Ask Black Witch Coven, Blog, Demons
Ask Savannah: What is the best book to learn Solomons Magic…
Ask Savannah
Many people have been asking us questions such as:
- what are the best books to learn solomons magic?
- do I have to follow the ritual exactly?
- I have not been able to summon a spirit with ceremonial magic! Why?
- can I work with angels and demons and not offend (the angels or the demons)?
- will I suffer consequences for working with (the opposite side)
- do I have to pick a side?
- Is this undertaking putting me at risk due to potentially conflicting energies?
It can be confusing as a newcomer, not to understand what is required to have success in any specific magical tradition. In fact, chaos magicians like myself have made a good mess in the magical world by fusing multiple traditions for our own personal benefit. In reality this is not the best path for the beginner. There’s a lot to be said for those people who are following a magical path or tradition to completion, before entering onto a new path. It’s only because I’ve had many decades on this earth that I have been able to cherry pick what I like because I understand how to manipulate all the systems to achieve what I personally need.
Suggested Books:
Veritable Key of Solomon by Steven Skinner
Archangels of Magick: Rituals for Prosperity, Healing, Love, Wisdom, Divination and Success by Damon Brand
The Lesser Key of Solomon
The Lesser Key of Solomon or Clavicula Salomonis , is an anonymous 17th-century grimoire. It is divided into five books: The Ars Goetia, Ars Theurgia, Ars Paulina, Ars Almadel, and Ars Notoria. The Lesser Key of Solomon contains detailed descriptions of spirits and the conjurations needed to invoke and oblige them to do the will of the conjurer (referred to as the “exorcist”). It details the protective signs and rituals to be performed, the actions necessary to prevent the spirits from gaining control, the preparations prior to the invocations, and instructions on how to make the necessary instruments for the execution of these rituals.
Note – You can buy the book (click on the book to your right), or read all 5 books free on the esoteric archives website, by click on the book titles below.
Ars Goetia
The first section, called Ars Goetia, contains descriptions of the seventy-two demons that Solomon is said to have evoked and confined in a brass vessel sealed by magic symbols, and that he obliged to work for him. It gives instructions on constructing a similar brass vessel, and using the proper magic formula to safely call up those demons.
It deals with the evocation of all classes of spirits, evil, indifferent and good; its opening Rites are those of Paimon, Orias, Astaroth and the whole cohort of Infernus.
The second section is called Theurgia Goëtia, deals with the spirits of the cardinal points and their inferiors. These are mixed natures, some good and some “evil.”
The Ars Theurgia Goetia is the second section of The Lesser Key of Solomon. It explains the names, characteristics and seals of the 31 aerial spirits (called chiefs, emperors, kings and princes) that King Solomon invoked and confined. It also explains the protections against them, the names of their servant spirits, the conjurations to invoke them, and their nature, that is both good and evil.
The first chapter refers on how to deal with the angels of the several hours of the day (meaning day and night), to their seals, their nature, their servants (called Dukes), the relation of these angels with the seven planets known at that time, the proper astrological aspects to invoke them, their names (in a couple of cases coinciding with two of the seventy-two demons mentioned in the Ars Goetia, the conjuration and the invocation to call them, the Table of practice.
The second chapter concerns the angels that rule over the zodiacal signs and each degree of every sign, their relation with the four elements, Fire, Earth, Water and Air, their names, and their seals. These are called here the angels of men, because all persons are born under a zodiacal sign, with the Sun at a specific degree of it.
This section contains a collection of prayers (some of them divided in several parts) mixed with kabbalistic and magical words in several languages (i.e. Hebrew, Greek, etc.), how the prayers must be said, and the relation that these rituals have to the understanding of all sciences. It mentions the aspects of the Moon in relation with the prayers. It also says that the prayers act as an invocation to God’s angels. According to the book, the correct spelling of the prayers gives the knowledge of the science related to each one and also a good memory, stability of mind, and eloquence. This chapter presents the precepts that have to be observed to obtain a good result.
The Ars Notoria is a magician’s manual, which was widely distributed and very popular in the 13th-16th century, but virtually unknown today. It is however still very relevant in the 21st century because it contains detailed techniques to enable the practitioner to absorb whole subjects very rapidly, and to understand very complex subjects on first reading, as well as remembering whatever has been read. “The Ars Notoria stands alone in its own category of angel grimoires, for while most other Solomonic grimoires are concerned with the evocation of spirits or demons, the Ars Notoria instead was concerned only with memory and the ability to understand and absorb whole subjects rapidly. It offered to grant almost instant proficiency in any of the seven Liberal Arts, making it a veritable student’s grimoire, a key to obtaining knowledge rapidly.” Skinner
