A Review of Jake Stratton-Kent’s The Testament of
Cyprian the Mage.
With the third and
final part in Jake Stratton-Kent’s Encyclopaedia Goetica titled The Testament of Cyprian the Mage Jake
have come full circle in redefining the Goetic fundamentals that lies at the
root of the Western Tradition at large.
Jake have in this concluding double volume literally soaked the bones
of the Western Tradition with the life-giving blood of memory and wisdom, all
too often forgotten. He has forged this memory in the icon of Cyprian, the
saint and mage, the healer and sorcerer in the likeness of King Solomon. In
this way Cyprian serves both as symbol and archetype of the fusion of the Greek
Shamans and the clandestine sorcery priests that found their heaven in Church
and monastery. In the icon of Cyprian Jake is binding the ink and legacy of
monasteries in with the image of the goetic mage in spirit frenzy to allow the
blood of a living tradition to flow forth from bones and books forgotten and
neglected, but always present in our forgetfulness.
Jake writes: “Goetia is the only continuous thread connecting antiquity with the
occult revival. As identical with shamanic survivals, witchcraft and sorcery,
the grimoire tradition and its forebears – goetia is a living tradition of
magic” (vol II: 213)
I would add to this that Jake has been the element of spirit that has
quickened this legacy and reminded us about the fact that the Western Tradition
is in fact living. In this way Jake has been given life to dead bones that were
not dead after all.
There are many, many aspects of Jake’s work that deserves commentaries
in light of how vital and crucial this book is for the Western Tradition to
understand itself. I would say that with this volume Jake have stretched up the
very ancestry of the spiritual and literary succession any goes, ‘western
shaman’, and ceremonial magician is a part of.
Hierarchies are discussed here in light of the importance of thwarting
angels as stabilizing factor amidst angels (or should we say aerial spirits in
general?) celestial and chthonic, which in it selves gives several blows to the
ghost of Christian education concerning hierarchies that have infected us
Westerners with a spiritual democracy Jake demonstrates grave errors in.
One of many examples of this error is found in the discourse on solar
theology presented throughout in the book, especially in the first volume. The
Sun is axis and cosmic pinnacle. It is Apollo, necromancer and light giver. Later
we find this form in the shape of St. Michael and St. Michael is burdened with
a host of Christian imagery and values. I
say burdened, because the Christian mythology is so deep seated within this
form of Apollo that many are not capable of seeing beneath the Christian veils
to what he points towards. Confronted with an imagery like this, we should ask,
“but what does it means?” because certainly this figure of the Sun that holds devils within his
cape and is subduing a chaotic devil or dragon is not necessary an image of
solar triumph, but of the controlling powers the Sun holds in virtue of being
what it is. And what is the Sun? It is the heavenly luminary that gives light
to the realm of the living as much as the realm of the dead. These forms of
exegesis are moving beneath the entire Testament of Cyprian the Mage as a way to make us remember our legacy and become alive again as
practitioners.
This work is clearly a pioneering work where Jake have desired to
organize our heritage so it can be used for the mage, sorcerer and goes as much
as for the most devote Solomonic ceremonialist, or Martinist for that matter, as
a compass for retracing our steps. Just in this act and will itself Jake
deserves applause and a thousand toasts in fine wine and good whiskey.
Decans, mansions and fixed stars are given ample space here and especially
with the impressive presentation of the decans Jake is providing a pioneering
work of presenting a legacy so important in a way that it is opening up for use
and surely will transform the practitioner as this spiritual wealth is
explored. These stellar mysteries are then continued in his discourse of
astrological chiromancy, that was perhaps the highlight of the book for me,
where he bring heaven on earth in erasing the veil of separation. Seeing how
Jake is continuing the work started in True Grimoire through Geosophia and then
ending up with tying the four kings, the spirits of air and decans into a
starry body found in your very own palm is simply sublime.
I also want to compliment Jake on organizing this rich and valuable material
in such way that it is not only workable, but also possible to analyze from the
variety of sources he is using to demonstrate concurrence and difference. It is
clear that Jake with this work have been occupied in offering up the blood of
old bones for a living community of practitioners. In this book we will
rediscover the spiritual harmonies between spirits of hours, days and nights as
an invitation to interact with the worlds invisible and visible. It is a work
most praiseworthy.
Jake concludes his work with writing: “Goetia is a tradition of vast
antiquity, yet adaptable to entirely new surroundings; capable of effective
cross cultural exchange with living traditions from other cultures, while
retaining its identity” (ibid. 214).
This summary is tied in with the neo Platonic stance held in the
discourse of the book. Something that is most refreshing to see and read as
this approach opens up and unifies the magical landscape into a comprehensive
whole instead of separating elements to make a puzzle game of curious fragments.
It is in this field Goetia mirrors Quimbanda in a dual reflection of St.
Cyprian the Mage, the Priest and Shaman as an icon of how living traditions can
bleed over in one another and not only maintain their integrity and identity,
but become more well defined and sharp as a consequence of these meetings.
Massive tomes like this tend to use time to generate an impression, but
over time Jake’s work will certainly bring a renewed depth and understanding to
why we do our magic in the way we do –and in this we will become more effective
- and also more open and less restricted and dogmatic as practitioners. In The Testament of Cyprian theMage the keys to make our dealings
with spirit to reach a whole new level of personal alliance and interaction is
given and as the keys are thrown down legacy and tradition is invoked.
It is nothing more to say than: "get your copy" and yet again congratulate Jake
Stratton-Kent and Scarlet Imprint for giving to the world this gift of ink and
wisdom dressed in the deep blue of the starry heavens.