The Encyclopedia Of Demons And Demonology

grimoires 103
Solomon; rather, it has strong Christian elements. Waite
considered it representative of “transcendental magic.”
The Arbatel purports to be a nine-volume work of instructions
on the magical arts, but only the first volume,
or tome, is extant. It is uncertain whether the other eight
tomes were ever written; perhaps, the anonymous author
intended to write them but failed to follow through. The
first tome is called Isagoge, which means “essential or
fundamental instruction.”
Isagoge comprises Seven Septenaries of aphorisms of a
moral and spiritual nature that cite the sources of occult
wisdom: God, angels, learned men, nature (stones, herbs,
and so forth), apostate spirits, ministers of punishment in
HELL (comparable to the avenging classical gods), and the
spirits of the elements. The wisdom obtainable from these
sources ranges from the low magic of finding treasures to
alchemical transmutations to mystical knowledge of God.
Meditation, love of God, and living in accordance with
the virtues are emphasized as the best means for practicing
the magical arts.
Theosophia Pneumatica Also known as The Little Keys of
Solomon, this grimoire was published in 1686 in German.
It possibly was included in the German edition of the Arbatel
of Magic, a work it follows closely. Of anonymous
authorship, the Theosophia Pneumatica makes no claims
to ancient origins. Like the Arbatel, it is Christian in orientation
and holds that the exaltation of prayer is the end
of the Mystery. The Hebrew term Talmud—derived from
the verb for “to learn”—is used to describe the aspiring
magician. The author also was knowledgeable about alchemy
and included references to it.
The only section of the Theosophia Pneumatica that differs
significantly from the Arbatel is the appendix, which
contains strong Christian elements and terminology used
by the Swiss alchemist Paracelsus. It affirms that all things
are threefold in nature after the model of the Father, Son,
and Holy Ghost. Man is threefold, having a body, soul, and
rational spirit. The body is of the earth. The soul is of the
elements derived through the stars, is the seat of understanding,
and is the genius for arts and sciences. The rational
spirit is from God and is the medium through which
divine inspiration enters the physical body. The soul and
rational spirit are joined in marriage by God to reside in
the body. Regeneration is achieved when the rational spirit
overcomes the soul. There are two kinds of death: deterioration
of the body and destruction of the soul via poisoned
stellar influences. In either case, the rational spirit
departs; it may also depart at the will of God. It is not possible
to cure certain diseases by which God has chosen to
afflict humankind. The unicorn, Quintessence, azoth, and
philosopher’s stone are all useless. All other diseases can
be cured with natural magic and alchemy.
Heptameron Also called Magical Elements, this book is
attributed to Peter of Abano, an Italian physician who
died in 1316 after being condemned to death by the Inquisition.
Abano is not believed to be the author. The
Heptameron probably was written in the 16th century
and may have been intended as a supplement to the
Fourth Book.
The grimoire is a composite work of white and black
magic that deals with finding treasure, procuring love,
detecting secrets, opening locks, fomenting hatred and
evil thoughts, and so on. It is divided into two parts: the
evocation of the Spirits of the Air, who are demons, and a
set of angelic evocations for each day of the week.
Little Albert Also titled Marvelous Secrets of the Natural
and Cabalistic Magic of Little Albert, this text was published
in 1722. Material from it appear in various grimoires.
The Enchiridion of Pope Leo This book is technically not
a grimoire: It offers no instructions for magical rituals
but is a collection of charms turned into prayers, accompanied
by mysterious figures supposedly taken from rare
old manuscripts.
According to the story of the book’s alleged origins,
Pope Leo III (r. 795–816) gave the Emperor of the West
Charlemagne a collection of prayers after his coronation
in Rome in 800. The collection had special properties:
Whoever carried it about on his person with the proper
attitude—respect for the Scripture—and recited it daily
in the honor of God would have divine protection for his
entire life. He would never be defeated by his enemies and
would escape all dangers without harm. The text claims
that Charlemagne, who enjoyed great fortune, wrote a letter
of thanks in his own hand to Pope Leo III, which is
still preserved in the Vatican Library.
This collection of prayers was published as the
Enchiridion for the first time in Rome in 1523. A second
edition is said to have been issued in 1606 and a final
edition in 1660. The book was probably composed in the
17th century and given the legend to lend it authenticity.
Charlemagne may not have been literate, and no letters of
his are extant.
The Enchiridion’s charms are dressed up as prayers,
but few are spiritual in nature; they are instead concerned
with material things such as acquiring wealth, happiness,
and advantage and protecting ones self against all kinds
of dangers, misfortunes, natural disasters, and evils. The
text denies any association with magic, but in the fashion
of magic, it describes a ritual for its proper use. The book
must be kept clean in a bag of new leather. It must be
carried on the person, and at least one page of it must be
read with devotion every day. Specific pages can be read
for various needs. To read from the book, one must face
east and kneel, for this, claims the Enchiridion, is what
Charlemagne did.
Pseudomonarchia Daemonum More a text about demons
and demonology than a grimoire, this was written
around 1583 by Johann Weyer. It lists 68 of the 72
demons found in the Lemegeton but does not give their
seals or rituals.