The Lesser Key of Solomon

Throughout history, humanity has been fascinated by mysterious aerial and aquatic phenomena that defy conventional understanding. Reports of unidentified flying objects (UFOs) and unidentified submerged objects (USOs) have persisted across cultures and centuries, leading many to speculate on their origins. While modern explanations often point to extraterrestrial visitors or advanced technology, another perspective suggests that these entities are not foreign to our world at all. Instead, they may be the very spirits described in ancient mystical texts, materializing into our reality through the same means detailed in the Lesser Key of Solomon. This grimoire, a guide to summoning and controlling spirits, may hold the key to understanding the nature of these manifestations, linking centuries-old magical practices to contemporary sightings of otherworldly craft and beings.

The Lesser Key of Solomon, also known as Lemegeton Clavicula Salomonis, is one of the most infamous grimoires in Western esoteric tradition. Compiled likely between the 1640s and 1660s, often attributed to King Solomon, is a collection of mystical knowledge concerning the summoning of spirits, angels, and demons. The grimoire is divided into five distinct books, each with its own purpose and focus, blending elements of medieval ceremonial magic, astrology, and Judeo-Christian mysticism. Though its origins remain mysterious, its influence on modern occultism, particularly within demonology and ceremonial magic, is profound.

The first book, Ars Goetia, is the most well-known section of the Lesser Key of Solomon and details the hierarchy of seventy-two demons that Solomon allegedly bound in a brass vessel. Each demon has a unique sigil, powers, and domain, and they are categorized under various ranks, including kings, princes, and marquises. Practitioners who seek to summon these spirits must follow precise rituals, invoking the names of God to exert control over them. This section influenced later occult traditions, including the Golden Dawn and Thelemic practices, and remains one of the primary sources for Western demonology.

The second book, Theurgia Goetia, diverges from the explicitly demonic nature of the first section and instead focuses on spirits of the air. These spirits, unlike those of Ars Goetia, are not necessarily malevolent and can be classified as either good or neutral, depending on the magician’s intent. The spirits are divided into four cardinal directions, each ruled by a set of kings and their subordinates. The book provides elaborate methods for summoning and communicating with these spirits, emphasizing the importance of celestial influences and planetary hours in magical operations.

The third book, Ars Paulina, introduces a system of angelic magic that is said to have been revealed to St. Paul. This section aligns celestial spirits with astrological influences, assigning each angel to specific degrees of the zodiac and planetary hours. It describes how a magician may summon these spirits for guidance, wisdom, and divine assistance. The techniques presented in Ars Paulina closely align with earlier Jewish and Christian mystical traditions, making it one of the more theurgically inclined sections of the Lemegeton.

The fourth book, Ars Almadel, provides a detailed method for communicating with angelic beings through a wax tablet called the Almadel. The magician must craft this tablet according to strict specifications, including inscribing divine names and specific colors corresponding to the four angelic altitudes. Once constructed, the Almadel serves as a medium through which the magician may contact and request aid from these celestial spirits. This book reflects an older tradition of angelic magic found in earlier Jewish and Islamic mystical practices and is often regarded as one of the most refined parts of the grimoire.

The fifth and final book, Ars Notoria, is distinct from the previous sections in that it focuses on acquiring knowledge and wisdom rather than spirit summoning. This book contains a series of prayers, invocations, and meditative practices intended to enhance memory, intelligence, and rhetorical ability. Unlike the other sections, Ars Notoria is deeply rooted in Christian mysticism and aligns closely with monastic and scholastic traditions of divine inspiration and enlightenment. Practitioners believed that by following the prescribed prayers and visualizations, they could access immediate and profound understanding of various subjects, from philosophy to theology.

The Lesser Key of Solomon is deeply rooted in Judeo-Christian traditions, particularly in its connection to King Solomon, who, according to the Bible (1 Kings 4:29-34), was granted divine wisdom by God. Some apocryphal and esoteric traditions suggest that Solomon used this wisdom to command spirits and demons. The Bible frequently describes interactions with supernatural entities—angels, demons, and other spiritual beings—that actively influence human affairs. The concept of summoning spirits in the Lemegeton echoes biblical accounts of demonic possessions (Mark 5:1-20), angelic visitations (Luke 1:26-38), and spiritual warfare (Ephesians 6:12), where Paul warns of battles against “spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” Additionally, the grimoire’s emphasis on invoking divine names to control spirits mirrors biblical themes, though with a crucial difference. In the New Testament, Jesus demonstrates absolute authority over demons, casting them out through divine command (Luke 10:17, Matthew 8:16), but in Christian doctrine, this authority comes solely from faith in God rather than ritualistic summoning. While the Lesser Key of Solomon provides instructions for spirit invocation, the Bible explicitly condemns such practices, warning against sorcery and divination in Deuteronomy 18:10-12, where calling upon spirits is labeled detestable to God. This contrast highlights a fundamental divergence between biblical teachings and the grimoire’s esoteric methods. Additionally, the suggestion that modern UFO and USO encounters may be linked to ancient spiritual entities rather than extraterrestrial visitors aligns with certain biblical interpretations. Ezekiel’s vision (Ezekiel 1) describes a radiant, flying craft inhabited by supernatural beings, an account that some believe resembles modern UFO reports. If these phenomena are indeed manifestations of spiritual forces rather than alien technology, they may represent the same entities humanity has encountered for centuries, perceived differently depending on cultural and historical contexts.

The key distinction is that the Lemegeton presents spirit summoning as an occult practice, whereas biblical doctrine asserts that all power over such forces belongs exclusively to God.

The Lesser Key of Solomon stands as one of the most influential grimoires in Western esoteric history, bridging the gap between medieval magical traditions and modern occult practices. However, its significance may extend beyond mere ceremonial magic. If the spirits described within its pages are the same entities materializing in our skies and waters, then UFOs and USOs may not be extraterrestrial visitors but manifestations of an ancient, hidden reality. These beings, summoned through occult practices, may shift between dimensions, taking physical form before vanishing as quickly as they appear. Their observed behaviors—defying gravity, moving between mediums seamlessly, and demonstrating intelligence—align with historical descriptions of summoned spirits. Whether perceived as angels, demons, or celestial intelligences, their presence continues to shape human perception of the unknown, offering a tantalizing link between ancient wisdom and contemporary mysteries. If the Lemegeton truly reveals how to summon and control these forces, then perhaps the answers to the UFO phenomenon have been hidden in plain sight all along.