The Grimoire of Armadel

Rating:
Summary: Intriguing, but not great
Review: Graphically, the Grimoire of Armadel remains one of my favorites of the genre. Shifting off between simple geometric figures, little crossy bits, and flowing curves, the sigils for the spirits are really quite nice to look at.

The spirits themselves are fairly diverse, often having two sets of functions (a more sorcerous function, and one set more appropriate for the aspiring Christian mystic). As far as diversity of function, they approach the Goetia on many fronts, though are often aimed at more fantastic results (except for the archangels at the front, which don't, in my opinion, have much practical value).

And if you want to break your mind like a rough-hewn block of chalk, then the translations of the untranslatable latin that forms the collection of odd mystical writings towards the back of the book will entertain for hours.

However (and you knew a 'however' was coming), I do have the gripe that it's simply not as impressive as the Goetia. Except for the orations at the beginning, it provides few instructions or diagrams for the setup of the ritual. Perhaps Armadel was a minimalist (a true rarity within this particular strain of occult literature), but more often than not he's just a bit unclear.

Also, there are a few figures listed in the table of contents which do not appear anywhere in the book, and the figure of 'The Operation of Uriel Seraphim' is stuck in there with absolutely no explanatory notes.

So, if you want a detailed instructional book, the Grimoire of Armadel surely ain't the way to go. If you like cryptic things, I'd sure as hell go for it. And if all you're looking for is a catalog of spirits, it's pretty decent as they go.

Rating:
Summary: Conjure Demons
Review: I am a long time occult, a Z=5 adept of the Golden Dawn and Corresponding Associate and Brother of the American O.T.O. I have a large collection of grimoires and this is one of the best. Simple conjurations for a number of demons in one neat and compact volume. At 79 pages, I read this in one two hour sitting. These occult grimoires of very high quality really improve the individual who takes them seriously on a number of levels: intellectual, spiritual, emotional, health and ambition. Why trash an expensive book and waste your money? Why not take it seriously and better yourself? This lately in my life has been one of the few books as an advanced practitioner I got something out of. The conjurations do work, but that doesn't mean they will always be successful. S.L. Mathers is an expert on the subject and easily one of the best sources the aspirant can learn from. Yes, it does borrow from Christianity. Christians are all over, especially in America. If you are going to be an occultist you cannot be very hostile towards ChristianS themselves; you might end up literally with no friends whatsoever. This IS NOT satanism! Mathers was not a satanist nor am I. This actually blows away satanism hands down.

Rating:
Summary: good book to start
Review: Its a good book to start with anyone interested in grimoires,the work itself is quite brief but it was the popular book of choice in france where mathers lived the remainder of his life. Many may find the book to be to simple, but I think that it is really potent...And besides there must be a very good reason why this book caught the eyes of mathers.

Rating:
Summary: A book for the coffee table, not the temple.
Review: The Grimoire of Armadel is the medieval equivalent of one of those big Sierra Club books -- something to browse through over drinks and canapes, not something to be taken seriously. The "instructions for use" are wholly inadequate.
The current publication has the illustrations in black and white, but in the original colors it must have been quite attractive. The sigils grow ever more elaborate and flourishing as the book proceeds, becoming a joyously extravagant riot of abstract figures by the end. Were it not for the art, I would give it one star instead of three.

Rating:
Summary: Advice/Help
Review: This book can help you to understand spirit/demon evocation. Simple as that.

This helps you to understand the principles of these beings and guides you to invoke therir power to you.
Short, but helpful, this is a must for the beginner-advanced magician, but also well-rounded for the non-denominational invocational magician or no matter what your preferences are, this book is still a must for your collection of texts and a great addition to your library of related matter.

My advice is to get this book if you are interested in this subject at all and should be read fully before invoking spirits.

If this doesn't suit you, i suggest the Goetia in conjunction with this, or seperately a book called "Goetic Evocation: A Magician's Workbook".

This book goes along with this subject and is very helpful to even the most advanced magician, mainly due to it's addition of the rarely seen "Testament Of Solomon" along with this book.

Rating:
Summary: A Good Finish, But Not A Place To Start.
Review: This book is a very interesting read and is full of sigils and evocations but it is to old to use the evocations and it doesn't tell you in clear terms what to do. I bought this book thinking that after having read and understood it that I would be able to summon a spirit to the physical plane of existence but I couldn't do it and got a bit discouraged. It wasn't until I bought Summoning Spirits : The Art of Magical Evocation by Konstantinos did I realize that there is a lot of things this text left out for the aspiring Evocational Magican. I recommend starting with Konstantinos' Summoning Spirits : The Art of Magical Evocation and then once you've learned to do it well summon the spirits from The Grimoire of Armadel.

Rating:
Summary: Summoning Demons for Dummies.
Review: This book was great. I should be called Summoning Demons for Dummies. I have been summoning demons for years but always had a bit of a problem when it came down to getting rid of them. This book was very informative in that aspect. I was also able to control the armys of Lucifer much more easily and without a lot of the backtalk that i would usually get.

I also recommend this book to those who simply wish to chill with some demons. You will be surprised at how lonely some demons are. They are willing to grant you things, just for the mere chance to hang out with you and kick it.

Rating:
Summary: Absolutely the BEST i've read so far
Review: This book was very informative, it tought me to harness the powers of Angels and Demons, it also brushed me up on my history of this and many other Grimores, if you are just beginning, or looking for a good power trip, i truly suggest this book. You'll be amazed when you are visited by angels, and have an army of Demons doing your bidding. Very good book.