If synchronicity actually is a thing, it takes a prodigious level of thickheadedness to miss omens and portents that signify something important. Not that long ago, I was in a botanica with my boyfriend, and in the case where they had several books on magic, the orishas, aspects of ATRs and ifá and the like, I found a particular book that caught my eye. It had the Hierophant card on the front from the Thoth deck, which seemed out of place in the botanica I was in; looking at the title of the book, I noticed that it was a small grimoire attributed to none other than Saint Cyprian of Antioch, the patron saint of magicians and sorcerers I keep harping on about. Since I’ve only ever heard about such a book being attributed to Saint Cyprian in Spanish, I decided to snatch it up that moment. I did say at the beginning of the year that I wanted to work with him, after all, so if something like this was basically being handed to me, I may as well take it up.
The book was in Spanish, but it was fairly easy to read, given my background in Latin and not a little help from Google Translate and a good Spanish dictionary. The book was also small, however, and seemed incomplete in some ways. Looking around online, I found an even larger and more comprehensive book under the name “El Libro de San Cipriano”, which had nearly all (but not the entirety of) the smaller Cyprian book I had found, as well as a good few sections on Solomonic magic incorporating the Key of Solomon and the Grimorium Verum. Many of the spells, prayers, and rituals the book describes seemed interesting to me, so I decided to translate the sections that seemed most worthwhile, i.e. the ones not directly lifted from other grimoire texts. And, having finished my translation, I decided to go ahead and put it into an ebook format and sell it on my Etsy page.
Yes, dear reader, you too can now read the Book of Saint Cyprian in English for only US$10! I’ve never found an English translation before, though one may exist somewhere. Coming in at 83 pages, this translation goes over the talismans and amulets, prayers and orations, and many spells that have circulated through the Spanish-speaking world for at least a century now, all attributed to the good Saint Cyprian of Antioch. Included in this text, too, is a special novena dedicated to Saint Cyprian and Saint Justina, which is claimed to have the following effects:
No one will cause you evil through magical or cabalistic objects, nor through enchantments; all your difficulties will be overcome and your enemies unarmed; your spirit will be made tranquil and will soar to the highest heights where it will be freed from its material body, enjoy heavenly delights, and spread its influence over all events and matters. You will achieve such things as you desire at the novena’s end if you run true with these prayers to the Supreme Creator.
Because this grimoire overlaps significantly with other texts such as the Key of Solomon, the Arbatel, the Heptameron of Pietro d’Abano, and the Grimorium Verum, I’ve also provided an appendix that compares the Libro de San Cipriano to these texts and figure out where in the grimoire tradition this Spanish text falls, as well as how they differ in the details. As I’m just now getting to read Jake Stratton-Kent’s marvelous Testament of Saint Cyprian the Mage, this little translation should help immensely in understanding more of the background around the renaissance the renown of this saint is currently undergoing.
Again, all you need to do is visit this Etsy link and click on the big green button. I’m glad to be able to offer this translation, especially since it’s done partially as an act of devotion to Saint Cyprian of Antioch, as well as furthering the knowledge of grimoires within the Internet-based occulture. And don’t forget, you can also check out my other ebooks on my Etsy page, too! I’ll start keeping a list of all the ebooks I’ve written so far on the panel to the right of the page on my website for easy access, too.
