Grimoire of Pope Pius V: A Conjuration of Astaroth

The Grimoire of Pius V: A Conjuration of Astaroth is a translation of a curious text taken from the publication Handschriftliche Schätze aus Kloster-Bibliotheken… (Handwritten treasures from monastery libraries…) putatively published in Cologne in 1734.

Though the attribution to Pius V cannot be credited, the conjuration displays a detailed knowledge of liturgy and theology and a certain elaborateness and precision which indicate that whoever produced it did so with all earnestness. This is clearly the work of a genuine student of the occult (and almost certainly a Roman Catholic priest), most likely dating from the seventeenth century.

The conjuration itself includes sections on preparatory procedures, conjurations to be done before the introit of the mass, the greeting of the spirit, curses to be said following the Sanctus, and the ritual of the Knotted Stole, and comprises an entire conjuration and dismissal process similar to that found in many grimoires.

At its heart, the intention of this conjuration is to command the spirit Astaroth to grant ‘gold and silver and all the precious things of this world’ to the operant. Overall, it is a fascinating example of the use of illicit magic in the early modern period.

Grimoire of Pope Pius V: A Conjuration of Astaroth
Anon.
Translated by Fr Robert Nixon, OSB
A Guide to the Underworld.
ISBN 978-1-915933-36-2
16 pages.