Who Is Vapula?
Vapula (also known as Naphula or Usin) appears as the 62nd spirit in the Ars Goetia, part of the 17th-century Lesser Key of Solomon. He is portrayed as a mighty duke of Hell commanding 36 legions of spirits and described as a griffin-winged lion. His domain is the teaching of philosophy, mechanics, science, and the liberal arts.
The accounts stem from Renaissance and early-modern ceremonial magic texts, where such spirits symbolized specific intellectual or creative faculties. Engaging with these ideas today is best approached as symbolic or psychological study, not literal summoning.
Classical Preparatory Framework
Historical grimoires outline elaborate preparation stages intended to focus the practitioner’s intent and create a sense of ritual order. These steps are described below for context only.
1. Study and Intent
Students were expected to research the Ars Goetia thoroughly—translations by S. L. MacGregor Mathers and Joseph Peterson are frequently cited. The intent was to pursue knowledge and mastery of skill, never malice. Petition writing clarified purpose and concentration.
2. Purification
Sources recommend short fasting periods (24–48 hours), abstaining from intoxicants, and performing symbolic banishing or cleansing ceremonies for several days beforehand. Cleansing the space with sage, salt, or incense represented psychological purification and readiness.
3. Timing
Texts link Vapula to operations on Tuesdays, the planetary day of Mars, but to be performed during the hour of Mercury, the planet of intellect. Planetary tables were used to select auspicious times—another form of mental preparation rather than a physical necessity.
4. Tools and Ritual Space
Descriptions include:
A triangle positioned beyond the circle as a focal point for visualization or contemplation.
Opening Banishing: Stand in the circle’s center. Perform the LBRP:
Face east, draw pentagram in air with athame while vibrating “YHVH.”
Repeat for south (“Adonai”), west (“Eheieh”), north (“AGLA”).
Invoke archangels: “Before me Raphael, behind me Gabriel…” etc.
End with: “For about me flames the pentagram, and in the column stands the six-rayed star.”
Consecration: Light candles at circle’s quarters. Sprinkle salt water around the perimeter, saying: “By the power of earth and water, I consecrate this space.”
Invocation of Preliminary Spirits: Call upon higher powers for authority:
Invoke the King of the East (e.g., Oriens) with his seal, then proceed clockwise for other directions if needed.
Summoning Conjuration: Face the triangle, hold Vapula’s sigil, and recite the First Conjuration (adapted from the Goetia):
“I do invocate and conjure thee, O Spirit Vapula; and being with power armed from the Supreme Majesty, I do strongly command thee, by Beralanensis, Baldachiensis, Paumachia, and Apologiae Sedes; by the most Powerful Princes, Genii, Liachidae, and Ministers of the Tartarean Abode; and by the Chief Prince of the Seat of Apologia in the Ninth Legion, I do invoke thee, and by invocating conjure thee. And being armed with power from the Supreme Majesty, I do strongly command thee, by Him Who spake and it was done, and unto whom all creatures be obedient… Appear thou visibly before this circle in a fair human shape, without deformity or horror. Come thou peaceably, visibly, and affably, now and without delay, manifesting that which I shall desire. For thou art conjured by the Name of the Living and True God, Helioren, wherefore fulfil thou my commands, and persist thou therein unto perfection… Come, in the Name Adonai, come, in the Name of the Lord, come, obey my commands!”
Repeat up to three times if no manifestation. Vibrate the name “VAPULA” emphatically.
Binding and License: If Vapula appears (as visions, sounds, or sensations—rarely physical), command:
“O thou Vapula, I bind thee by the power of these names… Teach me the arts and sciences as I desire, without falsehood or deceit.”
Ask your questions directly. When done, license to depart:
“I thank thee, Vapula, for thy presence and teachings. Depart in peace to thy abodes, harming none, and appear no more unless summoned by mine art. Go forth, I say, and be thou as thou wert before!”
Closing: Repeat LBRP. Extinguish candles counterclockwise. Bury or burn the sigil.
Post-Ritual and Cautions
Integration: Journal experiences immediately. Expect insights via dreams or synchronicities over days/weeks.
Protection: If unease arises, repeat banishings or seek a trusted occult mentor.
Risks: These rituals can trigger psychological distress (e.g., dissociation) or attract unwanted energies. Not for beginners—start with meditation or planetary invocations. Legally/ethically, this is symbolic; real harm to self/others voids any “power.”
A protective circle, about nine feet across, inscribed with divine names for focus and safety symbolism.
A knife or wand, a chalice, and a sigil of Vapula drawn on fresh parchment as meditative symbols.
Offerings such as frankincense, myrrh, or philosophical texts representing the pursuit of wisdom.