Clavicula Salomonis
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I'm currently reading the Mathers translation of the "The Key Of Solomon The King", and I am wondering, what exactly in this is of practical value?
I have a great interest and inclination towards planetary ceremonial magick, and this is a classic text regarding the subject, however quite a bit of the contents smack of the worst kind of superstitious nonsense. For example: planetary hours, love spells, using the blood of a black hen (I've read the Skinner "Veritable Key", an alternate translation / version which contains much worse such as using the brains of sparrows for incense!), wearing linen spun by a young maiden...
But in the midst of all that are the planetary talismans, which seem like they might be of actual value (I recall Crowley using the Mars ones in the Bartzabel evocation). Are they? Can one reliably use these as parts of planetary ceremonies while doing away with all stuff I mentioned above? I suppose the bigger question I'm getting at is, are the contents of this book: a) entirely nonsense, b) entirely efficacious (which I frankly doubt, but maybe you'll find me hindering sportsmen and getting laid by burying parchment at crossroads soon!), or c) some stuff of value buried amidst nonsense (which seems the most likely to me)? -
Bottom line... yes, I think there is a mix of crap and value. It would be far too long a post for me to go point by point (and it's been a couple of decades since I was really concentrated on the Greater Key).
Besides, I think part of the value is in you digging through it yourself, finding the diamond in the manure pile, so to speak.
A side Fun Fact that might interest you: Of Crowley's two primary magical mentors, Allen Bennett was most interested in The Lesser Key (The Goetia), and Cecil Jones was most interested in The Greater Key.
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Excellent, thanks for that. I might well try using some of the talismans in the context of the ceremonial ritual outline in 776 1/2. Very interesting about the Bennett and Jones thing as well. There is far more focus on Goetia amongst writers on Thelemic magick these days, to point where I feel it's importance is exaggerated, and very little on the "Greater Key". If anyone else on this board has experience with it, I'd love to hear also!
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I've always thought the Greater Key felt "cleaner." The particular spirits of The Goetia, evoked by the particular methodology of the The Goetia, have been brutalized and pathologies over the centuries, and they tend to show it in their behavior (my experience + reading the reports of others' experience). They're not irredeemable, and we know how to heal them, but I'm not prepared right now to devote half a century of an incarnation to the task. Personally, I just make other choices.
Yes, the seals in The Greater Key have power. Some of them have been badly copied over the years, so keep your eye out for obvious little transcription flaws.
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What is pertinent, as I see it, is not so much the use of "the blood of a black hen" but understanding its significance.
Which is to say - why is it a black hen and not white ? Why the blood? Why the sparrows brain instead of the heart?
Something else to keep in mind is the Will and Where-with-all to go out, find a black hen and extract its blood.
Such can be an especially powerful ritual for those of us whom are accustomed to the accouterments of urban, modern life and may have never seen a chicken, let alone killed the one we mean to consume.To cover my ass, I am going to suggest you do not actually go out , find a sparrow and extract its brains for use as incense.
The devil is in the details my friend.
Though the above merely represents the humble opinions of this servant of the U.N.I.V.E.R.S.E.
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Many thanks for the thoughts. My cats provide me with more dead and dissected birds than I could ever want for, but I still think I will be opting to do without using blood and brains in my own work!
I've finished studying the book, and it was indeed a worthwhile exercise in identifying and extracting the good from the bad, and I've made notes on substituting Thelemic material for the Judeo-christian stuff (mainly in a shift of attitude - the prayers in the book are great examples of "I'm such an unworthy sinner" stance of these medieval grimoires). Once I get around to experimenting with practising them I'll probably post my notes here. Thanks again!