The Seven Princes of Hell: Exploring the Infernal Rulers

Throughout history, demonologists and magicians have spoken of seven ruling spirits, the Princes of Hell, whose power mirrors the celestial hierarchy they once opposed.

Their names surface in medieval texts such as the Lanterne of Light (1409), the Classification of Demons by Peter Binsfeld (1589), and the Dictionnaire Infernal (1818).

Each prince governs a vice, a realm of influence, and a current of initiation. Yet beneath theology lies a deeper mystery: the seven are not merely tempters but archetypal forces of transformation. They govern the primal instincts, passions, and desires that religion sought to suppress but which the magician learns to master and transmute.

To call upon them is not to fall, but to descend deliberately into one’s own infernal sovereignty, where nominal weakness becomes power and will replaces fear.

Lucifer – Pride and Illumination

Lucifer, “the Light-Bearer,” stands as the Morning Star, the first among the fallen. Traditionally associated with the sin of Pride, he embodies the will to ascend beyond limitation and to affirm the Self as divine.

For the magician, Lucifer is the flame of LHP consciousness – the revelation that one’s spirit contains its own divinity.

Summoning Lucifer awakens intellect, creative power, and independence. Those who work with Lucifer learn that rebellion is THE way to greater clarity on their life’s purpose.

Also, they realieze that the Left-Hand Path is the only true way of achieving spiritual elevation, as it allows the practitioner to maintain individuality while growing in spiritual power, rather than disolving into the void/God/Being.

Domains: enlightenment, freedom, identity, self-deification, illumination through rebellion.
Symbols: morning star, torch, crown, serpent, open eye.
Element: Air and Fire.

I explore Lucifer’s powers, ritual correspondences, enn and practical applications in much greater depth in my complete Lucifer guide.

Satan – Wrath and Liberation

Satan’s name means “Adversary.” He is the great opposer – not evil, but resistance itself. In theology he became the tempter; in occult understanding he is the engine of liberation, the spirit that challenges stagnation and moral tyranny.

Satan’s fire is destructive only to what enslaves. His current purges weakness, compels courage, and demands that the magician act with total authenticity and without limits to achieve his goals.

Domains: courage, destruction of illusion, liberation through confrontation, rebellion against oppression.
Symbols: black flame, serpent, the burning throne, the sword.
Element: Fire.

Leviathan – Depth and Emotional Mastery

Leviathan, the great serpent of the abyss, rules the element of Water and the domain of emotion. In the oldest myths he encircles the world; to the magician, he is the vast ocean of the subconscious that swings between tempest and stillness.

Leviathan governs the tides of emotion: love, rage, desire, and sorrow. Through his current one learns to descend into feeling without drowning in it, achieving internal peace in the process.

Summoning Leviathan can heals emotional wounds, dissolve guilt, and restore our mind back to the tranquility of the primordial Waters.

Domains: emotional balance, intuition, astral awareness, dream work, serenity through surrender.
Symbols: sea serpent, mirror, spiral shell, still water.
Element: Water.

Belial – Independence and Dominion

Belial means “Without Master.” In the grimoires he is a King of Earth and a giver of dignities. The church called him the spirit of Lawlessness, while magicians know him as the embodiment of unshakable strength needed to achieve great things.

When Belial is summoned properly, his current disolves weakness. His infernal, yet grounding energy can be invaluable for outperforming the competition and achieving worldly success.

Domains: freedom, leadership, material power, independence, justice.
Symbols: crown, iron sceptre, desert throne, broken chain.
Element: Earth.

Mammon – Greed and Manifestation

Mammon, demon of wealth, is often maligned as the spirit of Greed. Yet greed, properly transmuted, becomes aspiration and material mastery.

Mammon’s current teaches the alchemy of possession: how to command matter and indulge in pleasures of the world without being enslaved by them.

He’s known as the Treasurer of Hell and Ambassador to England, and as the demon overseeing merchants and trade.

Mammon was traditionally prayed to and presented offerings by ancient mercantile peoples of the Medditeranean, most notably the Phoenicians.

He can be summoned directly when its warranted. His infernal energy is helpful in achieving business and career success and improving ones material circumstances in general.

Domains: wealth, prosperity, business, material control, financial wisdom.
Symbols: gold coin, bull, sigil of the merchant, ring.
Element: Earth.

Beelzebub – Dominion and Influence

Beelzebub, once Baal-Zebul, Lord of the High Place, was revered as a god of storms and exaltation before he became known as a Prince of Hell. He rules the element of Air, commanding intellect, charisma and influence.

His link with Gluttony speaks not of indulgence but of insatiable ambition. The hunger to rise, to be recognized, to command.

Beelzebub teaches persuasive authority, as in projecting presence and inspiring loyalty in others. But he can also be used for black magic, destroying tyrannical forces and bringing people under the influence of other spirits.

Domains: leadership, charisma, persuasion, fame, command of spirits and people.
Symbols: winged crown, sceptre, fly, radiant halo.
Element: Air.

Asmodeus – Lust and Desire

Asmodeus, or Ashmedai, is the prince of Lust and ruler of carnal magic. Far from being a mere tempter, he embodies the creative fire of passion, the drive that unites and creates worlds.

This Prince of Hell governs sexual power, artistry, charm, and transmutation of desire into positive outcomes. His energy dissolves guilt when its tied to pleasure.

Asmodeus is best summoned to raise attractiveness and to enjoy carnal pleasures with greater intensity. He is the demon of sexual exploration and one that raises the Fire element in the practitioner, when an injection of passion is needed.

Domains: sexuality, magnetism, creation, transformation of passion into force.
Symbols: flame, dragon, spear, three-headed crown.
Element: Fire.

Belphegor – Sloth and Genius

Belphegor, the prince of Sloth, is paradoxically a spirit of invention. He teaches the art of ease, revealing how stillness conceals insight.

What the ignorant call laziness, magicians recognize as receptivity to genius – the power of letting creation flow without effort.

Belphegor often grants ideas, inventions, and strategic solutions. His current teaches that true mastery can in fact be effortless, when one aligns with their inner purpose, or what Crowley labeled True Will.

Domains: inspiration, innovation, manifestation through rest, mastery of time.
Symbols: chair, open book, twilight flame.
Element: Earth and Air.

The Infernal Crown

Together, these seven form the Infernal Crown, the seven facets of self-deification, seven gates into the underworld of consciousness. To work with them in invocatory manner is to explore primordial human drives and reclaim them as divine power.

The magician who internalizes these forces becomes a more fulfilled individual. He becomes free of internal limitations to his thoughts and expressions, which were put in place by both spiritual and earthly forces long before he could have a say on the matter.

Final Thoughts

Clearly, I don’t share the opinion of the Church on these entities. The Seven Princes of Hell are not tyrants to be feared. Each governs a realm of the soul, and through their currents, the practitioner transforms into a more powerful being.

In ceremonial work, the seven can be invoked as a council, as part of a demonic stack: Lucifer presiding as light-bringer, the others as ministers of transformation within their respective domains: wealth, power, passion, genius, freedom, and stillness.

For those who wish to go into direct ceremonial invocation of the Infernal Crown, I can perform this sequence of personalized rituals to help you awaken these attributes within you.