The True Grimoire

by Jake Stratton-Kent

The True Grimoire is a major contribution to the practice and study of magic, and is the first part of the Encyclopædia Goetica. Here the maligned Grimorium Verum has been restored to its rightful place as a coherent and eminently workable system of goetic magic. Jake Stratton-Kent has reconstructed a working version from the corrupted Italian and French versions of the grimoire. As a practicing necromancer with 40 years of experience his Verum is a clear exposition of how to contact and build a relationship with the spirits. The True Grimoire springs from the source of goetic magic, enabling us to unlock the secrets of the other grimoires. We are given insights into the Dragon Rouge, Key of Solomon, Lemegeton, Abramelin, Honorius, and the Black Pullet. This is a treasure trove for the student of magic. The True Grimoire lets us experience a grimoire tradition with links back to the Græco-Egyptian magical papyri and the necromancy of the original Goes. It also situates Verum in relation to a living tradtion, one which has taken root in the New World, finding expression in Quimbanda and the legion of Exus, the ‘people of the cemetery’ who have clear Verum equivalents. This is a constistently illuminating text. The copious notes of a working magician, combined with a scholarly attention to detail, enable us to use this text for its original purpose. The hierarchy of Verum and goetic spirits is restored, the nature of Astaroth is definitively set down. The planetary hours are explained, as are all the ritual requirements and preparations.

Genres: Occult, Magick, History

242 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 28, 2016

About the author

Jake Stratton-Kent has been a goetic magician since 1972, making more than forty years of continuous goetic practice. His practical work integrates the magical papyri, italo-french grimoires in particular the Grimorium Verum and African traditional religions with a focus on Quimbanda and magia negra. His interest in magic spans the ancient, medieval, renaissance, and modern as well as stretching from the West to the Middle East and crucially, the New World. His scholarly approach is backed with a personal relationship with the spirits.

Reviews

[Travis Stacey Watson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Be Prepared To Think

This is not a beginners how-to manual, kids. The author has decades of experience in goetic magic and has obviously spent time in the stacks of libraries most of us have never heard of. If you need to have your hand held, this is not the book for you. If, on the other hand, you are willing to read carefully, take notes, pull out other times to cross reference and generally act like a scholar, you are in the right place. While this is not the style of magic I prefer or practice, I can see where digging into this rich tome would provide practice riches for years to come.

[Julie McCord · Rating 5 out of 5]

A surprisingly smooth and easy read for its level of intelligence, this book is a solid improvement over earlier, more fragmented translations, along with a very persuasive study of the roots of goetic work in ancient chthonic rituals. I came away with a fondness for this particular grimoire, its unusually mild demons and respectful treatment of them.

[Inevitable_choice · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pretty fun read. Definitely satisfied my curiosity about historically accurate ways of making pacts with the spirits and black magic.