The Guide to the Grimorium Verum
An Introduction to the Second Cycle
Welcome to the Vault. Join us as we explore the sorceries of the Grimorium Verum, working with its myriad Spirits, discovering, harvesting and forging our tools, enriching our communities and enchanting our environments before the signing of our Pact.
Our Guide is designed to immerse the sorcerer within the magical cosmology of medieval and early modern Europe and is a primer on the European Grimoire Tradition. This tradition of astrologically informed Necromancy and Spirit conjuration emerged during the 12th and 13th century, flowing from Ancient Greece through the Abbasid Caliphate, into the Byzantine Empire then Spain, Italy and Southern France. Our tradition is a conflux of ideas and magical practices which span millennia, and it is the intention of this Guide to educate and train a new wave of historically literate and well informed sorcerers to carry the torch of our magical forebears into the future.
There are no prerequisites to joining, all skill levels are welcome, and there is no need to slavishly follow every step presented. The Tasks which we will work through are evergreen, and the theory which joins them will allow you to construct and apply yourself to the Work as you deem necessary.
Membership grants you access to over 100 articles, access to our Discord and FB community, an ever expanding Library, Zoom meetings and access to 1 on 1 tutoring. I hope you can see that this is an exceptionally good deal compared with similar courses found online.
From December 2025 to March 2027 we will cover a broad spectrum of techniques, skills and Spirit-work focusing on astrology, tool creation, consecration, necromancy, divination, the sorcerous journey, and magical time. By the end of the process we should be fully equipped to begin our work within the Circle and forge our first Pact with the Spirits of the Grimorium Verum.
Our members regularly share hard to find items and materia, so if you are looking for something specific, chances are there are people who can help you acquire what you need. This is a place of community and mutual aid.
I look forward to working with you and guiding you to the best of my ability to accomplish this goal.
Mat Hadfield - ☉ 11˚♏︎ 2025
Host of the Hadean Press Podcast
Author of, A Wondrous Spell - Necromancy in the PGM,
The Hours: The Καταρχαί of Hygromanteia, and
An Exposition Upon The Sphere of the Cosmos - The Astrological Nigromancy of
Cecco d’Ascoli
Recommendations
Mat Hadfield’s fifteen-month-long Grimorium Verum guide is a treasure trove of practical sorcery and meaningful spirit work that prepares students for making direct contact with the spirits of the Verum. Rooted in ancient and grimoiric practices, historic ritual techniques, astrological lore, and magical timing, The Vault provides everything fledgling practitioners need to initiate their personal journey into grimoire magic practice.
Jae Krodel
I wholeheartedly recommend this guide, 100%
Throughout my experience with Mat and the Vault I was able to improve and kickstart my practice of magic in all aspects.
Met alot of great friends, discovered new practices, and learned alot.
If you’re looking for a course to initiate you into the work of the Grimorium Verum, build relationships with the spirits, and to widen your overall knowledge of magic this is the perfect course for you.
G.P.
I would urge everyone in this group to seize this opportunity. This course has been a truly transformative process and I cant recommend it highly enough! Thank you so much Mat!
A.H
Mat Hadfield’s Guide to Grimorium Verum is far more than a “do magic by numbers” follow-along course — it’s a deep and chthonic journey into Goetia, its living practice over time, and how to truly make it your own. You don’t learn by simply reading; you learn by doing — and, maybe, by burning a few fingers along the way. Through practice, you discover how to truly listen.
Throughout the course, you come to know the territory, the roads, the spirits, and the boundaries — and you learn when, how, or if you wish to cross them. It’s a treasure trove of knowledge and experience, shared openly and generously by a highly accomplished practitioner and goer.
After a year or so of genuine dedication and hard work, this course equips you with the tools to trust yourself, apply authentic practice, and enter into direct contact with the vast inhabited landscape contained within the Grimorium Verum and its side grimoires — and, more broadly, within the Goetic tradition as a living current rooted in ancient and grimoiric practices.
Sibeal
When I first came across Mat’s class, I joined almost instantly. I wasn’t entirely sure why at the time, only that something within me felt compelled to explore further. Before joining the Vault, I had already done some grimoire work, but my understanding was fragmented, like the scattered pieces of a jigsaw puzzle waiting to be assembled.
Since becoming part of Mat’s class, those pieces have finally come together, revealing a much deeper and more cohesive understanding of grimoire workings. Mat’s teaching style is both knowledgeable and patient; he welcomes every question with genuine care and insight. He has been a true guiding light, illuminating the path toward a richer, more profound connection with grimoire magic.
Anon
My practice has exploded in the most amazing way. Every single day more amazing things happen. More things line up. The magic is everywhere every day. Behind on some tasks but the daily practices, prayers, in/evocations, offerings communication and interplay is beyond anything I ever imagined.
Anon
No AI has been used in any part of this Guide. It is entirely my own work and where artwork is used it will be fully credited.
If you have any questions, please reach out on the Grimorium Verum Study Group on FB where you can interact with me and our community of over seven hundred members.
The following are a selection of articles published for the public and will give you an understanding of the wider subject and a taste of the sort of Tasks you will be set throughout this Guide.
The Grimorium Verum
While almost everyone interested in the subject of magic is familiar with the Ars Goetia of the Lemegaton, otherwise known as the Lesser Key of Solomon, far fewer in the modern Anglosphere have as much understanding or knowledge of the Grimorium Verum
Hierarchy and Timing in the European Grimoire Tradition - Part I
The Four Kings beautifully depicted within the pages of the Clavis Inferni
The First Task of Taurus
The Imago Mundi, the oldest map in the world, Babylonian, 2600 years old. This map is not designed to be a literal and accurate depiction of reality, but instead a mythological expression of the World.
The Stars are in the Underworld
A Spitzer Space Telescope image of the Milky Way’s centre, where ancient black holes and dead stars dwell.
Thank you for putting this together. So excited to get started!
Very eager to get started! Looking forward to all the things we will experience as we explore this grimoire together.