erful. The gnostics of North Africa, for instance, made an
abundant use of talismans and incantations. Two words in
particular have survived to this day: abraxas and abracadabra.
The word abraxas represents the supreme deity and his su-
preme power. Numerically (a = 1, b = 2, r = 100, a = 1, x
= 60, a = 1, s = 200) it adds up to 365, or the number of
days in the solar year, the cycle of divine action. The word
was carved into stone as a talisman and pronounced as a pro-
tective device. The word abracadabra, derived from the Ara-
maic phrase “Avreiq Ead havraD ” (“Hurl thunderbolts to
[unto? at?] darkness”), was used to invoke the aid of the su-
preme spirits. Inscribed as an inverted triangle, with one less
letter on each successive line, it was considered a powerful
talisman.
The Jews, a people rich in esoteric and magical lore,
were the inventors of Qabbalah, which includes one of the
most important techniques for the numerological analysis of
words and letters, intended to reveal their esoteric meaning.
Four words in particular deserve mention. Adonai, which
means “supreme lord,” was spoken as an infallible invocation
of aid. Haleluyah, translated as “hymn to the lord,” also
served as an invocation. Amen was a term that gave a full and
definitive meaning to whatever was expressed. It was under-
stood as “So be it,” but with the magical sense that things
could not be otherwise. Some think it was derived from invo-
cations to Amun. Golem referred to the basic substance from
which God created humans. When deprived of a soul, it
could be used to create evil beings, who could be controlled
only by pronouncing the true and secret name of God.
Within Islam, three phrases are believed by some to
have a magical power. The phrase “La ̄ ila ̄ha illa ̄ Alla ̄h”
(“There is no god but God”) has been used to perform mira-
cles (Idries Shah, 1968). The phrase “Alla ̄h akbar” (“God is
great”) serves as a basis for white magic, and the words “Ism
al-aEz:am” are used to subjugate or subdue evil spirits.
Among Christians, the names Christ and Jesus serve to
stave off evil. Roman Catholics may seek triple insurance by
naming all three members of the holy family: “Jesus, Mary,
and Joseph.”
For Tibetan Buddhists, the phrase “Om: man:i padme
hu ̄m:” contains many occult meanings. It is believed that the
first word, om:, emanates from the cosmic vibration essential
to creation. Some scholars maintain that it is equivalent to
the Amin of the Muslims and the Amen of the Jews. It is the
basic name of the creator god. The complete phrase expresses
a desire to be pure and to be part of the universal spirit.
SPELLS IN THE HISTORY OF RELIGIONS. Since ancient times
people have uttered and written words, phrases, and formu-
las that they have believed to have some magic power or irre-
sistible influence. Spells to ward off what is evil or undesir-
able and to bring about what is good or desirable are known
in many cultures.
Egypt. The basic esoteric activity of the ancient Egyp-
tians was preparation for life after death. For this purpose
they developed high levels of art, magic, and religion. The
preparation of a scarab, carved from semi-precious stone to
replace the heart of the deceased, required that the artisan
recite the following spell: “I am Thoth, the inventor and
founder of medicine and letters; come to me, thou who art
under the earth, rise up to me, great spirit.” This spell was
to be uttered without fail on a set number of days after the
new moon (Idries Shah, 1968). Many similar spells are
known to have been used, usually with apotropaic intent. In
addition, the Egyptian Book of Going Forth by Day records
spells that were to be used for each moment after a person’s
death.
Mesopotamia. The earliest Mesopotamian cultures
have left very few records of their magico-religious thought.
Later Assyro-Babylonian translations make it seem that one
of the most crucial concerns of these peoples was the evil eye,
the evil that surrounds people on all sides and affects them
especially in the form of the envy of enemies. One spell
against the evil eye went as follows:
Let the finger point to the evil desires,
the word of ill omen.
Evil is the eye, the enemy eye,
eye of woman, eye of man,
eye of a rival, anyone’s eye.
Eye, you have nailed yourself to the door
and have made the doorsill tremble.
You have penetrated the house....
Destroy that eye! Drive out that eye!
Cast it off! Block its path!
Break the eye like an earthen bowl! (Garcia Font, 1963)
The old spells used in Assyrian medicine had something of
a mythical nature. Take, for instance, this spell for toothache:
After Anu made the heavens, the heavens made the
earth, the earth made the rivers, the rivers made the ca-
nals, the canals made the swamps, and the swamps, in
turn, made the Worm. The Worm, crying, approached
Shamash, and he approached Ea, spilling tears: “What
will you give me to eat and what will you give me to
destroy?” “I will give you dried figs and apricots.” “Of
what use are they to me? Put me between your teeth and
let me live in your gums, so that I can destroy the blood
of the teeth and gnaw at the marrow of the
gums... .” “Since you have spoken thus, O Worm,
let Ea crush you with his powerful fist.” (Hocart, 1975)
This was repeated until the pain disappeared.
Greece. The Greeks imagined their gods as having
human form and character, and they occasionally ordered
them to help the needy by means of magical formulas, as in
the following spell addressed to Hekate:
Come, infernal, earthly and heavenly one... goddess
of the crossroads, bearer of light, queen of the night,
enemy of the sun, friend and companion of the dark-
ness; you who are happy with the barking of dogs and
bloodshed, and who wander in the darkness, near the
tombs, thirsty for blood, the terror of mortals, Gorgon,8676 SPELLS