The ‘Book of Spirits’ in the Life of the Magus

Much contemporary occult literature is filled with injunctions that, for the sake of “spiritual development”, one ought to keep a “diary” in which to record thoughts, impressions, and illuminations that occur to the practitioner.

Despite its comic appearance, this idea is rooted in the long-standing tradition of the practicing Magus keeping a Book of Spirits. The earliest known example is the Testament of Solomon — the progenitor of the Solomonic grimoire cycle.

Traditional literature is full of accounts of the origins of such books; in fact, originally all grimoires are precisely such “Books of Spirits”. A striking instance of this is the preface to the Grimoire of Honorius, which recounts its origins.

Although at first glance the Book of Spirits may resemble the diary kept by modern practitioners, its traditional meaning is quite different. The ideological foundation for the emergence of the “Books” lies in the notion of the power of symbols to effect realization.

The Magus records in the Book of Spirits names, seals and other particulars of the spirits with which he has made contact. The obtaining and, above all, the recording of this information functions as a kind of “Symbol of Power”, granting the Magus the capacity to control subsequent evocative operations. To command a ministering spirit it is not enough to know its name and seal; they must be fixed — that is, rendered into the dense material plane. As we have already said, it is precisely the dense plane that gives the Magus a foothold for dealing with spirits that greatly surpass him in power, wisdom, and age. Therefore, fixing the name, seal, and particulars of a spirit’s summoning on that plane renders that summoning complete. At the same time, as it accumulates entries, the Book of Spirits becomes a mighty Object of Power, a source of the Magus’s authority and power.

The “Books of Spirits” passed down within the Lines of Evocational Magic are surrounded by many legends, which are often more extravagant than reality. At the same time, a Magus who has not inherited a Book can (and sometimes must) create his own, which will not only attest to his practice but will also be a vessel of Power, and under certain conditions may be decisive in a magical battle.