Magus Books: Product Highlight

A Book of the Offices of Spirits, the Occult Virtue of Plants and Some Rare Magical Charms & Spells. Transcribed by Frederick Hockley from a Sixteenth Century Manuscript on Magic and Necromancy by John Porter

Author: Hockley, Frederick

Edition limited to 800 numbered copies.

This is the first ever publication of this Solomonic text or grimoire which, in common with the better-known "Goetia," is essentially a catalog of demons, giving their name, description, rank in the infernal hieararchy, number of attendant legions, offices (abilities), as well as a variety of magical rituals for their conjuration and other purposes.

The text has its origin in a magical manuscript written by one John Porter in 1583, which was itself probably drawn from earlier European sources. In the early nineteenth century the Porter manuscript came into the possession of the British occult fraternity, "the Mercurii," and a transcription of key sections was compiled by John Palmer.

Palmer's transcription was in turn copied by the renowned occult scholar Frederick Hockley, and this transcription, along with another anonymous late nineteenth century manuscript copy, for the basis for the present work.

Frederick Hockley (1809-1885), was an occultist and Freemason with an interest in Spiritualism who in later life was associated with the Societas Rosicruciana in Anglia. Hockley's peers considered him to be one of the great occult scholars of his time in fact he was held in such high regard by one of the founders of the Golden Dawn, W. Wynn Westcott, that he posthumously claimed Hockley as one of the Order's most outstanding Adepts.

Colin D. Campbell, author of "The Magic Seal of Dr. John Dee" has edited and written an Introduction for the book , in which he examines the history of the manuscript, its place in Goetic literature, and its relevance to contemporary occultists.

Hardcover. Small Quarto. xviii + 78pp (vi). Bound in high quality black cloth, with a gilt design stamped on the front cover, blind rules, and gilt title etc. on the spine. Black "coffin silk" endpapers.

Printed in red and black on acid free paper, sewn.

Edition limited to 800 numbered copies.

Magus Books: Product Highlight

Exhibition Catalogues of Austin O. Spare

Author: Ansell, Robert Spare, Austin Osman

NEW! During the course of his creative life Spare produced more than 2000 drawings, watercolours and pastels.

His exhibitions ranged from the fashionable West End of Edwardian London, to the earthy characterful taverns of post-War Southwark.

This volume gathers together his very rare exhibition catalogues: from his first show at the Bruton Galleries in 1907, to his last at the Archer Gallery in 1955.

These facsimiles present a wealth of scarce information, including:

• Commentaries by Austin Spare.
• Essays from Kenneth Grant, Dennis Bardens, Grace E. Rogers, John Smith, Oswell Blakeston, G.S. Sandilands and others.
• Lists of pictures exhibited, each with a catalogue number, often with prices.
• Dates and locations for his shows.

These facsimiles are illustrated with more than 64 pages of colour plates, carefully selected to represent the evolution of Spare's work between 1902-1956, and his various styles throughout the period.

The original catalogues are also augmented with an introduction by Robert Ansell and several useful appendices, including:

• Signatures and Monograms of the artist, 1902-1956
• Notes on Framing by Austin O. Spare (1947)
• Inventory of Pictures at 5 Wynne Road, 1956
• Decorated Objects
• Exhibition Invitation CardsHand out for the Guinea Exhibition (1932)

There is also a comprehensive index, which lists alphabetically nearly 2000 picture titles for Spare's output 1907-1955, denoting exhibition, date and catalogue number.

This substantial volume represents an invaluable and essential resource for collectors of his work.

Herbal Stress Relief

After a long and busy day, using an herb or two to unwind can be a wonderful stress reliever. There are many herbs that can help de-stress from a hard day. Some are great for people who are usually cold; others are a good choice for people with mild indigestion. Let’s explore them and find the perfect relaxation herbs!

Today I am posting about Linden Flower. Linden Flower is a classic relaxant. Once considered the mildest of narcotics, Linden is mildly sweet and a little relaxing. The label “narcotic” was taken away from this little beauty once scientists understood the chemical structure of narcotics. They discovered that Linden is not a narcotic at all! It simply acts to relax tensions. This is especially true when it comes to tensions felt when arguing. This is indicated by a story that comes out of Europe. The story says that it was desirable to have town meetings under Linden trees if a town hall was not available.

The reason? People would argue less and the meetings would end sooner if people could inhale the light fragrance of the Linden tree in bloom! Linden is a little cooling to the body, so it is ideal for someone who becomes hot easily. Not only does it make a mild herb tea, it is also great in the bath! Making an entire pot of the tea and pouring one cup to drink and two or three cups into a warm bath can be a great way to relax. A Linden bath is also a great way to get a fussy toddler ready for bed with less resistance. It is also thought to help someone who is habitually tense avoid hypertension, especially if there is a family history of heart disease. This is a tree with many names, and while herbalists tend to use a European name: Linden, there is also an American name: Basswood.

LIZ JOHNSON

Some History and Traditions of Samhain

“Great was the darkness of that night, and demons would appear on that night always.”

In the United States we celebrate Halloween, All Hollows Eve, or Samhain (pronounced “Sah-win”), commonly by dressing up in costume and parading children around in the local neighborhoods while they go door to door and ask for candy.  Adults generally do this masquerading in local taverns and clubs while trying to win prizes for the best costumes.  However, to the average pagan, this is the time of year in which we acknowledge many traditional aspects about the holiday and find ourselves partaking in customs that are more closely related to the magical practices and beliefs of the ancient Celts. 

It is commonly known that November Eve is the night in which the veil between the living realm and the spirit realm is the thinnest or is completely removed, allowing for supernatural forces to occur.  This concept was interestingly Christianized at some point in history and lead to the belief that the ghosts whom came through this non-existent barrier on Halloween were the souls of those who found themselves in Purgatory after death.  Perhaps this derives from the rise of papal authority of the Roman church and the result of de-paganizing Rome during the Reformation which concluded with the destruction of many pagan traditions and literature surrounding Europe, leaving us with not nearly as much reference as was possibly produced about pagan tribes and traditions throughout history. 

However, according to folklorists and surviving ancient Irish sagas of the 9th through 12th centuries during this holiday pagans worship the old gods and special efforts were made to cope with the spirits who roamed the earth.  This was also a time for legal and practical affairs surrounding the immense harvest that took place during this time, such as securing farmsteads, thus rituals surrounding this concept were performed.  Battles were also fought, journeys began, and wars were decided upon.  The decisions made in regards to these practical affairs resulted in reliance on prophecy and divination.

The divinations performed during Samhain were not always inspired by legal and practical matters.  It is also said that if one wished to see their future mate that they can look into a mirror during this night and see an image of them appear over their shoulder in the mirror’s reflection.  These divinations were regarded as traditional games.  One such game which is still known in modern Ireland is referred to as, “the snap-apple game”, where one secures or fastens an apple and a candle to the arms of a cross and spins them around while players try and take bites from the apple as the cross spins passed them…but there is also the chance that the participant will accidently snatch the end of the cross containing the burning candle…what was the purpose? And, ouch! Perhaps this is where our traditional and somewhat safer game of bobbing for apples from a bucket of water derived from?

Commonly, in Western culture we carve pumpkins into jack-o-lanterns for Halloween.  The story of the jack-o-lantern is quite a dark tale, originating from Great Britain, “The jack-o-lantern is said to be the wandering spirit of a blacksmith named Jack, who was too evil to get into Heaven, but because he had outwitted the devil, was not allowed into Hell.  Expelled from Hell, he gathers glowing coal in the vegetable he is eating and uses it as a lantern to light his way as he wanders Earth.”

Halloween costumes seemingly originated from the idea of taking on the persona of a pagan figure or deity.  Looking at early American traditional Halloween costumes, the majority of them are masked representations of devils, demons, witches, etc.  During this time in which the veil between the spirit realm and living realm is passable it could inspire one to associate themselves with the dead or demonic presumably allowing them to blend in with the ghoulish creatures to detract themselves from their evil or mischievous doings or to celebrate alongside as a pagan invoking and evoking the traditional and original elements of this festivity.

We are here to inform you on the folklore, magic, and myths of Samhain and “dispel” any commercialized information on the holiday in order to bring an understanding of its true meaning. Magus Books hopes that you all have a splendid Samhain and autumn season this year, no matter what spooky shenanigans you get yourselves into during this holiday!      



KYLE FORD

Cress, Tom Peete, and Clark Harris Slover. "The Irish Monthly." Ancient Irish Tales. no. 757 (1936): 496.
Johnson Sewell, Helen. "November Eve Beliefs and Customs in Irish Life and Literature." The Journal of American Folklore. no. 320 (1968): 133-142.
Santino , Jack. "Halloween in America: Contemporary Customs and Performances." Western Folklore. no. 1 (1983): 1-20.