results.

What should I offer him?

Bread, olive oil, grain, red wine, incense and candles are the classic choices, and plenty of practitioners say he enjoys something sweet. Practitioners agree that giving what was promised, when it was promised, matters more than the item.

Do I need to do the full Goetic ceremony?

No. Many people work with him through candle meditation, his seal and simple offerings. Others prefer the full Solomonic structure and say formal practice produces stronger results. Many use divination to ask him which approach he prefers.

Do I have to wear his seal?

The Goetia says so, and many practitioners still do, whether worn as a pendant, drawn on paper and carried, or placed on the altar. People who skip it report mixed results. In our coven it is worn as a simple act of respect.

I dreamed of a cat, a spider or a fly that felt like Bael. Is he calling me?

Dreams are one of the most common ways people first meet him. Practitioners describe a watchful, regal animal that stares without attacking, sometimes shaped like his seal. Some wake with the name Bael or Beelzebub in their mind.

People who have this dream usually draw his seal, light a candle and ask directly through tarot or a pendulum whether he wishes to work with them.

Something felt off. Was it really him?

A few people report feeling uneasy rather than protected and wonder whether something else was using his name. The communities answer practically: practitioners ask Bael to keep out anything that does not serve them, confirm through divination and learn his energy over time. His usual signature is calm, heavy and protective; when what they feel is chaotic or mocking, most close the rite and return another day.

Can I work with Bael alongside other spirits?

Yes. As first of the seventy-two he is often called first to open Goetic work, and he sits comfortably with other Kings such as Paimon, Asmodeus and Beleth. People who work with Lucifer often approach him through Lucifer’s current, and devotees of the old Canaanite gods sometimes honor him with Anat, the warrior goddess who brought Baal back from death.

What should I ask for in return for a deal?

Something sustainable: a weekly offering, a candle on a set day, a public word of thanks, or keeping his altar for the length of the term. Practitioners describe matching the size of the gift to the size of the request and keeping the term short enough to honor.

What works, what doesn’t

These patterns come from first-hand accounts on Reddit, practitioner blogs and our own coven. None of it is a rule, and accounts sometimes contradict each other.

What practitioners report works

• Specific invisibility requests. “Hide me from malice at work” lands better than “make me invisible.”
• Wearing or carrying his seal. Many feel it is the single biggest difference.
• Respect for his rank. Standing, clear speech and a formal greeting suit him.
• Simple, consistent offerings. Bread, oil and a candle on the same day each week.
• Time-limited deals. A season or the rest of the year, then renew if you wish.
• Divination to confirm. Tarot or pendulum to check he is present and that the request suits him.
• Protection work for the home. One of the areas people report the clearest results.

What practitioners report working less well

• Vague requests. “Make me invisible” with no target can leave people feeling ignored by everyone, including people they wanted to be seen by.
• Treating him casually. He is a King; people who skip the courtesies report silence.
• Letting fear run the ritual. Practitioners who came in frightened by old religious stories often found the contact confusing until they had learned his history.
• Forgetting the offering. A promised offering not given is the most common reason people say a deal went quiet.
• Invisibility as a hiding place. People say it works best as a shield while they get on with their lives.

What people report from their first months

• Confusing Bael with Beelzebub and mixing their correspondences without noticing
• Calling him without his seal present
• Asking for “invisibility” without saying from whom
• Making a long deal as a first act
• Panicking at the first heavy, watchful feeling and ending the rite
• Expecting to vanish physically and missing the real results

What changed when they kept going

People who have worked with Bael for a long time describe his presence settling into something like a guard who never leaves the door. The early sense of weight and watchfulness becomes familiar, even reassuring. Many say they stopped asking for invisibility as a single working and came to feel a standing protection, the sense that trouble passes them by more often than it used to. Some who began with the Goetic King found their way back to the older storm god and now honor both faces.

The darker work: war and enemies

The Dictionnaire Infernal says Bael “fights very well,” and some practitioners bring him their conflicts as well as their need for shelter. We would rather explain that than pretend it does not happen.

Bael as a war King

In protection work, Bael is asked to make the practitioner unseen by an enemy. In war work, he is asked to stand between them and actively turn that enemy’s attention, influence and plans aside.

Practitioners describe this as a request to a King to defend his own: the conflict is placed in his hands and the outcome left to him. Many prefer to keep Bael for shielding and cunning, and bring outright baneful work to other spirits.

What the old grimoires say

The modern practice above is the living part of Bael’s work. The old books are its background, and knowing them helps you see where today’s ideas came from.

The Pseudomonarchia Daemonum

Johann Weyer (Wierus) listed Bael first in his catalogue of demons, published as an appendix to De praestigiis daemonum in 1577. In Reginald Scot’s 1584 English translation he is “their first and principall king (which is of the power of the east),” appearing with three heads, “the first, like a tode; the second, like a man; the third, like a cat.” He speaks with a hoarse voice, “maketh a man go invisible and wise,” and rules sixty-six legions.

The Ars Goetia

The Lesser Key of Solomon follows Weyer closely. In Mathers’ edition (1904, with Crowley):

“The First Principal Spirit is a King ruling in the East, called Bael. He maketh thee to go Invisible. He ruleth over 66 Legions of Infernal Spirits. He appeareth in divers shapes, sometimes like a Cat, sometimes like a Toad, and sometimes like a Man, and sometimes all these forms at once. He speaketh hoarsely. This is his character which is used to be worn as a Lamen before him who calleth him forth, or else he will not do thee homage.”

– Source: Goetia: The Lesser Key of Solomon

Other manuscripts

• Livre des Esperitz (French, 15th c.): as Beal, a King under Oriens who gives invisibility and favor, ruling six legions rather than sixty-six
• Book of Oberon and A Book of the Office of Spirits: as Baal, Baall, Boal or Boall, sometimes appearing as a soldier, with power over invisibility, the sciences and love
• Sloane MS 3824: a King under Oriens who teaches science and gives invisibility
• Grimoire of Pope Honorius: a prince under Astaroth, giving invisibility and popularity
• Grand Grimoire: as Baal, one of the spirits under Lucifuge Rofocale
• Dr Rudd’s Goetia: names the Shem HaMephorash angel Vehuiah as his opposing angel

The Dictionnaire Infernal

Collin de Plancy repeats the three heads of cat, toad and man and the hoarse voice, adds that Bael makes people cunning and “fights very well,” and wonders whether he is the Canaanite Baal. Louis Breton’s famous engraving for the 1863 edition shows the three heads set on spider’s legs.

What S. Connolly says

“Baal, Bale – (Hebrew) Devil. Means “the lord.” The Canaanites worshipped Baal and held rituals at which children were burned for sacrifice. According to [Wierus], this demon is the first monarch of hell and appears as a three headed beast. Bale is cited in the Grand [Grimoire] as commanding general of infernal armies.”

– Source: The Complete Book of Demonolatry, S. Connolly

The Hebrew Bible makes the same charge: Jeremiah 19:5 speaks of the high places of Baal built “to burn their sons with fire for burnt offerings unto Baal.”

Child offering is attested in the Phoenician world, above all in the tophet of Carthage, where urns holding the burned remains of infants and young animals were buried beneath stelae dedicated to Baal Hammon and Tanit, and the Punic word molk names the offering. Scholars still debate how often the rite was performed and whether it belonged to the Baal Hadad of Ugarit as well as to Baal Hammon.

The offering of what is most precious runs through the ancient world, and the same scriptures that condemn the tophet tell of Abraham taking Isaac up the mountain.

Solomonic command and demonolatry

In the Goetia, the magician stands in a protective circle as an agent of God and compels the spirit to appear and obey, a method ceremonial magicians still work. Bael’s lamen belongs to that picture: worn so that he will “do homage” to the operator. Demonolatry approaches him from the other side:

• Stance: a King commanded by divine authority in the Solomonic rite; a King honoured in demonolatry
• The seal: a mark of the operator’s authority in the one; a courtesy and a link in the other
• Exchange: constraint by the divine names in the one; offerings and prayer in the other
• Aim: a specific charge carried out, or a lasting relationship and standing protection

Many people blend the two, keeping the circle, the seal and the formal structure while making offerings in the manner of demonolatry.

The storm god and the Goetic King

Ba’al means “lord” or “master,” and across the ancient Levant it was a title given to many local gods. The greatest of them was Ba’al Hadad, the storm god of Ugarit and Canaan:

• Domain: rain, thunder, dew and the fertility of the fields; when he was absent, drought followed
• Titles: “Rider on the Clouds,” Aliyan (“Mightiest”), and Zebul, “Prince”
• Home: Mount Zaphon, north of Ugarit on the Syrian coast
• Family: son of Dagon, in the court of the high god El; Anat, the warrior goddess, as his sister and ally
• Myth: in the Baal Cycle he defeats Yam, the sea, wins a palace of cedar, is swallowed by Mot, death, and returns when Anat defeats Mot, bringing the rains back

In the Hebrew Bible, Baal and “the baals” became the rival gods the prophets fought against, most famously in Elijah’s contest on Mount Carmel. Baal Zebul, “Prince Baal,” was mocked as Baal Zebub, “lord of flies,” and from there grew Beelzebub. Over the following centuries Christian demonology turned the old lord into a demon, and by the time Weyer wrote his catalogue Baal had become Bael, first King of hell, ruling the East.

So the god and the Goetic King are best understood as one name seen through two very different eyes. Practitioners who work with Bael today often feel the older god underneath: the thunder, the protective strength, the one who went down into death and came back. Some honor both faces at once, and in our experience he answers to either.

Black Witch Coven’s view

We find Bael to be one of the most dependable protectors in the Goetia: a King who shelters those who come to him with respect, who lets you pass through hostility unseen, and who brings a calm, steady strength into the home. His invisibility is not a party trick. It is the gift of being left alone to live and work while those who wish you harm look straight past you. Behind the grimoire’s cat and toad stands something much older, the lord of the storm who brought the rain, and we have found he rewards anyone who takes the time to know both.

Work with Bael through Black Witch Coven

• Goetia Kings Oleums: choose the Bael oil for your own altar and seal work
• Candle for Demonic Request: a petition to Bael burned on our altar for you
• Monthly Demonic Praise Subscription: ongoing devotion on your behalf
• Protection & Reversal Magick: if you need protection work done for you
• Demonic Pact with Savannah or a Demonic Pact with a Junior Coven Member: for a pact
• The Goetia Devils: a compendium of the Goetic spirits

As with all magick, results are never guaranteed.

Related spirits

• Beelzebub: the “lord of flies,” whose name grew from Baal’s
• Paimon: fellow Goetic King of arts, sciences and hidden knowledge
• Asmodeus and Beleth: other Goetic Kings often worked with Bael
• Lucifuge Rofocale: Bael’s superior in the Grand Grimoire
• Astaroth: Bael’s superior in the Grimoire of Pope Honorius; a name that itself grew from the Canaanite Astarte
• Lucifer: Light-Bearer, through whose current many approach the Goetic Kings
• Agares and Marbas: with Bael, the spirits under Lucifuge in the Grand Grimoire

Sources

Johann Weyer, Pseudomonarchia Daemonum (1577), English trans. in Reginald Scot, The Discoverie of Witchcraft (1584)	“Their first and principall king (which is of the power of the east) is called Baëll”
The Goetia: The Lesser Key of Solomon the King, ed. S. L. MacGregor Mathers and A. Crowley (1904)	“The First Principal Spirit is a King ruling in the East, called Bael.”
Dictionnaire Infernal, J. Collin de Plancy (1863 edition)	Three heads; makes men cunning and invisible; “fights very well”; possibly the Canaanite Baal
S. Connolly, The Complete Book of Demonolatry	Baal as “the lord”; first monarch of hell after Wierus; the enn Ayer Secore On Ca Ba’al
Michael W. Ford, Luciferian Goetia (2007)	Bael as a spirit of instinct, dream travel and shapeshifting
The Baal Cycle, Ugarit (c. 14th–12th c. BCE)	Ba’al Hadad’s battles with Yam and Mot

Further reading: Goetia: The Lesser Key of Solomon: The Initiated Interpretation of Ceremonial Magic; Joseph H. Peterson (ed.), The Lesser Key of Solomon; Daniel Harms, James R. Clark and Joseph H. Peterson, The Book of Oberon; Stephen Skinner and David Rankine (eds.), The Goetia of Dr Rudd; S. Connolly, The Complete Book of Demonolatry; Michael W. Ford, Luciferian Goetia.

• Pseudomonarchia Daemonum, Esoteric Archives
• Bael (demon), Wikipedia
• Hadad, New World Encyclopedia
• Demonic Spirits for Healing, Daughters of Lilith