The Grimoire of Dark Souls
The Grimoire of Dark Souls is a modern grimoire of ritual magic in the tradition of medieval grimoires such as the Key of Solomon. It primarily focuses on the invocation of the 72 Goetic demons, although other demons are also mentioned throughout the text.
Authorship
Inspired by the fictional Necronomicon from the lore of H. P. Lovecraft, the book was written by American occultist Travis McHenry in 2018 as a companion to The Demon-Possessed Tarot (which was later re-branded as the Occult Tarot). He also stated the film The Ninth Gate starring Johnny Depp was a major influence on the book's content.
Although he declined to include his name or a copyright statement anywhere on the book, deliberately leaving its authorship a mystery for future generations who happen to find copies of the book.
Fictional origins
According to the fictional backstory created by the author, The Grimoire of Dark Souls was originally owned by a conjurer during the medieval period, but after he was executed by the Inquisition, the book was burned as a heretical work. Fortunately, the conjurer's apprentice arrived in time to rescue a handful of pages from destruction.
This explains why the book is so short and why the original edition was in such rough condition.
Content
The grimoire is 40 pages long and contains information concerning the origins of the Goetic demons and their connection to King Solomon. Early parts of the text explain how to work with infernal spirits and provides guidance such as:
- What days are best for summoning demons
- How to safely cast a circle of protection
- What kind of offerings to give to a demon during an invocation
Three pages are devoted to charts outlining the 72 Goetic demons arranged by their Hebrew names, their astrological sign, and the summoning sigil.
Several pages contain invocations for summoning demons and techniques for safely working with the demons through use of a Magic triangle. It is the first appearance of the Ritual of the Seventh Gate, which allows a magician to invoke any demon and question it for purposes of divination.
There is an entire page devoted to Azazel and his various symbols and seals. The accompanying text attempts to reconcile the disparate views regarding Azazel as a fallen angel or another kind of spirit.
The Seven Revelations of Saint John the Sinner
The most controversial section of the grimoire is titled "The Seven Revelations of Saint John the Sinner." This section contains an introductory text followed by seven full-page images, each with a paragraph-long caption explaining the revelation.
It tells the story of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden and the subsequent impact of their sins, which were made more problematic by the arrival of Jesus Christ on earth. The chapter suggests that Satan is the true ruler of the earth and Eve was a hero for biting into the forbidden fruit. It concludes by proclaiming Lilith, the daughter of Eve, as the final saviour of humanity who will overthrow Satan and destroy the false idols.
Because this chapter presents heretical views regarding Christian dogma, particularly in its portrayal of Jesus Christ as an anthropomorphic donkey as well as stating the negative impact of his presence among mortals, ownership of the book by Catholics is considered grounds for excommunication from the Church.
Ring of Asmoday
The Grimoire of Dark Souls devotes its final two pages to a poem titled "Ode to the Seventh Gate." It is actually a riddle which, if properly interpreted, would lead to a treasure buried by the author.
The primary item of value in the weatherproof capsule was an antique silver ring with a large bloodstone sourced from Romania. Aside from its inherent value, it had also been invoked with the power of the Goetic demon Asmoday, who is said to give magicians a "Ring of Virtues" imbued with his power.
On January 1, 2023, the capsule was found buried in the desert outside of Joshua Tree, California by occultist Damian Kramer.
Publication history
The book was initially published by Bloodstone Studios in October 2018 as a hand-bound edition limited to 70 copies. The pages of this version were distressed and aged to appear old and they were bound together using hand-stitched technique.
Due to overwhelming demand for additional copies of the book to be made available, it was subsequently released as a limited edition softcover and hardcover book bound in vegan leather with the Secret Seal of Solomon embossed in gold on the cover. These copies sold out immediately and no more have been released.
The author has publicly stated his reluctance to ever have the book printed again due to its blasphemous content and the fact that the ring of Asmoday has now been found.
NFT
The original pages of the author's copy of the book were separated and scanned to be released as Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) in 2021. However, shortly after the images were released on the Ethereum blockchain, the author withdrew their availability for sale. Despite this, they remain available for public view.
Legacy
The success of The Grimoire of Dark Souls inspired McHenry to write several subsequent grimoires, including The Angenomicon, which serves as a companion book of angel magic for invoking and working with the 72 Kabbalistic angels.
Some of the book's content was later integrated into The Grimoire of Heaven and Hell, a more detailed book dealing with both angels and demons.