Secrets of the Magickal Grimoires: The Classical Texts of Magick Deciphered

894 Pages·2005·13.68 MB·English

by  Aaron Leitch

About the Author
Aaron Leitch has been a scholar and spiritual seeker for over a decade. His
explorations have taken him into many fascinating areas of human spirituality,
their history and their modern practice. His writings (both in print and on the
web) cover such varied fields as Middle Eastern religion and mythology,
shamanism, Neoplatonism, Hermeticism and alchemy, traditional Wicca and
Neopaganism, the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, Thelema, angelology,
Qabalah, Enochiana, psychology and consciousness expansion, cyberspace,
modern social commentary, and several student resources. His most recent
project is Secrets of the Magickal Grimoires, released by Llewllyn Worldwide in
August 2005.
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Grimoire
(`Grim war') From the French; translated into English as "Grammar."
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary:
Grammar: n.... 3 a : a grammar textbook ... 4 : the principals or rules of an art,
science, or technique ...
Etymology: Middle English gramere, from Middle French gramaire,
modification of Latin grammatica, from Greek grammatikE, from feminine of
grammatikos of letters, from grammat-,gramma ... Date: 14th century.
In popular modern usage, the word grimoire refers specifically to a set of
medieval European magickal texts (notebooks, journals, and teaching aids) that
record that culture's form of practical magick. Their main focus is the
summoning of spiritual entities (celestial and infernal) for various shamanic
purposes.
Contents
Acknowledgments ... xv
Preface ... xvii
Introduction ... xix
Part One
Oculta Philosophia
CHAPTER ONE:
MEDIEVAL MAGICK ... 3
The Medieval and Renaissance Eras ... 3
The Classical Grimoires ... 7
The Picatrix (Ghdyat al-Hakim fi'l-sihr) ... 10
Key of Solomon the King (Clavicula Salomonis) ... 12
Lesser Key of Solomon (Lemegeton) ... 12
Goetia ... 12
Theurgia-Goetia ... 13
Pauline Art (Ars Paulina) ... 14
Almadel of Solomon ... 14
Ars Nova (The New Art) ... 16
Notary Arts (Ars Notaria) ... 17
Three Books of Occult Philosophy ... 19
The Magical Elements (Heptameron) ... 19
Fourth Book of Occult Philosophy ... 20
The Magus (Celestial Intelligencer) ... 20
The Book of the Sacred Magic of Abramelin the Mage ... 20
Arbatel of Magic (Arbatel de Magia Veterum) ... 21
Sworn Book of Honorius (Liber SacerJuratus) ... 22
The Dee Diaries ... 23
Five Books of the Mysteries (Quinti Libri Mysteriorum) ... 24
A True and Faithful Relation ... 24
The Grimoire of Armadel ... 25
Grimorium Verum ... 26
The Grand Grimoire (Red Dragon) ... 27
Conclusion ... 28
Medieval-Renaissance Time Line ... 31
CHAPTER TWO:
SHAMANISM, TRIBAL TO MEDIEVAL ... 35
Shamanism ... 38