Crossed Keys

<p><em style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1)>Crossed Keys</em><span style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1)> is a chimeric binding of the</span><em style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1)> Black Dragon</em><span style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1)> and the</span><em style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1)> Enchiridion of Pope Leo III</em><span style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1)> by Michael Cecchetelli. They are complementary grimoires of biblioth��que bleue period. Together they comprise a wealth of spells spirits lore talismans and psalm magic. Extensively footnoted the seals corrected redrawn and restored with excerpts and workings from the translator's magical record this is a practical text which throws light on the </span><em style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1)>Grimorium Verum Red Dragon</em><span style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1)> and</span><em style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1)> Grand Grimoire</em><span style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1)>. The </span><em style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1)>Black Dragon</em><span style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1)> draws heavily on the 1760 (1810) </span><em style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1)>Grimoire of Honorius</em><span style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1)> which is significantly different to the 1670 edition and the earlier 13th century </span><em style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1)>Sworn Book of Honorius</em><span style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1)> (</span><em style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1)>Liber Juratus</em><span style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1)>) which is an ancestor in title alone. The spirits referenced are those of the</span><em style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1)> Grimorium Verum </em><span style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1)>and the seals have been corrected in line with the research of Jake Stratton-Kent as presented in </span><em style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1)>The True Grimoire</em><span style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1)>. The original seals are reproduced for comparison. The illuminating preface to the text is not found in any other grimoire sources and evinces that this was the compiled book of a working magician drawing on the available material of the day. The operating system bears similarities with that of the </span><em style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1)>Red Dragon</em><span style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1)> but the cleft stick is replaced with the stang. Yet this is no simple treasure hunting manual; the magician is promised the power to subjugate all the infernal forces. We find many other elements of cunning craft in these pages including the toad bone black cat bone horse secrets and traditional spells for good and ill. The black hen and main de gloire are present and there is a notable use of an unusual form of the magic mirror.</span></p><p></p><p><span style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1)>In contrast the </span><em style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1)>Enchiridion of Pope Leo III</em><span style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1)> is a work of Christian magic. Legend tells that it was presented by Pope Leo III to Charlemagne and was responsible for his worldly success. The </span><em style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1)>Enchiridion</em><span style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1)> is referred to repeatedly in the </span><em style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1)>Black Dragon</em><span style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1)> and elsewhere in the grimoire tradition where the penitential psalms are required. It is important for us to understand the mindset of the </span><em style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1)>Enchiridion</em><span style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1)> if we are to understand the grimoires. The text was much in vogue in the court of Louis XIV and the circle of Madame de Montespan in the affair of the poisons. It continues to circulate in the French speaking world today which speaks of its enduring virtue. Through the use of talismans psalms orisons and efficacious charms the reader is able to triumph over a multitude of ills.</span></p>