Geosophia
The Argo of Magic
Encyclopædia Goetica · Volume II
by Jake Stratton-Kent
Geosophia: The Argo of Magic is Jake Stratton-Kent’s masterpiece. Tracing the development of magic from the Greeks to the grimoires, it lays bare the chthonic roots of goetic ritual. By exposing the necromantic origins of much of modern magic we are able to reconnect with the source of our ritual tradition. There is a continuity of practice in the West which encompasses the pre-Olympian cults of Dionysus and Cybele, is found in the Greek Magical Papyri and Picatrix and flows into the grimoires. Rather than a muddle of superstition, the grimoire tradition is revealed as the living descendant of the ancient practices of the Goes.
This is a work which redefines our understanding of the Western tradition, one which does not begin with Kabbalah or Solomon, but rather descends into the Underworld and brings forth new life. Stratton-Kent illuminates scarce and overlooked texts with an incisive commentary, from volcanic conjurations to over 70 pages dealing with Picatrix. Following the voyage of the Argonauts, Geosophia offers biographies of the heroes and gods, and discovers the hidden magical meanings and significance of their actions and adventures.
Yet this is not a history lesson. Stratton-Kent foresees a global synthesis of magic where Western goetic magic, reconnected to its chthonic origins, can dovetail with the African Traditional Religions. Like The True Grimoire, this further work in the Encyclopædia Goetica series is both a scholarly and eminently practical work. Geosophia equips the modern grimoire magician with an arsenal of techniques and approaches that will transform their personal art.
The mythic structure of Geosophia anchors the practice of the modern necromancer in an indigenous yet eclectic history which transfuses the Western magical tradition with the same vitality that we find in the African diaspora religions.
BHB Note
Geosophia, as Volume II of the Encyclopædia Goetica series, is itself comprised of two volumes. Geosophia Volume I contains Books I-IV, and Geosophia Volume II contains Books V-VIII. Both Geosophia Volume I + Geosophia Volume II are included in this purchase.
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Table of Contents (abridged)
Introduction: What is Goetia?
Goetic Timeline
Maps
BOOK ONE
Goetia & the Grimoires
Argonautica I: Preparation & Departure
Goetic Gallery: Argonautica
Implications for Modern Practice
BOOK TWO
The Book, the Treasure Hunt & the Cave
Goetic Gallery: Sybillinia
Conjuring the Sybils
The Geography of Hades
Implications for Modern Practice
BOOK THREE
Goetia & the Identity of the Magician
Goetic Gallery: Necromantia
Interlude
Goetic Gallery: Necromantia Rexurgat
Argonautica I: continued
BOOK FOUR
The Founders of the Mysteries
Goetic Gallery: Astrologia
Argonautica II: Onward to Colchis
Dionysus
Argonautica II: continued
Goetic Gallery: Orphica
BOOK FIVE
The Barbarian Interpretation
Goetic Gallery: Barbaricæ
Argonautica III: Jason and Medea
Goetic Gallery: Sympathia
Goetic Gallery: Maters de Mysteria
Papyrus Parallels
Implications for Modern Practice
BOOK SIX
Volcanic Conjurations
Argonautica IV: Homeward Bound
Nebiros and Hermes Chthonios
BOOK SEVEN
The Magical Papyri
Typhon-Set
Theurgia
Goetic Gallery: Metamorphica
Interlude: Reformers & Backsliders
Familiar & Unfamiliar Spirits
BOOK EIGHT
The Magic of the Picatrix
Sabean Practices
Sabean Rites of the Planets
Al-Istamatis
Works of the Moon in the Twelve Signs
Talismans & Works of the Lunar Mansions
Astrological Talismans
Correspondences I
Correspondences II
The Figures of the Stones
Appendix
Astrological Notes
Typhonian Star Lore
Bibliography
Index
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Paperback Edition
Comprising two volumes; Vol I, 352 pages & Vol II, 336 pages. Sewn paperbacks printed on 90 gsm paper, red covers with black print to fronts and black & white print to spines.
ISBN (Vol I): 978-0-9567203-0-6
ISBN (Vol II): 978-0-9567203-1-3
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Press, reviews, endorsements
“The two volumes of the Geosophia are exceptionally rich. In fact, I can’t help but understate the impressive achievement these books represent. Were the rest of the Encylcopædia nonexistent the Geosophia would stand as an invaluable work on pagan and occult history in its own right. I have studied ancient culture and philosophy extensively at both the college and graduate levels, I have presented and published on ancient philosophy in an academic context, and still there was much in the Geosophia that was surprising, innovative and exciting. If I were to criticize the work it could only be for containing too much – it is a work that requires repeated and careful study…”
Sul Books, reviewing the entire Encyclopædia Goetica series - read the full review here
Interview with Jake Stratton-Kent on SittingNow TV - watch on YouTube here
Interview with Jake Stratton-Kent on the Rune Soup channel - watch on YouTube here
Interview with Jake Stratton-Kent on the Glitch Bottle podcast - watch on YouTube here
Eulogy for a Necromancer by Scarlet Imprint; a beautiful and heartfelt essay discussing the importance of Jake Stratton-Kent’s contributions to the modern occult revival - read it here
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About the Author
The late Jake Stratton-Kent (1956–2023) has been called the most notorious necromancer in England, and described himself as a ‘very late Late Pagan.’ He died on 17th January 2023, having made a significant contribution to the current magical revival. He championed a spirit centred approach and the importance of the grimoires for the western magical tradition. He will always be associated with the Grimorium Verum, the book which was central to his practice for over forty years.
He wrote numerous articles, pamphlets and books since the mid 1970s. With Scarlet Imprint he published the Encyclopædia Goetica, a three volume work comprising: The True Grimoire, a reconstructed and extensively commented edition of the Grimorium Verum; Geosophia, an extensive two volume survey of the Greek origins and mythic background of goetia; and The Testament of Cyprian the Mage, an analysis in two volumes of the roots of the grimoires and their spirit hierarchies in Late Antiquity.
His background in the youth radicalisation and free festival movements of the 1970s never entirely left him.