Egyptian Heka or Magic
I have thought it best to add here extracts from several renown authors on this subject. Egyptian Magic was a sacred part of religion and thus have several sub divisions. Hope you enjoy this page.
Heka was a from of magic where the practitioner called on the gods/goddesses to provide him/her with the energy of either creation or from the deities themselves to preform an act. The doing of a spell was not the basis, but the actual words spoken and how it was spoken.
This was not an apologetic movement , but a forceful act demanding action from the Deities. Normally Heka was used to heal the sick, to produce and to build, but it could also be used in a destructive way depending on what the practitioner wanted.
Please read the following extracts.....
What is Heka?
Extract from the book:
Heka - The Practices of Ancient Egyptian Ritual & Magic
Author:
David Rankine
The word heka can mean several things, each contributing to our understanding of the complexities of ancient Egyptian magic. The function of heka is described in the Instruction for Merikara, the Middle Kingdom teaching of the Pharaoh Amenemhet I (c. 2000 BCE):
"He [Re] gave them [mankind] the heka as a weapon in order to ward off the effect of dangerous events."
Heka was seen as a gift from the sun god Re to mankind (his offspring), a manifestation of his creative energy as an embodiment of his Ba (his soul). It empowered man to create using words and actions, mirroring the sun god's creation of the universe. Heka can be seen as the creative force or life-giving energy connecting the objects, links and symbols of life with the universe, like a subtle tapestry of energy, which the magician must learn to read if s/he is to effectively work magic.
Heka is also the inherent magical energy (mana or personal power) found within living beings. Different creatures were perceived as possessing different amounts of heka. The gods had the most heka. The pharaoh (as a channel for the divine energy) also had a lot of heka, as did people who were considered unusual, such as dwarfs and people with birth defects. Red hair was considered a sign of having much heka, due to the magical associations with that colour. And of course the other class of being with a lot of heka was the dead, hence the use of spells calling on the dead to assist with performing rites.
Today the practice of heka is open to anyone who wishes to pursue it. Although we do not have the worldview of the ancient Egyptians and much of their material has been lost, we do have some major advantages that make heka more accessible.
For a start literacy and numeracy are the norm, rather than being restricted to the rich and priestly castes, as was the case in Egypt. Technology has made the power of the written and spoken words, so vital to Egyptian magic, available to all of us. For this reason you do not need to have a university education or have studied Egyptology or classics to appreciate Egyptian magic. Freedom of information has brought truth to the statement that magic is for all, or rather meant that is accessible to all who have the desire and dedication to pursue a magical life.
As well as being the term for magic, Heka was a god, indeed he was the god of magic. Or perhaps it would be more correct to say he was magic, being the divine personification of magic. He is sometimes shown in images as appearing among the crew of the solar barque. He was depicted as a bearded man wearing a lion nemes headdress.
Another definition of heka is given in funerary spell 261 of the Coffin Texts, from a Middle Kingdom sarcophagus. The spell is entitled "To become the god Heka", and reads:
"I am he whom the Lord of all made before duality had yet come into being … the son of him who gave birth to the universe … I am the protection of that which the Lord of all has ordained … I am he who gave life to the Ennead of the gods … come to take my position that I may receive my dignity. Because to me belonged the universe before you gods had come into being. You have come afterwards because I am Heka."
The hieroglyph used from 1000 BCE to write his name was interchangeable with the concepts of god and power. Visually the hieroglyph depicted the hindquarters of a lion, and may well be linked with his attribution as one of the sons of the lion-headed goddess Sekhmet. In this form he was shown as a young child with a solar disk on his head.
With Sekhmet's son Nefertem (purity) being considered to be an avatar of the Sun God Re, it is possible that Heka may also have been seen in this light. This presents a line of apostolic succession of power, from Re to his daughter Sekhmet, and hence to her sons Heka and Nefertem, who also embody the qualities of Re between them.
One of the titles of the god Heka was The one who consecrates imagery, referring to the ability of the god to empower creative thoughts and actions and translate them into their physical equivalents in the physical world. So Heka was also perceived as the animating and manifesting force of every ritual act. In this context heka is thus both intent and action: the cause, the act and the effect.
From the point of view of Sau (the magical use of amulets), this title is extremely suggestive, as any amulet or talisman is ultimately an image that is given form and then consecrated with the power of Heka. So not only is Heka the god who consecrates the image, but it is his power that is relied upon to create the image.
Another title of the god Heka was Lord of Ka's, referring to the soul. This is a significant title, as all mankind and even the gods have ka's. In the Middle to Late Kingdom Heka becomes seen as the ka of Re, with Re declaring, "Heka is my ka." From this perspective Heka can be seen as being as significant as Maat as part of the underlying force and flow behind the whole of the cosmos.
Coffin Text spell 648 stresses not only the role of Heka as Lord of Ka's, but also as the power the gods used, and the inherent magic of the word:
"His powers put fear into the gods who came into being after him, his myriad of spirits is within his mouth. It was Heka who came into being of himself, at seeing whom the gods rejoiced, and through the sweet savour of whom the gods live, who created the mountains and knit the firmament together."
In conjunction with Sia (Perception) and Hu (Creative logos), Heka was involved in the creation of the first time and the separation of heaven and earth. This is one of the reasons why these deities are shown in the solar barque of Re, as they are all part of the process of first creation, which the magician returns to by creating a sacred space and performing magic (heka).
This is also why he is "Heka who opens his two eyes that the two lands might see", for he is the agent of Re, whose perception (Sia) and utterance (Hu) empowered by magic (Heka) ensures the continuances of the cycle of daily creation.
Heka is also referred to as the Elder Magician, emphasising his primal nature as the first child of Atum-Re, and distinguishing him from younger deities of magic who draw ultimately on his power, like Isis.
As has already been mentioned, Re declares that Heka is his ba, and this is stated unequivocally in The Book of the Heavenly Cow, where Re declares:
"I am the one who made heaven and who established it in order to places the ba's of the gods within it. I shall be with them for eternity which time begets. My ba is Heka. It is older than it [time] … the ba of Re is in Heka throughout the entire land."
The association between Heka and Maat is indicated in one of the Vienna Papyri, where Heka is described as "Controller of the House of Natural Law". Natural law is the function of Maat, so this implies the function of magic as part of the normal functioning of the universe, within the balance of Maat.
The title Wer-Hekau, meaning Mighty of Magic, is derived from heka. This title was used by several of the major deities, all of whom were particularly linked with magical powers, specifically Anubis, Isis and Thoth.
Originally Weret-Hekau (the Great of Magic) was a cobra goddess, whose form may have survived into serpent wands, but she was assimilated into other deities like Isis at a very early stage. She also had a lioness form, thus possessing the qualities of the two most common powerful creatures amongst the deities.
Heka needs to be distinguished from other forms of magic to appreciate its usage in ancient Egypt. As well as heka there was akhu, the spells or enchantments practised by the dead; and sau, which was amuletic magic.
It should be stressed that heka was largely used as a preventative form of magic, a sort of ancient crisis management, to help deal with events like animal attacks, infectious diseases, disasters, and of course the perils of childbirth. Anti-social magic (i.e. cursing) did not really form a part of heka until the Roman influence in the latter days of ancient Egypt. As such heka is ideal for anyone wishing to develop themselves through pursuing a positive magical and spiritual path.
The one example of heka being used as black magic comes from the 19th Dynasty. The Harim Conspiracy involved several functionaries using written magical spells, wax figurines and potions to attempt to kill Ramesses III. The conspirators of this failed attempt at regicide received the death sentence and also the ultimate punishment given to traitors and enemies of the state. All traces of their names were removed from existence, as if they had never existed, so that their being was annihilated.
The major instance of heka being used in a manner that would be seen today as black magic was the practice of cursing against enemies of the state by the Pharaoh, such as enemy armies. Details of such techniques are recorded in the so-called Execration Texts, which are not covered in the current volume as they are not relevant to the personal practice of Heka. This however was not seen as cursing, as it was an effort to protect the sovereignty of Egypt. In such instances sympathetic magic on a grand scale might be resorted to, with models representing enemy ships or troops being ritually destroyed.
If somebody was having problems, with illness or bad luck, this was often viewed as the actions of beings with heka. It could be an angry ghost, a sorceror, or an angry deity that the individual had offended. To this end the individual was seen as the victim of circumstances, and there was no guilt associated with seeking a practitioner of heka to help fight off the negative influences being experienced. By restoring the correct balance problems were resolved, again demonstrating the nature of heka as being the natural and correct flow of energy towards harmony within the universe.
It has been suggested that there was a separate class of magicians operating on the fringes of society performing heka for the masses, but evidence now indicates that the practitioners of heka were usually none other than priests, acting as magicians and earning an income outside of their temple duties. Priests served one month in four in the temple and spent the other three months with their families, were they were not bound by all the same taboos and strictures as when serving the gods in the temple. During this time in the community they were thus available to assist members of the community who might need their aid.
The word heka continued to be used through until Roman times. After this it was succeeded by the Coptic word hik (xik), which was equated to the Greek word mageia (and hence magic).
Book: Ancient Egypt
Author: Simon Cox
Throughout the history of Ancient Egypt, magic played an essential and integral role. Indeed, for the people of antiquity, Egypt had the reputation of being without rival in magic and the divinatory arts. The Jewish Talmud even states that 'ten measures of sorcery descended upon the earth, nine of which were taken up by Egypt'. By the fourth century AD, the historian Ammianus Marcellinus was writing that 'knowledge of the divine and the origin of divination ... has spread abroad from Egypt'.
In the Western world today, the term 'magic' conjures up images of something superficial and simplistic that is part of the entertainment industry. However, rather than dismissing the relevance of magic out of hand, it is worth noting that the Ancient Egyptians had absolute faith in magical practices and a belief that magic worked, even if not immediately. If by any chance it did fail, this was put down to errors in carrying out the ritual or spell, to hostile forces or even to the failure of the gods. In fact, the Egyptians saw magic as part of the natural world, indeed it was the essential power that had made creation possible. This magical force - heka, often translated as 'awesome power' - was seen as a gift from god, who, according to the 'Instructions of Merikare', dating to approximately 2060 Be, 'made for them magic as weapons to ward off the blow of events'. Magic was therefore seen as a means of defence in life against fate and any evil an individual might meet, and in death as a necessary method of avoiding a second and everlasting demise.
Not only was magic part of the natural order, it was a endorsed and approved by the gods. Magic was therefore legal, respectable and effective, although it worked outside accepted modern laws of cause and effect. Ancient Egyptian magic was closely linked, indeed intertwined, with religion and with medicine, each being an integral factor within the other. In Egyptian magic, the practitioner was usually what is known as a lector-priest, with many magical practices involving prayers to the gods. Medical prescriptions encompassed prayers to the gods and magical words and actions to be performed over the patient as well as medication.
By way of a definition, Egyptian magic was considered a non-judgemental natural/supernatural force used to influence the course of events by means of words or actions, often seeking the help of a god to obtain the desired result. Such a force was inherent in all animate forms either living or dead, in words, symbols or depictions.
Although Egyptian magic was part of everyday life, those who performed it or who were associated with it state that they were privy to secret magical knowledge. For example, the 6th-Dynasty noble Aba writes: 'I have learned every secret magical spell of the court, every secret formula through which one becomes a spirit in the necropolis’ Another noble from the same period, Ankhmahor, relates that 'no potent magical spell was ever concealed from me', which suggests that certain people had been initiated into its mysteries and that an elitist attitude towards magic existed amongst the educated echelons of society.
Many stories surround Ancient Egypt's greatest magicians, notably:
*Djadjaemankh, from the 4th Dynasty (2613-2492 BC), who folded a lake in half in order to retrieve a jewel;
*Djedi, anoother 4th-Dynasty magician, from the time of the pharaoh Khufu, who was able to join the severed heads of birds back to their bodies and bring them back to life;
and Naneferkaptah, whose powers were obtained through finding a magical book written by the god Thoth himself. The Sorcerer's Apprentice, as made famous by Disney's Mickey Mouse, is based upon an Egyptian story of a magician's assistant who overheard a spell pronounced by his master that made inanimate objects perform tasks. Unfortunately, the assistant lacked the experience to control the magical forces, resulting in chaos and confusion.
Even the Bible makes reference to Egyptian magicians. When Moses seeks permission from Pharaoh to leave Egypt with the Israelites:
When Moses and Aaron came to Pharaoh they did as the Lord had told them. Aaron threw down his staff in front of Pharaoh and his courtiers, and it turned into a serpent. At this, Pharaoh summoned the wise men and the sorcerers, and the Egyptian magicians too did the same thing by their spells.
(Exodus 7:10-11)
Parallels have even been drawn between Egyptian magical practices and the miracles performed by Jesus. The Talmud notes that Jesus learned magic in his early years spent in Egypt, that he practised Egyptian magic and that this was why he was arrested.
Egyptian magic worked by utilising three elements, namely words, actions and materials. Actions were a very important element, as they served to harness and control the magical energies. Such actions included the tying of knots, encirclement, spitting, swallowing, licking, pointing and certain gestures used as a means of protection. Hand actions were particularly important in magic, as confirmed by studies carried out on the wide variety of hand amulets found, including flat open-palmed amulets, closed hands with thumbs extended, or one or two fingers pointing. Each had their own meaning, with the colour of the amulet and the material used conveying their own connotations.
The ingredients used within magic were varied, including milk, water, garlic, blood, semen and urine, with blood and sperm used in a love potion, and blood and sweat used in a spell to increase the magician's power.
Amulets, or charms, were an important element in medical magic and can be traced back to the Archaic period (3050-2687 Be). They were used by both the living and the dead as a means of protection, and took the shapes of human body parts, creatures or individual hieroglyphs. It was believed that the wearing of an amulet would conjure up the appropriate sympathetic magic and bring the relevant energy to the wearer. To enhance an amulet's potency, spells written on strips of linen or papyrus were sometimes placed within it.
Funerary magic, as portrayed in the Pyramid Texts, Coffin Texts, Book of the Dead and tomb scenes, related to the general protection of the deceased, their sustenance and their ascension to the afterlife. Other, everyday spells concerned protection from problems associated with childbirth, love spells and charms, fertility magic, medicinal spells, protection for children and protection against poisonous creatures.
Linked to the concept of protection was the temple ritual of 'breaking the red jars', designed to ward off evil. The red pots, upon which the names of hostile forces and enemies of Egypt were written, were smashed, thus negating their power. The writing of an enemy's name within a ritual context was used to call upon the potency of hieroglyphs and the magic contained within them. Hence, through the breaking of the pots the power of Egypt's enemies was also destroyed. Any ritual that accompanied this played a significant part in the magical efficacy of the Execration Texts. Figurines were also used in this context and could be bound, broken, buried, burnt or decapitated.
Magical practices were also connected with wooden, wax or clay figurines which acted as substitute bodies. Wooden figures could be animated by magic in order to serve the deceased in the afterlife for eternity, whilst wax figures, which could be easily destroyed, were used in magical rites that centred upon the destruction of an enemy. Other wax figurines, dating to the Roman period, have been found studded with nails, although the intention behind this is uncertain, considering these figures were placed in pots along with love charms.
The magical power of figurines was considered so potent and effective that they were used in an attempt on the life of'the pharaoh Ramesses ill (c. 1198-1166 Be). The Harem Conspiracy, as it is known, was an attempt by 28 courtiers and an undisclosed number of women to kill the king and replace him with a lesser queen's son. One of the courtiers, Hui, was charged with stealing a book of magic from the royal library and using certain spells contained within it to inscribe figurines representing the king's guard in an attempt to nullify them. Hui also fashioned wax gods in order to harm the king. The trial notes of the incident survive and state that Hui 'began to make inscribed people of wax ... for the exorcising of the one crew and the enchanting of the others' (Papyrus Lee, column 1). The plot was discovered before the king was harmed, and all but five of the conspirators were executed or forced to commit suicide, with four of the others being mutilated. What is interesting about this case is that Hui used the three elements of magic in order to create the most effective result: the word (spell), action (making the figurines) and material (wax).
It is the idea that Ancient Egyptian magic was the oldest and therefore the most potent and effective form of magic that is the reason for its abiding attraction. The second- to fourth-century AD
Hermetica, which supposedly contained the wisdom and magical knowledge of the Ancient Egyptian god Thoth, in fact bears little resemblance in reality to the early Egyptian mysteries and more to later, Greek-influenced mysticism. However, its respectability was directly linked to its supposed Egyptian esoteric knowledge.
Even in modern times, Ancient Egypt's renown in the magical arts continues, although it is often distorted by romantic or provocative images of ancient rites, incantations and curses, or by those interested in the occult or black magic. Most notable was the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, founded in 1886, whose most infamous member was Aleister Crowley. His Book of Thoth, published in 1944, revealed his interpretation of an Egyptianised tarot, based upon Egyptian symbolism and magic, and was no doubt inspired by the eighteenth-century Court de Gebelin, who wrote a book arguing that the tarot pack had Egyptian origins.
The idea that Ancient Egyptian magic was the purest and most potent form has not only led to its association with some New Age cults that call upon the power and magic of Isis or the reinterpretation of Egyptian funerary books, but also to its representation within the cinematic sphere. Such films as The Mummy revolve around the idea of Ancient Egyptian magical books, their power of rejuvenation and rebirth, and their control over nature and the natural order of things.
SPELLS
The wealth of diverse sources of information which have been preserved from Ancient Egypt allow us an extraordinary degree of insight into the lives of its people. One area that has always proved of interest to scholars and laymen alike is Egyptian magic. Within this vast topic, the power and magical force .inherent in spells can be found throughout the fabric of everyday Egyptian life.
Spells are depicted and inscribed on tomb scenes, upon statues, written down on papyrus and other media, on artefacts left within tombs or on items intended for everyday use. Spells were used for protection against poisonous creatures or anything that could cause harm in this life or the next, in times of danger such as at childbirth, for medicinal reasons, for funerary purposes to allow the deceased to live in the afterlife and in love spells such as one from Deir el-Medina dated to c.1186-1069 BC, written on limestone and asking a god to make an individual 'run after me like a cow after grass, like a servant after her children, like a drover after his herd'!
In Ancient Egyptian literary texts, books of magic are often described as having extraordinary origins, which was a way of enhancing their aura and magical qualities. The actual existence of books of magical knowledge can be found within the Old Kingdom tomb of the vizier Washptah (c.2400 BC). From his tomb inscription, we learn of Washptah's collapse before King Neferirkare. In an attempt to revive him, the king called for books of magic and medicine to be consulted by his doctors and the lector-priests, although these magical spells were unfortunately unable to save Washptah.
Other hints at the existence of books of magic are contained within the Ádmonitions of Ipuwer' from the Middle Kingdom, a text that relates the disarray of the world during a period of civil war, urging: 'Behold the hidden chamber, its books are stolen. The secrets in it are revealed. Behold, magical spells are revealed: Often, so-called books of magic consisted only partly of spells, which would be written on papyri along with accounts, myths or medical texts. A number of surviving papyri contain spells, including the London Medical Papyrus (c.1250 BC); a collection of gynaecological spells (c.1850 BC); and the Brooklyn Magical Papyrus, which deals almost exclusively with snakebites.
Spells often drew upon Egyptian mythology to explain their antecedence or state how a god suffered with a similar complaint, the point being that it is easier to solve a particular difficulty if its origin is understood. With this in mind, a spell to ease stomachache relates how Horus suffered a similar discomfort after eating fish. Isis was particularly famous for her magical powers and was often mentioned in spells against snakes and scorpions. These spells were very common, and the reason for this goes beyond the obvious need for protection. Mythology plays a significant part in their popularity. The god responsible for sending the poisonous creatures was invariably Seth, the god of chaos. Hence, by protecting yourself against snakes and scorpions, you were also protecting yourself against chaos and confusion as embodied by Seth.
Egyptian spells worked on three levels - word, action and medium. To distinguish them from normal speech, spells were meant to be chanted or spoken in an authoritative voice, using the correct tone and exact pronunciation. Because of the Egyptians' belief that the spoken word had sufficient power to create and destroy, it was extremely powerful when used in magic. Once uttered, a spell was active and influential, and had to be driven in the required direction by way of a hand held around the mouth to ensure the words of power reached their correct goal. The sound, rhythm and verbal form of a spell amplified the power of the word, with repetition a significant factor in ensuring the correct build up of magical energy, or heka. Both four and seven were particularly important repetitions.
Wordplay was a specific magical tool: puns, homophony, alliteration, meaningless words and names were used in order to amplify the inherent magical properties of language. The use of apparently meaningless words and names worked on the idea that power was contained in a sound and its hidden meaning. Their significance was in their very unintelligibility - their intrinsic sense was beyond the comprehension of mere mortals.
As Egyptian personal names were theophoric, derived from the names of gods (for example, Ptahhotep, 'Ptah is Content'; Meretamun, 'Beloved of Amun'), whenever a name was uttered, a god was glorified. A name had a specific magical potency and was an extension of a person's personality. In fact, the name was the person and so to know a person's name was to have power over them. This was used to great advantage by the goddess Isis, who tricked Ra into revealing his secret name and thereby furnishing her with great power.
The action part of the spell took many forms. It was as valid as the oral part and a major component in accomplishing the spell. As with cupping the hand around the mouth, pointing the spell at its intended recipient ensured it would reach the correct destination. Licking was a major practice within spells. The concept of using licking as part of healing probably arose from watching animals licking their wounds. Licking spells and images drawn on the hand for healing purposes is attested to from the time of the Old Kingdom (c.2687-2191 Be) in the form of the Pyramid Texts and was probably in use before that time as well. A later spell, against scorpion venom, states that the words of the RafIsis spell are to be said over a drawing of Ra, Isis and Horus, and the same image drawn on the hand of the person who has been bitten. The person was then to lick the image off, so that the three deities could magically fight the poison from within the body. The deities were also to be drawn on linen and worn around the neck. It was noted that this spell was 'truly effective, proved a million times'. Spells could also be swallowed. This might be done by writing the spell on papyrus, tearing it up and dissolving it in beer. The mixture was then drunk so that the magic would be absorbed.
Alternatively, healing stelae or cippi could be used. These depicted Horus standing on two crocodiles whilst holding poisonous creatures in his hands. Water was poured over the stela as the spell was spoken, and collected in an attached basin. This water, which had absorbed the efficacy of the words and image, was then drunk or poured over the wound, bringing the spell's potency into direct contact with the patient.
Spitting was also used in spells, but its use lay mainly in its destructive aspect, as in spitting on enemy statuettes as part of the execration ritual. However, it did hold some medicinal and protective power, not surprising bearing in mind spitting's integral role in the origination of the gods Shu and Tefnut in the Heliopolitan creation myth, a concept that finds expression in our idiom 'spitting image'. Thus, for the spell to heal the wekhdu disease, the practitioner spits on the diseased limb (Ebers Papyrus, recipe 131). An anti-scorpion spell from the Saite period (c.664525 Be) notes: 'You should recite them to your finger while it is moistened with spittle. Then you should seal the opening of the wound with it.'
The last aspect of spells is the medium used, which included saliva, blood, sweat, urine, semen and excrement, which were all considered divine secretions and hence valid in spells. Clay, wax, dough and animal fats were also used, in particular to form models because of their malleability and because they were easily destroyed. They were therefore ideal for any type of destructive magic or curses. Interestingly, garlic was used in imitation of teeth in a spell against ghosts and demons, and this may be the antecedent of later vampire tales and garlic's place within these. Ivory boomerang-style wands were used by practitioners to form a protective circle around the patient, particularly necessary in childbirth, when both mother and child were susceptible to malevolent forces. Knots were often used in spells against snakes and scorpions, with the rubric specifying that, after the words were spoken, knots - usually seven - were to be made in linen to act as an obstruction against the poison.
Also important was the time at which spells were said, as some days were better suited than others and some times were not appropriate to certain spells. Dawn was the best time for a spell to work, bearing in mind the connection of dawn with rebirth and the creation of a new, unique day.
Ancient Egyptian Magic
Source: Ancient Egyptian Divination and Magic
Written by: Eleanor L. Harris
Magical Philosophy
Egyptian magic dates from the time when the predynastic and prehistoric dwellers in Egypt believed that the Earth, the underworld, the air, and the sky were peopled with countless beings, visible and invisible, that were potentially friendly or unfriendly to man, according to the operations of nature which they directed.9 Primitive Egyptians believed these beings had attributes and personalities similar to their own: human emotions, desires, and weaknesses. These gods and goddesses for which Egyptian religion is best known, provided the foundation for Egyptian magic, whose objective was to provide humankind control and dominance over these beings for the purpose of assuming their powers to carry out tasks and desires through magic.
Friendly beings were coaxed to assist the magician with offerings and attractive gifts. Unfriendly beings were flattered, pleaded with, or influenced by amulets, figures, pictures, or secret names. Magical formulas were also designed and used. All of these tactics resulted in skilled mortals having access to beings who were more power than any enemy who threatened harm.
Just as Egyptians believed the world itself came into existence by the utterance of a single word, they believed that inanimate nature could be commanded by words of power. Gods, spirits, devils, weather-nothing could resist the power of words. Nature recognized the trained mind's strength. The elements, disease, and death were all susceptible to influence for positive or negative intent.
Early nations of Egypt practiced magic that caused the transfer of power from a being of the spirit world and worlds beyond to a man or woman knowledgeable in the magical arts. The theory was that the trained mind obtained great power to cause changes and achieve magical aims that were otherwise impossible. Ancient magicians could be endowed with both friendly and hostile powers, and with the power of the gods to control and direct as desired.
Religious ceremonies of later years are thought to have consisted of original magical and superstitious traditions. The religious books of ancient Egypt taught that magicians, and later priests, who were knowledgeable and skilled in magic had unlimited power to influence or cause change. The trained magician could recite and properly pronounce names and words of power that restored life to the dead, healed the sick, banished evil spirits, enabled human beings to shape-shift at will, and allowed doubles (astral bodies) to be projected into creatures or inanimate objects. By command, inanimate figures, objects, and pictures came to life and performed those tasks the magician desired. The use of poppets and figures that model human beings in the magical work of modern times is directly descended from Egyptian tradition.
Egyptians worked magic to influence every event in their lives, no matter how trivial or great. In the books of the "double house of life," the future was as well known as the past, and neither time nor distance could limit the operations of the magician's power. The secrets of fate and destiny were revealed to, and could be controlled by, the skilled practitioner.
Even peasants held and practiced magical beliefs. Although the educated magician-priests practiced a more complex form of magic and added new techniques earned from foreigners. The peasants, not allowed entry into the temple or access to literature, practiced folk magic based upon superstition and old traditions.
Magical Misconceptions
Travelers from other lands who visited ancient Egypt recorded confused, contradicting reports of Egyptian magic that created misconceptions. There are two sources of the misconception that the Egyptians practiced black magic:
1.The ancient name of Kamt or Qemt, by which Egypt was known, means "dusky" or "black." It is one of the oldest names of Egypt, one that often was attributed to explanations of Egyptian religion and magic. The name describes the muddy land on each side of the Nile, which was of a dark color.
2.At an early period, the Egyptians were renowned for their aptitude in the working of metals. Early Greek writers tell us that Egyptians worked metals in an attempt to transmute them. These accounts state that quicksilver was used to separate silver and gold from native ore. From this process, a black residue resulted that was thought to contain individual characteristics of various metals and possess awesome powers. This substance was attributed to the god, Ausar's, body in the underworld; both were considered sources of life, force and power. The use of the black powder in magical spells was called "black magic" by scholars of the time.
The belief that magical power existed in alloys and metals and that it could be manipulated, along with knowledge of e chemistry of the metals and their magical powers, was expressed by the name Khemeia, meaning "the preparation of the black ore (or powder)," which was regarded as the active principal in the transmutation of the metals. To this, the Arabs affixed the prefix" al" producing the word Ail-Khemeia, or alchemy, a linguistic coincidence that would perpetuate the reputation of Egyptians as successful students of both white magic and the black arts.
Ethics of Magic
The magical arts of the Egyptians cannot be easily classified as white or black. Their magic consisted of two types: magical arts worked to benefit the living or the dead, and magic used with negative intent, such as throwing curses. The magician could heal the ailing or inflict ruin upon enemies. The balance of order and chaos could be tipped as willed. The justice or righteousness of these acts was determined by the individual. Egyptians used magic as deemed reasonable to protect and empower their livelihood.
As in every spiritual and magical system, the intent of the practitioner determines the magic worked, for good or evil. In situations that challenge our judgment. morals, and ethics, we attempt to act carefully. Our determination is solely our own, for no matter what course of action we take, there will always be individuals who agree or disagree with it. This is a basic tenet of Egyptian magic.
Action that is taken in response to life's trials and tribulations cannot always be analyzed and classified as positive or negative, white or black. There is a gray realm that demands consideration for its potential consequences.
Like ancient magicians, you possess the ability to create or destroy. Acting responsibly, through faith and wisdom, you must contemplate the effects and consequences your magic will cause. This is the reason Egyptian magic is considered complex and potent, because it forces you to define yourself, discover mysteries within, and face the dark areas of your personality requiring transformation.
To work any form or system of magic is to open yourself to further lessons of a spiritual and Earthly nature. Aspiration to the magical arts is never to be taken lightly.
Sacred Mathematics
The origin of sacred geometry, mathematics, and astronomy may, in fact, have roots in Egypt. From an unknown source in the south, the Nile River coursed through Egypt. The Nile provided essential irrigation for agriculture. Every year it overflowed its banks end flooded the land, spreading beneficial fertile soil upon the land and irrigating crops. This annual flooding also caused crisis, however. The inundation helped to found the science of mathematics by creating a situation in which the land had to be resurveyed each time the waters receded; "geometry" literally means "land measurement."I3 It also led to the practical application of astronomy, since the annual inundation caused by tropical rainfall in the far south coincided with a particular configuration of stars in the sky.14 The Egyptians called the star that forewarned of this phenomenon Sirius, the Dogstar. Sirius rose over the horizon in the northern sky, foretelling the upcoming flood.
