Book review: Enochian series

I wanted to get my hands on Scott's Enochian books (this, this and this) for a long time, but unfortunately I couldn't afford them at first since shipping across the pond costs an arm and a leg compared to the actual price you pay for the books themselves. Later on I was able to afford them, only to have to wait for the third and final book of the series to be published. That kept dragging on and so I had no choice but to archive the thought of buying all three of them at once. 

But my folks got their US visas renewed this past summer and they planned a vacation across the pond in the fall. I immediately told them I need them to buy those damn books as soon as they get there, especially since Scott announced the third volume will published around that time. They've done just that and I came into their possession the day my folks touched home soil again.

Now, I've been working with the Heptarchy ever since I came across Scott's splendid article on the topic and was fortunate to receive detailed help and guidance from him. So far I've had more than a fair share of success. I also read his article on the Great Table and found it way more complicated, but you'd have to consider the fact I'm dumb so you may very well find it simple. I had also read his Aires article and wanted to give that a try as well, but my magical path took me on different routes. Maybe at some point in the near future I will manage to take it for a spin since I've got some wicked plans for it >:D

As for the review, I found all three books to be perfectly clear with respect to the ritual template. That is to say, I am confident anyone can pick up any of the three and follow the instructions for constructing the implements and the ritual steps and not only succeed in making the spirits show up, but also in manifesting many of their personal desires (within certain limits and considering the overall implications surrounding magical success). And by that I mean anyone, irrespective whether they're involved in the occult or not, so long as the person knows how to read and understand the English language and is willing to put the effort into following the instructions.

I did find some minor inconveniences here and there, such as the correct order and placement of the banners surrounding the Great Table being slightly further away from the section on the banners themselves in the respective book. Another minor inconvenience I found was the powers of the Kings and Princes of the Heptarchy were contained in their respective conjurations, something which can seriously confuse someone like me. These things may indeed be found elsewhere although so far I haven't gotten across them. Truth be told I have yet to read them whole. But I think that's just my dumbass self being picky. At any rate, these things are few and far between and can easily be overlooked. There's also the possibility of some pesky editor trying to be a smartass and shifting things around during the editing process. But again, no biggie. 

Some years back some self-proclaimed expert referred to the Enochian system promoted by Scott as "meso-Enochian" for some self-righteous reason that has to do with trying to pose as being better than others. It seems to me that label has to do with the fact Scott also included modern lodge techniques into the ritual template. Even more so, he included his own Enochian based modern ritual forms. I for one applaud his initiative to experiment by combining more than a few Enochian elements into modern ritual forms because it shows a clear attempt at progress! Guess some alleged purists are appalled by it, but keep in mind the original Golden Dawn have added Enochian elements into the Supreme Ritual of the Pentagram they invented.

Guess what? You don't have to use either modern lodge forms, whether the traditional modern forms or the ones Scott came up with upon experimentation, since they are merely bonus elements that can be included into the traditional rituals written by Dee should the magician chooses to. And it should be stated that Dee's traditional rituals were prayer based, just like any self-respecting system of medieval and renaissance times. The modern forms can very well be left out of the overall working. So what's the "meso" got to do with anything (except maybe to label material one would consider as threatening their own with respect to book sales)? Moving on.

The books are also full of pretty pictures depicting all the symbols you'd need to do the work. Additionally, Scott offers a set of symbols he derived from the original, which simplify the work. I'm referring to stuff like combining the sigils of each King and their respective Princes of the Heptarchy into a single seal in order to make the work easier since it's easier to work with just eight seals instead of sixteen. The spirits of the Great Table also have their own sigils and so on. While these things might not seem important, they have several advantages, including the fact they make it easier for the operant to pinpoint each spirit name on the Great Table, for instance. 

Another thing I like very much is the fact Scott addresses the pronunciation of the Angelic language. This proves very helpful for reciting the Angelic Keys necessary when using parts of the system. Unlike self-proclaimed experts who seem to have a fetish for Hebrew for some reason and associate it with Angelic, I for one think Angelic sounds closer to a Germanic language rather than a Semitic one. For this reason I was very happy to see Scott saying basically the same thing. That aside, I noticed over time many English speakers have issues with pronouncing the Keys due to the way each letter is pronounced in the English alphabet and this applies even more to Americans. Luckily for them, Scott offers a helping hand so that any English speaker would eventually manage to pronounce Angelic closer to "its native speakers" :D I'm not a linguist or anything, but he does go into hard and soft sounds and all that.

That being said, I think these books represent solid material for anyone willing to take on this system. They are structured in a grimoire form and the practitioner can label the pages he or she requires for any specific ritual and then go through them with ease during ritual. This would eventual wear down the books although I'm sure that by the time they start falling apart, the person using them will have managed to gained more than enough experience with this system.