Mastering the Mystical Heptarchy

Mastering the Mystical Heptarchy CoverMastering the Mystical Heptarchy is the first book in my Mastering Enochian Magick series. It was released by Pendraig Publishing in 2011, and is still the only book I know of that focuses on working Enochian magick with the Heptarchial Kings and Princes.

Dr. John Dee, England’s most famous Renaissance magus, spent seven years working with scryer Edward Kelley in the late sixteenth century. Together the two men established contact with various angels who endeavored to teach them a new spiritual system described as the true art of magick. Dee’s diaries chronicling these communications formed the basis of the Enochian magical system, which has profoundly influenced the development of ritual magick for centuries and is reputed by many to be especially effective.

Scott Stenwick has given us a worthy addition to the contemporary Enochian corpus in ‘Mastering the Mystical Heptarchy.’ The first book to outline a system of practice for working with the Planetary system of Dr. John Dee and Sir Edward Kelley, the ‘Heptarchy’ is both a succinct explanation of the source material and a clear outline of how it can be used by Enochian research groups today. Author Stenwick’s eclectic style reflects an approach to spirituality that is in wide use among contemporary Enochian magicians, bringing together practices dating back to the sixteenth century and earlier, and twenty-first century approaches that have grown out of the work of late modern esotericists like the Golden Dawn and Aleister Crowley. At the same time, Stenwick is careful to make clear which parts of his book postdate the work of Dee and Kelley, and to offer suggestions for practitioners who prefer to work in a more traditional methodology.

— R. Christopher Feldman, Amazon Reviews

Scott Michael Stenwick’s work basically provides his own personal amalgam, including some John Dee elements not present in the GD, along with some GD approaches, and also his own ritual elements that he has developed. One advantage of Stenwick’s books is that they provide some guidance on how to modify the Dee-pure system to fit the needs of a modern practitioner, especially around the issue of the temple equipment. It also includes suggestions on how to build the temple equipment.

— solxyz, Reddit Occult

The rites he presents herein are easy to follow and, much to my liking, do not require one to have attained the understanding of the Enochian system that accompanies lifelong study. Part of what has stopped me from delving into this system despite its power is that it is overwhelmingly complex and I simply lack the time to study it in depth. This is a book that will enable those interested in the field of Magick to dive on in, and do so in a far more logical and true manner that works such as Schueler’s, bringing us one step closer to the Magick OF John Dee, as opposed to the modern adaptations which bear little resemblance.

— Frater M.C., The Lion’s Den

This book is more than just printing of the oft ignored text, but also a general book on how to work with it. It was written with the “intention that you as an aspiring magician should be able to pick up this book and begin working magick right away”. If not for the fact that it requires specific ritual items like rings and lamens, this goal seems to be hit. The reader is led through a cursory history of the system and then some preliminary magick. Stenwick takes the standard banishing 101 seemingly required in every magick book, and goes a step farther. Instead of just giving the standard LBRP, the reader is given to Enochian inspired banishing/invoking rituals based on the Pentagram and Hexagram rituals. These are not simple rewrites of changing a name you sometimes get in books where they replace a name and claim it is Celtic (or whatever), but actually fairly distinct rituals I found quite enjoyable.

— Kalagni, Blue Flame Magick

Scott has a great, detailed description of setting up the temple (the ritual space). It includes sigils for you to photocopy. Personally, I would be much more likely to practice the style if I don’t have to draw or carve all of these complex shapes. He also suggests using brass rings instead of gold, and other ways to get a quick and dirty temple up and running. Seeing the details of the temple laid out gave me a much better feel for what ritual magick is about. I mean, I knew about correspondences before, but seeing Scott work through them as he reasoned about which metals to use for the temple gave me the feel of working with them, which is really useful for understanding what other mages are talking about.

— Mike Sententia, Magick of Thought

This looks like a really interesting and useful book, which will give the Enochian magician an important complete system of planetary magick to add to the already existing and well documented systems of Elemental and Talismanic Elemental magick. Scott takes two approaches to this more obscure Enochian material, and these two paths will satisfy the adherent using the Golden Dawn methodology of magick as well as the grimoire afficionado who wants to work magick as it would have been worked by Dee himself. I can say that both approaches are satisfactorily documented, making this book a lot more valuable than it might be if one approach was chosen over the other. Scott is an excellent writer and has made this book quite accessible to the average occultist, so it shouldn’t be difficult for anyone who seeks to master this system of magick to be able to do so.

— Frater Barrabbas, Talking About Ritual Magick

The Heptarchia Mystica is the only part of the Enochian system that Dee ever managed to assemble into a usable grimoire, but paradoxically it also seems to be the most overlooked portion of his work. Author Scott Michael Stenwick presents this material in a coherent manner suitable for both modern magicians and traditional grimoire practitioners, with an eye towards producing measurable, practical results. The powers of the Heptarchial Kings and Princes are extensive, and yet conjuring and conversing with them is a relatively simple process. Unlock the secrets of this remarkable grimoire, and employ them to transform your life.

Mastering the Mystical Heptarchy is now available in paperback and ebook editions from multiple outlets.

Pick up your copy today to join with me in the exploration of Enochian magick!