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 The Skeleton Key of Solomon Unlocking the Secret Reflection of Sigils and Vévés 
Whether carved into amulets, daubed onto parchment, traced through ashes, or scratched in sand, ritual diagrams are the age-old precursors to our modern circuit boards, their intricately flowing lines summoning powerful energies. Five thousand years ago in China, the Yin-Yang alchemists of Taoism painted mysterious calligraphy onto rice paper, creating magic talismans imbued with the secrets of the universe. Each stroke and dot of their ink comprised a program for channeling the forces of nature, whether it be to influence human events or to establish contact with the non-material realm. In later years, and on other continents, the spiritual ancestors of the Taoist sorcerers developed their own systems of charms. In West African Vodou ceremonies, we find striking vévé diagrams, those stylized “character sketches” that compel the deities to come forward. In Europe, we find the goetic sigils, those mystical glyphs documented in the grimoires of Medieval evocation rites. Interestingly, the sigils and the vévés share some striking parallels. In both cases, the diagrams conjure astral forces into the earthly plane, and they do so with some very similar symbols. Do the similarities constitute mere coincidence, or do they point to a profound significance?Featured in this book are side-by-side comparisons of sigils and vévés for you to consider. Because two vastly different cultures are represented, the names and descriptions of the spiritual entities will vary. However, the diagrams’ similar shapes and design motifs may suggest a higher commonality, and we’ll pose some intriguing questions at the end of our survey. PRAISE FOR THE SKELETON KEY OF SOLOMON “The Skeleton Key of Solomon is an amazing book. The similarities between vévés and sigils are truly remarkable.” |
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 About the AuthorCraig Conley is a magic enthusiast and scholar. Recognized by Encarta as “America’s most creative and diligent scholar of letters, words and punctuation,” his intensive and eccentric research has led him to compile a true masterwork entitled Magic Words: A Dictionary. He has also authored One-Letter Words: A Dictionary, among other strange and unusual lexicons, and is a regular columnist for Pentacle magazine. Conley’s ideas are often decades ahead of their time. He invented the concept of the “virtual pet” in 1980, fifteen years before the debut of the popular “Tamagotchi” in Japan. His virtual pet, actually a rare flower, still thrives and has reached an incomprehensible size. Featured Works: Published Works 
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