***** "Covers All the Essentials and Then Some"
Reviewer: Mark Stavish, with VOXHERMES
If you have ever picked up a Medieval magical book and wondered what to do with its 'instructions' or how to tie its various pieces into a working whole, then Leitch's book will be for you. With a recent increased interest in operative magic based on the traditional grimoires of Medieval magic, the release of Secrets is well timed. Giving a complete overview of the major books - The Greater and Lesser Keys of Solomon, Ars Paulina, Almadel of Solomon, Lemegeton, and The Occult Philosophy of Agrippa, Leitch moves on to demonstrate how these books can be read and their systems used by modern practitioners. What is nice about Secrets is that it is a big book - over 400 pages - that covers all of the essentials and then some. Detailed instructions are given on the process of prayer used in the grimoires, how and why the Psalms are often used as a means of connecting to deep psychic energies, and the importance of consecrated images, talismans, and preparation, all in a culturally connected context. Secrets however, is not an easy read. This is in part from the material, and from the author's writing style. The material is detailed and requires patience - this is not a cookbook on magic. The author tends to move from objective third person discussion of the material into first person commentary to further elaborate from his personal experience. While this firsthand account is important, it might have been better if some of the comments were inserted as endnotes, or simply one writing style was maintained across the text. Essentially, this is the only major work on traditional magic that has been published with the practitioner in mind. It is a valuable contribution to the subject and well worth the time and effort to study and understand. Even if you never intend to perform 'Solomonic Magic' there is substantial information that will improve every practitioners understanding of magic - be they hermetic, wiccan, or self-described other, to make Secrets worth reading. Take your time with Secrets of the Magical Grimoires, you'll be glad you did.
Secrets of the Magickal Grimoires
Copyright © 2002 C "Aaron Jason" Leitch.