Le Livre d'Or (The Book of Gold) is a unique 17th century French magical work comprising numerous amulets, charms, prayers, spells and sigils for working with the Biblical Book of the Psalms of King David. Written in a simple style akin to a medieval Book of Secrets combined with magical practices from the ancient world, Le Livre d'Or brings together practices which have their roots in major works from the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Cairo Genizah, to the Greek Magical Papyri and Sepher Shimmush Tehillim (Magical Use of the Psalms).
Now translated into English for the first time, this exceptional text demonstrates the significance of the Psalms as a unifying and vital thread throughout the development of Western magic. From Sweden to Syria, Britain to the Baltic, the use of appropriate Psalms has spread as a significant part of popular folk and religious magic, and Le Livre d'Or is an inimitable example of the transmission of divine power through the written and spoken word. Le Livre d'Or was originally bound as part of Lansdowne MS 1202 with a 17th century French copy of the most important of grimoires, the Key of Solomon.
The extensive commentary by David Rankine and Paul Harry Barron emphasises the place of the Psalms within the Grimoire tradition, detailing their extensive apotropaic, amuletic and coercive uses in works such as the Book of Abramelin, the Key of Solomon and the Goetia. The editors also illustrate how the magic of the Psalms has underlain and cross-fertilised numerous traditions over the last two thousand years, from Hellenic magicians, early Christians and Jews of the ancient world to practitioners of the medieval Grimoires and Renaissance Cunning-folk. Whether it was for benevolent or malefic results, Le Livre d'Or provided the appropriate Psalm verses and relevant techniques.
This previously ignored work is an outstanding example of eminently practical magic which not only draws on such major works as the Heptameron and the Steganographia, but also many of the divine names found in the Kabbalah. From Saints to spirits, characters to Creeds, Le Livre d'Or shines forth as a significant and reclaimed chapter in the Western Esoteric Traditions.
Author Biography:
Biography David Rankine is an author, magician, esoteric researcher and scholar whose work explores the development of the Western magical traditions through the ages. He has been writing and contributing articles to a variety of publications on the subjects close to his heart since the early 1980s. These include Heka (Egyptian magic), the Qabalah, Medieval and Renaissance magic (particularly the grimoires), modern ceremonial magic, mythology and folklore. Since 2003 he has been working with Stephen Skinner, co-writing and producing the highly acclaimed Sourceworks of Ceremonial Magic series. These books make available previously unpublished manuscripts and Grimoires of great significance to the development of modern magic, and have opened the field of study regarding the development of magick in the last thousand years. David actively promotes the propagation of rare texts and source documents, and is a member of both Societas Magica and ESSWE (European Society for the Study of Western Esotericism). David has contributed numerous articles to esoteric publications such as The Watkins Review, Skoob Occult Review, Nuit-Isis, Celtic Dawn, Chaos International, Witchcraft & Wicca, Pagan Dawn, Talking Stick. During the period 2002-04 he contributed around 300 articles to the D'Agostini international part-work Enhancing Your Mind Body Spirit. His contributions to this very successful worldwide publication included articles and entire sections on Crystals, Healing, Chakras, Qabalah, Shamanism, Ancient Egyptian Magick, Alchemy and Angels. Since the early 1980s David has facilitated hundreds of workshops, lectures, and presentations throughout the UK and Europe, concentrating on the subjects he is passionate about - including the Grimoire Tradition, Qabalah, Angelic Magic, Egyptian and Celtic Mythology and spirituality. David has appeared on many television and radio programs over the years. His work and interviews with him have featured in numerous publications including The Guardian, The Sunday Times, TIME OUT, Alternative London and many others. More recently he was interviewed for That's Weird on Glastonbury Radio about the Qabalah (1 hour program, syndicated worldwide) and BBC Radio London on the Tarot and Dr Rudd's Goetia. He has also featured on television programs on Channel 4, Channel 5, ITV, BBC and Sky. David was raised in Singapore and Wales, two countries steeped in very different mythical and magical traditions. Paul Harry Barron is a linguist, whose knowledge and interest in practical Qabalah developed out of an early interest in Jewish spirituality, magic and holistic healing. He is the translator of The Book of Gold (2010) and The Complete Grimoire of Pope Honorius (2013). In 2010 his Mini-Cwrs Esperanto was the first Esperanto textbook to be published in the Welsh language. He is a qualified Acupuncturist and practitioner of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) who lives and works in Wales.
