The True Grimoire

by Jake Stratton-Kent, Dr Alexander Cummins (Foreword)

The first volume of Jake Stratton-Kent’s Encyclopaedia Goetica is a reconstruction of the Grimorium Verum from the corrupted Italian and French versions of the grimoire. The True Grimoire comprises a coherent and eminently workable system of goetic magic, with extensive commentary and notes by a practicing necromancer.

The second edition appears thirteen years after the True Grimoire was first published, in which time it has become a critical and foundational work of the current magical revival. As Dr Alexander Cummins observes in his Foreword, the True Grimoire ‘spearheaded a particular renaissance in grimoire studies towards more informed historical analysis and more engaged mythopoetic ritual praxis, all the while centring the realities of hands-on cunning.’

In his introduction and notes to the grimoire, Stratton-Kent elucidates the importance of this concise and comprehensive text to magicians and students of magic

‘The grimoire deals with significant themes that other, often larger, texts have lost, omitted or obscured. […] It enables the persistent seeker to see, essentially, what many have failed to see, that underlying goetic magic is a hidden tradition of great depth and significance. It possesses a traditional methodology that confronts and deals directly with the same primal realities faced by our most remote ancestors; in which all later magic and religion had their original impetus, but which in the West is primarily preserved in goetic magic alone.’

We are given insights across the grimoire tradition into allied texts such as the Grand Grimoire and Red Dragon, the Key of Solomon, the Lemegeton, Abramelin, Honorius and the Black Pullet. This is a treasure trove for the student of magic. Stratton-Kent reveals a grimoire tradition with roots in the Graeco-Egyptian magical papyri and the necromancy of the goês.

The True Grimoire is an elemental and chthonic grimoire of conjuration, pact-making and spell-working. It clearly and concisely explains how to contact and build a relationship with the spirits, and the primary role of the intermediary spirit, whom JSK characterises as ‘akin in a real sense to the Holy Guardian Angel in the Abramelin system.’ The text provides the timing, tools and conjurations for what is an attainable and practical system of magic.

The new edition is augmented by two previously published and out of print essays by the ‘ The Spell for Success’ gives a comprehensive analysis of a key part of the Grimorium Verum ritual, which it shares with a number of other Solomonic works, but which originates conceptually in pre-Solomonic magic; and ‘The Conjuration of Nebiros,’ which details a complete conjuration from the author’s personal work, illustrating the entire process and contextualising it.

Genres: Occult, Magic, Esoterica, Nonfiction, Spirituality, Religion, History

282 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2009

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

[Gaze Santos · Rating 5 out of 5]

An immensely readable version of this oft overlooked grimoire. Apparently, Mr. Stratton-Kent and Joseph Peterson were working on a reconstruction of this particular grimoire simultaneously, yet independently for a while before they realized it. They soon started to inform each other's research. I haven't read Joseph Peterson's version, but I know that his editions tend to be very academic. Mr. Strattton-Kent's version is also well-researched, but it is obviously geared to the actual practitioner of magick, and the appendices offer many advice and observations to make this a living and workable system that can be used by the reader. The additional material also places the True Grimoire in context of the Western Magick tradition, and traces its influence into modern day Folk Magick in the Americas. A fascinating book that promises more to come, as it is only the first volume of the "Encyclopedia Goetica."

[Damien · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was about to give this two stars, but much of the material in the introduction and the appendices are worth four stars. The chapter on Astaroth is alone worth the price of the whole book. On the surface level, the actual Grimorium Verum seems a bit silly to me. However, the skilled and experienced magician who can read between the lines would be able to adapt the rituals with little inconvenience. I could sincerely say this this volume deserves a place on any serious occultists book shelf; however, it is much more a study in history and a reference than it is an instruction manual or beginner's guide.

[Anton Channing · Rating 4 out of 5]

Here we have volume one of Jake's "Encyclopedia Goetica", an edition of the True Grimoire, compiled from the diverse manuscripts of the Grimorium Verum. The book consists of three parts, the first being an extended introduction, the second being the Verum itself and the third being notes on interpretation and practise. A series of appendices on various related topics completes the work.

The first part starts by delving into the difficulties in compiling the grimoire from the existent manuscripts, many of which show variances and possible copying errors and omissions. Jake uses this discussion to explain compilation decisions over how discrepancies were resolved in this edition. This is perhaps the driest part of the book, but none-the-less informative and interesting. This section continues into much more captivating discussions on the use of sigils, comparisons with other grimoires and finally a discussion of the grimoire traditions roots in the rites of the Graeco-Egyptian magical papyri. These sections will prove enlightening for anyone interested in grimoiric history, practise, or their place in the survival of pre-Christian pagan and witchcraft traditions.

The grimoire itself seems on the surface to consist of very little useful magical material, offering a list of demons and their sigils with promises of miraculous spells for each, such as invisibility, teleportation, summoning tempests, causing earthquakes and bringing you any book you desire. It also includes a description of the tools, preparation, prayers and procedures required to make uses of these sigils. Unlike any other grimoire except Abramelin, the demons are contacted via an intermediary. Unlike the Abramelin this intermediary is not a Holy Guardian Angel, but a demon called Scirlin.

In the third part Jake attempts to decipher some of the more cryptic spells, such as the interpretation of invisibility as the shamanic ability to move freely in the world of spirits. An exploration of the demons of the grimoires and the pagan deities they represent code for, makes a fascinating read, as does the speculative unified heirarchy.

The third part seems to flow into the appendices, as if they are merely a continuation of the same section. On first read my favourite part of the discussion relates to the nature of the demon Astaroth, their gender in the Grimoire as male, whilst their origin likely lies in the female goddess, Astarte and also Hekate, Hermes and their hermaphroditic union, Hermacate. The discussion of the Verum in the Americas, with a particular focus on the Brazilian tradition of Quimbanda, also proves a fascinating read.

[C · Rating 4 out of 5]

Obviously a labor love and very informative. First book by the author I delved into and he clearly puts a lot into these books. As someone not using these grimoires I find the history and how they weave in and out of different volumes and points of history with each other very interesting. Especially the different names and attributions different spirits and gods take as they move through cultural and geographical settings.

[Skai Sheline · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolute treasure, the research that went I to this thing is phenomenal. The source text is the Grimoireum Verum, but the true treasure is Jake's notes. Well worth the read if one is interested in one of the underbellies of history, and an older understanding of the spiritual world.

[Louhikärmes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Much more than the grimoire Grimorium Verum itself. This is a work of dedication and love. Late JSK offers us his thorough research and points on how to actually work with the grimoire.

[Joe Crow · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jake Stratton-Kent's done an excellent job of collating and unifying the various editions of the Grimorium Verum. In addition, he's supplied a phenomenally useful set of annotations and explications of the text, as well as advice on how to adapt the techniques described for more personal acts of sorcery. This book genuinely deserves to be called The True Grimoire.

[Äsruþr Cyneaþsson · Rating 4 out of 5]

An amazing work from Stratton-Kent, who has researched and cross-referenced the classic grimoire's in order to correct mistranslated and misaligned sections of the originals. Through an intense syncretic process, Stratton-Kent has merged the versions of many grimoire's together to produce a clarified and accurate source book.

For any student of the goetia, this is an essential work.

[Aaron Meyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jake is on the edge of Goetic research and his work is crucial for those who wish to work with the system. With this book we have a highly workable system and his experience will help you go to the next level.

[Taliesin Lothlorien Gaia · Rating 5 out of 5]

one of my most valued books on solomonic/goetic magick.

[Bill Dean · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best translation (and additional material) of Grimoire Verum that I've ever read.

[Edric Unsane · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very good take on the Grimoirum Verum. Lots of references and comparisons make this book a must have for aspiring Occultists.

[Colin]

Here's that grimoire I mentioned above in my thoughts on Lucifer: Princeps. Generally speaking I really enjoy reading religious and religious-adjacent texts. My journey through the central texts of the major religions in college was a life-changing experience, and ever since then I've been seeking out the less widely-read stuff that lurks on the fringes. Like every kid raised on a steady diet of Dungeons & Dragons, metal, and video games, I had of course poked around in scans of Solomonic grimoires online before, even if only to steal the names of a few demons for use in D&D. So at some point I picked this book up with the intention of reading it (based largely on one hysterical reviewer comparing reading this book to giving a kid a loaded gun), and managed to very much not read it, until now. And I get the appeal. Here's a book (other grimoires are similar) that offers spiritual practice and ritual that purports to result in tangible, immediate benefits.Of course, said benefits require a *lot* of work and no small amount of risk, and the rewards are not always what they seem to be. Stratton-Kent (apparently a practicing necromancer, hell yes) has here attempted to reconstruct a lost text that partially survives only in sloppy reproductions, while offering a fair amount of supporting material, some of which borders on the academic. I say borders because he's occasionally garbage at the whole academia thing, in one case making an attempt to date the original text via a method that had me face-palming. And would some endnotes kill him? For the most part his arguments are convincing enough (and he backs them up with an impressive bibliography), and I appreciated how he was able to situate this text within a wider context of religious practice (including fascinating new-world religions like Quimbanda and the proto-grimoires of biblical times). Most of the back half of the volume consists of analysis of the reconstructed work itself, which opens it up marvelously and actually makes the stuff in here workable (or if not completely workable, presents it in a way that at least requires 100% less animal sacrifice and access to human body parts), if one were so inclined. Good stuff. Oh, and I guess this is the first of three volumes of the 'Encyclopedia Goetica?' (Actually five, as 'volumes' two and three are two volumes each.) Look for this occult book club that my attempt at getting back to reading more this year has turned into to continue in the near future. Let's see if I can squeeze something else a little less witchy in, in the meantime.