Raum
Raum is the fortieth of the 72 spirits catalogued in the Ars Goetia, the first section of the Lemegeton. He is described with the title of Earl, and his name is also spelled Raym in some editions of the catalog.
Last reviewed: 2026-07-20
Historical fact
In Mathers' edition (1904), Raum is described as initially appearing in the form of a crow, taking human form at the operator's command according to the text. The manuscript attributes to him the office of taking treasures out of kings' houses, destroying cities and the dignities of men, declaring things past, present, and to come, and causing love between friends and foes. The text further records, as a note of origin, that Raum belonged to the Order of Thrones before his fall — a detail of Christian angelological tradition incorporated into the manuscript's description of the spirit.
Interpretation — Solomonic Tradition (Mathers/Crowley, 1904)
In Mathers' edition, published with commentary by Aleister Crowley, Raum holds the catalog's fortieth position and is described as a great Earl, commanding 30 legions of spirits according to the text. He is listed with the attributes of taking treasures, destroying cities and dignities, and declaring things past, present, and to come.
Interpretation — Dr. Rudd's Tradition (manuscript, c. 1650)
The manuscript attributed to Thomas Rudd, predating Mathers' edition by roughly two and a half centuries, documents a related but distinct version of the catalog — in it, each of the 72 spirits, including Raum, is paired with a corresponding angel drawn from the Kabbalistic Shem HaMephorash system (72 divine names), a restraining/governing structural element absent from Mathers' edition. No reliable record of the specific angel name Rudd's manuscript assigns to Raum was found among the sources consulted for this entry; the general pairing practice is documented by researchers such as Joseph Peterson.
Interpretation — Luciferian Tradition (modern interpretation)
Modern Luciferian authors, chiefly Michael W. Ford (in works such as The Luciferian Goetia), reinterpret the Ars Goetia's 72 spirits as archetypal currents internal to the practitioner, to be recognized and integrated, rather than external entities commanded under a higher divine authority. In this reading, Raum's attributed power to take treasures from kings' houses and cast down dignities is read as the archetype of dismantling externally imposed authorities and hierarchies, releasing an inner 'treasure' of authentic potential; his origin among the Order of Thrones before his fall reinforces, in this symbolic key, the passage from an external divine order to the individual's sovereign self-assertion.
This section presents one tradition's interpretation, not a verifiable fact.
Frequently asked questions
- Are Raum and Raym the same spirit?
- Yes. Raum and Raym are variant spellings of the same name, found in different editions of the Ars Goetia catalog.
- What does the text record about Raum's origin?
- Mathers' manuscript notes that Raum belonged to the Order of Thrones before his fall — a reference to Christian angelic hierarchy incorporated into the spirit's description in the catalog.
- Is the Luciferian reading of Raum as old as the Mathers and Rudd traditions?
- No. It's a modern interpretation, developed mainly from the 2000s onward by Luciferian authors such as Michael W. Ford, who reframe the Ars Goetia's spirits as psychological archetypes for self-development — a contemporary symbolic reading, not a historical manuscript like Mathers' or Rudd's.
Sources
- S. L. MacGregor Mathers (trans.), Aleister Crowley (ed.). The Goetia: The Lesser Key of Solomon the King (1904).
- Joseph H. Peterson (ed.). The Lesser Key of Solomon (2001).
- Thomas Rudd (manuscript), ed. Adam McLean. Dr. Rudd's Treatise on Angel Magic (c. 1650 (2007 ed.)).
- Michael W. Ford. The Luciferian Goetia (2007).