The Clavis or Key to the Magic of Solomon: From an Original Talismanic Grimoire in Full Color by Ebenezer Sibley and Frederick Hockley [Hardcover]

Joseph H Peterson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1, 2009

The Clavis or Key to the Magic of Solomon is one of several notebooks from the estate of Ebenezer Sibley, transcribed under the direction of Frederic Hockley (1808-1885). Sibley was a prominent physician and an influential author, who complemented his scientific studies with writings on the "deeper truths" including magic, astrology, alchemy, and hypnotherapy. Both Sibley and Hockley were major inspirations in the occult revival of the past two centuries, influencing A.E. Waite, S.L. Mathers, Aleister Crowley, as well as the Golden Dawn, Rosicrucian, and Masonic movements. This collection reflects Sibley's teachings on the practical use of celestial influences and harmonies. The Clavis contains clear and systematic instructions for constructing magical tools and pentacles for many practical purposes. It includes eight separate magical texts: The Mysterious Ring, Experiments of the Spirits, Birto, Vassago, Agares, Bealpharos, The Wheel of Wisdom, and the Complete Book of Magic Science. The manuscript reproduced here is the most accurate and complete known, very beautifully and carefully written complete with extraordinary hand-colored seals and colored handwritten text. 282 color pages with a color fold-out and a huge idex.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Joseph H. Peterson has translated many esoteric and religious sourceworks. He has amassed a large collection of copies of rare and occult tracts for comparative research from the British Library and other institutions, which he shares at his award-winning websites www.esotericarchives.com and www.avesta.org.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 456 pages
• Publisher: Ibis (December 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0892541598
• ISBN-13: 978-0892541591
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.7 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #457,366 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Reborn Anew to Live Again..., December 2, 2009

By 

J. Buterbaugh "Hermes Trismegistus" (Boston, MA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: The Clavis or Key to the Magic of Solomon: From an Original Talismanic Grimoire in Full Color by Ebenezer Sibley and Frederick Hockley (Hardcover)

Like a phoenix from the ashes of history, Ebenezer Silby's Clavis has been reborn anew, to live again among us all. With the charm of a munificent mage, Joseph Peterson has breathed life into yet another age-old manuscript, allowing another arcane grimoire to speak in new ways. This time Mr. Peterson has delivered to us a facsimile of one of the finest editions of Ebenezer Sibley's "Clavis" with seven other independent treatises all hand colored and hand written.

1. The Clavis or Key to Unlock the Mysteries of Magic of Rabbi Solomon
2. The Mysterious Ring
3. An Experiment of Birto
4. An Experiment of Agares
5. An Experiment of Vassago
6. Of the Spirit of Bealpharos
7. The Wheel of Wisdom
8. The Complete Book of Magical Science

Two particular notes of interest with regard to the previous publication of this material are as follows. The Clavis or Key to Unlock the Mysteries of Magic of Rabbi Solomon was recently published in 2008 by Caduceus Books for The Society of Esoteric Endeavour as "Ebenezer Sibly, Solomon's Clavis, or Key to Unlock the Mysteries of Magic" in a limited edition of 144 copies. It looks to be a facsimile edition with the same eight independent hand colored and hand written treatises. But a quick comparison betrays several differences in the seals, pentacles and other illustrations. Furthermore the handwriting and drawing is a lower quality and seems to be rushed. Leading one to believe the manuscript used for the Caduceus limited edition was perhaps intended as a rough draft or preliminary copy compared to the manuscript used for the Peterson Edition.

The Complete Book of Magical Science has also been previously published in 2008 by Teitan Press as "A Complete Book of Magic Science" in a limited edition of 450 copies. A volume titled "The Secret Grimoire of Turiel" published in the 1960's and 1970's has some affinity to the material in The Complete Book of Magical Science. Both of these titles are currently out of print.

Joseph Peterson has thoughtfully provided a full scholarly apparatus such as an INTRODUCTION detailing the manuscripts provenance as well as other exemplar of this work, PREFACE from the original manuscript, copious end NOTES, the CRITICALLY ESTABLISHED TEXT type set and cross referenced, BIBLOGRAPHY current with the most recent scholarship, APPENDICES and INDEX. The Clavis or Key to the Magic of Solomon by Joseph H. Peterson is a library of the highest quality magical texts, in one volume. Such a work of art and critical scholarship at this low price is truly a magical work indeed.

19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Important Contribution to the Solomonic Grimoire Tradition, December 8, 2009

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Thaumagnost (East Coast, USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Clavis or Key to the Magic of Solomon: From an Original Talismanic Grimoire in Full Color by Ebenezer Sibley and Frederick Hockley (Hardcover)

This is a quality, clothbound edition of magical texts graced with the scholarly commentary and textual analysis of Mr. Peterson. Seven exemplars (extant copies) of Ebenezer Sibley's Clavis were used for comparisons, the one owned by antiquarian/publisher Donald Weiser considered to be the most accurate and complete. It is this edition that is reproduced by facsimile here, inclusive of seven other independent texts as follows: The Mysterious Ring, which provides instructions for preparing magic rings; the Experiments of the Spirits Birto, Vassago, Agares, and Bealpharos, which instruct one how to call upon angels and spirits (Vassago and Agares are listed as goetic spirits in The Lesser Key of Solomon); The Wheel of Wisdom, which provides instruction for using celestial harmonies (and is supplemented with a color fold-out of the wheel with another version from manuscript Sloane 1307 provided in Appendix 2); and the Complete Book of Magic Science, which draws on a variety of sources and is more complete than the related text of The Secret Grimoire of Turiel and more accurate than the Teitan Press edition.

Peterson's knowledge of the grimoire tradition is evidenced by his informative introduction, detailed textual notes, and production of a Critically-Established Text which predominantly follows the Weiser manuscript, "except for substantive deviations that can be critically established from the limited number of available witnesses" (page xxi). The textual analysis includes reference to notable works such as Abano's Heptameron, Agrippa's Three Books of Occult Philosophy, Reginald Scot's expanded 1665 edition of his Discoverie of Witchcraft, the Arbatel, and The Magical Calendar, among others. Five related texts to Sibley's Clavis were also used for analysis, including manuscript Wellcome 4670 which was published along with Wellcome 4669 in an English translation through Skinner and Rankine's The Veritable Key of Solomon. In the Acknowledgments section, one also finds credit going to Peterson's daughters Sarah and Lisa who assisted with the artwork in Appendix 2, and his son Karl for providing a wonderful drawing of the wyvern which was missing from the manuscript. What awesome family support! This collectible edition of magical texts is a pleasure to own and reference.

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book, July 12, 2010

By 

James - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Clavis or Key to the Magic of Solomon: From an Original Talismanic Grimoire in Full Color by Ebenezer Sibley and Frederick Hockley (Hardcover)

The Book deals with the seven planetary spirits which were mentioned in the greek copy of the key of Solomon.For those already in possesion of the mathers edition this is an excellent addition to the book since it completes the mathers edition by giving you the names of the angels to work with .A must for all followers of King Solomon;s Works .