Introduction to the Grimorium Verum, Pt.1
Dissecting the Preamble to uncover encoded magical praxis and a possible Initiation.
As the title implies, I’m going to dissect some part of the grimorium verum family of text. I’ve started, some time ago, to dissect all the parts, making sense of any detail, and comparing the versions available.
Actually, this family of texts can be found in certain books:
1) Grimorium Verum, edited in a critical edition by Joseph Peterson
2) The True grimoire, by Jake Stratton-Kent
3) Clavicula de Secretis, edited again by Joseph Peterson
4) L’Art Magique, edited by Aaman Lamba.
5) The Universal Treatise, contained in The Veritable Key of Solomon, by Stephen Skinner and David Rankine
6) Livre Troisieme, Lansdowne MS 1202, contained in appendix in Joseph Peterson Grimorium Verum.
Preamble: Solomon, Roboam and Iroè Graecum.
The first text usually encountered in the texts are introduction on how the text has been transmitted, hidden, and found. Usually these parts are considered embellishments and not part of the magical praxis. I dissent. They may contain part of it, embedded in it. What if we imagine it as an Historiola? What is an Historiola?
"The historiola is a modern term for a kind of incantation incorporating a short mythic story that provides the paradigm for the desired magical action.”
An example of this is the numerous charms that evoke Jesus Christ exorcistical features. “Christ came, and the demon went out. So in the name of Jesus Christ, you will leave this body alone.” 1
So my paradigm here would be to analyze this part like it contains praxis that is part of the whole. Let’s get down to it. In Italic the text itself. In Bold will be the relevant part of the texts.
“Treasure up, o my son Roboam! the wisdom of my words, seeing that I, Solomon, have received it from the Lord”. Then answered Roboam, and said “How have I deserved to follow the example of my father Solomon in such things, who hath been found worthy to receive the knowledge of all living things through an angel of God?” And Solomon said “Hear, O my son, and receive my sayings, and learn the wonders of God.
For, on a certain night, when I laid me down to sleep, I called upon the most holy name of God, and prayed for the ineffable wisdom, and when I was beginning to close mine eyes, the angel of the Lord appeared unto me, spake many things courteously unto me, and said ‘Listen O Solomon! thy prayer before the most high is not in vain, and since thou hast asked neither for long life, nor for much riches, nor for the souls of thine enemies, but hast asked for thyself wisdom to perform justice.’ Thus saith the Lord: ‘According to thy word have I given unto thee a wise and understanding heart, so that before thee was none like unto thee, nor ever shall arise.’
So how do magical knowledge is received? Through an Angel, a divine messenger who acts as teacher and revealer of knowledge. Because, to receive it, you need to deserve it. And how to deserve it? By listening to the voice of Solomon, and, presumably, following his example. Praying is the first thing mentioned. Before going to bed, praise the holy name of God and ask for ineffable knowledge. The mention of doing it before going to bed is probably due to a dream incubation. Dream is the preferred and easier gateway for many to receive revelations, and here the indication is given. To follow on the steps of Solomon one has to be just and refrain to ask for vain things, which mimes many ritual purity prescriptions found for preparations in the grimoires. This part of deserving and praying will be clearer forward in the text.
And when I comprehended the speech which was made unto me, I understood that in me was the knowledge of all creatures, both things which are in the heavens and things which are beneath the heavens; and I saw that all the writings and wisdom of this present age were vain and futile, and that no man was perfect. And I composed a certain work wherein I rehearsed the secret of secrets, in which I have preserved them hidden, and I have also therein concealed all secrets whatsoever of magical arts of all the masters; all secrets or experiments, namely, of these sciences which are in any way worth being accomplished. Also I have written them in this Key, so that like as a key openeth a treasure-house, so this alone may open the knowledge and understanding of magical arts and sciences.
“Therefore, O my son! thou mayest see every experiment of mine or of others, and let everything be properly prepared for them, as thou shalt see properly set down by me, both day and hour, and all things necessary; for without this there will be but falsehood and vanity in this my work; wherein are hidden all secrets and mysteries which can be performed; and that which is (set down) concerning a single divination or a single experiment, that same I think concerning all things which are in the Universe, and which have been, and which shall be in future time.
“Therefore, O my son Roboam, I command thee by the blessing which thou expectest from thy father, that thou shall make an ivory casket, and therein place, keep, and hide this my Key; and when I shall have passed away unto my fathers, I entreat thee to place the same in my sepulchre beside me, lest at another time it might fall into the hands of the wicked.” And as Solomon commanded, so was it done.
And when, therefore men had waited for a long time, there came unto the sepulchre certain Babylonian philosophers; and when they had assembled they at once took counsel together that a certain number of men should renew the sepulchre in Solomon’s honour; and when the sepulchre was dug out and repaired the ivory casket was discovered, and therein was the Key of Secrets, which they took with joyful mind, and when they had opened it none among them could understand it on account of the obscurity of the words and their occult arrangement, and the hidden character of the sense and knowledge, for they were not worthy to possess this treasure. Then, therefore, arose one among them, more worthy than the others, both in the sight of the gods, and by reason of his age, who was called Iroé the Grecian, and said unto the others “Unless we shall come and ask the interpretation from the Lord, with tears and entreaties, we shall never arrive at the knowledge of it.” Therefore, when each of them had retired to his bed, Iroé indeed falling upon his face on the earth, began to weep, and striking his breast, and said ‘What have I, above others, deserved seeing that so many men can neither understand nor interpret this knowledge, even though there were no secret thing in nature which the Lord hath hidden from me! Wherefore are these words so obscure? Wherefore am I so ignorant?”
Here the question of Roboam gets answered by Iroè the Greek. You have to ask for the interpretation of the Lord. And how to do it?
The first step is a Confession and Humiliation, similarly to what Jake proposed as a ritual preparation for ablution and purification.2 Iroè is a philosopher, esteemed by the others, more worthy, perhaps even arrogant. And yet, his philosophy is useless.
Quoting Solomon, above:
“and I saw that all the writings and wisdom of this present age were vain and futile, and that no man was perfect.”
So to reach perfection and worthiness, the first step is to be humbled. Fall with your face on the earth, weep, strike your breasts.
And then on his bended knees, stretching his hands to heaven, he said “O God, the creator of all, thou who knowest all things, who gavest so great wisdom unto Solomon the son of David the king, grant unto me, I beseech thee, O holy omnipotent and ineffable Father, to receive the virtue of that wisdom so that I may become worthy by thine aid to attain unto the understanding of this key of secrets.”
Following the humbling and purification, the proper prayer is answered, again mimicking the actions of Solomon, to pray before going to bed.
And immediately there appeared unto me the angel of the Lord, saying ‘Do thou bear in mind that if the secrets of Solomon appear hidden and obscure unto thee, that the Lord hath wished it, so that such wisdom may not fall into the hands of wicked men, wherefore do thou promise unto me that thou art not willing that so great wisdom should ever come to any living creature and that which thou revealest unto any let them know that they must keep it unto themselves otherwise the secrets are profaned and no effect can follow?’
And Iroé answered “I promise unto thee that to none will I reveal them save to the honour of the Lord and with much discipline unto penitent, secret and faithful people.”
Then answered the angel “Go and read the Key, and its words which were obscure throughout shall be manifest unto thee.”And after this the angel ascended into Heaven in a flame of fire.
After praying God for the revelation, Iroè needs to make a promise, an oath of Secrecy. This is consistent with initiation into a tradition, where the teaching can’t be shared to anyone, except other worthy people, which are usually the novices to be initiated.
The text however shows that praying is not enough, and the promise is part of the deal to receive the knowledge, which is, after all, what happen unto a Pact. Here the pact between Iroè and the angel is clear: Iroè receive the Key, but he needs to submit to the authority of God (the humbling), commit to uphold the necessary ritual purity and virtue (devotion and following a just life), and maintain an oath (the vows of secrecy and transmissions only to the worthy)
Then Iroé was glad and labouring with a clear mind understood that which the angel of the Lord had said and he saw that the Key of Solomon was changed so that it appeared quite clear unto him plainly in all parts. And Iroé understood that this work might fall into the hands of the ignorant and he said “I conjure him into whose hands this secret may come by the power of the creator and his wisdom that in all things he may desire, intend and perform that this treasure may come unto none unworthy, nor may he manifest it unto any who is unwise, nor unto one who feareth not God. Because if he act otherwise, I pray God that he may never be worthy to attain unto the desired effect.”
Again, this is part of the vows of secrecy. Asking God to preserve the Key to go into the hands of the unworthy. Of course, since only those who received the Key could fail the secrecy and gives it to the unworthy, this prayer is also addressed to oneself, so it could sound something like:
"God, help me uphold the virtues necessary to keep this Key open to my eyes. Uphold me in my virtues, so that I may never be tempted to pass it to the Unworthy. And if I fail to uphold this, may God close the Key to me forever.”
If I were to put this into practice, I’d say that this is something to be prayed upon on a regular basis, showing that you still uphold your part of the Pact.
And so he deposited the Key, which Solomon had preserved, in the ivory casket. But the words of the Key are as follows, divided into two books, and shown in order. This mysterious Key of science was concealed for centuries from the Despots and the Grandees of the Italian soil, the extent of which tyranny held the People in ignorance, attended from birth and through life by superstitious bigotry and erroneous beliefs, not eager to investigate the truth. But now the age has come in which the fogs of ignorance are to be ended, making way for the light of the truth the people have so long yearned for, in which freedom is given to humanity to truly study and to know the foundation of this Science divine so called because revealed from the Angel of God, that was otherwise hidden. A Teacher, living in truth and prayer for humanity, has restored this Key accurately, studied from the scholars so that our Italy can be counted among those accomplished in hidden Sciences, as in the other Nations.
This last part seems to reinforce that there is no need for a formal, human teacher, but that the initiation into this tradition, if we want to call this way, is kept by the Angel of God. None other needs to be called upon to receive guidance and the Key.
My experience with this has led me to identify this Angel of God with Uriel, due to the imagery of the Flame and the Key (and the Book) to which he is associated, and more references in the grimoires (Like Ornias in Testament of Solomon being his son; or his association with Loutzipher in the Hygromanteia). But that’s for another story.
Here ends the Preamble to the Grimorium Verum. Let me know if this sparked some interests and questions!
On the subject, there is a splendid book “Historiola: The power of narrative charm” by C. Nordblom, edited by Hadean Press.
Jake Stratton-Kent “The Sworn and Secret Grimoire” by Hadean Press. It is in the Appendix, where he describe a possible general structure of a ritual.