In a lot of modern occult circles any talk of demons is generally frowned upon unless it's talk of how to defend yourself from them or exorcise them. This is interesting as it wasn't always this way. This is evident in the Keys of Solomon, specifically the Goetia. The Goetia focuses almost entirely on various demons and their means of summoning.
Demons were not always seen as the malevolent forces that most Westerners view them as now. In the beginning, demons (or daemons/daimons) where seen as non-human spirits that coexist with mankind. Just as there are good and evil people there were some spirits seen as good and some spirits seen as evil. With this in mind, it seems reasonable for a magician to summon a benevolent demon in order to solicit its help in some manner. No soul-selling or pacts necessary, just the petition to a non-human spirit.
I think that Christianity gets the most credit for the contemporary view of demons as evil beings out to possess your body and damn your soul. I only bring this up because even though the original concept of demons has been tinged by time and translation, there are still occultists that adamantly insist that one not deal with demons. It should be said that these people are usually "right handers" or "white witches." I find it ironic that they would hold to and support a predominantly Christian view of demons with the knowledge that they have been just as demonized for being witches of any kind. In light of this inaccuracy (largely translation-based in the first place), you would think that these occultists might be more sympathetic to demons.
Just something to think about the next time you see mention of summoning spirits or demons. For a much deeper view of demons, please see the link below.
Wikipedia on demons.
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