The Book of Gold (Le Livre d’Or) - 17th Century Book of Spells, Charms & Magic using the Biblical Psalms of David Read online

  The Book of Gold

  Le Livre d’Or

  A 17th century magical grimoire of amulets, charms and prayers, sigils and spells using the Biblical Psalms of King David

  By David Rankine & Paul Harry Barron

  Published by Avalonia

  www.avaloniabooks.co.uk

  Published by Avalonia

  BM Avalonia

  London

  WC1N 3XX

  England, UK

  www.avaloniabooks.co.uk

  ‘The Book of Gold’

  Being a partial transcription of Lansdowne MS1202, translated by Paul Harry Barron from the original French, Introduced by David Rankine, with commentary by David Rankine & Paul Harry Barron.

  Copyright © David Rankine and Paul Harry Barron 2010

  ISBN-10: 1-905297-39-4

  ISBN-978-1-905297-39-9

  First Edition, May 2010

  Design by Satori

  Cover Art “David & The Devil” (David in penitence before God, who is seen blessing in the sky. Behind David stands the Devil, who has big horns, a face on his groin, and the legs of a chicken. Psalm 38), taken from Breviary of John the Fearless, published in Paris in French and Latin between 1413-1419, illustration by Master of Guillebert de Metz. With the Kind Permission of the British Library in London.

  British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data. A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, microfilm, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, or used in another book, without written permission from the authors.

  “The which Psalms, are nothing else,

  but a means unto the seat and Majesty of God:

  whereby you gather with yourselves due power,

  to apply your natures to the holy Angels”

  The archangel Uriel to Dr John Dee, March 10th 1582.

  Acknowledgements

  We would like to thank Stephen Blake for his invaluable assistance with the manuscript.

  Thank you to the staff at the British Library for their assistance with the text and cover image.

  Sorita d’Este for her encouragement, editorial advice and for being a Muse.

  Joseph Peterson, whose translation of Sepher Shimmush Tehillim in his seminal edition of The Sixth and Seventh Books of Moses was invaluable in our research.

  John Canard for bringing some of the traditional European folk magic uses to our attention.

  Stephen Skinner for his ongoing support and fascinating discussions of all things grimoire-related.

  “The words of the Lord are pure words: as silver tried by the fire, purged from the earth refined seven times.”

  Psalm 11.7

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  INTRODUCTION

  EDITORS NOTES

  THE MANUSCRIPT

  1. PRÉCIS OF ALL OF USES OF THE PSALMS IN LE LIVRE D’OR

  2. ANALYSIS OF PSALM USE BY COMPONENT AND FREQUENCY

  3. THE USES OF PSALM 118 IN SEFER SHIMMUSH TEHILLIM

  4. PENTACLES FROM THE KEY OF SOLOMON THE KING

  5. PENTACLES FROM VERITABLE KEY OF SOLOMON

  6. PLANETARY HOURS

  INTRODUCTION

  The Book of Psalms is the longest book in the Bible, and arguably the most magical. The one hundred and fifty Psalms have been used as the basis of amulets and for magical assistance for many centuries, with evidence of their use for apotropaic, healing and coercive magic dating back at least as far as the third century CE. Fragments from the Cairo Genizah and the Dead Sea Scrolls show that the Psalms were considered extremely powerful manifestations of divine power, with the incipits (opening lines) often being used as symbols of the power contained within the whole Psalm.

  Whilst we do not intend to attempt to trace the Psalms back to their roots, it is clear from their style and content that they were heavily influenced by Babylonian and Egyptian hymns and prayers, and to an extent could thus be viewed as continuing the magical traditions of these cultures.i This is a logical conclusion when we recall the two periods of captivity for the Hebrews were with these two civilizations.

  With the cross-fertilization of ideas between the Jewish, Hellenic and Gnostic practices of the first-fourth century CE, the Psalms soon found their way into other magical systems. There are references in Greek texts such as the Greek Magical Papyri which indicate the influence of the Psalms there in the fourth and fifth century CE. Thus we see fragmentary phrases which seem to be drawn from the Psalms in e.g. A tested charm of Pibechis for those possessed by daimons (PGM IV.3007-86), including Ps 103:32 (3076), Ps 113.3 (3055), and Ps 134:7 (3066).

  Instructions are also given which indicate the commanding power of the Psalms, such as: “Continue without deception, lord, the vision of every act, in accordance with the command of the holy spirit, the angel of Phoibos, you yourself being pliable because of these songs and psalms” (PGM III.287-88).ii

  Another significant feature of the Psalms is that their magic transcends language, with charms, prayers and spells being found in numerous languages including Aramaic, English, French Greek, Hebrew, Latin, Runes and Russian.

  The Psalms featured prominently in early Christian magic. Of the ninety-three Christian amulets from the period fourth-eighth century CE written on parchment or papyrus, “at least thirty-one of the amulets quote from the Psalms, most of which are from Psalm 90 or Psalm 1.”iii

  The first major text focusing entirely on the magical use of the Psalms is the Hebrew Sepher Shimmush Tehillim (Magical Use of the Psalms) which dates back to the eighth century CE. Although there are no known copies of this text until centuries later, we have contemporary references to it which indicate an early form of Sepher Shimmush Tehillim did exist and was used at this time.

  Significantly at least twenty-five of the one hundred and fifty Psalms in Le Livre d’Or, the ‘Book of Gold’ (i.e. one in six) have uses which seem to be derived from the published eighteenth century version of Sepher Shimmush Tehillim, indicating it was a major influence on it.

  From their early Jewish and Christian roots of magical use, the Psalms would spread across the whole of Europe, as far north as the Scandinavian countries and as far east as Russia, becoming a part of local folk magic and also permeating the grimoires. The grimoires are books of magical practices with lists of spirits and/or practices and charms, which were normally hand-copied, and span the period from the thirteenth-eighteenth century. The level of Psalm usage in such grimoires as the Key of Solomon, the Goetia and the Abramelin show how effective the magic of these words was believed to be. Conversely, words used in conjurations in early grimoires such as Liber Juratus, the Heptameron and the Steganographia are found in Le Livre d’Or, suggesting a grimoire influence on some of the material within.

  The use of Psalms in cures also occurred through both the Church and the tradition of Cunning-folk which flourished from the late Middle Ages through to the twentieth century. Another popular use amongst both Church and Cunning-folk was for protection from witchcraft and evil occurrences.

  Divinatory Psalters containing the Psalms were well documented in the Slavic countries from the eleventh century onwards, a testament to the popular bibliomantic use of the Psalms. Another popular technique from the thirteenth century onwards was to make a spiral of the numbers 1-150 and thro
w a seed or pebble on and see which number it covered.iv

  However it was not just for divination and healing that the Psalms were employed. This work is centred on the Livre d’Or, a late seventeenth century French MS which was attached to a copy of the Key of Solomon (Lansdowne MS 1202), emphasising the connection between the two. As the subtitle indicates, the Psalms are those of David, and for this reason we have not included the other Psalms found in the books of Samuel and Jonah, or the additional Apocryphal Psalms found in the Dead Sea Scrolls.

  By looking at the different intended purposes in the MS, we immediately see which uses were most popular. These were generally mundane and connected with achieving tangible results, not at all connected with any spiritual benefits. Thus the most common uses were types of protection (40), healing and health issues (27), gaining high friendships or influencing those in positions of authority (18), improving luck or fortune (15), and love magic (14). There were also significant numbers of charms for release from prison, or its opposite of detaining a person in prison (9), and to kill or destroy enemies (8), showing that it was not all benevolent and that there was a distinctly malefic streak in some of these charms.

  The reputation of the Psalms for destruction is well documented, with examples going back to the third century CE. A nineteenth century description of the magical contest between the druids and Saints Patrick and Benin in 433 CE in Ireland describes them using Psalms, illustrating the popularity of such ideas:

  “So saying, the Chief Druid set fire to the pile, and, accompanied by two other Druids and some guards, proceeded till he came to where the saint and his assistants, in their white robes, were chanting their psalms. ‘What mean these incantations?’ tried the Druid”.v

  Verses from the Psalms are found throughout the grimoires, where the efficacy of their words was not doubted. Verses from Psalms were chosen for use based on the appropriate nature of the words in them, and it is clear that the whole of the Book of Psalms was viewed as a book of magical power. Indeed some sources required the reading of the whole of the Book of Psalms, with the Abramelin recommending they be read in full at least twice a week.vi

  In more recent centuries the Psalms have also spread into more contemporary traditions like Dutch Pow Wow and the Diaspora of African traditions. These uses are outside the scope of this current volume, and would require substantial treatments of their own.

  Of the 179 charms contained in this work, a wide range of materials were used as the basis of the charm. Paper and similar substances such as vellum and parchment predominate (61), with a high number of glass plates (8) and cooking pots (4) being the next most common. Both of these latter items recall the use of such items in ancient spells.

  Certain substance dominate the list of consecrating ingredients, specifically water (30) and types of oil (22), as well as fragrant substances such as aloe wood (8) and mastic (15). The darker nature of some of the charms is also seen in the range of types of blood used, showing all of the classic animal bloods associated with the grimoires, such as white cockerel, black hen, bat, dove and goat. Interestingly there is also a charm which makes use of menstrual blood, which has commonly been seen as a taboo substance.

  The characters used with many of the Psalms are as eclectic as the charms, being drawn from magical alphabets like Malachim Script and a mixture of hermetic and alchemical sigils.

  What is clear about the uses in this extraordinary work is that they emphasise establishing harmony and success in the material world, and largely ignore the spiritual. The practices remind us of the need for magick to create effective change to be worthwhile, and through doing so then perhaps opening the practitioner up to a higher goal.

  The Psalms contain a great deal of wisdom and beauty, and have been the basis of a huge range of charms and spells. Therein lies both their appeal and their power, which will be evident to the reader as they work through this unique manuscript.

  David Rankine

  Llyswen, Wales, April 2010

  EDITORS NOTES

  Due to the poor reproduction of the characters from the MS in the electronic copy, it was necessary to hand copy the characters from the original for use in this work. Four people have checked these characters to ensure they are as close to a perfect copy of the original characters as can be achieved. A brief glance at the image quality in the following page from the original clearly shows the problem we faced with the characters which made hand copying the only option.

  For all the verses, the English translation of the Latin heading is included at the beginning of the Commentary. Where the text says “The Moon and hour as above”, the reader should refer back through the previous Psalms until they find a reference to the Moon sign and planetary hour. A table of the planetary hours is included as Appendix 6.

  Where there is reference to verses of the Psalms being used on Pentacles from copies of the grimoires known as the Key of Solomon, the reader is referred to Appendix 4 or Appendix 5, for easy reference to their appropriate locations in readily available printed works.

  Reference is made in the text to Liber Juratus (13th-14th century), the Heptameron (14th century), Munich CLM 849 (15th century), the Abramelin (15th century), the Steganographia (early 17th century), the Goetia (17th century), and the Key of Solomon (15th-18th century). These are all grimoires, i.e. books of magical practices, which have been highly influential on the development of modern magic. A Collection of Magical Secrets and A Treatise of Mixed Cabalah are both 18th century works which resemble a Book of Secrets, i.e. collections of simple charms to achieve magical effects.

  The first page of Le Livre d’Or,

  being folio 91 of Lansdowne MS 1202

  THE MANUSCRIPT

  Le Livre d’Or (The Book of Gold) comprises fo.91-114 of Lansdowne MS 1202, numbered as pages 179-230. The page numbers are included in the text in square brackets to show textual flow. The first and largest section of the manuscript is a Key of Solomon from the Armadel Text-Group.vii The British Library describes this manuscript as:

  “Lansdowne 1202 4to. Les vraies Clavicules du Roi Salomon. Par Armadel. This book is elegantly written in a modern French hand, and ornamented with neat drawings of numerous talismans and other implements used in the practice of Magick, of which art this seems to be a very complete treatise. At fo. 179 is another work, entitled ‘Le Livre d'Or, touchant les vertus & les caracteres des Poeaumes du Prophete David,’ concluding with the Athanasian Creed.”

  The Psalm translation we have used is the Challoner revision of the Douay English translation of the Latin Vulgate Book of Psalms. The Psalm numeration in Livre d’Or is based on the Greek (Septuagint), and a table is included below to show the difference to the Hebrew (Masoretic) numbering:

  Greek

  Hebrew

  Difference

  1-8

  1-8

  None

  9

  9+10

  Split

  10-112

  11-113

  +1

  113

  114+115

  +1 and Split

  114+115

  116

  +1 and Merged

  116-145

  117-146

  +1

  146+147

  147

  +1 and Merged

  148-150

  148-150

  None

  LE LIVRE D’OR

  Touchant les Vertus & les Caracteres des Pseaumes du Prophête David

  THE BOOK OF GOLD

  concerning the Qualities and Characteristics of the Psalms of the Prophet David

  FIRST PSALM

  Beatus Vir qui non abiit. A. Let

  Write this Psalm until Et folium ejus non defluet with the characters and the letters and bind them to the right arm of a woman who may be in danger of losing her fruitviii and perfume with mastic and she will retain her fruit. El HH.AD

  . The Moon being in or in hour of

  PRAYERS

  Render us, oh Lord, as fertil
e as a fruit-laden tree before Thy divine glory, so that being cultivated amongst the multitude of Thy plants, we may be worthy and pleasing unto Thee as a most excellent fruit in its fecundity through our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

  COMMENTARY:

  The Latin is the first part of verse one and reads, “Blessed is the man who hath not walked”.

  The Mars character is an error, as the Moon could not be in Mars (another planet), and there should be a zodiacal sign here. Two possible candidates are the signs ruled by Mars, i.e. Aries or Scorpio. However the shape of the Mars symbol with the upward right pointing arrow is similar to that of the sign of Sagittarius, which is the most popular sign in this grimoire for the Moon to be in.

  The binding to the right arm reflects the use of the phylactery bound to the left arm in Orthodox Judaism.

  This is the same use of this Psalm as is found in Sepher Shimmush Tehillim. One noteworthy difference however is the use in the former of the Divine Name El Chad (AL ChD, ‘Great, Strong and Only God’), which has been corrupted to El HH.AD in this text.ix The charm is written on deer skin, which may be derived from the earlier use on gazelle skin found in the Cambridge Genizah.