The Testament of Cyprian the Mage by Jake Stratton-Kent (Scarlet Imprint, 2014) Paperback 2 Volumes

Jake Stratton-Kent. The Testament of Cyprian the Mage: Encyclopædia Goetica Volume III. London: Scarlet Imprint, 2014. Two paperback volumes (283pp + 266 pp). 

Condition: New

Description from the publisher: 

The Testament of Cyprian the Mage is the third work in the Encyclopædia Goetica series by Jake Stratton-Kent, comprehending The Book of Saint Cyprian and his Magical Elements and an elucidation of The Testament of Solomon. The Testament of Cyprian the Mage is a two volume work of approximately 600 pages endowed with charts, tables, seals etc. and punctuated by specially commissioned pen and ink illustrations by Oliver Liebeskind. Strikingly bound and printed in red and black ink throughout, this is a work of enduring importance and a resource to accompany your ongoing study. 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 endeavour 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. Stratton-Kent writes,

Goetic Magic … if properly understood would regenerate Western magic and underline its immense cultural significance, on a level equal to any spiritual tradition in the world.

This understanding is clearly given in two volumes of lucid and fascinating exegesis with clear extracts from all the necessary works.

The Testament of Cyprian the Mage 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.

A primary purpose of this book is to explore the implicit mythology of grimoire spirits and the contexts from which it derives.

It does far more. This is a fundamental revisioning of magic with profound implications for the magical revival which we are all engaged in.

Contents

Exhortatio; Grimoire timeline; References & abbreviations; Defining and redefining magic

Book 1 · St Cyprian
Blue Grimoires; Saint Cyprian of the Grimoires; The Great Book of Saint Cyprian: Introduction; The Life and Legend of Saint Cyprian; Iamblichus; The Confession of Saint Cyprian; Conjunction; Theoretical Implications: A Theurgic Interlude

Book 2 · The Testament of Solomon
In Search of the Four Kings; The Testament of Solomon; The Spirits of the Testament of Solomon; The Spirits of the Testament of Solomon: Decans; The End of the Testament; The Sibyl and the Hygromanteia; The Sibyl of Thyatira; Asmodeus; A Word on Angelology

Book 3 · The Decans
Gods of Time; Egyptian & Hermetic Decans; Solar Theology; The Definitions of Asclepius; The Asclepius; Concerning Angels: The Vice-Regent; Oriens; Introducing the Sacred Book; The Sacred Book of Hermes to Asclepius; The Decans & Magical Characters; The Correspondences; Stones of the Decans; Plants of the Decans; Magical Animals

Book 4 · The Book of St Cyprian: 1
The Book of Saint Cyprian; Working with the Four Kings; Manuscript Sources; The Solomon Clavicle; The Gorgon, the Dragon and the Goat; The Mirror of Azrael; The Gnomes; Practical Implications: Liturgical; Transplants and Magic

Book 5 · The Book of St Cyprian: 2
The Book of Saint Cyprian; The Superiors and Spell Work; Sanctum Regnum; Magic as Practical Eschatology; Restitutionism; Spiritist Eschatology; The Role of the Dead in a Living Tradition; Paracelsus

Book 6 · Heptameron
Heptameron; The Kings and the Wild Hunt; Cyprian's Elemental Kings and Queens; Chiromancia Astrologica; Of Kings and Queens; Rusalka and the Queens; Conclusion

Appendix: The Testament of Solomon