PREFACE

In the year 1889, a learned expert on Kabbalistic Kabbalistic: relating to the Kabbalah, an ancient Jewish tradition of mystical interpretation of the Bible doctrines edited an English version of a work on ceremonial magic titled Clavicula Salomonis, or "The Key of Solomon the King." In an introduction to the work, he stated that he saw no reason to doubt—and therefore presumably accepted—the tradition that King Solomon was its author.¹ It should be added that Mr. Mathers original: "Mr. Mathers" refers to Samuel Liddell MacGregor Mathers (1854–1918), a famous British occultist and a founder of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. undertook his translation specifically for the use of occult students—that is, for those who believe in the effectiveness of magical rituals and may wish to practice them.

With this one exception, the large collection of literature dealing with "theurgic ceremonial" theurgic ceremonial: rituals intended to summon divine or supernatural powers, often for the purpose of spiritual elevation or communicating with spirits in its various branches has remained inaccessible to most readers. These texts exist in rare printed books and even rarer manuscripts, which are almost always written in foreign languages.² There is likely a significant group of people beyond occult students who would welcome a systematic account of magical practices—perhaps mainly as a curiosity regarding the superstitions of the ancient world, but also as a valuable contribution to certain areas of historical research. However, an edition intended specifically for occult students would likely discourage rather than attract such readers. In the present work, both interests have been considered as much as possible. The subject is—

¹ The work in its current form quotes the books of Ezekiel and Daniel, as well as the Gospel of John, and it mentions Saint Peter and Saint Paul. Most of these anachronisms anachronism: something placed in a time period where it does not belong, such as King Solomon quoting the New Testament centuries before it was written. are found in the pentacles pentacles: symbolic diagrams or talismans used in magical rituals that accompany the text.

² A thoughtful and excellent paper titled "Some Books on Magic" was contributed some time ago to the Transactions of the Bibliographical Society by J. H. Slater. While informative, it does not claim to be exhaustive and is not entirely accurate.