---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Jake Stratton-Kent <[log in to unmask]>
Date: 26 January 2008 15:54
Subject: that Agrippa quote regarding 'goetians' and the grimoires in general
To: [log in to unmask]


On 24/10/2007, Jake Stratton-Kent <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> On 18/10/2007, fraterredactumopus <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>
> > > ;-) cough - the term Goetia comes from a Greek word millenia older
> > > than the mistitled 'Goetia of Solomon'.
> >
> > You've mentioned that once or twice. ;)
>
> see below regarding it's use in the Middle Ages as a general term for
> us grimoire hounds:
>
> 'all medieval tradition implies that they [the demons] are ready
> enough to come if you are an evil-minded person wishing to make a pact
> with them to obtain magical force, i.e. a Goetic Magician as opposed
> to an Initiate Adept'. Mathers, footnote to Abramelin, II.14.
>
>
> 'Of Goetia Necromancy'.
> From 'The Vanity of the Sciences'
>  by Cornelius Agrippa
>
> Now the parts of Ceremonial Magick are Goetia and Theurgia, Goetia is
> unfortunate, by the commerces of unclean spirits made up of the rites
> of wicked curiosities, unlawful charms, and deprecations, and is
> abandoned and execrated by all laws. Of this kind are those which we
> nowadays call Necromancers, and Witches...
>
> These therefore are they which call upon the souls of the dead, and
> those which the Ancients called Epodi, who enchant boys, and bring
> them out into the speech of the Oracle, and which carry about them
> familiar spirits, as we read of Socrates and such, as it is said, they
> fed in glasses, by which they feign themselves to prophesy. And all
> these proceed two ways. For some endeavour to call and compel evil
> spirits, adjuring by a certain power, especially of divine names, for
> seeing every creature fears, and reverences the name of him who made
> it, no marvel, if Goetians, Infidels, Pagans, Jews, Saracens, and men
> of every profane sect and society do bind devils by invocating the
> divine name. Now there are some that are most impiously wicked indeed,
> that submit themselves to devils, sacrifice to, and adore them, and
> thereby become guilty of Idolatry, and the basest abasement: to which
> crimes if the former are not obnoxious, yet they expose themselves to
> manifest dangers. For even compelled devils always deceive us
> whithersoever we go. Now from the sect of the Goetians have proceeded
> all those books of darkness, which Vulpianus the Lawyer calls books
> disallowed to be read, and forthwith appointed them to be destroyed,
> of which sort the first is Zabulus reported to invent, who was given
> to unlawful arts, then Barnabas a certain Cyprian; and now in these
> days there are carried about books with feigned titles, under the
> names of Adam, Abel, Enoch, Abraham, Solomon, also Paul, Honorius,
> Cyprianus, Albertus, Thomas, Hierome, and of a certain man of York,
> whose toys Alphonsus King of Castile, Robert an English man, Bacon,
> and Peter de Abano, and many other men of a deplored wit have
> foolishly followed. Moreover they have not made men only and Saints,
> and Patriarchs, and the angels of God, the authors of such execrable
> opinions, but they boast also that those books were delivered by
> Raziel, and Raphael the Angels of Adam and Tobias; Which books openly
> betray themselves to him that looks narrowly into them, to be a rule,
> rite, and custom of their precepts, and a kind of words, and
> characters, an order of extruction, an empty phrase, and to contain
> nothing but mere toys, and impostures, and to be made in latter times
> by men ignorant of all ancient Magick, and forlorn artists of
> pernicious art, of profane observations mixed with the ceremonies of
> our religion, with many unknown names, and seals intermixed, that
> thereby they may terrify and astonish the simple, and ignorant.
> Moreover it doth not yet appear that these arts are fables: for unless
> there were such indeed, and by them many wonderful and hurtful things
> done, there would not be such strict divine, and humane laws made
> concerning them, for the utter exterminating of them. And why do the
> Goetians use those evil spirits only, but because good Angels will
> hardly appear, expecting the command of God, and come not but to men
> pure in heart, and holy in life: but the evil are easily called up,
> favouring him that is false, and counterfeiting holiness are always
> ready to deceive with their craft, that they may be worshipped, and
> adored: and because women are most desirous of secrets, and less
> cautious, and prone to superstition, they are the more easily
> deceived, and therefore give up themselves the more readily to them,
> and do great prodigies. The poets sing of Circe, Medea, and others of
> this sort; Cicero, Pliny, Seneca, Austin, and many others as well
> Philosophers as Catholic Doctors, and Historians, also the Scriptures,
> testify the like. For in the books of the Kings we read, that a woman
> who lived at Endor, called up the soul of Samuel the Prophet, although
> many interpret it not to be the soul of the Prophet, but an evil
> spirit, which took upon him his shape. Yet the Hebrew masters say that
> Austin to Simplicianus doth not deny but it might be the true spirit
> of Samuel, which might easily be called up from its body before a
> complete year after his departure, as also the Goetians teach. Also
> Magician Necromancers suppose that might be done by certain natural
> powers and bonds, as we have said in our books of Occult Philosophy.
> Therefore the ancient Fathers, skilful of spiritual things, did not
> without cause ordain that the bodies of the dead should he buried in a
> holy place, and be accompanied with lights, and sprinkled with holy
> water, and be perfumed with frankincense, and incense, and be expiated
> by prayers as long as they continued above ground. For as the Masters
> of the Hebrews say, All our body and carnal Animal, and whatsoever in
> us depends upon the matter of the flesh, being ill disposed, is left
> for meat to the Serpent, and as they called it, to Azazel, who is the
> Lord of the flesh and blood, and the Prince of this world, and is
> called in Leviticus the Prince of deserts, to whom it is said in
> Genesis, Thou shalt eat dust all the days of thy life. And in Isaiah,
> Dust thy bread, i.e. our body created of the dust of the earth, so
> long as it shall not be sanctified, and turned into better, that it be
> no longer an effect of the serpent, but of God, viz. a spiritual made
> of carnal, according to the word of Paul, saying, that which is sowed
> a carnal, shall arise a spiritual; and elsewhere, All indeed shall
> rise up, but shall not be changed, because many shall remain forever
> as meat of the Serpent. This filthy and horrid matter of the flesh and
> meat of the Serpent we therefore cast off by death, changing it for a
> better and spiritual, which shall be in the resurrection of the dead;
> and is already done in those, who have tasted of the first fruits of
> the resurrection, and many have already attained to, by the virtue of
> the divine spirit, in this life, as Enoch, Elijah and Moses, whose
> bodies were changed into a spiritual nature, and have not seen
> corrupted; neither are their carcasses left to the power of the
> Serpent. And this was that dispute of the devil with Michael the
> Archangel, concerning the body of Moses, of which Jude makes mention
> in his Epistle. But of Goetia, and Necromancy let this suffice.
> 'Magick without Astrology, doth nothing, but altogether is in error.
> Suidas is of the opinion that Magick had its name, and original from
> the Magi. It is the common opinion, that it is a Persian name, to
> which Porphyry, and Apuleius assent, and that in that tongue it
> signifies a priest, wise man, or Philosopher. Magick therefore
> comprehending all Philosophy, natural, and Mathematical, joins the
> powers of Religions to them. Hence also they contain in them Goetia,
> and Theurgia, for which cause many divide Magick into two parts, viz.
> Natural, and Ceremonial'.
> 'Hence it is manifest that this Natural Magick is sometimes inclining
> to Goetia, and Theurgia, entangled in the wiles and errors of evil
> Spirits'.
>
> Not the whole picture but a deal fuller than modern 'usage and
> abusage' of the term
>
> ALWays
>
> Jake
>



-- 
Jake

http://www.underworld-apothecary.com/