The Mirror of Elicona is a grimoire in the form of magical biography: a personal reflection on a series of encounters with a spirit who was, up until the close of the early modern period, perhaps frequently called upon by the magicians and cunning folk of the British Isles. The purpose of this Mirror is not only to make a small contribution to the development and appreciation of what might be called ‘proto– Goetic’ magic, but also to share something of the author’s own magical practice, which in the last decade has moved significantly away from ritualism to a more subtle appreciation and engagement with the spiritual hierarchies around us.

About the Author:

Phil Legard’s main interests are the folklore, magic and psychogeography of rural areas. He has been involved in magic in one form or another since the mid-90s and has for the last decade worked extensively with the tutelary genii of Yorkshire. As a sonic expression of his esoteric interests he has recorded and performed music as Xenis Emputae Travelling Band, which was recently featured on the Tesserae compilation included with Abraxas Journal Volume 2. Phil has written a number of esoteric works including a commentary on the Libellus Veneri Nigro Sacer attributed to John Dee (Trident Books, 2010) and Psychogeographia Ruralis (Larkfall Press, 2007–2011). He is currently is working on an edition of the 17th century German magical text Theosophia Pneumatica for Trident Books, as well as collaborating with Joseph Peterson and Dan Harms on an edition of the 16th century Folger magical manuscript.

Within the hoodoo system St. Martha is known as The Dominator – she is called upon for acts of domination over an individual – specifically bosses and lovers. She can be called on in “aggressive” love magic, where a little extra persuasion is needed, as well as in commanding and compelling work. This Guide describes the symbols and history of the Saint and explains how to work with her in the Hoodoo tradition.

Publisher’s note: This is the first of three pamphlets that we’ll be releasing almost immediately one after the other. Next up is The Mirror of Elicona by Phil Legard, followed by Spiritual Baths for Everyday Use by Andrea Bradford. We are also pleased to offer several copies of Liber Falxifer II, published by our friends at Ixaxaar. While we have no intention of becoming distributors as well as publishers, we are always happy to showcase works by other respected publishers in the field.

Enjoy!

The second thing we’d like to do is to thank those authors and artists who have chosen to publish with us. We consider it a great privilege to produce and promote your work, and are also overwhelmed by your enthusiasm for this small press.

The third thing we need to do is to let everyone know that one week from tomorrow, we are making our move to rural France.

This will create some change for Hadean Press — all of it for the good. Customers, authors and other interested parties should not be concerned. We’ll have a short period of downtime, and then it’s back to work as usual. We will keep everyone updated as we go.

We have been planning for this move for over two years. At the moment, we are distracted by the usual pre-move chaos. We are both doing our best to keep up with the awesome amount of emails we receive daily, and with the publications and other projects currently nearing completion. We ask that you bear with us during this period of great change. Once we are in France, we’ll be able to focus our attention on Hadean Press again. The titles we have planned for this year will amaze you.

Regular updates will resume once we’ve made our move. Until then, we wish all of you the best in this bright new year.