Evoking Gremory, the Great Duke

Written: January 20th, 2017 | Edited: 15th March 2019

This is about the Goetic Evocation of the Duke Gremory.

In my previous Goetia post I had mentioned how I hadn’t had the need to Evoke Goetic spirits for a long time. In fact, the last time I evoked a Goetic spirit was before I Invoked Samael, which is the very first post on this blog.

So naturally, in that time I’d learned a lot, and I brought all that into this Evocation of Gremory. It is heavily inspired by the methods of Poke Runyon, and I must say, it worked better than I’d ever expected.

Update (2019): These days I use some of the methods from Paganism, Hinduism/Buddhism, Demonolatory and Christianity far more. The traditional devotional methods, with chanting and drama work far better for me than formal western ritualism.


Info From The Ars Goetia

“The Fifty-sixth Spirit is Gremory, or Gamori. He is a Duke Strong and Powerful, and appeareth in the Form of a Beautiful woman, with a Duchess’s Crown tied about her waist, and riding on a Great Camel. His Office is to tell of all things Past, Present, and to Come; and of Treasures Hid, and what they lie in; and to procure the Love of Women both Young and Old. He governeth 26 Legions of Spirits, and his Seal is this, etc.”

056-seal-of-gremory-q100-500x500Always keep Seals facing down, and preferably in a container. Don’t leave them lying around, especially face up. These are sacred objects.


Nature of the Spirit

At first glance, she seems to be the same as the rest, with a crown riding an animal, with the powers of divination and of procuring love. There’s many, many spirits in the Lesser Key that have these two skills, but out of all these, Gremory does stand out, for two reasons. One, of course, is that she appears to be one of the very few, if not ONLY spirits who appears as a woman. Several Goetia appear female, in practice, but in the book, every single one is referred to as “He”, meaning the author imagined them to be all male. Except Gremory, who is explicitly called “she”.

tumblr_mw2vmyziff1sqopa8o1_500Traditional depiction of the Spirit

Also, it is specified that Gremory helps you gain the love of “young and old” women. As I said, many Spirits of the Goetia can help you get love, both romantic or otherwise, but this Spirit is the only one for whom age is specified. I find that odd. It seems to imply that Gremory deals with very specific tastes of people, helping you procure the love of people who are considerably younger or older.

My interest of course, was in the divination aspect of it all. I mostly call on the Goetia for information and understanding, or to make changes in my perspective.


About of the Spirit

I have not found any mythology about the Spirit, outside of the Ars Goetia and the Pseudomonarchia Daemonica, but at this point, that’s become a pretty common occurrence with Spirits which are not evidently important, and I’ve written about this before, so I wont rant about it.

The name Grimori is derived from both English and Italian. Grimoire, as you probably already know, means a “magickal textbook” in French (the Ars Goetia is a grimoire), and consequently, in English, and probably came from Frankish, Greek or Latin.

the_great_grimoire___12_4_x_9_1_inches_journal_by_alexlibris999-d795nzq

The Italian word for grimoire is grimorio, and the plural is grimori. So the name of the Spirit here literally translates as “textbooks of magick” in Italian.

I personally believe that Gremory is simply the anglicized version of Grimori. Or, it has something to do with Sodom and Gamorrah, like someone pointed out. Though that sounds like the usual Abrahamic fire and brimstone nonsense to me. 

Let me guess: there was some well-of pagan city in the Middle East that the monotheists decided they hated. Maybe it has sexual freedom.
At some point disaster struck, as is inevitable, and they rejoiced by writing about it as God’s wrath. To me, using metaphorical names for cities you despise instead of real ones betrays cowardice and the inability to face enemies boldly.


Associations

Name: Gremory
Rank: Duke
Number: 56
Planet: Venus
Metal: Copper
Sphere: Netzach
Incense: Rose
Tarot: Two of Pentacles

Element: Earth
Angelic Counterpart: Poliel
Ruling Archangel: Uriel
Ruling King: Göap


Preparation of Ritual

I did this on the Day and in the Hour of Venus. I know the Goetia says to do it on very specific Moon days, but I ignored that for once. The Moon was 24 days old, and it doesn’t make too much of a difference anyway. The best results may be on specific days, but really, it’ll work whenever you do it, as long as you know what you’re doing.

First of course, I cleansed myself and the room, put on my ritual garb, and anointed my temples.

I had with me the Seal of the Spirit as well as the angel Poliel (given in Poke Runyon’s book), in green on white paper, as well as the Pentagram and Hexagram of Solomon, around my neck like they do in the OTA.

I also drew the Sigil of the Spirit on the other side. This is the first time i’ve done so, and it means I’ll have to make a new Pentagram every time I evoke a new spirit. I don’t do this anymore either, but you can if you want. 

I put the Angelic and Demonic seal on top of each other, both face down, on the Altar, which faced North, along with the incense, the Hexagram, face down as well, with a Green candle in front of the Triangle, which is fitted with a black mirror, and my stones in a crescent shape. 

hqdefaultThe Black Mirror used by the OTA

I used the black mirror scrying method. I’ve tried this method only twice before, but I think this will be my choice for all evocation from now on, because it worked so well.

I meditated on Venus for a while, listening to binaural beats of the corresponding frequency, then I started the ritual, with my preliminary banishing and declarations (you know, generic stuff), then sat down facing North and began.

Update (2019): This was the one and only time I used the full OTA method, as an experiment. While it is powerful, I no longer use many aspects of it, as I mentioned at the start. I no longer use the black mirror, opting for incense instead. I also do not draw the Sigil of the Spirit on the other side of the Solomon Pentagram. The intent of that is to bind and control them, and that conveys fear.


Calling on Poliel

Normally, when you call on a Spirit, you should invoke their Angelic counterpart from the Shemhamphorash first.

The Shemhamphorash says to recite Psalms 145:14 Psalms 144:14 (from the Latin Vulgate, which is fundamentally different from the standard Bible when translated).

More so I began by petitioning Uriel to send to me this Angel, and then began to recite the verse.

I must say, I was skeptical at first, since I don’t really use the Bible for anything, but this worked ridiculously well. I finally understand the whole obsession of western occultists with the Old Testament. This might be the fastest connection I have ever made with a Spirit or Angel. I recommend the Latin Vulgate for any Shemhamphorasch Angel, and the Demonic Enns for the Daemons of the Goetia.

I very quickly slipped into a trance. I must have recited it for maybe 2 minutes and I  felt a very strong, very substantial presence in the circle. When I opened my eyes, the candle was tall, steady and bright, and I could almost feel Poliel standing behind my in the circle. There was no visible appearance, but I wasn’t going for one either.

Church CandlesIf I had to define his presence in a picture, it would be this.

“Greetings, kind one”
That’s new.

I requested the Angel to stay with me and aid me in the Evocation of Gremory. The Angel agreed, and I felt invigorated and courageous, and I knew I had Poliel on my side.

I definitely recommend calling Shemharphorash angels before the Goetic spirits. They will aid you greatly, even if it’s just for guidance. However, I do not reccomend that for full fledged deities in the Goetia, nor for High demons like Belial.
Especially not for the ones who are also pagan deities. Some may take offence. It depends on the daemon itself really. You will usually be guided.

For the lesser ones, you may have to call the angels just to get in touch. But then again, I tend to stay away from lesser demons and angels anyway.


Evoking the Duke

And now the real work begins.

I started with the Bornless Invocation. I don’t use the one given in the Mathers/Crowley Goetia. I use the OTA version, because it’s much shorter, but with the Egyptian names given by Crowley.

I’m sure the original works for many people, but in my opinion, Crowley and Mathers completely butchered the barbarous names and all it does it break my trance rather than create it. The later Egyptian version created by Crowley (and used by Regardie) works better, but is still needlessly long and pointless.

After repeating it thrice, I went on to the Conjuration itself, of which, once again, I have my own version, inspired by Poke Runyon’s, since I find the one in the Goetia far too long, drawn out and a bit too Abrahamic. I recited this thrice as well. At this time, I did not know about the demonic enns, or I’d probably use that instead.

All this while, I stared into the mirror, and I think at the end of the third time, the Spirit must have come, as it should, and I felt a light presence.

But I was not able to feel a full connection, so I kept chanting as the presence grew stronger, because I generally don’t welcome a Spirit until they have given a substantial and evident sign of manifestation. So, I kept chanting. 

The Spirit grew impatient. As I chanted, I heard some guy outside, yell “oh my GOD!” and at that moment my candle, which I was holding, fell off the holder, face down onto the mat and went off, and I was left alone in the dark. Accident? Well, as Master Oogway would tell us, “there are no accidents”.

quotesthatprovemasteroogwayfromkungfupandaisthegreatestteachereverh_1427201176_980x457

Anyway, so now I knew the Spirit had come. I lit the candle again, I turned up the Sigil, pulled off the cloth covering the Hexagram of Solomon, and gave my greeting to the spirit.

“Oh my god what is wrong with you. Here I’ve been trying to talk and yet you ignore me and continue to chant, you really need to be more mindful of your surroundings, even in trance, and have some faith in the spirits you call” (Yeah, definitely a female spirit. no offence)

She sounded pissed off at first, but then she calmed quickly and greeted me too. Since I was using a black mirror, I only saw her face. She certainly was a woman, and looked almost like a Princess and wore a crown, with long black, kind of unruly hair, and a eyeliner, which seemed to across her face, like a band. She looked like a warrior princess, if that makes any sense, with the hair and band with the crown.

mikaii_card

She also felt and talked like that. She certainly had a royal presence, but at the same time also a rebellious, somewhat intimidating energy.

She regarded the Hexagram with a hint of disdain, saying it had been used to make her obey for centuries.

Update (2019): I use neither the Pentagram nor Hexagram given in the Goetia these days. Unknown to me, at the time my own Hindu upbringing would clash with the Abrahamic style rituals. Took me a while to fully understand this, and caused me, as I said at the start, to alter my rituals to make them more comfortable. I opted for the Hindu approach in the end, since it is ingrained into my subconscious anyway.

She is said to have the power of divination, and I asked her questions in this regard. She wanted me to get to the point, and also said she could pretty much do anything, but could not bend people against their will for prolonged periods of time (no Spirit can. They can only bring about a permanent change in your own psyche)

She also told me some fairly important things regarding desire and relationships, mostly personal, but here’s a little tit bit, for what people desire from a potential love interest.

“In this world, there are many things unintelligible, and you cannot understand them, so you must trust yourself. All people want is love, and in return, ask and they will give the same. You must be open, restless, loving and caring. No one demands much, a true partner wants love. Do no break their heart. People will test you, and you cannot give in. Each person will appreciate certain traits. Find that, and embody it. Cowardice will do no good. Be loving”

I then asked her about her history, and her “fall” from heaven (which is pretty much the mythos for all Goetia) to which she replied:

“I never actually fell. I have been worshiped under different forms for a long time. Nonetheless, my primary role for the past several centuries has been that of a daemon, and so that is who I am at the time”

I asked her if she could name a Goddess she had been worshiped as.

“People have seen me as a war goddess. Research, and you will find. I was, and am, a certain war goddess who rides a camel, and my colour is Red. She is close to you, but not very well known among the people. I have also been venerated by the Japanese as Rias Gremory, which is close to my Goetic form”.

If you don’t know, Rias Gremory is a demon from an anime. The anime is amusing at best and questionable at worst, but eh, what are you gonna do? The Japanese need their absurdism. The first season was ok, for a teenager. The rest was shit.

tumblr_static_tumblr_static_cmdv55ftilcgckc8c0c0wg0oo_640This isn’t from that anime, just a picture I found.


Closing and Post Ritual

I thanked her for coming, and then gave the License to depart 3 times, and her energy faded. I then gave the license to Poliel, and then ended and closed the ritual.

Of course, then I was excited to search for the Goddess she had told me about.

I merely typed into Google, “goddesses who ride camels”. After all, there aren’t many, nor are there that many polytheistic religions which have camel motifs. The result surprised me. I understood what Gremory meant when she said it was close to me.

The answer is Momai Maa. A Hindu goddess from the Indian state of Rajasthan. (FYI, where I live is a 6 hour drive from there). She’s not a well known goddess, but these days she is considered to be an aspect of the Hindu Goddess of War, Durga, who usually sits on a Lion, and is well known.

momai-momay-maa-05

In fact, you might have heard of her even if you don’t live in India, as she’s a fairly prominent member of the Hindu pantheon. She was also pretty important in my family. Aleister Crowley’s depiction of the Thelemite goddess Babalon riding the Great Beast, is inspired by the image of Durga.

Many local Indian goddesses were identified as different forms of Durga when Hinduism spread across the subcontinent and brought more and more communities under it’s umbrella (which is better than erasing them, like the Abrahamists did i Europe and the Middle East). The deity itself is probably a much more ancient motif. Rajasthan is a desert state, so camels are an important symbol there.

Momai Maa is depicted holding a trident (called a Trishul), a sword, a lotus and a an instrument, and seated on a camel, wearing red clothing.

So Gremory was 100% correct. Momai Maa is a local, non Vedic goddess, so you won’t know of her unless you really look. If you’re ever doubtful about your magick, or want to confirm that the Spirit you’re talking to isn’t just a figment of your imagination, ask them questions like this without fear, things that you can check for validity immediately after. It really will strengthen your faith and confidence.


Anyway, that’s it for now. Sorry it was long, I’m currently trying to train myself to not ramble on and write shorter stuff.

EDIT 2020: As of July 2020, I’ve written a new book on the Tree of Life and Kabbalistic theory. I’m quite proud of it, and you can check it by going to the Books tab, or clicking right here.

If you enjoyed this post, be sure to check out my other stuff, and follow my blog. You can also follow me on Instagram @WhiteRavenMagus

This is White Raven, signing off.

28 thoughts on “Evoking Gremory, the Great Duke

  1. I have many questions that I hope you would be kind enough to answer. I am beginning my journey of learning and am not sure where to begin. I definitely at some point want to try this evocation of Gremory. You mentioned various books and and the fact that you came up with your own variations. How did you end up creating your version? Can it be used by others? Or is it unique to each individual. Where would you suggest a brand new person at the foundation to start to eventually get to this point?

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    1. Hi. I can probably answer your questions.
      If you’re just starting right now, it depends largely on how good you are at basic spiritual practices, like meditation. If you’re still new to these things then evocation is probably not the greatest place to start. If you’re just new to magick, then I’d say stick to what feels right for now.
      The reason I was able to make my own version is because i’ve been doing these things long enough to understand how it works. It’s all about experience, and individual development. The best thing you can do is actually practice, and don’t get caught up in theory. As you do more and more, you’ll understand it better and find what works for you. Then, you can seriously start thinking about the theory behind it.

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      1. Awesome! Thank you for replying, I’ve been doing research but it just seems so hard to find a “guideline” of sorts to getting started. I’m brand new to all of this and I just feel lost in the vastness of it all. I’ve heard I need to try various forms of meditation and I’ve started working on that recently. If you have any books or practices or any other advice in general I would gladly accept it. I can either continue to follow up on here or if you get a chance and feel up to it my email is jthompson0106@gmail.com

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    1. Hi. Sorry, I got busy and forgot to reply. For evocation, I really suggest reading anything by Poke Runyon. He’s a pioneer in this field, and I used his method in this particular evocation.
      Alternatively, you can watch his DVF guides, both of which are available on YouTube. He’s someone who is very wise, mature and spiritually experienced, unlike some of the crazy people you normally find, so you should be able to gain some insight.

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      1. hello my friend, sitting here with gremory (momai maa) she says to tell you “she hopes you are well and she enjoyed your write up on her. thank you for the work.”
        on a personal note thanks for your blog, i am a ceremonial magician as well as a (gremory is making me say the word “talented”) medium and ive learned much from it. be well.

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  2. Highschool DxD is one of the best anime riped with magickal referances. This is the shit that got me in the occult.

    Glory to Gremory.

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  3. Dear White Raven,
    Thank you for your post. It’s really nice to see how Hindu traditions can be a good ground and analogy to explain and empower Occult practice.
    I have some question that I hope you will answer.
    Which Hindu deity (I picked the Hindu patheon because this is the patheon that I resonate the most with) is good for love? Specifically being lucky with love and success with relationships?
    I hope to hear from you,
    Best,
    Genghis112

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    1. The issue with Hindu love Gods is that almost none are actually worshiped anymore, which may make it difficult to connect to their energies, or find material online.

      The most famous and obvious would be Kama, the God of Love. He’s a figure very similar to Eros, and used to be an important deity as late as the 19th century. The “kama” sutra is name such because of Him.

      Or you can go with Parvati, the Goddess of Marriage. She’s one of the most important Hindu godesses and wife of Shiva, though she deals more with marital love than romantic love.

      Technically, all Hindu deities represent some kind of love.

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  4. Thank you for this!! I have the Daemon Tarot cards and felt drawn to them this evening and pulled Gomory (Gremory) as a message most needed and then reshuffled and asked about strong, alluring energy and she popped up again. I did some searching and came along your post! I think I have some meditating to do on her!

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      1. Oh really?

        So what’s your source for the Shem HaMephorash using Palms 144:14 as the invocatory verse for “Poliel”?

        Author, title and page number, please.

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  5. Hi, I have a strange request.
    I called Gremory so that she would help with something, she did it, but I did not feel any connection or contact.
    My ritual was this: I lit a candle of the right color and incense, drew a seal and sang the anne until the candle began to twitch violently, then asked for what I needed and finished this ritual. Everything was fulfilled, but I did not feel the connection and response from the Demon. How can I make it so that I can see, hear the Demon? I would like to talk to her, as you are in your call. Thank you in advance

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  6. Helllo WR
    Thank.you for the erudite analysis.
    I have experienced the inexplicable.
    Very specific gossamer images.
    Really like to collaborate with you.
    Please email me.

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    1. yes, you can. However, you might want to have a second sigil so that you can stare at it (if that’s how you plan to do it). Many Goetic workings use two sigils. One for meditation, and the other placed in the triangle

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  7. Wow !… White Raven, thanks for the info. I’ll be using Gremory’s seal with seal no.4 in 6&7 books of Moses for a love talisman soon. I’ll be posting you the outcome of the result wish me best of luck.

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  8. Hi White Raven, I finally prepared a love talisman using Gremory’s seal drawn to the back of 9th table of spirits of Venus (seal) in 7th book of Moses. Guess what ?.. The talisman is not only working for love, it is also enabling me to see visions and get useful info’s in dreams both day and nigth. Like I am now telephatic, thanks for enlightening us more on this wonderful and friendly spirit of Venus.

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  9. I’ve been revisiting blogs I followed a long time ago, and deleting some. Yours is great! I recall sharing this post about Gremory in a Facebook group because I was impressed that you managed to obtain proof of her being worshipped in India, under another name. I could never be disciplined enough to follow your hermetic approach- my ceremonies are devotional and very simple. But I am finding Facebook groups rather disappointing for pursuing these kind of interests. I expect you are not surprised at all by that!

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