QUEEN OF HELL
by Mark A. Smith
I X A X A A R
Reviewed by Stephen Sennitt (posted with permission)

This is the latest in a succession of beautifully produced hardback, limited edition books from Ixaxaar, and is, I think, their most sumptuous and thought-provoking production yet-a seductive combination for collectors of truly gorgeous occult/magickal tomes that also have a parity in terms of their contents.

Not that Mark Smith is a master of style in terms of prose; in fact, in many places Queen of Hell struggles for coherence, no doubt in light of the truly stupendous gnosis it attempts to relate. There are passages which seem to swirl back on themselves, getting nowhere, as though Smith is casting around somewhat futilely in an attempt to conjure into words the magnitude of his visionary encounters with the Infernal Trinity of Hecate, Lucifer and Belial. And then, suddenly in a passage here and there, or in a line of his often poetically inspired invocations/evocations, a glimmer of the true dark light pulsates through and more than makes up for the effort it takes to get to the heart of the matter. In fact, it is this evident struggle on the author´s part to find a worthy form of expression that ultimately convinces the reader of his work´s genuineness: the overriding sense is not one of a writer incapable of doing his subject justice, but one who has really seen and sensed what he is writing about, and is attempting to get it down in the mundane form of plain prose text.

This is not to say that the book has no literary merit at all-some passages are excellent, and the many invocations/evocations are frequently potent and nicely phrased — but that its sense of authenticity and power is generated from a source beyond such literary considerations, residing instead in the dark gnosis it imparts, via the overwhelming sense that the book acts as a conduit linking the reader directly to the source of Smith´s inspiration. To explicate further: my assertion is that this book acts as a direct and potent link to Hecate Herself, and therefore transcends the function of most other magickal texts in a similar way to which the mythical Necronomicon transcends run-of-the-mill 18^th century grimoires. This is no more evident than in the final third of the book, The Book of the Inner Sanctum which contains some of the most powerful and illuminating philosophical exegeses and magickal formulae I have ever encountered, in particular ´The Toad Rite of Hecate´ and ´The Rite of the Phoenix´.

In light of this, I do not think it is exaggerating too much to say Queen of Hell is destined to have a massive impact on the future of magick and occult philosophy which will grow over the coming years.

I think it marks a revolutionary breakthrough in the struggle to discover Gnostic reintegration with the true source of Being.

This text originally appeared in Issue 10 of the British Journal of Thelema, under Reviews. It is our intention to make available here on the site all of the book reviews we’ve published. Grimoire Publishing, by Jake Stratton-Kent, was compiled as an essay rather than as individual book reviews.

The above quote neatly encapsulates our thrust in this review: the grimoires are back, if indeed they ever went away. Modern radicals may ask whether these old texts have anything to teach us, given that magic transforms from one era to the next. The simple answer is yes, since constantly reinventing the wheel is not a feature of this evolution. Granted that re-examination and re-evaluation is more effective than blind emulation, the grimoires have much to teach us, as does an understanding of their origins, rather than the fictions bequeathed us by past orthodoxies. Research into these older sources of magic — preceding the Golden Dawn and Saint Ed, let alone Wicca, ‘Chaos Magic’ etc. – is enjoying renewed interest and experiment. Blind modernism aside, this is a very welcome and productive development. Like other ‘adolescents’ of course the Occult Revival goes through phases, and this interest may pass in a few years. However a new high water mark has been reached in the meantime and the occult world is much richer for it. There is an explosion of well researched editions of the grimoires, plus well informed and diverse studies of the genre. Our collective impression of the grimoires will never be the same again.

To illustrate this – following on from the review of Aaron Leitch’s excellent Secrets of the Magical Grimoires in our last issue – other examples of this phenomenon are here surveyed in an integrated mass review:

Howlings. Various contributors. Scarlet Imprint.
Grimoires — A History of Magic Books. Owen Davies. Oxford University Press.
The Veritable Key of Solomon. Stephen Skinner and David Rankine. Trade edition from Llewellyn, deluxe editions from Golden Hoard.
Both Sides of Heaven. Various contributors. Avalonia Press
Guides to the Underworld Series. Various authors. Hadean Press.

The demand for Howlings far outstripped the original limited edition, and braving the disapproval of bibliophiles the Scarlets have re-released the title, and are soon to follow it up with another compilation, entitled Diabolical. Among the many virtues of the former title, it is a useful place to begin this survey of current interest, practice and research of the grimoires; consisting as it does of a collection of essays by various magicians with varied interests and stances, and a diverse collection of magical texts.

THE ORIGINS OF THE GENRE

The barrage opens with a wonderful piece on the Picatrix, very appropriately since this is the earliest of the grimoires in widespread use. This is a beautifully written essay which places the Picatrix in the context of the Hermetic search for Truth. While utterly traditional in source and inspiration, Hafiz Batin accomplishes the remarkable feat of bringing this context into the post-modern world; a feat more genuinely radical than mere dismissal of magic’s former manifestations.

The Hellenic sources of the Picatrix are indicative of the real roots of the entire genre. The form and style of the grimoires were determined millennia in advance by magical texts in Greek. This far predated the influx of Christianised Kabbalah into Western magic in the late 15^th century; erroneously credited with supplying the basis of Western occultism. The 19^th century revival reinforced the latter assumption, which is absurdly endorsed and perpetuated by prominent ‘Scientific Illuminists’ to this day. The overdue rise of academic interest in magic combined with the current wave of interest in the grimoires may yet force a reappraisal of the Greco-Roman inheritance. Of course it is patently ridiculous that the fountainheads of Western civilisation have been consistently overlooked as sources of its occult traditions. The long delay prior to the appearance of a definitive edition of the Magical Papyri (reviewed in the previous issue) is at least partially to blame. The prejudices of earlier academics – unwilling to deconstruct the image of rational Classicism — are just as blameworthy in this respect as the follies of occultists; whether in rejecting the past or misinterpreting it.

The real origins of the grimoire genre are also evident in Skinner and Rankine’s superb Veritable Key of Solomon which cites the Byzantine Nigromantia as a proto-key and illustrates a Roman talisman portraying Hecate and Solomon. This last has been the subject of considerable interest among some aficionados, and is mentioned on Joseph Peterson’s superb website: http://www.esotericarchives.com, the talisman itself can be seen at http://www.ostia-antica.org/vmuseum/small_2.htm.

GLOBAL CONTEXT AND ENDURING RELEVANCE

On another tack, Owen Davies’ Grimoires is a wonderful academic study of the grimoires, and extremely readable. As Ronald Hutton says on the blurb, it must become the classic work on the subject. Note well that it completely explodes the notion that the grimoires are the exclusive preserve of white, straight, male bibliophiles. In glorious accord with the New World section of my own True Grimoire, Davies shows clearly that the grimoire genre is rooted in worldwide popular culture, as relevant today as it has ever been. We encounter mail-order conjure books in the Caribbean, Africa and downtown America. The place of the grimoires in the ‘pulp genre’ is beautifully explored. Their importance and influence more than justifies the inclusion in this review of the excellent line of pamphlets from Hadean Press.

Davies also shows us that grimoires are a vehicle of cultural exchange: ‘what links Chicago to Ancient Egypt, Germany to Jamaica, and Norway to Bolivia? How did a Swede become the greatest wizard in America? What did Rastafarians and Alpine farmers have in common? Who is the ‘Little Albert’ famed from Canada to the Indian Ocean? And how did a poor crossing sweeper from Ohio become a feared mythical spirit in the Carribean? Grimoires provide all the answers. They not only reflected the globalisation of the world but helped shape it’.

In short, with impeccable scholarship Davies shows us how and why the grimoires have been and remain important and central to the cultural role of magic past, present and future. The extent to which they have effected the diffusion of magical thought is truly mind-blowing in its extent. If none of this sounds familiar to you, all the more reason to read this book, it will transform your impression of the grimoires forever.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS, LIMITATIONS AND OBSTACLES

Turning to occult authors now, Skinner and Rankine’s Veritable Key is a prime example of the superbly informed research, by practitioners rather than professional academics, which is transforming modern occultism. There may be some minor instances, as I suspect there are in my own work, where their non-scholastic background falters in its scrutiny. Identifying the characters on the Roman talisman as Celestial Script is perhaps such an instance; they are just as likely ancient ‘characters’ associated with the 36 decans, from which the Celestial alphabet was perhaps subsequently derived. Nevertheless this is a magnificent book which completely transcends the incessant flow of dated reprints with which we are all too familiar. Weighing in at 446 pp it delivers a huge chunk of Solomonic lore, no less than three 18^th century texts of the Key of Solomon, not to mention a very well researched commentary by practitioners at the forefront of grimoire studies. It is also superbly illustrated, including reproductions of curious marginalia which are a strong feature of the manuscript genre. One of the many gems is the use of talismans constructed identically to the ‘rite time specific’ magic circles of the Heptameron. This provokes thought on the evolution and nature of circles and perhaps elucidates the ‘standing on characters’ cited by Iamblichus in his Theurgy.

It is still all too common to see the word ‘goetic’ and its variants misapplied. All too often it is misused as if it represented the spirits of a certain 17^th century English conjure book which has been, to say the least, over emphasised. This misuse has a major role in obscuring goetia as an important and ancient line of magical tradition. It has also obscured or prevented our understanding manifestations of the grimoire tradition outside the contemporary ‘Anglo-Saxon’ sphere.

The redundant and unthinking defence of such misuse, that it represents an ‘evolution’ of language, is utterly fallacious given the emphasis placed by grimoire magicians on literary and historical sources. This obviously requires an understanding of the terminology in its original sense. This misuse simply perpetuates the devaluation and neglect of goetic magic. It also demonstrates the narrowness of many occultists research and their over-dependence on commercial outlets. Properly understood goetia is the only continuous tradition represented in the entire western revival of magic. It is also the oldest, having roots in the late Bronze Age.

RECONSTRUCTION OF AUTHENTIC PRACTICE

A particularly important concept in ancient and modern grimoire practice is described by Stephen Skinner in an essay in Both Sides of Heaven appropriately entitled “The Thwarting Angels”. Similarly “Order and Chaos” (one of two essays by David Rankine in Howlings I) bears the subtitle “The Use of Adversarial Angels to Control Demons in the Grimoires”. This concept is first encountered in the Testament of Solomon, where an angelic name is listed for each of the spirits encountered (interestingly ‘Asteraoth’ is one of the former). Thus, while perhaps these authors often rely a little too heavily on Dr. Rudd, the main thrust of their argument is soundly based on an older tradition. Indeed Aaron Leitch (whose opus was reviewed in our previous issue) follows and advocates a similar approach completely independently. Another aspect of our authors’ researches adds to the picture. This is mentioned in conjunction with the conjuring of spirits in the names of superior demons, particularly – in their source – ‘Lucifer, Beelzebub and Satan’.

In Skinner’s recent talk at Occulture this was mentioned as a distinct alternative rather than an adjunct to the ‘adversarial angels’, while these essays apparently consider it alongside the adversarial angel approach. It is interesting that a similar trinity is found in both Verum and the Grand Grimoire, namely Lucifer Belzebuth and Astaroth. In my True Grimoire I show how this triad and the Four Kings rule the spirits from the later two grimoires as well as Weir, Honorius and the Goetia; Skinner and Rankine come to similar conclusions regarding Rudd’s trinity and the Four Kings. While traditional within the Solomonic genre adversarial angels should not be considered indispensable or compulsory. As is fairly obvious they are out of place in both pagan and Verum related work.

Rankine’s extraordinary erudition is represented twice in Howlings, his other contribution being Agrippa and Magic Squares. This shows how Agrippa’s planetary sigils are less straightforward than appears in conventional wisdom. For example they routinely employ the 11^th square — rather than the 10^th and 1^st as might be expected — to represent the letters Yod and Aleph. The exception appears to be when the A forms part of the AL termination, so perhaps Agrippa considered IA to represent Yah. It is often little understood how this construction of sigils connects to gematria; whose role is thus shown to more practically oriented than is all too often assumed.

PAPERBACKS AND PAMPHLETS

Both Sides of Heaven is another compilation, with a most impressive list of contributors (including ardent grimoirists Aaron Leitch, David Rankine, Stephen Skinner, plus Charlotte Rodgers and yours truly). There is much of value here, and I mention but two personal favourites. Gifted academic and occult practitioner Kim Huggens gives an excellent appraisal of the daemons intermediary role between gods and men in the Hellenistic era. Maestro Nestor shares a personal account of his liberation from a truly demonic pact made in his youth, which marked the beginning of his mature path as a grimoire traditionalist.

The pamphlets from Hadean Press are an ‘Anglo’ example of what Davies refers to as the ‘pulp’ genre; more common in the Botanicas and Yerbarias of the New World tradition. They contain solid material in an easily affordable format, aimed at enhancing the magic of popular tradition. Elelogap – Spirit of the Waters is the first of a series, the goetic equivalent of the excellent Orisha series published by Original Publications. The few lines devoted to individual spirits in the grimoires are paltry, whereas this booklet portrays one of them as a rounded individual with a role in varied magical processes and in myth. Goetic Divination on the other hand begins the task of fleshing out the current limited understanding of goetia, showing its role across the spectrum of magical practice; in this case in divination through spirits.

Also from Hadean comes Liber Pyramidos, this is an affordable publication of an important Thelemic ritual. The rite is rarely seen in print but is more important than many with more exposure. The Grimoire of the Sixfold Star develops from EQ exegesis, involving 22 spirits encoded in the verse translation of the Stele of Revealing, These correspond to the Tarot, and the pamphlet describes their method of conjuration. More pamphlets are in preparation, but this line is already attracting worldwide interest and exemplifies an important strand of the grimoire tradition.

All of these titles – and their publishers – deserve the attention of ‘hands on’ magicians.

Practical Elemental Magick. David Rankine & Sorita d’Este. Published by Avalonia: BM Avalonia, London, WC1N 3XX, England, UK. October 2008. 186pp.
Reviewed by Empedocles

This is a very impressive book from two prolific and respected occult authors. The concept of Elemental Spirits is encountered frequently in occultism, but there has been until now no comprehensive guide to working with them. I say comprehensive advisedly, for one of the great virtues of this book is it traces origins and alternatives very thoroughly, rather than laying down dogmatic rules with no background. At the same time as offering depth information the book also retains considerable clarity. The range of sources consulted is astonishing, and the work thus provides an invaluable resource for further research by the individual reader. The material is usefully synthesised into a thoroughly workable practical system of magic; while offering sufficient alternatives for the reader who is so inclined to evolve distinct methodologies based on their own preferences.

The Greek Magical Papyri in Translation — Including the Demotic Spells: Edited by Hans Dieter Betz. University of Chicago Press. 1996. 353pp.
Reviewed by Jake Stratton-Kent

While this is not exactly a new book it is difficult to over emphasise its value to practicing magicians, so that promoting it here is readily justified. To begin with, one of the most important rituals in the Crowley canon — the so called Bornless Rite — was derived from just one of the rituals in this collection, only a fraction of which was available at the time. Comparison with several other rites in the collection shows clearly that said ritual was one of a genre; many of the names and titles used recur often and are plainly ‘Typhonian’.

In addition this kind of material was the origin of much of the grimoire genre, from magical symbols, through procedures, right down to the attribution of such handbooks to Solomon or Moses. However, whereas the grimoires compromised with religious orthodoxy in various ways, this material is pristine, with no concessions to an unsympathetic religious background. In short, it is a first class repository of ancient magic. My own copy has approximately twenty page tags permanently attached, the highest number of any book in my collection.

Secrets of the Magickal Grimoires: The Classical Texts of Magick Deciphered. Aaron Leitch. Published by Llewellyn Publications, U.S. August 2005. 456pp.
Reviewed by Jake Stratton-Kent

As a long time student and practitioner of the Grimoires, with some well established opinions of my own, I was ready to hate and shred this book if it failed to deliver. It is also true that at first glance my prejudices were not immediately assuaged, but this is not a book to be lightly skimmed. Once I got to grips with it properly, it began to delight me with its clarity, depth and consistency as well as the author’s evident expertise. This book is a splendid guide to the magick of the Grimoires, opening up the whole subject in a way the modern revival has not previously achieved. It is true that the author is squarely ‘on the side of the Angels’ and to some degree perhaps passes lightly over the darker texts. True too that he is a little overly accepting of the ‘gnosticism’ of the Knights Templar; and seems unaware that the diabolic pact originates with Origen and St. Augustine rather than the much later Inquisition. However, these are minor points, and the Grimoire genre is hugely clarified by his analysis, which deals solidly with areas many previous works neglect entirely. He also clearly appreciates that the Grimoires approach to ‘demons’ is less than the black and white of the Inquisitors, far closer to the Greco-Roman world’s wider spectrum of spirits. In insisting that some demons do live up to their nasty reputation, and that the magician be equipped to deal with them, he is simply doing justice to the roots and purposes of magic throughout history.

My criticisms? Well, the author admits he is less than green fingered, so there is no in depth consideration of herbal lore in the Grimoires, aside from psychotropic plants. Although this could have developed further the link he presents between shamanism and the Grimoires, it really requires a specialist and it would be unfair to pretend otherwise. There are also points of interpretation where we differ — for example of Names on Barrett’s skrying table, where ‘the Four Kings’ for me would be Oriens and company rather than the Four Archangels. The fact is these are minor criticisms, and being points of interpretation we are entitled to different opinions! These are far outweighed by the enormous value of the book to Grimoire studies, which finally have an intelligent and comprehensive manual.

Everybody with an interest in the Grimoires should read this ‘benchmark’ book.

Priestesses Pythonesses Sibyls. Edited by Sorita d’Este. Published by Avalonia: BM Avalonia, London, WC1N 3XX, England, UK. November 2008. 196pp.
Reviewed by Sophie Zumm

An exploration of trance work, both historically and practically. Written by twenty-one women involved in magic and neo-paganism; this is an intriguing collection of essays and articles. There are many highpoints, and every reader will have their own favourites; mine include the history of the Delphic Oracle by Caroline Tully, and Janet Farrar’s account of her work with oracular trance techniques. Looking at visionary experience through many different eyes, I was reminded at times of Scarlet Imprint’s collection Devoted. Although a gentler collection, mental and physical challenges are confronted in this book. All in all a fascinating and inspiring insight into the interior world of modern magic through the eyes of experienced and capable female practitioners.

Supernatural Assault in Ancient Egypt — Seth, Renpet & Moon Magick. Mogg Morgan. Mandrake of Oxford. PO Box 250, Oxford, OX1 1AP (UK). 2008. 315pp.
Reviewed by Jake Stratton-Kent

Part of an ongoing project investigating magical and Sethian mysteries of Ancient Egypt from a perspective that incorporates academic research and the viewpoint of magical practitioners. This is the third volume, and I could kick myself for not being aware of the project at an earlier date, as it evidently parallels researches of my own, involving the Egyptian calendar and the Lunar Mansions, as well as important magical aspects of the cult of Seth. This particular volume involves dreams, not merely their interpretation through authentic Egyptian manuals, but magical activities in which dreams are the focus; particularly aggressive and defensive magic. Rituals and techniques from the Demotic magical papyri and elsewhere are given, accompanied by the insights of an experienced modern occultist. Needless to say I found the book utterly fascinating, and will be adding the previous two volumes to my wish list!

Demonology: Includes News From Scotland on the Death of a Notable Sorcerer. King James I of England. The Book Tree. San Diego, CA. 2002.
Reviewed by Erzebet

Originally published in 1597, this is a reprint of the 1924 edition and includes Newes from Scotland, first published in 1591. This slender little volume, written by His Notorious Highness King James I of England, begins with a frighteningly informative foreword by Paul Tice. James was a man obsessed with evil and with evildoers — most especially with witches, but also with magicians of any sort. In his own words, the book was written in order to prove that “the assaults of Satan are most certainly practiced, and that the instruments thereof, merits most severely to be punished”. James presents this evidence by way of a discourse between two characters, Philomathes and Epistemon, regarding the nature of Satan and his special instrument, the witch.

One might hope to find in these pages some insight into the methods by which these instruments performed their acts of evil, but spells, recipes and chants are practically nonexistent. James informs us that witches can and do fly to Sabbats, but he neglects to tell us anything about the art of flight itself. Every act can be laid at the feet of Satan, and the king spared no ink in reminding his readers of this fact at any opportunity. James’ sadistic nature is revealed in the latter part of the book, Newes from Scotland, in which he revels in the methods and devices used to elicit confessions from those found guilty of the use of magic.

As fixated as the author was, this book’s merit lies in its glimpse at the thinking of the day. Granted, that thinking was done by a man perhaps more mad than many, but this is the man who provided the world with the King James Bible, thereby influencing the vast majority of Western culture. For anyone interested in the history of the witch-hunts, this book is an interesting example of the literature used to promote the idea that witches, magicians and sorcerers were dangerous breeds, best put to death posthaste. For those searching for more practical information about what those evildoers were actually doing, it might be best to look elsewhere.

Voudon Gnosis. David Beth. Scarlet Imprint. 2008. 90pp.
Reviewed by Dis & Erzebet

Voudon Gnosis is a nicely bound and well-written “initiated commentary” on the extensive work of Michael Bertiaux, who is best known for his recently re-released Voudon Gnostic Workbook, the training tool of La Couleuvre Noir. No one is better able to give such a concise and comprehensive explanation of the VGW and L.C.N. than Beth, Bertiaux’s successor. The point of Voudon Gnosis is not, however, to expound upon the material already extant concerning L.C.N., but to express and promote the gnosis achievable through its systems.

Beth alludes to the Order’s secrets, teasing us with glimpses of hidden knowledge, but he also offers the uninitiated a clear view of the foundation upon which those secrets are built. One might think that, because of its small page count, Voudon Gnosis ends all too quickly. But — for the careful reader — this book is more than its text and illustrations; it is in itself a magical object, a portal to a universe in which further understanding is revealed.