Occult & Esoterica
[STRATTON-KENT, Jake] The Testament of Cyprian the Mage (2 Volumes, SIGNED)
[STRATTON-KENT, Jake] The Testament of Cyprian the Mage (2 Volumes, SIGNED)
Full title: The Testament of Cyprian the Mage (Encyclopaedia Goetica Volume III, Comprehending the Book of Saint Cyprian & His Magical Elements and an Elucidation of the Testament of Solomon)
UK: Scarlet Imprint, 2014. First Edition. Hardcover. Large octavos. 2 Volumes. xxv + 283; 266pp. Each volume includes a loose publisher's bookplate, each of which has been SIGNED by the author as "Jake". The ‘Starry Heaven’ edition, limited to 800 hand-numbered copies, this being set No. 134. Bound in a lapis night sky cloth, spangled with stars, with matching dust jackets. Printed in black and red throughout, and finished with embossed end papers. Includes 4 pen & ink illustrations by Oliver Liebeskind; numerous tables, seals etc. Some very light edge wear to dust jackets otherwise a fine set in near fine jackets
This is the final work in Stratton-Kent’s acclaimed Encyclopædia Goetica series which began with The True Grimoire, a working reconstruction of the Grimorium Verum, and was followed by the monumental two volume Geosophia: The Argo of Magic which explored the necromantic Greek origins of Goetia. The Testament of Cyprian the Mage is a fitting climax to this endeavor which has placed the author at the forefront of modern magic with a body of work that is both scholarly and aimed at practical application. All are standalone texts though benefit from being read as aspects of a single thesis: the importance of Goetia as the oldest continuous tradition of Western magic. It is an ambitious and far-seeing work, addressing two ends of the magical spectrum: the Testament of Solomon and one version of the Iberian Book of Saint Cyprian. In doing so, key aspects of magical practice are revealed. This work draws upon these texts to create a clear understanding of the practice of grimoire magic, not as a discrete or degenerate subset of ceremonial magic, but one which is integrated with folk magic and witchcraft. In particular we discover a shared dramatis personæ, the infernal pact and a common terrain of Wild Hunt and Sabbat. Within the text we encounter the Chiefs, Kings and Queens of the grimoire tradition; the magical role of the Decans and their stones and plants; lunar magic and magical animals; the gods of Time; the Sibyl and the Hygromanteia; Asmodeus and Oriens; Angelology, Theurgy, Conjunction and the Pact, the Angelic Vice-regent and thwarting Angels; Asclepius, Iamblichus and Neo-Platonism; Paracelsus and the Elemental Spirits; Necromancy, and the principles of spell work.