The Testament of Cyprian the Mage by Jake Stratton-Kent

The third and final volume of the Encyclopædia Goetica, this substantial two-volume work completes Stratton-Kent’s re-visioning of goetic magic as the oldest continuous current in Western esoteric practice. Through a close study of the Testament of Solomon and an Iberian recension of the Book of Saint Cyprian, the author uncovers the implicit mythology behind grimoire spirits and situates them within folk magic, witchcraft, and classical theurgy.

Rich with tables, seals, charts, and pen-and-ink illustrations by Oliver Liebeskind, this edition is printed throughout in red and black ink and designed as a lasting companion for serious study and practice.

Scope of the work

Stratton-Kent bridges two poles of the magical spectrum:

• The spirit catalogues and mythic structure of the Testament of Solomon
• The lived grimoire tradition preserved in the Iberian Book of Saint Cyprian

In doing so, he reveals:

• A shared dramatis personæ of Kings, Queens, Chiefs, and Decans
• The infernal pact, Wild Hunt, and Sabbatic terrain of the grimoires
• The roles of lunar magic, magical animals, stones, and plants
• Theurgy, angelology, conjunction, and the vice-regent angels
• Necromancy as a living current within grimoire practice
• The influence of Iamblichus, Paracelsus, and Hermetic theology

A central aim of the book is to demonstrate that grimoire magic is not a degenerate branch of ceremonial magic, but a tradition integrated with folk practice and witchcraft, sustained by an underlying mythic and spiritual continuity.

Edition details

• Two volumes — approx. 600 pages (320 pp + 280 pp)
• 8vo (234 × 156 mm)
• Printed in red and black ink throughout
• 4 pen & ink illustrations by Oliver Liebeskind
• Numerous tables, seals, and charts

A culminating statement of Stratton-Kent’s thesis: that a proper understanding of goetia can regenerate Western magic and restore its cultural and spiritual significance.