Carrol “Poke” Runyon’s MAGICK OF SOLOMON: LEGEMTON SECRETS REVEALED, originally released in 1996 and then revised in a second edition in 2003, is slowly becoming a classic in the field of Ceremonial Magick. It remains the only demonstration of Goetic magic on video today and there is little need to improve upon on it.

It is not a film or a documentary, but one could call it instructional or demonstration of magic as it happens in a temple setting with all of its instruments in place. Runyon goes into a fair amount of detail to ensure clarity of a misunderstood practice.

The DVD opens with a warning to those viewing that one should not take the practices with a child’s mind - that is to say, if you are interested in doing so, do so with responsibility. He also explains that this is not a Satanic practice nor is it anything to do with selling ones soul to the devil, but rather a means of getting in touch with the mystery within our own beings.

“Poke” Runyon begins by describing his own experiences that brought him to Ceremonial Magick from his pulp writings of “Sneaky Pete’s” or “Night Jump Cuba”. Searching for a healing method for some ailments, he stumbled upon Tantra and then, later, magick. This grabbed hold of his attention and has since for the next 25 years. Along the way, Runyon has garnered some notariety, even to the degree that it is suggested the film SIMON: KING OF THE WITCHES, where the character Simon was based on "Poke" himself.

There are two main sections to this video: the history and the demonstration. Each part takes up roughly 35 minutes in length.

The history explores both the origins of the Solomonic texts and an explanation of the symbolism employed. Runyon also goes into detail about the instruments used in the ritual itself and discusses the symbolic meaning behind those as well. The central tool is the dark mirror, which is black or onyx in color that has a strong enough reflection to cast an image. The smoke and trance that one self induces helps to provoke an external image onto the mirror of something internal that the invoker wishes to speak to.

The second part shows the actual rituals demonstrated with some of his members of the OTA, the Order of the Temple of Astarte, also under the name of The Church of the Hermetics Sciences. It opens with a Banishing ritual followed by the Goetic performance, which is the main ritual used with the dark mirror, so that one is able to view into themselves. These performances, although theatrical, are not very exciting to watch and so prove to be of little entertainment value. At the same token, this video does not exist purely for that reason, but its purpose is to serve as an illustrative introduction to the Art for those interested in practicing it.

Runyon emphasizes throughout the video that this material is not to be taken lightly or something to tinker around with. He is quite serious about this fact and warns those against from doing so as it could lead to potential unforeseen problems in one’s life.

Overall, Runyon’s presentation is practical and, for the most part, informational and objective, even if it gets dry at times. He gives you a great deal of information that one might not be able to get all in one sitting, so multiple viewings are almost necessary. While the overall look of the film is certainly dated, the information is still relevant.

This edition of MAGICK OF SOLOMON is a second edition, which was revised in 2003 showing an aging “Poke” 7 years later. He treats us with a special clip from a 1974 talk show reel where he was a guest discussing his magical work and some rare footage of his OTA doing a Mass of the Elements. It certainly looks more professional than this video, however, it does have some reminiscence of the older exploitation documentaries in the time of the “Satanic Panic” generation. But given the previous hour, we understand the films intention, and Poke gives commentary to the clip. Finally, Runyon wraps up the DVD, but not without plugging his book of the same title to complement this video, which is probably a worthwhile pickup as well. If you have already purchased the second edition in the past, you probably don't need this version as there is no new material.

The DVD is a must for those who are seriously interested in magic as a practice in a spiritual sense, however, it is marred by the fact that there is absolutely zero menu navigation and not even chapter stops. It claims “remastered”, however, there are faint background noise that the transfer picked up from the video. These are the glaring issues I have, especially with something with material as dense as this, stopping it for an absorption period might be necessary for some, and to fast forward to continue is a nuisance.

I have seen a lot of instructional or documentary style occult films and rarely do you ever get something with accurate and useful information. Most films are for purposes of shock value, but with THE MAGICK OF SOLOMON: LEGEMETON SECRETS REVEALED  you get a comprehensive treatment of a difficult subject matter with intelligence and respect of its subject. Aimed for ceremonial magicians, I do highly recommend it as a must for your occult collection. For more information about this title, check out Reality Films website.