Marbas (Goetia #5)

Names: Marbas, Barbas, Marbuel, Barbuel, Barfael, Barbiel, Baruel
Planet: Mercury; Jupiter
Rank: President; Prince
Zodiac: Aries 20-24; Taurus 10-19
Date: April 9-14; April 30-May 10
Element: Fire; Air
Color: Yellow, Orange
Direction: East
Qlipha: Ghagiel (Uranus/Baelzebuth)
Tarot: 6 of Disks/Pentacles; 4 of Wands/Rods
D/N: Diurnal
Legions: 36
Lunar Mansion: Archaam (IX)
Gematria: 243
Lovers: Baratchial, Amducious
Inferiors: Lilith, Radahel, Abraxas, Tzuflifu
Superiors: Lucifage, A’athiel, Lucifer, Moloch, A’ano’nin, Astaroth
Attributions: Mercury, Tin, Cinquefoil, Anise, Thistle, Chickory, Storax

Above: Artistic Depiction of Marbas for Pathworking and an Altar Piece
(Picture Credit: G.A. Roseberg)

Marbas is a Demon of Mechanics and a Jupiterian-Mercurial President of the Goetia attributed to the Uranian Sphere of the Qliphoth. He's the Chief Engineer of the Infernal Plane and the Superintendent of all its public buildings. Marbas rules over prescience, pendulums, glamour magick, mind tricks, tarot cards, mind reading, crystal balls, and the use of Norse runes in divination. He is capable of both inflicting and relieving illnesses, serious or otherwise, and he holds the secret of the Philosopher's Stone.



Marbuel is known as the Revealer of Secrets and Master of Hidden Things, and he is infamous for manifesting results very quickly. He uncovers secreted truths and imparts wisdom and knowledge to the witch. A witch may come to know the truth of a matter by invoking the spirit and looking through his eyes—deducing through his discernment. Marbuel is renowned for his ability to confer hidden and secreted knowledge, as well as his honesty and accuracy in doing so. He can make the witch aware of hidden aspects of herself—both unawakened spiritual gifts and undiscovered traits of her personality. He can also engender lucid dreams.

In The Encyclopedia of Demons in World Religions and Cultures, Theresa Bane describes the spirit as follows:

Living in the bowels of the earth, Barbiel causes problems with harvest and travelers and creates discord between people. He is more powerful than any other demon in his cosmology. He moves against the stars, affects the economy, and causes earthquakes. 

Barbas can improve the witch’s astral hearing and magickal memory, and he can impart the ability to psychically detect unknown locations or missing objects. He rules over good luck and gambling alike. He can bestow honors upon the witch and produce monetary gain for her. Grimoiric demonology claims that Barbas can cause men to change shapes, but I honestly don’t know what to make of that shit.

Marbuel is one of the seven Phantoms of Flame as well as the Patron of Artisans.  He assists poor mechanics and architects, helping them carry out their contracts such that they produce accomplishments outside the range of ordinary human ability. He's listed as one of the seven Chief Dukes of Hell alongside Azael, the Leader of the Watchers, and Mesphito, the Keeper of the Book of Death.

While some have postulated that Barbason, a demon from one of Shakespeare’s plays, is the same entity as Marbas, Mesphito (Mephistophiles) told me this wasn’t the case.

The descriptions of Marbas which appear in grimoires modern and old alike, right-handed and black magickal alike, give praise to his renowned honesty. The first time I spoke to him, he gave unrequested yet much appreciated advice for the composition of two rituals I had yet to finish writing and one I had yet to get started on. Once the conversation was, in my opinion, satisfactorily finished, he abruptly gave me his insights into a personal trouble of mine. A black magickal priestess by the name of Akelta has also attested to these characteristics of his, expressing amazement at how helpful he is in her rites to heal others, as well as at his honesty when she asks him to heal someone that he simply cannot.

Barbas can give aid in the Initiatory Sphereworkings of the Earth, the Moon, and the Sun without involving Sephirothic forces, and he can also help initiate the witch through the element of water. Capable of casting very effective maledictions, he absolutely loves children and has a knack for enacting violence against those that would molest them.

Barbuel specializes in astral combat. His auspices are useful in the endeavors of shielding, warding, banishing, and exorcism. He’s a master of all arts who can teach any handicraft or mechanical trade-- in fact, it's said that he can teach more in an instant than a group of masters could in twenty years. He can make the witch a better fighter and a better driver, and he can teach her the mechanics of the human body.

Marbas rules over the seas, all the waters, and all the lifeforms within them. He is attributed to the Qliphothic Sphere known as Ghagiel (Uranus/Beelzebuth) and the Qliphothic Tunnel ruled by A’ano’nin. This tunnel is related to the fifteenth tarot card known as the Devil and has a planetary attribution to Saturn. This pathway spans from Thagirion (Black Sun/Belfegore) to Samael (Mercury/Adrammelech) and is related to the Witch’s Sabbat. This stone of this path is the Black Diamond-- the variate of the Philosopher's Stone attainable through demonic alchemy.

According to grimoiric demonology, Marbas generally appears as a great lion or wild boar, to later adopt the form of a human male when coerced into so doing. His adoption of the form of a lion is more commonly recorded than his manifestation as a bore, and it is said that he will adopt specific forms in conformity with the black magickian’s desires. I made sure not to study his appearance prior to my first evocation of him so that I would have no presuppositions of his appearance for him to conform to, which makes it interesting that he appeared to have something resembling the head of a lion when he showed himself to me. Other demonographies depict him manifesting as a master workman wearing an apron.

Sources
The Dictionary of Demons; The Complete Book of Demonolatry Magic; Daemonolatry Goetia; the Online Writings of the Coven of the Golden Sigil; the Blog That This Next Hyperlink Leads to:
http://demonsanddemonolatry.com/demonic-underworld-council-president-marbas/

Magickal Chants

Io Barbas-Marbuel
“Hail Barbas/Marbuel”
A simple exclamation of the celebrant’s veneration of Barbas to be used in rites which call upon him.

Agios o Marbas, Agente ex Ghagiel—Salve Barbuel
“Numinous is Marbas, Emissary of Ghagiel—Hail Unto Barbuel”
A Latin chant used to call upon Marbas.

Qodesh la-Barbuel Geber ha-Ghagiel Va-Tehom
“Holy to Barbuel, Warrior of Ghagiel and Tehom”
A Hebrew chant used to call upon Barbuel. Tehom is the layer of Sitra Ahra wherein Ghagiel is located.

Liftoach Pandemonium, et germinet Marbas
“Open the Infernal Plane, and Bring Forth Marbas”
This chants calls upon Marbas while simultaneously presencing Qliphothic energy to build or strengthen a sacred space.

Invoco Marbas In Nomine Qliphoth
“I Call Marbas in the Name of the Qliphoth!”
In addition to calling forth Marbas, this chant simultaneously lulls the witch closer to the gnostic state (trance)

In Nomine Adamas Ater, Aperiatur Acharayim, Et Germinet, Et Germinet Marbas
“In the Name of the Black Diamond, Open the Infernal Plane, and Bring Forth, and Bring Forth Marbas!” In addition to calling forth Marbas, this chant simultaneously focuses the mind of the celebrant.

Aperiatur Qliphoth; Invoco Marbuel
“Open the Qliphoth; I Call to Marbuel!”
Invokes Marbas and strengthens the alchemical effects of the invocation rite. Only useful for invocation.

Renich Tasa Uberaca Biasa Icar Marbas
This is Marbas’s ‘demonic enn’ or traditional summoning chant]

-V.K. Jehannum
Agios Octinomos-Drakosophia