The Testament of Cyprian the Mage PDF
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ENCYCLOPÆDIA GOETICA VOLUME THREE THE TESTAMENT OF CYPRIAN THE MAGE JAKE STRATTON-KENT The Testament of Cyprian the Mage ENCYCLOPÆDIA GOETICA VOLUME III, COMPREHENDING THE BOOK OF SAINT CYPRIAN & HIS MAGICAL ELEMENTS AND AN ELUCIDATION OF THE TESTAMENT OF SOLOMON BIBLIOTHÈQUE ROUGE MMXIV COLOPHON: Published by Scarlet Imprint Copyright © Jake Stratton-Kent, 2014 Editors Peter Grey & Alkistis Dimech Proofreader Paul Holman Design and typography Fofó Original illustrations Oliver Liebeskind Printed and bound by CPI Antony Rowe ISBN 978-0-9574492-5-1 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted by any means without permission in writing from the publisher VOLUME I Contents Exhortatio Grimoire Timeline References and Abbreviations Defining and Redefining Magic PART I ST CYPRIAN Blue Grimoires Saint Cyprian of the Grimoires The Great Book of Saint Cyprian: Introduction The Life and Legend of Saint Cyprian Iamblichus The Confession of Saint Cyprian Conjunction Theoretical Implications: A Theurgic Interlude PART II THE TESTAMENT OF SOLOMON In Search of the Four Kings The Testament of Solomon The Spirits of the Testament of Solomon The Spirits of the Testament of Solomon: Decans The End of the Testament The Sibyl and the Hygromanteia The Sibyl of Thyatira Asmodeus A Word on Angelology PART III THE DECANS Gods of Time Egyptian and Hermetic Decans Solar Theology The Definitions of Asclepius The Asclepius Concerning Angels: The Vice-Regent Oriens Introducing the Sacred Book The Sacred Book of Hermes to Asclepius The Decans and Magical Characters The Correspondences Stones of the Decans Plants of the Decans Magical Animals INDEX Oliver Liebeskind ILLUSTRATIONS Cyprian the Mage The Queen of Sheba ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS My profound gratitude to the following, in no particular order: Humberto Maggi and Felix de Castro for help and encouragement at many points. To many on the Solomonic and GV yahoogroups for general and sustained encouragement. To Madam Misha for many, many things. To Asterion Mage. To Jonathan at Midian Books for kind words and actions, and to numerous bloggers around the world who have promoted both my writings and Underworld Apothecary. To Tasha and Brendan Hughes for behind the scenes crisis management. To the many I have likely forgotten at the last minute. To Peter and Alkistis, as ever, for their continued belief in my work. JSK EXHORTATIO CYPRIANI is to explore the implicit mythology of grimoire spirits and the APRIMARY PURPOSE OF THIS BOOK contexts from which it derives. It is hard to see how any modern magician can deem themselves traditional without approaching this head on, yet from 1875 to the present this has hardly been attempted at all. A post Mathers/Crowley stereotype has prevailed, of Goetic magic as the conjuring of obscurely named entities by a stereotyped process, where the identities and origins of the spirits are less important than rampant bibliophilia and an unexamined adoption of 19th century fallacies. The importance of understanding the spirits and their origins has been overlooked, even substituted for, by jokey adoption of fictional gobbledy gook. Simultaneously, a mock medieval methodology – shaped by unreconstructed colonialism and ‘middle class revulsion’ in the early revival period – has blighted our appreciation of the most legitimate and continuous strand in all of Western magic. Which is exactly what Goetic magic is; a primal inheritance retaining millennia of experience and tradition; which if properly understood would regenerate Western magic and underline its immense cultural significance, on a level equal to any spiritual tradition in the world. Talking of myth, in the inception of this rather curious book there was more than one incident of a principle arising in Geosophia, namely elastic geography. This principle or characteristic of mythic thinking takes various forms. In particular, regarding Saint Cyprian, there is the case of the two cities of Antioch. One in Syria built by the Seleucids, at times the most important city of the Roman Empire. The other in Asia Minor, Pisidia to be precise, famed for its precinct of Hecate and Mēn. Both were important, and in mythic geography possibly not as distinct as in geographical space. After all, Saint Cyprian of Carthage was and is prone to sharing iconography and other assets with our Cyprian. If this inter-changeability is to be accepted amongst folk saints, why should two cities not coincide in the popular imagination, or indeed in mine? The reader will therefore hopefully excuse me if despite commenting on Saint Cyprian I focus rather more on Syria in this volume, after serving Asia Minor well in the previous two. Saints and Syria have rather a history after all. Notably there was Saint Paul, who, under the name Saul was a persecutor of the early Christians. He was famously struck temporarily blind on his way to Damascus, capital of modern Syria, and transformed into the Apostle Paul. The circumstances of this transformation are noteworthy; he exchanged a Jewish name for a Roman when travelling out of Judea into Syria. There is a variety of opinion regarding Paul; some speak disparagingly of Paulianity when describing the politicised Church. On the other hand at least one grimoire bears his name, and many Gnostic sects were favourably disposed to his teachings. Certain ‘de-Hellenising’ elements of modern Protestantism – inimical to Platonising theology – might be described as wishing to transform their names in the other direction, and hurry back from Damascus forthwith. My invitation to the reader is to travel at first in the opposite direction, to proceed as it were from Damascus to Antioch. Not in order to espouse any early, middle or neo form of Platonism; only to gaze briefly upon what may be called low Platonism. This phrase represents the continuum between Orphics, from whom Plato borrowed many images and mythic concepts, and the later magicians of the papyri who were familiar with Platonic concepts, but more practically oriented. That he borrowed from them before they did so from him excuses the fact that magicians are not necessarily philosophers. However, in reviewing the heritage of magic it is often useful to examine the philosophical species and their notions without necessarily converting to their camp. This can be achieved, as outlined in earlier volumes; by bearing in mind that eschatology precedes philosophy and theology as the defining principle of magic and popular religion. It is only necessarily to gaze briefly upon it, since though its name is unfamiliar, low Platonism is easy to recognise. It has been covertly foisted upon us for some time. The ingrained habit of going through the motions with generic Qabalah (partly inherited from Renaissance Neoplatonists) has been a substitute for a reappraisal of Platonic concepts underlying our magical tradition; whilst retaining much that originates with it. We have become oblivious to the fact that many of us are low Platonists, in a great variety of ways both practical and theoretical. The point is, as begun in Geosophia, to delve beneath the ‘host traditions’ and reclaim archaic Goetia. To not be, so to speak, low Platonic but to get sub-Platonic. CREDERE CUM CURA I one endeavour is to confront various issues arising from the role of Christianity in N THIS BOOK magic, redressing certain perceptions and imbalances. This will be controversial, and hopefully enlightening, for believers and non-believers alike. Among the issues involved, indeed perhaps the most important, are omissions formerly introduced into Western spirituality. Prohibitions relating to animistic beliefs and practices, concerning trees, streams, stones &c. were introduced in the post pagan period. So too, as discussed in previous works, many former ways of relating to the dead were largely eradicated. These omissions, as perhaps most will concede, do not serve magical practice well. Where Western magic reflects these theological amputations, it contrasts strongly with other traditions worldwide; the result is not a unique and superior form, but a greatly reduced one. What is perhaps not fully appreciated is that these omissions do not characterise all forms of Christian magic currently extant. In the ‘Africanised’ forms of Christianity, many of which involve rich magical traditions, such elements are not omitted but remain central. In effect this means that such omissions are not necessarily characteristic of Christian magic. Although historically European culture underwent this particular socio-political purging, the process may be reversed within a Christian magical paradigm. In addition, we must ask ourselves what exactly this paradigm is. For example, the role of eschatological matters in the development of magic leads to the question, what is Christian eschatology? It may surprise many of my readers to learn that there is no simple answer to this. In fact two radically contrasting eschatological conceptions can be detected throughout the history of Christianity. One of these is thoroughly Platonist, with or without incorporating additional elements from Neoplatonism. The impression that these elements only entered Christian magic during the Renaissance is a false one; many of the Church Fathers were sympathetic to Platonism, or even committed to it. Platonic eschatology melds readily with approaches as seemingly disparate as the Greek magical papyri and New World traditions influenced by Kardecian Spiritism, as well as the grimoires and Renaissance Cabalism. Any attempt to depict these as inherently non-Christian is bound to fail. While non-Christian forms may exist, the underlying elements of Platonism still make for compatibility and potential synthesis. At the same time of course this model was not originally Christian, so such an orientation is not essential to it either. The relationship of magic with Christianity is a thorny subject in some circles and the source of some disconcerting attitudes. On the one hand I have personally witnessed Wiccans sneering at images of saints in a Hoodoo botanica. These were oblivious to possible charges of racism, not to mention ignorance of vibrant magical traditions; which smacks also of complacency. One – with no sense of irony – charged the shop-holders with bigotry, presumably for not subscribing to his beliefs. This is by no means true of all witches however. On the other hand there are many grimoire magicians who, while reverential of Renaissance magic, are impervious to the respect the Renaissance magicians had for Classical lore. Not to mention the origins of grimoire practice in the magical papyri and ancient Neo-platonism, and magical astrology in Sabeanism and the Chaldean astrological magic of the Seleucid Empire. To return to witches however, although there are obvious similarities with some of the modern magical practices carried out by Wiccans, most of the methods and techniques used by the old-time witches bear little resemblance to those used by today’s neo-pagan witches. Often the cunning folk practised dual faith observance and the charms, amulets, prayers and incantations they used invoked Jesus, the Virgin Mary, the Trinity and the company of saints. Psalms were used for magical purposes as spells and they still are in some modern traditional witchcraft circles. With the coming of the new faith of Christianity and the suppression of the ancient pagan religions, objects such as crucifixes, saints’ medallions, the host and holy water were widely used by folk magicians because they were believed to possess ‘virtue’ or magical energy and inherent healing power. Christian symbolism was used in folk magic rituals involving psychic protection, counter-magic and healing. Many of the old pagan charms were Christianised and some of the saints took on the earlier attributes of Pagan gods and goddesses. Sacred springs previously dedicated to goddesses for instance were re-dedicated either to the Virgin Mary or to female saints such as Winefrede or Bride. Healing charms replaced the names of pagan deities such as Woden, Loki and Thor with those of God, Jesus and the Holy Ghost. Many of the grimoires used by witches and the practitioners of folk magic also inevitably contained Judeo-Christian symbolism. Some modern traditional witches still follow dual faith observance using the psalms for magical purposes, working with the company of saints and employing Christian imagery, symbolism and liturgy, often in a heretical and subversive way. The neo-Pagan witch speaks of ways that harm none, while the modern traditional witch – in common with the witches and cunning folk of the past – can both cure and curse as the need arises. Here the magic, while Christian, is undoubtedly authentic rather than a romantic revival. Similar practices can be found in Vodou, Hoodoo, Santeria, Macumba, Ju-ju and Obeah in the Americas and in Africa. A Catholic model of the universe, including heaven, purgatory and the underworld, influenced Congolese acceptance and use of Catholicism in their magical practices, such as Palo Mayombe. It is just as useful in Western necromancy. QUI EST SUMMUS DEI? O in envisioning Western magical tradition coherently is that the decisive formative NE PROBLEM role of an occult synthesis in the ancient world is either not properly understood, or not considered in various artificial reconstructions. So too the major role of late pagan monotheism in this period is often unsuspected; leading to unnecessary disconnections of neo- Paganism with ritual magic, where its influence is more integral via literary sources. I stress unnecessary, as the needs of neo-Paganism and of ritual magic, Christian or otherwise, are served equally by the historical models here employed. Let us take neo-Paganism based on Babylonian tradition. A ‘Jovist’ model often applies here, centred on Marduk as King of the gods. Marduk’s pre-eminence however was in an earlier period
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