Customer Reviews

The Magick of Solomon [VHS]

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Watching this video is tantamount to stumbling over a brass lamp and rubbing it. Runyon, a trained cultural anthropologist, willingly shares with us the tools and techniques he spent decades of intense research and experimentation rediscovering so that we, too, can summon gods and goddesses of ancient times to guide and assist us. He demonstrates the methods. He gives historical background. And he explains why, how, and where he looked for ancient secrets of the great King Solomon's magickal art of conjuring spirits-secrets lost until a life-threatening illness inspired Runyon to make this his life's work.

What Ceremonial Magick has in common with voodoo, Jungian psychology, and "the Watchers"-the archangels from the lost Biblical book of Enoch... What Aleister Crowley said about summoning the 72 spirits that Solomon trapped in the brass vessel... The difference between invocation and evocation... How to perform an almadel using the crystal shewstone... How these methods mesh with astrology... Learn about all this and more in this down-to-business video.

This is the real deal-not some high-ticket Hollywood silver-screen excuse to terrify and titillate. This is definitely not sensationalism. But don't mistake serious Ceremonial Magick for pointless prancing around. Perform these techniques correctly and your attention and imagination will be engaged-with results that will enlighten and often surprise you. Forget a crucial step-like properly banishing the summoned entity back to its realm-and you may be called back to attention when you least expect it, as Runyon describes from his own dramatic experience.

If you're serious about learning and practicing this rediscovered ancient art, you'll want to watch this video-and follow the instructions in the more detailed book-again and again. Just like me. My graduate training in Jungian psychology has helped me understand and appreciate the depth of Runyon's contribution. I love this video and the book-both well written and well done.

The Magick of Solomon is a one-of-a-kind video documentary. Not only is it exciting, dramatic, informative and fun to watch, it is also intelligent and believable. The narrator is both a ceremonial magician and an anthropolgist. He does not insult anyone's intelligence, or make any wild claims to supernatural powers--but the technique of facial reflection-distortion in a dark mirror that he uses to evoke the traditional spirits of the Lemegeton is ingenious, startling and effective. The fact that it is also admittedly hypnotic and subjective adds to its credibility, but does not detract from its power or its authenticity. This documentary may be a dissapointment to those credulous miracle-seekers Crowley called "the fools" among the students of magick, but for those of us who agree with Maestro Lon DuQuette that: "It's all in your head, but you have no idea how BIG your head is!" The Magick of Solomon, and The Book of Solomon's Magick are pure gold.

Those who have the original 2001 VHS version of this amazing video documentary should be the first to get the new 2003 DVD "Second Edition." The DVD has 12 minutes of completely new footage; mostly current interviews with Frater Solomon and Frater Thabion dealing with the remarkable results of the spirit Vassago's "Millenium Prophecy." --But there is also a new follow-up from Vassago himself!....All this and for five dollars less than the earlier VHS version.

For those who don't have the VHS version yet, this Second Edition should be their first choice. Dark Mirror of Magick is the only complete, fully documented visual and sound recording of a Solomonic Goetia evocation operation. No rehearsals, no retakes. You see and hear it all. It was video-recorded by a professional t.v. news crew in January of 2001. 13 days after the Spirit Vassago predicted "The Slaying of a Son of Africa," the president of Congo was assassinated! Vassago went on to predict the present War on Terror in the Middle East and even hinted at the coming 911 disaster.

This was all videoed inside the impressive magical temple of the O.T.A. in Southern California. Director/narrator Wayne Darwen interviews the magus and the seer before and after the operation. Their unrehearsed answers to his penetrating questions give the viewer an insider's perspective on modern magick that is invaluable.

The producers of this DVD version have also up-dated, enhanced,extended and digitally re-mastered their companion video doumentary The Magick of Solomon. This production gives detailed instructions, with full-dress in-temple demonstrations, on how to perform the kind of operations seen in Dark Mirror of Magick.

The magick of solomon dvd is absolutely essential for anyone pursuing spirit evocations. It should definately be used in conjunction with other evocation books since it does not cover every detail of an evocation.

The dvd is very good quality and Poke Runyon is actually a very good speaker and is easy to understand. I found his voice to be almost hypnotic as i watched. The dvd is definately for those who have at least some knowledge of magical evocation and may be overly confusing to a novice.

Poke explains how a spirit is evoked to materialize within the magic mirror inside the ritual triangle. He does a good job at explaining his belief that the spirit is evoked from within the psyche of the magus himself. I do wish there was more information and instruction about what results and knowledge can be obtained from the various spirits as this will not be known or understood by a novice. Poke also does a very good job at explaining the risks associated with evocation.

He also published a book that is meant to accompany the dvd which i plan to order also. I have studied ritual magick and evocation for many years but seeing an actual evocation on video is SOOOO different than reading about it in a book and therefore i believe this dvd is absolutely essential for anyone interested in performing any type of magical evocation.

I have been pondering ordering this video for many years and am very glad that i finally did!

Runyon has put together a very innovative and refreshing system of evocation and invocation. Also he is quite the romantic so while he takes you through the history and implementation of the Magick of Solomon be ready for a bit of dramatic flare. As a matter of fact it can be overly dramatic at times. Though the video follows the book almost to the letter, a picture is worth a thousand words and if you just can't get it from the book then this video will be a great help.

Over all I would say that if you have extra cash in your account then purchasing this would be worth considering. Otherwise, just get the book that this video is the companion to and you're good to go.

Peace,
~Marz~

The Magick of Solomon is well a done independent documetary of spirit evocation into a black mirror. I have been studying magick for 6+ years and I found this video to be informative as well as entertaining. I recommend this video to anyone who is interested in spirit evocation as well as to anyone who interested in seeing how an existing magickal lodge or group functions in a ritual situation. There is even a demonstration of a ritual evocation done by several members of the OTA! All in all, this is a must see for anyone interested in the above!

Readers of DM Kraig's Modern Magic(k) will recognize the general techniques performed during this DVD, which was apparently produced to provide the complete set of instructions which, Runyon claims, Kraig more or less ripped off from a student of the OTA, who ripped them off from Runyon. It's all basically very simple, and, yes, it's not something to be toyed with. I'd recommend Savedow's Goetic Evocation for more details on the actual practice, as well as Lisiewski's Ceremonial Magic and the Power of Evocation for more in depth theory and a discussion of possible consequences, in addition to Runyon's updated The Book of Solomon's Magic(k), which goes further in depth into his techniques.

What truly stands out is Runyon himself, whose comic charisma makes this fun watching. It's clear he takes all this stuff VERY seriously, as it should be, but this is a case in point why Golden Dawn style rituals should NEVER be shot on film. It's hilarious to watch, though the intellectual part of me is very glad he did so. Runyon's commentary at the beginning of the DVD leave little doubt why his nickname is "Poke", nor does the fact that his order was founded around a Phoenician love goddess. He also tends to think and talk in terms of his he-man, Green Beret personality (using at one point the analogy of a grenade in a phone booth to illustrate his point). He's just adorable! A chubby, fuzzy, cuddly, little ninja-assassin come medieval magus in dark robes, which appear to have caught fire at one point, chanting and leading pretty ladies about the circle.

Much is owed to "Poke", however, in "re-discovering" the technique of Goetic evocation, and the necessity of using the Lemegeton, Goetia and Arbatel in concert. While all this is now de rigueur in the esoteric community, it was, indeed, remarkable scholarship and insight when it was first developed.

I have read the first part of this book and find it difficult to understand. The author takes for granted that the reader knows who or what he is talking about. Well that is not always the case. Although interesting it is also a very confusing book.

I saw this stuff on youtube and was astounded. Never seen anything like this before.

I commend Poke for this video. (He's actually quite funny IMO. In a sort of cliche type of way...) Seriously though, how many videos are there on the market that actually show one how to do goetic work? This video has shed light on some very important issues often neglected in certain publications. One of these being the bindings of the 72 angels of the Shemhamphorash to the 72 Goetic demons. This is evident in Dr. Rudd's Goetia, which I recommend to anyone that desire to do things the "right" way. (I veraciously proclaim this unequivocally)

REFER TO: The Golden Hoard's recent publication's. This may prove to be a prudent move.

I noted there are a few area's in the video where he could have done well to explain things a little more clearly, but that being said, this video should not be the be all to end all in anybody's magical arsenal. One should always be willing to think for themselves and remember that most, if not all the grimoires (That are merely assorted manuscripts put together into certain publications) that we have inherited, are more of a "magical workbook" of other magicians, and in no way should be viewed as complete works. That should be obvious after a clear enough overview of these manuscripts. They will give you the tools to figure out what that guidebook should be, but everyone is different in their approach, intent, and style. I do not mean to minimize the importance of maintaining the original process, on the contrary. My meaning is that we are not clones like the Evangelical Fundementalist Christian Church, that tend to "do what the fellow next to them is doing" (I speak from years of experience) We are individual's with individual minds that have the capacity for great things....These spiritual entities actually know this (My assumption), and when the practitioner comes into a full realization of this they will be empowered enough to also realize that the spiritual entities they dialogue with have just as much individuality, and are capable of even greater things, on your behalf.....