The enclosed articles do double duty; they are sufficient unto themselves while providing insights relating to wider topics. Susanne Iles elucidates the Grimoire of Armadel, an important text for which Mathers only consulted one manuscript. Here Susanne explains the omissions in the published text; note too the importance of the ‘First Character’ to the ritual process, mirroring the True Grimoire. Alexander Cummins, writing on the purifying herbs of the latter grimoire, demonstrates further inter-relatedness while his articulate commentary sets a benchmark for other authors. The blue grimoires, wrongly neglected by a previous generation of occultists, receive ample attention in this issue, with material relating to both the Petit Albert and Saint Cyprian. Two articles in this collection depict the quandary of urban magicians, offering solutions and implications. Meanwhile, the New World traditions are amply served by an account of Jesus Malverde, the so-called ‘narco saint’, and new magics are served by Kent Cockerell’s tale of cutting out deadweight, and what can grow when we do. Finally, the ancient roots of Western magic are represented by a readable and briefly commented version of the Testament of Solomon. This foundation text of Solomonic magic, a major portion of Western magic in general, is important in many respects; its C6th roots demonstrate the critical role of the ancient synthesis in shaping Western magic.

Table of Contents

Becoming the Green Mystery
Nicholaj de Mattos Frisvold

Jesus Malverde: Angel of the Poor
Jamie Alexzander

The Grimoire of Armadel: A Meeting with Betel
Susanne Iles

The Testament of Solomon
with an introduction by Jake Stratton-Kent

The Grimoire of Saint Cyprian or The Prodigies of the Devil
Translated and with an introduction by José Leitão

The Love Spells of the Petit Albert
Translated and with an introduction by Talia Felix

Cities of Life and Death
Gavin ‘The Fox’ Marriner

Against the Interim: A Guide to Cutting Out Bureaucracies with Cut-Up, Trance, and Pain
Kent Cockerell

The Three Purifiers: The Asperging Herbs of the True Grimoire
Alexander Cummins

The Saint, the Magus, and the Devil
Humberto Maggi