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The Grimoire of Armadel
Translated from a 17th century manuscript stored in Paris, this is an ancient but still useful book of popularized Christian magic. It is illustrated with intricate sigils.
88 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1980
About the author
S.L. MacGregor Mathers
239 books130 followersSamuel Liddell MacGregor Mathers, born Samuel Liddell Mathers and having allegedly added MacGregor as a claim to a Highland heritage for which there is little other evidence, was an English occultist best remembered as a founder of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn.
His translations of medieval grimoires and other obscure occult texts, while often criticized for their accuracy or incompleteness, served to make this otherwise inaccessible material more widely available to English-speaking audiences, and remain among the most popular of his works.
His translations of medieval grimoires and other obscure occult texts, while often criticized for their accuracy or incompleteness, served to make this otherwise inaccessible material more widely available to English-speaking audiences, and remain among the most popular of his works.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
March 14, 2015
This is by far the simplest of all the grimoires I've read so far, It's temptingly to the point and surprisingly low fuss. All that's needed for the rituals is a circle, a sigil drawn in paper and the ability to speak Latin out loud without garbling your words or dissolving into laughter.
December 2, 2018
Curious. Christian magick, sigils, Goetia.
June 15, 2013
What a curious book! It is filled with sigils, magical symbols for various spirits, based in Christian thought. There are sigils of the operation of the Uriel Seraphim, of Asmodé and Leviatan, Zadkiel and Sachiel, Phul and Gabriel, Aratron, Lucifer, Belzebut and Astarot, Zaphkeil, Och, Gabriel, Michael, Cassiel, of the Spirits of Force and Counsel , the Spirits of Joy, of the Angels of Love and Charity and finally of Good Fortune. There are also sigils for evil spirits you are advised to avoid.
To give an example of what you will find, Thavael is the spirit that "had a particular care of our Lord Jesus Christ. It was he who conducted the Holy Virgin and Saint Joseph into Egypt when they were fleeing from the persecution of Herod. He giveth unto us a perfect knowledge of all the simples and their virtues. He can be invoked at any time." The sigil is shown and then the reader is told that the sigil helps with learning about plants. There is absolutely no explanantion for how one is to interact with these sigils or their spirits to achieve the magical aims described.
What I got out of this little book is that there was a history of magic mixed with Christianity in the middle ages that is no longer discussed as a part of general Christian education. Much of the new age notions of Angels may have roots in grimoires like this one. Anyone hoping for a step by step manual to call up Belzebut or the Archangel Michael, will likely find this book lacking in practical advice. Given that few medieval grimoires survived, there is not a lot to compare to this book for context, quality or even just to get the gist of what is usual for the genre. I found Armadel to be a curiosity but it didn't advance my knowledge much as there is not enough information provided and I am not familiar with this class of books already. Perhaps someone with more knowledge will wish to call up one of these spirits to explain it all to me but I can't be bothered to try. If you do want further information, I found this blog post to be more enlightening than the introduction in the book itself. http://fraterbarrabbas.blogspot.com/2...
To give an example of what you will find, Thavael is the spirit that "had a particular care of our Lord Jesus Christ. It was he who conducted the Holy Virgin and Saint Joseph into Egypt when they were fleeing from the persecution of Herod. He giveth unto us a perfect knowledge of all the simples and their virtues. He can be invoked at any time." The sigil is shown and then the reader is told that the sigil helps with learning about plants. There is absolutely no explanantion for how one is to interact with these sigils or their spirits to achieve the magical aims described.
What I got out of this little book is that there was a history of magic mixed with Christianity in the middle ages that is no longer discussed as a part of general Christian education. Much of the new age notions of Angels may have roots in grimoires like this one. Anyone hoping for a step by step manual to call up Belzebut or the Archangel Michael, will likely find this book lacking in practical advice. Given that few medieval grimoires survived, there is not a lot to compare to this book for context, quality or even just to get the gist of what is usual for the genre. I found Armadel to be a curiosity but it didn't advance my knowledge much as there is not enough information provided and I am not familiar with this class of books already. Perhaps someone with more knowledge will wish to call up one of these spirits to explain it all to me but I can't be bothered to try. If you do want further information, I found this blog post to be more enlightening than the introduction in the book itself. http://fraterbarrabbas.blogspot.com/2...
May 17, 2021
C'est un écrit fragmentaire intéressant mais inutilisable par un non initié à l'hermetisme. Il reste intéressant à lire et propose des sceaux travaillés. Dommage que le reste du texte soit perdu et que cela rende l'ensemboe intéressant mais inutilisable.
February 2, 2025
Como curiosidad es interesante pero poco más.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews