Goddess Lilith: Prayers, Symbols, Books & More [Guide]

In pop culture, Lilith is one of those intriguing characters that brings some mystery between the sacred, the mundane, and the pagan too! What’s the truth about Lilith? Is she a goddess? Is she a demon? Let’s find it out with this article about Lilith.

Who is Lilith?

Lilith is the female demon associated with storms, believed to be the bringer of misfortune and death. The figure of Lilith initially appears in a set of demons and spirits linked to the wind and the storm, as is the case in the Sumerian religiosity of Lilith, around 3,000 BC.

Formerly, for the Jewish and Islamic traditions, Lilith was the first wife of Adam, who was expelled from Eden and replaced by Eve because she refused to submit to his authority, even in a sexual sense.

The myth of Lilith

In the Bible, there are two versions of the creation of man. In the first chapter of Genesis, it is written:

“God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.”

It is therefore clear that man and woman were created together. However, at another point, in the second chapter, it is said that God, after creating man, was convinced that he was not well alone and made him fall into a deep sleep.

At that point, from his rib he would give life to Eve, the companion who would then eat the famous apple that generated original sin and that would mark mankind forever.

Lilith and Adam

The cabala, to explain this contradiction, suggests that Adam was a being who represented both sexes united by the back. When God realized the situation was not quite what he wanted, he divided them.

In a text of the tenth century, however, a different interpretation appears in which another thesis is supported, that, in fact, Eve was not Adam’s first companion. This is where Lilith comes in.

Lilith, the first woman, and controversial figure

The testimony of Lilith’s existence would be found in Ben Sira’s Alphabet, an anonymous text that tells a different version of creation. Here it is written that:

“God created Lilith, the first woman, as he created Adam. From the same earth, he created there, but for Ella he was an exception, also using dirt and sediments and not just hard dust.”

The first woman would therefore have been made of a different and more “dirty” mixture than the man. This version would “justify” her attitude, which was not exactly that of the good housewife.

In fact, according to what is reported by Ben Sira’s Alphabet and according to what is written in other texts such as the Sefer ha-Zohar and the Book of Splendor, Lilith did not accept being made to procreate, being silent, and being Adam’s companion. On the contrary, she wanted to stand up to him and dominate him:

“She said: ‘I will not stay under you!’, And he said, ‘And I will not lie under you, but only above. For you it is only suitable to be below, while I am made to be above.”

Adam’s attitude caused Lilith outrage and fury, to the point that she decided to invoke God, calling his name out loud: this was considered a disrespectful act, especially if performed by a woman and led to the immediate punishment of the first woman, who was sent away from Eden.

Lilith out of Eden: Asmodeus’s companion

There are at least three versions of Lilith’s fate outside Eden: the first tells that she was confined to the caves of the Red Sea, where she would still live dedicating herself to pagan rites in full harmony with nature.

On the other hand, the second version says she was the lover of every demon in the world: in essence, once she left the Garden of God, she would have lain with the demons present on earth to prove that she did not need divine grace.

This version, however, would be forced and is not very valid for the followers of Lilith, who point out that since there are only two human beings on a still pure earth, there certainly could not be many demons.

A third version says that Lilith could be allowed to return to Eden as long as she became the protector of all newborns. Lilith, however, saw it as an affront: taking care of children not her own would be a punishment. It seems therefore that she went far away until she met the demon Asmodeus.

Between the two it was an instant love or, at least, it was something that resembled it; it seems that they chose each other as companions and that Lilith gave birth to many Lilim, or demon children, also called jinn.

At this point, it seems that once again God tried to bring her back. He commissioned three angels, Senoy, Sansenoy, and Semangelof, to look for her. The three did not use the right strategy: they ordered her to return by threatening her with death, but she replied that she could not return to Adam after having had a relationship with a demon and that she would never be able to die because she became immortal.

At that point, the angels told her that they would kill all of her children; she said that if that were the case, she would have reserved the same fate for any child of Adam.

Finally, she begged the three angels to leave, saying that she would live far from her former partner and that in the future just naming the names of the angels would be enough to appease her wrath against any human descendants.

Lilith and Lucifer, legend and feminism

Yet another version, often taken from literature, TV series, and cinema describes Lilith as Lucifer’s companion. Basically, it seems that Lilith at some point has moved far, far away from the places she previously lived.

This wandering led her, by chance or by destiny, to meet an angel without strength, beautiful and with apparently broken wings: it was Lucifer, fallen from Heaven, sent away by God.

It is said that, at this point, the two treated each other’s wounds and gave birth to a lineage of demons. However, it is impossible to define Lilith as a real villain. On the contrary, her figure is more an expression of the unconscious, of rebellion, and of female emancipation.

Although she was often seen as a negative figure (in the past an adulteress or a woman repudiated by her husband were called Daughters of Lilith), the neo-pagan religions and contemporary emancipatory movements are re-evaluating the figure.

Lilith has in fact become a symbol of femininity crushed by the male chauvinist patriarchal system and then returned to being mistress of herself, without any constraints and free to enjoy passions.

The figure of Lilith is often associated with a negative and dark principle. Some magical traditions place her as the protector of necromancers during summons or as a guide on earth for spirits thirsting for blood vapors.

However, all this leaves a lot of space for fantasy and suggestion; occultists instead consider Lilith as an entity that influences human beings in their sexual-cerebral aspect, causing a strong intellectual excitement and an erotic hypersensitivity, both at times a sign of genius and recklessness, but also of sexual “alterations” such as sadism.

Leaving aside this first analysis, the image of Lilith is universally accepted as that of a bipolar force, capable of provoking, through bivalent manifestations (female and male), phenomena of infestations, imbalances, disharmonies, and sometimes self-destructive follies.

Is Lilith a goddess or a demon?

Actually, this is all about you. If your soul resonates with Lilith she can be your goddess and even your spirit guide. She has some demonic traits for sure but it truly depends on the perspective with which you see everything like her story and her myth.

A woman who can’t be tamed is a powerful woman and I can see in her actions a way to defeat patriarchy and live her own identity fully, fiercely, and completely.

If she makes you feel safe, supported, and protective, she is your goddess and her dark nuances are just a means to give you the energy you need to be the best version of yourself. Honestly, to me, Lilith is a goddess!

What is Lilith a goddess of?

Lilith is a goddess of femininity, of the moon, but also of an ancestral force able to bring destruction.

How do you know that Lilith is calling you?

• If you feel your femininity is taking over
• When you feel the need to fight for female rights
• When you feel attracted to the night
• When you feel a stormy energy inside of you

Best ways to connect with Lilith

Connect with the unknown and ask Lilith to join you

If you want to explore the darkness and its creatures, ask Lilith to join you and guide your craft. She is going to be the perfect entity to let you attract some spirit or entities in your life. Be careful though!

Invoke her when casting a sex spell

Her energy is definitely in tune with the one required in sex spells! Invoke her to enhance the effects of the practice and see how it goes.

Perform moon rituals

Lilith is strongly connected with the Moon, especially the Dark Moon. Perform a moon ritual to let her know you are on the same page and your energy is ready to connect with hers too.

How do you honor Lilith?

• Practice red magic
• Practice black magic
• Spend some time outside at night
• Embrace your femininity
• Create an altar in her honor

Prayer for Lilith

“Lilith, mother of women,
show me the way,
be my guide to be unleashed, free, empowered
heart, body, soul, and magic
so be it.“

What are Lilith’s favorite offerings?

• Chocolate: this is considered to be an aphrodisiac and Lilith, being linked to sex and the physical sphere, truly likes it.
• Roses: rose is asymbol of passion, it’s a great offering to Lilith.
• Sigil: Create a sigil in her name. She is going to appreciate it.

What are Lilith’s symbols?

In Karmic astrology and therefore in the Zodiac, Lilith represents the Black Moon: the darkest sides of the human being.

It essentially depicts the removed, and therefore dark and hidden, part of every woman; that part is instinctive and wild, seductive and full of energy, unpredictable and unmanageable by men, but not bad for that.

Lilith is associated with the Black Moon in Karmic astrology. But man is afraid of such a creature and, instead of integrating it into himself and into his own culture, foolishly fights it and pushes it back to hell.

The Black Moon also symbolizes the shadowy part of the human being in general, what necessarily crept into him when he came into contact with matter.

“Necessarily” because, without this dark area, there would be no human being; there would be only pure spirits without the possibility of experience.

Symbol	Correspondences
Owl	Wisdom, intuition, connection with Lilith
Serpent	Rebirth, transformation, feminine power
Black Moon	Mysticism, hidden knowledge, Lilith’s energy
Apple	Forbidden knowledge, temptation, femininity
Crescent Moon	Goddess energy, intuition, feminine cycles
Screech Owl	Night vision, divine guidance, Lilith’s presence
Black Rose	Mystery, seduction, Lilith’s essence
Bat	Transition, rebirth, connection with the night
Dark Water	Depths of emotions, divine feminine energy

The Black Moon is therefore what makes experience and growth possible, sometimes represented as a “descent into the Underworld”.

She is greedy for man’s seed and is always lurking, attentive, where the seed can go scatter, especially between the sheets.

All the seed that does not end up in the wife’s matrix is hers, all the seed that every man has wasted in his life for dreams or vice or adultery becomes hers.

This is how sexuality has for centuries become synonymous with sin, with a dirty thing, with loss of reason. Also for this reason the “dark side” of the erotic charge that is in us, has in the Black Moon, called by all Lilith, its reference star and its protective Goddess.

Best books about Lilith

Lilith the First Eve by Siegmund Hurwitz

If you are intrigued by the origins and the biblical connections between Lilith and the origin of Adam and Eve, this book has it all! It’s great and in-depth research unveils many myths and stories about Lilith and her legacy as a symbol of feminism.

Embracing Lilith by Mark H Williams

To connect with Lilith, this book is the perfect starting point. It’s going to be a wonderful journey exploring Lilith but, most of all, tells how you can create a deep connection and use her power to enhance your inner wisdom, your personality, and even your craft.

Lilith The Mother of all Dark Creatures by E. R. Vernor

If you prefer diving into the dark features of Lilith and how she is connected with darkness and its creatures, this is the book you need to read! This is the most complex and complete read to know all about this she-demon, her origins, and how her legend turned into a myth and an icon still trending these days.

Lilith artwork

Art has shaped, reinterpreted, and transformed her.

According to Christian iconography, she is a beautiful naked woman with blue hair and red eyes. In the late Middle Ages, she is a half-human, half-snake creature. For nineteenth-century painters, she is a woman of irresistible beauty, hairy, with hooves instead of feet, very long curly hair, red or gold, eyes of fire, and silver or blue skin.

Physical variations aside, chameleon Lilith has ridden through time, adapting to its changes. Deviless and giver of death, damned, vampire, and seductress first, then rebel and icon later. This artwork here represents both sides of Lilith, seen as a demon and a goddess all in one.

My favorite Lilith ritual

This ritual is perfect to summon Lilith. First of all, I recommend meditating outdoors, in nature, before proceeding with the ritual, and if you don’t have the possibility, absolutely do it in the afternoon (if the day is windy it is better).

Put fresh flowers (lilies) on the altar as thanks to Lilith. I do not recommend the ritual procedure if there are other people in the house, you cannot have any disturbance from external sources.

One last piece of advice to be fulfilled is to create an invocation, prayer, or mantra to the desired entity, in this case to Lilith; you will have to recite it on the nights of the new moon.

Let’s start with the ritual

Ingredients

• Sigil
• Mirror
• Black linen cloth
• Moonstone
• Incense sticks
• Candles (black & white)

To begin, let’s open the circle; the methods are varied, but for this ritual, I would recommend opening it with clay powder.

Now, let’s move on to setting up the altar. We place the two candles at both ends (on the candles you can engrave the symbols of Lilith if you want).

In the center we will place the mirror with the Lilith sigil written on it, then cover the mirror with a black linen cloth. The sigil must be pre-loaded a few minutes before the ritual.

Now place three sticks of incense on the front of the altar.

The moonstone can be placed on the altar or kept with you; if you want to opt for the latter, you will have to wear clothes from natural fabric. You can keep the formula or invocation on the altar or, if you have the time, learn it by heart. Now that we have all the material sorted, let’s move on to the working part for us.

Start meditating, relax your body, and free your mind; you should not have dealt with electrical tools for at least a few hours before the ritual.

Now that you are in a meditative state, you can mentally repeat the request to have contact with Lilith or recite the mantra in a low voice, if you have created one.

At this point, it would be time to pronounce the invocation or the formula written previously; this formula must be heard by the practitioner, so if it does not also reflect the dialectic of your language, it would be better to modify it.

“Lilith, I need you with me.
May my call be heard by you.
Come here, where I summoned you.”

Now let’s talk a little about the final part. In the procedure of the ritual, you can always keep your eyes open or closed, this will be up to you to decide.

Once the work is done, thank Lilith, which you can do by donating the flowers previously collected and placing them under a tree, or through a song or prayer, as long as you feel this part is yours.

Now, let’s close the circle; you can close it by sweeping the clay dust away with the broom (if you use the broom, purify it before use), or break up the circle in the opposite direction to its creation.

The altar should not be touched until the first light of the following day, so both candles and incense should not be extinguished.