The Lesser Key of Solomon. Lemegeton Clavicula Salomonis. Grimoire. Joseph H. Peterson

The Lesser Key of Solomon. Lemegeton Clavicula Salomonis. Grimoire. Joseph H. Peterson

 I'm reading through Joseph H. Peterson's edition of "The Lesser Key of Solomon."

Compiled from original manuscripts and fragments in the British Museum Library, Joseph Peterson's new presentation is the most complete and accurate edition of this famous magical grimoire.

A widely respected scholar and archivist of occult texts, Peterson goes to great length to establish the provenance of each part of The Lessor Key of Solomon, and possible derivative works, including critical analyses of all major variations, utilizing fresh translations of earlier magical texts such as Johann Trithemius's Steganographia, The Archidoxes of Magic by Paracelsus, and newly discovered Hebrew manuscripts of the original Key of Solomon.

Abundantly illustrated, Peterson includes reproductions of the original magical circles, tools, and seals of the spirits with variations of certain drawings from various sources and notae missing from earlier editions.

This definitive edition of The Lesser Key of Solomon includes:

• Goetia—The ritual invocation of evil spirits and Solomons devices for binding them
  Theurgia Goetia—Continues the study of spirits that are “partly good and partly evil”
  Ars Paulina—Outlines the good spirits or angles governing the hours of the day and the signs of the zodiac. The text is purported to have been discovered by the Apostle Paul after he had been snatched up to heaven and includes “The Conjuration of the Holy Guardian Angel.”
  Ars Almadel—attributed to an Arab of the same name, this text describes twenty beneficial sprits that govern the zodiac
  Ars Notoria—With roots that go back to the 13th century Latin manuscripts, and probably even early oral traditions, this collection of orations and prayers in interspersed with magical words said to have mystical properties that can impart communion with God and knowledge of divine and human arts and sciences.
  Appendices, which include addenda found in the Sloan Manuscript 2731, Johan Weyer’s Psuedomonarchia demonum
  List of Sources
  Index 

 https://amzn.to/4bVroJ1

 

Arbatel. Concerning the Magic of the Ancients. Occult. Grimoire. Joseph H. Peterson

Arbatel. Concerning the Magic of the Ancients. Occult. Grimoire. Joseph H. Peterson

 

I'm enjoying "Arbatel: Concerning the Magic of the Ancient" edited by Joseph H. Peterson.

In many ways, Arbatel is unique among texts on magic. Unlike the vast majority of writings, it is clear, concise, and elegantly written. The practical instructions are straightforward and undemanding. When it first appeared in 1575, it attracted the attention of people with a surprisingly broad range of agendas, including some of the finest minds of the time. Often quoted and reprinted, both praised and condemned, its impact on western esoteric philosophy has been called "overwhelming."

Arbatel's magic is full of wonder and free from the sinister elements usually associated with texts on the subject. But it is about more than magic; filled with gnomic wisdom, it urges us to help our neighbors, be positive and grateful, and use time wisely. Above all, it teaches us to pay attention, looking for the wondrous and miraculous. In fact, to the author this virtually defines the magus.

* Included are illustrations, bibliography, index, and original Latin text.

* First English translation published since in 1655.

https://amzn.to/4fzYL5g 

 

The Sworn Book of Honorius. Liber Iuratus Honorii. Honorius of Thebes. Translated by Joseph Peterson

The Sworn Book of Honorius. Liber Iuratus Honorii. Honorius of Thebes. Translated by Joseph Peterson

I'm journeying back several hundred years to spend some time with "The Sworn Book of Honorius", which roughly dates to the 13th or 14th Century.
All of the grimoires and other works translated by Joseph Peterson are nicely done, but this one is particularly great.



As the title testifies, students were sworn to secrecy before being given access to this magic text, and only a few manuscripts have survived. Bits of its teachings, such as the use of the magic whistle for summoning spirits, are alluded to in other texts. Another key element of its ritual, the elaborate “Seal of God,” has been found in texts and amulets throughout Europe.
Interest in The Sworn Book of Honorius has grown in recent years, yet no modern translations have been attempted―until now.
Purporting to preserve the magic of Solomon in the face of intense persecution by religious authorities, this text includes one of the oldest and most detailed magic rituals. It contains a complete system of magic including how to attain the divine vision, communicate with holy angels, and control aerial, earthly, and infernal spirits for practical gain.
Largely ignored by historians until recently, this text is an important witness to the transmission of Kabbalah and Jewish mysticism to European Hermeticists.

The Book of Oberon. A Sourcebook of Elizabethan Magic. Folger Shakespeare Library. Edited by Joseph Peterson

The Book of Oberon. A Sourcebook of Elizabethan Magic. Folger Shakespeare Library.  Joseph Peterson

     I'm snowed in today, so I'm taking some time to start going through this translation of an anonymous 16th Century manuscript in the collection of the Folger Shakespeare Library.
     The original manuscript is untitled. The editors decided on this particular title for the book because one of the beings featured in the text is similar to Oberon, the King of the Fairies in Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream."Appropriately, I'm supplementing this by re-reading that play as well.



"A fascinating addition to the magical literature of the Elizabethan era, this lavishly illustrated grimoire is a must-have for magic practitioners, collectors, and historians. The Book of Oberon is the meticulous transcription and translation of a sixteenth-century manuscript acquired by the esteemed Folger Shakespeare Library. Unlike the more theoretical magic books of the era, this collection of spells, secrets, and summonings was compiled gradually by unknown authors for working practical magic.
Now published in a premium hardcover edition retaining the original's red lettering of significant words and holy names, The Book of Oberon includes rituals for summoning a long list of spirits and faeries (including Oberion, Fairy King and close relation to Shakespeare's Oberon); original drawings; common prescriptions used by cunning folk; instructions for dealing with Goetic demons that were censored in other texts; one of the oldest known copies of the magical manual The Enchiridion; and much more. This is a significant contribution to the annals of magical history, bringing to light the kind of grimoire that was commonplace in its era but is rarely published today."