Papal Magic: Occult Practices Within the Catholic Church

by Simon

It is acknowledged Church doctrine that sorcery is the specific domain of the Devil. Yet occult tales are liberally sprinkled throughout the Old and New Testaments, from the spirit-invoking Witch of Endor to the story of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead. Throughout its 2,000 year history, the Church has spawned numerous mystical religious orders, like the Knights Templar, that may have been engaged in supernatural pursuits, while no fewer than three popes were believed to be involved in occult practices. Christian scriptures tell us that the occult is real, while Catholic priests are thought to have spiritual power over ghosts and evil entities. But if a priest can cast out demons during the rites of exorcism, does it not imply he has the ability to summon them as well? In this eye-opening, provocative work, leading occult scholar Simon examines the Church's unspoken relationship with forbidden magic by exploring the infamous seventeenth-century document considered by some to be the most demonic of all occult texts—the Grimoire of Pope Honorius III —and illuminates the Vatican's darkest hidden corners.

Genres: Occult, Religion, Christianity, Nonfiction, Conspiracy Theories, History, Church

224 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

Librarian note: This author uses only one name.

Reviews

[Deacon Tom (Feeling Better) · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF

Bad research

[Atlas]

“I had HarperCollins, one of the largest publishers in the world, interested in my material. But when I sent them my sample chapters on request from one of the editors, they actually had one of their other authors (my former friend Peter Levenda, who had recommended me to them) steal my work and publish it as his own. The book Papal Magic by Simon (Levenda‘s pen name and the “editor” of the Necronomicon) was almost entirely ripped from one of my sample chapters, word for word. I can’t afford a lawyer and thus can do nothing about it."

“The roots of the Hocus Pocus essay actually come from a detailed chapter outline I wrote for another book that I proposed to HarperCollins in 2006. I asked Peter [Levenda] if he could hook me up with his editor [Peter Hubbard] there. He gave me the guy’s email address, and I sent a 1-page query to the editor. The guy wrote back saying he was interested and wanted to see a detailed outline with sample chapters. I sent these to him. I never heard back from him. A few months later, Papal Magic came out. It followed my outline almost exactly.

Yes, I am saying that Peter Levenda stole my book. Probably on the advice of his editor [ Peter Hubbard at HarperCollins – William Morrow ]. It’s not uncommon for editors to take book proposals they like from unknown authors, and give them to more famous authors to write, screwing the original author completely. I just didn’t think Peter [Levenda] would do that to me, but he did.”

“[W]ell, it took me a while to figure out what happened. After I didn’t hear back from the editor, I just forgot about the book proposal completely. I interviewed Peter for the radio show. Everything seemed kosher. He didn’t tell me about Papal Magic when it came out. I found it myself at the book store one day. And in fact, even when I read it, I noticed some similarities with what I had written, but I actually assumed that I had sent the proposal after Papal Magic was published, or after it was in production. I thought maybe that was why the publisher hadn’t gotten back to me–because he already had a book about the same subject in the works. Until one day I was came across the original emails I sent. I checked the dates of the emails and the dates of Papal Magic’s publication. And I looked at the chapter outline I had sent, and compared it with the book. In some cases entire paragraphs are almost identical. Then I realized what had happened.”


Tracy Twyman https://papal.magicos.zone/

[Zwahk Muchoney · Rating 4 out of 5]

While Simon is primarily known for his 1977 publication titled "The Necronomicon" my favorite book by the author is "Papal Magic". This book is split into 2 parts, The first being a dark occult history of the Catholic church while the second part is a medieval grimoire supposedly written by a pope.

A couple of the spells stood out as unintentionally hilarious. One such example is called "protection from rabbits" which is essentially a guide for farmers who are trying to get rid of rabbits as pests. When I read the title I couldn't help but think of the 1973 movie "Night of the Lepus" in which a pack of mutant killer bunny rabbits rampage across the American southwest. There's also a spell to cure hemorrhoids where the grimoire literally suggests that the reader spit on their finger, stick it up their butt and ask Jesus to fix the ailment.

If you're a big fan of Dan Brown novels, medieval magical cookbooks, or you're just looking for page-turner to read over the weekend check it out. I wouldn't take this book too seriously but it is a damn entertaining read.

[Jake Rueth · Rating 1 out of 5]

As a fan of both Twyman and Levenda, and then hearing the scandal about this book, I had to give it a read. What I admire about both authors is their rigorous research and notations. This book lacks a lot of the common sources, footnotes, and fact checking. The book started with a heavy Twyman vibe, but after the first chapter, there is a shift in writing that is completely stale. If this was Levenda, I would think he’d work in more about “wandering bishops” and other buzz phrases/topics that he frequently includes in his books. All in all this seems like a thrown together book, where the publisher may have simply chucked Tracy’s notes to a ghost writer. I have not read the other works of “Simon” to compare and contrast the writing styles, but either way, this just wasn’t a good book.

[Arti · Rating 3 out of 5]

Freemasons, OTO, Catholic Church, and Demonology... seems more of Tracy R Twyman themes.

There is a rumor that the book was written by Tracy Twyman in 2006, under the name "The Cave of Treasures: Discoveries at Rennes-le-Chateau" I don't doubt it, knowing her style and themes. Could she be Simon, her pen name?

[Trey Nowell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very enjoyable read, could not put it down.