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    The Key of Solomon the King: Clavicula Salomonis
    The Key of Solomon the King: Clavicula Salomonis
    The Key of Solomon the King: Clavicula Salomonis
    Ebook296 pages3 hours

    The Key of Solomon the King: Clavicula Salomonis

    By S. L. MacGregor Mathers and Joseph Peterson

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    A magical grimoire of sigils and rituals for summoning and mastering spirits, The Key of Solomon the King is the most famous, or infamous, of all magick books. It has influenced everything from the revival of magick and the Western Mystery Traditions (tarot, alchemy, astrology, etc.) to fictional works such as Lovecraft’s The Necronomicon.

    Purported to have been penned by King Solomon himself, the book provides instruction for incantations, rituals, and sigils used to call upon and control spirits and demons. Those practicing magick have used it extensively through the centuries, but its true origins and purpose have been lost in the mists of time.

    No library of the contemporary occult student or practicing magician is complete without this tome. It remains a standard of esoteric lore by which others are measured. This edition includes a new foreword by noted esoteric scholar Joseph Peterson.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherRed Wheel Weiser
    Release dateNov 1, 2016
    ISBN9781633410428
    The Key of Solomon the King: Clavicula Salomonis
    Author

    S. L. MacGregor Mathers

    The Tarot includes works by some of the most important founders of the modern tarot and esoteric movement, including: Arthur Edward Waite, Papus, Harriette Augusta Curtiss & F. Homer Curtiss, S. L. MacGregor Mathers, Eliphaz Levi, P. R. S. Foli, P.D. Ouspensky, Manly P. Hall, and A.E. Thierens.

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      Book preview

      The Key of Solomon the King - S. L. MacGregor Mathers

      This edition first published in 2016 by Weiser Books, an imprint of

      Red Wheel/Weiser, LLC

      With offices at:

      65 Parker Street, Suite 7

      Newburyport, MA 01950

      www.redwheelweiser.com

      Copyright © 2016 by Red Wheel/Weiser, LLC

      Foreword and redrawn interior and cover illustrations by Joseph H. Peterson, copyright © 2016 Red Wheel/Weiser, LLC

      All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from Red Wheel/Weiser, LLC. Reviewers may quote brief passages. First American edition published in 1972 as The Key of Solomon the King (Clavicula Salomonis) by Routledge and K. Paul, ISBN: 0710073240, paperback edition published in 1989 as The Key of Solomon the King by Samuel Weiser, ISBN 0877286981, published in 2000 as The Key of Solomon the King by Samuel Weiser, ISBN 087728931X, and published in 2006 as The Key of Solomon the King by Weiser Books, ISBN 978-0-87728-931-9.

      ISBN: 978-1-57863-608-2

      Clavicula Salomonia. English

      The key of Solomon the King (Clavicula Salomonis / translated and edited from manuscripts in the British Museum by S. Liddell MacGregor Mathers ; foreword by R. A. Gilbert.

      p. cm

      Originally published: London : G. Redway, 1889.

      Includes bibliographical references.

      ISBN 0-87728-931-X (pbk.: alk. paper), ISBN 0-87728-945-X (alk. paper)

      1. Magic—Early works to 1800. 2. Magic, Jewish—Early works to 1800.

      I. Solomon, King of Israel. II. Mathers, S. L. MacGregor (Samuel Liddell MacGregor), 1854–1918. III. Title.

      BF1601 .C5313 2000

      133.4'3—dc21 99-048471

      Cover design by Jim Warner

      Interior by Steve Amarillo/Urban Design LLC

      Typeset in Adobe Sabon

      Printed in the United States of America

      EBM

      10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

      www.redwheelweiser.com

      www.redwheelweiser.com/newsletter

      CONTENTS

      FOREWORD BY JOSEPH H. PETERSON

      PREFACE

      PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE

      INTRODUCTION

      FROM ADD. MSS. 10862

      INTRODUCTION

      FROM LANSDOWNE MSS. 1203

      NOTE BY EDITOR

      BOOK I

      CHAPTER I

      CONCERNING THE DIVINE LOVE WHICH OUGHT TO PRECEDE THE ACQUISITION OF THIS KNOWLEDGE

      CHAPTER II

      OF THE DAYS, AND HOURS, AND OF THE VIRTUES OF THE PLANETS

      CHAPTER III

      CONCERNING THE ARTS

      CHAPTER IV

      THE CONFESSION TO BE MADE BY THE EXORCIST

      CHAPTER V

      PRAYERS AND CONJURATIONS

      CHAPTER VI

      STRONGER AND MORE POTENT CONJURATION

      CHAPTER VII

      AN EXTREMELY POWERFUL CONJURATION

      CHAPTER VIII

      CONCERNING THE MEDALS OR PENTACLES, AND THE MANNER OF CONSTRUCTING THEM

      CHAPTER IX

      OF THE EXPERIMENT CONCERNING THINGS STOLEN, AND HOW IT SHOULD BE PERFORMED

      CHAPTER X

      OF THE EXPERIMENT OF INVISIBILITY, AND HOW IT SHOULD BE PERFORMED

      CHAPTER XI

      TO HINDER A SPORTSMAN FROM KILLING ANY GAME

      CHAPTER XII

      HOW TO MAKE THE MAGIC GARTERS

      CHAPTER XIII

      HOW TO MAKE THE MAGIC CARPET PROPER FOR INTERROGATING THE INTELLIGENCES, SO AS TO OBTAIN AN ANSWER REGARDING WHATSOEVER MATTER ONE MAY WISH TO LEARN

      CHAPTER XIV

      HOW TO RENDER THYSELF MASTER OF A TREASURE POSSESSED BY THE SPIRITS

      CHAPTER XV

      OF THE EXPERIMENT OF SEEKING FAVOUR AND LOVE

      CHAPTER XVI

      HOW OPERATIONS OF MOCKERY, INVISIBILITY, AND DECEIT SHOULD BE PREPARED

      CHAPTER XVII

      HOW EXTRAORDINARY EXPERIMENTS AND OPERATIONS SHOULD BE PREPARED

      CHAPTER XVIII

      CONCERNING THE HOLY PENTACLES OR MEDALS

      THE HOLY PENTACLES

      BOOK II

      PREFATORY NOTE

      CHAPTER I

      AT WHAT HOUR AFTER THE PREPARATION OF ALL THINGS NECESSARY, WE SHOULD BRING THE EXERCISE OF THE ART TO PERFECTION

      CHAPTER II

      IN WHAT MANNER THE MASTER OF THE ART SHOULD KEEP, RULE, AND GOVERN HIMSELF

      CHAPTER III

      HOW THE COMPANIONS OR DISCIPLES OF THE MASTER OF THE ART OUGHT TO REGULATE AND GOVERN THEMSELVES

      CHAPTER IV

      CONCERNING THE FASTING, CARE, AND THINGS TO BE OBSERVED

      CHAPTER V

      CONCERNING THE BATHS, AND HOW THEY ARE TO BE ARRANGED

      CHAPTER VI

      OF THE GARMENTS AND SHOES OF THE ART

      CHAPTER VII

      OF PLACES WHEREIN WE MAY CONVENIENTLY EXECUTE THE EXPERIMENTS AND OPERATIONS OF THE ART

      CHAPTER VIII

      OF THE KNIFE, SWORD, SICKLE, PONIARD, DAGGER, LANCE, WAND, STAFF, AND OTHER INSTRUMENTS OF MAGICAL ART

      CHAPTER IX

      OF THE FORMATION OF THE CIRCLE

      CHAPTER X

      CONCERNING INCENSE, SUFFUMIGATIONS, PERFUMES, ODOURS, AND SIMILAR THINGS WHICH ARE USED IN MAGICAL ARTS

      CHAPTER XI

      OF THE WATER, AND OF THE HYSSOP

      CHAPTER XII

      OF THE LIGHT, AND OF THE FIRE

      CHAPTER XIII

      CONCERNING THE PRECEPTS OF THE ART

      CHAPTER XIV

      OF THE PEN, INK, AND COLOURS

      CHAPTER XV

      OF THE PEN OF THE SWALLOW AND OF THE CROW

      CHAPTER XVI

      OF THE BLOOD OF THE BAT, PIGEON, AND OTHER ANIMALS

      CHAPTER XVII

      OF VIRGIN PARCHMENT, OR VIRGIN PAPER, AND HOW IT SHOULD BE PREPARED

      CHAPTER XVIII

      OF WAX AND VIRGIN EARTH

      CHAPTER XIX

      CONCERNING THE NEEDLE AND OTHER IRON INSTRUMENTS

      CHAPTER XX

      CONCERNING THE SILKEN CLOTH

      CHAPTER XXI

      CONCERNING CHARACTERS, AND THE CONSECRATION OF THE MAGICAL BOOK

      CHAPTER XXII

      CONCERNING SACRIFICES TO THE SPIRITS, AND HOW THEY SHOULD BE MADE

      ANCIENT FRAGMENT OF THE KEY OF SOLOMON

      THE QABALISTICAL INVOCATION OF SOLOMON

      APPENDIX

      REPRODUCTION OF ORIGINAL PLATES

      FOREWORD

      The Key of Solomon (Latin Clavicula Salomonis) is the most famous and important of all handbooks of Magic (or grimoires).¹ Attested in the West for the first time in 1310,² its popularity spread widely, circulating in many manuscript variations and languages. The Inquisition banned it in 1559, probably adding fuel to the fire. The famous Giacomo Casanova was caught with a copy and imprisoned by the Inquisition in 1755. References to it can be found in historical records as well as popular media. Its importance and influence are also well attested by the sheer number of extant manuscripts.

      I first read about the text in Cavendish's popular book The Black Arts.³ I immediately made it my mission to track it down and see what all the fuss was about. In those days, it turned out to be harder to find than I supposed, which no doubt added to the mystique. In the end, it lived up to its promise, giving detailed instructions for working practical magic, using prayers, amulets, and magic circles. It also contains hacks, or tricks of the trade, for making other magic texts more effective. This could account for the title clavicula (little key).⁴

      Although Solomon's reputation of commanding demons goes back to late antiquity,⁵ I think it is safe to say the Biblical King Solomon did not author the text. One of the oldest texts claiming to explain Solomon's methods was the first to third century Testament of Solomon.⁶ In that text the source of his power was a magic ring, which allowed him to control the demons for various purposes, including building his temple in Jerusalem. The use of a magic ring is conspicuously absent from the Key however.

      Mathers and his importance

      This fascinating text was edited and translated by one of the main characters in the occult revival that took place throughout the 1800s, Samuel Liddell Mathers. His enormous influence can be attributed both to his publications, as well as the lasting legacy of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, which he co-founded. It was also amplified by the order's other famous members, such as W.B. Yeats, A. E. Waite, and Aleister Crowley.

      While Mathers was unquestionably an innovator and a creative force, he was part of a movement that can trace its lineage to occultists and groups that included Ebenezer Sibly, John Denley, Francis Barrett, the secret society known as the Mercurii, the Societas Rosicruciana in Anglia (SRIA), and Frederick Hockley. They circulated earlier English translations of the Key of Solomon in manuscript, such as the 1834 translation (from French) associated with George Graham, a noted balloonist and associate of Hockley.⁷ In fact, one motive for Mathers doing a new translation may have been a mistrust of Graham's translation, due to the more obvious errors (such as Zenard for Tzabaoth), and the sinister elements found in Graham's manuscript (such as references to Lucifer and Belzebut).

      Mathers set about studying the best early manuscripts he could find in the British Museum (now the British Library). It must have been quickly clear to him that the manuscripts varied widely in content, and reconstructing a supposed uncorrupted ur-text impossible. He took the course of starting with one of the more readable and coherent manuscripts, and supplementing from the others. Though the challenge was considerable, Mathers published his edition in 1889. The first printing was tiny, and exorbitantly priced, but its influence was enormous. Mathers had founded the Golden Dawn in 1888, along with Westcott and Woodman, and members who could afford the book were subscribers; others had access to a copy in the order's library.

      The nature of the text and its evolution

      The text of the Key of Solomon as codified by Mathers is clearly the product of a complicated evolution. Each copyist brings their prejudices to the process, as we do in reading it. They also introduced their own errors, especially evident in the magic words (voces magicae). Often we see material get rearranged, glosses and material from unrelated texts added, and content abridged, expurgated, or dropped for various reasons. Some versions include some Hebrew, in Hebrew lettering or transcription, where others substitute the vernacular equivalent.⁸ Some manuscripts systematically substitute Christian elements. In some cases, the copyist was intent on accumulating material, in other cases the objective was to delete anything not directly necessary.⁹

      Robert Mathiesen identified 122 Key of Solomon manuscripts, grouping them into eleven classes; Skinner and Rankin expanded this to 150 manuscripts and fourteen classes. The manuscripts which Mathers consulted represent only a few of those classes.¹⁰

      The fact that the Key was widely known is attested in literature, the many manuscripts in many languages, as well as the extent that the manuscripts diverge from each other. All of the transformative activity attests to the fact that many of the copyists or owners were practitioners. Casanova gives details of some of his attempts to perform Solomonic magic to recover treasure. Trial records are also full of references of individuals trying to perform the rituals.¹¹

      Its legacy

      The influence of Mathers' edition of the Key of Solomon has been widespread. It is clear it directly influenced his Golden Dawn rituals, Thelema, Gerald Gardner and the Wicca movement, and many if not most subsequent groups practicing ritual magic.¹² The Internet and social media have nearly constant references to it, and many discussion groups with thousands of members each focus on it. The copy on esotericarchives.com has had over twenty million downloads at last check — the most of any of the texts on that site. Its legacy can also be found in films, literature, video games, and comic books.¹³ Jewelry and talismans are also widely available for purchase from multiple suppliers, based directly on Mathers' artwork.

      Comments of caution about Mathers' edition

      It should be noted that Mathers' translation is primarily based on late manuscripts. A critical edition of the best texts is still not available.¹⁴ His work was influenced by his (Victorian) prejudices and his own personal approach to magic, including abhorrence to mistreatment of animals, use of blood, and other sinister elements.

      Although his footnotes add greatly to understanding his process, they are not systematic, and can mislead one to think the manuscripts are much more consistent than they are. It is likewise easy to forget the fact that you are reading a composite edition.

      Nevertheless, the criticism that Mathers made extensive alterations or omissions to the text is simply unfounded.¹⁵ In fact, Mathers made only four excisions of any significance, three of which are operations dealing with love magic.¹⁶ The fourth excision is the chapter on operations and experiments regarding hate and destruction of enemies.¹⁷ He also omitted one paragraph from the chapter dealing with the use of blood, which is quite graphic and disturbing. Mathers also substituted Hebrew for the Latin biblical passages on the pentacles, which he regarded as reconstructions. He also attempted to identify and reconstruct other Hebrew elements, especially where the manuscripts varied widely. Another element that he systematically Hebraised is substituting ALEPH and the TAU where the manuscripts all have the very Christian Alpha et Omega.

      Mathers' choice of using King Jame Bible Version (KJV)-like archaic English has been criticized as misleading one to assume a stronger biblical connection. While this may be the case, it was consistent with the practice of the day, such as Conybeare's 1898 translation of the Testament of Solomon.¹⁸ Graham did likewise in his translation of the Clavicula, which Mathers likely had access to. Francis Barrett does the same for some magical operations in his 1801 The Magus, which Mathers knew and quoted elsewhere.¹⁹ In any event it contributes to the overall effect one has in reading the text.

      Mathers' translation is primarily based on French Colorno manuscript exemplars dating 18th century. Abraham Colorno, a Jewish engineer of Mantua (fl. 1578-1598) supposedly translated it from the Italian. Mathers was well qualified to translate French texts, and as stated above, these are the most readable and coherent of his exemplars. The Latin manuscripts he drew on proved much more difficult to read, in spite of the command of that language evident from his translation of Kabbala Denudata.²⁰ He mainly used Add. 10862 for the voces magicae. It is not clear how proficient he was in Italian, but the writing of those manuscripts (Sloane 1307 and parts of Additional 10862) is also very difficult to read. They also include more elements Mathers found offensive (love spells and black magic). Nevertheless he does make limited use of them. In the introduction he acknowledged Westcott's help with the Hebrew.

      Also heavily used by Mathers was Les Véritables Clavicules de Salomon, Traduites de l'Hebreux en langue Latine Par le Rabin Abognazar (Lansdowne MSS 1203.) Its inclusion by Mathers is puzzling because it is utterly different in content from the other manuscripts, aside from a few of the pentacles at the end of the manuscript, and really should stand alone as a separate text. Fortunately, he carefully identifies all such insertions.

      Likewise, the ancient fragment of the Key of Solomon and Qabalistical Invocation of Solomon from the writings of Eliphaz Lévi are not attested in any earlier manuscripts of the Clavicula Salomonis to my knowledge.

      With the availability of additional manuscripts, a couple of other points can be cleared up. One is the proliferation of ritual tools. It seems that the sickle, poniard, and dagger were all introduced in the later manuscripts by a simple misunderstanding. The source of the confusion is the rare Latin word artavus, or quill knife. It seems the pen of the art could either be a feather quill OR a stylus: If a quill is to be used, a quill knife is needed for sharpening it. Later manuscripts misunderstood the Latin, leaving it either untranslated (and subsequently corrupted) or mistranslated it as sickle. Moreover, the terms for knife and sword were probably used synonymously, and only one instrument was intended for drawing the magic circle. Likewise, as in the Sworn Book of Honorius, the terms for wand and staff were

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