A Luxryne course
The Keys of Solomon
The Greater and Lesser Keys
The legend of Solomon the Wise and the two great grimoires that bear his name: the Greater Key with its planetary pentacles, and the Lesser Key, the Lemegeton, in its five books.
By the end of this course you will
- Know the legend and the Seal of Solomon
- Understand the Greater Key, its preparations, hours and 44 pentacles
- Navigate the five books of the Lemegeton
- Read the 72 spirits of the Goetia as a historical catalogue
Curriculum
Module I
Solomon the Wise
The king, the ring and the seal.
Module II
The Greater Key
The Clavicula Salomonis: preparations, hours and the 44 pentacles.
- The Key of SolomonPremiumThe Clavicula Salomonis: manuscripts, Mathers' 1889 edition and its world.Intermediate · 4 min read
- The Greater Key: Preparations and InstrumentsPremiumPurification, garments, the knives, wand and parchment of the Clavicula, read as history.Intermediate · 3 min read
- Planetary Days and HoursPremiumThe Chaldean order, how planetary hours are calculated, and what the Key assigns to each planet.Intermediate · 3 min read
- The Planetary PentaclesPremiumThe 44 pentacles, their planets and traditional purposes, used contemplatively.Advanced · 4 min read
Module III
The Lesser Key
The Lemegeton in five books, and the 72 spirits of the Goetia.
- The Lesser Key: The Lemegeton in Five BooksWhat the Lemegeton is, where its manuscripts come from, and a map of its five books.Foundation · 3 min read · Free
- The Ars Goetia: Structure of the 72PremiumRanks, planets and metals, the four kings of the quarters, the brass vessel legend and how to read the catalogue.Intermediate · 3 min read
- Theurgia-Goetia and the Ars PaulinaPremiumThe 31 aerial princes of the compass, and the angels of the hours and of the zodiac's degrees.Advanced · 3 min read
- The Ars Almadel and the Ars NotoriaPremiumThe wax tablet of the four altitudes, and the medieval 'notory art' of prayer for memory and learning.Advanced · 3 min read
Course reading list
- 1 Kings 3–11 and 2 Chronicles 1–9 (the biblical Solomon)
- Flavius Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews 8.2.5 (c. 94 CE)
- F. C. Conybeare (tr.), 'The Testament of Solomon', Jewish Quarterly Review (1898)
- S. L. MacGregor Mathers (tr.), The Key of Solomon the King (Clavicula Salomonis) (1889)
- Owen Davies, Grimoires: A History of Magic Books (2009)
- Joseph H. Peterson, The Key of Solomon (esotericarchives.com)
- Richard Kieckhefer, Magic in the Middle Ages (1989)
- Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa, Three Books of Occult Philosophy (1533; tr. J. F., 1651)
- Cassius Dio, Roman History 37.18–19 (c. 230 CE)
- Joseph H. Peterson (ed.), The Lesser Key of Solomon (2001)