First Mirror of Lilith
The First Mirror of Lilith (primum speculum Lilit) is a ritual to invoke Lilith and ask her questions through the assistance of necromancy using a mirror engraved with Solomonic symbols and text.
The ritual recalls Lilith's identity as a mirror spirit found in the Zohar in Pekudei: Verse 920. In this verse, any man who vainly looks into a mirror during the night of a new moon risks awakening the demon Asirta, who in turn, will summon Lilith to torment him.
Background
The only known Renaissance-era ritual involving Lilith comes from the fifteenth-century Munich Manual of Demonic Magic (Liber incantationum, exorcismorum et fascinationum variarum). Among the book's magical workings, many of which are unique to this manual, is a ritual called the First Mirror of Lilith (primum speculum Lilit). This operation is a form of divination using necromancy.
By constructing and consecrating a mirror to Lilith, the magician may discover information concerning murders, thefts, and other hidden matters. In this ritual, Lilith is not conjured as a visible apparition, but invoked through reflection. The mirror becomes a kind of portable magic triangle. The magician addresses her as a wandering spirit whose gaze reaches into secret places, whose night-sight pierces concealment.
Lilith's connection to Camio
According to the introduction, the power of this ritual comes from the majestic reflection which links the magician with Lilith and her soldiers who are serving under the demon Caym. As a queen in her own right, existing completely outside the structure of the Ars Goetia, it is odd that Lilith would be placed in the demonic hierarchy under the 53rd Goetic demon. Caym, also called Caim or Camio, appears in the form of a bird, but later changes into the shape of a man. In this ritual, Lilith is honored as a ruler over birds and admonished not to appear in the form of a crow. This may be why she is connected with Caym, a bird demon.
Scholarly analysis
Several modern occultists have studied this ritual and published their opinion on its validity.
In his 2025 book, The Lilith Liturgy, Travis McHenry stated that previous translations of the ritual were highly dubious and contained obvious errors. "The most obvious blunder was failing to recognize the inclusion of contemporary Middle High German words in the text (balbieit, zelans, zelles di medo, cadavies) which Richard Kieckhefer, who first translated the text in 1998, thought were demonic or divine names." His book contains the entire ritual as well as detailed instructions for creating the mirror.
Some authors have questioned if the ritual is intended to summon Lilith at all. The handwritten manuscript seems to slip from "Lyleth" into "Byleth" at times. This would summon a completely different spirit, the 13th Goetic demon, Beleth.
Occultist Christopher Warnock created the mirror and performed the ritual with the only outcome of becoming violently ill afterward.
The ritual
The ritual opens with an invocation conjuring "you demons" in the name of the Father and Son and Holy Spirit. It then gives a list of the powers of Jesus Christ, including his conquest over death and fear.
After performing the initial invocation, the mirror can be engraved with the following text:
- Deus sanctus (Holy God)
- Deus omnipotens (Almighty God)
- Deus fortis (Strong God)
- Deus inmortalis (Immortal God)
- Pater futuri seculi (Father of the World to Come)
The mirror should be in the shape of a shield, but this is not strictly required. It will also be engraved with three Solomonic pentagrams.
Then the magician is instructed to take the mirror to a crossroads or to the burial place of someone who was murdered and perform a second invocation. The second invocation uses the divine names of God and asks that Lilith appear in the mirror to answer questions at whatever hour she is called. It is likely that the answers to questions would be revealed by scrying in the reflection of the mirror.