
Sepher Raziel: A Sixteenth Century English Grimoire (Sourceworks of Ceremonial Magic Series)
A Sixteenth Century English Grimoire
by Don Karr, Stephen Skinner, Dr Stephen Skinner
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Sepher Raziel―also called Liber Salomonis―is a full grimoire in the Solomonic tradition from a sixteenth century manuscript. It contains seven books: the Clavis, concerned with astrology and its use in magic, with precise interactions between planets, Signs, and Houses; the Ala, outlining the magical virtues of stones, herbs, and animals; the Tractatus Thymiamatus, which determines perfumes and suffumigations used in the Art; a Treatise of Times detailing the correct hours of the day for each operation; a Treatise on Preparations on ritual purity, and abstinence; Samaim, on the different heavens and their angels; and finally, a Book of Names and their virtues and properties, being seven semiforas of Adam and seven semiforas of Moses.
The Sepher Raziel text is given in two forms: a literal transcription with no changes in spelling or wording and a modern English version.
This volume also includes a foreword which offers an overview of Raziel manuscripts, which represent a number of independent traditions, an essay on the literature of Solomonic magic in English, an introduction to the Sepher Raziel manuscript presented, an appendix on incense nomenclature as a supplement to Tractatus Thymiamatus, a list of printed notices and manuscript sources of Sepher Raziel, and a full bibliography of printed works on Solomonic magic and items of related interest.
Discussion questions for Sepher Raziel: A Sixteenth Century English Grimoire (Sourceworks of Ceremonial Magic Series)
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- 1
The book describes a complex system of magical correspondences and rituals. What aspects of this intricate system—from planetary influences to the virtues of herbs—did you find most compelling, surprising, or perhaps unsettling?
- 2
Considering the 16th-century context, what do you believe were the primary human needs or desires that practitioners hoped to address or fulfill by engaging with the knowledge and rituals presented in Sepher Raziel?
- 3
The editors provide both a literal transcription and a modern English version of the grimoire. How did this dual presentation affect your reading experience, and what does it highlight about the challenges of interpreting and preserving historical magical texts?
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