The Clavis or Key to the Magic of Solomon (Dr. S. Skinner & D. Clark) - Esoteric Book Review

My review of The Clavis or Key to the Magic of Solomon edited, introduced and commented by Dr. Stephen Skinner & Daniel Clark.
See it on Amazon.co.uk: amzn.to/38cdbpP
See it on Amazon.com: amzn.to/2YnYagg
(WARNIN! There was an early printing of these with missing pages and a different ISBN number. The above links are for the full edition featured in this video)
DISCLAIMER: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases
See my review of the other edition (by Joseph Peterson) featured in this video: • The Clavis or Key to t...
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[@EvolvingWisdom]

You are so awesome!! Thank you ... I went on a book shopping spree because of you 😩... Now I just wish there was 5 of me so we can read everything I just ordered 😂🤷🏾‍♀️

[@FoolishFishBooks]

Ah, I know that feeling only too well :D Huge book haul, and now - who has the time to read them all? 😂 Luckily I have these reviews to make, they ensure that I do in fact get to read every volume I get... eventually! ;P

[@FoolishFishBooks]

Can I ask what you bought? I'm very curious :)

[@EvolvingWisdom]

Foolish Fish I have bought 1O books mostly the ones you have introduced on here ... my favorite as of now are the..” how to make and use a Magic mirror( that’s not one you introduce) ...The Goetia of Dr.Rudd, Demons of Magic and The Golden Dawn ... I also purchased the Sola Busca Tarot deck ( sense I’m a intuitive card Reader however, I’m purchasing the large history book that goes with the cards just to get a little more understanding of them ) I think you introduced these cards when you traveled to that book store in Britain) I absolutely love the cards and the art of them .. I love ancient history 😊

[@FoolishFishBooks]

@@EvolvingWisdom ha! I am just at this moment sitting in my living-room sofa reading Peter Mark Adams' excellent introduction to the Sola Busca Tarocchi - The Game of Saturn 😄 What a pleasure, eh? I've seen a magic mirror book by Donald Tyson, is that the one? I've heard excellent things about it, but I seem to remember that it's quite tricky to get hold of, is that right? Let me know if it's worth tracking down, I'm very curious. Great haul there, @EvolvingWisdom ! Well done! 😄

[@EvolvingWisdom]

Foolish Fish ... 😆... great minds think the same! I found the sola book for $265 but I believed I could find it cheaper! And of course I have found it for $40 on a book website...Yes that’s the one ! It’s by Donald Tyson... It was a hard find I order the last one from Etsy website ..I have not tried making the mirror yet because I wanted to study more .. but I am really injoying it .. he gives step by step instructions on how to use and make it.

[@andythedishwasher1117]

Your book reviews have been giving me a much better sense of why I've been so enamored over the years with the book-learning aspect of magick rather than the practical, hands-on aspects. Something about the written word and the images that can accompany it two-dimensionally feels magickal in and of itself, almost as if "spelling" out the words on the page allowed the author to cast spells on whoever put their attention and intention into understanding it. The covers contain an even more subtle kind of spell that draws readers in to attract their attention and intention to the workings within. However, I notice that like myself, you also seem to have an appreciation for how this is being achieved through the medium of the internet. I've been building up energy for a major working for the past 7 years or so, and I feel that it's coming to a head based on my current pattern of omens. I've beaten myself up for the majority of that period for being an "armchair wizard", studying everything and experimenting with nothing (except copious amounts of psychedelics in various settings). However, I'm recently coming to realize that this approach, while traditionally problematic, may have set me up well for the current climate of magickal discussion and literature. Obviously, for this to be an effective approach, I will need to transition into real practice soon. I'm starting with your LBRP recommendations. Thank you for approaching these topics in a way that curious folks from Christian backgrounds can appreciate and not be intimidated by. I think I will be adopting some of that approach in my own upcoming material, though if I do, I will certainly drop some links to your material giving credit where credit is due.

[@quezj379]

How’d it go?

[@andythedishwasher1117]

@Quez J Lol not terribly well. There is still no content, but there is a very interesting no-code web development platform coming together the architecture of which is what I might call a real implementation of the magickal lessons from my 20s.

[@quezj379]

@@andythedishwasher1117 ohh I thought you started the practical side of your journey just wanted to get advice or some first hand knowledge/experience from someone

[@brandoncallaway8835]

I love your book collection. I have had two copies of the key of solomon, i don't anymore. This one looks amazing to me. It is sooooo much clearer than some of the originals. This is a must have book for me, bit not on the top of my list. The magick in the key of solomon definitely works, but alot of it is dangerous. What i would say to people that think they just want to play with the key of solomon without having an extremely good reason is that i have had a spirit follow me most of my life, the keys work, and there are reasons why there are warnings in it. There are so many stories of people going insane, or their life falling apart, or being tormented by spirits after messing with the magick inside that book. I for one am smart enough now that I'm older, to have respect for solomons keys. There is even a story of a magician that preformed one of the rituals out of the keys and he was found the next day with nearly every bone in His body broken. I have some stories of my own, bit that's neither here nor there.

[@xxxbigboidraco]

Tell one of ur stories please , I’m curious on reading a book but I kno some shit gunna attach to me

[@spaceytracey1237]

This is one of the KZbin suggestions that I'm really glad about. Look forward to going through your playlists

[@FoolishFishBooks]

Welcome, and thanks for watching! 😁

[@Sejdr]

Always a pleasure to watch your reviews - nice to see the this one! Such a shame that Golden Hoard doesn't make better quality/better looking books in their standard production. I totally understand your point regarding his matter-of-fact writing.

[@FoolishFishBooks]

I do see it as a lost opportunity, but on the other hand, information does seem to be their focus, and not everyone in the world of esoteric publishing can be expected to hold the same love for a 'delightful' reading experience 😁

[@seanno1]

Amazing video/ audio is amazingly clean. We would love to see some of your content come to Vezbi. Have a wonderful new Year friend and hope to hear from you.

[@kennyshortcake999]

I have become an avid fan, almost overnight, of Dr Skinner’s work. We are so fortunate to be around at the same time as him. Ars Notoria is riveting 😊 Will I try it?

[@warren3174]

I have the 2018 First Edition second impression. It has matte paper finish with no images separated. The embossed logo on the front of the cloth binding is much smaller than yours. Almost as if they listened to you 😂

[@QuaesitorDei]

i recieved the ars notoria in the post today and im very pleased with it. occult manuscript facimiles are sort of my thing at the minute so this is right up my street. solomonic magic isnt really for me but it is very interesting. this looks very very nice!

[@evwaldron]

What is the difference between this book and the "Veritable Key of Solomon", also done by Skinner?

[@rahulnair7714]

This book contains so much more information than the veritable key of Solomon. Although for some reason, I am also glad I have the key too. I completely agree with you on Dr. Skinner's rigid opinions on the source materials. For example, the book on Splendor Solis is an absolute treasure, however, I feel Dr. Skinner's opinionated and secular inputs on the plates takes away more than it adds, to the point that I find it irritating and completely reject it. But really, I am also very grateful to him for painstakingly bringing so much raw information out into the public, and for giving us all a chance to hold in our hands a piece of magical history. Love this review too, as always, thank you so much Denis :)

[@FoolishFishBooks]

@Rahul Nair, once again, you put my exact thoughts into words! 😁

[@psychedianic]

Nice review! I appreciated the flip-through. The handwritten pages are immediately legible to me though I understand some kids today can't read cursive because they weren't taught it. Unfortunate! 😱

[@FoolishFishBooks]

Yes, it is suprisingly legible (not always the case with some of the manuscripts out there). Scarlet imprint have a new book in the works for which a MS page is displayed on their website... Not so legible! 😄

[@psychedianic]

@@FoolishFishBooks Naturally, I had to go see what you were referencing. I found the sample handwriting of An Excellent Booke is not AS legible because of the spelling conventions of the time and the insertion of some Latin, but still decipherable. Heh! 😛 💗

[@MildRider1]

Have you had a look at 'The Occult Book' by John Michael Greer? It's quite a nice timeline of the esoteric and it's presented very well that almost anyone could pick it up and enjoy without any prior knowledge of Magick.

[@FoolishFishBooks]

Thanks for the tip, @Jorge, I've had an eye on it for a little while, just a very long 'to buy list' 😄

[@ShadowsIII]

Can you guide me as to where I can find the ritual to consecrate the secret seal of Solomon?

[@ceejay3p]

I do enjoy these esoteric book reviews.

[@FoolishFishBooks]

Ah, it's a pleasure when my audience is this appreciative 😋

[@ceejay3p]

@@FoolishFishBooks I just wish I could afford some them 😃

[@FoolishFishBooks]

@@ceejay3p Hehe! You're telling me! :D

[@florentbellerose2574]

It's a source work for ceremonial magick: indeed I have all the volumes that I read from vol A to Z and if you do read them (without pinpointing minor irrelevant errors and put it in a scientific, historical, academic AND magical perspective; it does make a lot of sense. I like it because it's from a scientific point of view without falling in the boring academically verbiage that detached itself from the subject (because in fact it is aimed for practitioners and not armchair magician) yet he manages to put it in the academical field: that is a major scientific and humanist contribution to the field.. this sourcework serie is a monument in terms of scientific and academic work and still the only REAL workable tool. Indeed that legitimates the REALITY of magical technology. The future students of magic will be grateful I can tell you.

[@sarahk6254]

Thanks for the reviews!

[@nevermind3842]

Is there much difference between this and Joseph Peterson's version other than it being in colour?

[@bighardbooks770]

I am very much enjoying your channel. Noah at "Everyone who reads it must Converse" turned me on to it. We're a part of the #BookTube community, but we're also magicians; in fact, I have another channel called "Portland Tarot" but I've not created any new content since early 2019. Keep up the Great Work. --Allen

[@Ignis696]

Another great review. I own a leather copy of the book and I am sorry to disappoint you by pointing out that the leather edition also has glossy paper. The format and font use appears to be exactly the same in both editions. In the leather edition the end papers have a different pattern but they are even more pink, which is interesting because I remember hearing a interview in which Stephen Skinner said that he thinks the book's sigils generally are too pink according to his taste :) I really hope to see you make a comparison between the versions published by Golden Hoard Press and Ibis Press. I do not have the Ibis Press version which I on several occasions have considered buying. On artistic argument for making that decision is that I may also prefer a more earthly colored alternative to the My Little Pony version (to quote you) :D

[@FoolishFishBooks]

Ah! You star! 😄 Thank you for that info about the leather bound version. I'm sure the money is well spent for how much better they look on the shelf, but if the interior is identical I think I'll stick to these standard editions. Yes, I will be doing a comparison video quite soon, possibly in January, I'd expect. 😊

[@Ignis696]

The book does indeed look good on the shelf, especially with raised band binding, which I am such a sucker for ;) I just did some comparisons between some of the books in the Sourceworks of Ceremonial Magic. I have them all except Hygromanteia and Ars Notoria (the latter two I await to receive), some in leather, some in regular hardback edition and a few in both editions. From my collection I can deduce this: 1) The Clavis or Key to the Magic of Solomon has the most glossy paper of all the compared books. Most of the books have matte paper. 2) There may be paper pressing differences between the leather and the regular hardback editions: for example, in Goetia of Dr Rudd the paper type is the same in both versions but the font is a bit darker in the leather edition; in The Veritable Key of Solomon the paper is only a bit shiny in the leather version but at least the sigils and illustrations are in colour, in contrast to the regular hardback edition (there are multiple leather versions of that The Golden Hoard Press book, mine is the one limited to 350). Needless to say, the leather version of tVKoS is superior. There is one thing I am worried about that concerns the heavier leather books, tVKoS and Clavis: if I take one of them out of the bookshelf and turn it 180 degrees, it is quite noticeable that the paper is affected by gravity and kinda form arcs, pointing downwards. This I have seen with other books as well, but it is particularly apparent for the leather edition of Clavis. Is the paper also being pulled downwards to a great degree in the regular hardback edition?

[@FoolishFishBooks]

@@Ignis696 sorry, didn't get a notification of your response. I will check tonight.

[@FoolishFishBooks]

@@Ignis696 Truth is... It's hard for me to gauge how much is too much. For me, it looks like the dip is quite mild. Certainly not an alarming amount, or something that would make me worry about the book's (admittedly flimsy) integrity... (I'm soooo sorry it took me this long to answer!!)

[@Mike-ye8qv]

so the ink bled through on some of the pages did it ever bleed through with the pages that were missing so we can have an idea of what would have been there?

[@FoolishFishBooks]

It bled through to the other side of the same page, not onto the next page. If the page is missing, the other side of it tends to be missing too... 😂

[@MrGunwitch]

Great review DP, thanks! Just a quick point, the correct English pronunciation for wyvern is "why-vern" not "wivern". Cheers.

[@FoolishFishBooks]

Thanks, @MrGunwich, it's a word I've only recently come across, and only heard pronounced by people for whom English is a second language (specifically the creator of the kickstarter tabletop game "Joan of Arc"). A quick Google search shows me that of course you're quite right 😁 thanks!

[@MrGunwitch]

@@FoolishFishBooks My pleasure :)

[@andrewjenkins9965]

I've heard it both ways.

[@plissken2245]

Hi FF, Maybe a silly question but what is the difference b/w the greater, lesser and clavis key of Solomon? It's bit confusing to figure out. TY!

[@FoolishFishBooks]

Clavis just means 'key' Lesser is demons and angels (mostly) Greater is planetary talismans (mostly) The book here is a version of the greater key The lesser key is sometimes called 'Lemegeton'. The Goeteia of Dr Rudd is also a version of the Lesser Key.

[@plissken2245]

@@FoolishFishBooks Thank you so much. Listening to your videos right now as I work. : )

[@13aphometchannelling50]

GREAT REVIEW, I DONT KNOW MUCH ABOUT BOOK'S CRAFTMANSHIP SO HERE IS A QUESTION TO LEARN AS U MENTIONED YUR DISTASTE FOR GLOSSY PAGES, MY QUESTION IS WHY IS IT SOMETHING U DONT LIKE ABOUT A BOOK? IS IT CONDIDERED LESS OF A QUALITY WORKMANSHIP?

[@FoolishFishBooks]

Hi! Love the name! 😄👍 I think it's just the way they pick up fingerprints, crease so easily even with regular handling, and reflect light so that you have white glare from any light source that you don't get with matte paper. 😉👍

[@Apollo.arc7]

Magic of solomon by joseph p. Vs this. Which is the better buy

[@jamesmitchell8028]

your right some of the illustrations is like child has done them, but i very much love them more creative and artistic

[@FoolishFishBooks]

Yes, they work fine, I think :)

[@mediarobotboy6156]

You are one of a kind 👏

[@johnnyt1175]

Hi there, what do you think of Crowley's books of Solomon?

[@abe9576]

13:33 lol this was funny , imagined Dr Skinners voice while listening

[@FoolishFishBooks]

😅

[@bearambles]

Have you heard anything about Dr. Skinner's recent Ars Notoria book?

[@FoolishFishBooks]

Yes, I'm curious, but the reviews on Amazon only confirm my doubts I'm afraid... I'll probably get a copy when the price inevitably drops 😉

[@raidcaisip9830]

That looks intereating. Where can i buy it? Pls.

[@FoolishFishBooks]

Links in the description 😉

[@floryliemag-abo5004]

Meron kang pdf niyang sir pwde makahingi syo salamat sir.

[@berndtfelmerer3654]

Interesting........Charoite KALI Wali Mesukiel Akteriel Mahakala Bala Bala jojojo Patli Capalatmika Kalabhairava

[@debraarjoon5926]

What type of magic is it? Is it a Holy teaching?

[@FoolishFishBooks]

It's Solomonic magic, mainly with the objective of creating talismans.

[@xxxbigboidraco]

Hell no it’s not holy lmao

[@micomarinas2753]

what's the difference between those two books?

[@usadatingafricanmenculture3127]

Thanks

[@brocknspectre1221]

That ABRACADABRA page hurts my eyes!

[@boatengkwabena6038]

How can I get some to buy?

[@FoolishFishBooks]

Links in the description

[@brandoncallaway8835]

tthere.tell you what, you get the leather bound addition and if you don't want that one, I'll take it off your hands, free of charge lol.

[@tylervargas4444]

Rate this book from 1 to 10

[@horrorjunkie96]

is there an edition of this manuscript straight up printed on old style paper instead of photos or scans of it on glossy HQ paper?

[@MisstressMourtisha]

Meh I like glossy paper...

[@asdfghjkl3669]

You just dont like the man it seems. Different people, different views after all.

[@wanderingtallguy6849]

Ahahah aspects that annoy me. I love you foolish!

[@olgadyakova5747]

You introduses so tasty, your voice, your shy voice, your smile---force me to look at the books...

[@firasnaamo358]

Solomon did not use magic that's what the devil would want you to think his powers came from GOD not magic

[@FoolishFishBooks]

What do you think Magick is? Where do you imagine the power of Magick practitioners comes from?

[@Iconicnotcon]

Lol you’re literally one of the many lost people I seen comment things like this lol no wonder God said my people perish for lack of knowledge

[@Iconicnotcon]

Archangel Michael and God gave Solomon power and magick lol, In the book of Josephus, it says Solomon did spells and incantations in exorcisms and to banish and summon demons lol you obviously don’t read

[@Iconicnotcon]

Which devil

[@Iconicnotcon]

Moses did magick, Solomon did too