The Book of Gold: A 17th Century Magical Grimoire of Amulets, Charms, Prayers, Sigils and Spells Using the Biblical Psalms of King David

David Rankine is an author, magician, esoteric researcher and scholar whose work explores the development of the Western magical traditions through the ages. He has been writing and contributing articles to a variety of publications on the subjects close to his heart since the early 1980s. These include Heka (Egyptian magic), the Qabalah, Medieval and Renaissance magic (particularly the grimoires), modern ceremonial magic, mythology and folklore.Since 2003 he has been working with Stephen Skinner, co-writing and producing the highly acclaimed Sourceworks of Ceremonial Magic series. These books make available previously unpublished manuscripts and Grimoires of great significance to the development of modern magic, and have opened the field of study regarding the development of magick in the last thousand years. David actively promotes the propagation of rare texts and source documents, and is a member of both Societas Magica and ESSWE (European Society for the Study of Western Esotericism).David has contributed numerous articles to esoteric publications such as The Watkins Review, Skoob Occult Review, Nuit-Isis, Celtic Dawn, Chaos International, Witchcraft & Wicca, Pagan Dawn, Talking Stick.During the period 2002-04 he contributed around 300 articles to the D'Agostini international part-work Enhancing Your Mind Body Spirit. His contributions to this very successful worldwide publication included articles and entire sections on Crystals, Healing, Chakras, Qabalah, Shamanism, Ancient Egyptian Magick, Alchemy and Angels.Since the early 1980s David has facilitated hundreds of workshops, lectures, and presentations throughout the UK and Europe, concentrating on the subjects he is passionate about - including the Grimoire Tradition, Qabalah, Angelic Magic, Egyptian and Celtic Mythology and spirituality.David has appeared on many television and radio programs over the years. His work and interviews with him have featured in numerous publications including The Guardian, The Sunday Times, TIME OUT, Alternative London and many others. More recently he was interviewed for That's Weird on Glastonbury Radio about the Qabalah (1 hour program, syndicated worldwide) and BBC Radio London on the Tarot and Dr Rudd's Goetia. He has also featured on television programs on Channel 4, Channel 5, ITV, BBC and Sky.David was raised in Singapore and Wales, two countries steeped in very different mythical and magical traditions.