Oriental Magic Idries Shah

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V i CONTENTSChapter

pagecommanding the Genii ; t h e m a g i c a l r i n g ; the power over winds

and knowledge of the language of the birds . Solomon in th e

V a l l e y of the Ants, a ccording t o the Koran. What was the Seal

of Solomon? The Most Great Name of God ; the Testament of

Solomon ; c o n j u r a t i o n o f a l l e v i l s p i r i t s . The K e y o f S o l o m o n ,

th e B o o k o f A s m o d e u s and their influence on the magic of the

Middle Eas t . The Circle ; Chinese magic ; contribution of

Solomon .

4 . THE OCCULT IN BABYLONIAThe demons and spirits of the Ba bylonians : i m p o r t a n c e o f t h i s

c i v i l i z a t i o n i n t h e d i f f u s i o n o f m a g i c a r t s . The much-neglected

rites of t he A ccadians, founders of Ba bylonian occultism .

A s s u r - b a n i - P a l ' s l i b r a r y : t a b l e t s o f i n c a n t a t i o n s . R o o t s o f m a g i c a l

arts known in the West . P r o c e s s f o r t h e h e a l i n g o f a s i c k m a n .

D e s c r i p t i o n o f t h e R i t e A g a i n s t t h e E c l i p s e . V i c t o r y o v e r e n e m i e s

and their gods . Scope of the Me sopotamian magic arts . The

gods and goddesses : their links wit h demons and adoption by

o t h e r p e o p l e s . Rites of exorcism . The power words . C o n j u r a t i o n

f r o m t h e A c c a d i a n t a b l e t s . T h e l i n k w i t h t h e F i n n s .

EGYPTIAN MAGICConnection betwe en Jewish and ancient Egyptian magic . Moses

and the duel of the snakes . Alchemy traced to Egy p t . Legends

of the Pyra mids. M a g i c n o t c o n s i d e r e d B l a c k A r t , u n l e s s d i r e c t e d

a g a i n s t t h e S t a t e . The purp oses of official magic in dynastic

Egypt . Country of Egypt and its effect on t he rites : t h e r i t u a l o f

the Nile. The miracles of Khufu's magician Teta : H i s r a i s i n g

of the dead and maimed. Account of the expe riments of Teta .

Thebes and Memphis as magical centres . Greek papyri and the

Egyptian influence. Porphyr y on Egyptian mag ic . T h e r i t u a l o f

the boy with the lamp . The Book o f t h e D e a d . The Scarab and

i t s u s e s . `Binding' and `compelling' the gods . Actual names of

power quoted . P r o t e c t i o n a g a i n s t h o s t i l e a n i m a l s . T h e r i t e s o f

the dead : embalming and òpening the mouth' . Experie nces

of one student of the occult in Egypt . The Singing Sands and

similar phenomena : Colossi of Amunoph III . Lucky and un-

lucky days of the Month of Thoth .

~. JU-JU LAND OF THE TWIN NILESA u t h o r ' s y e a r i n t h e S u d a n , u n r a v e l l i n g m a g i c a l r i t e s t h e r e . T h e

Nyam-Nyam and their initiation into the s pher e of magic .

Methods of training and disciples hip . C a s t i n g s p e l l s f o r c l i e n t s .

The Spell of Victory . T h e u s e o f t h e m a g i c a l w h i s t l e . A plant-

c o l l e c t i n g e x p e d i t i o n . Love charms, how they are cast. Badges

and equipment of the student-sorcerer. The Fish Tab u as a

m a g i c a l r i t e . Auto-hypnosis in the Sudan . How to identify a

magician . Mungo-the ectoplas mic force. Men and girls in

r i t u a l d a n c i n g . Solomon's Mines . R i t e s o f t h e K a f i r s .

5 .3 5

Chapter

7 -

8 . THE ARABIAN CONTRIBUTIONPre-Isla mic Arabia ; l a t e r c o n t r i b u ti o n o f t h e A r a bs ; s p r e a d o f

occultism under the Ar ab Empire ; the sys tem of magic of

Rhazes ; o t h e r A r a b a u t h o r i t i e s ; t h e g e n i i a n d t h e l y c a n t h r o p e s .

Ibn Khaldiin and magic : Pure Magic, Talismans ; the `power

from within the magician'-mana-akasa again . T h e f i r s t s c i e n t i f i c

commentary on magic . The making and use of talismans of

m e t a l a c c o r di n g t o c e r t a in a s p e c t s o f t h e s ta r s . P o w e r a n d T a l i s -

mans . The Swastika and its adaptations by the Ar abs . The

making and use of the k not in cursing . F a i r i e s a n d c o m p e l l i n g

the power o f j i n n i . The Word of Power . I m p o r t a n t t r e a t i s e s o n

magic among the Arabs .

LEGENDS OF THE SORCERERSThe story of El-Arab : h i s s t r a n g e a c t i v i t i e s . Was h e in control

of lightning? What can be le arned from oriental tales about

magicians? Sadoma, t he magician of Ba ghdad . His converse

w i t h s p i r i t s i n t h e t r a c k l e s s d e s e r t . The magical Roc ; t r a v e l l e r s

and the magical repasts. Emotion and mental power s raise d to

h i g h e r p i t c h . Unbalance or greate r balance? The Golden River

a n d i t s s p i r i t . Siltim, the sorcerer, t aking any form he chose .

T h e s t o r y o f S i l t i m a n d h i s b e l o v e d . T h e s e a r c h f o r t h e E l i x i r o f

Life. S t o r y o f t h e l o c k s m i t h a n d t h e h e a r t s . Himalaya n Leopard

Powder against hunger and disease . Story of the English Vam-

p i r e s s . Encounter with a magician . El Ghirby a nd the Golden

H e a d .

9 .

CONTENTSTHE FAKIRS AND THEIR DOCTRINEST h e n a t u r e o f t h e m y s t i c a l p r a c t i c e o f Ta s a w w uf-o n e o f t h e m o s t

w i d e s p r e a d o f a l l o r i e n t a l c u l t s . T h e o r g a n i z a t i o n o f t h e O r d e r s ;

the Breth ren of Purity and the Mahdist warriors . O r i g i n s o f t h e

c u l t ; b e l i e f s o f t h e S u f i s : the mission of the Fakir. `Man is

d e s t i n e d t o l i v e a s o c i a l l i f e ' . Origin of the term ` Fakir' . The

h a l o o f i n v u l n e r a b i l i t y , i n f a l l i b i l i t y a n d s u p e r n a t u r a l m a n i f e s t a -

t i o n s. Miracles and powers rep orted of the saintship of the

o r d e r s : Shahab-el-D in and his conjuration of fruits, et c . ; t h e

Ni ht Journey to Heave n and Hell; t h e n o n - e x i s t e n c e o f t i m e ;

waking on water ; m i r a c l e s a n d kardmdt ; t h e o r d e r s . The Four

Orders ; t h e o r y o f t h e c r e e d ; t h e I n v i s i b l e R u l e r s h i p ; e n t r y a n d

i n i t i a t i o n ; t h e P a t h ; stage s and degrees of advancement ; recita-

t i o n s ; Sufi mystical poem of Mirza Khan . Diagrammatic repre-

s e n t a t i o n o f t h e S u f i P a t h a n d o c c u l t p h e n o m e n a ; d i a g r a m o f t h e

organization of the `stages of power' ; or g anization of the Chishti

Order ; t h e w o r l d S u f i h i e r a r c h y . The Eleven Secret Rules .

IO . CALLING THE SPIRITSE v o c a t i o n o f s p i r i t s c o m e s w i t h i n a s t r a n g e l y i d e n t i c a l s y s t e m

among many peoples . I t i s t h e s a m e i n a l l s y s t e m s o f H i g h M a g i c .

vi i

Page

59

84

93



C h a p t e rP a g e

Th e s t a g e s i n . t h e E v o c a t i o n . R a i s i n g s p i r i t s , a c c o r d i n g t o

s h a m a n s , w i t c h - d o c t o r s , s o r c e r e r s o f C h i n a a n d J a p a n . Th eC h a l d e a n s ys t e m . W o r d s of Power for calling the s p i r i t s . F o r m u l a

t o c a l l s p i r i t s , a c c o r d i n g t o a Gr a e c o - E g yp t i a n do c u m e n t . T h e

o l d e s t k n o w n f o r m u l a f o r c o n s e c r a t i n g t h e c i r c l e o f e v o c a t i o n .

A f r i c a n m e t h o d s o f c a l l i n g d ep a r t e d m a g i c i a n s . Na m e s o f t h e

H o u r s , n a m e s o f t h e S i g n s , r u l e r s h i p s o f - t h e h o u r s o f d a y a n d

n i g h t . A sian sorcerers and sorceresses in their calling the d evils .

T h e m e t h o d o f c a l l i n g t h e K i n g o f t h e N o r t h , t r a c e d f r o m

S o l o m o n i c m a g i c .

I I . IRANIAN MAGICP e r s i a a n d t h e e f f e c t o f t h e A r a b c o n q u e s t . T h e i n f l u e n c e o f

n e i g h b o u r i n g m a g i c a l b e l i e f s o n t h e P e r s i a n s . The O c e a n o f

M y s t e r i e s , a n d t h e p r e p a r a t i o n o f t h e m a g i c i a n . D e s c r i p t i o n o f

t h e d e d i c a t i o n a n d r i t e s o f t h e s o r c e r e r ; f o r m u l a e a n d n a m e s o f

t h e s p i r i t s t o b e c a l l e d . M a t e r i a l i z a t i o n o f t h e s p i r i t ; d e a l i n g ' w i t h

t h e s p i r i t ; m e t h o d o f ` f l y i n g b y m a g i c ' ; s t o r m s r a i se d ; r i c h m a d e

p o o r ; u g l y m a d e b e a u t i f u l ; a r g u m e n t s a g a i n s t a l c h e m y . Th ed i e s ; t h e m a g i c a l m o u n t a i n s ; t h e T o b o t r e e s , l i k e t h o s e o f

P a r a d i s e .

103

I 2 . MAGICAL RITES OF THE ATHARVA VEDA 11 0

T h e S e c r e t Bo o k o f t h e Br a h m i n s ; t h e V e da i s W h i t e M a g i c .

S p e l l f o r E v e r l a s t i n g L i f e ; C h a r m f o r l e n g t h e n i n g l i f e ; h e a l t h

c h a r m s a n d i n v o c a t i o n s : t h e I n v o c a t i o n t o t h e P l a n t s ; p a n a c e a

f o r a l l i l l s ; t h e m a k i n g o f t h e T a l i s m a n o f F o r c e ; t h e P r o t e c t i o n

s p e l l o f t h e S r a k t y a Charm ; o c c u l t m e d i c i n e o f t h e V e d a : S p e l l

a g a i n s t s o r e s ; a g a i n s t A l l E v i l ; a g a i n s t p o i s o n ; c h a r m s a g a i n s t

demons : t h e s p e l l a n d c h a r m o f t h e G a n g i d a t r e e ; t h e b o r r o w e d

p o w e r s o f t h e g o d s; t h e e x o r c i s m o f t h e t r e e ; h y m n t o t h e P l a n t s .

13 . INDIA : RITES OF THE PRIEST-MAGICIANSS i m i l a r i t i e s b e t w e e n I n d i a n a n d o t h e r s c h o o l s o f m a g i c . Th eP i t r i s , S a d h u s a n d F a k i r s ; s c o p e o f H i n d u o c c u l t s t u d y

. A ctual

e x p e r i e n c e s o f t h e a u t h o r w i t h o n e H i n d u m a g i c i a n. W h a t a r e t h e

s o u r c e s o f t h e p o w e r ? R i t e s a n d i n v o c a t i o n s o f t h e M a g i c i a n ,

a c c o r d i n g t o t h e A g r u s a d a p a r i k s a y : T h e r e a d i n g o f t h e B o o k ;

t h e s e e k e r ; h o w h e p r o c e e d s t o g a i n p o w e r ; t h e S u p r e m e F o r -

m u l a ; t h e C o n j u r a t i o n o f V i s h n u ; I n v o c a t i o n t o t h e S u n; R i t e

o f t h e T r e e ; S acrificial Rites of the Magician ; e v o c a t i o n o f t h e

s p i r i t s ; A k a s a , the force behind all .

12 0

1 4 . INDIAN ALCHEMY TODAY128

T h e a l c h e m i c a l i n d u s t r y o f m o d e r n I n d i a; e n c o u n t e r w i t h a n

a l c h e m i s t ; n e g o t i a t i o n s w i t h h i m . ` F o r m u l a f o r t h e M a n u f a c t u r e

o f G o l d ' ; d e t a i l s o f t h e p r o c e s s a n d t h e i n g r e d i e n t s . A m a g i c a l

r i t e , b u t m o r e c h e m i c a l t h a n a n y t h i n g e l s e . S e v e r a l f o r m u l a e

CONTENTSC h a p t e r

r e p r o d u c e d i n f u l l d e t a i l. T h e s e c o n d a l c h e m i s t : A q u i l K h a n .

M e e t i n g , a p p renticeship . T h e p r o c e s s . C o l l e c t i n g t h e m a g i c a l

j u i c e ; t h e di s c i p l i n e o f t h e g o l dm a ke r ; c o l l e c t i n g t h e c l a y .

Making the fire and the crucible of clay . S ilver into gold . W h a t

t h e a l c h e m i s t t h o u g h t o f h i s p o w e r s .

15 . A NEW THOUGHT-FORCE?T h e c o n n e c t i o n b e t w e e n a k a s a and life-force . H y p n o s i s , m a g -

n e t i s m a n d r e l a t e d p henomena . T h e e x p e r i m e n t s i n t h e W e s t :

R o u c o u s a n d t h e f a i t h - h e a l e r s . E l e c t r i c a l d i s c h a r g e f r o m t h e

fingers . L e s M a l a d i e s e t l c M a g n e t i s m ; g e n e r at i n g c u r r e n t ; t h e

p a r a l l e l w i t h t h e a c t i v i t i e s o f F a k i r s; the necessity for controlled

s c i e n t i f i c i n v e s t i ga t i o n ; r e p o r t o n a n e x p e r i m e n t ; t h e h y p n o t i c

t r a n c e . T h e w o r k o f P r o f e s s o r R h i n e ; L o u i s de W o h l a n d t h e

d a n g e r s o f c h a r l a t a n i s m . S u n s p o t s a n d t h e H a r v a r d C o m m i t t e e .

i 6 . LOVE-MAGIC 1 4 3

S t r i k a r m a n i ; v e n er e a l ma g i c . R i t e t o a r o u s e p a s s i o n a t e l o v e i n a

w o m a n ; s p e l l f o r a r o u s i n g t h e p a s s i o n o f a m a n ; e s t r a n g e m e n t

a n d t h e p o s s i b i l i t i e s o f m a g i c : t h e ` f o r t y - n i n e r e p e t i t i o n s ' :

M e t h o d t o s e c u r e t h e R e t u r n o f a W o m a n ; S p e l l t o o b t a i n a w i f e ;

t o p r o c u r e a h u s b a n d ; c h a r m s a g a i n s t r i v a l s i n l o v e ; a c h a r m

a g a i n s t a r i v a l ; s p e l l t o p r e v e n t m i s c a r r i a g e ; s p e l l t o ` c a u s e

s t e r i l i t y ' ; s p e l l , a g a i n s t j e a l o u s y ; c h a r m t o i n c r e a s e b e a u t y ;

h y m n s f o r v i r i l i t y ; t h e u s e o f c e r t a i n p l a n t s .

1 7 . THE OCCULT ART IN CHINA 1 4 9

T a o a n d M a g i c ; t h e k i n d s o f s o r c e r e r s ; n a t u r e a n d u s e o f m a g i c a l

m i r r o r s ; c h ar ms a n d s pe ll s t he . m a g i c a l p e n ; t h e w r i t i n g o f

c h a r m s ; ` C e l e s t i a l C a l l i g r a p h y ' ; c h a r m s u s e d b y w o m e n ; the use

o f b e l l s i n m a g i c ; c h a r m s o f t h u n d e r a n d l i g h t n i n g ; t h e ` G r e a t

U n i v e r s a l A mu l e t ' ; W i z a r d s o f C h i n a : S p i r i t u a l i s m a n d a u t o -

m a t i c w r i t i n g ; the Magical Pencil ; m a k i n g t h e i n s t r u m e n t s ; other

f o r m s o f t h e p e n c i l ; n a t u r e o f t h e m e d i u m s ; d e v i l - d a n c e r s .

R i t u a l s o f M a g i c ; t h e B l a c k A r t o f t h e Am o y w i t c h e s ; t h e D e a t h

S p e l l ; R a i n m a ki n g , E t e r n a l L i f e . F o l k l o r e l i n k s w i t h o t h e r

s y s t e m s , D r a g o n s a n d M o n s t e r s .

1 8 . WONDER-WORKERS OF TIBET 1 7 3

T i b e t a n d t h e b a c k g r o u n d o f i t s s u p e r n a t u r a l a n d r e l i g i o u s a r t s .

T h e c u l t u r e - d r i f t i n T i b e t a n d i t s c o n v e r s i o n t o B u d d h i s m . M o s t

o f T i b e t u n k n o w n : o n l y c e r t a i n p a r t s p e n e t r a t e d b y W e s t e r n e r s .

T h e s t r u g g l e b e t w e e n s y s t e m s i n T i b e t . T h e s p e c t r e o f B o n i s m .

The creed and the subversive activity of the animists . T h e i n v o c a -

t i o n o f t h e d e m o n ; d e v i l - p r o p i t i a t i o n a n d p o w e r t h r o u g h e v i l .

S o m e i d e a s a n d i d e a l s o f L a m a i s m . T h e p a t h o f t h e L a m a i s t o f

t h e o r t h o d o x o r d e r . The ring and the jewels ; the scope and nature

o f t h e w o r k o f t h e l a m a ; M o r a g M u r r a y A b d u l l a h a n d t h e m i s s i o n

i x

P a g e

1 3 8



A CONTENTSC h a p t e r

P a g e

of the lamaists . T h e t r a i n i n g o f t h e w o n d e r - w o r k e r . F i r e - w a l k i n g

r i t e a s o b s e r v e d b y t h e a u t h o r . The actual rite, a pparent results

a n d i n t e r p r e t a t i o n a c c o r d i n g t o B o n - i s t s a n d B u d d h i s t s o u r c e s .

19 . MAGIC ART OF JAPAN184

T h e t w i n d i v i s i o n s o f J a p a n e s e m a g i c . S h i n t o a n d t h e N o r i t o

r i t e s ; c o i n c i d e n c e s o r p a r a l l e l s w i t h W e s t e r n , C h i n e s e a n d J e w i s h

magic . B l a c k a n d W h i t e m a gis d etermined by its intentions, not

i t s r i t e s . The kami s p i r i t s a n d t h e i r a c t i v i t i e s . E n i o t i o n - c o n c e n t r a -

t i o n a n d a m e t h o d o f m a k i n g a h a t e - s p e l l . C o n c e n t r a t e d p o w e r

in trees . S ympathetic magic and the restoration of virility . L o v e

charm from newts . R e p t i l i a n r e m a i n s i n l o v e t h e w o r l d o v e r .

L i f e - f o r c e ( m a n a - a k a s a ) a n d t h e b r i n g i n g o f a b e l o v e d t o t h e l o v e r

b y m a g i c a l m e a n s . E n t i r e r i t u a l d e s c r i b e d a n d c o m m e n t e d u p o n

w i t h i t s W e s t e r n p a r a l l e l s . T h e d o g - c h a r m a n d t h e g u e s t . Hate-

m a g i c a n d t h e m a k i n g o f a h a t e - c h a r m .

BIBLIOGRAPHY1 9 1

LIST OF NOTESGLOSSARIAL INDEX

20 1

1 9 7

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONSHaftones

House-decoration in Northern Sudan

The Foam of Venus

Shrine of Baba Waif Saheb

K u r d i s h r i t u a l s w o r d d a n c e

Grey monolith of Paphos

Coin of Bylbus

C h i n e s e s p i r i t - w r i t i n g i n s t r u m e n t

A q i l K h a n , t h e a l c h e m i s t

Afghan Fakir

Indian Sadhu

Himalayan magician

P e r s i a n w i z a r d

S u d a n e s e s o r c e r e r i n m a g i c a l r e g a l i a between pages I Io-I I

I n d i a n c a v e - t e m p l e a t A j a n t a

P r e - I s l a m i c c a v e - s h r i n e a t P e t r a

Where t he cloak of the Prophet Mohammed is kept

R i t u a l m a g i c a l d a n c e a t K o r d o f a n

Tiksay Lamaser y

Chung-Khwei, the demon-destroyer

C h i n e s e r i t u a l s w o r d o f e x o r c i s m

Shoki, the Japanese Ch ung-Khwei

Stupa, where the demon Yama is invoked

Line

F r o n t i s p i e c

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G e o g r a p h i c a l d i f f u s i o n o f T u r a n i a n m a g i c P a g e

G r e e k a m u l e t a g a i n s t e n e m i e s



FOREWORDBy DR. LOUIS MARIN

M e m b e r o f t h e I n s t i t u t d e F r a n c e

D i r e c t o r o f t h e E c o l e d ' A n t b r o p o l o g i e d e P a r i s

D e p u t y - P r e s i d e n t o f t h e I n t e r n a t i o n a l I n s t i t u t e o f A n t h r o p o l o g y

THE o r g a n i z a t i o n o f t h e a c a d e m i c d i s c i p l i n e s w h i c h w e i n F r a n c e

a s s o c i a t e w i t h D e s c a r t e s h a s , i n t h e c o u r s e o f t h e c e n t u r i e s , s o d e v e l o p e d

t h a t t o d a y t h e s c i e n t i f i c m e t h o d p e r m e a t e s e v e r y a s p e c t o f h u m a n e

s t u d i e s .

No longer does the s cholar faced with some new, s trange and

h i t h e r t o u n e x p l a i n e d p h e n o m e n o n t u r n a w a y f r o m i t s s t u d y . I n o u r

t i m e , h e t a k e s f u l l a c c o u n t o f i t , k e e p i n g i t u n d e r o b s e r v a t i o n , i n t h e

h o p e o f f i n d i n g a w a y o f e x p l a i n i n g i t .

M a g i c i s a s u b j e c t w h i c h w a s l o n g c o n s i d e r e d t o b e o u t s i d e t h e

a m b i t o f a c a d e m i c s t u d y . Y e t i t i s o f i m p o r t a n c e i n t h e d i s c i p l i n e of

anthropology. C u r i o u s l y e n o u g h , m a g i c h a s g r e a t l y i n t r i g u e d e t h

n o g r a p h e r s o n a c c o u n t o f t h e s t r a n g e n e s s o f i t s p r a c t i c e s i n a l l p a r t s

o f t h e w o r l d , w h i l e a t t h e s a m e t i m e i t h a s b e e n f r o w n e d u p o n b y

t h e m a s b e i n g h a r d l y s u s c e p t i b l e t o s c i e n t i f i c s t u d y a n d a s r e p u g n a n t

t o r e li g i o n a n d th e s o ci a l o r de r . Y e t w i t c h c r a f t u s e d t o b e w i d e s p r e a d

i n t h e w e s t e r n w o r l d , a n d e v e n a t t h e C o u r t o f L o u i s XI V a n d i n t h e

a g e o f V o l t a i r e ; i t h a s n o t d i e d o u t e v e n t o d a y .

T h e r e u s e d t o b e s o m e c o n f u s i o n o f r e l i g i o n a n d m a g i c , i t b e i n g

t h o u g h t t h a t t h e l a t t e r w a s s i m p l y a p r i m i t i v e f o r m o f r e l i g i o n . W e

k n o w b e t t e r n o w , a n d c a n d i s t i n g u i s h b e t w e e n r e l i g i o n , w h i c h i s

s u b m i s s i o n t o a n a l m i g h t y C r e a t o r t o w h o m w e r a i s e o u r p r a y e r s , a n d

m a g i c w h i c h c o n s i s t s o f r i t e s i n t e n d e d t o c o m p e l s u p e r n a t u r a l f o r c e s ,

w h a t e v e r t h e y m a y b e , t o d o t h e s o r c e r e r ' s b i d d i n g .

W e m u s t a d m i t t h a t a l m o s t a l l t h e r e l i g i o u s i d e a s o f p r i m i t i v e

p e o p l e s a r e c o m p r i s e d i n m a g i c . T h i s r a i s e s a n o t h e r g r e a t d i f f i c u l t y

f o r t h e s c h o l a r , f o r i t r e q u i r e s a n e f f o r t o f t h e i m a g i n a t i o n t o e n t e r

i n t o t h e m e n t a l i t y o f p r i m i t i v e p e o p l e s w h o i n t h e i r i g n o r a n c e o f t h e

w o r k i n g s o f n a t u r e f e e l c o m p e l l e d t o c o n s t r u c t f o r t h e i r o w n p r o t e c t i o n

a s ys t e m o f m a g i c a l o b s e r v a n c e s .

O n e m u s t t r y t o d i s c o v e r w h a t p r i m i t i v e p e o p l e s a r e r e a l l y t h i n k -

i n g b y o b s e r v i n g t h e m d i r e c t l y , w i t h o u t a l l o w i n g o n e ' s f a n c y t o r u n

a w a y w i t h i t s e l f. However backward the par ticular people whose

m a g i c i s u n d e r d e s c r i p t i o n m a y s e e m t o b e , i t w i l l o f t e n b e n o t i c e d

xu 1

X1 1 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONSD i f f u s i o n o f c r o s s a n d c i r c l e s y m b o l i n m a g i c a l u s a g e

O r i e n t a l t a l i s m a n s f r o m t h e a u t h o r ' s c o l l e c t i o n

Page 7

9

G r e e k t a l i s m a n s c o n t a i n i n g H e b r e w n a m e s14

S e c r e t S e a l o f S o l o m o n 22

A c c a d i a n - A s s y r i a n g o d - s p i r i t s2 9

T h e a m u l e t o f t h e S o u l3 6

S e a l o f R a m e s e s I I3 8

M a g i c a l d e s i g n o n t h e c o f f i n o f P r i e s t e s s T a - A h u t i 40A n u b i s , G o d o f t h e D e a d 42

O s i r i s44

F o u r t e e n E g y p t i a n a m u l e t s47

T h e S u f i P a t h ( T a r i g a - S u f i y y a )7 2

T h e w o r l d S u f i h i e r a r c h y74

A r a b s p e l l t o dry u p a w e l l o r c i s t e r n77

C h i n e s e p o w e r - s p e l l o f A r a b i c i n f l u e n c e78

M a g i c a l s q u a r e o f . A l - G h a z z a l i 82

T a b l e o f a n g e l s ' r u l e r s h i p o f t h e h o u r s95

S o l a r S w a s t i k a c h a r m ` t o g r a n t a n y w i s h '1 39

C h a r a c t e r f o r ` f e l i c i t y ' w i t h 1 o o f o r m s 15 1

T h e ` a l l - p o w e r f u l ' S e a l o f L a o - T z e1 5 5

Medical char m1 59

S p i r i t - r e v e a l e d c h a r m a g a i n s t p l a g u e 1 6 1

C h a r a c t e r s f o r C h i n e s e i n v o c a t i o n s 1 6 5

T a l i s m a n o f F o r t u n e 16 9

C h a r m t o a t t r a c t w e a l t h t o t h e w e a r e r1 7 5

C h a r m u s e d i n c u r s i n g a n e n e m y 17 7

T a l i s m a n o f V i c t o r y 18 1

T a l i s m a n t o a t t r a c t m o n e y 1 8 5

C h a r m t o e n s u r e s a f e t y1 8 8

C h a r m t o s e c u r e h a p p i n e s s 18 8

T a l i s m a n f o r l o n g l i f e 18 8

T a l i s m a n o f s u c c e s s 1 8 8



ziv FOREWORDt h a t t h e i r p r a c t i c e s a r e s u r v i v a l s , s o m e t i m e s o f s o d i s t a n t a n o r i g i n

t h a t t h e p r a c t i t i o n e r h i m s e l f c a n n o l o n g e r u n d e r s t a n d t h e w o r d s h e

s p e a k s o r e x p l a i n t h e g e s t u r e s h e p e r f o r m s .

A f u r t h e r c o m p l i c a t i o n i s c r e a t e d b y t h e f a c t t h a t m o s t m a g i c a l

r i t e s a r e e n s h r o u de d b y t h e r e t i c e n c e o f t h e i n i t i a t e s . The arcana

p r e s e n t a p a r t i c u l a r l y d i f f i c u l t o b s t a c l e t o t h e r e s e a r c h e r w h e n ,a s

n e a r l y a l w a y s t h e c a s e , t h e m a g i c f o r m u l a e a r e i n t h e p o s s e s s i o n o f a n

h e r e di t a r y c a s t e o f m a g i c i a n s w h o r e g a r d t h e s e c r e t s a s t h e i r s p e c i a l

h e r i t a g e. T h i s l e a d s t o t h e m a g i c i a n s a s a b o d y d e l i b e r a t e l y e n c o u r a g i n g

t h e i g n o r a n c e o f t h e i r f o l l o w e r s , w h o , i n t h e i r t u r n , f e a r t h e a n g e r o f t h e

i n i t i a t e s i f t h e y s h o u l d r e v e a l a n y t h i n g .

T h e f a c t t h a t m a g i c a l r i t e s r e s e m b l e e a c h o t h e r i n a l l p a r t s o f t h e

w o r l d l e a d s t o t h e d i f f i c u l t q u e s t i o n a s t o w h e t h e r t h e y c a m e i n t o

e x i s t e n c e f i r s t i n a n y o n e p l a c e , a n d i f s o , b y w h a t m e a n s , w h e t h e r b y

c u l t u r a l b o r r o w i n g s , by m i g r a t i o n s o r i n v a s i o n s , t h e y w e r e c a r r i e d

t o s u c h d i s t a n t r e g i o n s ?

T h e s e a r e t h e l i n e s o f e n q u i r y w h i c h I d r i e s S h a h h a s f o l l o w e d i n

de a l i n g w i t h o r i e n t a l m a g i c . O f A f g h a n o r i g i n , h e s p e n t f i v e y e a r s

s t u d y i n g h i s s u b j e c t i n t h e M i d d l e a n d F a r E a s t .

H i s b o o k i s a s e r i o u s c o n t r i b u t i o n t o kn o w l e dg e a n d de s e r v e s t o

f i n d a w i d e a u d i e n c e o f e d u c a t e d r e a d e r s .

PREFACETHE DIFFUSION OF MAGICIT Is o n l y a s r e c e n t l y a s V i c t o r i a n t i m e s t h a t a r c h a e o l o g i c a l s c i e n

h a s e s t a b l i s h e d t h e r e m a r k a b l e f a c t t h a t m a g i c a l o r i g i n s i n H i

A s i a h a v e i n f l u e n c e d c o m m u n i t i e s h a l f w a y a c r o s s t h e w o r l d . T h e r e

a f a s c i n a t i n g s t o r y , t o o , i n t h e w e s t w a r d s w e e p o f t h e p r e h i s t o

Accadians, the Turanian people who brought Asian ways to t

M e di t e r r a n e a n , f o u n di n g t h e c i v i l i z a t i o n s o f As s yr i a a n d Ba b yl o n

V e r y m a n y o f t h e f r i g h t e n i n g t h a u m a t u r g i c r i t e s o f t h e m a g i c i a

d u r i n g t h e d e v e l o p m e n t o f t h e p r e - S e m i t i c ( I ) * a g e h e r e a r e p r e s e r

i n t h e M a q l u ( ` B u r n i n g ' ) T a b l e t s , a n d t h e v a s t l i b r a r y o f K i n g A s s u

b a n i -P a l ( 2 ) .

T h e t y p e o f ' w i t c h - d o c t o r i n g ' ( s h a m a n i s m ) p r a c t i s e d b y a l l i

T u r a n i a n t r i b e s t o o k r o o t i n t h e E a s t , i n C h i n a a n d J a p a n . T h

rituals include psychic phenomena familiar to West ern mediu

and they a re duplicated, a gain through Turanian-Mongolian i

s p i r a t i on ( 3 ) , a m o n g t h e F i n n s , L a p p s a n d e v e n t h e A m e r i c a n I n d i

of North and South America . N a t u r a l l y t h e r e i s n o d o c u m e n t a

e v i d e n c e o f t h e w e s t w a r d d r i f t o f t h e s e p e o p l e s . P a i n s t a k i n g d e d u c t

c a r r i e d o u t w i t h i n t h e c o n f i n e s o f a h o s t o f s c i e n c e s h a s e s t a b l i s h

t h a t t h e r e i s e v e r y l i k e l i h o o d t h a t s u c h m i g r a t i o n s d i d i n f a c t t a

p l a c e .

It is not, however , only the p eople of Turanian origins w

p r a c t i s e d t h e m a g i c a l a r t s o f t h e i r f o r e b e a r s . A s D r . S c h u t t e a n d o t h

h a v e s h o w n , i n s o m e o f t h e m o s t i n t r i g u i n g o f s c i e n t i f i c d e d u c t i o n

t h e p r e h i s t o r i c S c a n d i n a v i a n s , f o r e x a m p l e , i n h e r i t e d a c o n s i d e r a b

l o r e f r o m t h e s e p e o p l e s . A n o t h e r i m p o r t a n t f a c t o r i s t h e d i s c o v e r y t

p r e h i s t o r i c c o m m u n i c a t i o n b e t w e e n p e o p l e s w a s f a r c l o s e r t h a n

g e n e r a l l y a s s u m e d . I t i s c o m m o n t o i m a g i n e t h a t e a r l y s o c i e t i e s w e

more or less independent and developed apart from each oth

s o m e i n r e m o t e m o u n t a i n s , d e s e r t s a n d p l a i n s , o t h e r s i n t o w n s a

v i l l a g e s. I t i s n o t c o m m o n l y k n o w n t h a t i n a d d i t i o n t o t r a d i n g , b o

i n t e l l e c t u a l a n d s o c i a l i n t e r c o u r s e b e t w e e n p e o p l e s w i d e l y s e p a r a t

b y c u l t u r e , s p e e c h a n d d i s t a n c e , w a s c o n s i d e r a b l e . T h e d i f f e r e

b e t w e e n t h i s c o n t a c t a n d t h e r e l a t i o n s h i p b e t w e e n p e o p l e s f a m i l i a r

* The references will be found on pages 1 91 t o 1 9 6 .

xv



i PREFACE

. T h e s a m e c o n s i d e r a t i o n s p r o b a b l y a c c o u n t e d f o r g r e a t e r

.

F o r c e n t u r i e s , p e r h a p s t h o u s a n d s o f y e a r s , m a g i c f l o w e d s l o w l y

. I n i t s m o s t r i t u a l i s t i c f o r m ,

west .

At a date allegedly during Old Testament times, after the supposed

, C e l t i c l e g e n d h a s i t t h a t A r y a n m i g r a t i o n s

y a n d m a g i c o n t h e w a y ( S ) .

T h e e a r l y Gr e e ks a n d R o m a n s , t o o , p l a ye d t h e i r p a r t i n a do p t i n g

.

a n d G r e e k m a g i c w a s a m i x t u r e o f f o r m u l a e a n d i n c a n t a -

.

T h e i n t e r r e l a t i o n o f t h e m a g i c o f E g y p t a n d t h e s u r r o u n d i n g

. I t i s t h o u g h t , h o w e v e r (a s p o i n t e d o u t l a t e r

.

W i t h t h e r i s e o f s u c h c o m p a r a t i v e l y r e c e n t s y s t e m s o f t h o u g h t

: t h e i r d e i t i e s b e c a m e

m a r k e d l y

:

"Religion may succeed religion, bu t the change only multiplies

t h e m e t h o d s b y w h i c h m a n s e e k s t o s u p p l e m e n t h i s i m p o t e n c e

b y o b t a i n i n g c o n t r o l o v e r s u p e r n a t u r a l p o w e r s , a n d t o g u a r d h i s

weakness by lifting the veil of the future . T h e s e c r e t r i t e s o f t h e

s u p e r s e d e d f a i t h b e c o m e t h e f o r b i d d e n m a g i c o f i t s s u c c e s s o r .

Its gods become evil spirits, as the Devas or deities of the Beda

b e c o m e t h e D a e v a s o r d e m o n s o f t h e A v e s t a , a s t h e b u l l w o r s h i p

o f t h e e a r l y H e b r e w s b e c a m e i do l a t r y u n de r t h e p r o p h e t s , a s t h e

g o d s o f G r e e c e a n d R o m e w e r e m a l i g n a n t d e v i l s t o t h e C h r i s t i a n

F a t h e r s " . ( 6 )

I n s o m e c a s e s , s u p e r s e de d p r o c e s s e s l i n g e r e d o n a s p u r e l y m a g i c a l

: t o l e r a t e d a n d e v e n a da p t e d t o n e w e r c u l t s . W a s t h i s b e c a u s e ,

s o m e b e l i e v e , t h e r e w e r e s e c r e t s kn o w n t o t h e o l de r s ys t e m s w h i c h

di d p r o d u c e s o m e s t r a n g e e v i d e n c e o f s u p e r n a t u r a l p o w e r ,

O r , a s t h e

s u p e r s t i t i o u s l y r o o t e d i n m a n ' s m i n d , t h a t t h e o n l y w a y t o c o n t r o l

i t w a s t o d i v e r t i t i n t o ` l e g a l i z e d ' c h a n n e l s ?

O r g a n i z e d r e l i g i o n s t e n d e d t o a b s o r b s p e l l s a n d c h a r m s , b e l i e f

i n w h i c h w a s v e r y d e e p l y e n t r e n c h e d. A m o n g t h e s o u t h e r n S u d a n e s e

and other negroes I have myself seen that Christiani ty has been adopted

s i d e b y s i d e w i t h t r a d i t i o n a l m a g i c: o n l y i n r a r e c a s e s h a s i t s u p p l a n t e d

t h e d e m o n s a n d p o w e r s o f t h e s u p e r n a t u r a l. Often, again, miracles

r e l a t e d o f e a r l i e r n a t i v e s o r c e r e r s h a v e b e e n s i m p l y b r o u g h t f o r w a r d

i n t i m e a n d a dde d t o t h e n e w b e l i e f s . Evidence of this psychology is

abundant and has been exhaustively studied elsewhere .

Whether we like it or not, magic and religion, all over the world,

a r e l i n k e d a s a r e f e w o t h e r h u m a n p h e n o m e n a. If you believe that,

say, cures can be effected by touch, then yo u a r e b e l i e v i n g i n m a g i c

b y i t s w i d e s t d e f i n i t i o n s - a n d i n s o m e f o r m s o f r e l i g i o n. On the

o t h e r h a n d , t h e r e i s a s t r i k i n g d e v e l o p m e n t i n o c c u l t i s t t h i n k i n g

which can just be discerned today, at its inception. T h i s i s t h e t h i r d

p o s s i b i l i t y. M a g i c i s a f i e l d w h e r e i n t e n s i v e a n d c r e a t i v e s t u dy m a y

show that many so-called supernatural powers are in fact reflections of

hitherto little-unde rstood forces, which may very possibly be harnessed

to individual and collective advantage. This is a part of the basis of

t h i s b o o k .

I f t h e r e w e r e i n r e a l i t y c e r t a i n t r u t h s kn o w n t o t h o s e n e b u l o u s l y

r e f e r r e d t o a s t h e ` a n c i e n t s ' , t h e r e i s o n l y o n e w a y t o r e d i s c o v e r t h e m:

the scientific method. An d t h e s c i e n t i f i c m e t h o d de m a n ds t h e s i f t i n g

of every fact, every hint, every clue, back along the chain of trans-

m i s s i o n . I n t h e m a g i c a l c o n t e xt t h i s m e a n s t h a t w e m u s t h a v e a t o u r

di s p o s a l t h e a c t u a l m a t e r i a l s f r o m w h i c h W e s t e r n o c c u l t i s m s p r i n g s.

H e n c e a r i t e w h i c h i s f o u n d i n , s a y, a L a t i n v e r s i o n o f t h eK e y o f

S o l o m o n ( 7 )m a y p r o v e t o b e m e r e l y a t r a n s c r i p t i o n o f s o m e s p e l l

designed to combat, perhaps, a flood in Assyria. Further investigation

m a y s h o w t h a t t h e s p e l l w a s b a s e d u p o n s o m e e n t i r e l y i r r e l e v a n t

t h i n g s u c h a s i n v o ki n g t h e n a m e o f a s u p p o s e d g e n i e w h o s e i n i t i a l s

b y s o m e h a p p y c h a n c e s p e l t t h e w o r d f o r ` d r o u g h t '. And s o th e

s e a r c h m u s t g o o n a n e w. Whether you are, therefore, a general reader,

a n a n t h r o p o l o g i s t , o r j u s t i n t e r e s t e d i n t h e o c c u l t - h e r e a r e s o m e o f

the materials . They are not generally available in any other book .

G r a t e f u l a c k n o w l e d g e m e n t i s m a d e t o t h e f o l l o w i n g f o r t h e i r

g e n e r o u s c o - o p e r a t i o n :

M m e M o r a g M u r r a y A b d u l l a h , f o r a l l o w i n g m e t o c o n s u l t h e r

unpublish ed notes on Indian and Tibetan magicians ; P r o f e s s o r

R. D r o b u t t ( C h i n a ) , a n d C o m m a n d e r D a v i d L u C h u n g - S i a n f o r h i s

h e l p w i t h C h i n e s e i d e o g r a p h s ; S a y e d a A m i n a H a n i m , f o r a d v i c e o n

B



E g y p t i a n b e l i e f s ; Dr. J o h n G r a n t , f o r p a s s i n g a n d a n n o t a t i n g m yMS. o n B a b y l o n i a

; I b r a h i m Y u s u f M u s a E f f e n d i , f o r a d v i c e o n S e m i t i c

Magic and ethnology ; Miss Pauline M. Q ' D o n o v a n ( i l l u s t r a t i o n s ) .

T h a n k s a r e a l s o d u e t o t h e D i r e c t o r o f t h e R e s e a r c h ' I n s t i t u t e o f

E t h n o g r a p h y , f o r a l l o w i n g m e t o r e p r o d u c e m a t e r i a l i n t h r e e l e c t u r e s

g i v e n b e f o r e t h e I n s t i t u t e , a n d f o r c o n s t a n t a d v i c e a n d e n c o u r a g e m e n t.

B i b l i o g r a p h ic a l r e s e a r c h a n d c h e c k i n g w e r e v e r y k i n d l y u n d e r t a k e n

b y m y f r i e n d R u s t u m K h a n - U r f f .

Cairo .SAYED IDRIES El-Harbimi.

CHAP TER I

MAGIC IS INTERNATIONAL" I f a m a n h a s l a i d a c h a r g e o f w i t c h c r a f t u p o n a n o t h e r m a n

a n d h a s n o t j u s t i f i e d i t , h e u p o n w h o m t h e w i t c h c r a f t i s l a i d s h a l l

g o t o t h e h o l y r i v e r , a n d i f t h e h o l y r i v e r o v e r c o m e h i m , h e

w h o a c c u s e d h i m s h a l l t a k e t o h i m s e l f h i s h o u s e ."-CODE QFHAMMURABI, c i r c a 2000 B.C . (8 ) .

THE d e e p e r o n e g o e s i n t o t h e s t u d y o f t h e s u p e r n a t u r a l a n d i t s d e v o t e e s

t h e c l e a r e r i t i s t h a t s i m i l a r t r e n d s o f t h o u g h t h a v e m a d e m e n ' s m i n d

w o r k a l i k e a m o n g c o m m u n i t i e s s o d i v e r s e t h a t t h e y m i g h t b e l o n g t

d i f f e r e n t w o r l d s .

A c c o r d i n g t o t h e o c c u l t i s t t h i s s t r a n g e i d e n t i t y o f m a g i c a l r i t u a l

a n d b e l i e f s m e a n s t h a t t h e r e i s o n e s i n g l e a r c a n e s c i e n c e , r e v e a l e d t

i t s a d e p t s , a n d h a n d e d d o w n t o e v e r y p e o p l e. A d v o c a t e s o f t h e c u l t u r e

d r i f t t h e o r y w i l l h a v e i t t h a t o c c u l t i s m i s j u s t o n e o f t h o s e t h i n g s w h o s

s p r e a d f o l l o w e d w i t h t h e n a t u r a l s o c i a l i n t e r c o u r s e o f p e o p l e s .

Whatever the truth may be, the study of miracle-workers i

m a n y c o u n t r i e s i s o n e o f t h e m o s t f a s c i n a t i n g o c c u p a t i o n s . Nea

C h i t r a l , i n P a k i s t a n , t h e r e l i v e d s o m e y e a r s a g o a h o l y m a n , b e l i e v e

t o p o s s e s s m y s t i c p o w e r s . N o n e c a r e d t o p a s s h i s c a v e l e s t h e c a s t a

e v i l s p e l l o v e r t h e m f o r t r e s p a s s i n g - t h e g e n e r a l b e l i e f b e i n g t h a t h

w a s a f a m i l i a r o f S a t a n h i m s e l f . S o m e t i m e s f r o n t i e r b r i g a n ds , w h o s

d e p r e d a t i o n s t o o k t h e m n e a r h i s h o m e , s a w h i m . T o t h e s e h e b e c a

one whose good opinion they sought, to ensure their success i

t h i e v i n g .

T h e s t r e n g t h o f h i s n a m e b e c a m e s u c h - h e w a s v a r i o u s l y t e r m e

t h e S p i r i t o f t h e M o u n t a i n s o r S p i r i t o f t h e A i r - t h a t w h e n h e d i

t h e c a v e b e c a m e a s h r i n e . T h a t h e r m i t ' s n e s t w a s s h o w n t o m e w h

I p a s s e d t h a t w a y . I n c o m m o n w i t h h i s W e s t e r n c o u n t e r p a r t s , h e h a

c o l l e c t e d s t o c k s o f d r i e d s e r p e n t s a n d a p i l e o f w a x f i g u r e s p i e r c e d w i t

p i n s l i t t e r e d o n e c o r n e r o f t h e c a v e . E v e n t o d a y h o p e f u l d e v o t e e s s a y

p r a y e r o r u t t e r a w i s h o v e r a p i e c e o f r a g , w h i c h i s t h e n t i e d t o

s o l i t a r y t r e e o u t s i d e t h e s a i n t ' s a b o d e . Buried face downwards, i

o r d e r t h a t a n y e v i l t h a t m i g h t b e i n h i m w o u l d p a s s r i g h t t h r c u g h t h

e a r t h , h i s b o d y l i e s , a s i s t h e c u s t o m f r o m C h i n a t o M o r o c c o , i n t e r r e

w h e r e i t w a s f o u n d .

A b o u t t h e s a m e t i m e , o n t h e I n d o - C h i n e s e b o r d e r , a n o t e d w i t c

I



who might have come straight out of Macbeth flourished as a spell-

dealer and general wonder-worker . She took violent and unaccount-

able dislikes to people . It was said that she knew everything about

people's private lives--which may or may not have accounted for her

predilections. Her chief delight, however, was to punish those who

caused unhappiness to others, and for that reason she was venerated

by many as a saint . This Sita claimed to be over a hundred and fifty

years old : a conclusion that was said to have been independently

reached also by the oldest inhabitant of the nearest village . Thecentenarian told how the earliest among her recollections included

memories of Sita as a very decrepit and shrivelled sight : e x a c t l y a s s h e

appeared a hundred years later .

The method of summoning the witch was as follows : people in

trouble, henpecked husbands, wives whose husbands were cruel, the

sick and needy, went to the roof of their house, and called the name of

Sita three times . The local owls, acting as her familiar spirits, swiftly

carried the message to her . By the next morning the offender would be

taken ill with severe pains in the head . Alternatively, some stroke of

good luck would come the way of the invocant . "When I reached her

brushwood lean-to hut, provided with the fruit cake which seemed

to be her consuming passion, she seemed very little different from

any ordinary old woman of that part of the world . Most of the time

she talked, freely enough, of the valuable work she was always doing,

in warning young women about the true characters of their menfolk .

Though she appeared to be of a great age, her eyes were strangely

clear. Instead of the sunken shoulders and hollow cheeks of the

classical witch, she stood well over medium height, and moved with

surprising agility. Some of her frank monologue, however, seemedto be confused ; and when I asked her about the way in which super-

natural effects were obtained, she looked at me like a naughty child,

and said that I could not possibly understand .

There seemed to be no doubt that Sita, in common with many

magicians, really believed in her powers . She denied that her successes

could be attributed to autosuggestion on the part of clients, while

agreeing that this was a well-known phenomenon . She also claimed to

have been taught all her knowledge by her mother, and repudiated

occult books and all formal religion as fraudulent deception. I cannot

say that her personality was magnetic, or compelling, or had any of the

strange features usually felt by mere ordinary mortals in the presence

of hidden power. The only thing that really impressed me about her

was the fact that she described things which would happen to me

and these things did subsequently occur . " ( 9 )

MAGIC IS INTERNATIONAL 3

That there may well be a continuity of transmitted occult lore

amongst the Mongolian peoples has been accepted by morethan

one authority. The shamanistic practices of the Chinese, Japanese and

other Far Eastern magicians have dear parallels with the rites of the

Eskimos and some mongoloid Amerindian tribes : a notable example

3 .

BABYLONIA*Accadianr

and Semites

SCHEMATICDIAGRAM ILLUSTRATING THE SUPPOSED GEOGRAPHICALDIFFUSION OF TURANIAN MAGIC

i. Areas of Mongol-Turanian population ( Italics)

a. Centres of magical synthesis and rediffusion (Capitals)

Turanian-Mongol centres of magical developmentand rediffusio

( I t a l i c C a p i t a l s )

Pre-Islamic period : (up to VIIth century, A .D .)



4 ORIENTALMAGICof this is to be seen in the mediumistic trance state leading to prophecy

and clairvoyance which is common to all . India, Mexico and ancient

Egypt all have their snake-cults . The snake, in fact, is one of the most

important shared symbols of the higher esoteric lore of the Old and

New worlds-which has been used as an argument to support theAtlantis theory .

The Mexican snake-god demanded not only the sacrifice of human

life, but the drinking of the victims' blood as well . When a young,wild snake was caught, it did not become a deity until six human

sacrifices had been celebrated in its name and presence . The actual blood

from the sacrifice had also to be drunk by the snake, thus `potentializing'

it as a magical power . In India today, snake-worship is rife-snake-

charmers only represent the popularized fac et of this important cult .

Snakes bring good fortune, guard souls and hidden tr easures, form the

outlet for occult utterances. Both in Uruguay-very far south ofMexico-and in Konia, which is a long way fr om India, I found distinct

traces of snake-cults. Like the Mexican sorcerers 5 the snake-shamans

of Asiatic Turkey have to undergo a rigid training before they reach

the stage where they can manipulate and commune with snakes .

Both in Mexico and Turkey the same criteria are accepted for testing

when a person is sufficiently developed to become a master of the

snake ritual : the eyes must be wide open, the pupils contracted to pin-

points. It is quite possible that this reptile cult has drifted with human

migration from India and Africa to South America. One can stillfind Guarani (Amerindian) peons in the River Plate area who place

great importance upon the carving of a snake, painted red . The sym-

bolism of blood and the sacrificial note descending from the Mexican

inspiration is too obvious to escape attention .

In Mexico the snake rites had their own distinguishing peculiarities .

So great was the competition for the honour of becoming a serpent

sacrifice, that it was only with the greatest difficulty that daughters

could be prevented from caressing the sacrificial snakes to induce

bites .

The priests certainly had no lack of victims . In many cases families

which had thus lost more than one daughter were sold anti-snake

charms by the sorcerers themselves. Like the Indian snake-worshippers,

Mexican followers of the rite used to make a stew of this reptile's flesh,

and eat it . In both communities this eating of the holy flesh was

supposed to confer all . manner of blessings and especially occult

powers .

Tabu and propitiation rites may be the origi n of many super-

stititions which are with us-in the East and West-even today .


In ancient Egyptian and Greek temples there was always a spot which

it was forbidden to touch, or to walk upon. It was dedicated to the

gods-and especially evil ones-in return for their implicit agreement

not to stray into provinces where they might molest manki nd. The

same idea obtained in parts of Scotland. Uncultivated pieces of land

were left fallow, and termed the 'guid man's croft'-following a

Celtic custom of naming those who were feared ` g o o d ' . Folklorists

have dealt at length with the theory that the fairies (or `good people')

were, in fact, very much the reverse, being merely propitiated evil

s p i r i t s .

un

Wat

uac

c

a8X.a va Bcaia~Qa .

aKpafmµaxaµapto

cuU a7)A¢LJµaeva

Greek amulet against

enemies : IVth-Vthcenturies . Similari-

• ties with Hebrew,• Arabic and Chinese

magical notationsare striking

[ See pp . 24 and x53]

At the instigation of the Church many such places were ploughed

up in Scotland, Ireland and Wales . Tradition had it that storms and

ill-luck would follow such disturbance, and it is reported that plough

ing had to be stopped through frightful storms and blizzards which

overcame the ploughmen. As a result these places are known today

as the `devil's own' land .

The international fraternity-or conspiracy-of magic is perhap

as significant in its general principles as in specific rites. While, fo

example, it is generally conceded that magic in one form or another

may be practised by most people, yet there have always been those

whose particular province it was . Forming a kind of initiated priest-

hood, secrecy is the general rule . A modern occultist cult sums up this

almost primordial urge for secrecy in one of its dicta : "Knowledge is

Power; Knowledge shared is Power lost" . Following the principles o

secrecy and initiation, other important common features are magical

words and special ceremonial dress . Rituals, with few exceptions,

involve some form of sacrifice, actual or implied, and the use of

symbolism, Magical words-words of power-are uttered ; mystica



vwaa:aV1AL MAt714movements are made; special apparatus, in the form of weapons andtalismans, are extensively employed . Next in significance come the

preparation of spells and charms, generally with animal, vegetable and

mineral contents, in that order of prominence .

While a belief in supernatural beings is very general in all forms

of magic, nevertheless many maintain that the actual names and rites,

the very paraphernalia of magic in action, carry special powers, capable

of producing supernatural results . The Wand, for instance, is potent

because of its consecration : not necessarily because it conjures up a

spirit to perform an action .

The objects of magic are known to most people : certainly to

those who have studied the subject to any extent . Rituals, too, are

contained in many works, written by àdepts' or commented upon by

their opponents . I have already mentioned the possible historical and

ethnological importance of a study of the roots of occult practices .

There will still remain a number of people who are not interested in

culture-drift but want to know 'Is there anything in magic?' The

answer to this is that there very possibly is a good deal ìn magic' .

What it is, however, and where it might lead, is for researchers to show .

What was there ìn' alchemy? For one thing, there wasmodemchemistry ; though what is left in it is not for me to say . Hypnosis,

now not only an accepted fact but a very valuable technique, comes

direct from magic. As to what there is ìn' modern spiritualism, the

descendant of Mongolian shamanism, again, I cannot say . One thing,

however, is certain : that magic as it stands, in the mere repetition of the

rituals which are available to general readers, is of very little value to

anyone. According to Hindu occultists, as is described in these pages,many forms of magic, and hence certain well-documented so-called

miracles, are accounted for by the existence of an undiscovered force

(akasa), which seems to have some connection with magnetism .

Arab-Islamic writers, too (who gave the world modern science), sus-

pected the presence of this force . I f i t i s t h e r e , i t i s u p t o e x p e r i m e n t e r s

t o f i n d i t .

Man is a 'symbol-inventing animal' . This fact has led anthro-

pologists to conclude that the strange similarity between arcane rites

in communities without apparent mutual social intercourse is coinci-

dental . Man, they argue, is limited in his very definition. His range of

experiences, his hopes and fears, desires and hates, are very little

varied, wherever youmay go. Does this not mean that he should cometo similar conclusions about supernatural subjects, independently of

what is called inspiration or occult communication?

The scope of this work is not to seek to prove that all magic has its


root in some single, original revelation. It is doubtful, indeed, whether

such a contention could ever be proved . But, buried in Eastern

folklore, in untranslated manuscripts and legend, in magical books by

Eastern writers, there is a vast amount of information which sheds

considerable light on the origin s of much of the magic which flourished

in Europe up to the beginning of the nineteenth century (I Q).

2

S

3

Diffusion of cross and circle symbol in magical usage : (z ) Character from the Se

of Solomon. (z ) Seal of the Spirit O s e , according to the Grand Grimoire . ( ;) Arabi

exorcism formula ('La Hawl') . ( 4 ) Chinese character with constellations, fro

`felicity' talisman. (9) `Seal of Decarabia', from theGrand Grimoire

[See p . 24]

The actual practice of magic is still carried on, in Europe and Asi

alike. How widespread this is it is not my object to investigate . At t

same time, it is very widely conceded that the study of magic i s

considerable historical, cultural and ethnological interest .

Magic is a part of human history. It has sometimes played a decisi

part, as in the case of Moses at the court of Pharaoh . More often it ha

been of less, though still great, importance . In either case it cannot

ignored .

Very many characteristics of magic as contained in Wester



8 ORIENTAL MAGICgrimoires have been traced by such authorities as Sir WasBudgeto Eastern, and particularly Mediterranean, sources. The magicalcircle, from which refuge the magician may summon spirits, has been

traced to Assyria, and is important in nearly every ritualistic operation

of this nature in the Far East . Knowing the name s of spirits, and the

possession of magic words, familiar even to j uvenile readers of fairy

tales, is equally, if not more, widespread and highly regarded. The`Words of Power' ( I I ) by which the Jinn were summoned by Solomon,

formed an important part of ancient Egyptian teaching .

The diffusion of the wax-image type of curse is as wide as almost

any other spell . It is still in use today; as I have myself seen . An early

instance is preserved in an incantation from Assurbanipal's bilingual

tablet, originating in the Accadian, and probably derived, from the rites

of Mongoloid tribes from Central Asia . This tablet, from the royal

palace at Nineveh, contains twenty-eight spel ls, and even in 700 $.c.

was considered to perpetuate extremely ancient rites . Part of it runs

as follows

He who forges images, he who bewitches,

The malevolent aspect, the evil eye,

The malevolent mouth, the evil tongue,

The malevolent lip, the finest sorcery,

Spirits of the heavens, conjure itl

S p i r i t o f t h e e a r t h , c o n j u r e i t l

All these interdicted items are still standard constituents of magical

processes .

Magic shares with religion more characteristics than most people

have cared to discuss . The inevitable clash, based on the supposition

that like repels like, is most marked in the organized campaigns

against sorcery carried out by such bodies as the Inquisitional tribunals

of Spain. Either due to this, or because the Church insisted that

magicians were servants of the Devil, magic in Europe took on a

characteristic of evil which is not so marked elsewhere . Christian

theologians took the stand that propitiation of any spirit meant an

automatic reduction in the belief that should be reserved for God

alone . From this thesis, and certain Biblical references, it was taken for

granted that magic meant devil-worship . In this general attitude,

Catholicism followed Rabbinical precedent in relation to the growth

of magical activities among the Jews . _

The second great instrument which-consciously or otherwise-stimulated the study of magic in the West was the Catholic Church .

MAGIC IS INTERNATIONAL

Compelled, by references in the Old and New Testaments, to acknow

ledge the reality of supernatural phenomena, including the power o

witches and sorcerers, Roman Catholic theologians took up a stan

against witchcraft ("Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live", Ex

x i i

.

18) which caused the subject to be considered as one worthy o

investigation, if not study. This attitude towards occult science

continues in that Church in a form very little altered from that which

obtained at the time of the Spanish Inquisition . According to th

Catholic Encyclopaedia (I2),witchcraft definitely exists, the fact bein

droved by the Bible .

3

1

IMFAiTi

9

4

Oriental talismans from the author's collection :

(i) Modern amulet for protection (P athan) . (s) Arabic

amulet for protection (Turkey). (3) Christian Arab

woman's charm against the Evil Eye (Lebanon) .

(4) Mahdi victory talisman (Sudan)

Many of the codices of Jewish and Solomonic magic which ar

preserved today in Latin and French examples bear distinct trac

of Christian interpolation . Many of the rites of the Key of Solomo

for example, have been `Christianized'-almost certainly by priestl

hands-to give the impression that thaumaturgical results can b

achieved through them, with the Christian additions .

Among the Moslems and other great religions of the East, compromise brought about the theory of the division of magic in

`Permitted' and 'Forbidden-roughly parallel to the Black and Whi

magic distinction in the West .

Magic none the less remained, and still remains, something whi



.V ORIENTAL MAGICorganized religion has neither effectively absorbed nor destroyed .

Like religion, it has a supernatural basis : the appeal to a force greater

than man. From a belief in this force stems the desire for protection,

followed by the positive demand for greater power over other men,

over the elements, over `fate' itself .

Shared with religions are the paraphernalia of magic : the instru-

ments of the art, the robes and vestments, the fumigations and the

repetitions of words, phrases and prayers. Following a belief in the

reality of supernatural power comes the desire to enter into contractual

relations with that power ; hence the `Pact' . There is a contract between

man and God, between man and spirit. Theologians of the Middle

Ages and later were fond of complaining that magical books aped the

rites of the Church ; that they sought to make compacts with the Devil,

just as God made compacts with men. More recent research has shown

(I3) that the `contract' element of magic is at least as old as magic

i t s e l f: and hence antedates many of the great organized religions that

survive today . Even to the consecrated place of working, magic and

religion operate in p a r a l l e l .

CHAPTER 2

JEWISH MAGIC,"There shall not be found among you . . . an observer of

the times, or an enchanter or a witch, or a charmer, or a

c o n s u l t e r w i t h f a m i li a r s p i r i t s , o r a w i z a r d , o r a n e c r o m a n c e r . "

-Deuteronomy xviii, I o .

IN Arab tradition the Jews were the greatest magicians of all times

In the Middle Ages of Europe, too, both the Jewish rank-and-file and

the Christians among whom they lived more often than not looked

up to some reputed sorcerer of Hebrew origin as a miracle-worker

The Jews, on their part, frequently described Jesus as a magician ( I 4 )

but that is neither here nor there .

As to whether Hebraic magic is an original product of this Semitic

people, it would be almost impossible to decide-without knowing

what part of their magical heritage was of foreign origin . There can

be no doubt that magic has been very widely practised among the

Jews (I5). Justly or unjustly, literally thousands of codices attribute

their roots to Hebrew originals : and Moses himself was a magician in

one sense of the word .

According to the Samaritans, all magical teaching stems from one

book : t h e Book o f S i g n s , which Adam brought with him from Paradise,

to enable him to have power over the elements and invisible things

As the Book of RaZiel, this work is still extant, if, indeed, it is the

same one .

Raziel, `meaning Secret of God', is supposed to be the real trans-

mitter of secrets . His Book claims to have come from Adam . In anothe

place the reader is informed that it was entrusted to Noah, just before

he entered the Ark. Like many other magical texts it traces its histor

to Solomon, son of David, giant among miracle-workers . Biblio

graphical research has so far been able to do little in tracing the history

of the Book of RaZiel . Containing a very large number of magical

figures, signs and instructions for making talismans, it claims originally

to have been engraved upon a tablet of sapphire, though only recent

copies are available for study .

The apocryphal Book of Enocb ( I 6 ) is another work claiming

intellectual descent from Solomon and Moses . As in other fields o

historical research, there seems little doubt that some of the books which

II



12 ORIENTAL MAGICare thought to be typical of Jewish magical texts are at best badly

interpolated . In other cases substitution may have taken place . Many

scholars believe that much of the Jewish magical ritual contained

in ancient manuscripts has been lost. For not only was Rabbinical

hostility to be faced by Hebraic sorcerers ( 1 7 ) , but sometimes the fury

of the people of the country in which they lived, often as a minority

of their race . Their aid may have been invoked time and time again as

rainmakers by the Moors or the P oles : but should anything go wrong

they were generally blamed . Then the law of transmission, whereby

only very few could be initiated into the mysteries, may have prevented

the writing down of much magical lore .

The Book of Enoch (18) has the following legend in explanation of

how magic came to the Jews

Two angels (Uzza and Az ael-one of them adopted later by the

pagan Arabs as a god, a nd the other as an angel) we re sent by God to

tempt mortals, as a test of human frailty . Being themselves unfortun-

ately overcome by love for a woman, they were condemned to divine

punishment .

The one hangs from the heavens, head downwards ; the other lies

chained beyond the Dark Mountains : he it was, incidentally, who

taught women to paint their faces !

The Books of Hermes (1g)-said by some to be forty-two in number

-were the attributed work of the Egyptian god Thoth ; and they

were certainly used by J ewish magicians, as a multitude of references

amply show. Thoth is called Theuth by P lato, who states that he was aman of great wisdom who lived in Egypt . It is upon his works, we are

told, that the ancient E gyptians based their religion and widespread

magical practices .

Who was Thoth or Theuth, and what were his magical discoveries?

Cicero takes up the tale and tells us that he was indeed a man of

Thebes, a `lawgiver'. The teachings of the books of Hermes that are

extant (out of a reputed forty-two to 36,525 volumes, according to

your source) seem at first sight to be confused, mystical, contra-

dictory and magical. Are they Egyptian? This has been very seriously

doubted . It is likely that the works of Thoth were, as used to be the

practise, transcribed, edited and passed on in a more or less altered

form. That they now contain traces of Christian, Moslem and Gnostic

thinking seems to be obvious . I have, however, met active supporters

of the thesis that these are prophetic writin gs, and some maintain that

their real meaning is clothed in esoteric symbolism . I f t h i s b e t h e c a s e ,

it would surely need more than a lifetime to unravel it, without some

s o r t o f i n i t i a t i o n . So Thoth remains an almost closed book .

JEWISH MAGIC 13

The Zobar (zo) is another important work of Jewish magic . Full

of demons and spirits, hells and devils, it gained wide currency in

Europe in the fourteenth century . Perhaps it is this work, and the

cabbalistic school which it stimulated, which may be regarded as

the greatest single force in giving the Jews their fame as magicians

in the West .

It is through Jewish sources, or from texts claiming J ewish

inspiration, that most of the sacrificial and propitiatory rites of wha

we now call High Magic are too be traced. The fumigation andincense, candles and knives, the pentacles-even most of the words

used in the ceremonies-parallel Hebrew religious procedures in a

manner not dissimilar to the parodying of the Christian Mass by Black

Magicians .

The Book of Sacred Magic of Abramelin the Sage is one of manyborderline works (zi) . With a reputed authorship of one Abraham,

son of Simon, first produced about the year 145 8, it may be the work o

a Christian . Yet it clearly owes much to Hebrew magical tradition

It is probably, in fact, a mixture : the work of a Christian initiate i

oriental magical art. Short of introducing a complete translation here

it would be hard to give precise details about the nature and scop e o

this remarkable black book . It claims that its original was in Hebrew,

and that it is-as the title would lead us to believe-`Sacred' and not

`Profane' magic. In accordance with the belief of High Magic, th

author states that angels and demons may be used by means of this

book, for good or evil : for is it not the same book that was given t

Moses, Solomon and others? Its processes are similar to those found

in most grimoires-grammars of the sorcerers . Details are given fo

casting spells, for conjuring up spirits, for the recovery of lost objects

to produce love or hate. Small wonder that tradition made it bindin

upon every initiate of this type of magic to communicate no part of it

to anyone unless he was himself convinced that the recipient was

` r e a d y t o r e c e i v e i t ' (zz) .

To Solomon is also ascribed the much-coveted Grimoirum Verum

which contains material from the Key of Solomon ( z 3 ) , which wil

be examined in due course . Not only does this small tome c ontain th

`true and authentic secrets of Solomon the King', but it was actually

discovered in his tomb! By means of it the sorcerer may prepar

himself for the difficult exercise of the Art, can make the various

instruments which are essential to the difficult art of raising spirits, an

can evoke and dismiss a large number of powerful beings . Althoug

the title-page says that it was collected and published by Àlibeck the

Egyptian' in 1517 (at Memphis), it is more likely to date from the



14 ORIENTAL MAGICeighteenth century, and was probably printed from a much oldermanuscript . No collated version of the True Grimoire is known,

though parts which are missing in this edition are apparently available

in the more modern Italian texts .

Another important work which was to be found among theprized treasures of every mediaeval sorcerer was True Black Magic .

This, again, was reputed to be taken from Hebrew sources . I t i s , in

fact, derived from Solomon's Key. Noted for its concentration on death

spells and works of hatred, it may have been copied from a parallel

manuscript to that from which all the more recent versions of the

Key spring. Only one edition of this book is known-and that most

tuXan d

pa gita

7411P111;1 1

tvAtna:

Greek talisman from a papyrus,

containing Hebrew names ofseven archangels, viz . : Michael,

Raphael, Gabriel, Souriel,

Zaziel, Badakiel, Suliel

rarely : the edition of 1750 . Like all grimoires, copies can be bough t

only from collectors, or seen at a few libraries. Until these textbooks of

sorcery are made more generally available, it will not be easy for

students of occultism to compare the interrelation of culture and

myth which resulted in magical practices both in Europe and the East .

Two main forces were responsible for th e spread of occult study of

eastern magic in the West, apart from professional magic-workers

themselves . In the first place, Arab researchers, obeying literally the

Prophet's injunction `Seek knowledge, even as far as China', studied

and translated whole libraries of Hebrew book s, making them available

in Arabic, Latin and Greek through their famed universities in Spain.

Western scholars brought this learning to Northern Europe, where

occult studies as well as more mundane sciences took root .

Quite apart from accounts of magic and magicians, buried inlittle-read works on Hebrew life and customs, there is another source

from which a mass of data may be obtained : the Bible . During Biblical

times Jewish magic recognized several types of operator s : Diviners,

who saw visions, by scrying and gazing (Gen. x l i v , S ) ; people who took

counsel from images, livers and so on-another kind of diviner, as in

Ezek. xxi, zi-Minianites (Num. xxii, 7), and diviners among the

Philistines, as we see in I Sam . v i , z .

All these had their counterparts among other oriental nations ;

JL'W1Jti MAUL, i)

quite a large part of their magical heritage seems to come from the

Turanian Mongols who preceded the Assyrians in that area . A wizard,

according to Rabbi Akiba, is a person who decides upon lucky and

unlucky days for journeys, sowing, and the like. Several Jewishauthorities hold that magic arts were learned during the Egyptian

captivity, and these seem to be the type of sorcerers mentioned in

Lev. x i x , 31, and Deut. x v i i i , I I . There is, however, a reference to

soothsayers, and probably astrologers, in Isa . i i , 6 , x v v i i , 13 and else-

where, which shows that they were a sub-division of the main body

of sorcerers . The èngravers' were people who specialized in the

making of talismans, with which Europe became familiar in later days .

Large sections of some Western Grimoires were devoted to thesetalismans and their making .

Spells, counter-spells, possession by demons, and supernatural

contests : these are the ingredients of the magical world of the Semites .

Most people will recognize such practices as the attempted reading of

the `writing on the wall', the interpreta tion of signs as evidences of

occultist activity. Perhaps less obvious is the background of thefamous magical battle between Moses and Aaron and the Egyptianpriest-magicians (z4). It was a well-known trick of the magicians

of the day (and still exists in contemporary Egypt) seemingly to

convert rods into serpents. What actually happens is this : the viper is

put into a state of cataleptic rigidity by pressing its head . It then

resembles a staff. When it is thrown down on the ground, the shock

rouses it, and breaks the hypnotic state. This was what the Egyptians

did . As this book is not concerned with apologetics, it is not proposed

to discuss the question of whether Aaron's rod (which may have been

a similar snake) actually did or did not devour the opponents' staffs .

Further reference on this interesting point can be made to such writers

as Maury, Lane and Thompson (z5 ) .

Jewish demonology, armed with the accumulated devils and evil

spirits of all the civilizations that Israel was heir to, makes impressive

reading. Rabbi Menachen knew that devils are so numerous that if

they were visible to the naked eye it would be impossible for man to

exist. Not everyone is equally subjected to their attacks, however :

it is rabbis that they seek out to torment. The main reason for the

wearing of rabbinical cloaks is to ward off elementals . It is possible

that the robes which all sorcerers adopt may have this protective

aspect and origin.

The worst time for contact with spirits is t he night, when Igereth

flies in company with hundreds of thousands of e xcited lesser demons,

all primed to do evil, and see that it is doneC



IV VL\1LL{n}AL __W1. .

At night, continues this authority, none should sleep alone, lest

Lilith work her evil. Lilith, of course, is the Biblical Succubus, who

seduces men. There is a very large literature in rabbinical legendabout how this spirit took female shape and deceived Adam . She is a

devil of Accadian (Far Asian) origin -Gelal, or Kiel-Gelal-and her

name in Hebrew and English is derive d from the Assyrian Lil or Lilit .

One belief among Jewish cabbalists was that the elusive Most

Great Name, the puissant Word of Power, Was SCHEMHAMPHORASWith its aid, anything magical could be performed. But it couldonly be used, like the Book of T hoth, by initiates, on pain of awful

supernatural punishmen t. Later Hebrew writers even claim that it

was this very same Name which was used by Jesus to work miracles .

Where demons were implicitly believed to abound, witches and

wizards were constantly at work . That many of the reputed witches

were in fact mere eccentrics seems possible . At this distance it is hard

to know where to start in order to separate one from the other . Take

for example in the twenty-second chapter of Exodus the famousl i n e Thous h a l t n ot s u f f e r a w i t c h t o l i v e . What type of witch is this lady

of verse eighteen? Some say that the Hebrew word Chasaf used here

means simply 'poisoner'-which changes the entire meaning. It is

similar to the word veneficus, by which it is rendered in the Latin version

of the Septuagint . The truth probably lies somewhere in betwee n :

that a witch was considered a poisoner, either in a symbolic sense or

in actual fact. Many cases are reported in the sixteenth century of

witches who were said to have resorted to poisoning a victim when

magical means failed . One such case was the murder of Sir Thomas

Overbury.

As we have already seen, witchcraft was distinctly disfavoured

by the established authority of the Hebrew Semites . But, like many

another forbidden thing, it neverthel ess permeated human life of the

period . Those who did not subscribe to the scriptures provided recruits

for the cult. Even among believers, history shows th at times of stress

and doubt would cause otherwise devout people to dabble in witch-

craft. Theologians recognize this link between a reduction of faith and

a turning towards `dark' ( i . e . magical) arts . And, of course, job's

virtue was tested by a succession of disasters .

Deuteronomy xviii, i o, says : "There shall not be found amongyou any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the

f i r e , or that useth divination, or an observer of the times, or an en-

chanter, or a witch, or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits,

ora wizard, or a necromancer . "

Manasses, according to II Kings xxi, caused his son to pass through

f i r e. The Arabs of today sometimes pass over a flame, in order to dis

courage any evil spirit that may be following . The same king of Jud

'observed times, and used enchantments, and dealt with familia

spirits and wizards' ; altogether a type of magician-king .

Saul, King of Israel, discouraged at the trend of affairs, and di

appointed in his subjects, had given up hope of receiving replies fro

God, and was driven to consult the Witch of En-Dor. In his o

trouble, he forgot that he had himself often sought out witches an

killed them .

He was told by the witch that she saw an old man, wearing mantle (no actual materialization here, it seems) whose descriptio

was recognized by the King . Sinking upon his knees, Saul listened

what seems to have been the voice of Samuel-which he heard bcould not see anything-telling of his own defeat and dea th . Th

return to the traditional practice of kings to consult-even to mainta

-magicians and sorcerers may have been most reprehensible bmonotheistic standards . It could not equally be said to be unpr

cedente d . Magicians, like the practitioners of other arts, have fr

time immemorial basked in the benign patronage of monarchs . O

comes across indications which show not only the power wielded

wonder-workers, but the fact that the rewards could be great indee

Perhaps one of the largest sums paid to a seer was when Benhadad

King of Damascus, gave forty camel-loa ds of wealth to Elijah,

return for discovering whether his illness would prove fatal .

The great stream of Jewish magic stretches, in its modern form

far from the eastern Mediterranean shores . A worthy descendant those Biblical seers was the amazing Nostradamus, who remains

enigma even today. So little disbelieved are his strange prophec ithat a film was recently made to illustrate some that had come true .

Born at the beginning of the sixteenth century, in Prove nce,

claimed descent on his maternal side from a physician-seer to Ki

Rene. From his early years he had shown an aptitude for magicàt the age of ten he was giving lessons in h idden things to people

twice his age' . . . in spite of the fact that his father disapprove

and wanted him to take up a medical career .

Be that as it may, Nostradamus (z6) grew into a handsome, beard

man, and in the year 1 5 2.5 -when he was but twenty-two-plagu

followed famine, and the district was swept with both . Doctors we

few, and he set out with a cure which he had developed. The resu

was a succession of spectacular recoveries . He would not-or counot-explain the basis of the remedy to doctors who knew only tha

he had a secret powder : and that it worked. He was therefore giv



is ORIENTAL MAGICan honorary doctorate in medicine, and continued his studies in the

occult .

The next strange thing about him was that he seemed to devel op a

power of prescience . There is no indication as to how the power

worked. Naturally he was suspected of being in league with Satan-

and another plague burst upon the people in the midst of the accusa-

tions, to which he would not deign to reply . This scourge was attributed

to Nostradamus himself. But he overcame the disease, carrying his

powder into places whence all recognized physicians had fled . A

pension was pressed upon him by grateful townspeople .

After he had combated another plague in Lyons, again beenaccused of sorcery, and made a number of furthe r predictions, Nostra-

damus was called to King Henry's court, and appointed the royal

physician . The only clue to the possible backg round of his studies is

the recorded drawing of the horoscope of the king, and the assertion

that his studies were mainly in cabbalism, that esoteric philosophy

of the Jews .

Cabbalism was studied, and its results practised in secret . Its

literature, like that of the Sufis and other philosophers in the realms of

the so-called `High Tradition', was plentifully adorned with symbolism .

Next to alchemy, there is probably no sub ject which is more difficult

of understanding to the uninitiated, even in its terminology .

Power, it was held, hid itself from publicity. It was to be obtained

only in secrecy, and through secrecy . Similarly, its use was to be

secret. Even the teachings themselves were actually weakened by being

told to incredulous people : knowledge is power-knowledge shared

is power lost' . Silence, discretion, faithfulness, these were the hall-

marks of the cabbalistic student .

All good emanated from one point-which is called God in

cabbalism . Equally, all good power was reached and exercised only

through this point. The power and characteristics of God were

divided into ten categories, the S e p h i r o t h .

These esoteric secrets were matched, and at times equated, with

other systems, Jewish and non-Semite, both during the Eastern and

Western heydays of occult practice . The Gnostics used gems andcyphers to conceal what they believed to be great truths ; some groups

of `masters' taught their disciples that the symbolism of their rites

was divinely revealed in dreams, others that they were merely re-

ceptacles for the quintessence of wisdom, crystallized by aeons of

study and illumination . With the Jews, as with other peoples, angel s

were known in multitudes, good and bad ones : dreams and portents

all had their proper and improper places .

JEWISH MAGIC 19

The Platonists believed in the àngels that failed'-there being as

many in the inferior as the superior world . These are prototypes for

apparitions and familiar spirits . There is the reven ge of the wicked and

the godless; evil and wicked spirits willing and anxious to hurt and

affright. Four mischievous kings rule over them : they inhabit places

near the earth, yet within the earth itself .

Others divide these evil spirits into nine degrees : the first are

false gods who succeed in being worshipped and require sacrifice

Such, they said, was the one who spoke to Jesus, show ing him all the

kingdoms of the world. And a similar tale is told of Mohammed and

the evil spirit who tried to pervert his mission . In the second place are

the spirits of lies, such as went from the mouth of Ahab . The third

are the vessels of iniquity : we ar e told in Genesis how Jaco b said,

"Vessels of iniquity are in their habitations, into their council let not

my soul come. "

Fourthly, in later Jewish-Christian thought, there follow the

revengers of evil, who imitate miracles, and serve witches and sorcerers

such it w as said spoke to Eve. Their prince is Satan, who `seduces the

whole world, doing great signs, and causing fire to desc end from

heaven in the sight o f men' . Sixthly are those that join themselves

with thunder and lightning, corrupting the air and c ausing pestilence

and other evils : the spirits that were though t to aid Nostradamus

They have power over the land and sea, controlling the four winds

Their prince is Meririm, a raging, boiling devil-called the `prince o

the power oft h e a i r ' .

Francis Barrett-the last of the great self-confessed wizards-

wrote in the early nineteenth century about these powers, and about

their revelation of themselves to man in divers ways ; of prophecies,

symbols and signs-and the whole gamut of the magic of the West,

almost all inherited from Jewish sources

"The soul," says the Magus (z7), "can receive true oracles and

undoubtedly, in dreams, yields true prophecies : wherein unknownplaces and unknown men appear, both alive and dead . Things to come

are foretold. Yet there are those whose intellect being overwhelmed

with too much commerce of the flesh is indeed asleep or its imagination

is too dull that it cannot receive the species and representation which

flow from superior intellect, which means, I say, this man is altogether

unfit to receive dreams and prohesying by them ."

Dreams, then, are regarded by this adept, as by his predecessors

and confreres throughout the world, as valuable avenues for the

transmission of occult knowledge . Some of the more modern psycho-

logical anthropo logists even suggest that it is to the dream that we



20 ORIENTAL MAGICmust look for the very inception of a human belief in the supernatural .

Dreams may well have been the first thing which caused man tosuspect that there might be other worlds and beings worth com-

municating with. Several processes are recorded in Jewish and other

magical writings `for the procuring of dreams', and they have always

played their part in occultism .

CHAPTER 3

SOLOMON: KING AND MAGICIAN"Verily, Solomon was the greatest of the magicians . H e

had power over the birds and beasts, and over men, from the

highest to the lowest. Call, then, spirits and the Jinn in his

name, and with his Seal: and you shall triumph, if it be the

Will of Allah l"-MIFTAH EL-QULUB (Key of the Hearts),

Persian MS . of the Ioooth Year of the Flight .

IF there is any bridge between the magical arts of Egypt, Israel an

the West, that bridge is the collection of works, processes and traditio

ascribed to Solomon, son of David, third King of Israel .

Both the Bible and the Q uran contain references to the wonde

working king: his life has been embroidered upon in the Arabi

Nights and countless other works of fiction and fancy . In more rece

European grimoires his name is used by the magical practitioner

raise and subjugate Lucifuge, , and compel that spirit to disgor

treasures. Out of the ma -as of legend and pseudo-history, dating fr

the ninth century before Christ, how much can we establish about t

real life and activities of this man? It would need an entire volu m

to assess the magical life of Solomon alone-but certain commoground c an be disc erned . It will be necessary to remember throughou

that some of the magical documents supposedly derived from writing

left by King Solomon may in actual fact be the work of rabbis

others with the same name . It is by no means easy, either, to prove tha

many of the codices are not forgeries .

The Arabian chroniclers, above all others, excel in the minut

attention paid to the occult side of this extraordinary man .

According to most of them, he not only travelled through t

air, but did so with his entire Court, on the original Flying Carp

Made of a sort of green silk, this carpet was capable of carryin

hundreds at a time, and was always escorted by flig hts of birds. In

Jewish tradition it is claimed that the carpe t was sixty miles squar

and its green silk interwoven with gold .

Solomon's powers over all spirits and elements, and especially th

Jdn (genii), are supposed to have been gained through the possessio

of a magical ring, set with the jewels of the angels presiding over th

four elements . It is also said that the ring had within it a portion of

2I



22 ORIENTAL MAGIC

wondrous root. Instructions for the making of similar rings are

contained in grimoires published under Solomon's name, which

circulate even today. The Quran takes up the story, in Sura xxi, 81,

8z :

"And to Solomon we taught the use of blowing winds which

moved with his command towards the land on which we had placed

our blessings. and we subjugated to him some of the evil ones who

dived for him and did other things besides ." One of his wives was a

daughter of Pharaoh, king of the Land of Magic, and commentators

have held that it was through her that secrets were dis closed to the

King of Israel .

0

0

Secret Seal of Solomon,

from the Lemegeton

The lapwing or hoopoe is also much mentioned as a bird used by

Solomon as a messenger; and contemporary Arabian manuscriptscarry instructions for the use of this bird's bones and 'nest-stone'

identical with those found in grimoires publish ed in the Middle Ages,

in Solomon's name.

I have come across an old reference to an obscure passage in the

Bible, which may link with the hoopoe .

In I Kings ii, zz, we are told that 'Hadad' urged Pharaoh to send

him away, that Ì might go to mine own country' . Arab commentators

urge that this Hadad is the same as the magical bird Hudud, referred

to in the Quran as being a messenger of Solomon (not a man at all) ,

who brought news of the Queen of Sheba (z8) .

However that may be, there are several references to the magical

powers of Solomon in the Quran. "And most surely we gave David

and Solomon knowledge . . . and Solomon became David's heir andsaid `0 ye men I We have been taught the expression of the birds and

we have been given of all things . Most surely this is a clear distinction . '

And the armies of the Jinns and the civilized ones and birds were

SOLOMON: KING AND MAGICIANassembled for Solomon, and they were paraded . Until they came to t

valley of the Ants. Said one of the ants : Ò ye of the Ants 1 Go in

your dwellings, and let not Solomon crush you unknowingly."' (z9)

This passage, read in the original Arabic, shows that Solom

is credited with knowing the language of birds, whic h is anoth

widely held idea. The verse goes on to say that Solomon heawhat the ant referred to above said, and laughed, thus showinhis ability to hear and understand what ants were suppose d to

saying .

Solomonic magic links also with certain very important aspec

of ritual observance common to almost every magic al system. Mopeople are familiar with the Seal of Solomon-the figure with whi

he was able to attract, bind and seal spirits. It was by mea ns of th

seal that the Genie in the Arabian Nights story was confined to

bottle for tens of thousands of years . There has been some confusi

of the five-pointed Star (seal) of Solomon with the six-pointed Sta

or Shield of David-also considered to be a powerful talisman agains

evil, and used in much the same way as the Cross was later employ

for protection . Both forms of the Star are used in various magic

rituals of Arab and Jewish origin .

The ancient Egyptian theory of the `Most Great Name of God'

a Word of Power-whichis so potent that it cannot be spoken or ev

thought-is found in Solomonic magic. In fact, some writers clathat a great part of the king's powers were derived from a ring in

scribed with the Most Great Name. Both Arab and J ewish writeconcur in this, the former adding that the ring was made of brass an

iron, joined together .

The Testament of Solomon ( ;o), ascribed to him, but impossible

proof as to its authorship, tells that he appealed to the angel Michae

for help to overcome demons . The angel presented him with a magic

ring, engraved with a seal . Thus armed, he could conjure all evi

spirits, and obtain from them valuable information . Thi s was a cco

plished by `binding' the demon with magical spells and compelli

it to summon another, who brought a fellow-and so on-until thwhole infernal multitude was present . Solomon was th en able to a

each demon individually his or her name, sign and the name in whic

it was to be summoned. This information forms the bulk of thKey of Solomon, ascribed to him : a work which has appeared anreappeared in many languages, throughout the centuries. It is perha

the best known grimoire .

This Key is called in Hebrew the Mafteah Shelomoh, while Lat

versions are generally entitled Claviculae Salomonis . The work is divide



24 ORIENTAL MAGICinto two parts, and embraces invocation, incantation and the making

and use of various kinds of pentacles .

An Arabic work on magic, entitled Kitab al-'Uhud, is probably

the same as the Book of Asmodeua, which is mentioned in the Jewish

cabbalistic Zohar as having been given to King Solomon by the spirit

Asmodeus, and contained formulae for the subordination of demons

(3 I) . It forms a link with the Key of Solomon, and has h ad a consider-

able influence upon magical treatises of the Middle East .

A very large number of writings claimed to be by Solomon are either

extant or mentioned in other magical works. Important among these

is The Divine Work, said to have been dictated by angels, a book of

medicine and alchemy, which greatly influenced Arab studies of the

Hermetic art. Other treatises, which have been lost, dealt withvarious more philosophical subjects . Another, which gave rise tothe title Almadel, used in several magical books, is the HebrewSefer ha-Almadel, about the magic circle, that indispensable figure

within which all magicians must take refuge against the malice of

s p i r i t s . The making of the circle, its location, and the signs to be

written within its concentric rings, form a significant part of Solomonic

magic, and, indeed, of most of the world's sorcery and witchcraft

rites. It is thought that the name of the book may derive from the

ArabicAl Mandal- TheCircle'. It is interesting to note that some of

the signs which are used in Solomonic magic-whether in circles or

seals-bear a more than superficial resemblance to similar signs used in

Chinese magic and astrology . One of the most striking samples of

this similarity is to be seen in the symbolism used in marking con-

stellations and stars in both the Jewish and Chinese systems . Iamnotaware that this fact has been observed or pointed out before .

CHAPTER4

THEOCCULT IN BABYLONIA"Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, and is become a habi-

tation of devils, and a hold of every unclean spirit, and a hold

of every unclean and hateful bird ."-Revelation xviii, a .

DEVILS, demons and supernatural powers described by the variou

peoples of Assyria and Babylonia form the archetype of much of th

demonology which the West--and parts of the East itself-havinherited . As has been mentioned in an earlier part of this book, many

of these spirits were brought by the Accadians ( who really established

the Babylonian culture) from the far steppes of High Asia. Thus wfuid that many of the rituals and spells carried westwards by th

Aryans, the Greeks and Romans, the Arabs and the Jews were derive

from supernatural activit ies which originated in what is now Asiatic

Russia . The same rites and beliefs, in some measure, linger on in thei

primitive state among communities of arrested cultural developmen

throughout the world : principally Siberian, Eskimo and other Mongo

loid peoples . Other civilizations (like the Chinese and Japanese,

the Assyrians and Egyptians) adopted and adapted the cults to their

own brand of thinking. This is one of the answers to the vexed question

as to whether all magic has a parent root, somewhere . It is not, however

the complete answer .

The pure Accadian (Mongoloid) forms of this magic are stillpreserved in the bilingual tablets of such collections as Assur-bani-

Pal's Library ; while other tablets show the fusion of Semitic and other

beliefs with those of the highland conquerors .

The raising of the hand was to the Babylonians a sign of the

commencement of a magical or religious rite-a concept which isretained in signals of benediction and blessings in general, and which

has been fully described by Ernest Crawley . Although Assur-bani-Pal'

tablets were not collected until the seventh century B.C . (32), they dat

back almost to the earliest days of the Turanian (Mongoloid) arrival

in the Eastern Mediterranean .

The tablets are a treasure of magic al lore for the King seemed to

have a mania for book-collecting . Everything that was written-and

this was mostly books on magic and occult matters-had to be copied

and brought to him . There are even letters (also tablets) extant, asking

25



6 ORIENTALMAGICthat anything of any interest at all should be copied on to clay and sent

to him forthwith, from every quarter of the kingdom .

Early in the series the tone is set : Assur-bani-Pal himself c urses

anyone who effaces his name from a tablet : "May Assur and Bilit cast

him down in wrath and anger and destroy his name and those of his

posterity." (33)

Some of the tablets, it is true, have prayers and incantations

directed towards only one god; but most contain the names of amultitude of individual spirit-gods who are the forefathers of our

evil spirits, as known to the Church, and so sedulously hunted by

ecclesiastics .

Many of the tablets refer to evil influences abroad, and prayers

and supplications were made to avert them. Magical rites were under-

taken, and specific mention is made of the implements of the art :

not forgetting incense and the special kinds of wood us ed in the

kindling. Offerings of honey, dates and grain form an importa nt part

of the~ritual, and it is here that we find the earliest form of the magical

circle, which is used the world over to safeguard the magician and his

assistants .

Some of the tablets advise certain invocations, incantations and

offerings for the healing of the sick . As with Arabic magic and other

Semitic rites, a knot i s tied in a cord and then loosened, that the sick

man may be well again .

Babylonians were fortunate in being able to consult such processes

to defeat eclipses : otherwise the shadow would remain for ever : to

effect this the priests repeated the following :

"O Si bzian a . In the Heavens, they bow down before thee ; Ramman

the prince of Heaven and earth ; at thy command mankind was named .

Give thou the word, and with thee let the great god stand I Give thou

my judgement, make my decisions . I, thy servant Assur-bani-Pal, the

son of his god ; whose God is Assur, whose goddess is Assuritu. In

the evil of the eclipse which has taken place . In the evil of the powers,

of the portents, evil, not good ; which are in my palace and my land .

Because of the evil spectre which is bound to me, I have petitioned

and glorified thee I The raising of my hand, accept I Harken to my prayer

free from my bewitchment 1 Loosen my sin 1 Let there be turned aside

whatever evil may come to cut off my life . May the favourable Sidu

be ever at my head and at thy command let me live l" (3 4)

There has been a good deal of painstaking research into the origins

and functions of gods and spirits in Mesopotamia, the cradle of

civilization. But it is interesting to note that the functions of gods as

aids to magicians have been largely passed over by occultists . The

Babylonian system, all the same, was based upon the magical a

supernatural charac ter of gods and the human relation with them .

Each victory over an enemy was recorded, together with tspirit-god with whose help it had been achieved

. Gods often posses

human form coupled with superhuman faculties and wisdom. Moover they had lived in the world, had loved and died like ordinary m

They were married, and represented stars and elements, like the dem

and spirits of true sorcery .

When they died their powers became absolute. When a discip

prayed to them, they could utter magical Words of P ower and wea

spells of strange mystery. Storms, floods, earthquakes and pestile

were the work of angered gods : when these upheavals made theselves felt the gods had to be appeased. There was no other way

safety and rescue.

Enlil, the god of the Earth, was worshipped at Nippur ; Ea wgod of the deep. Uru-ki was the moon god, Udu the god of the s

Marduk, the god of Babylon itself, had the greatest possible revere

paid to him. Among other important spirit-deities was E shidam,

the city of Cuthah-the god of those killed in battle .

Of the goddesses we hear less . Their children became gods throu

their fathers. The most important goddess of all was Ishtar, tSemitic goddess of battle , and the local deity of the city at Sipp

In other places she was know n as the deity of love . She it was w

later became Aphrodite with the Greeks, and Venus to the Roma

I visited her shrine in Cyprus : once the greatest place of pilgrima

of the ancient world. Here, even today, there are many magical supe

stitions concerning the immense ruined place among the local Gre

population .

The centre of the earth was believed to be the place of the dea

the cavern called Arallu. This place (which was a sort of hell, whe

all humanity went whether good or evil) was surrounded by higwalls, watched over by demons

. There was little belief in reincarnatio

for the name of the place was Mat Id tdri-the `place of no return

The dead lived in utter darkness, eating dust. And to this destinati

everyone went; there was neither reward nor punishment for dee

of this world in the Babylonian hereafter .

The demons were horrific creatures, part human, part animal, a

probably were the prototypes of Western demonology. I t i s i n t e r e s t

that many of the demons sculpted in the Far East resemble these Ne

Eastern devils, and probably spran g from similar origins, in t

imagination of the nomad tribes of Central Asia. These Nedu (gat

keepers) had lists of those who were to be taken to hell, their "teet



28 UltiIrNTAJ.. MAIJII:

long as fangs, their eyes glaring and large balls, their claws long and

sharp" . As soon as a person died, the demons of the Mdt Id tdri pre-

sented themselves and took charge of the body after burial, escorting

it to the abode of the goddess Allatu-the Al-Lit of the Arabs, and

one of the images smashed in Mecca by Mohammed himself. Allatu

bore the frightening appearance of having a lion's head, and grasped

a serpent in each hand . Great care had to be taken with the burial of

the dead, lest the ghost (eskimmer) be caught by a sorcerer and used to

bewitch the living relatives of the corpse .

This background of the atmosphere of Babylonian life is essential

to those who seek to understand the often very comp licated rites and

incantations which were considered essential to humanity of those

times .

E''XORCIsM RITESWhere there were demons, and as they were expected to attack

men (and women) at any time, there was clearly grave need for methods

by which such possession could be combated . When a man asked Jesus

to cast the evil out of a possessed person into a herd of swin e, he was

asking for the repetition of one of the standard methods of Semitic

exorcism. The nineteenth formula from one of Assur-bani-Pal'sprotection rites (now in the British Museum, in fragment form)

gives the words of this rite :

"May the wicked demon dep art 1 May they [sic] seize one another 1

The propitious demon, the propitious giant, may they penetrate

his bodyl Spirit of the heavens, conjure it! Spirit of the earth,

conjure it!"

The great Chaldean system of magic from the Nineveh excavat ions

is contained in the three important magical works of the T uranian

Accadians . The first was entitled Wicked Spirits, and dealt exclusively

with magical operations for repelling demons and spectres when they

attacked, and, of course, to safeguard people again st their approach .

The second book, of which not much has been recovered, is a

work of occult medicine . The third contained invocations and hymns

addressed to various gods .

As has been pointed out before, it is l ikely that these were three

separate rites : one book for each class of sages : the astrologers and

divines, the magicians proper, the physicians and philosophers. These

are catalogued as such in Daniel. As with most occult writings, the

ACCADIAN-ASSYRIAN GOD-SPIRITS

ACCZICU (Zigara): The Heavens; the

Prime Matte

Goddess of the Primordial Sea :

APSO (Abz)IAMAT(Tavthe) .

Spirit of the Deep :

The Waters :

MAMI (Mummu) . LAKMO(Lakhamu) .

The Intelligent world .

The Sky:

(Finn . UK,KO) . ANU(Na) .

Daughter .

LABARTUEnemy ofChildren .

MERMER (Bin)(Rimmon)

URU-KI (SIN) TheMoon

Ruler of the Organized

Universe :

MULGE, BelitBel (Baal), Arab :

Elim El-Lat.

Lord of the Underworld .

Finnish: ILMARINEN.

(Sar-Kisar)

ASSUR, Wife of Serua .

HEA(Ea)-DAVKINA (Bahu(Finnish WAINAM9INEN)

-The Supreme

Lady' .

TISKHU( I s h t a r ) ,

Tammuz -- - m'-DUZI(Adonis) .

`Destroyer of Enem-es-~'Attainer of Desires' . NANKI-GALGoddess of Witches . `Lady of Hades' .

The SunSAMAS

Analogous

with the

Egyptian

Justice . -

(Udu)

t

Jupiter :

MARDUK (mascZarpanit (fem . ) .

Assimilated with

Silik-mulu-khi,

and analogous

with Zoroastrian

Craoscha



30 Vn1G1V 1n1L 4nVav

originals, in the then dead Accadian language, were believed to be the

most potent . The actual spells and hymns were evidently recited in

Accadian: for each is accompanied by a translation in Assyrian, which

was the living tongue at the time of their copying .

The organization or plan of a spell was simple, though the endless

repetition of its words were wearying . From an examination of the

wording it is clear that the actual Words of Power-th e Àbracadabra'

-were the phrases "Spirit of the Heavens, conj urel Spirit of the

Earth, conjure l", which were always added, as was the word AmanuAmen, translated from the Accadian Kakama, which had the samemeaning of `truth' or `so it be' . Sometimes the Words of Power'formula itself was extended, making an ap peal to several spirits . The

actual content of the spell did not seem to have been so important .

Thus we have, in the case of a person wishing to be secure against

witchcraft, an appeal that evil-doing should be banished, with the

ending

"Spirit of the Heavens, conjure it I Spirit of the Earth, conjure it l

Spirit of Mul-gelal, lord of the countries, conjure it 1

Spirit of Nin-ge-lal, lady of the countries, conjure it 1

Spirit of Nin-dara, powerful warrior of Mul-gelal, conjure itl

Spirit of Nusku, sublime messenger of Mul-gelal, conjure it!

Spirit of Eni-zena, eldest son of Mul-gelal, conjure it!

Spirit of Tiskhu, lady of the armies, conjure it 1

Spirit of Mermer, king whose voice is beneficent, conjure it!

Spirit of Utu, king of justice, conjure it!

Spirits, Archangels, great gods, conjure itl" (34)

Where does the Babylonian pantheon `fit in' with oriental magic

as a whole? This is the point at which the much-contested question,

the lingering tradition, of an esoteric, supreme priesth ood of magic

seems to take shadowy shape. For not only are the gods and goddesses

of the T uranian (ancient Babylonian) system connected by adoption

and abstraction, with powers venerated in the Finnish, Aryan and

Semitic systems :* but in very many cases the magical rites of these

and other nations depend upon the powers of those gods, as themultitude of spirits which are associated with them . Here, too, we

come across the mana-akasa theory : the belief that there is a super-

natural force which permeates the atmosphere and which is personified

as a power within all men . Towards the concentration of that elusive

* And, of course, China and Japan .

power, and its aid in influencing spirits and gods, the activitie

magicians are directed .

There have been attempts at linking the pantheons of the Gre

Egyptians, Babylonians and Hindus : some more plausible than ot

Such is not the intention of this book. At the same time this sub

does touch our investigation at a number of points . Reference t

schematic representation of Assyrian-Accadian deities and their sp

of power given here will show this link-up more clearly than w

alone .

Thought-concentration among the Finns, for example,attained in a manner familiar t o the Indians or even the men of

Sudan, where I watched their preliminary rites of `frenzy-induction

"According to the Finnish creed, every man bore withim from his birth a divine spirit who was his inseparable

panion for life . This spirit became more closely united to

subject, in proportion as the latter tore himself from earthly th

to retire into the sanctuary of his soul . This was an impor

source of the magician's power." (35)

Here we have a close parallel with many mystical syst

including those of the Gurus of India and the A rab-Islamic

principle .

"He aspired to a transcendental ecstasy, TULLA INTOON,great state of excitement of the soul, TULLA HALIORRIN,in w

he became like the spirit dwelling in him, and e ntirely identi

with it." (36)

Again the spiritualist (spiritist) and again the frenz y

identification principle of the dervishes and fakirs . . . .

"He used artificial means, intoxicating drugs for insta

[compare Western witch-cults] in order to attain to this stat

excitement, for it was only then that he succeeded, so to speak

deifying himself, and received the homage of the genii and spi

of nature . . . this doctrine . . . prevailed also in the Acca

[Babylonian] magic books . This furnishes an affinity of concep

and beliefs w h i c h i s o f g r e a t i m p o r t a n c e , s i n c e i t i s n o t o n e o f t h o s e n a

ideas which arise independently amongst widely differing natio

(My italics. ) ( 3 7 )

Whence, ultimately, came this power of magic? Who taught

or initiated it? What, in fact, is the fountain of mana-akasa :

Force? This is where an understanding of the demonology and theol

of prehistoric nations is vital .

I)



UAILNIAJ A1 AVll.

Magicians, among the Finns, concentrated their invocations round

t h e s p i r i t of a l l l i f e : Wainamoinen. It was he who taught magic to me ;

he who was the foundation of all life, lord of the waters : s p i r i t of f i r e .

In these respects he was almost certainly identi cal with the Accadian

Hea, Lord of Li fe . Like Thoth of the Egyptians, he not only created

magic but gave the knowledge of the Words of Power to men .

He is thought to have been similar in conception to the Eg yptian

Ra--and he shares with Ra even the relatively minor function of

distributing power and beneficence through the sweat from his

body.

The powers which the Scandinavian magicians acquired by this

dedication to the Earth Spirit are not unlike the traditional thauma-

turgy of sorcerers everywhere (38)

"Lemminkainen went into the house which was full of people

who talked among themselves . Some, wearing long robes, sat

upon the seats, singers outside, reciters below the portals, with

musical instruments a ll around the wa lls . Sorcerers sat near the

hearth, at the place of honour . Then he began to weave spells . As

soon as he started to sing, even the best singers found that the y

could utter only discordant notes . Even their hands were as if held

in gloves of stone, on their heads was stone, their necks were bound

with collars of stone . . the men were flung into a sledge pulled

by a strange-coloured cat . . . which carried them off into the

World of Evil Spirits . . . and when he again recited, they threw

themselves into Laplan d's Gulf, the waters which are the drink of

the thirsting sorcerers . . . . And then he sang yet again : and the

people were tossed into the turbulent gulf, which devours . . . .

Then Lemminkainen showed that he thought that the middle-aged

and the young were fools, by means of his magical rites . . . . "

The comparison of the magical and religious rituals of other

nations has brought to light quite a number of correspondencesbetween the secret powers formerly believed to have been unique to,

or at least invented by, one or the other community . In the Accadian-

Assyrian myth and legend, as well as in their spells and incantations,

references to the histories and powers of the gods have enabled

commentators to compile a partial list showing their relationship

with one another . These facts have produced some interesting con-

clusions .

The trinity formed by the Sky, Earth and Underworld are seen to

have been fundamental in the Finnish and C haldean systems as

elements to be propitiated and cultivated as sources of power . Sa

(the Sun, and in some ways an aspect of t he Earth) was connected wi

the Egyptian Ra. Even more interesting is the connection, in Semitic and other systems, of the Accadi an god Mulge . This spi

very widely appealed to for magical purposes, is both the heart

Accadian sorcery and a central figure in several systems of the sup

natural . As Bel, it was known as Baal in the Bible-and as Set

Egypt. To the Semitic Babylonians, Mulge was Belit, Lord ( sometias the female Lady) (39) of the Underworld : the Finnish Ilmari

This was the ancient Semite god of love and war, the P hoenici

Black Stone, the Al-Lat of Arabia, who married her own son, Satu

She was worshipped and invoked as Ishtar, sometimes called tdemon Astaroth, beloved of the sorcerers. Called by the GreAphrodite, this god of many aliases was also known as Tiskhu

Tammuz: "Destroyer of Enemies, Attainer of Desires"-Venus to

Romans, who carried her cult as far as Britain , the bride of Adoni

the ancient god Duzi, and sister of none oth er than the Accad

Nanki-Gal, "Lady of Hades" . Here we are at the very root of

demon-spirit-god system whence springs so much of oriental-aWestern-magic as we know it today . For her titles `Destroyer .

Attainer' are a perfect summary of the desires of magicians .

In addition to the gods, Babylonian magic took cognizance o

vast array of spirits, generally connected with the invisible worl

and linking that world with mankind. That the gods and demowere closely allied is shown, for example, by the fact that the daught

of the Accadian Anu (God of the Sky) had a demon-daughter, Labar

the Enemy of Children . All these elements, gods, spirits and plane

were linked in a system which gave birth to astrology, and probab

to the Jewish Cabbala, the science of numerological philosopwhich affected many other systems, including the Gnostics : all

which profoundly influenced Western magic .

The genii or spirits included the follo wing, who have Semi

and other parallels : the ALU,destroyers, whose provinc e was the ch

of man; the Exam, who worked in the bowels, and who had a SecNumber (so far undeciphered) of forty-sixtieths ; the TELAL,warriors, who were connected in some way with the hand, and who

mystical number is still unknown (40) ; the Maskim, `Layers of

bushes', with the fraction of fifty-sixtieths ; the Utuq, formerly e

demons in general. In addition to this there were the ARDAT,nightmares ; the Succubus (Lilith, Blit), the Uruku, hobgoblins, gian

known as lamma. The latter were similar in some ways, it seems, to



34 UKIYLNTAL MAUI%l

good and bad genii of the Arabs . Many forms of genii were good or

evil, according to how they were used . This form of thinking seems to

continue from here into Western magic, with processes for the evocation

of spirits, `which will do whatever you wish' . The spectres, phantoms

and vampires belong to the class of Labartu, daughter of the god Anu,

the Sky .

CHAPTER f

EGYPTIAN MAGIC"Get thee back, for thou art cut asunder, thy soul is

shrivelled up, thy cursed name is buried in oblivion, and

s i l e n c e i s u p o n i t , a n d i t ba t h f a l l e n . . . ."-From the Ptolemaic

Book of Overthrowing Apep.

THATthere was a connection between Jewish and Egyptian magica

practices is abundantly proved by the many references to this fact

in works of literature and religion. In addition to t his testimony, w

also know that the Semites-like the Greeks, Romans and others

of the ancient world-were firmly convinced of the superiority o

Egyptian magic over the thaumaturgy of other lands .

Moses, as we learn from the Bible and the Quran (41), was on

of Egypt's greatest foreign disciples in the practice of the Art . Lik

the Egyptians, he used a magical staff or wand ; like them, he cause

the waters to be divided . He even knew some of the mystic `words o

power' of the Pharaonic priesthood .

When Moses fought his famous magical duel with the sorcerer

of the Nile, magic was already a flourishing and integral part o

Egyptian religion. Royalt y, the priesth ood and the peop le were

bound inextricably by magic . Was it not the magician son of Ramese

II himself who pitted his arts against Moses in 1300 B.C. (4z)?Twohundred years earlier, the Westcar Papyrus tells us, a miracle identical

with the reputed `parting of the waters' by Moses was performed by

the Chief Priest of the day .

So flourishing was the practice of magic in the Egypt of about

3000B.C., that the very name of the land has passed into our languag

as a synonym for it. Just as the ancient Semitic word imga producethe English term Magic, so one of the oldest names for Egypt (kemt

dark, black) came to be translated Black, in place of Egyptian, Magic

Egypt, of course, was called `The Black' not because of the diabolism

of its magic, but from the colour of its earth when flooded by Nile

water (43) . A second term alchemy (Arabic al-kimiyya) also stems fro

this same name . In other words, both the phrases Àlchemy' and

`Black Art' are to be traced to an original meaning of Àrt of Egypt'

With the possible exception of the controversy about Atlantis,

there surely has been no country about whose ancient history and

35



36 ORIENTAL MAGICoccult activities so much has been written, from so many points of

view. Garbled versions of rituals performed in the Valley of the

Kings were taken back to the desert by Arabian beduins, and em-

broidered upon until, all over the Near East, Egypt was implicitly

believed to be peopled by a race of sorcerers . Throughout the Dark

Ages this idea, stimulated by Biblical quotations and Semitic magicians,

gained a firm grasp on men's minds. Even during the period of the

scientific investigation of the Pyramids and other Pharaonic monu-

ments, Western occultists have vied with one another to deduce

The amulet of theSoul

mysteries from everything Egyptian. Naturally, this produced a

reaction. A group of observers-many of them with perhaps less real

knowledge than the empiricist school-denounced Egyptian magicas something which had no true reality . The only `magic' that the

Egyptians had, they held, was their religion .

The truth, as usual, lies somewhere in between. We know that

ancient Egyptian magic and religion were strongly bound up together.

We know, too, for that matter, that most forms of magic have an

affinity with religious systems . Papyri and tomb-inscriptions give us

many indications that rites which are familiar to students of the occult

were known, and even probably originated, in ancient Egypt. Andthis leaves unsaid the testimony of the vast volume of secondary

sources-the Greek, Arabic and Hebrew records-which containprocesses which very possibly include some of those practised by the

priesthood of Isis .

Were the Egyptian priests miracle-workers? Did they in facthave knowledge which is still hidden to us? Those who want to

believe these things will say yes . Those whotake the Jewish, Christian

EGYPTIAN MAGIC 3

and Moslem scriptures as true will unhesitatingly say that there is n

doubt. Others will just have to examine the evidence and try to satisfthemselves .

Generally speaking, the religio-magical rites of these peopl e wer

concerned with the maintenance of prosperity, and the security o

the spirit in a future life. It is against the historical backgr ound

Egyptian life, therefore, that their rites are to be examined . Workinvolving power and success, like those of the destruction of an enemy

form a slightly different class. These latter were, it seems, originall

part of the secrets held by the initiated priesthood as a sort of politica

magic. Naturally, it was one of the aims of royalty to ensure that thmost powerful magic was of its own group. Later, however, as th

finding of tens of thousands of scarabs and other amulets testifies

magic took on a popular aspect . This remains the position, thoug

there are a few ojieial royal magicians in practice .

It is necessary to have some idea of Egypt in order to attemp t t

put oneself in the place of its people . The climate and geographywhich governed so many aspects of ancient Egyptian life-havealtered little in the past five thousand years. Dominating all else is, o

course, the Nile . That fact alone is one of the central thoughts in th

religion of Egypt, as in its magic, art and literature . For all practica

purposes the country consists of a long strip of cultivable land . Fonearly twelve hundred miles this strip is bracketed by mountain chains

Beyond these there is little else than desert. In the centre flows th

powerful current of the Nile itself, depositing the black earth on eithe

bank : the earth which was to give magic one of its most familia

names .

Almost every vegetable product grown in this area figures in

magical rites carried out in the Middle East even today . Date palms

acacia trees, the sycamores, wheat, barley and millet : these are though

to be among the most powerful items in a magician's storehouse .

The Nile rises every year between the first and the sixteenth

of July, bringing new life to the land dried up by many months of

fierce heat. Its rising in flood by September i s the signal for a festival

in Cairo : the Feast of the Nile :

"Peasants," says Gaston Maspero (44), "laden with provisions

come from afar and eat together . . . the priests leave their temples,

and carry the statue of the [Nile] god . . . along the banks of the Nile

to the sound of chants and music . "

The priesthood of Isis-foremost magicians of Egypt-werespecially important at these events . Part of the `chant to the Nile' is

given in a papyrus roll in the British Mu seum :



38ORIENTAL MAGIC

"Hail to you Nile . . . who rises to the Earth to give life to

Egypt . . men dance for joy when thou risest from the unknown

. . . side by side one sees the men of the Thebaid and those of the

North . . .when the horn signals that the Nile is risen, we sing to

thee with the harp and beating hands."

Interpreted in magical terms, the rising of the river symbolized

the marriage of Osiris with Isis : Osiris the Nile, Isis the Earth-the

black earth of the area .

Modern Egyptologists claim that the ritual magic practices of

Egypt must date back to pre-Dynastic or even prehistoric times (45) .

Legend states that Shem, son of Noah, came to Egypt at the age of

three hundred years, one hundred and ninety years after the Flood,

and ruled the country for another hundred and sixty-one years. During

this time, magic flourished there. Jewish tradition has it, of course,

G 4 ~ I ]

Seal of Rameses II

[Seep. 351

that Noah himself was a magician and that certain secret books were

specially revealed to him .

Innumerable stories are told in Egyptian and Greek writings

about Egyptian processes for reviving the dead . While it is known

that the Egyptians believed that the body would resurrect in another

world, yet there are also clear indications that some of their rites were

designed to revive the corpse . It is, of course, claimed that this was

done not once, but many times. What makes this account interesting

is the fact that one of the Pharaohs most famed for his magical learning

actually caused the experiment to be undertaken in his presence .

He was Herutataf, son of Cheops (Khufu), and lived nearly four

thousand years before Christ (46) .

Khufu, it seems, was one day discussing miracles with his son .

Herutataf said that stories were all very well, but there were few people

who had seen such things done . He then promised to show his father

a man who could in fact perform the miracle of revivication of those

who were not only dead, but had actually been beheaded (47) .

This magician was Teta, reputed to be a hundred and ten years

old. He was versed in secrets from the famed sanctuary of Thoth.

Even today it is not clear what they were . An expedition was accord-

EGYPTIANMAGICingly prepared : the Pharaoh's son travelled down the Nile by barg

then on by litter, until the party arrived at the abode of Teta .

The account is filled with minute circumstantial detail, whi

seems to show that it probably took place, and that the legend is n

merely one of imagination . We are told, for instance, that the sage w

lying on a woven bed (probably similar to the angaribr which a

still in use) . Servants were rubbing his head and feet . Then follows

account of the meeting between the crown prince and the magicia

in which the King's invitation was given, and Teta agreed to visit

capital. Leaning onthe prince's arm, the sage accompanied the you

to where the boat was moored . Here he asked that his children a

books be also brought, and this was done .

When they arrived at the Palace, the King ordered Teta to enter

once . As soon as he had been presented, Khufu asked why they ha

not met before . To this the sage replied that he came when calle

and not before. "You have called, and so I have come ."

Then Khufu addressed the magician again : "Is it true, accordi

to what is reported, that thou knowest how to fasten on again to i

body the head which has been cut off?" The ancient replied that

could do this thing .

The King asked that some condemned criminal be brought, bu

on the magician's intervention a goose was substituted .

He cut off the head of the bird, and laid it on one side of the colo

nade, with the body on the other side. Teta stood up, and inton

some `words of power' . The head and body then began to movtowards each other, until they met, rejoined, and the head cackled .

Following this feat, Teta did the same with another bird, of

different species, and again, he severed the head of an ox, and caus

it to be joined to the body .

This story, taken at its face value, might be thought to show tha

powerful as he was, the Pharaoh Cheops had no magician in his retinu

capable of duplicating this feat . History shows, however, that ev

while the Pyramids of Giza were being built, the magical and politica

power of Memphis-then the seat of government-was waning (4

Ideas cultivated in Thebes, farther down the Nile, took their place

and the Theban deity Amen-ra (Jupiter) became one of Egyptprincipal gods . The power of Thebes lasted in all for three thousan

years(49) .

The effects of Egyptian magic on Greece were profound . F

example, Papyrus No . 75, of Reuvens, is a long roll, having a demot

text of twenty-two columns, each with over thirty lines. On treverse is a Greek translation. Among the drawings are a sceptre



40 ORIENTAL MAGICdeity with an ass's head and one of Anubis, standing by amummystretched upon a bier .

Leemans gives a translation of the Greek text, which i s crammed

with magical lore, derived from Egyptian sources. Their headings may

be briefly noted . Magical ceremonies of great thaumaturgic power,

by means of love ; the receipt for a remedy by one named Hermerius ;

a formula for happiness and future fortune ; a method of producing a

dream-then two more for the same purpose . Next comes a rite by

n

40Magical design on the coffin of Priestess Ta-Ahuti

(British Museum No . 24793)

which the operator can consult a divinity . Those who are given to

bouts of unbridled temper may find their salvation in yet another

process . They continue, almost interminably: from the making of a

ring which will bring success to every enterprise, to the Sphere of

Democritus. Then there is a method of causing strife between matt

and wife. Finally a means whereby a person is robbed of sleep until

he dies is illustrated by a drawing of an Egyptian god .

It is thought that the author may have been one of the priesthood of

Isis whom Porphyry criticizes :

"How absurd a thing it is," he says, "that one subject to all the

infirmities of humanity, should affect by threats to terrify not only

demons or the spirits of the dead, but the Sun God himself, the Moon

and other celestial beings . The magician lies in order to compel the

r;t;Xr.iAN MAI,a--

heavenly bodies to tell the truth : for when he threatens to shake t

heavens, or to reveal the mysteri es of Isis, or the secret thing t

lies hidden in Abydos, or to stop the sacred boat, or to scatter t

limbs of Osiris to Typhon, what a height of madness does it n

imply in the man who thus threatens what he neither understands n

is able to perform ." (So)

And yet Chaeremon (first century A.D.), the sacerdotal scri

mentions these things as having been high in the favour of tEgyptian priests, in their incantations .

We have it on good authority from Iamblichus that the Priests

Isis did in fact practise magic . He goes on to remark that the invocati

of the priesthood to their gods did contain threats .

There is a strangely famil iar ring about all this, to one who h

studied the magical rituals of the West : especially those in the Jewi

tradition. The following process, too, said to be ancient Egyptian

origin, will be familiar in tone to some readers

"To be wrought by help of a boy, with a lamp, a bowl and a p

I invoke thee, 0 Zeus l Helios, Mithra, Serapis, unconquerabl

possessor of honey, father of honey . . . . Let the God whom I invocome to me and let him not depart until I dismiss him. . . . " Then ritual proceeds " . . . fill a brazen cup with oil, and anoint your rig

eye with water taken from a boat that has been wrecked ."

In spite of the many magical rituals recorded in such works as t

Book of the Dead and other papyri, it seems probable that many wh

were used in ancient Egypt survive only as part of composite rit

which have been handed down by Arab, Hebrew and other writerOne reason i s that some of the miracles allegedly performed Egyptian wizards are not catalogued among their own books

spells. It is likewise possible that many of the processes peris

due to the Law of Transmission prohibiting their being confid

to any but suitable adepts : and a limited number at that .

It was in the use of amulets that much of the religio-magic

practice of the Egyptians excelled . Familiar to most people is t

scarab : a model, often in clay or stone, of one of the types of bee

indigenous to Egypt . In addition to being a symbol of the Sun-

(hence of life), the scarab, when placed in a tomb, was believed

possess the power of bringing the dead to life again . All that

needed in addition to the scarab for recalling the life was a knowled

of the words of power, to say over the body .

This scarab-cult passed to Greece, whence we are given directio

for charging the scarab with power before it is worn :

"Place the sculpted beetle, place it upon a paper table. Un



42 ORIENTAL MAGIC

the table there shall be a pure linen cloth. Under this place some

olive wood, and set on the midd le of the table a small censer wh erein

myrrh and kyphi shall be offered . And have at hand a small vessel of

chrysolite into which ointment of lilies, or myrrh, or cinnamon, shall

be put . And take the ring and place it in the ointment, having first made

it clean and pure, and offer it up in the censer with kyphi and myrrh .

Anubis, God of the Dead

Leave the ring for three days; then take it out, and put it in a safe

place. At the celebration let there lie near at hand some pure loaves,

and such fruits as are in season . Having made another sacrifice on

vine sticks, during the sacrifice take the ring out of the ointment, and

anoint thyself with the unction from it. Thou shalt anoint thyself

early in the morning, and turning towards the east shall pronounce the

words written below . The beetle shall be carved out of a precious

emerald ; bore it and pass a gold wire through it, and beneath the

beetle carve the holy Isis, and having thus consecrated it, use it ."

The spell in question was "I am Thoth, the inventor and founder

ZVir11t\1V A/1n1714.

of medicine and letters ; come to me, thou that art under the eart

rise up to me, great spirit." It was further stated that only on certa

days could the process take place : the 7th, 9th, roth, izth, 14th, i6t

21st, 24th and 15 th days, counting from the start of the month .

Two characteristics of ancient Egyptian magic which have de

cended to us in Western rituals sound the keynote of their spirit. Ev

in the days of Rameses II (over five thousand years ago) the belief

the mystic `Word of Power' was highly developed : just as mag

itself was considered an art so ancient as to have no known sour

other than revelation by the gods . There is a strong possibility t

some of these words-which were sometimes even then composof unintelligible syllables--entered Egypt as a result of Mesopotami

conquests by various Pharaohs . Others, in all probability, we

derived from Nubian magic, which still flourishes in Africa .

The second characteristic is associated with the above belief.

order to compel the spirits and gods to obey his will, whether for go

or ill, the sorcerer had to be armed with Words of Power and a kno

ledge of the names of the gods . In this way he was able to take

dictatorial attitude towards deities, however powerful . There was

exception to the number and potency of the gods that could be `boun

or forced to act on the sorcerer's commands . In some cases, in fac

the magician actually identified himself so closely with the powers

the god invoked that he assumed his name, and issued commands

his behalf. Students of Mediaeval European magic will recognize th

trait in some of the processes in the Western versions of the KeySolomon, in which the operator communicates with the spirit not und

his own name, but as Solomon himself (51) .

The `Words of Power', it may be assumed, are akin to the Semit

theory of the Most Great Name of God, which even initiates mu

not speak . It is thought that the Egyptians shared with other peopl

the belief that a name-whether of a person or a god-was vital

connected with the powers, attributes and spiritual element of t

named one. Is it entirely from modesty that women in many lanwill not give their names to strangers? They are the `daughter

so-and-so', or `the wife of such-and-such a man' . Anthropologists a

familiar with tribal customs of wide currency, in which extraordina

precautions are taken to ensure th at the real name of a person is n

known outside his immediate family . In some cases, names are fr

quently changed. There is already a vast literature on this subject, an

I cannot venture to add to it .

The magical word or name may not be understood by him wh

uses it, but it still possesses its original power . This belief may n



44 ORIENTAL MAGIChave originated with the Egyptians : it certainly was current among

them, as among later magician s in many lands .

In the Louvre there is a magical funerary papyrus dating as far

back as Rameses II, in which barbarous words appear as names :

"O Ualbpaga, 0 Kemmara 1 0 Kamalo ! 0 Aamagoaa ! The Uana 1

The Remu 1 . . . "

Osiris

[Seep. 3 8 ]

Since similar words and phrases appear in most other ancient

magical writings, it is probable that they meant no more to the priests

than they do to us. Following up this line of research, and assuming that

some Words of Power came from neighbouring lands, the Viscountde Rouge in the last century compiled a list of words-unfortunately

unpublished-which seemed to show affinities with dialects spoken

by the Nubians and others .

In the Harris magical papyrus there is a process by which the

invocant, using certain names, actually takes on the shape of the god

Amsu. There may be a clue here . It could be argued that the identifica-

15V1Yl1AaV aYlnVav-r

tion of the magician with a spirit or god in words and prayers might

have been designed to cause him to become that god or spirit . At the

least, he may have believed that he could `borrow' all the attributes

and powers of the deity named, even for a short period . The ritual

is designed to protect a man in a ship from any monster or hostile

animal that might approachTaking a `hard egg' in one hand, the man says : "0 Egg of the

water which has been spread over the earth ( 5 z), essence of the divine

apes, the great one in the heavens above and in the earth beneath

who doth dwell in the nests which are in the waters, I have come forth

from thee from the water, I have been with thee in th y nest, I am Amsu

of Coptos, I am Amsu, Lord of Kebu . "

Just as names contained magical powers in relation to the life on

earth, so their potency was invoked in funeral ceremonies, and they

were used in the imaginary encounters between the soul and the gods

of the hereafter . No soul could hope to receive its just deserts and

admission to the heavens until it had passed a very c lose examination,

as is fully described in the Book of the Dead

What of embalming, and the elaborately designed pyramids, both

of which have been regarded as significant item s in the magic of

ancient Egypt? There is already a considerable literature in which such

authorities as Flinders Petrie and Wallis Budge have fully described

the embal ming rite s and their p urpose . Briefly, the reason for pre-

serving mortal remains is thought to be because conta ct, however

incipient, remained to link the soul, ego (ka) and body after death

Lenormant states that there was an ultimate belief th at the body would

one day be resurrected in its former (though purified) form . I t i s ,

however, more widely held that the mummy was preserved as ahostel for the Ka. Again, the symbolic rites which were perf ormed

with the mummy-such as the opening of the mouth' ceremony-seemed to be designed to reflect the events that were supposed to be

happening to the soul in another world . It was, in fact, a sort of

magical duplication of the soul's future life, on the familiar lines

of sympathetic magic. There is a possibility, too, that a belief existed

that certain organs in the body continu ed to function, in a different

way from their normal role in life .

Books and pamphlets have been written in an attempt to provethat the pyramids represent symbolically both the Book of the Dead

and the supposed Book of Thoth. There seems no doubt that thedimensions of some pyramids, and their internal arrangement and

planning, are associated with mystical and magical concepts of dynasti

religion. As to whether they are the key or not is a matter which is still



46 ORIENTAL MAGICopen to discussion. Conventionally minded observers are, on the

whole, inclined to regard the symbolism of the pyramids as natural

projections from Egyptian belief and theology, rather than as signs

placed there for any particular purpose other than to preserve the

body from defilement . To take up any other attitude in the present

state of knowledge of ancient Egyptian occult sciences would be

tantamount to assuming that there was an intention by the Egyptian

priest-magicians or their kings to transmit hidden knowledge to

future generations . Since, however, there is no indication of a desire to

make known their knowledge to others, let alone an inkling that

the Pharaonic might would ever pass away, one might ask uponwhat premises such an assumption could be held .

In taking the stand outlined above, I exclude such supernatural

`revelations' as were reported to me by one earnest occult student .

He had had revealed to him in a dream-and partly throug h a spiritual-

ist medium-that his `mission' was to go to E gypt, and camp in the

shadow of the pyramids : when their occult power and intentionwould be made known to him. Being very wealthy at the time, andas keen as the next man for adventure, he did exactly as commanded .

The only result was that the expenses involved were so great that he

became impoverished. Equally unfortunately, no revelation resulted .

When he returned to England, he found that his business had al l but

collapsed . It cannot, however, be denied that the experience had a

very great effect upon him .

SINGING SANDSIn the El Meman chain, near the Red Sea, is the Jebel Narkous-

Mountain of the Bell . Its rocks and pinnacles are so placed that when

the wind blows from a certain direction, loud whis pers are heard

`proceeding from the rocks' . This probably accounts for the ancient

Egyptians being thought by less civilized Arabian tribes to have the

power of raising the voices of oracles from the ground .

Many magicians claimed to be able to interpret the whispers:

they were the voices of spirits, tell ing mankind what and what not to

do. In any case, the effect on the visitor, even in this century, is eerie .

Similar tales are told of the Egyptian priest s taking oracles from

the Singing Sands . These sands still `sing', and probably there was at

one time a regular system of interpreting the sounds . In this idea we

may have a clue as to the source of some Dynastic Egyptian magical

beliefs having come originally from across the Red Sea : just as we

know that certain rites were derived from inner A frica . Desert people

have many superstitions in connection with singing sands, which may

EGYPTIAN MAGICbe. as old as the Egyptian ones. If, for instance, you hear them bef

the new moon, the signs are go od for the tribe : i f a f t e r , e v i l . Oth

are that such-and-such a journey is to be taken : and this being

case, further enqu iries must be made of the sands as to the times

places to be visited . I was told in Egypt just after the war, by a la

variety of people, that a Libyan dervish had foretold war in 193

and that he had warned the Senussi to prepare for the Western Dese

f 1 i2

(I) The Tet(2) The Buckle(3) The Eye of Horus(4) The Ladder(5) The amulet of Nefer(6) The amulet of the Shen(7) The amulet of Safety

5

n6

7

EGYPTIAN AMULETS

(8) Amulet of Life(9) Amulet of the Heart

(Io) Amulet of the Pillow(It) Amulet of the Scarab(iz) Amulet of the Vulture(13) The Collar of Gold

(14) The Papyrus Sceptre

4

10

8

9

II

13

12

E

t4



48 ORIENTAL MAGICcampaigns. They would lead, he had said, to certain liberation fromthe Italian yoke. All this-and much else-he had heard from theSinging Sands .

Near the Kom el Hettam, the mound of sandstone, which marksthe site of the once-famous palaces and temples of Amunoph III,are two sitting Colossi . One is heard apparently to chant at sunrise .

Others say that this is more like the sound of a breaking harp-string .

Many explanations are, of course, given for this strange sound : that

the Colossus was raised by Memnon, who had wonderful powers.

He cured the sick miraculously, raised the dead , and daily at sunrise

the winds made sure that certain words were rep eated by his Colossus,

giving the Salam'at (greetings) . I was even told that when Memnonand certain of his High Priests return to Egypt they will first come

to converse with this Voice . . . .

As opposed to this decorative and romantic story, the late Sir

Gardiner Wilkinson explained that he had discovered a stone on the

lap of the Colossus in question. Anxious to make some sort of test for

himself, he ascended the figure and struck the stone with a small

hammer. This sounded like brass being hit . Sir Gardiner therefore

states that only the striking of the stone causes the statue to appear to

speak .

Similar metallic noises may be obtained by striking parts of the

high rocks at Tunbridge Wells, especially the Bell Rock . Thesephenomena, known in many lands, are most probably caused bypurely natural factors, or else are contrivances arranged by former

peoples as a supplement to m agical rites . It is not usually thought

likely that there is any direct extra-physical explanation .

At the same time their value as portents has often been shown .

The story is told that where Napoleon cut the road bet ween Savoy

and France, about two miles from Les Sechelles, there is a gallery in a

tunnel twenty-seven feet square and 97 5 feet in length. When theexcavations for this were nearly complete and the tunnellers met in

the middle, the intervening few inches were broken with a pickaxe .

A sound like a great groan was heard. When this was reported toNapoleon his face went white : because he had been told by a magician

that if such a sound were heard by or near him, the future would hold

only defeat .

There is, of course, a scientific explanation for this happening .

But the occultist would claim that the origin of a phenomenon need

not be supernatural to make it valid as a sign . Howe ver, wh en a certain

Mr. Bakewell investigated the Napoleon Tunnel story he put the wholething down to a difference in the temperature at either end of the tunnel .

EGYPTIAN MAGICParticular attention was paid by Egyptian magicians to the times

dates considered most suited to the carrying out of occult operati

This table gives the lucky and unlucky days, according to the rit

calendar of ancient Egypt . Days are marked in thirds ; `L' me

that the period indicated is fortunate, ` U' stands for hours not un

beneficent influences.

THE MONTHof Thoth, starting on August 29th (ist Thoth is August 29t

Day

Ist

F i r s t t h i r d

LS e c o n d t h i r d

LThird third Corresponding to :

L August z9

znd L L L 303 rd U U

„

U , , 3 14th

5th

UL

UL

U September

Li

2

6th U U „

L , , 37th L L U „ 48th L L U » 59th L L L „ 6Loth L L L „ 7

iith U U U , , 8izth U U U „ 9i3th

14th

LL

LU

UU (S3) „

U „IQ

II

15th L U U „ I2

I6th U U U „ 13

I7th L L L „ 1418th L L L „ 15

19th L L L „ 16loth U U U (54) „ 1 7list L L U „ 1822nd U U U „ 1923rd U U U „ 20z4th L L L „ 2125th L L L „ 2z

26th U U U „ 2327th L L L „ 2428th L L L , , 2 5

29th L L L „ z6

3 o t h L L L27



CHAPTER 6

JU-JU LAND OF THE TWIN NILE$"Mungo comes into him, and he is made . . "

IN the Sudan-that sprawling territory between Egypt and Ethiopia

one-third the size of Europe-magic, black and white, s t i l l t h r i v e s .

It took me over a year to disentangle and assess the three main

kinds of sorcery and witchcraft in this strange yet fascinating area .

To the north, where the Haifa Cataract spills Nile water into Lower

Egypt, temples and monuments tell a story of ancient Pharaonic ways

still reflected in the habits of the local tribes . To the west, among

the towering Nuba mountains, rainmaking and the black art, gum-

picking and ju-ju go hand in handTo the far south, in the literally steaming Equatorial belt beyond

the administrative centre of Juba, naked Nilotic people still adorn

themselves with the sacred creeper, wreak revenge through magic,

and have constant recourse to local oracles .

The main obstacle to piecing together confusing rituals was more

than local reticence . This was not the first time a stranger had visited

Nubia, seeking the lore of the magicians : nor would it be the last .

In the more frequented places, therefore, there was a continual stream

of warriors or their ladies, bringing reputed spells, or offering to

conduct me to some sacred tree . Some of them claimed that the

processes of liberating power hidden away in a miracle-working plant

could be mine for a small present. F or spears, money or razor blades a

thousand spurious `spells' could be purchased daily from well-meaning,

misguided or downright dishonest locals .

This was something to avoid. For, in Khartoum and Omdurman,

twin capitals of the Nile's junction, travellers . r e g u l a r l y bought `secrets'

from the natives . A flourishing market in spells exists and thrives : so

rampant, indeed, was this practice that I had to take an interpreter

with me to some areas to explain my intention .

I told the Nuba chiefs that I was a different kind of traveller .

My work, I said, was writing books, so that those who came after

would read the history and customs of their people : and here-

perhaps surprisingly-I found a ready audience. The reason was

probably due less to my persuasive powers than to the fact that the

elders of many Sudan tribes nowadays do feel the draw to the cities

50

JU-JU LAND OFTHE TWIN NILESdeeply affecting their young men . When they return, tribal youth

only too often seem to have lost interest in local ways : to have gro

apart from their own kin . Their new-found sophistication often mak

them despise even those noble traits that Westerners themselves a

others see in African society.

After I had mastered the technique of explaining these points I fou

Nubas and Shilluks, Nyam-Nyams and Hadendoas-whether from Araized or Equatorial territory-generally anxious to explain their way

In the southern belt, there is no doubt that magic is somethin

in the nature of an organized belief. Having their own temples, rites

secret societies, orders-and degrees, the medicine-men seem to posse

a spell for every occasion and for any human emotion .

Among the Nyam-Nyams-whose territory is cut by French an

Belgian administered areas-some of the practitioners hold their ra

hereditarily . Yet in many cases young candidates present themselve

for admission into a magic circle : after which they are entitled t

consider themselves as fully fledged sorcerers, and to practise on the

own account .

Fine, upright, hardy men, the negroid inhabitants of the far sou

present something of an enigma, at least so far as their mental make-

is concerned. You will find them very adaptable to modern things

they drive motor-cars, learn English, adopt Christianity. Yet in t

tribal areas even the most modernized native will show such a mixtur

of Western and African ways, that one sometimes cannot be sure o

where his feelings lie .

One thing, however, was plain : most of the people s t i l l b e l i e v e

their own form of Magic .

When the aspiring student presents himself to a witch-docto

for training, he is always questioned closely as to his motives . I f t

answers satisfy the master-or the magic council, as the case may b

-he will be accepted upon payment of a regular fee. This payment i

considered to be most important : not only because of the moneinvolved, which is usually small (equal to a penny or so), but becaus

o f t h e f i r s t p r i n c i p l e o f Nagua, or wonder-working .

The reason given is that the `presiding genie' of Nagua-from who

all power is derived-demands a sacrifice of money, razor blades, o

other small gift. This is oddly reminiscent of the more Wester

tradition of mediaeval magical ritual, in which regular sacrifices--o

their equivalent-were made by the invocant . Similarly, when th

witch-doctor (the Irrah) casts a spell for a client or exercises his power

in any way, he demands a coin : much in the same way as a gipsy ask

for her palm to be crossed with silver before her power will work .



5 2 ORI ENTAL MAG C

I f ou nd f w w it c h - d o c t or s r l uc t a n t t o t a c h t h i r l or t o a n

o uts id r , on c t h y w r c o nv in c d t ha t I m ys l f d i d no t i nt n d to us

m a g ic in th ir la nd . S v r a l s ti pu la t d t ha t I s ho ul d no t p ra c t i s t h

` a r t' w it hi n a h un d r d d a y s' j ou rn y - t o wh ic h I r a d i ly a gr d . S o

s ri ously wa s th m a tt r tr a t d , v n wh n I ha d b n ta u ght sp l ls,

t ha t it s m s d i ff ic u lt t o b l i v t ha t th p ra c t it io n r s t h m s l v s c a n

d isb li v in ma g icTh initiation starts with th mast r taking his pupil to a str am

and making him bath th r in ( 5 5 ) . T og th r th y nt r a c a v or

r t ir u nd r a n ov r ha n gi ng b a n k , t o a s si st th m a g ic ' s sp ir it to n t r

t h i r h a r ts . T his points to som traditional association with a wat r-

d i ty , n ow p ro b a b l y f or go tt n . Wh n I a s k d th r a son for it, th y

did not know, but all insist d that it was ss ntial .

N x t a f lo w r r s m b l in g t h c o m m on E ng li sh pr im ro s i s p ic k d

a nd p r s nt d t o th n op hy t . A f t r t a c h in g h im a nu mb r of si m pl sp lls, th tutor ta k s his stud nt to a m a gic i a ns' c o nf r nc , th r to

watch th rituals of th art .

Typica l of th sp lls is this on , for victory " I a m a M a gi c ia n ,

all- pow rful in sp lls . Wh a t I s a y c om s tr u . I sa y, ` G i v victory to

so - a n d - so. H will hav victory in all things . " ' T h n th m agic ia n

g o s on to d ta i l t h k in d of su c c s s d s ir d , w it h m a ny a n m b l lis h-

m n t o f t h p r ow s s s oo n t o b i nf us d i n to th l uc k y w a r ri or or

huntsma nT h is wa s r p a t d s v n ti m s , th m a gi c ia n sq ua t tin g on th b a r

a rth . B fo r h im st oo d th in v ita b l wa t r- fi ll d p ot ; in his hand

t h s a c r d w hi st l .

" Wh n y ou sa y t h is , " s a i d t h I rr a h i n x pl a na t io n of t h s p l l,

" hav a wood n whistl in your mouth : th n b l ow it thr tim s

towards th points of th c ompass . "

A l l s p ll s a r r g a rd d a s m or p ot n t wh n sa i d ov r ru nn in g

wa t r. Th sound of my hom - mad show r- bath at onc gav ris

to th conviction that I was prac tising my `ma gic' .

O n o f m y i nf orm a nt s, s i z d w it h t h d s ir t o m a k a n oth r

m a n f a r hi m, t oo k m o n a p l a nt - c o ll c t in g x p d i ti on . F o ur d iff r nt

k in d s o f l a f w r f ou nd : t o t h s h a d d d a h a n d fu l o f g ro un d nu ts

This was boil d , with fat and two small barkl ss twigs, in a pot ov r a

wood fir . A s so on a s t h c o n c o c t io n b o il d , h m ut t r d c o n st a nt ly

un d r hi s b r a t h : " T h s a r h rb s, th y ha v pow r : th nuts shall

fright n my n my. By th pow r of Nagua, th sticks ar strong,

th y will b a t th n uts ; t h w a t r b o i ls , b o il s l ik m y r a g . M y r a g

u po n t h n ut s, u po n m y n m y . "H i nf or m d m t wo d a ys la t r th a t h is n m y h a d c om to apolo-

J U- J U LAND OF THE TWN NI LES

g iz , a n d to a s k for th sp ll t o b r m ov d . " And how did yr mov it? " I a sk d . " B y sm a r ing th h r b s, whic h I ha d b u riu po n t h f oo tp a th , o f c o ur s , " w a s t h r p ly . "Oth rwis h wouha v ra p id ly b c o m wors tha n frig ht n d , for my ra g wa s gr a

Now h has v n agr d to hunt for m , and to h lp m with tland . "

A m on g t hi s m a gi c - r id d n p o pl , l ov c h a r ms a r i n g r a t d m a nO n m a gi c ia n , o ff r ing to show m how to ma k on , a s k d w h t h

th y w r i n g r a t d m a nd i n m y c o unt ry . T h b st I c ould r p ly wtha t th y ha d b n a t on tim . " I f I w nt th r , c ould I h lp tp op l with th m? " c a m th qu ry .

I s hu d d r d a t th t ho ug ht o f t hi s p ra c t it io n r - h o w v r c h a rm i

o n h is ho m g ro un d - w it h g a z l l - h or n c u p , c r p r sk ir t a n d s tr io f b o n s in a W s t r n m t ro po li s

H w a s m a k in g i t i n a n y c a s , a n d in vi t d m t o w a tc h , w it h at h c o u rt s y o f o n p ro f s si on a l n t r ta i n in g a n ot h r. T his was goito b a n la b ora t p roc d ur : first th circl was drawn in a cl arin

t h n th u su a l p ot su sp n d d f ro m t hr s ti c k s w a s b o il d . P owd rp a n ut s, c h a r c o a l a nd s a n d w r t hr ow n i n. M a n wh il t h w it c h- d oc tc i rc u m a mb u la t d t h s t w , c a r f ul ly k p in g w it hi n t h p ro t c t iv

c i rc l , n v r ta k ing his y s off th m ixt ur . A f t r c ir c li ng th pa b o ut t n tim s, h thr w tw lv c h ic k n f a t h rs up on th b u b b lisurfa c , o n a t a tim . A b o ut ha l f a p i nt of oi l c o m pl t d t h r c i pT a k i ng up a s ma l l s ki n- c o v r d d r um , h b a t it so ft ly , a l t r na t with th right and l ft hand . T h n c a m th sp ll its lf. " I a m a ma g ic i a

O po t, y ou c on ta i n t h m d i c i n s of lo v , t h s p l l o f l ov , o f p a s si o

My h a r t t hr ob s l ik t h d r um , m y b lo od b o i ls li k t h w a t r . " T hh r p a t d thric : t h n , g a z in g f ix d l y a t th c o nc o c t io n, h i nt on d" Bring my d sir to m , my nam i s s o- a n d - s o, a n d my d s ir i s owhom I lov . "

H a s su r d m w it h t h u tm os t s ol m ni ty th a t t hi s s p l l, i f r p a t

t hr ic on suc c s si v n ig ht s, w ou ld ` b i nd ' t h b lo v d t o h im . And thiwas not all . " I f th wa t r is b o il d until th r is non l ft, a n d you c a r

two pinch s of th r sidu wrapp d in a l af , it will attract th opposis x v r y t im y ou b ri ng it ou t a n d la y i t b f or y ou . "

I a s k d h im if t hi s w ou ld n ot c a u s t oo wi d s pr a d a n f f c t" N o , " h r p li d , " f or th y a r no t a t tr a c t d u nt il th s p ll is ma d

co m p l t b y y o ur lo oki ng a t t h m , c l n ch i ng b o th fi st s a n d p u t ti n

th m tog th r , look ing a wa y a nd c losing your y s four tim s slowly

E a c h ti m y ou d o it, " h c o ntinu d , " i t b c o m s m or ff c t iv . "B ut th s sp lls a r s ld om pra c t is d b y th la y m n . For on

thing, th y ar not told th full sp ll ; s condly, a fairly long trainin



S4 ORI ENTAL MAGI C

is n c ssa ry b for th y will work. Aspirants to th r sp c t d ra nk of

m a gi c ia n p r s v r i n th o b s r va n c o f ta b u s a n d d i t f or a t l a s t

forty to sixty days b for c asting a sp ll.

N o ma g i c - w or k r d ur in g t h p r io d o f h is st ud y maylook upon

a m m b r of th op posit s x for m or tha n a f w s c o nd s- xc p t

a ft r a b o ut s v n in th v ning . H a ts c rta in things b li v d to

b stow magic al pow rs sp c ia lly gr n l a f v g ta b l s, p a nut

p a st a n d , s om ti m s, s ma l l b i rd s . H w a r s a s tr a w h a t a t ni gh t

a n d so m t im s t wo s il v r o rn a m n ts , s uc h a s pi r c d c o i ns - E g yp ti a n

ha lf- p ia str p i c s .

With th s b a d g s on th rig ht sid of th h a d or b od y , h nt rs

a b uilding or cross s paths with on long and on short st p . D u ri ng

a l l th is ti m , h d v ot s h a lf a n h ou r a ft r su nd o wn to so ft ly b a t in g

a small drum . J u st b f or su ns t h sp nd s a t l a s t f iv m in ut s g a zi ng

a t th s ky . I n c o m pa n y h c l os s his y s a nd b i t s h is l ow r lip fr -q u n tl y. H is xp c t d to ta lk littl , xc p t to thos whom h s s

a c t in g i n t h s a m w a yWo m n d o n ot pr a c t is m a g ic a s mu c h a s m n . T h i s, a c c o rd i ng to

trib a l b li f, is not b c a u s th y a r a ny th l ss a d p t, b ut m n a r

r lu c ta n t to t a c h th m : th r is a d p ly ing ra i n d f a r of inc r a s ing

pow r among wom n thr at ning to oust man from his para mount

position .T h thr c ord s- two r d a nd on whit - oft n worn b y ma l

witc h- doctors c annot saf ly b worn by wom n, for f a r of b ing

d t c t d a s witc h s . F o r m r ly , I w a s t ol d , m a n y w om n s po rt d t hi s

i ns ig ni a , w hi c h is b l i v d t o b a m o st po w r fu l c h a r m . T h inc r a s

in pow r of th ir m nfolk, and th m asur s tak n by Europ an

g ov r nm n ts a ga i ns t s or c r y, h a v d r iv n ma n y of th s c u s to ms ou t

o f c u rr n c y .C u ri ou sl y n ou gh , t ho ug h r p ut d t o p os s s s b y v ir tu o f th i r

s c r t s t h a b i lit y t o d st roy li f , th p r s n t a c t i vi ti s o f t h C n tr a l

A f ri c a n j u- j u m n- s o f a r a s I c o ul d a s c r ta i n- s m ma i nl y d v ot d

t o ` Wh it Ma g ic ' . Most magic ians hold that a ll d a t h i s d u t o m a g ic

b ing x rc is d a ga inst th d c a s d , from som wh r or oth r :

y t f w of th m a r v r notorious as d a th- d a l rs

O n o f t h g r a t s t k no wn m t ho d s o f g a i ni ng m a gi c a l p ow r , sa y

th south rn rs, is th ` fish tabu ' . T h i nt n d in g ma g ic i a n a s ks fo r a

fi sh t o b p la c d b f or him b y hi s wi f , a r l a tiv or s om on l s

in tha t ord r of pr f r nc . H th n b lin ks his y s thr tim s slow ly ,

` a s though th r is d ust in th m ' , frowns, a nd ord rs th fish to b

tak n away . O r h m a y m r ly tou c h i t a n d l a v th wh ol thin g

u nt a st d . T h r a s on giv n is tha t " t h sp ir it s p r v nt in g m fr om

J U- J U LAND OF THE TWN N LES

b c o m in g a m a g ic i a n a r a t tr a c t d b y f is h, h id i n i t t o g t in si d o f

wh n I a t it- a nd a r ta k n a wa y wh n I r fus it" .

T h o ri gi ns of th s c u s to ms u nd o ub t d l y c o u ld b t ra c d f ur th back into history ; though this would m an a gr a t d a l of r s a rc

into trib a l history a nd c ustom s fa r b y ond th sc op of a ny on m a n

and through many t rritori s of C ntral Africa .

A nyon c a n b c om a m a gic i a n, th y b li v , b ut c rta i n ind i vid u a ls a r h ld t o b b t t r fit t d f or th t a sk . T h id a l sorc rw a s d s c ri b d t o m a s of a v r a g h i gh t, f a ir ra t h r th a n d a r k ( p o ss ib l

b c a u s som of th ir ma g ic c o m s fro m th fa i r r - s kinn d C o pti

A b y s si ni a n s) , a n d b t w n th ir ty a n d f if ty or tw n ty - t wo to tw n tysix y ars of ag . P op l wit h r d a n d fu ll l ip s a r a l so p r f rr d

I a m c o nv in c d t ha t th r i s o ft n a n l m n t o f a u to hy pn os iin th s magica l arts . Sitting with his y s unwinkingly fix d upon th

s ur fa c o f a p ot o f w a t r , t h o p r a to r' s g a z n a r ly a lw a ys s m s t ob c o m v a c a n t, a s th ou gh i n a t ra n c . T h n, whil m utt ring sp llr p a t d ly to th throb of th d rum, a nd wa lking a round a nd swing in

h is b od y fr om si d t o s id , t h r i s a n a tm os ph r o f v a c a n c y a n d y

p r si st n c v r y c o m p a ti b l w it h t h h yp no id a l st a t .

Mu c h of E t hi op ia n o c c u l t lo r h a s s p d t h ro ug h to t h r iv r in s ou th r n r s. O n old m a n d sc r ib d to m th a p p a ra nc a nd qua li-

f ic a t i on s fo r a ` b o r n ma g i c i a n ' w hi c h a p p r ox im a t s c l o s l y wi thc r ta i n l g n d s of th a t c ou nt ry .

Th occ ultist, h said, may or may not know that h has thpow r. I n ith r c a s h is to b so ug ht a nd w a tc h d , for h i s suc -

c s sf ul i n l if , a n d wi th v r y l it tl f fo rt c a n b c o m a g r a t ma g ic i a n

Y o u w il l a l wa y s m t hi m a s a s tr a ng r , r un s t h l g n d ; h is n v r am m b r of y ou r o wn tr ib , n or of yo ur fa m i l y - f or in th is ca s h ism a g ic w ou ld b o f n o u s t o y ou . H ( or sh ) is of th op posit s xta l l, th in, y ou ng - s m in g, t h y b r ows b in g st ro ng ly ma r k d , a n` w ith a fix d g a z ' .

Wh n on s s th is ma n , h m ust b a p pr oa c h d o r s pok n to onso m p r t xt ` a n d gr a t a d va n ta g wi ll c om of it' . T h r s ms h rt o b s om b l nd i ng of th a t s tr a ng , l g n d a ry fi gu r o f t h Mi d d l

E a s t a n d C n tr a l A si a : K h id h r, l ly a s , o r E no c h a s h i s s om t im sc a ll d .

T h t yp ic a l ma g i c i a n s l d om w a r s mu c h m or t ha n a l o in c l ot hw h n c a r r y i ng ou t h is d u ti s . C onsid r d n c ssa ry , how v r, f or

da ily us is a brimm d straw hat, with arrows drawn on th front

H w a lk s o v r a g ra v i n o rd r t o g a in m a g ic a l p ow r , c a r ri s

p i rc d hor ns to m a k th m a gic c i rc l , a nd p r s v r s i n his d i ting

and c onc ntration until- on da y- ` Mungo' com s into him, and



5 6 ORI ENTAL MAG C

h is ma d ' . This is th training and ffort that it tak s to mak a good

m d i c in - m a n i n A f ric a .

NowMungo is a s or t o f c t op la s m, b l i v d to a p p a r s om w h r

i ns id t h w it c h , a s so on a s t h m a g ic h a s m a t ur d i ns id h im . I ts

p o ss s si on i s kn ow n t o n ob o d y x c p t h im s l f ( 5 6 ) . I t s m s tha t this

k no wl d g i s t ho ug ht to c o m i nt ui ti v l y- a c c o mp a ni d b y a ` f l in g

of no mor f ar , a lightn ss' .

To sum up, on day a ft r his di t and his drumming, his sky- gazing

a n d b li nk ing , ha v ing ob s rv d a l l th ri t s , th a s pir a nt b c o m s

a w a r t ha t h i s ` r a d y f or a c t io n' . T h s b a sic id a s p rm a t N ilotic

w it c h c r a f t a m o ng th N y a m - N y a m s , S h i ll uk s a n d o th r s o f C n tr a l

AfricaBy contrast th magica l op rations of th Nuba s of Kordofan

- in th S udan' s far w st- and th p opl whos hom s bord r

u po n E g y pt , a d h r m or c l o s l y t o t h a n c i n t E g y pt ia n fo rm s i nth ir occ ult arts .

I n Kordofan, both m n and girls p rform ritual da nc s whos

p urp os m a y b d sc r ib d a s ma g ic a l . L i k th S o uth rn rs, whit

p ow d r or b on - a s h is so m t im s u s d to sm a r ov r th b o d y

I n T a l od a , s ha v n h a d s a n d h or s - t a il sw it c h s p la y a n i mp or ta n t

part in ritual dancing, wic h . i s h r p rform d c ommunally by

g ro up s of tr ib s m n .Whil hidd n b li fs da ting from dynastic tim s still lurk-

p a r t ic u la r l y a m o n g t h C o p ts - i n m o d r n E g y p t i ts l f, i t i s in th

b o r d r a r a s o f t h N or th r n S u d a n th a t th l in g r in g s up r st it io ns

a nd p ra c tic s of four thousa nd y a rs a g o m a y b found .

No man or woman ca n b s n without th trad itional c harm

- aH~jab - for str ngth, or against th E vil E y .

mMummy dust is gr atly priz d : th c r um b li ng t m pl s, s uc h a s

th a t of S m na n a r th r ushin g N il , a r sup pos d t o ha v b n th

s a t o f m ir a c u l ou s c u r s

. S p lls us d b y th noma d trib s s m to b

p hr a s d i n a t on gu w hi c h m a y b t ha t o f t h P h a r a o hs . T h r is no

d oub t tha t th y th m s lv s a ttr ib u t th r p ut d ff ic a c y o f t h ir

a gic to P haraonic origins.

I n th ar a of th form r goldmin s onc work d by anci nt

E g y pt ia n s, R om a n s, G r k s a n d A ra b s , m a ny a ta l i s told of thos

among th Had ndoa- F uzzy- Wuzzi s- who ar r put d to havl a r n d t h d a r k a r ts th ro ug h a p r o lo ng d s o jo ur n a m o n g m y ri a d s of

b a t s n s ti ng in a b a n d o n d m i n - w or ki ng s ( 5 7 ) .

Mu c h r m a ins to b st ud i d b fo r a n ff c t a ss ss m n t of A fr ic a n

magic c an b mad : un til th n, no t s su c h a s th s a r all tha t c a n b

off r d . D o s C n tr a l A fr ic a n ma g i c w or k a n y wo nd r s? O r d o s it

J U- J U LAND OF THE TWN NI LES S

p r fo rm a n y u s f ul so c i a l f un c t io n? I c a n gi v n o b t t r r p ly th athat of a F r nc h off ic r oft hi rt y y a r s' E q ua t or ia l x p r i n c : " Whac a n I s a y, m on si ur ? Wh n on h a s li v d wi th a th in g, s n i t v r

d a y fo r a l if t im , it s d m a nd s pr ov ok a c c p ta n c of muc h w c annob ring ours lv s to b li v in th W st . "

V a s t c o n tr ov r si s ha v r a g d o v r t h s up po s d p os s s si on o

s p c i a l a n d ps yc h i c p ow r s b y t h A f ri c a n s Tostudy th m in mord tail would involv coll cting and sifting larg quantiti s of mat rial

whic h a r not stric tly r l v a nt to th m a in p urp os of this b ook . I

t h c h a p t r o n a n c i n t E g yp ti a n m a gi c , w h a v n ot d th a t t h r a r

i nd i c a t i on s t ha t th s ou th r n c o u nt ri s of th N i l h a v p la y d a p a r

in th transmission of magic al arts w stwards . F rom this point it i

but a st p to link up with hundr ds of occ ult rit s which ar in us o

w r form rly pra c t is d b y o th r na tiv A fric a n p op l s ( 5 8 ) T hm os t t ha t w c a n d o , h ow v r , i n t h • p r s n t b o o k i s t o n ot o ut

sta nd ing c ha ra c t ristic s a m ong th m a g ic of A fric a n p op ula tions v f a rt h r so ut hw a r d th a n th S u d a n s

Th p opl s loos lyy known as Kafirs ( from th Arab ic Kafr

` infid l ' ) poss ss a rich stor ofk no wl d g a n d b l i f in th in gs oc c u lLik oth r magical syst ms, th y poss ss rit s for divination, diagnosis

a n d c u r o f d i s a s , a n d c o mm un ic a t io n w it h s pi ri ts . Add to this th ib li f in a m u l t s a n d t a l is m a ns , p lu s th p ra c t ic o f t ha u m a tu rg y , a n d

y ou ha v a p ic t ur of th s up pos d p ow r s of sh a ma n s, m d i c in - m n ,

w it c h - d o c t or s- - c a l l t h m w ha t y ou w il l- v r yw h r .

A man' s pictur , ffigy or v n shadow ca n b ` work d upon'

by magic , say th Kafirs, in c ommon with th J apan s , British

w it c h s , C h a ld a n s or E g yp ti a ns . I l ln s s, a s in th c a s o f p ri mi ti v

( a nd v n la t r) S mitic i d a s, c a n b tra nsf rr d to a nima ls sc a pg oa t s, too, a r off r d a s sa c r ific s . Wiza rd s, lik T ta a n d oth rs, c a

r viv th d a d , v n from th ir gra v s . W alth can com to a ma

t hr ou gh ma g i c - b u t t h s na g h r i s t ha t a m a n su sp c t d o f g t ti n

rich quick through sup rnatural m ans may find hims lf on trial, lik

t h w it c h s o f S p a i n or E n gl a nd i n fo rm r t im s . H i s t r ia l , l i k t h i r swill involv ord al by fir or wat r : v n, a s with th a nc i nt Gr ksby poison . A s th m d ia v a l witc h s w r sup pos d to c o v t hum a

b a b i s fo r t h i r d a r k a r t, s o d o K a fi r s or c r r s t h s a m . A ll th s

r s m b la nc s, a nd m a ny mor , a r th r for th c u lling

Wh il i t w ou ld b d i ff ic u l t t o s ta b l i sh w h t h r th s a n d ot h

p ra c t ic s or ig in a t d i n A f ri c a , o r s pr a d t h r f ro m o th r c o nt in n tsn v rt h l ss I thin k t ha t th i nt r s tin g fa c t s a r t h s ( i) tha t h r w

m a y ha v r it s wh ic h st il l l in g r , t ho ug h t h y ha v d i d o ut l s w h r



5 8 ORI ENTAL MAG C

( i i) th y s m too w id s p r a d a n d s im il a r t o o th r c o un tr i s ' m a g ic

to ha v b n d v lop d ind p nd ntly , a nd to ha v grown up in a

m a nn r pa r a ll l to th i r a p p a r a nc in ot h r la n d s . Wi tc h - d o c t or s

w a r sp c i a l r ga lia . T h y ma k b r ws c l os ly r s m b ling thos of

o ri nt a l a n d W st r n m a gi c . Th y divin by bon s, th Ama zulu

crystal- gaz , xorcism and oth r d mon- xp lling proc ss s ar

common I s it lik ly tha t a ll th s fa c t s a r m r c o inc i d nc ? I f th y

a r , it is r m a rk a b l noug h . I f th y a r not, th y a r mor tha n

d s r vi ng of c l o s r a tt n ti on . A nd this a tt ntion would b r wa rd ing,

n o m a t t r wh t h r y ou a p p ro a c h th s ub j c t f ro m th v i w po in t o f

occ ultist, sc ptic , sci ntist or mystic . Bu t th a t wo ul d h a v t o b th

s ub j c t o f a f ur th r b o ok

CHAPTER 7

THE FAKIRS ANDTHEIR DOCTRINE

" T h P r f c t Ma n ga i ns hi s p ow r th ro ug h d v l op in gth m yst ic f o rc i nh r n t i n t h b o d y . This is c ntr d in thF i v S c r t Orga ns : th L a ta if T h s a r : t h H a rt C ntr ,th S p irit C ntr , th S c r t C ntr , th H id d n C ntr , th

Most Myst rious' C ntr . " - SHEI KH AHMED EL- ABBASSI :S c r ts of S ufi P ow r , a d v lopm nt of Shah MuhammadG wa t h' s S c r ts of th Mystic Way ( Asrar- ut- Ta rigat, of thN a q sh b a n d l yy a O r d r ) .

T H E W s t, w hi ch p r id s it s l f w it h s om jus ti fi ca t io n u p on ha v ir sc u d from ob liv ion m a ny a sp c ts of ori nta l c ultur a nd l a rninh a s b n pro fo und l y in flu nc d b y Tasawwuf: t h d o c t ri n o f F akirs ( S 9 ) . Y t ho w m a n y p o pl , a p a r t fr om a h a n d f ul of o ri n ta l isc an sa y what this is?

Y o g a , S h i nt o, B u d d h is m, T a o is m a nd C o n fu c i a n is m, a l l ha v t hd v ot s in E urop a nd A m ric a . Y t S uf ism - t h u lt im a t m ys tics a nc t io n o f t h A r a b s, P r si a ns , T u rk s a n d th r s t o f t h Mo s

Wo rl d - r m a i ns th l a st c l os d b o ok o f t h m ys t r io us E a s t

I s Sufism a r ligion? An occult cult? A way of lif ? I t is, in par

all of th s things- and non of th m . Among th four hundrm i ll i on fo ll o w r s o f I s l a m , T a s a w w uf co m m a n d s a p o w r su ch a s

p olitic a l , soc i a l or c o nom ic c r d d o s h r or ls wh r .

O rg a niz d in a s m i- m ona stic , s m i- m ilita ry fa shion, this a m a zip hil osop hy wa s sha r d b y l m nts a s d i v r s a s th a n c i nt A r

alch mists- th Br thr n of Purity- th Mahdist warriors of t

S u d a n a n d th g r a t s t c l a ss ic a l p o t s o f P r si a . Und r th b a nnof th F a k i rs ( l it ra l ly ` t h hum b l on s' ) , th T u rk ish E mp ird rv ish s sto rm d V i nna . U rg d o n b y S u f i m y st ic a l po t ry ( a n

i t i s c l a i m d , s up r na t ur a l p ow r ) t h A f gh a ns c on qu r d I n d ia .

T h n, o n t h o th r sid o f t h c o in , S u fi li t r a tu r a n d c u lt u

w r r s po nsi b l f or som o f t h ou ts ta n d in g a r c h it c t ur a n d aof Asia .

Wh a t a r t h o ri gi ns of th is st ra n g c u l t, w hi c h v n mo d

r s a r c h r s a c k n ow l d g t o b s ti ll th s tr on g s t s in gl f or c i n t

Mi d d l E a s t to d a y? I n sp it of th f a c t th a t a c o ns id r a b l l it r a tu r

t h s ub j c t x is ts in or i n ta l l a n gu a g s , n ot hi ng is k no wn wicompl t c rtainty as to th v ry b ginnings of th cult .

5 9



6 ORI ENTAL MAG C

S u f i hi st or ia n s tr a c t h i r fo un d a t io n to M oh a m m d h im s l f, b u t

it ha s b n sta t d t ha t th is s ot ri c c u lt st m s f ro m m a n' s a r li st

strivings to lib rat his go from mat rial things ( 6 o) . This, in fac t, is

th main aim of th mov m nt. S u f is m is a d i st in c t a n d v r y c o mp l t

w a y of li f , s t ti ng a s i ts go a l t h r a l i za t i on of ma n ' s ( a n d w om a n ' s )

b li v d rol in lif .

Man, argu th Sufi saints, is part of th Et rnal Whol , from

w hi c h v r yt hi ng i s d r iv d , a n d t o wh ic h a l l mu st r t ur n . His mission

i s in p r p a r i ng h i ms l f fo r th a t r t ur n . T his c a n only b a c hi v d

through purific a tion. Wh n t h h um a n s ou l i s c o r r c t l y h a rn s s d t o

t h b o d y , a n d h a s o b ta i n d c o m pl t c o nt ro l o v r i t, t h n m a n a p p a r s

i n h is p r f c t f or m : th P rf c t Ma n, in fa c t, m rg s a s c los ly r -

s m b l in g t h s up r ma n , p os s s s d o f a m a zi ng p ow r s, w ho fi gu r s in

t h a s p ir a t io ns of E a s t r n a n d W s t r n o c c u l t is m a l ik .

T h r a r d istinc t st p s b y whic h a ` s k r' p rog r ss s towa rd st hi s n d . O rg a n iz d i n O rd r s r s m b l in g t h m on a st ic o r d r s o f t h

Mid d l A g s ( a ll g d b y som to ha v b n m od ll d on S u fism ) , th

f ir st c o n d it io n o f n ro lm n t i s t ha t t h r c r u it m us t b ` i n t h w or ld

b ut not of it' . T h i s i s t h f ir st im p or ta n t r s p c t in wh ic h t h c u l t

d i f f r s fr om a l m o st v r y ot h r m y st ic a l p h i lo so p hy . F or it is funda -

m n ta l th a t v r y S u f i m us t d v ot h is l if t o s om u s f ul o c c u p a ti on .

His aim b ing to b com an id al m mb r of soci ty, it naturally

follows that h c annot cut hims lf off from th world . I n th word s

o f o n a u t ho ri ty ( 6 1 ) :

" M a n i s d s ti n d t o l iv a s o c i a l li f . H i s p a r t is to b w it h

oth r m n. I n s r vi ng S u fi sm h i s s r vi ng th I n fi ni t , s r vi ng

h im s l f, a n d s rv in g s oc i t y . H c a n no t c u t h im s l f o ff fr om a n y

o n o f t h s o b li ga t io ns a nd b c o m o r r m a in a S uf i . T h only

d i s c i p l in w or th wh il i s t ha t w hi c h is a c h i v d i n t h m i d s t o f

t mptation. A man who, lik th anchorit , abandons th worlda nd c uts hims lf off from t mpta tions a nd d istrac tions c a nnot

a chi v pow r. For pow r is that whic h is. won through b ing

w r s t d f ro m, t h m id s t o f w a k n s s a n d un c r ta i nt y . T h a sc tic

living a wholly monastic lif is d luding hims lf! "

Though th word ` Fakir' has com to b us d in th W st as

d n ot in g a k i nd o f i ti n r a n t j ug gl r or wo nd r - w or k r , i ts r a l m a n in g

is m r ly ` a h um b l m a n' . H um il it y o f th S k r is t h f ir st r q ui r -

m nt . H m us t r n ou nc h is st ru gg l f or m r w or ld l y a i ms un ti l h

g t s t h r a s on f or l if i nt o t h c o rr c t p r sp c t iv . This is not, in fac t,

T H E F A K I RS A ND T HE I R ] D OCT R I NE S 6 1

contradictory. For a man may l gitimat ly njoy th things of th

world, provid d that h has l arnt humility in th ir application

What has giv n Sufis- in th ir rol of fakirs or d rvish s-that halo of invuln rability, infallibility and sup riority is th applica -

tion of this doc trin . T h r i s no d ou b t a t a ll tha t t h c o nc n tr a ti on

o f m in d a c h i v d b y S u f is is r s po ns ib l f or wh a t c o u ld b c l a s s d a struly sup rnatural manif stations . T h r a r insta nc s, r c ord d with

as much historica l accurac y as on may xp ct anywh r , of th

strang pow r of som of th s m n . A p p ro a c h in g th q u s ti on in a ss c i n ti fi c a m a n n r a s po ss ib l , m a n y a r t h i ns ta n c s of b o gu s S u fi s

m r l y pl a y in g up o n t h g ul li b i li ty o f t h m a s s s . O n th o th r ha n d ,

t n s o f t ho us a nd s of un b ia s d p o pl a r c o nv in c d o f th f a c t th a t

Tasawwuf can bring pow r of an unh ard- of d gr to som of its

practition rs.

I t is n c s sa r y to p oi nt ou t h r , a s i n o th r p a rt s o f t hi s b o o k,t ha t su c h m a n if s ta t io ns m a y , i f t ru , m r l y b t h a p p li c a t io n o f

s c r t s o f n a tu r w hi c h a r a s y t im p r f c t l y u nd r st oo d b y or th od o x

sc i nc .

Wh a t a r t h m ir a c l s a n d p ow r s a t tr ib u t d t o th S u fi sa i nt s?

Whil th r is almost no thaumaturgic ph nom non whic h has not

b n c la im d b y som a uthority a s p rform d b y d rv ish s, som ( 6 z)m ir a c l s a r m or c h a r a c t r is ti c of th c u l t t ha n ot h r s. T h f ir st on

( in conformity with th b li f that tim is non- xist nt) is th annihila-tion of c onv ntional tim . Stori s- som of th m on th authorityof m tic ulously ac c urat historians- c ov ring this ph nom non ar

many and vari d

P rh a ps th m os t f a mo us is th c a s o f th S h i kh S ha h a b - l- D in ,

H wa s a b l t o i nd u c , it is s a id , t h a p p a r a nc o f fr uit s, p op l a n d

obj cts absolut ly at will . I t is r la t d o f him tha t h onc a sk d t h

S u l ta n of E gy p t t o p la c h is h a d i n a v s s l of wa t r . I nstantly th

Sultan found hims lf transform d into a shipwr ck d marin r, ca st

ashor in som totally unknown land .

H wa s r sc u d b y wood m n, nt r d th n a r st town ( vowing

v ng anc against th Sh ikh whos magic had plac d him in this

p li gh t) a n d s ta r t d w o rk t h r a s a s l a v . A ft r a num b r of y a rs h

gain d his fr dom, start d a busin ss, marri d and s ttl d down .

E v ntua lly, b c oming impov rish d a ga in, h b c a m a fr - la nc

p or t r , i n a n a t t m p t t o s up p or t h is wi f a n d s v n c h il d r n .

O n d a y , c h a nc i ng to b b y th s a shor a g a in, h d iv d i nto th

w a t r fo r a b a t h .

I m m d i a t l y h f oun d hi ms lf b a c k in th p a la c a t C a ir o, a g a in

t h K i ng , su rro und d b y c o urti rs , wi th th g ra v - f a c d S h ik h b for



6 ORI ENTAL MAGI C

him . T h whol xp ri nc , though it ha d s m d lik y a rs, ha d

ta k n only a f w s c o nd s .

This applica tion of th doctrin that ` tim ha s no m aning to th

S u fi ' i s r f l c t d i n a fa m ous insta nc of th lif of Moham m d . I t i sr l a t d t ha t t h P r o p h t , w h n s t ti ng ou t o n h is mi ra c u lo us ` N i gh t

J ourn y ' , wa s ta k n b y th a ng l Ga b ri l to H a v n, to H ll a nd t o

J rusa l m . A ft r four sc o r a nd t n c onf r nc s with God , h r turn d

to a r th : j ust in tim to c a tc h a p ot of wa t r tha t ha d b n ov rturn d

w h n th a n g l to ok hi m a w a y .

I n a ddition to th non - xis t nc of ti m , sp a c p la y s l ittl p a rt

in p r v nting th S ufi a d p t from tra v lling wh r h will . Transporta-

t io n o f m a n y of th m os t f a m ou s S u f i t a c h r s i s s a id t o ha v b n a

common v nt. S ufis ha v b n s n a t th sa m tim in p la c s m a ny

thousands of mil s apart . S h i kh A b d u l- Q a d ir G l a ni - o n o f t h

m ost c l b r a t d s a ints of S ufism - w a s b li v d t o ha v tra v ll dthousa nd s of mil s ` in a fla sh' , in ord r to b p r s nt a t th fun ra l

o f so m f ll ow a d p tWa l kin g u po n t h s ur fa c o f w a t r , a n d f ly in g n or mo us d i st a n c s

in th full v i w of p opl on th g round , a r oth r wond rs sa id to b

r g ula rly p rform d b y th initia t s .

M ira c l s , a s suc h, a r thoug ht to b p ossib l only to p rop h ts .

But wond rs ( k a r d md t ) a r h ld t o b p ossib l to a gr a t num b r of

S u f i s . T h a c t iv iti s of ma g ic i a ns- whi c h a r g n ra l ly a f orm of

d c p tion work d up on gullib l p op l - a r c l a ss d a s I s t id r a a j ,

signifying m r c onjuring tricks and works of st alth . Ma g ic p rop r ,

by which is m ant thaumaturgy through th aid of spirits, is an ntir ly

d iff r nt b ra nc h of oc c ult sc i nc ( 6 3 )

ORGANI ZATI ON OF THE ORDERS

Mystical Ord rs of this typ lay down rigid rul s in a s t patt rn

for aspirants to Sufi pow r. A p a r t fr om th os w ho pu rs u t h c u l t

a l on , a l l n w r c r ui ts mu st b a c c p t d a c c o rd i ng to a fo rm ul a b y a

Pir, or t a c h r. S o n s f ol lo w i n t h i r f a th r s' f oo ts t p s in n t r in g

th Or d r to wh ic h th ir pa r nt b l ong d ; a n d o nl y th os w ho ha v

b n r c omm nd d b y c rta in sp onsors ma y b a c c p t d a s d i s c i pl sinto th first d gr of `S ank' : S k r

O rd r s, wh ic h a r na m d a f t r t h i r f ou nd r ( N a g sh b a nd f yy a ,

C h is ht fy y a , Q a d r iy y a , t c . ) a r o rg a ni z d i n gr ou ps st ud y i ng un d r

a c k nowl d g d m a st rs . P r om otion from on d g r to th n xt is

through a pat nt or d claration by th mast r of th group to which th

THE FAKI RS AND THEI R DO ( . T RI NE S

a c o ly t b l ong s . I n o rd r to st ud y a pa rticular branch of th a

stud nts ma y tra v l from Moroc c o to J a va , or from a s fa r a fi ldChina to L i b y a , to join th Halka ( c i rc l ) o f a c l b ra t d t a cT h n, if th la tt r a gr s, th c a n d id a t will b p la c d o n p rob a t

for som months . L i v i ng a l i f of p ov r ty , d r s s d p r ha p s in sa f fr ob s a n d p rf orm ing m ni a l ta sk s, th s k r d uring th p riod of s tu d i s m us t r m a i n a ' t a c h d t o h is ma s t r wi th a d v ot io n w h

far xc ds v n th most rigorous disciplin of any military forc .H m us t t a k p a r t in th r it ua l r ci t a t io ns of c r ta i n ho ly a

s c r t sc r ip ts, m ust ob s rv th F i v R itua l P ray rs and ab lutions, annual month of fasting from da wn to suns t, and r ad th works

th m a st rs .

THE ORDERS

S v ra l d ist inc t O rd r s o r T a r i q a s ( ' P a t hw a y s' ) o f S u f is m known. All trac th ir origins to Mohamm d hims lf, and also to c ompanions. I t ha s b n a ss rt d t ha t th y orig in a t d i n a m y sti

f ra t r ni ty a m on g t h P r op h t ' s im m d i a t f ol lo w r s- t h Ashdb-S a f d , or Companions of th B nch. T h s m n, ab out whom vl itt l i s d f in it l y k no wn , i mm rs d t h m s l v s in go od w or ks , ct m p la t io n, f a st in g a nd p r a y r. E v n t h d ri va t io n of t h i r na m sh rou d d i n m ys t r y ( 6 4 ) . T h wid st h ld th ori s, how v r, sttha t th y a r ith r na m d a ft r th ir wooll n rob s ( Souf, wool,A r a b ic ) , o r f ro m ` S a fd ' , purity .

T h m a in ord rs : today ar th Nagshba ndiyya, Chishtiyya, Qadri

a n d S u h a r w a r d f y y a . E a c h is s lf- c onta in d in its lf ; non is inimit o t h o th r s : s a in ts a nd p ra c t ic s a r s om t im s h l d in c om m

t h o b j ct i v s of ma n kin d , a n d p a r ti cu la r ly of th S u f is , a r a l m

id ntic a l in a c h .

T h r a r a n um b r of oth r Ord rs, sc a t t r d f rom Morot o J a v a , t hr ou gh I n d ia , A f gh a ni st a n- a n y wh r , i n f a c t , t ha t I s

ha s sp r a d . I n all ca s s, rit s and writings ar highly symbolistic .

I n v r y c a s a d m i ss io n t o a n Or d r d p n d s u po n s po ns or shand initiation .

Sufis traditionally hold an important, if und fin d , plac bothsoci ty and history. T h D rv ish s of th S u d a n w r - a nd still aa S u fi Or d r , org a niz d as a militant and nowadays philanthro ntity . I n th d a y s of th Ottom a n E m pir , th gr a tly f a r d J a nns a ry * s ho c k - t ro op s w r a m i li ta r y S u fi fr a t r ni ty , c o n n c t d w

w ha t a r t od a y k no wn a s t h N a g s hb a n d i y ya . T h p r s nt K ingL ib y a , S a y d I d ris, is th Chi f of a S ufi ord r , a nd m ost, if not a

' ~ From P rsian J d n - n i sa r , ` L if - s c a tt r r' .



o f h is su b j c t s c on si d r th m s l v s S uf is . T h F a k ir of I p i- tha t

` F i r b r a nd of t h N or th- W s t F r ont i r of I n d ia ' - is a S u fi l a d r

T h s b r i f fa c t s ma y t n d to giv t h i mp r s si on th a t t h r is muc h

militarism in th diff r nt Ord rs : p r ha p s t h x pl a na t io n may btha t oth r a sp c ts of th c ult a r l ss w ll k nown in th W st ; r f r nc

to th m out of c o nt xt wo ul d s rv o nl y to c o nf us t h r a d r .

OBJ ECTS OF SUFI SM

Th th ory of Sufism is that man, in his ordinary stat as part-

animal, part- spirit, is incompl t . All Sufi doctrin and ritual is d di-

c a t d towa rd s ma king th S k r ( Sa l ik ) p ur , a nd th r for I n s a n - i -Ka mil- a P rf c t Ma n, or C om pl t Ma n . I t is nvisa g d tha t a p rson

m a y b a b l to a c h i v this sta t of C om pl t n ss b y him s lf, or v n

t hr ou g h m a n s o th r t ha n S u fi sm . Y t i t i s c o nt n d d t ha t S uf is mi s t h s ta b l is h d w a y, w it h i ts p r s c ri b d m th od a n d th g uid a n c

o f t h Ma s t r s w ho h a v a l r a d y t ro d th P a t h .Wh n th a s pi ra n t h a s a t ta i n d t h s ta t o f c o mp l t n s s w hi c h

is th goal of th cult, h is th n in tun with th I nfinit ; and thos

s tr iv in gs a n d un c r ta i nt i s t o w hi ch h , a s a m r i mp r f ct m or ta l ,

ha s b n sub j c t d , a r no mor . T h is ultim a t sta g of a c hi v m nt

is known as Wasl, ` Union' .

T h m ona s ti c li f , h ow v r, i s str on gl y sc h w d b y a ll S u fithink rs. T h y r a son tha t if a m a n d p riv s soc i ty of his s rvic a nd

ac tivity, h is b ing anti- social . B ing anti- social is against th Divin

P l a n . H n c h m us t, i n th w or d s o f t h F i r st P r in c ip l o f S u fi sm ,

` B i n th world but not oft h w or ld 1 'T h h i r a rc h y o f Mo sl m S ufi sa i nts , th r fo r , a r k now n b y

th ir occ upations as w ll as b y t h i r t i tl s . H nc , on ( A tta r) wa s a

c h m ist ; a n ot h r ( H a d r a t B a h a u d d in N a qs hb a n d ) w a s a p a i nt r ,

and so on . C r ta i n kin gs of I n d ia a n d P r si a , u po n b co m in g S u f is ,

t oo k up s om x tr a o c c u p a t io n t o pa y f or th i r o wn up k p , w hi l

still r maining rul rs and taking nothing from th tr asury on th iro w n a c c o u n t .

T H E I NVI S I B L E RU L E RS HI P O F S U F I S M

C hi f of th n ti r S u fi sy st m is th Qutub h i s t h m os t n -

lig ht n d of a ll S u fis, ha s a tta in d th d gr of Wasl ( Union with th

I nf ini t ) a nd h old s pow r ov r, a c c o rd i ng to som , t h nt ir S u fi

organism . O th rs sa y tha t th Qutub ha s c onsid ra b l p olitic a l or

t m po ra l pow r a s w l l . I n a ny ca s , h is id n ti ty is kn ow n t o v r y

f w . H m a i nt a in s co m m un ica t io n o nl y w it h t h L a d r s o f t h O rd r s .

* " D a r Dunya &&b:Z Dunya Mabdsb 1"

THE FAKI RS AND THEI R DOCTRI NES 6

C onf r nc s a r h ld t l p a thic a l ly , o r ls by m a n s of ` tim a nspac annihilation' . T h la t t r p h n om no n i s sa i d to m a n thaS u fis of th d g r of Wa s l a r a b l to tra n sp ort th m s lv s a ny wh r

instantan ously, in physica l form, by a proc ss of d corpor alization .

T h Q utub i s a t t nd d b y f our d p uti s- th Awtad, o r P i l l a rw ho s f un c t io n i s t o m a i nt a in k no wl d g o f, a n d p o w r ov r , t hfour corn rs of th arth, and to r port to him constantly th stat o

affairs in v ry country. S u b s rv i nt to th A wt a d a r th forty Abda( ' thos who ha v b c o m sp iritua lly c ha ng d ' ) , a nd und r th m , i

t urn , s v n ty N ob l s , wh o i n th i r t ur n c o m ma n d th r hu nd r L o r d s . Sufi saints who do not hold an a ctual offic in this hi rarch

a r t rm d S a int Wali

ENTRY AND I N TI ATI ON

E ntry into a n Ord r is ma d through on of th ma ny hundr dsb ra nc h s ( Ha lk a ) - a lso k nown a s Circ l s - whic h flourish throug hou

th E a st . A lthough x pla na tions of th m or sot ric a sp c ts of th c ul

ar not forthcoming to any but initiat s, it is important to not tha

his m mb rship of an Ord r is usually not k pt a s cr t by an initiat .

I n som p la c s m n ta k th ir young sons to b p r s nt a t th rit s o

th Ord r ; h n c m a n y g ro w u p w it h a curiosity about Sufism ; a n d i t mb said to b unusual for th son of a Sufi not to join th Ord r hims l

Wh n a c a n d id a t for th low st d g r ( tha t of S a lik- s k r

is p r s nt d , h m a y b a llow d to a tt nd m ting s for som timb f or b i ng p r s n t d f or ma l ly b y hi s s po ns or s f or n ro lm n tA c c pta nc b y a Chi f, or P i r , d o s no t n c s sa r il y m a n th a t p ro

motion is lik ly to follow . This is on of th truly xtraordinary fac

o f S u fi sm , a s op p os d t o o th r m y st ica l o r s cr t f ra t r ni ti s . P r

m ot io n o r l v a ti on i n t h O rd r , o r v n t h p a ss in g o f s cr t kno wl d g , c om to a p rson a utoma tic a lly a s soon a s h is r a d y for it .

U nl ss th a sp ira nt is ` M a tur ' ( P u kb t a ) f or n li gh t n m n t, h

w il l n v r p ro gr s s. Onc h ha s b n initia t d , how v r, h wilm os t p ro b a b l y b o n t h R oa d t o S u c c s s, a n d if h a d h r s r ig id l

t o th r it s a nd p ra c t ic s of th Or d r, h w il l b a b l to b n fi t fr

th m . I n oth r word s, if- a s som tim s ha p p ns- a p rson oththan an initiat d S ufi att nds a Sufi H a l ka , h m a y h a r a l l t ha t i

b ing sa id , h m a y ta k p a rt in a ll th r p titions of sa c r d formula

h ma y v n join in th ritual circuma mbulations : b ut h will d riv

n o nl ig ht nm n t, n o b n f it , n o un d r st a nd i ng th r f rom .

A s t ri ki ng x a m p l o f t hi s i s t h Mo na s t r y of th Ma ul a v i Or d

i n C y pr us, wh r a ny on a t a ll ma y a tt n d th str a ng c r m oni s

th ` D a nc ing D rv ish s' - a nd th la tt r a r in no way put out by th



66 ORI ENTAL MAGI C

p r s n c o f i nf id l s, u ni ni ti a t s or v n d t ra c t or s . I t i s t h i r u n s h a k a b l b l i f tha t th i r c r m on i s a nd r p ti ti ons of fo rm ula ( D b i kr ) a r fficacious only for thos who ar initiat d

N w c om r s, h a vi ng b n i nt ro d uc d in to t h c i rc l o f S u fi s,

g n ra lly a tt nd for s v ra l s ssions of r c ita tion, r p tition of holy

p hr a s s , s i ng in g o r d a n c i ng , d p n d in g u po n t h O rd r in q u stion .I n r l a ti on to mu si c , s om O rd r s m p lo y m us ic , o th r s d o no t v n

p rm it r c i ta tions, xc p t s o t t o v o c .

A t a c o nv ni nt m om nt in th p roc d ing s, th c a n d id a t isp r s nt d t o th C hi f of th C irc l . H ma y th n b a sk d c rta in

qu stions to d t rmin his suitability . I f h is a c c pt d , th C hi f ta k s

him b y th ha nd s a nd whisp rs to this ff c t in h is a r s . T h r c ruit is

th n k nown a s a S k r, a nd th only r m a ining rit to b p rform d

t o c o mp l t hi s nr ol m nt in th O rd r is th G r a t Oa t h . I n t hi s th

S a lik und rta k s to ob y his P ir, a b solut ly a nd without r s rva tionWh il n a r ly v r y S uf i f ol lo win g t h P a t h i s a p r op r ly c o a c h d

a n d n t r d M m b r of hi s O rd r , o n o th r fo rm of S ufi sm is kn ow n .T his, c a ll d Uwaysi, is practis d by thos who, whil following stab -lish d Sufi patt rns of disciplin and thought, ar y t affiliat d to noOrd r. T h n a m i s d r iv d f ro m o n U wa y s u l Q a ra n i, o f Y a m a n , a

c o n t m p or a ry of Mo ha m m d , w ho is sa i d t o h a v b n in sp ir it ua lc onta c t with th P roph t in sp it of n v r ha v ing m t him .

Two imp orta nt fa c ts a b out Sufism a r x mp lifi d in this Uwa ysi

doctrin . F irst, it shows th spiritual or t l pathic link which forms a

signific ant part of th c ult . J u st a s t im h a s n o st a b lis h d m a n in g t o

th Sufi, so it is possibl for on of th ir numb r to b in communica -

t io n w it h a n o th r wh o m a y b f a r a w a y - o r ma y v n b d a d . H nc w find important S ufi saints claiming inspiration and c o- op ration

w ith o th rs w ho m th y ma y n v r h a v m t ; or ls from th spirit ofon long d a d . S co n d ly , i t i s a c kno wl d g d b y S u fi sm th a t p ro gr s s

m a y b m a d i n t h P a t h b y on w ho is no t u nd r d ir c t or c on st a nt

instruction from his Pir or mast r . A t th sa m tim it is m pha siz d

tha t suc h c a s s a r ra r .

THE SUFI PATH

F o llowing his a c c p ta nc b y th C hi f of th H a lk a , t h S k r

gains th titl of Murid d i sc i p l , a n d m us t t h n m b a r k up on th r ig o ro us p r p a r a t io n wh ic h w il l l a d h im t o S t a g T w o : that of

T a r i q a t , or pot ntiality. T h i s l a tt r fo rm s t h f ir st r a l d g r o f S u fi sm ,and d not s spiritual progr ss .

B tw n th F i rst a nd S c o nd D g r s, in a d d ition to ob y ing v ry instruction of th Mast r, th discipl must not omit any point

THE FAKI RS AND THEI R DOCTRI NES

of th ritual obs rvanc of formal I slam . I n a d d ition to r a d ing c rta

p r s c ri b d b o ok s, h s p n d s a s mu c h ti m a s h c a n on th r c i ta t i

o f d h ik r s ( 6 5 ) . T h s formula a r d sign d to r m dy a ny d f c t

b li f or ability that ma y ha v b n d isc rn d b y th P ir . This

c onsid r d to b th p riod of r d d ic a tion to th th m of " B

th world , y t not of t h w or ld " . T h int ntion a nd a im of v ry S

a t this sta g is to c onc ntra t up on th thoug hts a nd p rsona li

of th P ir . I n his turn, th P ir turns his thoughts r gularly towar

thos of th discipl , s nding him vital spiritual n rgy, to forti

him in th b a ttl a ga inst th ` S lf' . B y th S l f i s m a n t t h t hi ng s

th fl sh which d trac t from tru spiritual progr ss .

I n th sta g of Muridi, t oo, t h S k r ma y ta k p a rt in th ni gh t

m tings of th D rvish s ( S ufis) , in th ir ha lk a , or m ona st ry . P r s

a t suc h m ting s, a nd r p a tin g th sa m d hik rs, m a y b S u fis in s v r

d iff r nt sta g s of a d va n c m nt . B ut this will not a ff c t th p ot nof th dhikrs or th progr ss of individuals, b caus it is h ld that t

sa m d hik r m a y b of gr a t va l u in a ny on of th sta g s . T h i s i s,c ours , d t rmin d b y th P ir

Wh n th d isc i pl m rits th titl of T a rig a t- ith r b c a u s

P i r d c i d s so or b c a u s h hi ms lf ha s r a c h d th sta g of k no wi

that h has progr ss d - h transf rs his att ntion from th thoughts

h is L a d r to th os of th a c t ua l F o un d r of th p a rt ic u la r Ord

A t this ti m , how v r, th L a d r k p s his own thoug hts foc u s

upon th discipl , to r inforc his spiritual pow rs .

I t is a t this sta g tha t th d isc ip l m a y b a llow d to p ursu c rta

tha uma turgic p ra c tic s , if his P ir d c id s tha t it b p rmissib l . H

a b i l it i s i n o ccu lt kno wl d g a n d a ct ua l ma g ica l p h n om n a a r g r a

b u t h m a y m p lo y t h m on ly wi th c o ns n t .

T h s S u fis a r now in th S t a g of Safar- ullah : t h j ou rn y Knowl dg . T h y must c onc ntra t up on th a c h i v m nt of on - n

w it h t h s p ir it of th F o un d r of th O rd r , w ho m t h y no w c aP i r, in p la c of th L a d r whos d isc ip l th y a r . T h L a d r hims

is now known as S h ikh, or Murshid .

T h y tr a v l , o f t n t o f a r co u nt ri s , a t t h b h s t o f t h Mu rs hi

P r a c h ing th c u lt is no t a l lo w d , u nl s s t h y a r a s k d a b o ut it , a

u nl s s t h y f l t ha t th i r q u s ti on r s m a y b a b l t o p ro fi t b y su

knowl dg . P i lg rim a g s to M c c a , M d ina , J rusa l m a nd to oth

shrin s a r und rta k n . T h is st a g g n r a lly ta k s f a r l on g r attainm nt than th pr vious on .

I t is kn ow n a n d r c o r d d , h ow v r , t ha t p ro mo ti on s f ro m a l

sta g to on of th hig h st m a y ta k p la c without th int rv ntion

th Murshid .



b b ORI ENTAL MAGI C

Aft r Tariqat com s Stag Thr : A r i f , th K now r. A t this

p oi nt th S k r d d i c a t s hi ms l f t o t h a t ta i nm n t o f u ni ty wi th

t h t ho ug ht s o f M oh a m m d , a n d ha s gr a d u a t d b y on d th m in d of thfound r of th Ord r . This part of th road is known as Sa far li- Allaht h j ou rn y A w a y fr om N g l c t ful n ss .

O c c u lt a n d a l l s up r na t ur a l po w r s a r v r y ma r k d i n th S t a gof Arif. T h s pi ri t h a s b n a l l b u t p ur g d o f t h d t ri m n ta l ph ys ic a la s p c t s a n d lu sts . T h ` S l f' is w ll und r c on tro l. All that r mains is

th S ummit- th D gr of F a n a , or Annihilation . T h is m a n s t htota l d struc tion of a ll thoughts whic h s p a ra t th S k r from th

full knowl dg of all things . F a r th r t ha n thi s h c a n not g o- xc p tt o S t a g F i v ; w hic h in vo lv s a r t ur n t o t h b a s r lif , i n or d r topurify oth rs

MI RA CL E S O F T H E S U F I SK a m ' a l u d d i n , o n o f th m o st i mp o rt a n t of t h S u f i hi st or ia n s ,

g iv s a t yp ic a l x a mp l o f r a is in g o f t h d a d , a s f a mi li a r to st ud n ts

o f t h N a q sh b a nd i Or d r

Q a iy um , a N a q s hb a n d i l a d r , i s s ta t d to h a v r v iv d h is g ra n d -

d a ug ht r, v n though h r d a th ha d b n c rtifi d thr d a ys b for

Th saint maintain d that sh was still aliv . I t wa s on ly wh n th

bod y was actually showing signs of d c omposition ( of rapid ons t int h I n d ia n c li ma t ) th a t h s im ply c a l l d t o h r . a n d sh is c la i m dt o h a v s a t u p i mm d i a t l y.

A la r g n um b r o f m ir a c l s a r r p or t d of th b s t k no wn wo ma n

S u fi , R a b i i' a a l - A d a w i ya , i n t h i gh th c n tu ry .

H r m a in t a c h i ng , a s x po un d d to t h f w wh o k no w h r w l l,

w a s th a t p ra y r a nd t h r c i ta t io n o f fo rm ul a w r th G a t wa y

to K nowl d g a nd h nc to p ow r . Sh w a s d i si nc l in d t o c o nc n tr a t

u po n th g n r a lly a c c p t d u s of pra y r a s a m a n s t ow a rd s fo r-g iv n s s a n d s a lv a t io n

Using th formula La - illdha- illa- alldh ( ' T h r is no God sa vA l la h , t h O n ' ) , sh is r p ut d to ha v m a d f ir s w it ho ut wo od ,

o b ta i n d f oo d wi th ou t l a v in g h r hou s , a n d b n su p r na t ur a ll y

suppli d with suffici nt gold for h r n ds .

Sh w a s s ol d a s a sl a v a r ly in h r li f . On d a y h r m a st r s a id

tha t h onc notic d tha t a la m p s m d susp nd d a b ov h r, y t

without support of any kind . T his xp ri nc so troubl d him that h

i mm d i a t l y s t h r fr , w it ho ut sa y i ng a ny th in g t o a n y on

S u f i m ir a d - w or k r s, i n a d d i t io n t o t h o b s r va n c o f t h r it ua l

p ra y rs a nd a b lutions, m p loy s v ra l princ ip a l d hik rs whic h ind uc

t h c o n c n tr a ti on of mi nd t ha t n a b l s oc c u lt ph n om n a of a lm os t

THE FAKI RS AND THEI R DOCTRI NES

v ry typ to b p rod uc d . A mong th s a c h i v m nts a r th a b ili

to r l i v p a in a nd d s tr oy d is a s , t ra n sp or ta t io n a n yw h r i n t

t wi nk li ng of a n y , k no wl d g o f f ut ur v n ts a nd a l so of wha n yo n i s t hi nk in g, v n th ou gh th a t p r so n m a y no t b p r s n t .

D HI K RS O F T H E S U F I SA l l r c i t a ti on s a r p r fo rm d i n a s ta t of ritual purity . T h fa

a rm s, f t a nd m outh a r wa s h d . I f th S k r ha s sl p t sinc his la

d hikr, h m ust ha v a b a t h. A n y o th r po ll ut io n m us t a l so b r m ov

b y c om pl t im m r si on .

D h ik rs a r g n r a l ly sa i d d u r in g th h ou rs of d a r kn s s . Wh ns up r na t ur a l r s ul t i s d s ir d , t h d h ik r m us t d w l l u po n s om f a c

of th D iv in p ow r a lli d to th ff c t to b a c c o mp lish d . T h u

wh n a S uf i wi sh s to c ur il ln ss , h p r p a r s him s lf b y r p a t i

a d h i kr c o ns is ti ng o f t h N a m o f G o d wh ic h d n ot s h a l i ng . $y tm a n s th Su f i i nt n d s to c o ll c t i n hi s m in d a t r m n d ou s p ot n ti a l

m n ta l fo rc a s so c i a t d w it h h a l in g . T h is h p ro j c t s to wa r d s t h o b j

o f h is a tt n tio ns, a t th sa m t im c o nc nt ra t ing up on th d s ir d r su

Wh n a S u fi ' s a i d is i nv ok d to n su r , f or x a mp l , s uc c s s

a n y v n tu r , h w il l p ur if y hi ms l f a n d s p n d th r n ig ht s, c u lm in a ti

o n a T h u r sd a y , r c i ti ng th s im p l f or m ul a Ya Fdtih ( ' 0 V ic t or '

o n o f t h A t tr ib u t s of th A l l- P o w r fu l . O n T h ur sd a y ( t h ` p ow r fu

night of th w k ) th full quota of pow r will hav b n built up in h

mind : this, a t a n y v nt, is th th ory . H m ay a lso giv th p rso

ta lism a n or a m ul t with th d hikr writt n on it, to w a r on his a

E v n to d a y, t h s d h ik r a m ul t s a r w id l y w or n a m on g a l l c l a s s s

th Mosl m East . I t is not uncommon for Sufis to r c iv a visitati

from som important m mb r of th Ord r- p rhaps long d aa d v ising th m a s to th b st c ours to ta k in a ny ma tt r up on whi

th y a r unc rta in .

A t th outs t of his tra ining th m or sot ric a sp c ts of S ufi

a r of l ss c onc rn to th S k r tha n th a t ta inm nt of prog rt hr ou gh im p li c i t o b d i n c t o t h f or mu la o f t h c u l t . Th root of

s uc h p ro gr ss is Dh ik r . H a v ing i th r b n giv n a s t d hik r

r p a t ( i f h is und r th d ir c t guid a nc of a S h ik h) , or ha v i

s l c t d on hims lf ( if h is a n Uwaysi working towards th go

alon ) , his task is to r p at it with m ticulous r gard for th tim s a

fr qu ncy of its saying .

I f th f or mu la i s s a id u nd r th b r a t h ( ` D h ik r k ha f i' ) , a r os a

with nin ty - n in b a d s is us d , on b a d b ing told a f t r a c h r p titi

I n th c a s o f t h ' D hik r J a l i' ( l oud r p t iti on) th ro sa r y i s o ft n n

us d . Wh n not a tt nd ing a n a c tua l ha lk a ( ' c i rc l ' ) m ting , t h S k



70 ORI ENTAL MAG C

g n r a ll y g o s to so m q ui t pl a c , o r s p n d s h is c on t m pl a ti on - t i m

in a room s t asid for th purpos .

T h r is, too, th x rc is k nown a s F ik r, which c onsists of

m d i ta t io n : c o n c n tr a ti on u po n s om p ow r t ha t is d s ir d , o r u po n

t h i mm n si ty of t h U ni v r s . Wh n Dhikr and F ikr hav b n

in d ulg d in t o s uc h a n xt nt t ha t th y b c o m s c o nd n a tu r , th

S u p r io r F o rm of D hik r b c o m s n c ss a ry . T h is i s th c ontrol a nd

c o nc n tr a ti on o f b r a t h : t h m ind i s c o nc n tr a t d u pon a si ng l id a ,

a nd th orig ina l D hikr form ula or a noth r on is r c it d , this tim

in s t rhy thm c orr sp ond ing to th b r a thing .

Wh n th D hik r ha s so sunk into th m ind tha t it is b ing a uto-

m a t ic a l ly r p a t d w i th ou t c o n sc i o us ffort- th n th `Sup rior

F o rm ' i s us d . A c c o r d in g to S u fi d o c t ri n , m a s t r y of th t ho ug ht

p roc ss s a nd t h ir link ing with th b od y ha v b n a c hi v d .

T h p urp os of this S up rior F orm is th p rod uc tion of th n x t-and highly important- ph nom non : c sta sy . Wh il i t i s c onc d d

t ha t c s t a sy c a n c o m w it ho ut th D hi kr s, y t it is c l a i m d t ha t i t

c a n not b i nd u c d so r a d i ly b y o th r m a n s. I n th sta t of c s ta sy ,

whic h may b follow d b y unconsc iousn ss, th mind und rgo s a

tra nsform a tion whos na tur is not d sc rib d . T r u c s ta s y i s k no wn

b y th t c h nic a l t rm wajd, a nd p a v s th wa y to K ha tra t- illum ina tion .

H r th m ind a n d soul a r lib ra t d f rom th b o d y, a n d knowl d g

a n d p ow r ta k t h p la c o f t h b a s t ho ug ht s o f w hi c h t h m in d ha s

b n purifi d . I n th C hi sh ti Or d r , m usi c is us d t o in d uc th c s ta t ic

s t a t ; s om o rd r s c l a im th a t t h ir m m b r s f a ll in to a tr a nc a f t r

l oo ki ng in to th y s of th i r S h i kh . T h so- c a l l d D a nc i ng D rvish s

ac complish tranc and cstatic ph nom na through monotonous

ci r cu m a m b u l a t i o n s ; a n d t hi s i s m os t m a r k d i n th M a ul a v i O rd r ,

m o s t p o p ul a r i n T u r k y . I n th c s ta tic s ta t S ufis ar b li v d to b

a b l t o o v r c om a l l b a r ri r s o f t im , s pa c a n d th ou gh t . T h y a r

a b l to c a u s a p p a r n tl y i mp oss ib l t hi ng s t o ha p p n m r l y b c a u s

t h y no a r l on g r c o nf in d b y t h b a r r i r s w hi c h x is t f or mo r

ord ina ry p op l . C rtain it is that som of th ir sup rnatural ac tiviti s

a r d i ff ic u lt , a t t h p r s n t s ta g o f k no wl d g , t o a c c o u nt f or . I t w i l lb o b s r v d t ha t th g n ra l pr inc i pl s to b foun d in v ry ma n ysyst m s of r lig ious a nd oc c ult p ra c tic a r stra ng ly sim ila r . T h

p ri nc i p l s o f l a d r sh ip , d i sc i p l s hi p a n d d i sc i p li n , c o nt m p la t io n a nd

m onoid is m c a n b fou nd i n t h s c r t a nd n ot so s c r t ri t s of

n a rly v ry p op l .

I f th w on d r - w or kin gs of th S u f is a n d H in d u gurus, th A f ri c a n

w it c h- d o c to rs a nd t h A m a zo ni a n m d i c in - m n a r t o b i nv s ti ga t d

i n a s pir it of tr u sc i nc , th r c a n b no qu st io n o f b l i f or d is -

THE FAKI RS AND THEI R DOCTRI NES 7

b li f W m us t a d m it th a t w h a v n ot c o nc l us iv l y s ho wn th a t s c r t

sot ric l or d o s not xist . N it h r c a n w x pl a in th sim il a rit i

on a basis of psychology : t ha t th s r it s a r o nl y s ym b o li c of ma n '

limit d a nd natural strivings for sup riority alon . T h sc op fo

inv stigation is xtraordinarily wid

I AM

( Sufi po m of Mirza Khan, Ansari)

How shall I d fin what thing I am?Wh ol ly x is t n t, a n d y t no n- x is t n t, th ro ug h H im , I a m

Wh a t v r b c o m t h n a ug ht ou t o f n ti ty ,T h significa tion of that nothingn ss am I

S o m t im s a m ot o n t h d i sc o f t h s un ;

A t oth rs , a r ip pl o n t h wa t r ' s s urf a c .

Now I fly ab out in th wind of assoc iation

Now I am a b ird of th incorpor al world .

B y th na m of ic I a lso sty l m ys lf :

C ong a l d i n th wint r s a s on a m I

I ha v nv lop d m ys lf in th four l m nts ;

I a m th c l oud on th fa c of th sk y .

F rom unity I hav c om into infinity :

I nd d , nothing x ist th, tha t I a m not .

M y v it a l i ty i s f r o m l if ' s s o u rc i t s l f ;

A nd I a m th sp c h , v ry mouth within

I a m th h a ring- s ns with v ry a r ;

A n d a lso th s ig ht of v ry y a m I

I am th pot ntiality of v ry thing :I a m th p rc p tion v ry on within .

My will and inclination ar with all ;

With min own acts, also, satisfi d am I

Unto th sinful and vicious, I am vil ;B u t u nt o t h g oo d b n f ic n t a m I



3 .

2 . Karamat ( Wond rs) . STAGE 4

E. g : walking on Known a s th

wat r, pr diction of Safarli- Allah :

th futur . th tr a v laway from

n g l c t ful n ss

STAGE 3

S t a g o f S a f a r -

ullah : th

journ y toknowl dg .

4 .

Mu' awanat( S up r-naturalThauma-turgy) .

E. g : flying,

annihilation

o f s p a c .

STAGE 2

S i b r ( La wful or

`w hit ' magic ;

p rform d b yp rmission oft h S h i kh )

Va\Su•1nSa 1. Lt1v1V

DI AGRAMMATI C REPRESENTATI ON OF THE SUFI PATH

( T A RI Q A- S U F I Y Y A )

STAGE $

O c c u l t p h n om n a a s so c i a t d w it h

d g r s of th S u f i P a t h : Known as thS a f a r - B i ll a h :

I . Mujixa ( Mi ra c l s ) . Sufi r turns

P rform d only b y proph ts. to th waysof man to' g ui d m n .

- - B a gsD gr of Wa li

( S a i n t sh ip ) . S t a t

o f Ma s a vi u t- T a r a f a i n ,or' E quipos d b tw n

th Two Forc s' .

- - F a na . Annihilation. Th

Summit . T r ut h i s r a c h d a n dF a n a a c h i v d i n s tr ic t s ol it ud

and c onc ntrat d m ditation .S k r a c hi ving spiritua l on -

n s s w it h t h S p i r it of th P r o p h t .

- Arif ( K nowl d g ) . Attainm nt ofs p ir i tu a l a n d o c cu l t p ow r s .

S k r a c h i v in g u ni ty wi th th s pi ri t ofth P ir ( found r of th Ord r) .

Spiritual pow r proj ct d into S k r' s mindb y his S h ik h ( l a d r)

- Tar igat ( P o t n ti al it y) . Th first r al stag ofS ufism. D d i c a t d to o n - n s s w it h t h s pi ri t of th

S h i k h o r M ur sh id ( s p ir i tu a l l a d r )

D ur in g th is p r io d t h S k r f ol lo ws h is S h i kh i n a l l

things, blindly adopting c rtain r c itations and spiritual

x rc is s .

P riod of r d dic a tion to th th m of ` B in t h w or ld ,but not oft h w or ld ' .

STAGE I - Muridi ( D isc i pl ship ) . A c c p t d b y m a st r a s su it a b l c a n d i-

d a t f or th S u fi P a t h .

S a l i k : L it. ' S k r' - g n ric t r m for S ufi in th S ufi P a t h .

KHATRAT

( ìllumination' - Pow r, knowl dg )

DHI KR- iKHAFI

( S i l n t Dh ik r) .

DHI KR- I - DAM

( ' B r a t h a nd C o nc n tr a ti on d r il l)

DHI KR- i- J ALI

( L oud Dhikr) .

( R pr s nta tion of th st ps to I llumination through Dhikr

( R p tit io n) of th t hr t yp s, a c c o rd i ng to th s c r t lo r

of Sufism . )

ORGANI ZATI ON OF THE CHI SHTI ORDER .

GRANDMASTER

P I R (Chi f of th Monast ry)

Pilgrim Sufis Dw ll r Sufis : ( i) Work rs .

( organiz rs of th loca l ( i i) A s soc i a t s .

H a lga s- c i rc l s- a nd a d - ( iii) R c lus s .

ministrators) .

Fiv H a l g a s , u n d r t h P i l g ri m S u f is , o r g a n iz d i nt o g u il d s a n d c n tr s

for th furth r diss mination of th lor through lay associat s in ac h

t o wn a n d vi ll a g w i th i n t h Mon a s t r y ' s jur is di ct i o n .



74 OR ENTAL MAGIC

THEORETI CAL DI AGRAM OF THE WORLD SUFI HI ERARCHY

Esot ric Sa intship .

QUTUB- Th Axis H a d o f a l l Sufis .

F i rs t I m a m S c ond I ma m( ' l a d r ' ) ( assistants to Qutub)

0 0 0 0

T h F our Awtad ( ' P i l l a r s ' )corr sponding to th four points

o f t h c o m p a s s.

0000000

T h S v n A b d a l- d p uti s of th A wta d , a ndr s pon si bl for th a f f a i r s of th S v n

Contin nts

0 0 0 0 0

F i v A m d ( S u p po rt r s) , a s si st in g A b d a l .

S v nty N ob l s,

r pr s nt t rritori s

T h r H un d r d C hi f s o f l a nd s

small r than nations.

Sa ints, without t rritorial

jurisdic tion.

S k rs, w orking

und r saints .

L a i t y a n d a f f il i a t s .

THE ELEVEN SECRET RULES OF THE I N TI ATE I N SUFI SM

C h a ra c t r is ti c o f a l l S u fi Or d r s a r t h R ul s la i d d o wn b y t h f ou nd r

- a n d so m t im s a d d d t o b y hi s s uc c s so rs - f o r t h c o nd u c t a nd c o n c n -

t ra t io n o f S k rs . T h s a r th ind isp nsa b l R ul s of th N a qshb a nd i

Ord r :

THE FAKIRS ANDTHEix UULALtlNr 1)

I . A wa r n ss of Br athing Th mind must b attun d to b s cr tly

a wa r of v ry thing, v n b r a th . A t th s a m t im , t h m in d m us t p ul sa t

w it h t ho ug ht s o f t h I n fi ni t ( d i vi n s s n c a n d om ni po t n c ) .

s . T ra v l i n O n ' s O wn L a n d. I t m ust b r m m b r d f r q u ntly tha t th

S u fi is a ` t ra v l l r ' - a l on g th S u fi P a t h.

3 . Wa tc hing th F t . Wh n wa l ki ng , t h S k r mu st gl u hi s g a z u po n

his st ps . T h s c r t m a n in g o f t hi s i s th a t h m us t b a w a r o f w h r h

is going, in a m taphorica l s ns .

4 . Solitud in Company . T h m ind is to b r p a t d ly c onc ntra t d so

that, v n in company with oth rs, in th midst of distractions, t h S u fi

may k p his thoughts r l vant to his task

5 . R m mb ring . T h S u fi m us t n v r f or g t th a t h i s a d d i c a t d p r son .

6 . R straint T h i s r f r s t o s ho rt p ra y r s w hi c h a r u s d t o pu nc t u a t

t h r p t it io ns of th D hi kr

7 . A wa r n ss T h m ind m ust b c o m a w a r t ha t t h r a r m a ny d ist ra c -

tions . T h s a r to b c omb a t d

8 . R c o ll c t io n . Conc ntration must b possibl through thinking this

word, and without words .

9. Pa us of Tim . During paus s in thinking, th Sufi must r ca pitulat

h is a c t io ns , a n d x a mi n th m .

io. Pa us of Numb rs . A wa r n ss th a t t h r q ui r d n um b r of r p t it io ns

of th D hikr phra s ha v b n c om pl t d

I I . P a us of th H a rt . During this paus th mind is train d to visualiz

th S k r' s h a rt b a ring th N a m of A lla h



CHAPTER 8

THEARABANCONTRBUTON

" I n th n a m o f S u l a im a n , s on of D a vi d ( u po n w ho m b p a c ) who ma d a ll th J inn subj ct to him : I d o h r b y, a nd

in th nam of King Sulaiman, and by his s al as my oath, bindmys lf to us th pow r that thou shalt giv m in th way I

th in k t o b fo r t h b st , a nd t o k p my pow r s c r t f ro ma ll . " - Ma g ic i a n' s oa t h : Book of t h S v n fo ld S c r t , F irst Gat

LI TTLE i s k no wn o f A r a b m a g ic a l p ra c t ic s b f or t h r is o f I s la min th s v nth c ntury of this ra . Ac cording to Arab trad ition, Solomonl ft a vast h ritag of his sp lls and pow rs to a numb r of initiat s, who

g ua r d d th s c r ts i n ou t- of - t h - wa y oa s s . O th r m a gi c ia n s, a r m dwith m a g ic word s, ta lism a ns a nd sp lls, fill d v a st c a v rns full of

tr a s ur s a nd x rc i s d t h ir po w r a s a s ort of oc c u lt l it , ov r th

n ti r w or ld .

B fo r th a d v nt of I s la m , th S m iti c tr a d it ion s s ha r d b y

A r a b s, J ws , A ss yr ia n s a n d ot h rs w r m b od i d i n th r it ua l s a n d

s ym b ol is m o f t h i d ol a tr y o f t h T m pl a t M c c a : th m ystic K a a b a ,w hi c h Mo ha m m d p u ri fi d a nd r d d i c a t d t o mo not h i sm a f t r th

succ ss of his mission . Among th thr hundr d and sixty spirit-

gods s t up th r w r Al- Lit, ManAt, ' Uzza and Hobal : d monsa n d go d s w ho ` g a v o ra c l s a n d d c i d d t h w a ys o f m a n' . T h ir p ri sts

w r d r a wn x c lu si v l y fr om th t ri b o f Q ur a is h, t h r oy a l c la n . Wh a v s uf fi c i n t k no wl d g o f t h p r - I s la m ic A r a b s or c r r s t o k no w

t ha t th i r m t ho d s c l os l y r s m b l d t ho s o f t h o th r S m it ic n a t io ns .Wh r t h A r a b c o nt ri b ut io n b c o m s in t r s ti ng is d ur in g t h p r io d

a ft r th a ll- c o nq u rin g c l a ns sw p t out of th d s rt, a nd t h p oc h

of assimilation with oth r syst ms cam to th for .

Th story of Arab- I slamic magic follows th patt rn of Arab

c ivili' ation. U nd r th a r ly c a l ip hs of S y ri a , S p a i n a n d E g yp t, t h

s ta g g r in g m a s s o f w ri tt n m a t r ia l c a p t ur d f ro m t h h r it a g o f

R om , G r c , a nd a l l th oth r c onqu r d n a tions wa s tra nsla t d

into A ra b i c . S c h ol a rs- f r q u ntly a t S ta t x p ns - sy st m a tiz d t ht a c h in gs of A ri sto tl a n d th o th r G r k wr it r s, s um ma r iz d a n c i n t

histori s , organiz d th cod s of law , r ligion and thic . At th flourish-

ing univ rsiti s of Ka irouan, Azhar, Cordoba , Baghdad , doc tors

76

THE ARABI AN CONTRI BUTI ON 7

work d on m d ic i n , m a gic a n d a lc h m y . J w is h a n d C ha l d a n m a gi c

b li fs w r ` b o il d d own' a nd s tud i d

What was th Arab - Mosl m attitud towards magic? Ta king

a s a lways, th ir l a d fr om th Q ur a n, th sa g s a c c p t d th th or

that m a g ic , i n o n f or m o r a n o th r , w a s a d f in it f or c . S o m o f t

w or ld ' s mo st in t r s ti ng m a gi c a l tr a t is s c o m f ro m t h p n s o

A r a b - M osl m w rit rs b tw n th tw l fth a n d six t n th c nt uri s

a n d i t wa s p a r tl y th ro ug h th i r w or k wi th l a r n d J w s in th A r a

Sp a n i sh un iv r si ti s th a t m uc h o f o ri n ta l lo r n t r d E u r op .

F a k hr- d - D in E l- R izi ( R ha z s ) o ut li n d o n o f t h f irs t A r a

sy st m s of m a g ic . A c c o rd i n g t o h im Sihr ( m a gic ) i s to b d i vi d d i n

th r Naw' , o r c a t g or i s :

F i r st c o m s C ha l d a n m a g ic , w hi c h m a n t to hi m la r g l y a s ta r - c u l t

a nd inc lud d a strolog y a nd sp irits a ttrib ut d to forc s of th sta r

A r a b i a n s p l l to d r y riv a l's w ll or cist rn- aft r I bn Khaldtmn

[ S p . 7 8 . ]

S c o nd l y, h s a ys , t h r i s t ru s pi ri t- m a gi c , w hi c h m a y b a f or m

s pi ri tu a li sm , t og t h r w it h hy p no si s . I t a l so d a l t wi th t h i nt r

a c tion of th hum a n soul up on its host th b od y , a nd up on th b od i

of oth rs. C o nt a c t wi th ot h r hu m a n s p ir it s a n d t h i r m p lo y m

f or ms a p a r t o f t hi s s c t i on . F i na l ly , t h r a r m ir a c l s , w h ic h a

v ou c hs a f d o nl y t o p ro ph t s, a c c o rd i ng to th Mo sl m b l i f .

L g n d ha s it t ha t th r w r t wo a ng l s, H a a r ut a n d Ml ru t, w h

l a r n d m a g ic , a n d t ra n sm it t d i ts kn ow l d g t o m a nk in d , a n d t h

th sis is ba sic to all Arab ma gic . T h r a r a l so s uc h th in gs a s J i

( g n ii ) , w hi c h ma y b p a r t s pi ri t a n d p a r t s om t hi ng l s . B oth t

a n g ls a nd g ni s a r m n ti on d m or t ha n on c in th Q ur a n . A noth

f or m o f m a g ic t r a t d b y A r a b s is Ma skh, th a rt of tra nsform ing m

into animals whic h is known in th W st a s ly c a nthrop y

T h c l a s si c a l b o ok s o f A r a b r s a r c h r s i n m a ny ot h r fi l d s t ha

t h o c c u lt r c o rd ma g ic a l b l i fs a n d p ro c ss s . Su c h a u t ho ri ti s



7 8 ORI ENTAL MAGI C

T a b a r i, t h h ist or ia n , sp a k of m a gi c , wh il th S oc ial P hilosophy of

I b n K ha ld d n m ntions c rta in rit s s n a nd r c o rd d b y him . E v n

th philosophic al writings of Al- Ghazzali, fath r of mod rn logic,

m a k it c l a r tha t th A ra b m a s t rs ha d g iv n th sub j c t s riousthought .

I b n K ha l d un, th soc i a l p hilosop h r, g iv s on of th m ost r -

fr shing ly unb i a s d a c c ou nts of a t hin k r fa c d w ith ma g ic a l b li fs

Writing in th fourt nth c ntury , h sa y s tha t th r w r two typ s ofmagic : ( i) P ur Ma gic ; ( i i) T a l isma n s ( 6 6 ) .

P u r m a gic h d fin s a s som forc whic h c o m s stra i ght fromwithin th magic ian, without th int rm diary of any ` h lp r ' ( m ua ' win)

I n this form th r is no q u stion of spirits b ing us d or conj ur d

S t y li z d `pow r sp ll'

in Chin s brushwork,inscrib d on pap rwith p a c hwood sty-lus. T h word i ng i sArabic : ' 0 T rib of

Ha shim 1'

- A u th o r ' s c o l l c t i o n

T h i s i s p r ha p s a n c h o o f t h m a na - a k a sa b li f in a wid spr a d

a lm ost unta p p d oc c ult forc , whic h is th r to b us d , a nd n ith r

good nor vil : a lmost a psycho- physic al forc . T h s c o nd form, whic h

is sum ma r iz d i n th t rm T a lism a nic , im pli s th n c ssity of ma k ing

c ontac t with and us of som oth r forc .

I bn Khal d id n was th first to notic that th r is som link b tw n

th hypnoidal stat and th ab ility to mak us of som sort of pow r

H sa ys tha t th p nta c l - d ra wing a nd oth r ritua ls must work up th

magician' s motions to a high pitc h . I f this is not a c hi v d , th r will

b no r sult . Th is is th first sc i ntific c omm nt to b r c o rd d i n th

study of magic .

T his b ac k ground of int ns int ll ctual ac tivity, c ov ring a studyof var ious syst ms, p rod u c d a wid vari ty of tal ismans ( 6 7 ) an d oth r

wond r- work ing i t m s .



th S oc ia l P hilosophy of

d r c o rd d b y him . E v n

f a th r o f m od r n log ic ,

v n th sub j c t s rious

v s on of th most r

d with m a gic a l b li fs .

th r w r two ty p s of

ic h com s straight from

o f a n y ` h lp r' ( m ua ' win) .

b ing us d o r c o nj ur d .

S t y l i z d ` p o w r s p l l 'in Chin s brushwork,i n s c r i b d on pa p rwith p ac hwood sty-l u s . T h word i ng isAr ab i c : ` 0 T rib of

H a s h i m 1 '- A u t h o r' s c o l l c t i o n

b li f in a wid spr a d

to b us d , a nd n ith r

. T h s c o nd form , whic h

s th n c ssity ofmaking

th r is som link b tw n

s of som sort ofpow r .

tuals must work up th

is not a c h i v d , th r will

nt to b r c o rd d in th

t iv it y, c o v r in g a s t ud yta l ism a ns ( 6 7 ) a n d oth r

T o p , l f t : T h in xp lic a b l foa m b low P a p hos

c liffs ( Cyprus) " fromwhich V nus ros " ( Ch. 4 )

C n t r , l f t : G rav - shrin of B ab a Wal i S a h b inK a n d a h a r . S a id to ha v th p ow r of r nd r-

i ng w a po ns i nv in ci b l ( C h . 7 )B o t t o m , l f t : Kurdish ritual sword- da nc , t rm-

inating in " xtac y and r v lations" . A r m na nt

of th p r - I sla mic P a c o c k c u lt ( C h . i i )T op r i g h t : T h a rli st form of V nus,

( A p hrod it ) . Around this gr y monolith,

b r ou gh t a s t h i r g od d s s b y th P ho

n c i an s f ro m S o ut h A r ab i a , w as bu il t t hS a n c t u a r y o f P a p h o s : g r a t st pilg rim a gc ntr of th a nc i nt M d it rra n a n ( C h . 4

C n tr , r i g h t : V i w of th mystic al Shrin oV nus- A sta r t ( A p hrod it ) a t P a p hos, oa c oin of Bylbus ( Ch . 4 )

Bottom, right : R d - la c q u r d Chin s sp iritwriting instrum nt, r s mbling a d iviningrod . T h h a d r pr s nts a d ra gon ( C h . 1



T op l f t : Aqil Khan, th alch mist who

i ns tr uc t d t h a u th or ( C h 1 4 )C ntr : I ndian Sa dhu, d monstrating th

us o f a n " i nv oc a to ry sh ll " ( C h 1 3 )Bottom, l f t : Hima layan ma gic ian, with

magical staff. His cloth s ar purpos ly

t a tt r d , to in d ic a t hu mi li ty ( C h . 9 )

T o p , right : Afghan Fakir, cr dit

imm ns psychic pow rs, and sp ci

in th hy pnosis of anim als ( Ch . 7 )

Bottom, right : P rsia n wiza r d , in th

rob of a Sufi Ord r. T h wa nd ,

and sling ar part of his magicals ori s ( C h . i i )



: Afghan Fakir, cr dit d withp sy c h ic p o w r s, a n d sp c i a l iz in g

osis of a nimals ( Ch . 7 )

: P rsia n wiza r d , in th p a tc h d

a S u fi Or d r. T h wa nd , d a gg rg a r p a r t o f h is ma g i c a l a c c s -

C h . I I )

THE ARABI AN CONTRI BUTI ON 79

Ta lismans must b mad at c rtain tim s. Th y ar to contain

i th r or b ot h o f th m a gic a l m ta l s i ron a nd c op p r. Th ir symbolismi s a p o w r fu l a g n t f or c o m p l li ng th s ub s r vi n c o f s pi ri ts . Thos

who d sir to ca us disc ord, for xampl , must mak th ir talisman

squar wh n th moon is in Ari s . B ut on mad in Ari s, and of

c irc ular shap , will c omp l a spirit who has knowl dg of hidd ntr a s ur s to a p p a r a nd d iv ulg his s c r ts . Th word ATHORAY, whic his und r th a gis of th P l ia d s, wh n insc r ib d on a c op p r ta b l t,

g iv s pow r s f a r b y on d th o rd i na r y to sa i lo rs , s ol d i r s a n d a l c h m is ts .

Buildings, w lls and min s may b wr c k d by a magic al talisman

mad of th sam mat rial, with th word ADEL AMEN and th sign for

Ta urus writt n th r on . T h is is al s o t ho ug ht t o b p o w r fu l f or an y

f or m of v i l m ag i c . ALCHATAY, mad und r T aurus, with its sign and

t hi s n a m u po n i t i n b l a c k on a t ri a ng ul a r pi c o f i ro n, i s c a r r i d

b y tra v ll rs, a n d is sa i d to c u r m a ny illn ss s . ATHANNA, writt nw it h th s ig n o f G m in i o n a c r s c n t- s ha p d t a b l t o f i ro n a n d c o p p r ,

h lps b si g rs . U s d i n v il m a gic , it c a n d stroy ha r v sts, a n d is ff c tiv for r v ng .

ALDI MI ACH, also und r G mini, and compos d in th sam way as

t h f or m r t a li sm a n , i s u s d f or l ov a n d f ri n d sh ip .

I t wa s r c o mm nd d tha t a c om pl t s t of th s sig ns should b

w ritt n on wh it p a p r wit h j t- b l a c k i nk , a n d c a r ri d o n th p rson .

T h n, wh n th moon or sun wa s passing through th a ppropriats ig ns of th Z o d i a c , t h l a t n t v ir tu s of th t a l is ma n s wo ul d s ta r t to

op ra t , a nd th r quisit b n fits would b f lt a nd s n .

T h r ar still oth r variations on this astrologica l lor : Almazan,

und r L o, ca us s m n to quarr l, and wom n I I t is a bad sign fort ra v l l rs, a n d a g n ra l p ro mo t r of d is c or d a s a ta l ism a n . A lg lioc h ,

also und r L o, b ing at a fix d position, promot s lov and b n -vol nc . Azobra, from th man of L o, is good for voyag s and to

r g a i n l os t a f f c t io ns . Alza rfa, from Virgo, is fortunat for gain

A c hur th, from V irg o, k p s lov a n d c u r s th sic k , thoug h it d o s

n ot h l p l a nd t ra v l . Thos who want to find a tr asur mad th ir

talisman with th nam of Agrafa, und r Libra ; a nd Azub n , withaffinity to Sc orpio, was unfortunat for s a trav l .

Talismans in c opp r and l ad mad und r th pow r of th

Crown of Scorpio and ngrav d with th nam Alc hil w r suppos d

to fa v our fo rtu n in g n ra l , a n d tra v l .

T h f oll ow in g A r a b i a n ta l is ma n s c o mp l t t h li st g iv n in s v ra l

magic a l books : th y w r wid ly c u rr nt a t on tim in E u rop .Allatha , th tail of Sc orpio, is unluc ky for trav l or n w fri ndships,

G



S o ORI ENTAL MAG C

a n d s o i s u s d i n h a t m a g i c . A b r a h a ya d s tr oy s i ll - g a i n d w a l th a nd

i nc i t s p o pl t o g a m b l . A b id a h lp s ha rv sts a nd t ra v ll rs, b ut

c a u s s d iv or c a n d d i sc o n t n t i f u s d w it h v ic i o us in t n t . S a da h c ha ,

which com s und r Capricorn, nsur s good h alth, whil Zabodola

c u r s c rta in d is a s s . S a d a b t h i s t h S t a r of F o rt un , a n d it s t a li sm a n

should b worn by all who s k c onjugal loyalty. S a d a l a b ra , i n c o n-

j un c t io n w it h o th r h a t - t a li sm a n s, i s u s f ul f or r v n g , d s tr oy s n mi s and also caus s divorc . A lf a rz, on th o th r ha n d , h lp s

o n t o m t o n ' s l if p a rt n r , a n d b ri ng s g oo d fo rt un i n g n r a l .

Albothan, which is gov rn d by th forc of Pisc s, brings saf tyi n s tr a ng p la c s : i t i s o n o f t h p r ot c t i v c h a r m s wo rn b y m a g ic i a n s

w hi l a t t h i r w or k. I t promot s harmony, and mak s marri d p opl

happy .

Arab ic ma gic is highly symboliz d . Many of th trad itional signs

o f t h w iz a rd s - t h p n ta g ra m , S a l o f S o lo mo n a n d S h i l d of D a vi d ,

th Ey of Horus and th Hand of th Moon god- ar in c onstant us

a m ong A r a b - I s la m ic s orc r rs

On c urious b li f d s rv s m ntion h r . I n th c a s of th

swastika- that symbol of th sun and of lif among p opl s from

North

a nd

South

Crim

W st rnEurop

Am rica 1 Balkans

SpainN Af ri ca i - -

C ntr a l

Africa

Russia

Caucasia

tT urk y

t

ARAB SYNTHESI S :

BABYLONI A :

S E MI T E S :

EGYPTI AN

GREECE andROME

T urk sta n- - p- N . W. China

Afghanistan

Malaysia

Chart illustrating Arab ian r diffusion of th magica l arts inh rit d

f ro m N a r - Ea s t r n ci vil iza t io ns : i gh th to fif t n th c n tu ri s , A . D

tim im m m oria l- th A ra b s ha v d c i d d tha t a sp c i a l v irtu r sid s

in its form alon . I f th a t fo rm i s a l li d t o a m a n in g a s si gn d t o i

thoug ht- forc , th n th forc b c o m s d oub l d . Should th m a

b t r b l d , s o i s t h f or c w hi c h i s a t th c o m ma n d of th m a git hr ou g h t h v r y s y mb o l i sm of th s wa s t ik a o r o th r ma g i c a l d v

I n t h s v n t nt h- c nt ur y A r a b ic w or k T i lis m w a ' l Q uww a ( ' P o w r

T a l is ma n s' ) ( 6 8 ) w f in d a n x pa n si on of th is th o ry . T h C h ri st

s a y s th a n o ny m ou s a u t ho r, t oo k th s ig n of th C r os s a s t h i r m b

Now w know that from tim imm morial th Cross has b n us

magic to portray th Sun and also that it ` c ontains within it virtu s

kind of which w ar unc rtain' . I t wa s p ot nt b for J sus . A

t h C r u c i fi xi on , i t w a s a d o p t d , a n d t h us ha s a d o u b l f un c t i on

pot nc y. ` T h sa m is tru of th S w a stik a ' ( 6 9 ) .

Wh r th Swastika originat d is not known. I n China, it is

x tr m ly c om mo n ( un d r t h n a m o f w a n) a n d is t hou ght t o h a v

a dopt d und r Budd hism, whic h possibly points to a n I ndia n sou" th ac c umulation of luc ky signs poss ssing t n thousand virtu

b i ng on o f t h s ix ty - f iv m ys ti c fi gu r s w hi c h a r b l i v d tt ra c a b l t o v r y o n o f t h f a m ou s f oo tp ri nt s o f B u d d h a " . I t i sc u r r n t in o th r l a n d s wh ic h h a v B u d d h i st t ra d i ti on s .

" I t ha s b n id ntifi d with th H amm r of T hor" - wh n

possibly, th G rman Nazis ad opt d it, as an ` Aryan' symbol-Z u s o r T h un d r r of th S c a n d in a vi a ns . "

T h n a m w hi c h w u s f or it is d r iv d f ro m t wo S a n sk r it w

su ( ' w ll' ) a nd a sti ( ' it is' ) , m a ning , i t is w ll

Th r ar many vari ti s of th cross- swastika : a m ong tt h f yl fo t w hi c h i s t h m b l m of th I s l o f Ma n

Th r hav b n s v ral Arabian adaptations of th swast

symbol to pow rs, invoc ations and na m s. I n on , th p hra s Y a

( ' 0, Alil' ) , an invoc ation to th Fourth Caliph and CompanioMoha mm d , is s n . This is c urr nt among follow rs of th S

rit , who r v r this p rsonag v ry highly . A g a in, in P rsia ,

s ym b o l w a s us d t o n c l os t h P r si a n in vo c a t i on to th F o ur C a l iYd Chahdr Ydr ( ' 0, Four Fri nds' ) . I n t hi s c a s th a r ms ( o r l g

t h f ig ur , a s wi th t h f or m r o n , g iv t h i mp r s si on o f c l o c k

rotation . O n c a l li gr a p h r , k no wi ng of th m a n in g o f t h C h a hd r

p hr a s , p r p a r d a v r si on o f m y n a m f or a s a l , i n w hi c h w r swastik as rotating in diff r nt dir ctions . Th last on contain

t i t l : S a y d S ha h

So muc h for th talismanic a sp c t of th Arabia n contribut

Charac t ristic of th mploym nt of d mons and spirits- as opp

to th talisman th ory or `s cond forc ' of I bn Khaldun- is

i nt ri c a t q u s ti on o f t h k no t sp l l .



A n im po rt a nt r f r n c t o t h m a k in g a n d us o f k no ts a s a v h ic l

for curs s is found in ( 70 ) th Quran :

T h Da yb r a k :

" S a y thou : ` I ta k r fug with th L o rd of ] D a yb r a kF r om th v il of a l l H b a t h m a d ,

A n d fr om th v il o f t h d a r k on w h n it sp r a d sAnd from th vil of thos who blow upon knotsA nd th v il of th nv ious wh n h nv i s . ' "

T h is c l a r ly r f r s t o t h a n c i n t S m it ic k n ot - l o r w hi c h i s q uo t d

in th Maglu ( B u rn ing ) T a b l t s :

" H r knot is loos d, h r sorc ry is brought to naught, and

a l l h r c ha r m s f il l t h d s r t . "

Magic s q ua r f o r a s i n gc h i l d b i r t h . From Al-G h a z z a l i ' s D l iv r a nc

from Error. T h num-b r s a r

A 4 9 2S 78 r 6

[ S p 7 8 ]

M os l m tr a d i ti on t l ls a c u ri ou s t a l o f t h P r op h t Mo ha m m d

b i ng b wi tc h d b y a J w is h so rc r r us in g th is m th od . N in k no ts

w r t i d i n a st ri ng , a c h kn ot ` b i nd i ng ' a c u rs , a n d th th r a d w a s

t h n hi d d n in a w ll . O nl y th a r c ha n g l Ga b r i l' s ti m ly wa r ni ng , w

a r inform d , d isc l os d t h hid ing - p la c of th d a th sp ll . S uch

s p l ls a r c o un t r d b y u nt yi ng th k no ts , o n b y o n : but in this ca s

t h c h ro ni c l r s a f fi rm t ha t t h y u nr a v l l d . th m s lv s a t th P r op h t' s

c ommand .

J u st a s v il c a n b ` b o un d ' i nt o k no tt d d t hr a d , s o c a n go odb d on b y th sa m m a ns . A m on g t h C n tr a l A s ia n tr ib s , i ll n s sis cur d b y ` blowing upon knots' ; a n d th r is a r g ula r ritua l a tta c h dto th whol thing . A thr - c o lo ur d c o rd is sp un , i n g r n, b l u a n d

r d ; on knot is ti d v ry da y . A ft r s v n d a y s t h sp ll is b u ri di n a n in a c c ss ib l s pot , a n d t h d i s a s w ill th n d i sa p p a r .

Many of th stori s in th Arabian Nights h a v a s th i r b a s i s t h

m a g ic a l b l i f s o f t h A r a b s a nd C h a ld a n s i n t h j in n a n d th i r p ow r s.J u st a s t h W s t r n w it c h s su pp os d t ha t th y c o ul d b y p r fo rm in g

c r ta i n r it s ga i n t h s r vi c s of a p ow r fu l d m on , s o d o tr a d i ti on a l

A r a b i a n a n d I s la m i c w r it in gs t l l o f t h w on d r s o f J i nn - l a n

t h c o un tr y o f t h f a ir i s ( P r is ta n ) . T h m t ho d o f c o n ju ri ng

b y t a l is ma n s is w id s pr a d . B r i f ly , t ho ug h th r a r v a ri a ti on s,

c onsists in making a talisman and p rfuming it with th r qu

inc ns , a s th first st p . A ft r this ha s b n d on , th j inn is c on

in t h n a m o f S o l om on , a n d th r a t n d w it h S o l om on ' s w ra t hb ing s a l d in a m ta l b ottl ) if h d o s not ap p a r . I f th c o

num b r of r p titions ha v b n ma d , a nd c rta in oth r r quir m

c o mp li d w it h, t h j in n wi ll c o m a n d s rv th in vo c a nt ( 7 z) .

Mos l m t h o log ia n s a r so m w ha t a t v a ri a nc a b o ut th q u

o f t h Wo rd o f P o w r a n d it s u s s . S o m c o nt n d th a t s uc h a

t ho u gh i t x i st s , i s kno wn t o no b o d y o n a r t h : h nc its us

q u stion whic h d o s not a ris . Thos who follow I bn Khaldon

G b r ( t h l a tt r is sa i d to ha v w ri tt n fi v h un d r d b o ok s o n m

m a in ta i n t ha t th Wo rd h a s b n r v a l d a n d t ha t th is na m ( I

Axam) is th on whic h a lon c omp ls th ob d i nc of th g

S tud nts of th oc c u lt lik G b r ( J a ' a fir Ab u- Musa ) , how v r, m

p oint of d istinguishing b tw n ma g ic a nd sorc ry . T h la tt r ( k a

u s s t a l is ma n s a l o n , w it ho ut t h N a m o f G o d , w hi c h c a n no t,

a f fi rm , b us d for v il nd s .

Th r ar oth r trac s of Egyptian and Babylonian magi

Arab ian occ ultism as pass d to Europ in th Dark Ag s . E

from h r or through th I ndian c onn c tion ( possibly both

A r a b s f l t t ha t t h m a g ic a l c i rc l al- Mandal w a s n c s sa r y in a l l

j ura tions, to p rot c t th op ra tor from th wra th of S a ta n- S a ta

c o u rs , b i ng th o ri gi na t o r o f b l a c k , a s So l om on wa s o f w hi t , m

A m on g t h b s t- k no wn wr it r s, i th r o n c u r r n t m a g ic a l p ra c

or its th ory , w r A t- T a b a r i ( T a f si r) , E r - R a z i ( Ma f a t ib ) , and7ama khshari ( K a s h sh a f) T h ir works a r g n ra lly n gl c t

W s t r n s tu d n ts o f t h o c c u lt . I n fac t , th ir mat rial is not avai

for study in W st rn tongu s in ac curat translation



CHAPTER 9

LEGENDS OF THESORCERERS

" W sa w wit h o ur ow n y s o n of th s p op l m a k in gt h i ma g o f a p r so n t o b w it c h . . . a d m on c o m s ou t o f h is

mouth . . m a n y v i l s p ir it s c o m d o w n, a n d t h v i c t im is

a tta c k d b y th sp c ifi d v il . " - I B N KHALDL) N : Mugaddama

( f ou rt n th c n tu ry )

THE M YS TE R Y OF E L - A RA B

THE nomadic Arabs of th H jaz toda y ar anything but a sup r-

stitious p opl . Th rigid a nd unimaginativ impac t of puritanica lWa ha b ism , a s pr a c h d u nd r th p r s nt r gim , l a v s littl room

for anything oth r than a strictly lit ral int rpr tation of lif . T h on x c p ti on t ha t I f ou nd th r - d u ri ng ov r a y a r of r c nt w a nd ri ng s

- was th story of El- Arab

E l- A ra b w a s, it s m s, ith r a gr a t fra ud , a g r a t ma g ic i a n- or

t h f ir st ma n to ma k u s o f l c t ri c it y . T hr or four hundr d y ars

a go h a pp a r d , in th form of a wand ring anchorit , and sought

r fug in a small villag . F ollowing a d isput during which his int r -

p r t a ti on s o f t h o lo gy s m d t oo li b r a l t o t h l oc a l r s id n ts , h w a s

d r iv n fo rt h i nt o t h w il d r n s s . I t s m d , how v r, tha t E l- Ara b

h a d t a k n a l ik i ng t o t h s p ot . From th sand- dun s about a mil

awayh i s s a id t o ha v d i r c t d l o ng l ig ht ni ng - f la s h s a t th u nh a p py

inhab itants- until th y rath r unwillingly invit d him to tak up his

r sid nc a mong th m .

Th r w r no mor r ligious discours s . I nst a d , E l- A ra b ( ' T h

Arab' - that was th only nam h would giv ) sp nt his tim d mon-

strating his lightning, and nlarging upon his th ori s. Acc ording toh is t a c h in g, l ig ht ni ng , l ik v r yth in g l s , ha d i ts r a l us s . T h in gs

w hi c h w r n ot pu t t o a u s w r s im p ly b i ng wa s t d . H , E l- A ra b ,

h a d l a r n d h o w t o m a s t r it , a n d t o b n d it to hi s w il l . Wh n h wa s

charg d with sorc ry h m r ly laugh d . H us d to d monstrat to

t ra v l l r s t h l ig ht ni ng im p ri so n d , a s h s a id , i n c l a y j a r s . V ry littl

mor is known of h is a c t iv it i s , x c p t t hi s : wh n anyon was anxious

of n ws from som far plac , El- Arab would slightly op n on jar,

and c all upon th lightning to bring bac k tidings, aiming it in th

g n ra l d ir c tion of th d sir d n ws . T h r wou ld b a p uff o f sm ok ,

a s ha r p c r a c k , a n d l i g ht ni ng w ou ld f o r k fo rt h fr om t h v s s l . T h n h

84

L L UE NL ) S Vt' i ' ) i n J O tt nnr tt b

would op n anoth r jar ( ' into which th lightning, swift r th

l ig ht , h a d r tu rn d ' ) , a n d b hold , w ithi n wo uld b s n a g r n g l

This El- Arab would int rpr t, and giv th d sir d informatio" w hi c h a l wa y s tu rn d o u t t o b t ru "

I n hi s n or ma l li f t h r s m d n ot hi ng a t a ll od d . A nd t h stra n g

t hi ng w a s t ha t t r a v l l r s us d t o f o ll ow t h l ig h t w h n l os t in t

d s rt- a nd r a c h th v illa g in sa f ty

Wh n h d i d , E l- A ra b w a s sa i d to h a v liv d in t h s tt l m nt

n arly two hundr d and fifty y a rs . Small wond r that g n rati

had grown up r garding him as nothing xtraordinary, lightn

a n d a l l . B ut th r wa s a rud shoc k wh n h d i d . As is custom

w h n a r v r d m a n d i s, hi s b o d y wa s b uri d on th s pot und r d s rt sands in a dun n ar th villag w ll . Wh n th mournr t ur n d t o t h i r v il la g i t w a s s n th a t E l - A r a b ' s hou s h a d d i

a pp a r d 1 T his ph nom non ha d not only n v r, b n s n b y tlocal p opl - but th y had n v r v n h ard of such a thing . so it is still talk d a bout . As on man said to m " I t ma y s

s tra n g - b u t a g a in , t h r ha s o nly b n o n E l- A r a b . Had th r b

two, it is lik ly that th s cond would hav d part d in th sa

wa y. "

F r o m a s c i n ti fi c p o in t o f v i w , s v r a l th in gs st ri k t h s tu do f or i n ta l t a l s a b o u t m a g ic i a n s . I t co m s , f ir st of a ll , a s so m t hi ng

a s ho c k to no t t ha t so v r y l it tl h a s b n d on i n s if ti ng th m a g i

l or o f t h E a s t t o a s c r ta i n, w h r p os si b l , f a c t fr om fa n c y .

m a ny c a s s th r s m s to b a n und rly ing str a tu m of truth in th

s to ri s - p a r t ic u l a r ly th os c o n c r ni ng in d i vi d u a l m a g i c i a n s . T h i s d

no t n c ss a ri ly m a n th a t th y a r n ti r l y t ru : it do s m an tt h r i s s ti ll m uc h t o b l a r n d f ro m or i n ta l m a gi c . R a d i ng a c c o u

of r put d sorc r rs and talking to th p opl among whom t

h a v l iv d , o n i s d r iv n t o t h c o nc l us io n t ha t , i n g n r a l, t h p o

of th E a st a r not m or a sily d c iv d . t ha n t ho s o f o th r la n

I n th ta l j ust quot d , for x a mp l , t h A ra b s wh o r ta i l i t a r nc o nt n t w it h m a rv l li ng a t th s m in g m ir a c l s of E l- A r a b . Histh a s s ho wn th m to b a n s s n ti a ll y p ra c t ic a l ra c : h nc , a s wo

b xp c t d , th y ar mor int r st d in howh ga in d his pow

and wh th r it can b duplicat d . T h is, i t w ill b ob s rv d , i s

s s n c o f t h s c i n ti fi c , r a th r th a n t h p hi lo so ph ic a l , a t ti tu d . N a t

a l ly , t h A r a b s o f t ha t a r a la c k v n t h b a s ic s c i n ti fi c kn ow l d g

carry sp culation b yond s mi- m dia val scop . I t is th i r a t ti tu

how v r, which counts

F o r th p ur po s s of st ud y , t h r f or , i t i s i nt r s ti ng to c o ll

th s sa m ta l s of sorc ry



ou ORI ENTAL MAGIC

SADOMA OF BAGHDAD

A m a g ic i a n gr a t ly in d m a n d in th d a y s of t h a r ly C a l ip hs ofBaghdad was known as Sadoma . I t was his wont to trav l mil s outi nt o t h t ra c k l s s d s r t ` t h r t o c o m mu n w it h s pi ri ts ' . Manytim s h c a m a c r oss tra v ll rs, s k ing wa t r a nd a l most a t th ir'la st ga sp . I t is r p ort d tha t, a lthough h c a rri d no food with him,h w a s a l wa y s a b l b y s up r na t ur a l m a n s to pro d uc wa t r a ndchoic fruits to r viv th starv lings . T h r a r s v ra l, r c ord s of thistyp of wizardry . O n s uc h m a gi c ia n ( w ho s f oo d wa s c a r ri d into thd s r t f or hi m b y th m a g ic a l R o c b i r d , f a mi li a r to r a d r s o f t hA r a b i a n N i g h t s ) wa s a b l to ma k stra nd d tra v ll rs a t, v n thought h y w r u nc o n sc i o us wh n fo un d .

O th r t ra v l l r s- v n t od a y - r l a t t ha t , h a vi ng su nk in to a

stupor through lac k of food, th y sl pt . Wh n th y a wok , th s p op l

c la im, it wa s a s though th y ha d s n in a d r a m th r ig ht ro a d ho m ,p rint d a c r oss th d s rt sa nd s . A nd t h i r s tr n gt h h a d r t urn d . A p a rtf ro m th l g n d o f S a d o ma , i t i s p os si b l t ha t t h s ub c o ns ci ou s m in d

wa s in som wa y stimula t d during th sl p , a nd tha t tha t stra ng

si xt h s n s wh ic h d s r t p o pl a c q ui r c a m t o t h ir r sc u .E m ot io n, o f a n y ki nd , s m s o ft n to ra i s m n ta l p ow r s t o a

h ig h r p it ch. T h i s, a t a n y r a t , co u ld b a n x pl a na t io n f or ma n y ofth p h no m na o f m a g ic . I t is usual to stat that th motion ( cupiditya n d p o w r - l us t) i s w ha t d r iv s m a n to th u rg ic a c t s . P sychologists- and historians- claim that a slight unbalanc of th brain is nough

t o m a k a m a n b l i v t ha t h ca n co n tr ol n a tu r b c a us h wa nts todo so mor tha n a nything ls . This th ory is as good a s any . I t isint r sting , n v rth l ss, to not th magical a ttitud towa rds thsituation . I t is only wh n m otion is rous d to a g r a t r tha n na tura l

p it c h , s a y th m a g ic i a n s, t ha t m a n is c a p a b l o f r is in g a b o v t h

na tura l ord r of things, a nd wr a k ing his d sig ns up on na tur a ndot h r m n a li k . A g a in w c o m h r c l os to s m i- r lig ious a nd

fr nzy st a t s .T his patt rn is follow d in th l o c a l t a l o f t h A l ta n k ol - t h

G old n R iv r- in T ib t . R un ni ng in to L a k S i ng - s u- l a y, t h s tr a mca rri s with it particl s of alluvial gold , which ar trapp d in goat-

s ki ns s ta k d i n t h w a t r s. B u t l g nd h a s it tha t a c rta i n T i b ta n

magician swor that h would ga in control of th gold, so that it shouldb a v a ila b l only to thos who w r worthy of it .

A s a r sult, w a r told , a p a c t wa s m a d b tw n th m ag ic i a n a nd

th R iv r God . N ow, wh n v r d a ng r thr a t ns th c o untry , th g oldstops coming . I t is c la im d tha t d uring s v ra l c a m p a ig ns with Chinat hi s d i scr p a n cy in go ld w a s n ot d b o t h b f or a n d a f t r th v nt .

LEGENDS OF THE SORCERERS 8

SI LTI M THE WZARD

Siltim, an A r a b s or c r r , h a d cu l ti va t d t h a r t of ta kin g a n y foh c h os . F alling in lov with a b autiful girl who dislik d him, hi

l ov r a c h d suc h h ig hts th a t h r tir d to a d so la t riv ri n sp oto nurs his f lings .

A f t r a p r iod o f tw o y a r s, i n wh ic h h wa s sa i d to ha v l a r nt h la n gu a g o f f is h s a nd b n a b l t o p ro j c t hi s p ow rs fa r a wa y a

w il l, h d i sc o v r d h ow to su mm on th g ir l t o h im , i n t h d a d o

night . S h wa s a wa r of v isiting him . H r sto ri s of h r d r a m s mig

ha v b n b li v d , b u t sh h ld t ha t th m a gic i a n liv d i n a w ond rou

p a l a c , w h r a s it wa s k no wn th a t h h a d n ot hi ng m or t ha n a h u

on th riv rsid . R la tiv s b c a m a nxious in d u tim , a nd on oth m tra v ll d to th h rmit' s hut to c ha rg him with sorc ry . T his hfr ly a d m itt d , a n d sta t d t ha t h ha d t h p ow r to c onv rt hi s hom

i nt o a m a r b l p a l a c . A s so on a s t h v is it or r t ur n d t o r p or t, t hgirl actually vanish d . And so did Siltim . This tal i s typical of th

` m otion- c o nc ntra t ion' l m nt c om mon to v ry m a ny b ra n c ho f m a g ic .

Ma n y s to ri s h a v b n h a nd d d o wn in th E a s t r l a ti ng to t h

s arch for th Elixir o f L i f , b y w hi c h im mo rt a li ty c o ul d b s c u r d

Ma ny of th m c ntr a r oun d th h a r t or th li v r, a n d so m a r c l a r l

symbolical. T h f ol lo wi ng v r y po pu la r t a l s m s t o co m b in p hi lo so

p hi c a l a n d oc c u lt l m n ts , a n d ma y b i n s om w a y b a s d u po n s om

r a l oc c u rr nc .

A w a l th y l a nd o wn r m a r ri d t h d a u g ht r o f a P r si a n p ri ncS o on a ft r th w d d i ng th h us b a nd s p n t m uc h ti m a w a y fr om ho m

n ga g d up on p il gri ma g s . O n room in th hous r m a in d loc k d .A l th ou gh wa r n d n v r to p ry i nt o t h s c r t , t h y ou ng wi f

found that h r curiosity could not b c ontain d . On d a y a trav lli

l ocks m it h ca l l d , w hi l t h h us b a n d w a s a wa y i n S y ri a . H wa s c o m

m is si on d t o o p n t h d o or . E xc i t d ly , th la d y a c c o mp a ni d h i

T o h r ho rr or, a s h tr i d th f irs t k y th m a n c o ll a ps d a t h r f tutt ring t rr ib l shri k s. Wh n t h s r va n ts r a n t o t h i r m is tr s s'

a ssista nc , th loc k smith wa s found to b d a d .

O n th h us b a nd ' s r tu rn , o f c o urs , t h p rin c ss ha d t o a d m it hg u i l t . S h wa s th n told tha t h ha d b n ng a g d up on xp rim ntwh r b y th p ana c a o f p rp tua l lif m ight b p rod uc d . H haa lmost suc c d d , a c c ord ing to th t sts s t forth in a n a nc i nt m a nus c r i p t . O nl y o n s ma l l p a rt of th x p r im nt r m a in d to b d o ny t th is u nf or tu na t i nt r ru pt io n ( a s i s t h ca s w it h mo st m a g ica

rit s ) ha d r nd r d a ll th work null a nd void . T h p art of th p roc swhich was incompl t was th add ing of th h art of a locksmith .



8 8 ORI ENTAL MAGI C

But this was not a ll . A la rg ga sh wa s s n on th l ft sid of th

d a d m a n' s b r a st . I nsid th loc k d room , a l l ha d b n turn d to

a s h s . Wh il t h c o u pl s to od l oo ki ng a t t h d v a s ta t io n, a m o c k in g

laugh float d down from th c iling . T h story nd s on t h m l a nc h ol y

n ot t ha t th h us b a n d w n t m a d , a n d th n t h w if . A nd a s a c h d i d ,

w it hi n a f w m on th s of a c h o th r , i t wa s f ou nd t h a t th i r h a r t s h a d

b n r mov d . T h a t is wh y a h ou s i n O ld T h r a n i s s ti ll c a l l d t h

Ma n si on of t h T h r S t ol n H a r ts .

Magicians- sp cially wh n th y ar itin rant ch ats- oft n

h a v a n y t o t op ic a l m a t t r s, a s w l l a s p la y in g th i r p a rt in a i d in g

thos suff ring from trad itional dis as s and amb itions . During th last

f a mi n i n I n d ia , a littl - known Bombay wizard- whos main th ory

w a s th a t na k d n s s wa s a k in to go d li n s s- b c a m r ic h o v r ni gh t .

Charms mad by him with ` Himalayan l opard powd r' - or so h

s ta t d - ns ur d t ha t th i r p oss s so r c o uld n ot b h a rm d b y h ung ror dis as . T h ou sa n d s o f p o pl d i d , i n f a c t , d i : but not th magician .

H c o u ld a f f or d to b uy b l a c k - m a r k t ri c . N ith r did on woma n

w ho r p or t d h i s w on d r s t o a c r ta i n Ma h a r a j a . N ot hi ng w a s to b

d on in h is S t a t , d c l a r d tha t P r in c , un ti l th m a gic i a n ha d b n

b r ou gh t b f or h im .

Aft r a c onsid rabl amount of p rsuasion, th sorc r r was

plac d n xt to his Highn ss in his court ass mbly . E v r y w or d th a t h

s a id w a s ta k n a s go sp l . L o a d d w i th h on ou rs a n d p o ss s si on s, h

stuck out until th last against th w aring of cloth s . Wh n h wa s

l a st h a r d of , h is s l f- s t m ha d s o g ro wn th a t h w ou ld s p a k on ly

twic a d a y . E v ry wo rd w a s r c o rd d w it h a p n of gol d . California

i s n ot th o nl y p la c w h r s tr a ng c u l ts c a n s pr in g u p . I f th r a d r

t hi nk s th a t B ri ta i n, t oo , i s im m un , l t hi m r a d t h b o a s ts of t ho s

w ho c l a i m t o t a c h s ot r ic ` E a s t r n' l or a n d m a y o r m a y n ot k no w

anything about it

T his story is first- c la ss m a t ria l for futur m y ths a nd l g nd sUnl ss th magician is discr dit d , it is lik ly that his xploits will

b com fa mous .

I ha v b n a b l to c o ll c t int r sting ma t ria l of a va mpir - l g nd

in th m a k ing whic h s m s unusua lly int r sting .

T h r a r m a n y t a l s c i r c u la t in g i n I n d ia a b o u t a c r ta i n ` E n gl is h

V a m pi r s s' , w ho is sa i d to ha v a t n ra w fl s h, a n d to ha v d r un k

t h b l oo d o f h um a n s w h n v r p os si b l . I s this story tru ? I s i t j u s tanoth r of thos blood- curdling tal s spr ad b y anti- British agitators

( l ik t h ` B l gi a n b a b i s ' h or ro r o f t h F i rs t Wo rl d Wa r ? ) T h t ru th is

som wh r in b tw n. I t fo rm s o n o f t h m os t c l a s si c a l x a mp l s of

l g nd - d v lopm nt tha t I ha v v r nc ount r d .

LEGENDS OF THE SORCERERS

A n E ng li sh wid o w- h r hus b a nd h a d b n ki ll d i n r 9 i 6 - l iv

in B o mb a y , a n d s p n t t h h ot s a s on in th h il ls . Sh i s s a id t o h a

b n, outwa rd ly , q uit a v ra g in a p p a ra nc . T h o nl y th in g a b o

h r attitud to lif tha t s m d m ark d wa s h r b li f tha t sh w

irr sistib l to th op posit s x . E v n tha t is not unk nown .

A Ma h a r a ja w h o w a s s t a y i n g o n y ar at th sam hill station w

in th habit of giving magnific nt parti s . O n n ig ht , a f t r o n s u

n t rt a in m n t, th is wo ma n ( ` Mr s . W' ) a nd a fri nd ( ' Mrs . S ' ) w

trav lling hom in a ricksha . T h r ic k s ha i n fr on t o f t h m wa s u ps

a g a i n st s om r oc ks , h a v i n g t a k n a c o rn r t oo f a s t . S v ra l p op

w r injur d . Th two wom n stopp d th ir ricksha, and w nt

s if th y c ould b of a ny h lp . N ith r of th m, b it not d , w

involv d in th a c cid nt, or hurt in any way .

Wh n th y go t b a c k to th i r h ot l , Mr s . S . n ot ic d t ha t h r c o

p a n io n' s m ou th w a s c o v r d i n b l o od . L a t r th s tor y c i rc u la t d t hMrs. W. ha d b n s n su c ki ng th b l ood o f o n o f t h v ic t im s o f t

a c c id nt : s h w a s a v a m p ir . S h d i d som m onths la t r, a nd h n

th l g nd ha s grown a nd will p rob a b ly c ontinu to g row

B y c ha nc , how v r, I wa s a b l to m t Mrs . S . a n d a sk h r wh

s h k n w a b o ut th w ho l t hi ng . H r is h r story :

" I a sk d Mrs . W t ha t v r y ni gh t w hy t h r w a s b lo od o n h r fa c

At first sh said that it ca m from on of th victims, and that it h

g ot o n h r fa c b y a c c i d n t .

Thr days lat r, how v r, wh n th rumour was going routh a t sh w a s a v a m p ir - r p a t d b y s om of th s ur vi vor s o f t

c r a sh, a nd not b y m - sh c a m to m to m a k a ` c o nf ssion' , a

said that sh was going to r turn to England for tr atm nt

I a s k d h r if sh w a s a v a mp ir , a n d sh sa i d tha t sh w a s no

T h t ru th wa s th a t, w h n a c h il d , s h h a d su ff r d f ro m s om i ll n

w hic h m a d i t n c ss a ry fo r h r t o a t ra w m a t sa n d wi c h s .

b c a m so us d to th m tha t sh c ould n v r a t c ook d m a t .

d o c t or r g a r d d t hi s a s m or o r l s s h a r ml s s, a n d a p s yc h o lo gi c

s t a t . S o th d i t wa s c ont in u d . Wh n s h w nt t o I nd i a , sh f ou

that it was difficult to g t raw m at, though sh had a gr at longi

f or it , a n d in th n d ma n a g d t o a rr a ng a s up pl y . B ut s h us d

`ration' h rs lf, as much a s possibl . On th night of th crash, sh s

s h h a d no t h a d a n y f or w k s, a n d th s ig ht of th t hi ng a s sh b

o v r th i nj ur d m a n wa s too muc h f or h r , so sh to uc h d h r f

to his, as if to kiss him . An I ndian pr s nt, who may hav kno

a b o u t h r li ki ng fo r r d m a t , s ta r t d t h r um ou r . "

Human vampirism, th r for - if it has v r xist d- migb a s c rib d t o a psy c ho sis, or a n a pp tit ng nd r d b y c ond itioni



90 ORIENTAL MAG C

to raw m at. That raw m at has b n at n by man is w ll known

A r l a ti v l y r c n t s ur vi va l o f t hi s p ra c t i c i s c o nt a in d i n th a c c o un ts

o f t h f a m ou s S c o tt is h m a n- a t r S a w n y B a n a n d hi s f a m il y .

Th r may b c rtain main principl s involv d in magic : th r

c r ta i n ly is no - c l a r u na n i m it y a m o n g m a g i c i a n s a s t o t h r a s o n f or

t h u s o f s ym b o li c w or d s, d v ic s a nd w ri ti ng s .

P r o b a b l y st il l a l iv a n d d o in g a r m un r a ti v b u si n s s i s a c r ta i n

Tib tan holy man-h r pudiat d th titl of `lama' with som con-

t m p t- w ho so ld , f or th q u iv a l n t o f f iv s hi ll in gs , a " S c r ol l f or th

P urifica tion of th Soul" . T h is, h s a id , is ss nt ia l b f or a n yon

c a n b c o m f ul ly hum a n, l t a l on b a b l to s tud y or a p p r c i a t t h

wond rs of magic . C l b r a t d a s a so rc r r, h w ou ld n ot ta l k o f h is

s p ll s, a n d d ni d t ha t h w a s t hr hun d r d a n d fi v y a rs old . " L ist n

not to what p opl say about m , " h said, " for I am not only not

o v r a h und r d y a r s o f a g : I a m n ot y t b or n 1Th scroll- of which I hav on - consist d of bl ach d l av s,

w hi c h ha d t o b w or n f or s v r a l d a y s b f or b i ng wr it t n on b y th

wiza rd . T h is n su r d t h p n tr a ti on of th s c rol l b y th a u ra , a n d

guid d his hand . I h a d t o s ta n d b h in d hi m f or a b o ut fi ft n mi nu t s

t o h a v m y sc r ol l c o m pl t d . D u ri ng th is ti m h k p t up a c o ns ta n t

f lo w o f c o nv r sa t i on wi th so m o n w ho wa s " a c i ty d w l l r fo ur d a y s '

march from h r , and som what indistinct owing no doubt to high

winds" . T h f in is h d w or k w a s w ra p p d i n a p i c o f d r i d s ki n a n d

t i d w i th g ut . Wh n I b r o u gh t i t b a c k t o E n gl a n d i t w a s us f ul a s a

barom t r b ca us th gut invariably b ca m damp four hours or so

b for ra in

T h h ol y ma n t ol d t h w ri t r th a t th p a r a p h r na l ia o f m a g ic i a n s- - s p c i a ll y t ho s w ho fo r t ol d th f ut ur - w r a l l s o m uc h wi nd o w-

d r s si ng " o n ly t o i m pr s s t ho s w ho d m a n d s uc h t hi ng s, a n d I h a v

h a r d t ha t th is is a ls o s o i n t h W s t" . H s ta t d t ha t th o nl y g n ui n

costum for a magician was such as h hims lf wor , and h b gg d

m t o t a k t o i t w it ho ut d l a y, s o t ha t I w o ul d f l t h b n f ic i a linflu nc which would th nc forward guid my lif .

On his h ad was a pancak - typ hat of snow l opard fur- nolong r snowy- and in his ars gr at unpolish d lumps of amb r . A

l on g, h a v y s tr in g of si mi la r l um p s in t r sp r s d w i th p i c s of ro ug h

j a d h un g r ou nd h is n c k , o v r a d ir ty , y l lo w f ur - l i n d c o a t , w hi c hr a c h d t o t h a n kl s . F r om hi s w a is t h un g a l a rg g r n sk in b a g ,

m b roid r d in th s a m c o lour , a n d d ott d wit h r d gla s s b a d s . A

d p l a th r fring c om pl t d this . O n h i s f t w r a p a i r o f m - d b r o i d r d t u r n d - u p - t o s l i p p r s , t i d s c u r l y w i t h g u t

. H is w in t r

boots w r susp nd d around his n ck

LEGENDS OF THE SORCERERS

H r f us d t o pa r t w it h t h j a d a n d a m b r ri ng s o n h is fi ng r

T h s , h sa i d , w r his ` l uc k ' , a n d d stroy d s uc h thing s a s mounta

d mons, various kinds of n mi s, and th w r wolv s who attacktra v ll rs .

His last words to m w r a warning against washing th bo" T h ha nd s ma y b wa sh d , b ut th b od y- n v r . " I n th is, a t l a

h s m d to b a d v ot d follow r of his b li f

Th r ar many stori s c urr nt in Egypt ab out magic ians

t h Mi d d l A g s , a n d th i r a t t m p ts to fi nd t h E l ix ir of L i f , o r t

P h il os op h r ' s St o n . O n o f t h m os t i nt r s ti ng of th s w a s t ol d

i n C a i ro , a n d I n ot d i t no t f or it s p lo t s o m uc h a s f or c r ta i n l m

th r in .

Sca tt r d among Arabic and P rsian alch mica l and magic

writings th r a r r f r nc s to ` t h gold n h a d ' a nd y t n v r

indica tion as to what this was . H r I found a d finit r f r nc toa t l a s t

A f a m ous C a ir n so rc r r- E l G hi rb y - c o nc n tra t d his a c t iv iti

upon th finding of hidd n tr asur . T o this nd h l a rn d , b y m

o f a n o ld m a n ' s a d v i c , h ow to tr a n sm ut c l a y t o g ol d . T his, how v

could b don only onc . Wh n tra nsmut d th h a d b c a m

o ra c l , o r p os s s s d b y a s p ir it . O n o f i ts p ow r s w a s t o d c l a r w h

h id d n tr a s ur s c ou ld b f oun d .

I t s ms that El Ghirby had alr ady us d th h ad for ordin

divination, and that it had giv n orac l s as to many and stra

things . S ur nough, onc tra nsmut d , th h a d b ga n to sp a` though its y s and lips mov d not at all' , and gav him min

d i r c t i on s a s to wh r t h f ir st tr a s ur w a s t o b s ou gh t . Wh n

had brought this ba c k to his hous , El Ghirby aga in c onsult d h

oracl . A c c o rd i ng to th t s ta m nt wh ic h it is c la i m d h l f t b h i

th H ad r fus d to t ll him of mor than on tr asur a mon

H compos d hims lf to wait. B ut a ga in th H a d c h a t d . I t to ld

a b o u t a t r a s ur , v a s t r t ha n ma n c o ul d v n i ma g i n : but it was s

i ght hund r d f t b l ow th b o tt om of th s a l I n th nsui ng a lt r

t io n t h H a d t hr w a ja r a t E l G hi rb y ' s h a d , w hi c h s ma s h d i ts

i n t h s tr t , a n d a t tr a c t d n i gh b ou ri ng a tt n ti on .

This pass d off qui tly nough: b ut th qua rr ls b tw n

spirit of th H ad and th magician b cam mor and mor fr qu

I t wa s g n r a ll y a ss um d i n th l oc a l i ty t ha t th m a n wa s m a d .

d a y w h n a c r ta i n i no ff n si v j w l l r wa s p a ss in g, a p a r ti c ul a

larg jar fl w through th window of th Ghirby mansion, strik

th j w ll r on his n c k . T h m a tt r c a m to c o urt

I n his d f nc th magician d ni d th charg of assault,



/ - -

xp la in d a b out th h a d . H wa s s nt nc d to six months' jail. Wh nh r turn d hom , t h H a d s m d b tt r b ha v d . I t a d v is d him tom a k t h E lix ir of L if , a n d v n sup p li d f ull d ta i ls of th ing r d i n ts

and m thod . B for long word c am to th magistrat who hads nt nc d th sa g . As a man in his s v nti s , this was a discov ry thath could not afford to ignor . I n r t ur n f or a f r p a rd o n a n d a d o c u -m n t x p la i ni ng th a t E l G hi rb y w a s sa n a n d b l a m l s s, a p h ia l o f t h

p r c i ous m d ic i n c h a ng d h a nd s . T ha t sa m night, th H a d a d d r ss dth sorc r r :

" I h a v j us t h a r d th a t t h m a g is tr a t h a s t a k n th p ot io n . T h ism a n s th a t h w il l h a v a t l a s t si xt y mo r y a r s o f l if . But I forgotto t ll you that th y ar your y a r s 1 Y o u w il l d i i n t h m o rn in g, a ss oo n a s t h m a g is tr a t ' s F lixir b gins to ac t l" I t is said that El Ghirby

h a d h a r d ly ti m t o w ri t o ut a c o n f s si on of th w ho l a f f a ir , a n d

throw th H a d into th N il , b for d a th ov rc a m him

CHAPTER 10

CALLI NG THE SPI RI TS

" A b j a d , H a w wa z , H ut ti , C om T h ou , S p ir it : for I a mS o l om on , s on of Da v i d , C o mm a n d r of th J i nn a n d M n IC om , or I will im prison th in a m ta l fla sk I " - A su- H I J A B ' sC a l nd a r of G ni s .

THE b l i f in th xi st n c o f sp ir it s a n d ot h r fo rm id a b l f or c son ly on s t p fro m th d si r t o c a l l th m , b i nd th m , a n d ma k t hd o th sorc r r' s b id d ing .

I t is c ustomary- at l ast among old r writ rs- to divid thispiritism into groups, or subj cts, for th purpos s of study . Omight say that spirits can b distinguish d a s good and vil, as hum

s ou ls a nd t ho s w ho ha v n v r ha d a c o r po r a l fo rm . A g a in , s o

s pi ri ts a r m a d t o a p p a r i n h um a n, s om i n a n im a l , o th r s i n m ora l a rm in g, s ha p s . But this m thod of xamining spirits, if you consid

i t w l l, d o s li tt l t o c o n tr ib u t t ow a rd s a c t u a l k no wl d g o f t h a r

Wh a t is i nt r s ti ng i s th a t v oc a t io n it s l f- w h t h r C h ri st ia nBuddhist, Arab, Egyptian or Chald an- c om s within an acc pt

fram work of m thod and id as . T h r i s t h c o ns c r a t io n o f to p r a to r, h is im pl m n ts ( i f a n y ) a nd , g n ra l ly , th m a gic a l c i rc l

T h r i s t h a c t u a l i nv oc a t i on a nd t h v oc a t i on . Wh n th s pi ri t ha p p a r d , th r fo ll ows t h p ha s of c om ma n d or n qu iry . F inal

c o m s th i n v ita b l L i c n c t o D p a rt, w ith ou t wh ic h th o p ra t

m a y b h a rm d b y t h a p pa r it ion . T w o th in gs a r o ft n c o ns id ri nd i sp n sa b l : som conn ction with d ath or th d ad, and thp o s s s s io n o f Wo r d s o f P o w r .

A g r a t p a r t o f t h i mp or ta n c a n d i nt r s t o f s pi ri t- c a l li ng fro ur p oi nt of v i w is b c a u s a v r y la r g p a r t o f a l m os t a l l ma g i c id p n d n t u po n s pi ri t a i d : wh th r it b c u rs , b l ssing or m rm a gi c a l pow r ov r a nd b y ond t ha t h l d b y oth rs . On m ight v

d f in m a g ic a s t h a l l g d a r t o f g a i ni ng p ow r th ro ug h s up r na t ur a( s pi ri t) p ow r s. H n c s pi rit s- o r s om h it h r to un id n ti fi d f or

c onv ni ntly so t rm d - form th v ry h a rt of ma gic , wh thc r monial, popular or sup rstitious .

I t is g n r a ll y o v r lo ok d t ha t ' s pi ri tu a li sm ' - t h v oc a t io n o f t hs pi ri ts of th d a d - a s kn ow n i n E u ro p a n d m od r n A m r ic a , i s o nlon branch of magic : a b r a nc h w hi c h is tr a d it io na l ly x r c i s d b

9 3



y1 Vz( ir. NTAL MAGI C 'w it ch - d o ct or s i n A f ri ca , t ri b a l A m r in d ia n s , a n d S h a m a n ic o p r a t or s

i n C h in a a n d J a p a n , * n ot to m n ti on a sco r o f o th r co mm un it i s

Th raising of spirits, sp cially thos of d ad r lativ s , is suppos d

t o n d m uc h d d i c a t io n a n d pr p a ra t io n . Wh il i t h a s a l w a y s b n

c o nc d d tha t th r a r som ( lik m od rn m d ium s) to whom suc hp ow r s co m m or a s il y, y t i t i s s om t im s f or go tt n t ha t th b o oks

o f t h m a gi c ia n s g iv d t a il d a c c o un ts o f t h p ro c d u r , w hi c h c a n

b fo llo w d v n b y ord i na ry p op l .

I t wa s c onsid r d n c ssa ry som tim s, in proc ss s a ttrib ut d t o

t h C ha l d a n s, t o k no w th b i rth d a t of t h p rs on to b v ok d . I f ahorosc o p w r a v a ila b l , so muc h th b tt r . T h is m a nt tha t th

s pi ri t c o ul d b c a l l d i n t h n a m s of th p la n t s w hi c h p r s id d o v r

his birth, and at th v ry hour a t which th birth took plac .

N xt th v oc a n t m d ita t d i n c o mp l t s c l usion for a p riod o f

upto forty - ight hours. A c l a r , b rig ht d a y wa s c hos n . T h n, in som p la c g iv n o v r t o t h p ra c t ic of m a gic ( t h m a gi c ia n g n r a ll y u s d

h is ow n roo m, o r som c a v o r r ui n d p la c o f w or sh ip ) , t h m a g ica lc i rc l wa s d sc r ib d . Within its six- foot diam t r was th tabu spac

w hi ch s h l t r d t h m a g ici a n , a n d wh ich no i nt r ru pt in g v il g n iu scould cross . I n th c i rc l , o ft n wi thi n a c o nc nt ric r in g, th na m ofG od w a s w ri tt n , i n c h a l k , o n t h g ro un d .

I n H b r w a nd l a t r ri tu a ls , t hi s s om t im s to ok th f or m o f a

c ontinuous c hain of word s lik : AGL A- E L OHI M- ADONAY- - Or AL PHA- - OMEGA- TE TRAGRAMMATON .

I nsi d th c i rc l , t oo, a r k p t t h ins trum nt s o f A r t . T h s inc l ud

o il , a s wo rd w it h n a m s su ch a s th f or g oi ng in scr i b d t h r o n, a n da burning brazi r for fumigation. T h inc ns is c hos n to c oinc i d w it h t h a n g l o f t h p la n t t o b i nv ok d . A l l t ru m a g ic i a n s w r

x p c t d t o k no w Wo rd s of P o w r t o c a l l th s pi ri ts - ( a b r a c a d a b r a s

l i k S a b a o t h , from th H b r w, or Abraxas, f ro m th G n os ti c s , a n dA n r h a ka t ha - s a ta i u, s n n tu ta - b a t t sa t a iu , f ro m a n c i n t E g y pt ia npapyri) .

Wh n th m a g ic ia n ha s ta k n his p la c within th c irc l , a nd thrown

i nc n s o n t h f ir - m a k in g s ur t ha t h h a s w it h h im a p n ta c l orS a l o f S o lo mo n a s a p r ot c t i on - h w ou ld i nt on t h f ol lo wi ng t yp

of call . T h is on i s t a k n fr om a G r a c o - E g y p ti a n m a g ic a l b o ok ,

t ra n s la t d b y G oo d w in :

" I c a l l u po n th th a t d id st c r a t t h a rt h a n d b o n s , a n d a ll

fl sh and all spirit, that didst stablish th s a and that shak st th

* Compar th a c c o u n t of spiritism and ` automatic writing' , s . v . ChinaSpiritism, c h a p 1 7 , i n f r a

, a v ns , t ha t d id s t d i vid th l ig ht f rom th d a r kn ss , t h g r a

r g ula tiv m ind , tha t d ispos th v rything , y of th world , spiri

of spirits, god of gods, th lordof th spirits, lord of spirits, th

im mov a b l A E O N, I A OO UE I , h a r my voic .

I c a ll u po n th , t h r ul r of t h g od s , h ig h- th un d r in g Z us

Z us, k ing, A d ona i, lord , I a oou . I a m h tha t invok s th in t

CA L L I NG THE S P I RI T S

Ta bl showing th rul rship of th hours by ang ls

[ S p . 9 9 1

S y r ia n to ng u , t h g r a t g od , Z a a l a r, I p hp ho u, d o th ou no t d i

r g a rd th H b r w a p p l la t io n, A b l a n th a na l b , A b r a s ilo a .

F o r I a m S i lt ha k ho ok h, L a i l a m, B l a sa l ot h, I a o , l o , N b o ut

S a b i ot ha r , B o th, A r b a thia o , l a ot h, S a b a o th, P a to ur , Z a g ourB a r ou kh A d o na i , E l oa i , I a b r a a m , B a r b a ra u o, N a u, S i p h" ( 7 2 ) .

T h a d v a n ta g o f t hi s s p l l, w a r to ld , i s t ha t it c om p l s t

spirit to list n to th instructions of th sorc r r, and to carry out hH

9



UKl±NTAL MAI . J .

w is h s . O th r a d v a nt a g s a r t ha t it " c h a in s, b l in d s, b r in gs d r a m s,

c r a t s fa v ou r. I t ma y b u s d i n c o m m on fo r w ha t y ou will. "

T h is sp l l i s a l so in t r s ti ng b c a u s of th m ix d c o nt n t of

H b r w, G r k , S y ria c a n d oth r word s .

A n o th r p r oc s s sa y s t h a t th x or ci s t sh ou ld s t a n d w i th in h is

c i rc l , c o ns c r a t it b y d d ic a t ing th whol xp rim nt i n a , suitabl

s p c h , a n d th n c a l l u po n t h G oo d S p ir it th a t h w is h s to a pp a r .

Wh n h i s sur that h is conc ntrating w ll, and that no oth r thought

is in his mind, h must add r ss th spirit in a low voic . First h must

c a l l hi s n a m t hr ic , a n d p ro mi s t ha t no ha r m sh a ll b f a ll hi m . T h n ," t h s p ir it sh ou ld a p p a r "

" Wa it for him for th sp a c of a full minut and if th spirit do s

not a pp a r, r p a t th in voc a t ion. P r a y a r n s tly d ur in g t h p r io d ofwaiting . I f th spirit do s not mat rializ within fiv minut s , strong

i nv oc a t io ns c a n b m a d .

I f th s pi ri t a p p a r s , g r t h im c o ur t o us ly , s a y in g h ow gl a d

you ar to w lcom him, and a sk- him to h lp you with yourprobl ms "

Th spirit will th n t ll th op rator th b st tim s to contac t him,

a n d m a y g iv a ' t ho ug ht - n a m ' , w hi c h is us d t o s um m on hi m . Somwrit rs sa y tha t h m ust b a sk d to sig n his na m in a B ook of th

Spirits, and to giv his sign as w ll .

" Sh o ul d y ou b y a n y il l c h a n c r a is a n v il sp ir it , t h w or d `BAST'

w il l c a u s h im t o d i sa p p a r . T h is i s a word of anci nt Egyptian origin,

and will mak him go without ca using any harm . "I t is said to b important to ask th spirit to b com your guardian

a n g l , a n d " d o no t l a v th c i rc l fo r t wo wh ol m in ut s a ft r th

spirit' s d partur . T h n sa y a p ra y r of th a nk fu ln s s t ha t h c a m a n d

w nt and promis d to h lp you, xac tly as you had d sir d wh n

p r p a r i n g fo r hi s co m i ng . D stroy th c i rc l a nd t h figur s, l st a

d vil or any of his familiars us it against you, w hi c h th y c a n d o a s il y .

I f th c i rc l b not d stroy d a n d a n l m nta l sp irit us s it, th form ru s r wi ll n v r a ga i n b a b l t o r a is g oo d sp ir it s. "

P rhaps th old st r c ord of th formula for cons c rating a

c irc l is th following , ta k n from th A ssy ria n £ ùrpu ( 7 3 ) S ri s ofta b l ts

Banl Banl Barri r that non ca n pass,

B a rri r o f t h g od s, tha t non m a y b r a k ,B a rri r of h a v n a n d a r th tha t non c a n c h a ng ,

Which no god may annul,Nor god nor man c an loos ,

4A1LalV \ T A 9%ia

A s na r wit hout s c a p , s t fo r v i l,A n t wh nc no n c a n is su fo rth , s p r a d f or v il

Wh t h r i t b vil Spirit, or vil D mon, or vil Ghost,O r v il D v il , o r v il G od , or v il F i n d ,

O r H a g - d m on , o r G ho ul , o r R ob b r - s p ri t ,

Or P hantom, or Night- wraith, or Handma id of th P hantomOr v il P l a gu , or F v r sic k n ss, or unc l a n D is a s ,Which hath attack d th shining wat rs of E a ,

May th snar of E a c atch it ;Or which hath assail d th m al of Nisaba,

May th n t of Nisab a ntrap it ;Or which hath brok n th ba rri r ,

L t no t th b a r ri r of th g od s ,

T h b a rri r of h a v n and a rth, l t it go fr ;O r whic h r v r nc th not th g r a t god s,

May th gr at gods ntrap it ,

Ma y th g r a t g od s c u rs i t ;O r w hi c h a tt a c k t h t h h ou s ,

I nto a c l os d d w lling ma y th y c a us it to nt r ;

Or whic h circl th round ab out,

I nto a plac without scap may th y bring it ;

Or which is shut in b y t h h ou s d o or ,

I nto a hous without xit may th y caus it to nt r ;

Or that which pass th th door and b olt,With door and bolt, a b ar immovabl , may th y withhold it

O r wh ic h b l o w t h in at th thr shold and hing ,Or whic h forc th a way through bar a nd latc h,

Lik wat r may th y pour it out,L i k a g ob l t m a y th y d a sh it in p i c s ,

L ik a til m ay th y b r a k it ;

Or which pass th ov r th wall,I ts wing may th y cut off;Or which ( li th) in a c hamb r ,

I ts throat may th y cut ;

Or which look th in at a sid chamb r ,I ts fa c m a y th y sm it ;

Or which mutt r th in a . . c h amb r,I ts mouth may th y shut ;

O r w hi c h ro a m t h l oo s i n a n up p r c h a m b r ,With a b ason without op ning may th y cov r it ;

Or which at dawn is dark n d ,At dawn to a plac of sunris may th y tak it . " ( 7 4 )

What if no sp irit a pp a rs, v n a ft r r p a t d c o nc ntra tion?

b ooks d o not nvisa g th p ossib ility. On of th m , how v r, t



9 s ORI ENTAL MAGI C

t ha t th f a il ur m a n s t ha t so m m is ta k o r o mi ss io n h a s t o b r m -

d i d . T h xp rim nt ma y b r p a t d a g a in a nd a ga in, until suc c ssful .T h d y na s tic ( a n d p ro b a b l y pr d y na s ti c ) E g yp ti a ns, th B a b y -

lonia ns a nd Assyria ns b li v d tha t th soul c ould r turn to a rth.Und r c r ta i n ci rcu m st a nc s , t oo , i t cou ld r i nh a b i t t h b o d y . E la b o -ra t m a gic a l c r m oni s w r p ra c t is d , in ord r th a t th soul shoul d

b h a pp y, a n d sh ou ld n ot n d t o r t ur n, t hu s b c o m in g a n un a s y

s p i r i t . T h s s pi ri ts w r i nv ok d a n d i t w a s th ou gh t t ha t th y co ul d

b us d in m a g ic a l ritua ls

I n a sim ila r wa y , th spirits of r v r d b ut d p a rt d witc h- d oc tors

a r c onj ur d , to g iv a d v ic to th ir trib s in tim s of str ss, in m a ny

p a rts of A fric a , sp c ia lly th c ntra l portion of th Contin nt . T h irb on s ha v b n p r s rv d a nd soa k d in th b lood of th n wly d a d ,

m ix d w ith hon y , m ilk a n d p rf um s . T his i s s up p os d t o ca u s t hsoul to r turn to th a rth. J ust a s th c r m oni s of th spirits w r

c a r ri d o ut i n E g yp t i n t h p yr a mi d b ur ia l - p l a c s , s o ls w h r a r

g ra v a n d c hurc h ya r d s, or th p la c wh r d a t h ha s ta k n a viol nt

form, sp c ia lly r v r d a s sit s for this k ind of x orc ism.

S p i ri ts ot h r th a n t ho s o f t h d a d m a y b r a is d i n a s im il a r

ma nn r. Th following Christianiz d c ons cration of a circl is typica l

of th C ha ld a o- S m itic r it s

A f t r t h c i rc l is m a d , t h i nv oc a n t i nt on s

" I n t h na m of th h ol y, b l s s d a n d glo ri ous T rin it y, p ro c d

w to our work , in th s myst ri s to a c c omplish tha t whic h w

d sir : w th r for , in th N am s a for sa id , c o ns c r at this p i c

o f g ro un d f or ou r d f n c , s o t ha t n o s pi ri t w ha t s o v r sh a l l b

a b l to b r a k th s b o und a ri s, n ith r b a b l to c a us injury nor

d trim nt to a ny h r a ss m b l d . " ( I t was usual for magicians to

b a c c o mp a ni d b y on or m or h lp rs . )

" B u t tha t th y ma y b c o mp ll d t o sta nd b for th c i rc l , a nd

answ r truly our d mands, so far as it pl as th Him who liv th for v r a n d v r, a n d who sa y s, I a m A lp ha a n d O m g a , t h B g inning

a nd th E nd , whic h is, a nd whic h wa s, a nd whic h is to c om , th

Almighty. I a m th F irst a nd th L a st, who a m liv ing a nd wa s d a d :a nd b hold I l iv for v r a nd v r : a nd I ha v th K ys of D a th

a nd h ll . B l ss, 0 L o rd l T his c r a t ur of a rth wh r in wstand . . . " ( T h a rth, lik a ll oth r l m nts, ha s its own sp irit,r f rr d to a s th C r a tur of E a rth . )

" C o nf ir m , 0 G o d l t hy s tr n g th in us , s o t ha t n i th r th adv rsary nor any vil thing may caus us to fail, through th m rit

of Christ. Am n . "

CALLI NG THE SPI RI TS

A c r ta i n a m ou nt of in fo rm a t io n, h ow v r , m us t b a t t h d i sp o

o f t h m a g i c i a n , a pa r t f ro m t h i nv o c a t i o ns a n d w or d s of powT h r a r , for a sta rt, th na m s of th hours . T h s , a s giv n inW s t r n m a g ic a l t x t, f or m a s tr a ng m ix tu r o f A r a b i c , S m it ic

E g yp tia n na m s, tog th r with som G r k . T h y a r a s follo ws,

it is probabl that th y ar in fact th nam s of th spirits of th hou

T h s na m s a r m m oriz d , a nd t h a p prop ria t on is insc ri

w it hi n t h o ut r co nc n tr ic c i rcl o f v oca t io n, t og t h r wi th wo

of pow r, th na m of th S a son, a nd th na m of th A rc h a ng l

t h H ou r. T h na m s of th S a sons a r sa id t o b q uiv a l nt to

n a m s o f t h a n g l s o f t h s a s on s : S p ring ( C a ra c a s a ) , wit h C o

A m a ti l , C o mm iss or os . S u mm r c o m s u nd r G a rg a t l , T a r i l

G ari l. Two ang ls rul Autumn: Tarquam and Guaba r l. Winc om pl t s th c y c l with A na b a l a nd t h a ng l C ta ra ri .

I s v oca t io n t o b p r fo rm d i n S p r in g? I f so , t h S i g n o f S p rshould b inc lud d in th c irc l a nd inv oc a tions ; a s w ll as th na mth a rth in S p ring , a nd th na m s of th S un and Moon in that s aF o ur a d d i ti on a l s t s o f i nf or ma t io n a r n ow n d d :

T h N a m o f th S i gn of S p ri ng : S p u gl ig u l .

T h N a m o f t h E a r th in S p ri ng : A ma d a i .

T h N a m o f th S u n i n S p r in g : Abraym .

T h N a m o f t h Mo on in S p ri ng : Agusita .

NAMES OF THE HOURS

Da y Hour Night

Yain I B ron

J a nor 2 Barol

Nasina 3 Thami

S a l l a 4 Athar

S a d d a li S M thon

Thamur 6 Rana

Out r 7 N tos

Thami 8 Ta fra

N ron 9 Sassur

J ayon I o Agl

A b a i I I C a l rv a

Natalon 12 S a l a m



H a v ing m a st r d t h s i mp ort a nt na m s, th m a gi c ia n p ur if i s

hims lf with this pray r : " T h ou sh a lt pu rg m w it h H y ss op , 0 L o rd ,

a nd I sha ll b c l a n : t ho u s ha l t wa s h m a n d I s ha l l b w hi t r th a nsnow. "

T h c i rc l is n x t sp rin kl d w it h th c o rr c t p r fu m ( whi c h will

b d sc r ib d la t r) , a nd th xorc i st d r a p s him s lf in a whit l in nc l o a k f a st n d b a c k a nd f ro nt . A t th m om nt of v stm nt h sa y s

" A n s o r, Amac on, Amid s, Th odonias, Aniton : b y th m ritsoft h A n g l s, 0 L o rd , I wi ll p ut on th ga rm nt ofsalvation ; t h a tth is whi c h I d si r I m a y b r ing to ff c t , t hr ou gh th , th m osthol y A d o na i , w hos k in gd o m n d ur th f or v r a n d v r, A m n . "

T h C h ri st ia n iz d t x t w hi c h w a r f ol lo wi ng , w hi l r t a in in g

m ost of th ritua listic m a rk s of S m itic a nd oth r sy st m s , y t ha s

a d d d t h w a rni ng s t ha t th os w ho d s ir w a l th a nd p ow r, o r a n yt hi ng ma t r ia l fo r t h m s l v s , will not b abl to rais spirits . This is

not, ho w v r, th sta b l ish d v i w . " F irst th h a rt a nd m ind m ust b

c l a n s d o f d s ir s a nd i f t h a b i lit y b u s d a t a n y t im to wa r d s s lf ish

a nd p rso na l n ds, t h p ow r is th r b y r nounc d . On ly th os wi th

th ab ility to touch th h ights know this . "

I n n c r o ma n c y w f in d th Ma g i c C i rc l a n d w or d s o f p ow r st il lin us . T h p roc d ur is v ry m uc h t h s a m i n b o th ty p s of pr oc s s .

Wh n th A s ia n s or c r r C hi a n c u ng i a nd h i s w it c h - si st r N a p a la r a is d v il sp ir it s, th y c o mm a nd d B o ki m t o a p p a r , a n d gi v t h m hi s

inf rnal aid . T h y dra p d a d p c a v in b la c k and th n d r w th c irc l ,

w it h S v n T h ro n s a nd a l i k n um b r of pl a n t s i ns c ri b d i n i t . E v nfor th s notorious sorc r rs, it took m onths b for B ok im a c tua lly

a pp a r d . Wh n h d id , h g ua ra n t d th m on hun d r d a nd f ifty - f iv

y a r s of xt ra l if , a n d m a ny ot h r b oo ns b s id . A s th ` s lling of th

soul' th ory is not so w ll k nown in th E a st, th only p na lty tha t

th sorc r rs w r xp c t d to p a y wa s tha t th y would s rv th

CALLI NG THE SPI RI TS I

d m on fo r t ha t p r io d . I n th ir work , a s in most invoc a tion sp llth y ma d f r u s of p rfu m s a nd o th r fu mig a tion

Wh n th p la n t i nv ol v d w a s S a t u rn ( t h a t i s, w h n t h o p r a ti

w a s i n t h h ou r o r d a y o f S a t u rn ) , t h p r fu m t hr ow n o n t h b r a z iwas p pp r, with musk and frankinc ns . Wh n this was burnins pi ri ts in th f or m of c a t s or wo lv s sh ou ld b s n . J upit r r quiro ff r in gs of p a c o c k f a t h r s, a s wa l lo w, a n d a p i c o f l a pi s- l a zu l

T h ir a sh s w r th n a d d d t o th b l ood o f a s tork . S p i r i t s of J up ith a d t h a p p a r a nc of k in gs , a c c o mp a ni d b y tr um p t r s . U nd r Ma rt h f ir w a s f d w it h a r om a t ic g um , s a nd a l wo od a n d fr a nk in c n sm y rr h a n d t h b l o od o f a b l a c k c a t . For th Sun, m us k, a m b r , f r a nk ic ns , m yrr h, s a ff ro n, c l ov s , l a u r l a n d c inn a mo n w r m ix d with b r a in of a n a g l a nd t h b l ood of a w hi t c o c k , * f o rm d i nt o b a la nd p la c d o n th fla m s . S p ir it s ra i s d u nd r th a g is of V n

d m a nd d sp rma c ti, ros s, c o ra l, a lo s, m ix d w ith th b r a ins a nb l oo d o f a w h it p ig o n. I t will b s n tha t m a ny of th a b ov - na mit ms ar familiar in various occult practic s

M r c u ry c a l l d f or f ra n k in c n s , m ix d w it h t h b r a i n o f a f o

T h fir s w r to b m a d " f a r fro m th ha b i ta tion s of m n" . Mospirits w r thought to b th most difficult to propitiat . T h y ap ar d as ghosts in filmy transpar nt drap ri s , with pal and luminoufa c s . F o r th m th fir n d d pop py s d , d ri d frog s, c a m phof ra n ki nc n s , a n d th y s of b ul ls mi x d w it h b l oo d

THE METHOD OF CALLI NG LURI DAN

Ma g ic i a n s a r c r d i t d w it h t h p ow r to c a l l t h s pi ri t L u r id a

( King of th North) b y a m thod whic h, though C ltic, s ms t

hav b n d riv d, probably in v ry arly tim s, from S mitimagic .

T w o c o nc n tri c c i rc l s a r d r a wn in c halk on a moonlit nighi n a l on l y v a l l y . T h out r c irc l m ust b a t l a st ight n f t id ia m t r, a nd th inn r o n a foot sm a ll r . T w o s na k s ki ns a r w ora s a gi rd l , a n d tw o m or i n t h c a p : all four must hang down at thba ck. O n sid of th c i rc l m ust ha v insc r ib d b sid it a fi ry moun

t a in " a n d a r ou nd t h m ou nt a in mu st b w ri tt n th s n a m s : GLAURO

* Th sacrific of th whit cock was th op ning c r mony of th quart rlg a th r in g o f t h w it c h s a s l a t a s th s v n t n th c n tu ry in E ur op . T h h a rt ft o t h w it c h " w ho c o ul d p r fo rm t h g r a t s t a c t o f s or c r y " . T h i s or g a n , i t w a s s a iwas th op n s sam to many xp rim nts . S t u c k w it h p in s a n d r oa s t d , i t im m un izth witch from discov ry and d nunciation . R duc d to ash s it sold to witchfor as much as two gold pi c s . Apart from its us in witc h- br ws, it was als at n, w ar told, by th cat-familiars of th witch, to pr s rv th woman froS a t a n' s c lu tc h s .

ZO O ORENTAL MAGIC

N a m o f t h E a r th : in Summ r in Autumn in Wi nt rF s t a t i vi R a b i n n a n a G r mia h

N a m of th S u n :Ath nay Abragini Commutoff

N a m o f th Mo on :

Armatus Mastasignais A ffat rin

S i g n o f S u m m r : T ub i l S ign of Autumn : T o rq ua r t .S ign of Wint r : A t t a r i b .



102 ORIENTAL MAGICOPOTOK + BALKIN + OPOTOK + ARTHIN + OPOTOK + SNAKNAN

NALAH + OPOTOKThe mountain must then be consecrated with the words : QLFRON

ANEPHERATON, BARON BARATHON, NAH HALGE TOUR HEELA + + +"It is supposed that the last three crosses indicate the making of the

sign of the cross .

After this has been done the sorcerer should hear awful noises of

swords clanking, trumpets sounding, and so on. Then four dwarfs

will appear, speaking in Erse, which, however, "they will translate"-

presumably if asked .

They are to be asked if they know Luridan, and will reply in the

affirmative . Luridan* will then appear, in the form of a dwarf .

Now the sorcerer has to `bind' Luridan (g et him into his power),

by invoking the Great Names that he has already used . He must give

the mage a scroll inscribed with mystic signs, which is a contract to

serve the adept for a year and a day .

The sorcerer then dismisses the dwarf-spirit, giving him the famous

`Licence to Depart', and the spirit goes away. If the Licence i s notpronounced, the apparition was believed to giv e untold trouble to

everyone, and especially to the sorcerer-and a point is generally made

of this in magical texts .

It is said that this process will also serve for the invocation of the

spirits Rahuniel, Seraphiel, Myniel and Franciel. They are rulers of the

North. They will come when called by a magician who is equippedwith a parchment bearing the two secret seals of the Earth, if he is

wearing a bearskin, with the fur turned inside, next his own skin .

* " L u r i d a n , " w e a r e t o l d i n a n o t h e r t e x t , " s a i t h t h a t h e is a n a s t r a l s p i r i t , w h o

d w e l t i n J e r u s a l e m a t t h e t i m e ofKing Solomon ."

CHAPTER II

IRANIAN MAGIC"Destruction of an enemy is wrought by a wax image,

seven times melted and congealed . . . in olden times they

believed that its power pursued even beyond the grave."-Persia : Kitabi Asrari SibriQavi, 1326 A.H

"Awaxen effigy of a person placed beside a corpse caused

evil to befall the cursed person."-Assyria : Maglu, Tablet IV .

PERSIAshould be the best of all fields for the study of Middle Ras

magic. But the conquests and religious controversies which affected this buffer country between East and W est during the

three thousand years have resulted in much that would have bee

great importance being lost. That the Zoroastrians had a bodmagical ritual of great antiquity is well known.* Some of this is

served in the secret books of their descendants, the Parsis of con

porary India. The Arab conquest at the beginning of the sevcentury swept away many traces of occult p ractices, and substit

beliefs brought from the Arabian desert . Traces of the Assyria

Babylonian supernatural beliefs once so rampant in P ersia, rem

generally speaking, only in rural areas, preserved in the form of t

charms and spells .

Works of contemporary magic are of comparatively rare oc

rence in Persia, even today : rare, that is, in comparison with such p

as Egyp t and India, where they are to be bought freely . When, ever, one does come across a Persian magical manuscript, it very

bears unmistakable marks of serious occult study and belief : in

tradistinction to the Indian and Egyptian efforts, which are most

merely intriguingly titled tracts to lure pennies from the credulo

On the other hand, the Persians usually take their magic serio

Evidence of this is contained in a manuscript which I was allow

examine by a self-styled adept . Containing some four hundred pa

I concluded from its calligraphy and phraseology that it was

two hundred years old . Entitled the Ocean o f M y s t e r i e s , it contain

illustrations, and, unlike many magical scripts, bore marks of a ce

amount of research .

* Zoroaster himself is the reputed author of ao,ooo magical couplets.

103



VLsss.L lllA 1lgnva%,

The Ocean of Mysteries is arranged under thirty headings, seems to

have been adapted from some other work of a similar nature, and the

copy under consideration had been annotated by some previous owner .

Probably to avoid censure by Moslem religious teachers, the Preface

contains a warning that "nothing can be done in the way of Magic,without the consent of God; and that consent is only extended tothose who fit themselves for virtue by considerable effort of will and

body".

The first chapter is designed, apparently, to get the student into a

suitable frame of mind for magic . Supernatural practices are referred

to as means whereby those with special training may make òne life-

time do the work of two'-an unusual exampl e of time-saving which

goes to show, among other things, that the Easterner is not so patient

as he may be thought .

No person can become successful in his dealings with the spirits

which guard magical secrets, says the Ocean, until he had spent thirty

days in meditation, eating as little as he can while still maintaining

l i f e. As far as possible, the `gaze must be directed towards the ground',

and failure to observe fiveritual washings of the hands, feet, face, eyes

and ears will be punished by complete lack of success as a magician .

For the first thirty days' dedication, the invocant must spend some

time, àlone, and in a room which women are not allowed to enter' in

memorizing the names of the angels which guard magical secrets .

During this time, too, certain amulets must be prepared . The first is

a hand holding a crescent moon, made in silver, and wrapped in cotton

and silk. The second, which should not be looked upon until the thirty

days have elapsed, must be made of clay, and contain three pieces of

coloured cotton, each `the length of your small finger' . The third

amulet is two interlocked squares, inscribed on white paper with a

black pen in black ink .

These are the amulets which are supposed to guard the sorcerer

from harm. They show a similarity to ancient Chaldean amulets,and the interlocked squares may be connected with the Seal ofSolomon'

A patched cloak, or a cloak made up out of patchwork, must be

prepared, in which the predominant colours are saffron, white and blue .

Rosewater is employed to give the cloak the requisite odour, and it is

put on before any magical ceremony, with the words : `RASHAN,

ARSHA H, NARAS H'-which, as far as I am aware, are not used in any

other important Eastern ritual .

The writer of the Ocean tells us that it is essential that the head be

covered during all magical rites-though the feet must be bare . "Do

IRANIAN MAUL$: IUf

j

not grow your beard beyond the prescribed length ." This latter in

unction is probably connected with the Islamic teaching current in

Persia, that the beard should not be longer than a clenched fist .

"If y ou wish," continues the sage, "to hasten the illumination

which will come to you, make sure that you wear this cloak when

you meditate, and also see that you sit on a sp ecially made rug, of

skins . "

The whole training takes a hundred days : "Thirty of abstinence

thirty of recuperation, and thirty of fasting from dawn to dusk, eatin

only at night. Then will foll ow the ten days in which you will f ee

that the power is coming into you . "

During the fasting, the magician must dedicate himself. This mean

that he must decide what his aims are, and make certain exactly what

he wants from his first magical experiment . It is important to note her

that "dogs, if allowed to come near the student during the Hundre

Days, will so destroy his barakat (power) that he will have to commence

again, after complete immersion, and start at the New Moon" .

Having thus clothed himself , fasted and dressed, the would-be

sorcerer must then write (in black, on white paper, etc.) what he want

to do in the way of spells . These are known as the 'Kutub' (book s),

and he must look at them at least once a day-preferably morning and

evening.

After preparing himself thus, the magician goes to a spot where h

will not be disturbed. This is the place of the first rite-the ritual whic

will make him a magician . Seven stones are set up òne above the other

on the ground. Around them he circumambulates, repeating the names

of the angels to himself .

Three things are to be carried by our hero : fresh clay, mixed wit

grass ; and two small pots, one containing honey, the other goats'

wool. They are to be mixed together in the middle of the circle, andthe following prayer is intoned, after the eleventh circuit :

"Nulu.sh 1 I do tie thee 1 I do command thee to come to me, in thegreat name that was known to Solomon, the son of D avid, the grea

magician, in whose name I speakl"

Then the invocant ('without looking for Nulush') repeats the

formula of exorcism :

"Ashhadu inna la illaba illa Allah" (repeated twice) and "Audu

billahi min ash-Shaitan er-Rajiml"

This latter formula is to prevent the Devil interrupting th

proceedings .

The spirit which is invoked will come, but `will not appear i

human form unless you command it to do so' . Those, it is to b



VHLtNTALMAGICsupposed, who may not be able to face the actual incarnate form of the

spirit, can then order it to accomplish whatever is desired-and return

home .

But if the spirit i s actually materialized, it can be told to come at

certain times, to take orders . It can even-reminiscent of the Arabian

Nights-be induced to enter a bottle, and kept there, by means of the

following process

"Take the tail of a cat, and place it with several drops of indigo-dye

in a small metal bottle, that shall not be made of anything but brass .

If it is made of brass, dangers will be averted . Remove the cat's tail,

but allow the indigo to remain in the bottle .

As soon as you have repeated thirty-three times the words : Ì n

the name of Solomon, son of David, prince of the Magicians, I order

the Spirit of Power (name the Spirit) to enter into this bottle,' he will

appear, and beg that you allow him to go home in peace . Say `Peace

be upon you, and know, Spirit, that thy home is now in this bottle, and

I am thy Master, and all that I say or do shall be thy interest and aimto help .' The spirit will then enter the bottle, in the form of a small

white cloud.

You must make sure that you have a stopper for this bottle, and

this must fit tightly, and be made of lead, and of no other material .

This stopper you will then put in the neck of the bottle, so that a space

i s l e f t. Into this space you will pour boiling pitch, mixed with the sap

of the Cedar tree .

When you want to speak to the spirit, call him, and treat him

like a friend. You will then see him, through the side of the bottle,

and he will have a small face, like a human, but round ."

The spirit should be spoken to once a day, and must be àllowed to

work small favours, just like your slave, for this is the way to make a

slave happy ; he likes to know that he is of service to his master' . Whenthe spirit sees some harm coming to his master, he will call (ànd it

will sound like a small shout in front of you')-addressing you as

Solomon, son of David . If you can you must also allow him to return

home once in twelve years. He will always return to you if you take

from him the small, turquoise tablet, which has his name and functions

inscribed thereon, "and with which all the Jinni were invested by

Solomon, and without which they are not free . . . ."

In order to memorize the entire contents of a book, the geni will

be ordered to project it into the magician's mind, and the latter will

learn it while asleep . There is a complete catalogue of spells, charms and

other processes that can be accomplished-it seems that they can be

done with the aid of any geni, unless they contradict his nature . The

avv LLIANLAN ZaAtsil L

`nature' of the genii means that some have been given the Dominion o

Fire, others that of Air, and so on .

As would be natural in a society where such activities wer

prevalent, other magicians might try to harm the sorcerer. This wi

be prevented by the spirit, which will call out when a spell is bein

woven against his master. He will also tell how this magic can

countered: by making a small clay or wax image and putting this in

boat in a small, artificial pond, which boat is then sunk, and certai

imprecations recited over the wreck .

y

"In matters of the heart," observes the author, "great discreti

must be exercised; for there are some things which are possible, a

et reprehensible ; and the performance of these tasks will be repugna

to the honour of the spirit, and he might try to escape, rather tha

carry out instructions which are not allowed to him ." Hidden treasur

will be brought, we are told, even from the uttermost parts of th

earth : "but you will surely not desire them, and you will see that the

will be many other things that you will want to do by means of th

geni which will contribute towards the wellbeing of mankind, an

which will surprise even you, though you had before been a man

exemplary habits and desirous of doing good" .

The recreations of a Persian sorcerer, however, are delightfu

"To fly : call thrice the name of the spirit, saying, Ì desire to fly

Yemen', and you will be there in a few moments . If you do not secre

upon your person the bottle, you will not be able to return ."

It seems that magicians wanted to dwell in beautiful gardens, a

the technique for being transported there is the subject of several l

passages. There are Indian and Mongolian gardens and those of t

garden spirits unknown to the world at large, but existing for t

pleasure of the few who find their way there .

Storms can be raised, rich people beggared, poor travellers help

to oases, the ugly made beautiful and vice versa ; all the dreams of l

can be realized-once you have a spirit in a bottle .

Ordinary magicians, though, cannot maintain their magical powe

indefinitely without recharging them . Hence the warning : "The stud

should always make sure that he has repeated his rites once a year,

the power will become weaker. I f h e s e e s t h a t t h e spirit is not pleas

he must go away to a secluded place, and repeat the magical word

wearing his robes and in the same way in which he did at first ;

then he is to return to the spirit, and ask What ails thee?"

Another indispensable requirement is that of secrecy . "Under

circumstances may it be revealed to anyone whatever that you a

able to command the spirits. This is not only because such things



frowned upon, but because your power will be lost in this way, and

you will not have another chance to develop it until twenty years

have passed . "

Anyone embarking upon a period of magical training for theattainment of a petty or unworthy end wil l either become unworthy

of the society of men or will become purified . "Do not expect that

the exercise of magic will leave you unchanged ; your motives and

your thoughts, unless brought under restraint, will deepen, and will

change. It is not a ritual for those who are weak in heart and courage . "

There is a pleasant, almost lighthearted, air about this book which

is quite out of keeping with the traditional Eastern writings on the

subject. The whole ritual, if such it may be called, is simplified and

fairly direct; although there are grave warnings against certain attitudes

and practices, they are nothing compared with later tracts and the

religio-magical writings of the ancient Semites and Accadians .

Modern writers on occult subjects would c a l l this a `composite

ritual', tracing in it characteristics of the Semites, of India and the

Sumerians . Whether it is `bogus' or not naturally depends upon the

standpoint of the critic . This much, however, may be said : it is very

probably not an entirely orig inal work, and does not represent a

transmitted grimoire of sorcery dating from high antiquity. Anno-tations on the margins indicate that it may have been a text used by a

group of independent magicians over a century ago . Although I have

never seen-or heard of-another copy, these marginal notes query

certain passages, and in one place, for example, the unknown com-

mentator has written "Jasmine is better than goat-hair" .

One curious chapter deals with arguments against alchemy, and

goes so far as to state that "It should never be attempted, as it is adelusion, and even if not a delusion, is something which was originally

intended to be something else, and which is displeasing to spirits and

God alike." While the thesis that alchemical writings are allegorical,

and refer to the refining of the human soul, are familiar to those versed

in Arab philosophy, nevertheless it is unusual to find a magical book

actually condemning the art .

Persian magic, as it is known today, contains elements from the

rites of the Mongols, Chinese, Hindus and Arabs, in addition to native

beliefs and practices. One of the characteristics of a P ersian sorcerer

of old was his belief in the Huma bird, which never alighted on earth,

but travelled far and wide, and brought tidings to initiates, of what was

happening in ev ery country . The Huma, it appears, does not speak any

human tongue. Like Solomon, it is necessary to learn the speech ofbirds before his messages can be understood .

IRANIAN MAGIC I0

It is stated that a model of one of these birds was found suspende

over the throne of Tipu Sultan in 1799 . The Huma flies on the winds

and collects his information partly from the divs, or spirits, who ar

to be found everywhere .

The largest houses in Persia have towers, which catch the wind an

cool the rooms underneath in the summer heat . If the day be auspicious

the good d i v r will make the winds blow-unless they are needed b

the Huma, during one of his periodical transits across the heavens .

Being such a traveller, and also of uncounted age, the Huma know

the site of the Fountain of Life . Watched over by magicians, anguarded by innumerable jinns and d i n s , the Fountain is believed b

many to be situated in the Persian Hill s . There is no doubt thathroughout the ages people have actually embarked on the search fo

the Fountain . I t i s said of those who do not return that they hav

found it, and either been killed before getting even one precious drop

or that they have drunk it and been transformed into pure beings wh

do not wish to return to their homes .

Mountains, in Persia as elsewhere, have many magical associations

The Kobi-Gabr (Fire-Worshipper's Mountain) rises steeply to a con

siderable height . Onthe top there is a ruin, said to be all that is left o

an ancient fire-temple . Here the concentrated essence of magic lingers

and a host of specially-endowed jinns dwell . The power', it is claimed

causes people who approach to recoil. There is something almos

physical about it. Tales are told of those who have climbed the Koh an

returned mad, or lame, or wasting away . It is possible that thes

legends are a survival of pre-Islamic times, when Zoroastrians probabl

circulated such rumours, to enable themselves to practise their art

there unobserved .

Not everyone, however, who approaches the dread ruin will suffe

danger or destruction . Young brides consider it the ultimate token o

love if their husbands climb the heights and bring back a stone fro

the ruins .

Not far from this famous place are other hills equally endowed wit

magical beliefs . Here the fire-worshipping mag icians used to plac

offerings of fruit, to propitiate certain spirits, and to lure them int

captivity, to do their bidding. Those who had a desire to fulfil used t

have it written and placed in a bowl of fruit, for the Magians to tak

to these heights . On the top of one of these hills grew the Tobo tree

the tree of eternal happiness . This is said to be like the one in Paradis

which grows at All ah's rig ht hand . Great griefs and fears are carrie

by good fairies to this spot, where they are cleansed and the sufferer

set free from unhappiness .



CHAPTER 11

MAGICAL RITES OF THEATHARVA VEDA"A curse with a thousand eyes comes, wheelborne : a n d i t

seeks him that curses me : like a wolf seeks the dwelling of the

owner of sheep . . . strike he that curses me, 0 Curse l . . . Himdo I cast to his deathl"-Veda IV, 6 : 3 7 .

THATthe Atharva Veda of the Brahmins-the Secret Work'-is a

textbook of magic will be obvious from the extracts presented here .*

What is more important to realize is that it is not regarded as a

work ofwitchcraft or sorcery. Among the spells included are severalwhich actually curse magicians : and others which seek to arm the

Brahmin priest with effective counters to the magic-working of others .

Thus, from the Brahmin point of view, the Veda is White, orlegitimate,

Magic. While the usual difference between the two is taken to be thedegree to which actual evil is encouraged, the Atharva Veda strikes at

the root of the magical problem . Where a spell can cause either good or

evil, depending upon the purpose for which it is used, is it Black or

White magic? t

According to the beliefs of the compilers of the Veda, magic is not

only true, but lawful when applied by those pure in heart. This is the

main reason why for centuries the Atharva Veda was only read to

s e l e c t i n i t i a t e s .

These extracts form an interesting study of the scope and purpose

of magical practice among the Vedic Brahmins .

SPELL {FOR EVERLASTING LIFE

Immortality be upon this onel He is a sharer of the Sun's

everlasting life . Indra and Agni have blessed him, and have

* Originally memorized by Brahmin priests, and supposed to be used only

a f t e r p u r i f i c a t i o n a n d d e d i c a t i o n r i t e s , t h e s p e l l s of the largely magical Atharva

Veda are believed to be efficacious by millions of Hindus . O r i g i n a l l y c a l l e d t h e

`Brahma Veda' (Book for Brahmins) its status, according to Hindu theology, i s

lower than the Three Vedas ; h e n c e t h e t i t l e of Fourth Veda sometimes applied

to i t .

t The theory that `Black' Magic i s connected with Satan-worship i s a l a t e r ,

Christian opinion, which was at its height during the Inquisition and the reign of

such monarchs as James I o f England .

110



DA: a n d i t

dwelling o f t h e

. . . Him

. *

s included are several

of others .

is White, or legitimate,

i s taken to be the

the Veda, magic is not

. T h i s i s t h e

read to

the scope and purpose

.

us . Originally called theheology, is

Top, left : Sudanese sorcerer in magical regali

about to conduct an initiation ceremony (Ch

Centre, left : Indian cave-temple at Ajanta, co

sidered the ideal place for Atharvic rites {Ch .

Bottom, left : Pre-Islamic cave-shrine at Petra (Ch . 8 ) . "Still the haunt of Solomon's Djinns"

Top, right : Unique picture of the shrine where the cloak of the Prophet Mohammreposes, in Kandahar (Ch . 8)

Bottom, right : Ritual magical dance at Kordofan, Sudan (Ch. 6). Note magical axes and sta

of exaltation of the performers



Top : Tiksay Lamasery, reputed home of an

"abominable snowman".

Bottom, l e f t : Chung-Khwei, the Chinesedemon-destroying spirit, accompanied by

a bat

Centre : Chinese ritual sword of exor-cism, made of brass coins strung

with red cotton on a magnetized rod .

All coins must be of the same d

(Ch .1 7)

Bottom, right : Shoki : Japanese coun

of Chung-Khwei. Belt, sword anare similar and considered necessa

Bottom, centre : Ancient Buddhist

where the Bonist demon, Yama,

voked. Unique photograph



: Shoki: Japanese counterpart

. Belt, sword and robes

:Ancient Buddhist Stupa,

MAGICAL RITES OF THE ATHARVA VEDA III

taken him into immortality. Bhaga and Soma are with him,

carrying him high, to prolong his days .

There will now be no danger of death :

This world will keep you, forever, rise up!

The Sun, the Wind, the Rain, are all with thee 1

Thy body shall be strong and unaffected by any disease .

Life will be thine, I promise it; enter this ascending

Never-perishing, age-old chariot . . . .

Thy heart will be strong, thou shalt be apart from others .

Forget those who have died, they are no longer for thee .

The twin many-coloured dogs of Yama, guards of the road,

Shall not follow thee (to take thy life) .

Follow the path where the fire will guide thee, the purifying

flame, and it will not harm thee, this celestial burning!

Savitar, the Saver, will guard thee, taking into converse

The great Vayu, of the living, Indra ; and strength and

Breath shall be with thee : t h e s p i r i t o f l i f e w i l l

Ever remain . No illness shall touch thee ; all Powers are on

Thy side.

By a variety of efforts I have rescued thee : henceforth

There will not be any danger, nor death, nor disease .

This spell, like the others in the Veda, is chanted by the Brahmin

before the man who desires everlasting life. The next charm is used if

the operator himself wishes his days prolonged (74) .

"Take hold of this charm that subjects to immortality, may thy life

unto old age not be cut of fl I bring to thee anew breath and life : go not

to mist and darkness, do not waste away 1

Come hither to the light of the living ; I rescue thee unto a life of

a hundred autumns 1 Loosing the bands of death and imprecation, I

bestow upon thee long l i f e extended very far .

From the Wind thy breath I have obtained, from the sun thine eye ;

thy soul I hold fast in thee : be together with thy limbs, speak articu-

lating with thy tongue 1

With the breath of two-footed and four-footed creatures I blow

I



III ORIENTALMAGICupon thee, as on Agni when he is born. I have paid reverence, 0Death, to thine eyes, reverence to thy breath .

This person shall live and shall not die . We rouse him to life l I

make for him a remedy . 0 Death, slay not this man!

The plant `quickening', forsooth-no- harm, a victorious, mighty

saviour-plant do I invoke, that he may be exempt from injury .

Befriend him, do not seize him, let him go ; though he be thy very

own, let him stay here with unimpaired strength . 0 Bhava and Sarva,

take pity, grant protection ; misfortune drive away and life bestow l

Befriend him, Death, pity him ; let him rise unaided. Through old

age over a hundred years, let him be well."

HEALTH CHARMS AND INVOCATIONSAs with other magical systems, the Atharva Veda holds that while

certain plants and trees possess healing and other supernatural powers,

these functions can only be exercised subject to certain conditions .

Knowing the kind of herb to employ for each spell is not enough . The

plant must be ex orcised, invocations made to the spirit residing within

it, and the usual requirements of ritual purity and prayer observed .

In treating disease, much depends upon the diagnosis . Specific

complaints-coughs, lameness, blindness-have their known cures .

Diseases caused by demons, howev er, must be combated in accordance

with the formulas laid down in the Veda for this purpose .

If the cause of the illness is not known, recourse is made to universal

panaceas . Those who are apparently healthy call to their aid either

elixirs of life or charms to produce complete immunity from all disease .

In all cases, however, the magical pl ants and remedies must be

addressed in suitable terms . This is the first step, undertaken by all

Hindu magicians working according to the discipline of the Atharva

Veda

I n v o c a t i o n t o t h e P l a n t s

"We invoke and address the magical plants : plants that are red,

those that are white, and the brown and black herbs : al l these do we

invoke 1 Verily the spirits are in control of the infirmities. Herbs, rooted

in the seas, mothered by the land, fathered by the sky 1

Plants and herbs of the Heavens I Illness and maladies coming from

sinfulness do you exorcise!

I call upon the creepers, upon those plants that bear luxurious

foliage. These are herbs that give us life : they multiply by division

(of their stems), they are vigorous, they have strong shoots .

MAGICAL RITES OF THE ATHARVA VEDA 11

0 plants and herbs l You have the power to rescue this sufferer 1 I

c a l l upon you and adjure you to make the remedy that I shall prepare

powerful and effective."

Certain plants are then gathered . Very often their family is not s

important as their appearance . Ailments which cause swell ings ar

believed to be alleviated by herbs with bulbous roots . Those who hav

the jaundice can be cured by invocations to yellow leaves- and so on

When the requisite number of leaves and roots have been collected,

they may be addressed : as in this instance of a panacea for all ills :

P a n a c e a f o r a l l i l l s

"It is these plants, these highly endowed ones, which shall liberat

the sufferer! Verily I acknowledge, 0 Herbs, that your lord is Soma,

and that you are made by none other than Brihaspati 1 The shadow that

is over us, that threatens us, shall be overcome 1

We demand release from il ls. F rom curses and the snares of Varun

we claim freedom. From the shackles of Yama, and from the consequences of our sins against the spirits !

We have committed sins of thought, or of speech, against the Gods

let these be expunged from us, let us be free of ills I"

The Talisman of Force

Considered one of the most potent of all charms is that made fro

the wood of the Sraktya tree-the clerodendrum phlomoides . Apiece

the wood is cut, then shaped into something representing the object o

one's desire. For victory in battle the supplicant fashions asword or speafrom the wood. In many cases, however, a simple disc is made, bearinradiating lines to indicate the Chakra-an ancient Indian sun-sign .

Theoretically the wood of this tree is credited with a wide variet

of virtues, embracing almost every sphere of human ambition. In t

secret writings, however, its use is generally limited to protection

fecundity, virility, prosperity and defence against witchcraft . Whe

completed, the charm is tied on the right arm . The hymn addressed t

the charm itself varies with the effect wanted, though the very pos

session of such a charm is believed to grant many of the power

associated with its traditional virtues . This is the 'protection-spell' us

in conjunction with the talisman :



Protection Spell of the Sraktya Charm

"Bound upon the owner this charm is all-powerful . It makes the

possessor strong and brave, kills enemies, brings fortune to him who

has it. It is potent, too, against all magic. This is the charm used by

Indra to kill Vritra. He smashed the Asuras, and became master of

heaven and earth, and with its aid he overcame the four spheres of

space. Yes, this talisman is an attacking and victorious one . I t will

destroy the enemy, and will protect us from himThis is what Agni and Soma have said, Indra, Brihaspati and

Savitar, all concur in this . Those who attack me will be repelled, and

the same force as they use shall rebound upon them : by the force of

this talisman!

Heaven, Earth, the Sun, the Sages, all shall stand between me and

the enemy . Their force shall rebound upon them : by the force of this

t a l i s m a n t

This talisman is to me and other users as is an all-powerful armour .

It ascends the spheres like the Sun rising into Heaven, destroys all

magic against me . It is a potent force, and the Rashas will fall be-

f o r e i t !

Indra, Vishnu, Savitar, Rudra, Agni, Prajapati, Parameshthin,

Viraj, Vaysvanara, all of them, the powerful spirits, shall stand behind

the amulet, which is affixed to the wearer, as a powerful armour .

0 most potent tree, potent like a leader amongst beasts, thou art

my guardian and my help, such did I need, such have I found . And I,

wearing this charm am like a tiger, like a bull, like unto a lion: nothing

can touch me, wearer of this charm . He who wears it can command

all, and be their ruler .

Produced and made by Kassyapa, worn by Indra in his battles,

surely he is a vanquisher. It is the power of the spirits that makes this

amulet one of power multiplied a thousandfold . 0 Indra, with a whip

of ahundred lightning-flashes, strike him who would seek to strike me,by virtue of this charml

And this great and powerful talisman does strike to victory

wherever it is used . It produces children, fecundity, security, fortunes l

Those who are against us in the north, in the south, in the west,

in the east, uproot them, 0 Indra 1 1

My protection, like an armour, is the sun, the day and night, the

heavens and the earth. My protection is Indra, and Agni . Dhatar will

give me that protection! Every spirit that there is cannot pierce the

defences of Indra and Agni : t h i s i s the strength that I have between

MAGICALRITES OF THE ATHARVA VEDA 11

me and the enemy . 0 spirits 1 Let me become old and notbe cut off i

my youth 1

Nothing can happen to the wearer of this amulet. It is the ver

talisman of invulnerability 1"

If the talisman is being given to someone by a sorcerer, the maste

will end his recital with the words : "This is the all-potent talisman

0 Indra, giver of prosperity, killer of Vritra, overlord of enemies, th

conqueror, safeguard against all peril, protect this man and grant hi

thy help, by day and night 1"

Sometimes an offering of butter is made . If it is desired to use th

amulet in war, a fire of broken arrows is kindled before it to symboliz

the destruction of the foe .*

Occult Medicine of the Veda

According to the Atharva Veda, most diseases can be rapidly cure

by spells.

Spell against Sores

"The sores upon the neck (or wherever the sore may be) wil

disappear. These are the fifty-five sores, and the seventy-seven sore

and the ninety-nine sores : they shall all disappear 1"

While the repetition continues-and it should be said seventy time

-fifty- five leaves of the parasu plant are lighted with some burnin

pieces of wood. The oozing sap of the leaves is then collected, as f

as may be possible, into a cup, and applied to the sores. Then a ba

composed of the saliva of a dog, ground seashells and `stings fro

insects' is rubbed into the affected place .

But perhaps more attractive to the general spell-minded public i

one, designed to combat all evil, to banish disease of whatever origi

Spell against all Evil

"Release me, evil power ; please release me, the unfortunate vict

of your malice 1 Let me escape this evil thing, and be happy again 1

* This ritual is closely paralleled in Semitic Magic. The Babylonians, tomade ceremonial destruction of war symbols their victory rite-even to toffering of butter; invoking Ishtar, Shamash and Nergal (Zimmern, Ritualtafi

t73)



If you do not release me, then I will abandon you at the next cross-

roads : and you will follow and possess another 1

Go, follow another: join the man who is my enemy, strikehim!"

The manufacture of this spell is complicated by the ritualwhich supplements its recitations . These are repeated at night, while

dried corn is sieved, then discarded. The following day the inyocant

throws three small offerings of food into running water, as a sacrifice

to the Spirit of a Thousand Eyes .

Repairing to a cross-roads, he then scatters three portions of cooked

rice there as `bait' for the evil to enter, prior to its taking up a new

abode in the body of the enemy to whom it will be consigned .

S p e l l a g a i n s t P o i s o n

Poison, says the Veda, can be combated by this ritual . First the

spell is recited, in a low voice, while bowing to an idol representing

the Serpent-god Takshaka. During this, the patient drinks a smallquantity of water, while water is also sprinkled upon him . This water

has been specially prepared by soaking in it a piece of the Krimuka tree.

Next, an old garment is heated and plunged into another vessel of

water which the patient has to drink also. Some mix the two drinks

with clarified butter, and stir the whole with the shafts of poisoned

arrows . It is perhaps not surprising that the patient is expected to

become sick after these ceremonies . This is the spell to be recited

"Brahmana, drinking of the sacred Soma, he of the ten heads and

ten mouths, rendered all poison without power. I have announced,

throughout the breadth of the heavens and earth, throughout all space,

the power of this charm .

Garutamant, the eagle, drank of the poison : but it was powerless

against him. In a like manner I have deflected the power of the poison,

as an arrow is deflected .

0 arrow, thy point and thy venom have no power: equally, all

those concerned in the making and use of this poison, those too have

I rendered impotent . Even the crags upon which the plants of poison

grow have become powerless before me. Everything of this poison is

negatived . Poison, thy power is gone 1"

CHARMS AGAINST DISEASE AND DEMONSThe Atharvan magician has to guard against disease and demons :

the former on behalf of his clients-often the ancient kings and their


families-the latter because they might affect the power of his magic

adversely. The following charm is said to be effective against both

types of menace, and against illness caused by malignant spirits as well

It represents a formidable challenge to hostile forces . A charm is first

made, from the Gangida tree, and over it this spell is intoned

"The seers, while speaking the name of Indra, gave to man the

Gangida. It had been made a remedy by the g ods from the begin-

ning, and a destroyer of the Vishkandha .

Protect us, Gangida, for we look after his treasures, verily the

gods and the Brahmanas made him a protection that nullifies evi

forces!

I have approached the evil eye of the inimical ; 0 thousand-eyed

one, destroy all these! Gangida, thou art our refuge .

The Gangida will protect me from the heavens, from thearth, from plants, from the air ; and from the past, and from th

future. I am to be protected in every direction 1

May the all-powerful, protective Gangida render all the magi

of gods and men weak and powerless 1"

This quotation, apart from its interest as typical of the protectiv

type of Hindu spell, tells us that such is the power of the Gangida tree,

that even spells cast by gods cannot have effect against it . Here w

note the merging of magic into a power almost of its own, a power that

seems to exist apart from that merely `borrowed' from gods and men

This is a point which, I think, has been insufficiently noted by many

commentators on magical practice. It has often been remarked that th

typical sorcerer will first app eal, to gods, then repudiate them o

threaten them if the spell does not succeed . This occurs, too, in th

conjurations of the Jews. Surely it is an extension of this idea that th

god orbeing which is addressed is notthe ultimate power invoked

In later codices where Christian formulae have been substituted for

earlier ones, this is made clear enough . Equally, then, it could b

maintained that the pagan gods or spirits call ed upon to serve th

sorcerer are merely acting as intermediaries or agents for the power

whose mandate magic is exercised . What is this greater power? It ma

or may not refer to the subconscious unitarian yearning in man . Th

raises theological issues, but it could prove a fertile field of study :

only occultists and even anthropologists would venture off the beat

track ; that is to say, if they would cease to be content with mere

cataloguing the observations of others .

In the final analysis, it should be noted that charms and spells ar



[I8 ORIENTAL MAGICnot always of themselves certain to effect a cure . This explains why

several charms for achieving the same result are prescribed in the

magical writings.

If, then, a charm does not work, is another tried, and so on, until a

cure is found? I asked this question of the Brahmin priest who was myguide to the magical codices of Hinduism . He replied that this was a

Western, empirical and cart-before-the-horse method. According to the

established view, a cure is not only possible, but certain . It may be,

however, that certain planetary influences are suitable for one type of

incantation and not another. Or, it may be that one kind of demon

causes one disease, and one another. These facts should be known to

every practitioner of occult medicine .

Hence the variety of charms and amulets employed in various

circumstances. This practitioner then quoted the following alternative

exorcism of disease :

VARANA-TREE EXORCISM"This disease shall be cut off by the divine force of the Varana

tree ; s o , t o o , w i l l t h e g o d s s h u t o f f t h i s d i s e a s e I

I am shutting off this disease, by command of Indra, by com-

mand of Mitra, and by Varuna, and al l the gods .

Just as Vritra held fast these everflowing waters, thus do I shut

off disease from this person, with the power of Agni Vaisvanara ."

Certain plants, as well as water and barley, are important adjuncts

to the power of incantations and amulets . In order to bring out

the latent power in these objects, they have to be consecrated and

` s e n s i t i z e d ' .

The very fact that the magician has such magical elements in his

home will cause the occult power to be attracted, and to build up in

intensity day by day . This is the general oration made over fresh water

and barley

"This barley was ploughed with force, and there were used yokes

of eight and of six . Ailments will be driven off with it . As the wind

blows, downwards, the sun shines downwards, downwards comes the

milk from the cow ; thus let the ailments (that can be healed by this)

pass away l Water is healing ; water drives off illness ; waters cure all

i l l s ; these waters will make a cure for thee 1"

HYMN TO THE PLANTSWhen magical plants are gathered fresh for curative purposes, this

hymn i s chanted over them :


"We invoke, brown, white, speckled, coloured and blac

plants; they are to protect this person from ills sent by the gods

their father is the sky, mother the earth, root the ocean. Heavenl

plants drive forth sinful disease .

The plants that spread forth, plants that are bushy, some wit

a single sheath, and those that are creepers ; these I do invoke .

call the plants that have shoots, plants that have stalks, those tha

cause their limbs to be divided, those that have been made by t

gods, strong ones that give life to man .

With the might that is yours, ye mighty ones, with the power an

the force that is .yours, with that do ye, 0 Plants, rescue this ma

from his ill-health I I am now making the remedy .

The plants givala, naghrisha, givanti, and the plant arundhati

which takes away (ills) is flowering, and I call upon them to he

himThe wise plants are to come here, they understand what I

saying, andwemay come together to bring this man safely to go

health.

They are the food of the fire, the children of the water, the

grow and regrow, strong, healing plants, with a thousand name

brought all together here .

Prickly plants, thrust aside evil. Plants that act against wit

craft, shall come here, plants which have been bought, whic

protect animals and men, they shall come .

The tops, the ends, the middles of all these plants are stee

in honey, and they shall all, even unto thousands, aid against dea

and suffering .

The talisman made of plants is like a tiger ; it will prot

a g a i n s t h o s t i l i t y , i t w i l l d r i v e o f f all disease .

Diseases will flow away along the rivers . . . ."

These invocations continue for several lines . Invoking all man

of gods and powers, speaking of classical instances in Indian mytholog

wherein great victories were won and lost, the thundering voice

the magician relentlessly carries on his struggle to bring together a

the powers that he can invoke .

As he sways backwards and forwards on his haunches, the Brahm

must nod his head with the rhythm of the recitation, and he should f

the power derived from the pl ants perceptibly growing inside his bo

It has been described to me as a real physical feeling .



CHAPTER 13

INDIA: RITES OF THEPRIEST-MAGICIANS"I am dedicated to achieving power and knowledge in this

world, and promotion in the other world . . . ."-Rite ofI n v o c a t i o n t o t h e A s u v a t a T r e e .

WI L E little comparative research into the fundamentals of Eastern

and Western occult lore has been carried out by dispassionate scholars,

certain principles important to this study have been established.

Perhaps the most startling of them is the strange similarity between

the ancient Greek school, the rites of the Jewish Cabbalists, and the

arcane disciplines of Vedic India .

Stemming from a mystical approach to wonder-working attained

through magic, all these schools embraced in commonpurification

rites, ceremonial dress, incantation and asceticism. The sanctity of a

divine name, whose very utterance was reserved for special occasions,

and three degrees of initiation form another cornerstone of their

occult practice .

What are the Indian schools of mag ic, and how do they achieve

their aims? In the first place India, like any other country, abounds with

charlatans whose main object in life is the extraction of a mere live-

lihood through sleight-of- hand or confidence tricks : some of themingenious in the extreme . But a very large section of the population

subscribes in some degree to belief in, if not actual practice of, magic .

Those whose whole-time occupation is the study and attempted use of

occult science-such as the Sadhus and Fakirs-prepare themselves

by one of the strictest and most austere disciplines recorded in human

history .

In the same way, their 'miracles'-which I have myself seen and

attempted to test as scientifically as possible-seem to exceed in scope

almost anything else .

Briefly, Hindu occult science rests upon the belief that power over

anything and everything on earth may be obtained by means of benign

s p i r i t s . As with the Chinese, such beings may be souls of the departed,

or simply disembodied entities under whose supervision come the laws

of nature . Should, for example, it be desired to interfere with the law

of gravity, the spirit guarding that law must be invoked, and beseeched

120

INDIA: RITES OF THE PRIEST-MAGICIANS 12

for help . This type of ex periment is considered among the most ele

mentary ; so startling are the results obtained by these Sadhus, that

am almost driven to the conclusion that there may be some natural la

which is as yet undiscovered in the West, which enables seemin

miracles to be performed by those who have attuned their mind

t o i t .

Here is a case: I induced a Hindu magician of considerabl

importance to demonstrate certain tricks to me . He came one evenin

to my bungalow, dressed in a small loincloth and carrying nothing bu

a small, seven-ringed stick-the badge or wand of Hindu . occultist

I made several tests . First, having made sure that there was no con

federate or apparatus present, I asked him if he would make a chai

rise from the ground, and hover in space. Knitting his brows in dee

concentration, he closed his eyes and extended both hands towards th

largest chair on the verandah . In ten seconds-timed with a stowatch-the chair seemed to rise into the air, and, turning slightly

actually hover in space, about five feet up . I approached it and pull

on the legs . It descended to the floor ; but as soon as I let go it sail

upwards again. I asked the man if I could myself be carried up wi

the chair. He nodded his head. Pulling it down again-the thi

seemed to have a life of its own by now-I sat upon the seat and r

into the air on it . Convinced that some sort of hyp nosis was behind thi

I got him to make all the furniture in the place rise. Then I asked h

to bring flowers from a nearby garden-which all appeared .

I had no flashlight camera, or this would have been an opportuni

to test the matter once and for all . Yet I could not believe that hypnos

as we know it was behind the affair . In the first place the induction

the hypnotic state must have been amazingly rapid ; secondly, ev

while the phenomena were being produced, I could not bring myse

to believe that they were genuine . I seemed in no way en rapport wi

the magician-for I was easily able to refer to my prearranged list

phenomena, and ask him to produce them for me. But what fina

disposed of my suspicion that hyp nosis as we know it might have be

used was this : I asked the Hindu to describe to me the contents of t

next two letters that I should receive-and he did so correctly . Next

asked him to bring me immediately a rifle that I k new belonged to

neighbour, and to be in the next house about five miles away . And

gun appeared. The following morning, while I was having breakfas

the owner of the rifle carne to collect it. At the time I was almost t

confused to think . He claimed that he had dreamed the previous ni

that I had borrowed it . Two years later, in England-by which ti

the hypnosis must surely have worn offwe again compared note



va~aaa• aaaa. awsaVav

and my friend agreed that this event had actually taken place . What was

I to think? The magician never asked for anypayment or reward, and

I never gavehimany. He came, as he said, `to demonstrate the powers

that come to a man who genuinely follows the path of virtue' . I f t h i s

is hypnosis it surely is of a very high order, incorporating some sort

of hypnosis at a distance, telepathy, inducing dreams, hypnosis in ten

seconds of a stranger-and some foreknowledg e of what will be

contained in a letter .

This experience is representative of a large number of experiments

which I and various other students of Indian occult lore conducted

during a period of some three months. Certain broad outlines of

magical practice among the Sadhus emerged from this study .

In the first p lace it seems possible-if not probable-that a number

of Hindu magicians can in actual fact induce phenomena which could

be classed as supernatural . What is the nature of their power, what is

its source? In common with several Western investigators, I have been

forced to the conclusion that we must conceive of the existence of

some principle, whose harnessing becomes a possibility through the

disciplines of the Indian priest-magicians. Occult it may be-since

anything which is not understood may be termed occult : it is much

more likely that there are forces-perhaps akin to magnetism or

electricity, or forms of these-whose functions we do not as yet under-

stand. After al l we know very little of the nature of electricity or

magnetism, even today. We know how to usethese forces, and we know

what they can do. Yet they were known for centuries before they were

harnessed. What places this òccult force' in a slightly different category

is the apparent fact of its use through mind control .

On the other hand, it may well be that one day machines will be

developed which can control this strange power or force . From personal

observation of the trance-like condition of the practitioners, my own

feeling is that the greatest barrier preventing the objective study of this

power is the lack of scientists prepared to undergo the rigorous training

necessary to become adepts .

* The reader will notice that there seem here to be three types of `magical'

henomena operating. It is possible that there was a form of snap-hypnosis, andthat this could be induced for a matter of seconds or minutes, at the operator's

will. In between times (that is, when released by the magician) one would feel

quite normal, as I did. Secondly, the prevision as to the content of the letters . This

is difficult to account for, but it is not an unknown faculty-just, I suspect, an

unrecognized one . Then there is the `projection of matter' problem : when the rifle

was apparently conveyed over a distance under mysterious circumstances, and by

an unknown power. It is of additional interest that the owner of the rifle seemedto be under the impression that I had borrowed it. Further instances of Indian magic

are given in: Bibliography, No . 73 .

It is true that the Sadhus claim that their power comes exclusively

from spirits ; that they within themselves possess no special abilities

except that of concentration . At the same time a man might believe fire

to be a s p i r i t , a n d s t i l l b e a b l e to use it as he wished . This seems to

point to the actual possibility of some principle or force, whose

nature is not fully understood, being employed by Hindu magicians

Whatever may be the truth underlying these phenomena, the

following dissertation gives details of the initiation and discipline of

the Brahmin priesthood according to the magical treatise Agrusada-

pariksay.

R i t e s a n d I n v o c a t i o n s o f t h e M a g i c i a n ,

according to the Agrusadapariksay

The first part of this secret work of Hindu occult science treats o

the rites to be observed by the parents of a child from birth, until it

is old enough to receive the initial degree of novitiateship . The actua

training in magical power does not, however, come until the third part

of the work, the study of which commences at the age of about twenty

years, when the young Brahmin leaves his Guru (master), and launches

into what might be termed individual study .

Carrying now the title of Grihasta, the young magician commence

a severe life of rituals and taboos, of invocations and fasting, of praye

and self-denial. Fortunately for him, every detail of his future life is

planned meticulously by the book : for any omission of even th

smallest observance carries the inexorable penalty of delaying his

spiritual development .

Sleeping on the fl oor, on a simple mat, he must rise before dawn

As soon as he stands up he must speak the name of Vishnu, calling

upon that deity for aid and blessing . Then follows the Suprem

Formula, in a low voice

"Brahma, Vishnu, Siva, you, and the

Spirit of the Spirits of the Seven

Orbs : I call upon you all, asking

that the day should dawn ."

This is followed by the invocation of Brahma : "Brahma, come in

me, enter within me, 0 Brahma, tranquillity and blessings are to me

Brahma is within me, I am at ease . "



124 ORIENTAL MAGIC

Conjuration of Vishnu

This is said immediately after the prayer to Brahma :

"Lord, greatest of all, basis of all, and power behind all, Lord of

the Universe, initiator of all life : Thou hast instructed me, thou hast

commanded me, to rise and make my way in this, my everyday lif e ."

Then follows the period of contemplation . This is an hour devoted

to thinking exclusively of good ; and the planning of kindness and

pious acts to be achieved on that day. When the mind is thus settled

and calm, "Say then the name of Vishnu, one thousand times ."

This brings the magician to his ritual ablutions, which are made

with a copper or brass vessel, while the mind is concentrated upon the

spirit of Vishnu .

The washing over, he turns round nine times slowly, rep eating

the names : Brahma, Siv a, Vishnu, then nine times and again threetimes .

The next part of the ritual is the invocation to the Sun :

I n v o c a t i o n t o t h e S u n

"Thou art the Sun! Thou art the Eye of Brahma, the Eye of Vishnu,

the Eye of Siva : in the morning, at noon and at night. More p recious

than anything else, thou art a jewel of jewels, priceless watcher over

all, hanging in the sky. This is thy power : f e r t i l i z e r o f l i f e , y a r d s t i c k o f

Time itself-of days, nights, weeks, years, seasons-all Time .

Of the p lanets thou art the leader, the most high . Destroyer of

darkness, power extending over uncounted millions of miles, golden

chariot of the universe, accept myadoration l"

R i t e o f t h e T r e e

The rites continue with a daily invocation to the tree . This is

generally the type known as Asvattha, and the magician sits in its

shade, repeating the following words

"0 thou, Asvattha, King of jungles, representation of the spirits 1

In thy roots I see Brahma, thy trunk is Vishnu, thy branches are

dedicated to Siva . This means that thou art within thyself the Trinity

of the Gods 1

INDIA: RIThS O1 THR YR1~S1'-MAli1l CANS

I am dedicated to achieving power and k nowledge in this worl

and promotion in the other world . All who honour thee by circu

ambulations around thee will achieve these aims!"

Starting with the sacred number seven, the magician then revol

round the sacred fig tree in circumambulation in multiples of sev

He must do this at least eighty-four times .

This concludes the Tree Ceremony, and is followed by the donn

of clean garments, a further period of meditation and dedication to

sacrifice which the operator is about to perform .

S a c r i f i c i a l R i t e s o f t h e M a g i c i a n

The room which has been specially set aside for the rite-

specially cleaned preparatory to it-is then darkened . A pitcher

water and a small bowl containing cooked rice are placed on a tabl

which acts as an altar . Above this hang a lamp burning incense, an

small quantity of yellow p igment-generally saffron or sandalwood

The operator then claps his hands or snaps his fingers before

doors and windows, `sealing' them against evil spirits . An imagin

circle is also drawn before the door .

Two small images-one of the magician, the other to house

sacrificial spirits on their appearance-are then made from mud

water, and held momentarily over a flame. They thus comprise

elements of Fire, Earth, Water and Air .

E v o c a t i o n o f t h e S p i r i t

The magician seats himself on the floor in front of the altar wh

he has placed the figures . Crossing his legs, he, spends a few minu

in reflection . With his right thumb he closes his right nostril .

magic word `YOOM is spoken aloud sixteen times . At each repeti

of the word, the invocant must concentrate upon the spirit of

Pitris. He must take strong inhalations through his left nostril,

imagining that his body is disintegrating, and that he is being lef

a pure and disembodied spirit .

When the sixteen or more repetitions of the word are completed,

closes both nostrils with the thumb and index finger of his right h

Holding his breath as long as possible, he intones the magical syll

`RooM'six times. Theoretically he should have reached the stage w

it is not necessary for him to breathe at all . In fact, I have been tol



120 ORIENTAL MAGICself-styled magicians that `the spirits appear even if one is compelled to

breathe'.

The next step is the pronouncing of the all-powerful word 'Loom'

-thirty-two times. "Your soul will then leave the body . It will mingle

with the Pitri-spirit, and after a short space will return to the bodyWhen you are again fully conscious, you will find that the invoked

spirit has appeared, and taken up its temporary abode in the clay figure

prepared for it."

Taking care to make no mistake in the ritual the magician comes out

of his trance, repeating OOM' thrice and YOOM' nine times. Lookinginto the smoke of the incense, the student invokes the spirit :

"0 mighty spirit of the Pitris 1 0 Great and noble One 1 I have

invoked thee, and thou hast appeared 1 I have provided a body for thee

--a body formed from my very own body. Art thou here? Come,manifest thyself in this smoke; partake of that which I have offered as

a s a c r i f i c e f o r t h e e l "

The book goes on to tell how the shape of the spirit will appear in

the smoke, and will take some of the rice offering . I t will then bring any

spirit that is desired, including those of ancestors . They will give

advice and answer any questions put to them .

When `suitable replies on natural and supernatural things' have

been received, the magician puts out the light . The spirits, continues

the book, will stay for a while, speaking to one another, and much

wisdom may be gleaned from their conversation. When they havegone, the operator can relight his lamp and stand up .

He will then remove the coverings from the doors and windows,

and inform the evil spirits (who had been compelled to remain within

the magical circles) that they are free again . Only after this may he eat .

After finishing his meal, the sage washes his hands, gargles twelve

or more times, and eats nine leaves of garden-basil . It is necessary to

perform after this some pious action. This usually takes the form of

giving charity to the poor .

The Guru, or master, among the Hindu Sadhus is supp osed to

have through such observances as these-amazing and supremepowers. "To him there is no god at all : for all the gods or spirits are

under him. He gets his power from the One Superior Being. He can,

by means of his voice alone, change the course of rivers, turn mountain

ranges into gorges, produce hail, fire, rain and storms . His power is

in his stick : the stick with seven rings (or knots) . Into a magical circle

he commands all the evil spirits of the world, by means of this stick .

Even the stars are at his behest . "

The magical circle of the Guru-which may be drawn on the sand,

INDIA RITES OF THE PRIEST-MAGICIANS 1

or merely described in the air with his wand-is a double circle

Between the two are a succession of linked triangles .

The strange and unfamiliar Hindu doctrine of Akasa-life-spirit

spirit-,power-lies at the basis of all occult phenomena described

attempted by the Hindu school .

Briefly-if it is possible to be brief about such a matter . Aka

means that force of which al l s p i r i t s a r e a p a r t . It i s also the source

all power. There is , or so the Yogis state, only one substance or pow

from which everything else derives. Natural laws, such as gravity,

the life-process of man or plant, are obedient to certain laws. The

laws are not distinct and different phenomena : they are simply phas

of the Akasa. A Hindu magician would contend that matter and ener

are the same thing : just different aspects of Akasa, which is t

principle of which they are both composed . Recent research h

confirmed that belief

Akasa in one state, causes animal life . In another it determines

movement of the planets . One form or state of it can be transform

into another . Thus to nullify the force of gravity is simply a matter

charging the object with a lighter form of Akasa . If you want to lif

load of ten tons, it is necessary to change the type of Akasa'which

present in the load . If the ten tons is steel, you will have to divert

`steel Akasa' somewhere else .

Modem science with the atomic theory admits that all matter

composed of the same prime material-electricity . But where th

oriental theory differs with Western science is when the Hindus cl

that this prime material-Akasa-can be changed by means of t

mind: not by mechanical methods . Very similar, incidentally, is

Arab philosophical argument about the transmutation of meta

Gold, held the Arab alchemists, is made only by the concentration of

suitably ripe mystical intellect . It could be made of anything, b

making one metal out of another was simpler than making, say, g

out of wood.

K



CHAPTER1 4

INDIAN ALCHEMY TODAY"Gold I Which the Sun has giv en wondrous hue ; which

those before you, with plentiful progeny, did ever seek: may

this gold surround you with its brilliance 1 He who wears gold

will live for everl" (76) .

ONEof the most flourishing industries of modern India is the teaching

of alchemy. Whereas traditional manuscripts require concentrated

study to absorb their teachings, mixed with a g ood deal of ritual,

contemporary goldmakers-at least those whoaim at a quick turnover

-have developed their teachings along pseudo-modern scientificlines .

I recently transcribed one document issued by a Hindu alchemist

and sold to an acquaintance for the staggering sum ofCI 501 Though

I may seem to be cutting the sod (or the market) under the alchemist's

feet, this is in reality not the case . For I was able to trace the author

of the process, and to promise him that, if and when I succeeded in

making gold, I would send him half a ton, free of all charge, in exchange

for the right to publish the recipes given herewith . He was, it is true,

reluctant to agree to publication : but when, in front of witnesses, I

argued that he was really losing nothing (since he could make all the

gold he wanted at very low cost by means of the formulae) and because

he himself said that he was in no need of money (for the same reason)

it was only right that his discovery should be made known to the world .

I am still not quite sure whether he really believed that he had made

gold. (I am not responsible for the quality of his English l)

"FORMULA FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF GOLD"

I n t r o d u c t i o n

It must first be realized that gold cannot be made except by those -

that are pure in spirit and in body . Therefore, make sure that every

time that you are trying these experiments, you are in a state of com-plete purity. Next, you must be sure that the moon is full , and that

the Soma* plant that you gather is fresh, and pl ucked when the moon

* Asclepias AcidaorGyancbum Viminale128

INDIANALCHEMY TODAY I

is riding high, and the moonlight must be shining directly upon th

plant. On no account_ must the invocation to the soma be left out; a

you will also see to it that the juice of the soma is kept in due cleanline

in sterilized test-tubes .

What must be guarded against in the making of gold is oxidatio

The various processes that I shall give after this are adapted to avo

loss of metal and injury to the gold from this cause. The most commone is to cover the metals with carbon, which not only excludes ai

admitted to the furnace, but tends to absorb oxy gen liberated fro

metals during fusion . Union between the components of these gol

is secured by stirring the contents with a carbon rod which pr

motes chemical admixture without the introduction of any substan

likely to contaminate the chemical compound and modify it

properties .

In making ex perimental tests, a small furnace, such as that us

in a metallurgical laboratory, a strong pair of hand rolls, and an anvi

would be very useful adjuncts to everyone contemplating to ado

this Art I"

It is interesting here to see the abrupt switch from the supernatur

aspects of the ritual and the Soma plant, to the metallurgical phras

ology of the alchemist . This Soma has a very wide use in Indian Ved

magic, and figures, too, in the ritualistic texts of the Iranians. It

believed to be the Asclepias Adda, or the Sacrostremma Viminale, whi

is identified with the moon-god . But to return to the alchemist :

"The successful preparation of these golds depends upon one mo

condition that the metals should be of the purest quality and entire

free from iron. I f t h i s is notthe case, then the compounds would ind

show the requisite colour, but will be too hard, and so brittle that t

cannot be drawn out into thin sheets or fine wires . The metals u

in preparing these golds must, therefore, be tested beforehand

the presence of iron, and any which contain the slightest trace of

excluded . "

Then follows Formula No . I : ( S e e table below . )

"Take a large smelting-pot and s e t i t on a good red-hot furnace,

the bottom of which place A about the size of a small finger; u

this sprinkle B cover these with a little of C ; and then force the fire

that B may fuse : then throw in D and then a like quantity of E ;

then the same quantity of F as that of B . Then let this mixture boil,

take the greatest care not to inhale any of the gases rising from E . T

pour it into another smelting-pot that must be perfectly clean, and



130 ORIENTAL MAGICthe aid of G and H the Gold will settle down at the bottom in the form

of black particles which should be collected and placed in another

crucible and remelted. This metal is fi t for use, when cooleddown.

, ,

The requisite items for this recipe are given in a concise Index :

A. Colophony (black resin) (Kala ral)* 8 parts

B. Pure iron filings (Lobe ka burida*ya ret) 2

C. Red sulphur (Lal gandak) * 2D Borax (SuhaSa)*

E Red arsenic (Realgar) (Lal Sankhija,*

Mainsil, Mendal)*

F. Silver (Cbandi)*GSoma juice, correctly collected

„„

„

„2 ,,I teaspoonful

This is the whole process : words in italics are the original Indian

words used in the formula. There may be, however, some that cannot

produce gold from this recipe . For them the thoughtful alchemist has

produced another type of experiment. "It is possible," he told me,

"that supernatural influences may clash with the experimenter's

personality. He should then try Experiment Number Two."

Here it is :

"Process of Formula No. z

Melt A in a plumbago crucible over a gas or oil fire (these being

the best fuels to use) . Then A should be covered with charcoal to

prevent oxidation and the absorption of gases as much as possible .

After A has been melted, B should be dropped into the pot through

the charcoal. As soon as B goes into the pot the first action will be a

cooling one, caused by the temperature of the added B. As soon as B

is heated to the melting temperature it combines with A . Now add C ;

and when C has been combined with the mass, concentrate upon the

fact that it will be gold, add the Soma juice from five plants, remove the

crucible from the fire and skim the charcoal from its surface. The

contents, which are now gold, should be poured into moulds of

convenient sizes. The liquid should be stirred as much as possible

until poured. This metal is then fit for use . Before adding C to the

mass, care must be taken first to melt C separately in another

crucible . ) "

Perhaps you want 2z-carat gold, of a reddish hue? In that case, it

* Indian words, Hindi and Urdu .

INDIAN ALCHEMY TODAY

will be better to try Formula No . 3 . Meanwhile herewith the list

ingredients for Formula No. z

Formula No 3 seems upon superficial inspection to be one

making a copper-platinum alloy :

Method of making gold from the above ingredients :

"Melt in a crucible under a flux A, B and C, and then granulate t

by pouring it into alkaline water when in a molten state . Remelt,

the same time adding a cupful of the juice of the Soma, and then add

After being cooled down, this metal is ready for use . "

It is very probable that these processes originate in the gold-t

alloys that are used in the West to make tarnish-resisting jewellery . A

the function of the Soma,the reader may be left to judge for himself ;

there is at least one modern Japanese metallurgical patent which descri

the making of acid-resistant alloys with molybdenum and tungste

Indian Alchemical Formula No. 4 :

The following metals and other ingredients are prescribed :

A. Copper, Ioo% pure 100 parts

B. Antimony metal 8 ,,

C. Pure gold 5 „D. Charcoal ashes 15 „E. Magnesium metal 15

F. Lime-spar 15 „

Ingredients for Formula No . 3

A Copper, Ioo% pure (Tanba) 8oo parts

B. P latinum, ioo% pure (Ek safed sab se bhari

dbat) 28 „C Tungstic acid (Ek kism ka dawa) 20 „D Pure gold (Sona) 170 „

E Flux ( D h a t p i g l a n e v a l i c h i

F. Alkaline water (Sajjikbar ki pani)

G Juice of the Soma plant

A. Copper (Ioo % pure) tanba 70 parts

B. Aluminium (loo% pure) ek safed si halki dhat 5 „C. Pure gold ( s o n a ) 25

D Carbon (ek kism ka koila) 30 11

E Charcoal ( k o e l a ) 30 „



Ingredients for Formula No . 5

A. CopperB. ZincTin

C. Pure goldD MagnesiaE. Sal-ammoniacF. LimestoneG. Cream of tartar

H. Jasmine flowers

"Process of the Formula No. 4 :

Melt A i n a crucible during the last three days of the full moon . As

soon as it has reached a certain degree of heat, add B. When B haslikewise melted and fused with A, add three or four drops of fresh

Soma juice. Then add some of the D, E and F . Stir constantly with a

carbon rod, then cover this mass with carbon, and allow it to fuse for

3 5 minutes . When this compound has been comple tely combined with

all these ingredients, add C, and when C has likewise entered into

intimate union with the mass, it is finally covered with carbon, the

cover is placed over the crucible, and all is kept in fusion for five

minutes more. Then this metal is fit for use, as gold . Care must be

taken to see that C is melted separately before adding it to the

mass. "

Two further processes are given . The first, which is known as

Formula Number F ive, is to be used in winter, during the hours of

darkness. The second (Formula Number Six) is operative in the case

of people who have failed to make gold : providing that they are

unmarried, and dedicate their operations to the god Hanuman, and

keep his statue (part-man, part-monkey ) in à prominent place over-

looking the scene of operations' .

Method of making Gold from Formula 5

"First A is melted with I fluid ounce of Soma juice, then D, E, F,

and G are each added, separately and in powder form. They must begradually added while stirring, while battle-songs (sic) of the Purohitas

are sung . "

It should, perhaps, be expl ained here that the Purohitas-royal

priests and advisers of the ancient Hindu kings- used battle-hymns

INDIAN AL1.111•+Mr. 1VJJAI l3

that are today to be found in the pages of the magical AharvVeda .

But to return to Process Number Five :

"The whole mass is stirred for a quarter of an hour . B (Zinc and Tin

are dropped in then, piece by piece, the stirring being maintained unt

they melt, and the mass is covered by carbon for thirty-five minutes o

so. Finally, the item C is added, and when it has likewise fused wit

the whole it is covered at the top, and after five minutes is fit for use

Care must be taken to see that C is melted separately before adding i

to the mass ."

The simplest process of all is Formul a Number Six, of the sam

manuscript. Nothing is said here about Soma, jasmine or rites o

purification. The process is apparently simple, and fewer ingredien

are employed. Upon inspection, however, the whole thing seems to blittle more than a fairly straightforward alloy, capable of deceiving onl

such goldsmiths as might not be expecting its existence in such

country as India .

Formula Number Six:

"Take the following ingredients : twenty parts of platinum, the sa

amount of silver, plus 240 parts of brass, and obtain also izo parts

nickel .

Melt these items separately in different crucibles . They are th

combined together when in the molten condition . This alloy is th

poured into moulds to cool . Then use the metal . "

THE ALCHEMIST

It is interesting to see how traditional alchemy in the East has be

harnessed with modern ways to produce the kind of twentieth-centur

alchemical teaching that I have described . Equally fascinating is t

tale of one who was less anxious to sell his wares, and who operat

* The Atharva Veda is divided into two parts: the Holy or legitimate magi

so acknowledged by the Brahmins, and Sorcery . It is held that these two divisio

are derived from two perhaps mythical authors : Bishag Atharvana'and Gho

Angirasa. Followers of the Atharva Veda contend that this book should properl

be called the Brahma Veda, and that the orthodox Brahmin (high caste) priesthoo

is required to know and practise its rites . But there has always been a dispute

this point : others claiming that all three Vedas should be known and practised

Brahmins. It is, however, certain that the Atharva Veda was an important sour

of the magic used by f ormer Purohitas.



134 ORIENTAL MAGICin the old style. The following notes are transcribed from the experi-

ences of Mme Morag Murray Abdullah (with her permission) . She is

a Scotswoman, married to an Afghan, and has lived in the East for over

thirty years

"Aquil Khan was an alchemist . I t i s s t r a n g e , a t f i r s t s i g h t , t h a t a m a n

who is thought to be able to make all the gold he wants should live in

a cave. The explanation, like the sugar cake the child saves at a party,

comes last .

At first, with a Western mentality of judging by externals, one does

not feel like placing too much reliance on Aquil . Tall, of that wiry

Pathan race so well known in the Khyber, he was thin, bearded,

turbaned, and the colour of mahogany . Clad in a pair of not-so-near-

white tight-fitting trousers and an old army tunic, he is a man of few

words

Our mutual friend Ahmed explained that he had brought a very

important friend from England to v i s i t Aquil Khan, and to learn

his wisdom of the making of gold . Neither of these pieces of informa-

tion had the power to unfreeze the immobility of Aquil-or even, it

seemed, to interest him .

He shrugged his shoulders, pursed his lips : `please yourself' . The

first requisite was to have a bath and change into clean clothes . The

other requirement, if Aquil's example was any indication, was silence .

Ahmed and I stood outside the cave until Aquil appeared . In

silence he handed an empty ordinary pint bottle to each of us and

strode off. We brought up the rear . It was a hot day, and we were thank-

ful when he struck off into the shade of the jungle . We had tramped

for a couple of miles, crossed a fence and the railway lines, and

plunged once more into the trees . Aquil halted after another two miles .

Here were a few plants like tall dandelions . We watched thealchemist break the stems and collect the few drops of milky juice from

each into his bottle. It was a slow business, and we soon understood

that he expected us to do the same. For the next two hours we wan-

dered about collecting the thickening juice, hands sticky and mouths

parched.

The two of us had collected by this time about a quarter of a pint

of the juice . Aquil approached, took our bottles, and added their

contents to his . Then we started back .

Nothing was said about thirst . When we washed in the spring near

his cave, I tried to take a sip of water. Aquil shook his head violently .

Clearly he was a man of the most spartan habits. This seemed, however,

a part of the ritual . As we were not being told anything, it behoved us

INDIAN ALCHEMY TODAY 1

-wewho were going to buy London before long-to observe, a

learn this thing .

After sitting for a few minutes, apparently in contemplation, Aqu

signed to us to go home. Ahmed told me that he had heard th

alchemists do not speak during their work, because the spirits whi

guard gold must not know that there is goldmaking afoot. The ne

day we went at dawn to the cave . He was waiting, and led us off

the opposite direction from that which we had previously taken . Thr

hours of walking in the jungle brought us to a clearing . Through th

ran a small stream of icy water . The ground on either side was moi

and the colour of mustard . Aquil proceeded to collect mud, just bel

the surface-where-it was a creamy yellow. We took about two poun

each, and the whole was amalgamated into one large round ball, a

carried back in a knotted cloth . During al l this time, there had be

no word from Aquil, and no audible sign of any magical utterances

his part.

Back in the cave we watched Aquil make two deep bowls from t

yellow clay, each one about six inches in diameter . These were put

a ledge to dry, and we were again dismissed .

The next day there was a long hike to collect wood, although the

were quantities quite near the cave . I noticed that it was al l hard, da

brown wood, though of different types of tree .

The next day we had to visit a stone quarry, and find a number

stones. These had to be grey, almost square and the size of a crick

b a l l .

Another day came . Aquil signed to us to build a fire outside h

cave. We made a semicircular wall, scraped out a hollow and l

t h e f i r e : first paper with squares written on it, then the special wo

then charcoal : and finally the dried blood of a white goat .

The blood had to be powdered and mixed with powdered nutme

cinnamon and Hindu incense. For once Aquil spoke . T h e f i r e , h e s a

was to be kept burning for four days without cease . If it went out,

whole performance would have to be repeated. Even the f i r e i t

could not be kindled until the first night of the new moon. Cert

things must not happen. One was a jackal's cry; another an owl

hoot. We took turns to si t up all night and stoke the fire

Our horoscopes had to be cast, to make sure that there was

inauspicious conjunction which might interfere. Aquil laboured lo

over these . It seemed, however, that all was well . Then the two bo

were taken and placed on a piece of linen about two yards square . T

was laid on the ground. Now'fifty yards of new cotton were taken

cut into strips one inch wide, and laid on the linen .



136 ORIENTALMAGICWhat remained of the clay was mix ed with spring water (carried

five miles in a new jar), to the consistency of thick cream . A piece of

stone the size of a large apricot was placed in one bowl, with a piece

of silver the size of a sugar-lump . Over these was spread two table-

spoonfuls of the `milk' sapwehad gathered. All the time the goldmaker

kept looking at the stars-restlessly, like a man consulting his watch .

He now placed the other bowl on the one containing the stone, silver

and juice, and formed a kind of circle of the two .

The whole thing was then carefully wound round with the long

strips of cotton, dipped in clay which stuck like glue .

This was continued until all the cotton was used up, and the mass

was greatly enlarged . Lastly more of the clay (ordinary clay) was

moulded round the packag e, and the whole was put into the heart of

the glowing fire . Hot charcoal was spread, over this, and the vigil

began.

The `bowl' had to remain at white heat for sev en days and seven

nights . Fortunately it was not necessary to sit over the fire all the time :

but we had to keep a constant shared watch over it. This was because

"Satan cannot make gold, and if this gold in the making were left

unwatched, he would come and steal it in its present form, and learn

the secret." Even Ahmed and I-the uninitiated-had by this timeformed the habit of looking anxiously at the stars. Ex citement ran high

in my mind. Aquil crushed that: every ex periment of this nature mustbe treated as a matter of course : no talk, no laughing, no optimism,

no doubt. No eating or drinking on duty lThe weary days and nights passed. Aquil removed the red ball from

the fire, and laid it aside in a pile of sand to cool . It took twelve hours

to cool sufficiently. Not all the cotton, we noticed, had burned, due to

the presence of the clay, as Aquil unwrapped it .

At long last the bowls were prised apart, and within lay a piece of

yell ow metal. Aquil handed it to me : `Take it to a jeweller and see if

it is gold. '

When I hesitated, thinking that there must be some trickery, he

went into the back of the cave, and brought out a large cotton bag . Out

of this he turned about fifty other nuggets, just like the one which lay

in my hand. `These are some, there are many more . '

Ì would have doubted, once, as you doubt . It took me thirty years

to learn this. Thirty years . . . of water and nuts, berries and starvation,

contemplation and experiment. I had to learn to read the heavens,

tame animals, know signs . All I had when I started was a formula

which was garbled, and I had to put it right . As to the finding of the

places where the right ingredients are . . . that took years . '

INDIANALCHEMY TODAYI asked him what he wanted to do now. `Now? It is five y

since I perfected the system . I hav e been making gold ev er sinc

cannot do anything else. And I do not want to . But what is the us

it all? I set at naught all my old Master warned me against . It bec

an obsession. The very fact that I can do what none other can (exce

few) is my joy, and I do not want anything else .

`What is the good of gold? Can it restore life? I am its slav

cannot get away from it . There,myfriend, is my story . The fascina

has me in its grip . I cannot, will not, give the gold away, sell it or

anyone else have it. I do not know why this is, either . '

I took the gold to the jeweller . He offered to buy it. It was

mine. I took it back to Aquil . He threw it like a piece of coal intoback of the cave. `Go back to London,' he said. I have no waknowing to this day what the answer to a l l t h i s i s ."

This is the strange story told me by Morag Murray. She got not

out of either the gold or the story, which she gave me, free, to u

I would. So I give it here .



CHAPTER 15

ANEW THOUGHT-FORCE?AKASA AND MAGNETISM

THEsupposed connection between hypnosis' and magnetism is again

under review. It is possible that traditional contentions made by Far

Eastern wonder-workers that there is a `life-force' by which such a

phenomenon as gravitational force is nullified, may have some sub-

stance in fact . This, of course, does not support that magical practices

might receive scientific support : rather that some of the subjects

formerly thought magical could come within the ken of better under-

stood natural laws .

It appears that the following phenomena are related to magnetism

and electricity :

1 . Akasa (Hindu theory of 'life-force")* which can defy gravity .

z . Healing by touch .

3 . Hypnotic phenomena .

MJ . Roucous has spent several years in France examining the

characteristics of human electricity under scientific conditions . B r i e f l y

he claims that the human body is a type of electricity-producing and

storage plant. The presence of negative electricity, it is held, accounts

for certain marked phenomena of hypnosis and `healing' .

Taking a number of 'faith-healers' of established reputation,

Roucous discovered that their finger-tips seemed to repel small

articles charged with negative electricity . In electricity, it will be

recalled, like repels like .

Accumulated under the skin, he says-in his recent work Les

Maladies et le Magnetism-this electricity is discharged into the body

of the patient by the `healer' . In this way a supposed deficiency of

subcutaneous electricity (the so-called protective electrical shield) is

removed"The human body is like a wonderful electrical generator ; pro-

ducer, accumulator, receiver and transmitter, of which the centre is

* Parallel concepts echoing the akasa idea are to be found in several other

systems of thought. The P olynesian mana idea is almost identical .

138

A NEW THOUGHT-FORCEa 13

the brain. Through the nervous system the positive fluid is discharged,

causing the entire system to function . . . . "

How does a person become a natural healer? Roucous holds tha

`natural' healers seem to be those who have abnormally dry skins

which encourage the accumulation of subcutaneous electricity, a

negative charge. In normal persons, this charge is constantly being

given off; surplus electricity not needed for running the nervous

system simply `leaks' away .

t J

((4

a ( 5 )

Solar Swastika charm, `to be written i z o,ooo

times and thrown into running water' . Said to

grant any wish

-FromInder Jail

Readers will at once see here a reflection of the Akasa thesis of the

Yogis, who claim that a vital fluid has to be stored up in the body and

mind, and discharged into an object in order to influence it. Roucous

experiments, claimed to have been held under scientifically controlled

conditions, seem to parallel the Akasa activities of the Fakirs .

In order, however, to establish such a phenomena as withi

scientific bounds, it is essential that easily controlled experiments b

devised : and that they be capable of repetition with invariable results

Here is one, according to supporters of R oucous : it maynot provthat a negative electrical charge is emitted by the human body . But i

is claimed to prove that something apparently physical does interac

between human bodies :



The subject sits on a chair, while five or six others place their

hands, one over the other, above his head . The object is to charge the

subject with a negative electricity through the `leakage' of human

electricity provided by the other `human batteries' . After several

minutes, the effect of gravity can be proved to have been reduced. Twoof the experimenters, using only two fingers, are able to lift the subject,

chair and all .

But the effect does not last long under these conditions . The static

leaks into the earth. Thus the lifting must take place at once .

The parallel with levitation is interesting . Why do the Fakirsspecializ e in stopping certain bodily functions, such as respiration?

This theory claims that in this way electricity is saved and a hoard

built up : either to produce supernormal effects or, more generally, to

`step up' cerebration to a higher pitch than the normal .

Hypnotists, too, are familiar with certain phenomena whichremain unexplained . Among them is the following : a test for hypnotic

susceptibility:

The subject stands facing North, with his back to the hypnotist .

The operator holds his hands, palms parallel, to the back of the subject

without, of course, touching him . The subject cannot see what is goingon. Slowly the palms of the hypnotist's hands are drawn with a `wiping'

motion, downwards parall el to the subject's backbone, and about an

inch away from it. Easily affected subjects invariably sway backwards

during this process .

It is important to note here that, while most hypnotists accompany

this operation with verbal suggestions of sleep and falling backwards,

these are not necessary, as I have myself ascertained : words merelyenhance the effect .

Roucous claims that this phenomenon follows from the `static

electricity' postulate, and that the àura' said to surround sensitive

mediums and others, is merely the constant discharge of static from

the skin.

The hypnotic trance, then, concentrates the brain, charging it with

the bodily electricity, and can cut off the supply from the nerve-

complex which serves the limbs and organs .

Recent researches by Professor J . B . Rhine (77), of Duke University,

relating to the supposed eff ect of the mind over inanimate objects,

might fit in with the above theory . Dice, among other things, were

used in thousands of controlled exp eriments, and attempts were made

to influence their fall merely by an effort of will . In terms of the

Roucous theory, Dr. Rhine trained his subjects to project their cerebral

electricity towards interrupting gravitational force .

A NEW THOUGHT-FORCE? 14

In his l atest published researches, Professor Rhine-whose in-

tegrity as a scientific investigator is unchallenged-shows that suc

influencing of material objects by apparently mental means is a possi

bility that cannot be ruled out .

A whole new field of research is now open : how to establish th

nature of this force and its scope, how to harness it, having regard t

its presence in that most difficult of al l media, the human brain?

The first step is foreshadowed by current work being undertaken

by Roucous at Paris : the construction of an electro-static machine t

measure the nature and extent of human electricity, and particularl

the means of its engendering and discharge .

The main obstacle to this type of research is that the vast majorit

of occultists fall into two groups : the converted, who believe thing

because they want to-as a sort of wish-fulfilment-and the over-

enthusiastic, who let their enthusiasm run away with them . It is th

latter who too often find themselves called upon to exp lain thei

`discoveries' to audiences so pitifully anxious to hear wonders that

they are almost disappointed if they are not rewarded by ex aggerated

claims.

To illustrate : Louis de Wohl speaks briefly of this problem in

recent book on astrology . "Draw up a chart, make a few hasty calcula

tions, and say your say in a dark, slow voice. And they will do wha

they are told. You will direct their lives, you . With a spoonful o

knowledge and two spoonsful of acting." (78) .

What is the remedy? There is, so far as I can see, none. No mor

than there is a remedy against the spread of indiscriminate educatio

without culture and the development of common sense .

The only avenue open to students of the occult in their strivings i

to operate strictly on a basis of science . ,And modem science, whic

often struggles against occult studies (when it troubles to take an

notice at all), should not be regarded, surely, as an enemy? The ver

fact of the existence of unparalleled reservoirs of knowledge accu

mulated by modern science itself means that there is material enoug

for serious occult students to draw upon for their investigations .

How does all this fit in with Akasa, magnetism and the rest? Tak

one example . In the nineteen-thirties, a strange series of experiment

took place at Harvard, in the United States. The Faculties ofEconomicand Astronomy discovered that there seemed to be a positive corre

lation between certain terrestrial and solar phenomena . More precisel

the Harvard Committee on Research in Social Sciences financed

study which claimed to show that sunspots were associated with trad

cycles. By means of statistics, graphs showed that sunspot activit



affected world trade . Economic conditions seemed to react according

to the amount of ultra-violet rays that penetrated the stratospheric

barrier .

As far as I know, this concluded the investigation . Astrologers

immediately claimed that this fact `proved astrology' (79). What it

may have proved was that the sun affects things on earth in ways that

man had not generally realized . Howor why was not known, and is

difficult of further investigation. As far as theories like Akasa are

concerned, this indicates that there are still f orces which we do not

entirely understand. Who is to carry the research further? Occultists

and astrologers, because with few exceptions-orthodox scientists are

not deeply interested at the moment . How many astrologers, however,

are concerned with this and similar problems? It is probably safe to say

that not many of them bother. I am certainly not against astrology as

such in fact I write on it myself quite a lot . But I do f eel that many

astrologers want things both ways . While their subject is very much on

a similar empirical basis as other sciences were in the Middle Ages, they

still strive for recognition among sciences which are more developed,

and capable of greater materialistic proof. Now, either astrology and

kindred semi-occult studies are to be on the same footing as, say,

chemistry, or they are not. If they are, they should either be similarly

organized in their thinking and p ractice, or at least should be less

empirical. If they are not, are astrologers barking up the wrong tree?

It seems to me likely that the semi-occult arts may find their own

level on a slightly different basis from that of materialistic science . I t

may well be that it is the very ultra-sensitiveness of astrologers and

others which makes them such attractive targets for attack by their

opponents. As anyone who has been to school knows, there is no fun

in teasing people who are unaffected by it . Even if you call it bullying,

the mechanism is the same .

Whatever may be the correct attitude, the fact remains that

phenomena like akasa, or sunspots-or anything else which seems to

point towards forces which are not fully understood-will bear closer

examination. The people who want to believe that there may be a vast

potential use and meaning in these phenomena are those from among

whomserious students and investigators should emerge .

CHAPTER 16

LOVE-MAGICONEof the most popular branches of wizardry in India is that of

venereal magic. This term (known as Strikarmani) covers every known

form of association with the opposite sex . Men go to the practitioner

to obtain the love of women whom they intend to marry ; women

seeking children buy a charm for this purpose ; those who are already

married invoke the spirits to allay discord or to ensure reconciliation .

Rite to arouse p a s s i o n a t e l o v e i n a woman

This spell is recited, as many times as possible, during the waxing

of the moon, and is believed to be universally successful :

"With the all-powerful arrow of Love do I pierce thy heart, 0

woman ! Love, love that causes unease, that will overcome thee, love

for me !

That arrow, flying true and straight, will cause in thee burning

desire. It has the point of my love, its shaft is my determination to

possess thee l

Yea, thy heart is pierced . The arrow has struck home .

I have overcome by these arts thy reluctance, thou art changedl

Come to me, submissive, without pride, as I have no pride, but only

longing 1 Thy mother will be powerless to prevent thy coming, neither

shall thy father be able to prevent thee! Thou art completely in my

power0 Mitra, 0 Varuna, strip her of willpower! I, I alone, wield power

over the heart and mind of my beloved!"

This spell is accompanied by the manufacture and waving of an

arrow which is the physical counterpart of the imaginary arrow of l ove

referred to in the text . As with other spells of this kind, the rite may be

performed either by the lover or by a sorcerer employed by him .

Spellfor arousing the passion of a man

There are a very large number of these charms . In general, they

follow a pattern similar to those employed by the opposite sex . The

main difference seems to lie in the fact that they have to be practised at

143 L



L 4 VK11SNV 1AL. MAtilt,

least seven times, and women are always enjoined, for some reason,

never to confide their magical activities to other women .

"I am possessed by burning love for this man : and this love comes

to me from Apsaras, whois victorious ever .

Let the man yearn for me, desire me, let his desire burn for me 1 Letthis love come forth from the spirit, and enter him .

Let him desire me as nothing has been desired before! I love him,

want him: he must feel this same desire for me l0 Maruts, let him become filled with love ; 0 Spirit of the Air, fill

him with l ove ; 0 Agni, let him burn with love for me 1"

The following charm is also frequently used

"By the power and Laws of Varuna I invoke the burning force of

love, in thee, for thee. The desire, the potent love-spirit which all the

gods have created in the waters, this I invoke, this I employ, to secure

thy love for me I

Indrani has magnetized the waters with this love-force . And it is

that, by Varuna's Laws, that I cause to burnl (repeated twice) .

Thou wilt love me, with a burning desire 1"

Estrangement also brings many opportunities for the exercise of

magic. In the case of a wife deserting her husband, or of awomanpreferring some other man, this spell is repeated, at least forty-nine

times, in the evenings, until `such time as she returns'

Method to Secure the Return of a Woman

"I have commanded the Heavens, the Earth, all creation, tostand still. I invoke through this power the spirit which has the

power to make all things stand still . Through Agni, by every meansand ways of return, do thou cause (so-and-so) to return to me l This

powerful charm cannot be denied. In a hundred and a thousandways, thou shalt return to me l

As with most other peoples, the preoccupation of many single

individuals in India is to obtain a spouse. A ccording to the Atharva

Veda, this is simplicity itself :

Spell to obtain a Wife

Taking a bamboo stick or wand with seven knots in it, the

magician attaches to the end a metal hook-symbol ically representing

LUVh-MAU1U 1 4

the Hook of Indra . The client' sits on the ground in front of the master

without uttering a word. The following spell is then pronounced b

the sorcerer :

"I take upon myself strength, strength of a hundred men .

take up this power in the name of the spirit that comes here, that i

coming, that has come . 0 Indra, give me that strength 1

As the Asvins took Surya, the child of Savitar, to be a bride, s

has destiny said that here shall come a wife for this man 1 Indra, wit

that hook of gold, of power, bring here a wife for him that desire

a wife 1"

Though the uninitiated are not supposed to practise these rites,

large number of more or less correct versions ofthe printed Vedas a

now in circulation . Many of them are incomplete, but all contain t

love-magic spells actually used by thousands of laymen .

A favourite one of women to procure a husband is this

Spell to procure a Husband

"I seek a husband. Sitting here, my hair flowing loose, I am like on

positioned before a giant procession, searching for a husband for thi

woman without a spouse .

0 Aryaman 1 This woman cannot longer bear to attend th

marriages of other women. Now, having performed this rite, oth

women will come to the wedding-feast of hers 1

The Creator holds up the Earth, the planets, the Heavens .

Dhatar (Creator), produce for me a suitor, a husband 1"

Charms against Rivals

There are a very large number of these spells . They follow,

general, the established pattern of identifying the invocant with so

supposedly supernatural power. After reciting the statement that

(or she) is thus super-endowed with magical force, the spirit is calle

upon to exercise its good offices in favour of the operator . So

charms involve the digging up of a pl ant with suitable incantation

This spell is used by a woman against a rival, to ensure that she do

not get married

"This woman's power, her good fortune, her advantages, have a

come to me. She no longer has them . She will, like the mountains,

in her parents' house (i . e . , she will not be married) .



Ai}v

O Yama, great King, this woman will be for thee, and for noneother. She will have to remain in the household of her mother, her

father, or her brotherl

She will keep the house for none other than thee, King Yama : to

thee I have presented her l She will remain with her family until she

h a s n o h a i r l e f t 1

O woman, thy fortune is covered, concealed by me, as within a

deep box . This is done in the names of Asita, and of Kasyapa, and of

Gaya. It shall remain hidden l"

In the case of a woman fearing that she might be replaced in her

husband's or suitor's affections by another, this charm is used : digging

up a plant with erect leaves, the women recites the following formula

over it

Charm against a rival

"Verily I do dig up this plant, this powerful plant, for a certain

purpose . This herb is possessed of a power ; the power to over-

throw women who are my rival ; the power to obtain' or keep a

husband .

O plant, thou with leaves so erect, so full of beauty, let this man

be for me alone. Let my rival be put to flight ; use thou the power which

thou hast, and that of the gods (spirits) also 1

I am greater than the other woman, more important, powerful .

Together do we banish her, far away, farther than any other distance,

in her hopes .

I am full of power. Thou, 0 plant, are also all-powerful in this

respect. Together we shall easily overcome this woman 1

O man l I have enchanted thee by the virtue of this plant . Nothing

is stronger than the force which I have invoked and placed upon thee .

Thy thoughts will never stray henceforth from me ; but will follow me,

as water follows its predetermined way, as the calf follows its mother 1"

Having obtained a husband or wife, presumably, the next logical

step according to Vedic magic is this spell to ensure the birth of a

son :

"Lo, the seed hath blended, and this is the way to the birth of a

son; This has been ordained by Pragapati . Pragapati, Anumati, Sinivali,

they have made him . Pragapati will cause the birth of a female child

to others-to us will he make a son l"

Spell to prevent Miscarriage

"Just in a like manner as the Earth does produce creabeings, so shall a child be successfully produced 1 Thy embryo,

that of the mountains, shall be guarded, and a child shall be

s a f e l y 1 "

Under the same heading come prescriptions for hate-magic :

Spell to make a woman Sterile

In a society where plural marriages are not at all uncommon,

birth of a child to one wife inevitably places her in a stronger posi

than the childless women of the household . Consequently, los

seniority or affection causes many women to hope that they will be

only child-bearers among the wives .

If the husband has brought home another wife, her rivals in

harem will repeat this spell :

"0 Gatavedas, prevent those who are on the way from being bo

Thy womb (0 woman) I have by these magic arts enchanted, and it

reversed, and will not produce offspring 1 Thou art sterile, this sto

take and it represents thy sterility 1"

At the same time, the woman who knows of the jealousy of ano

will fortify her cause thus :

Spell against Jealouy

"This jealousy that you feel for me, that strong feeling do I he

destroy. The fire of it I cause to fly away, as does the wind the fire

sure as death, and as sure as dead is dead, so is that hatred dead l I

squeezed the jealousy from your heart, as air is squeezed fro

bladder l"

The magician-who is often being paid according to how m

spells he casts-will urge his client to make assurance doubly sur

using several different charms for the same purpose. A woman whhusband is losing interest in her will weave one spell for his lov

return, and perhaps another to increase her own beauty .



148 ORIENTALMAGIC

Charm to increase Beauty

"The Arati, that Demon which is causing my ugliness, thee do I

cast out All the lack of g race that I have will be removed by the

powerful Varuna and Mitra. Aryaman, make my hands beautiful, let

me be happy. Happiness is the purpose for which woman was created!By the spirit Savitar, let all uncomeliness be banishedl All un-

welcome things of mind, or body or look, these will disappear .

All blemishes, all lack of beauty, they have been driven away l"

Hymns for Virility

Virility seems to be considered so important that special prac-

titioners devote their lives to a study of its production . Elaborate

hymns are chanted during the preparation of the spells to ensure this

end. It is probable that the psychological element plays quite a sig-

nificant part here.

Two plants are used : mucuna pruritus and the root offeronia ele

phantum. They are dug up with the following words : "0 herb, thou has

been uprooted by bulls"-a characteristic piece of symbolism, which

can be traced in many Indian magical rituals-"thou art a bull, abound-

ing in lusty strength : and it is for a bull of that kind that thou are being

excavated by me today 1"

An iron ploughshare is used to uproot the plant-which may be

either of those already mentioned . Often they are both collected at

about the same time. After being bruised and steeped in water, infusions

from them are mixed with a little milk . Sitting upon a pestle or stake,

the patient drinks the mixture, repeating this Virility Charm :

"Thou art the plant which Varuna had dug up for him by Gand-

harva, thou potent and lusty herb, which we have uprooted .

Ushas, Surya, Pragapati, all are with me ; all will give me the potent

force I seek l O Indra, give this material power ; it has heat like that of

t h e f i r e. Like the he-antelope, 0 Herb, thou hast all the force there is,

as the brother of the great Soma .

This hymn ends with a graphic and appealing invocation of all the

powers of Indra, likened to the `lusty force of animals' .

CHAPTER 17

THE OCCULT ART IN CHINA"It is sublime to be Master of the World . . . ."-Emperor

Kien Lung (A.D. 1764) .

CI NA, with the oldest living civilization, claims a magical system a

ritual dating back to the highest antiquity.* Three things character

Chinese occultism : the widespread belief by all classes in the effic

of occult practices, the belief that most phenomena are dominated

specific spirits, and the mysticism of Lao Tze .

The present magical framework of China-and of the Chinecommunities stretching throughout South-East Asia-can be trac

from the Mongolian origins of primitive Chinese religion (Shinto

cults), through esoteric forms of Taoism, to the current form : whi

i n turn, has deeply affected the occultism of the West .

The shamanism and witch-doctor practices of the tribes

Mongolia, and those of their related communities, the Esk imos, s

traces of being the parent of Chinese Shinto . In its turn, Shi

travelled to Japan, and there are strangely comparable phenome

well known in Europe as well : among these are mediumship, 'spir

writing' and the forms of certain charms .

Shinto seems to have become established in China about thr

thousand years ago, and is an adaptation, made in the Chow Dynas

of the magical practices of Mongolian northerners .

It is from this that both the Chinese and Japanese sy stems h

derived their conception of spirits. These are carefully organized : f

comes the One _ Supreme Intelligence ; under it are the Ange

(Celestial) Intelligences; below them come the Spirits of the P lan

Next are the spirits of the dead who may be worshipped . They

invoked in magical rites, and are thought to co-operate with t

higher Intelligences, or gods .

* Two main types of sorcerers are to be found in Chinese history : the Òff

Wu' (magicians), and the 'Free-lances', or those who retained their power thr

popular, as opposed to official, support . Magicians were for centuries empl

by the State. Their hostility to independent practitioners was traditional

intense .

It was in the Han Dynasty that court magicians reached their greatest po

From the 17th to the 3rd centuries B . C ., both male and female Vu wielded consi

able authority with the Emperors . Cf : Sbu-King, Ku Yen-Wu's Jib Chi Lub, e

149



150 ORIENTAL MAGICConfucius app eared upon the scene when the people of China were

feeling that this form of religion:animism-was somehow in needof readjustment . His tenets were almost entirely speculative and

philosophical, and he was Lao Tze's contemporary, though his senior

in age

Lao Tze, on the other hand, worked for the reconstruction of

Chinese philosophy through mysticism rather than logic. As anImperial librarian, he had access to books of àncient philosophy',

which seem to have exerted a great influence on him, and he often

quotes from them. His followers seem to have pursued this link withthe past back to a point where magical rites and thaumaturgy were an

important part of the àncient' (Shinto) system .

There are four main influences in Chinese philosophy . Shinto, with

its pantheon and unashamedly magical rites, battled with the negativity

of Buddhism, imported from India . There was no decisive victory for

either. Confucius, like P lato and Aristotle, was a superb political and

ethical thinker-but his precepts did not exercise a sufficiently powerful

influence to overcome the older cults . Lao Tze's system, to someextent rooted in Shinto, and containing all the apparatus for develop-

ment into a magical cult, ceased to be a reformation, and served as the

vehicle through which the magical operations of tradition were passed

down from a now defunct Shinto . Thus it is today .

In his book on the Tao, Lao Tze frequently refers to the `Power of

the Tao', and the `Secrets in it', and similar obscure phrases have given

adequate scope for the development of occult practices .

While Confucius and Lao Tze met, and are reported to have liked

one another, subsequent rivalry between the two schools grew until

it reached the proportions of almost open hostility which are evident

today .

Confucians will have nothing to do with the teachings and practices

of Taoism . They repudiate the mystical doctrines and occult rites alike .

Buddhists, on the other hand, have their own my stical and magical

systems, which do not differ radically from those of the Tao-at least

in externals .

These pages are mainly concerned with the occult phenomenapractised and guarded by the Chinese of the Taoist persuasion .

Remarkable in the study of magical practices there is no disguising

the fact that many of the operations found in European `Black Books',

and known to be undertaken by Western sorcerers, are paralleled in

Chinese magic .

In the case of Hindu magic, for example, relatively few links with

European sorcery can be found . Yet a Chinese wizard of the Middle

T1-1h UUUUi.r nnges and his Western counterpart might well have understoodother's motives, and even certain rituals.

Willow-wands and-water-divining, spells cast through wax im

superstitions connected with builders, and a whole host of other p

immediately spring to the mind . There may be some Semitic conn

here : f or most of the European magical rites are derived from

books as the Key of Solomon, the Sword of Moses, or the two A

-well k nown to be rooted in the Jewish-A ssyrian-Chaldean sys

- ~ At J8

, 1A4Ai mTEBY R 411 -1-19

41~to

; r I Ni ln Al

02

'i I E D I

Character for ` f e l i c i t y ' written as a charm,

with ioo variations

It is possible that some of the rites may have entered

through the Arab impact in Spain and Italy . Certainly Engli

other sorcerers went to the reputed Òccult Universities' of Sp

study the Arabian system . And the early contact of the Arab

China is well known. Even today, certain superstitions abo

destroying paper (an item brought to Europe by the Arabs) are

by Chinese and Arabs alike:but by no other peoples .

MAGICMIRRORSMagic mirrors are among the most impo rtant instruments

Art in China . Ko Hung, one of the highest authorities on this, r



vni dN I AL MAGIC

them as essential in the constant battle against dem ons: and it must be

remembered that these spectres are at the bottom of almost everything.

Protection against evil, death and disease, can only be secured through

combating the demons which control these phenomena. Success,

riches and victory-the so-called Positive Advantages-can likewise

be attained through the co-operation of the spectres within whose

domain these subjects fall.

The use of magical mirrors was twofold: reflected within them was

to be seen the true s hape of the demon,* which only revealed under

compulsion. Once he had thus been seen, his powers were severely

curtailed, and his attacks on the possessor of the mirror ceased .

Celestial happiness also attended the owner of one of these priceless

objects : one man actually became Emperor through its aid, as we are

told in the Si-King Tsah ki.

Wang Tu, of the Sui Dynasty, published a rare booklet in which

the virtues and importance of the Magic Mirror are exhaustively

described, an d illustrated by his own mirror, which he received from

the great Heu Sheng himself. "Whenever you bear it in your hand,"

declared this savant, "hundreds of demons will flee." Decorated witha unicorn, animals o f the four quarters of the Universe, and other

mystical symbols, it contained a representation of the Order of the

World according to the Taoists, inscribed thereon. "Whenever the sunshines on this mirror, the ink of those inscriptions permeates the

images which it reflects, so that t hey cannot possibly show any false

shapes."

It was in the second year of the Ta-Yeh period (A.D. 6o6) thatWang Tu started out for the Chang-ngan country to test this amazing

object's virtues.

The author claims that his chance came soon. Staying at a wayside

inn, he learned that a mysterious girl lived there, and the innkeeper

wanted to know something about her. Fetching his mirror he saw aspectre reflected therein none other than the mystery girl. Comingto him, she begged him not to kill her by means of the magical mirror.

Confessing that she was a thousand years old, she admitted to having

been cast out by a demon who owned her, and after various adventu res

found herself there .f

Deciding that she wanted to die, she drank some wine, changed

into her true form of a vixen, and expired on the spot.

* Cf. Magic Crystal: Its manufacture and use, as given in Francis Barrett:T h e M a g u s o r C e l e s t i a l I n t e l l i g e n c e r , L o n d o n , i 8 o i .

t Such Succubi and their habits in Europe are described and discussed in R efs .

8o and 8i, Bibliographical index infra .

THE OCCULT ART IN CHINA 15

How is a magical mirror made? No Chinese book of any antiquit

gives the recipe. But Shi Chen gives a clue. Any mirror which i

sufficiently antique, he says, and large enough, when hung in th

house, is capable of detecting spirits. It should be kept covered unt

needed, and not used for any other purpose.

An immense number of stories are told of the virtues of thes

mirrors in China

CHARMS AND SPELLSCharms are probably more widely used in China than anywher

else . One of the `guarded books' of charm-writers is the clas sic

Koh Hung, who wrote his Pao Poh-TsZe in the fourth century. Writte

charms, he says in the seventeenth section, are especially efficaci

for travellers, particularly in the mountains-where spirits frequent

reside. Peachwood, with its magical properties, is the materia l used

the magical pen for inscribing the characters:* while red cinniba

paint is the pigment. So powerful are such amulets that they not on

defeat all ghosts and spectres, but hostile animals and men as w

Some of these protective spells took the form of five arrows-whic

were also used in a similar way by the Moors of Spain d uring the A

period.

Charms are written in a strange form of script known as Thund

Writing, or Celestial Calligraphy.t While many of the character

resemble conventi onal Chinese ones, some of it cannot be interpre

by the usual methods, and may be meaningless. It is interesting to not

here that the Chinese method of indicating the stars and planets

vogue among charm-writers are found in a number of the Books oSorcerers published in Europe during the Middle Ages.$ If thes

have been copied from Chinese originals, the intermediate links

missing

Women in China greatly favour a triangle of gold or silver, wi

two swords suspended from the outer angles . This is considered

contain within it all the fortune which an y woman needs or desires.

Charms, when written, are always inscribed on red or yellow

paper. "Sometimes a picture of an idol is printed or written upon t

paper, with red or black ink. It is then pasted up over a door or o

* For the Western use of magical rods (witch-hazel, walnut wood, etc . ) see Sco

Discoverie 1665, and The G rand Grimoire, for the `Manufacture of the Pen of the

A r t ' , s e e B .M. MSS. 36674 .

t Cf. for Western and Cabbalistic magical alphabets, the Fourth Book of Occul

Phil" ophy (attributed to Corneliu s Agrippa) and the Heptameron of Peter of Abano

A65 .

$ I b i d .



1 54 ORIENTAL MAGICbed-curtain, or it is wornin the hair, or put in a red bag and suspended

from the button-hole." (82) . Or it may be burned, and the ashes mixed

with tea or water and drunk, sothat its influence permeates the body.

Many houses have eight or ten of them, suspend ed in the eaves and

other places where evil influences are thought to reside.

This habit of drinking the water in which a charm has been steeped

is also widespread in the Middle East.

Bells are regarded as a powerful charm, being also used in the

rituals of magic as practised by Chinese wizards . This belief in the

power of bells is thought to have come from India: certainly it was

widespread in Arabia when Mohammed prohibited the superstitious

ringing of bells, which had been imported into the Hejaz fromByzantium, and is still known among the Yezidi devil-worshippers of

Kurdistan .

Raising thunder by means of charms is considered an important

part of the Taoist system of magi c . Such spells must contain in written

form the representation of the characters `Thunder' and `Lightning'.

The intention here may be to smite s pirits whichare causing trouble,

or merely to raise thunder and storms to punish someone meriting it.

Anexample of the versatility of the thunder-charm is contai ned inastory of Shun-yu Chi, in the fourth century A.D . , as given in the

Standard History of the Tsin Dynasty :

"Kao Ping is a place in Sh ensi where Liu Jeu, while asleep one

night, was bitten on the m iddle finger of his left hand by a rat. He

consulted Shun- yu Chi, who said: `This beast wanted to killyou, butcould not succeed: I shall now kill it in retaliation . '

And, having drawn around his pulse a red line, and three inches

from it the character E13, one inch and two-tenths square" (this char-

acter is a component of the Chinese figures expressing thunder and

lightning); "he ordered him to leave his hand un covered while asleep.

Next morning, a big rat lay dead close by."

This character is a modification of the sign denoting the roll and

flash of thunder and lightning; and occurs in very many Chinesecharms.

The whole system of writing charms and their combination isextremely simple: only unfamiliarity with the meanings of the Chinese

characters themselves makes them appear inexplicable. An under-standing of the fundamen tal characters, and a list of the forms of

`Celestial Calligraphy', covers most of the forms encountered in the

usual charms. Exceptions to this are those written in fragmentary script,

and those which have been copied from archaic versions.

The curving line wriggling downwards from such charms is th e

1rib n~a aav _---magician's version of the normal characte r for a bow, symbolically use

to smite the spirit or other object of wrath.

The signs for happiness and felicity are used to counter the

supposed evils which are being combated. Those for long life, peac

and prosperity are likewise employed against spirits and powers whic

bring illness, adversity and poverty to bea r upon their victims. I t i s

natural, from this, to expect the signs for `murder' and `slaying with

sword' to appear in talismans whose arcane power is believed to act i

this manner against evil forces.

Thus a combination of some of these ideographs will, when inter

preted, read sometimes like this: "Murder, death with a sword (like

lightning, against this spectre; (let) happiness, prosperity and orde

(come). "

_A§

Fol

JJ

The àll-powerful' seal of

Lao-Tze, used i n Taoistmagic-'bringer of goodfortune'. Worn by psychic

mediums[See pp. 155-6]

In addition to these, the inclusion of planets-such as the sun a

moon-ensure that the effect is deepened: for both the sun and moo

are reputedly powerful in charms.

Light and Fire are two further potent powers which ensure t

complete victory of the spell against anything. For this reason thes

characters are widely used. The sign for Èast', when repeated man

times, invokes all the power of the purifying sun which rises from t

east, multiplying by its repetition the force of the rays.

These powers are not seen simply as abstract forces. In the Taois

System, each sign stands for a particular god. Pre-eminent among thes

is said to be Chang Tao Ling, the founder of the cult. Hence his sur

name-Chang-is often found upon the reputedly most potent charm

Chieftainship of the Taoist magical sect is vestedin Chang's linea

descendant, who lives in the Kwang-sin department of KiangsiProvince, being greatly revered, and carrying the mandate of Cha

himself.

His charm is perhaps the most potent of all, and serves for a

purpose: its action depends upon the desires of the possessor. For thi



reason two people with the same charmmaybelieve that itwill bring

them, respectively, wealth and relief from disease. A third may use it

to ensure abundant crops, or a woman may carry it for the purposeofbearing a male child.

Another form of spell consists of sentences written on strips of

paper, commemorating some event connected with the result desired

by the magician. Thus we find "Let General Li Kwang shoot his arrows

here"; the general was a redoubtable warrior of the second century

A.D . , whose victorious campaigns agai nst the Huns have passed into

legend. By association of ideas (and hence the supposed association of

forces), this charm is considered to be immensely powerful.

Charms not containing the names of gods are fewer; but they do

exist. In all cases such talismans must contain the characters ShenorLing. The theory behind this is that of `concourse'. It is believed that

the crowding together of many people produces a ce rtain power of its

own. This concentrated power is stronger than that o f either singlepeople or spectres . While itis not always possible for the wizard to

collect a numberof people to concentrateupon a desired effect, he can

achieve a similar result by putting this desire into writing. Hence the

use of the character Mao or Wao, which signifies `shouting by many

mouths'

In addition to being inscribed with apeachwood pen on paper ofimperial yellow, certain other requirements must be observed in the

making of charms. Foremost among these is the uttering of powerfulspells .

At the same time, the magician co ncentrates upon a particularly

powerful god, generally a thunder-deity. One spell considered most

effective if repeated seven times when making the charm is this

"Heart of Heaven, eyes of Heaven, core of Heavenly light, defeat

the spiritually powerful light of the earth, sun and moon, produce your

light; quick, quick, let the Law and the command of the Five Emperors

be obeyed. "

Following this, the talisman is vigorously blown upon: in exactly

the same manner as the pre-Islamic Arabs blew upon the knots in

which they `tied' forces for their form of the death spell.

A number of other miscellaneous requirements must be fulfilled to

make a charm effective . The pen or brushmust be new, the ink `com-

plete in purity'-and also never before used. Really powerful magicians

can weave s p e l l s merely by describing the charact ers in the air with

the forefinger.

Historical and legendary instances of Chinese miracle-workers are

many. One of the most famous was the great Ming Ch'ung-yen, the

THE OCCULT ART IN CHINAsorcerer of the Tang Dynasty. It is related that he was tested b

Emperor Kao Tsung, in the following way :

"The Emperor, in order to test his powers, cause d a cave to be

and put some servants therein, to make music . Calling Ch'ung-y

asked what good or evil this music portended, and whether he

stop it for him.

Ch'ung-yen then wrote two charms on peachwood, fixed tin the ground over the cave, and immediately the music stopped.

The musicians declared that they had seen a strange dragon,

had frightened them so much that they could not continue."

One of the most famous wizards of China was Kiai Siang, was asked to give a demonstrat ion of his power before the king

and some of whose feats are reported inthe works of Koh HungThe monarch having expressed a desire to eat fish, the mag

dug a small pit, filled it with water, and an excellent sea-fi

caugh t. While it was being cooked, His Majesty complained that

was none of the famous ginger of Szchewan to eat with it.

Immediately, continues the chronicler, Kiai Siang wrote a c

which he enclosed in a green bamboo stick, and handed to one o

king's couriers . Then he was instructed to close his eyes and ride

As soon as he did so, the messenger "found that he was in that d

land ; bought the ginger, and closed his eyes once more". In a fla

was back at the court, just as the fish was ready (83).

I t i s hardly surprising that, backed witha huge number of stales-which are in most places implicitly believed-tens of tho

of charms are in active use among the Chinese.

SPIRITISM

In the nineteenth century the strange resemblance between Ch

and Western mediumistic phenomena was first described(84) . Confi

to the intellectual classes, these practices were mainly devot

discovering facts about the future, particularly in relation to w

a certain course of action should be take n.

Where àutomatic writing' was the method of communication

peachwood pencil was used.* It had to be made from a twig whwhen on the tree, faced eastward ; before cutting, a magical f

was pronounced, composed of four lines, each of four syllabl

`Magical pencil, powerful one, each d ay bearer of subtle power,

t h e e , t o t e l l a l l . '

The word signifying `spirit of the clouds' is cut in the tree's

on the side opposite to the twig . Following this, the characte

* Willow-wood is also very often employed .



'Wondrous Revelation of the Heavenly Mysteries' are cut below the

first hieroglyphics. The chosen twig has to be so curved as toform a

hook at one end. After being fitted intoa small piece of wood-some

six inches in length-tt is placed in the hands of the man or, woman

chosen as the medium .

All the participants in the ceremony must be in a state of ritual

purity, wearing clean clothes, and having observed a fast. Two longtables are placed side by side in the hall which forms the scene of

operations. One of these holds the àltar', bearing wine, fruit and

sweetmeats ; while the other is sprinkled with powdery red sand,

rolled smooth to ensure the legibility of the characters which the

' s p i r i t p e n ' will trace upon it.

Completing al l these operations before nightfall, the officiating

magician then writes on a card his prayer to the Great Royal Bod-hisattwa, stating that the sacrifices are ready, and asking that spirits be

sent. The exact location of the house, together with the name of the

enquirer, are meticulously added, in order that t he spectre may be able

to make his way there without undue difficulty.

This card, and a quantity of gold paper, is then carried to a shrine

dedicated to this deity, and burnt before his altar. After returning home,

the owner must write his name and address clearly on another card,

which is fixed to one of the door-posts.

When evening falls, several of the supplicants make their way to

the door, burn gold paper, and make a number of bows, to welcome the

spirit to the house with due ceremony.

A short pantomime is then enacted. The invisible spirit is conducted

into the hall, candles and incense are lighted in his honour, and a chair

is pulled up to one of the tables for his use.

While this ceremonial is being observed, the medium approaches

the sand-strewn table. The handle of the twig rests on both hands,

while the end touches the surface of the sand. The supplication to the

spirit follows, in some such form as this: "Great Spirit, if you have

arrived, please write 'arrived' in the sand on this table. "

Immediately the medium has finished speaking, the pencil traces

the requisite character in the sand. The whole company then asks the

s p i r i t to be seated; and the Deity, whois thought to have brought him,

is offered another chair. Everyone now bows before the empty chairs,

offering a little wine and gold paper.

The ritual proper always begins in the same way. The mediuminvokes the spirit with the words : "Great Spirit, what was your

august surname, what yourhonourable name, what offices did you

hold, and under which dynasty did you live on earth?"

THE OCCULTART IN CHINA +)

The `magic pencil' traces the answersin the sand at once: and th

seance has begun . The session is now open for individual questions

These are put by writing them on a piece of paper, and burning them

together with a slipofgold paper. As each piece is burned, the an swe

appear in the sand-tracing. The end of the reply is indicated by t

character 'I have finished'; frequently the replies arein poetic form.

a message cannot be understood, the pencil again traces its writing

the table-top, until it has been d eciphered. When someone has cor

rectly read the message aloud, the pencil writes `that is right'. Afte

each reply, the sand is smoothe d in preparation for the next.

/'%1 tr Xt r

Medical charm, revealed at a Chinese seance

[See pp . 158-162]

During this proceeding, the strictest rules of decorum are observ

If anyone shows any sign, however small, of irreverence or unea sine

the pencil rapidly writes a rebuke on the sand.

As the medium balances the pencil between his two upturne

palms, and appears not to exert any control over it, an explanation

this phenomenon by means of ordinary reasoning seems difficult . Al

the Western observers who have been present at such seances seem

at a loss to understand how the pencil writes: particularly because t

method of holding it would make it extremely difficult for the med

to manipulate the stick.

It is considered most important that, while the table is bein

prepared for the next question and the sand smoothed, the entire

company should humbly thank the spirit for his kindness and help

His poetical ability is also praised. With true modesty, the penci

replies to these compliment s by writing the words 'absurd', and simi

self-effacing formulae.

After midnight, the spirit begins to write phrases asking for p

mission to depart. He is invariably asked to stay 'just a little longe

His reply is that he 'must go at once'. He also thanks the company f

their kindness and hospitality.

When it is apparent that he will not stay, the assembled compan

chorus : "If there was any want of respect or attention, great Spirit,

ar



entreat thee to forgive us thissi n . " Heis then `conducted' to the door,

accompanied by more burning o f gold paper, and seen off the premises

with bows and prostrations.

The most excellent formof]U-'magical pencil'-is said to be one

cut from the east or south-eastern part of the tree. The twig should be

commanded to give clear and accurate information. It is sometimes

forked, like a water-diviner's rod, painted red, and about a foot anda

halfin length. Variations of the ritual allow the red sand to be replaced

by incense ashes or bran. Other methods of holding the fork include

that in which the medium hi mself grips one arm of the twig, while any

other member of the company hold s the other . The writing-instrument,

when not in use, is kept with great honour in silk or other good

material--always red in colour. Many finely carved examples exist. An

instrument capable of passing on information from the respected

spirits of the other world, it is felt, should be treated with the dignity

which must obviously be its due.

The remarkable `life' which is felt in the pencil, once the spirit has

appeared to get control of it, canonly be compared to the twitching of

the willow or hazel, wand in an accomplished water-diviner's hands.

The reason for ascertaining the spirit's t rue name and offices is

because an undesirable spectre or demon may well get hold of the fork,

and write misleading messages: but he is unableto ìmpersonate' a good

spirit, and can thus be detected by his signature.

When such attempted deception does take place, it i s seldom for

more than a few moments, and the true spirit expels th e demon of his

own accord.

Many strange happenings are reported from such seances. Insomecases a mighty deity may arrive and declare his presence, indicating that

he is in need of certain sacrifices before his altar. Great men of the past

apparently here communicated by this method, and their signatures and

messages been obtained by means of red inkon the brush passing over

a sheet of paper. Even an ordinary brush has been used forthis purpose,

when the `power' of the visiting spirit has been felt to be strong.

If it is desired to consult any specific god, his image is brought into

the house where the session is to be held, and honoured with offerings

for a few days before the date fixed for the interrogation. I t i s c o n s i d e r e d

much more difficult to conjure gods into the pen than the spirits of

those who have already passed away, and who are people more con-

nected with the earth.

Mediums of the Ki in China do not form a distinct class . Often a

person is chosen at random to hold the magic stick. But the inter-

preters of the writings upon the sandor paper are highly esteemed.

THEOCCULT ART IN CHINA I01

Due to the difficult nature of Chinese calligraphy, relatively few peopl

can interpret with certaint y some of the hurried scrawls of the penci.

This art is thought to date back to a very early era, and a great ma

predictions by this means areonrecord.

One is contained in a small book of the Tang epoch, by Li Siun (8 5.

Charm against plague `revealed by spirits'

Its title-On Strange Matters Collected and Written Down-is amply

vindicated by this extract :

"When the high Minister of Stat e and feudal prince of Wei w

only a secondary officer in Ping-cheu, before he had been on du ty the

for ten months, suddenly a man from the country, named Wang,politely applied at the gate of his mansion for an interview.

The prince told him to sit d own, and he said that he was a man w

could find out things from the unseen world. As the prince did no

show much interest, the visitor bade him place a table in the princi



va~ii.i V 1nL Mlllsili

inner room, with some paper, a writing-pencil, incense and water. Then

hetold him to lower the mat which hung over the door, and silently

pay attention to what would happen .

After a while Wang said `Now le t us go and see', and they found

eight large characters on the paper, with an explanation in ordin ary

square writing, reading thus : Your dignity will be that of the very

highest Minister; you will live to your sixty-fourth year. '

Wang now hastily asked permission to go home, and it was never

ascertained whither he went. In the Hwuichang Period (A .D . 841-847),

the prince was three times registered asa grandee of the very highest

official rank. He died in Hai-nan just at the age which Wang had

ascertained."

The Emperor Shi Tsung of the Ming Dynasty, reigning fromi

5zz to 1567, regulated most of the Court affairs by means of spirit-

writing, in spite of the fact that in general the rulers of that House were

greatly opposed to this form of divination.

DEVIL-DANCINGSeveral forms of `possession by evil spirits' are recognized in China.

Most of these accord more or less closely with the possession by

spirits familiar in Semitic and Mediaeval occultism. Phenomena of the

type now attributed to `poltergeists' are common, both in recent fact

and in historical references . Devil-dancing, however, is interesting in

that it has several characteristics foreign to demonaic possession as

understood elsewhere .

Devil-dancers may be either voluntary or involuntary . That is to

say, they may be persons driven to ecstatic frenzyby a h o s t i l e s p i r i t ,

or they may be professionals or amateurs who deliberately induce in

themselves a state of frenzy for the purpose of divination.

The actual dancing resembles the state which is inducedby Obeab

workers in the West Indies, or the Nilotic Nyam-Nyams of the South

Sudan. If a Chinese family feels that some problem demands super-natural aid or information for its solution, professional devil-dancers are

called in .

Like all other observances in China, the correct ritual must be

followed. A great feast is prepared, which the dancers first consume,

while incense is burned, and all present compose themselves in a state

of mind conducive to concentration upon the question which will

be asked .

During the meal the h ost gives the chief dancer all facts relevant to

the case. It may be that he is uncertain as to whether to seek a certain

person as the husband of his daughter, or he may want to know where


treasure is buried. In other cases, there may be a haun ting which cha

have failed to remedy.

Accompanying the dancers there will be a troupe of musician

equipped with drums, bells, cymbals and other instruments . The

they begin to play, at first very slowly. Within minutes the pa

quickens ; as the tempo increases, so the whirling of the dancer

becomes more rapid . Intricate steps and revolutions are described

more incense is l i t . The contortions of the performers come to

sudden and dramatic end with the head dancer falling heavily up

the floor.

During this time-which may last from twenty to fifty minute

no word is spoken by the audience . As in the case of the `whirl

dervishes' of the Mevlevi Order, the dancer picks himself up afte

few minutes of rapt silence. He is now receptive to questions. The

are put to him one by one . As the replies are sometimes extreme

rapid, it is usual to have a scribe on hand to record the answers

particularly when these refer to remedies for sickness, in which

list of medicines can be long and detailed.

Different troupes of dancers have their own special methods

inducing the trance-state. Some demand certain food, lik e a whole p

eaten hot out of the cauldron while the dancer is held by each han

two small children . Others have such a flourishing practice that t

do not visit homes, but must be met at their house s, and propitia

with expensive gifts. Their ways and rites vary from one province

another.

The devil-dancers of Manchuria, men and women, are particularl

feared and yet revered. "In seeking their aid," says one authority, "

suppliant takes with him presents of incense and paper money

worship the demons, besides valuable presents of bread, red cloth

red silks . These neither dance, beat drums nor ring bells, but sit

commence a slow shaking as from ague . Then they fall into a fit. Th

tell the suppliant to return home and place a cup on the wind

outside, and the right medicine will be put into it by the spirit. T

suppliant is at the same time made to vow that he will contribute

the worship of the particular demon whose power and interventio

they now invoke, and that he will also contribute towards some tem

in the neighbourhood ."

The initiation and practices of the Taoist magica l priesthood

based upon degrees of specialization. T h a t i s t o s a y , t h e W/u (magician

are divided into those concentrating upon soothsaying, exorcism

theurgy or sacrifice. Both men and women are admitted into th i

priesthood, though it is usual for the office to be hereditary. Fe



.Vg ORIENTAL MAGICadvertise their powers : the clientele comes, as it were, by recom-

mendation, and they are styled `honourable sir', or 'Wuist Master', or

some such honorific title.

The overwhelming majority of candidates for admission to the

priest-magician order have been for years associated with their parents

in occult practices, so that the time for final ordination finds them

already possessed of considerable knowledge . Only the initiation

remains to be done, and this is entrusted to any respected magician

other than a relative.

For seven days preceding the rite, the candidate must isolate himself

in a cell, abstaining from fish, meat, onio ns, leek, garlic and alcohol.

During this time, he remains in a state of ritual purity and cleanliness,

and repeats conjurations and incantations. The entire process is

minutely described i n one of the books of theLi Ki.

"The superior man, when he desires to sacrifice at the s easons of

the year, observes a vigil. Vigil means collection or concentration (of

the vital qualities of his spirit and intelligence). It is a concentration of

what is not yet concentrated, and must thus be effected. The superior

man does not undertake a vigil unless he has to perform some im-

portant act, or worship. Without the vigil, no precaution need be

taken against material things, nor desires or lusts restrained. But he

who is going to undergo it must prote ct himself from things that are

objectionable, and check his desires and lusts. His ears may not listen

to music . The saying in the Record, to the effect that man while

observing the vigil `has no music', means that he does not venture to

divert his attention in more than one direction.

He has no vain thoughts in his mind, but strictly adheres to the

principles of the Tao. His hands and feet make no disorderly move-

ments. They move strictly according to the ritual rescripts. Such is thevigil of the superior man, purporting the development of the highest

faculties of the vital spirit, and of his intellect. The, vigil is rigorous for

three days, and less vigorous for the rest of the seven days. The fixation

of these attributes into the desired concentration means the perfecting

of the vital spirit, after which he can enter i nto communion with the

gods. "

On the last day of the vigil is celebrated the ceremony of initiation.

For three days offerings have been made at the Taoist altar, in honour

of the idols therein. At a set time the initiate enters the precincts of the

shrine, clad in his sacerdotal garb, with bare feet and an emblem of

the sun on his head . His journey from the place of retreat to the temple,

if it is not the same place, is performed without his feet touching the

ground. This is generally effected by someone carrying him on his

THE OCCULT ART IN CHINA I6f

back. Should he touch the earth, the power which has been concentrated by the vigil will passaway into the ground and nullify all.

Once within the temple proper, the chief priest, sprinkling rice

written charms and water upon the ground, interrogates him, in ord

to ascertain whether he has attained a due degree of abstraction fr

the material world . He must answer each question in the affirmativ

2

6 7

3

8

CHARACTERSUSEDIN CHINESE MAGICAL INVOCATIONS(Celestial calligraphy)

(6) `Clouds'

(7) Thunder'(8) Descend'(9) The Five Elements

[Seep. 1531

Having passed this test, he begins to ascend the spirit-ladder of swor

accompanied by the music of cymbals, drums and the wailing notes

a buffalo-horn. Upon his descent from this ord eal (thou gh the swor

are not sharp) he is considered to be initiated, and is nowa fully-fledged

priest of the order.

The ceremony is completed by the neophyte approaching thealtar, ringing a hand-bell, and informi ng the gods that he is now

Wu-magician.

RITUALS AND INSTRUMENTS OF CHINESE MAGICBefore examining the robes and met hods of the sorcerers, it

important to note the immense faith in the magical e fficacy of swor

which is common to almost all forms of magic . In China, the main u

of the sword is in the exorcism of evil s pirits: as in other systems

however, magical swords must be subjected to special treatment, an

may also perform a variety of functions in the_ ritual.

(I) Go away'(z) `Come'

(3) `Dragon'

(4 ) `Rise in the air'

(5) Spirit'

V VVV



a ..aua Aaaa -%n A%J .

Daggers of peachwood' and the two-edged kien are considered

among the most valuable of demon-destroying weapons. A swordonce owned by a famous warrior or general is also thought t o be most

effective. Failing this, the iron or peachwood blade is consecrated in

the name of the renowned sword which it i s supposed to represent.

Frequently red cloth is wrapped round the hilt. When not in use, it is

carefully preserved, with appropriate ceremony, in silken cloth. Asmall model of a sword, cut from willowwood, is often worn as abadge-amulet-recalling the Arab use of a model of the marvellous

Sword of Ali, worn by the Sayeds (descendants of Mohamed) inemen. Whenwillow i s used, it must be cut inthe fifth day of the fifth

onth, when the sun is at its apogee. Trees which have been struck by

ightning are especially favoured for all magical purposes.

Protection fromevil may be ensured, by hanging such swords at the

oor, carrying them on the breast orat the girdle, and decorating them

ith red tassels or nets. Mulberry wood is also used; and in Chehkiang

he power of mulberry swords is considered so great that an evil

agician is generally struck dead by it, when directed against him.

Swords made of coins are most potent for al l magical purposes.

here has been a certain amount of speculation as to the reason for

his-insofar as any reason for some magical practices can be ascer-

ained . The circular Chinese coin, with a square hole in the centre,is

aid to resemble the guard of a sword. Hence a collection of such

uards, made up in sword-form, might be expected to exert great

rotective power.

The coins (preferably all of the same reign) are fixed on an iron

. These twenty to

e coins are threaded upon the bar, each overlapping the

. Two rows are used, to form two `blade faces'. The hilt may be

times, too, may be the gua rd and

. The coins are held in place by means of red silk cord. Tassels,

.

uch is the potency attributed to th ese weapons that their mere

any effect desired.

As might be expected, sword-lore has many variations. Somes powerful spells, whichenhance

:

"I wield the large sword of Heaven to cut down spectres in their

."

This formula is the one reputedly used by Fuh Hi, the first legendary

. Another spell,


written on the willow blade of sword or dagger, is : "Power over all

s p i r i t s ; power to make al l things come to pass; the greatest power

o f a l l . "

Some swords can operate by themselves. One Taoist sage wasreputed to own one such for the purpose of destroying demons .

"Whenever he desired to practise it, he placed his sword inan emptyroom, spurted water upon it from his mouth, and in threatening tones

ordered it to cut down the spectres. He then kept the room closed to

everybody, not opening it until the next day, and-flowing blood then

stained the floor everywhere."

The author of this book (8 6) professes not to have been taken in

by this trick. He claims that no demo n can have blood . Therefore, he

says, it was the water which turned into blood. This metamorphosis,

he believes, is relatively simple, and not of the order of thing s which

include killing devils.

Besides the officially-initiated Wu, a huge class of self-appointed

magicians also exist. Having attained their powers through private

study, they are often no less respected by the people at large, though

bitterly opposed by the established Taoist element . The Taoists, in

their turn, are condemned by the Confucians as heretics, animists and

devil-worshippers of the deepest dye. Though they themselvesdonotalways claim powers of invisibility and invulnerability, the Confucians

hold that their devil-expelling works are merely bluff white black

magic and the use of occult powers forillicit ends are attributed to

them.

CEREMONIAL GARB OF THE WU MAGICIANSThe `Red Garment' (Kang-i) is the principal robe worn for the

accomplishment of any important magical work. It is a square sheet of

silken cloth, with a slit cut in one side to form the front opening, and

a round hole in the centre for the wearer's head. It is sleeveless, and

generally embroidered with symbolic representations of trees, moun-

tains, dragons, and the spirals of rolling thunder. A wider border of

blue silk is sewn round the Kang. Stitched to the neck portion is

usually a broad silken ribbon, whose ends hang down in front. This

is identical with the `Gown of the Universe', whose name, however,

is also given toa second magical vestment. This is the dress of assistant

priests, or magicians officiating at lesser rites.

Made of silk or sometimes another cloth, it has wide sleeves, being

closed in front by hanging tapes. Embroidered upon it are the mystical

dragons, octagons and tortoises traditional ly associated with Taoist

magic



All magicians of theTao persuasion wear the same type of head-

decoration. When officiating, the hair is piled on the top of the head (in

commemoration of the style common before the pigtail was madeobligatory), surmounted by a round cap. Over this i s fixed a metal

representation of the sun's rays-the `Golden Apex' to the black cap.

There are many variations in the priestly garb in use : but the orthodox

claim that only the traditio nally accepted garments are powerful

enough to concen trate true magical power in favour of the genuine Wu.

RITES AND PRACTICES OF FEMALE MAGICIANSAs with their masculine counterparts, women Wu (known as

Wu Ladies, Female Wu, etc.) may be either amateur or professionalworkers. Common to both types i s a strange degree of concentration

upon their rites, and implicit beliefin their powers .

As mediums, women are often in demand . Going into a trance, the

witch may either speak with spirit' voices, or merely mumble un-intelligibl e words which have to be interpreted by experts-much in

the same manner as the messages traced by the magical pencil need

special translation for mortal understanding.

As with mediumistic phenomena in the West, specific spirits are

believed to enter into communication with the medi um in the trance

state. At the same time, it is more usual for the communicating spirit

to be a certain well-known lady (Lady Tzse), who has been consulted

in China for many centuries. Women mediums generally work amongmembe rs of th eir own s ex ; and even children are reported to become

rapid adepts at ca lling up Lady Tzse . That this spirit also sometimes

materializes is evidenced by a report from Ch'en Kwah(87)

"It is an old custom on the night of the first full moon of the year,

to recei ve the spirit of Tzse-ku . This practice is not, strictly speaking,

confined to the first month. She m ay be conju red at any ti me. When I

was young, I saw children in their leisure hours call her for mere

amusementAmong my own kinsmen it has come to pass that after being

called she refused to go away ; and as this occurred more than once, they

would not call her again.

In the King yiu Period (1034-1038), the family of Wang Lun,doctor in the Court of Sacrificial Worship, was invitin g Tzse-ku, when

a spirit descended into one of the girls of the female apartments, and

itself said that it was a s econdary consort to the Supreme Emperor (of

Heaven). That girl thereupon was able to write literary compositionsof exquisite beauty, which even now are circulating in the world under

the title of Collection of the Female Immortal.

She wrote in several different styles, and manifested the great

artistic skill in the use of the pencil. But never did she write the se

characters or square characters which are used in this world. Wang Lu

being an old friend ofmyfather, I was conversant with his sons a

younger brothers, and thus I saw her handwriting myself.

In that house the spirit occasionally showed her shape, and t

it was perceived that above the loins i t was like an attractive wo

Talisman of Fortune

[Seep. 155]

but below the loins it was always veiled as by a cloud. She could p

beautifully on the lute; and when her voice chimed in, it was so sw

and pleasant that all who listened forgot his cares. Once someone as

her whether she could travel with her on a cloud. She answered t

she could : and suddenly, inthe courtyard a white cloud whirled up l

vapour. She mounted it, but it would not bear her. Then the spi

said: `there is some mud on your shoes-put them off and mounShe now mounted in her stockings, and it seemed that her sho

slowly stepped towards the room. On her descent she said: `You

go now, we will wait for another day.' Afterwards the girl

married, but the spirit did not co me to her in her new home. Noth

specially good or bad resulted from the spirit's visits. All the writ



1 70 ORIENTAL MAGICtraditions concerning the latter give many details; and what I have seen

myself is no more than roughly sketched here. "

It is said that the calling of the spirit of the Lady Tzse is gaining in

popularity. The most usual attribute which she bestows is the ability

to write magnificent literature. But the spirit also Ùnderstands the

medical art and divination, and can play at draughts as well as the best

hand in the realm. '

How is the spirit called up? She may, according to traditional

custom, either come through a medium, or be conjured into a small

doll, and made to answer questions.

This latter operation is said to be performed as follows

On the 15th day of the first month:sometimes any other day when

it is desired to consult the oracle-the women take a st raining-ladle,

used for food, and also a door-charm . This is pasted upon the ladle;

after which a human face is drawn on it . Willow branches are then

taken, to form the d o l l ' s arms and legs . The effigy is then dressed in

clothes .

All the women-or only one if there is a single invocant-call

upon Lady Tzse to come, placing a small offering of food and incense

before the figure. Within a few minutes, in most cases, it is s aid that

the puppet is found to have become heavy : the spirit has entered

into it. Questions are now put to the Lady, who is believed to

answer them. This custom is paralleled in many parts of China,under different names, when brooms, trays and all sorts of different

articles are consulted for guidance through a spirit conjured into

themThose who desire to project their spirit into the land of the dead,

attempt to do so by repeating an incantation : "Sister San-ku, Lady

Sze-ku, please do guide me to the land of the region of Yin. What do

I want there, in the regi on of the Yin? I want to searc h there for a

near relation. When I have found him, I want to speak a few words

with him: then pray lead me quickly back, to the region of theYang. "

The incessant repetition of this formula is believed to ensure that

the invocant is carried to the land of the passed away, where she can

find her relation, and is safely brought back (88).

IMAGE-SPIRIT OF THE AMOY WITCHES

In Amoy, a special' kind of image is manu factured by women

magicians, for the purpose of housing a spirit which is conjured in to

it, to be used for any purpose desired by the practitioner.

A small doll is made of peachwood-the wood containing the vital

THE OCCULT ART IN CHINA

shen-magic. Before making the doll, the wood is collected under c

of darkness, or in some other way which will avoid suspicion of wi

craft falling upon the women. The carving of the doll is ma de a

treatment. The latter consists of concealing the wood somewhere

or near the house of a pregnant woman . There it stays until the c

is born: but the mother must not know of its existence.

As soon as the infant is born, the wood is removed and carved

the witch, who at the same time utters spells calling upon a spiri

come a nd inh abit i t . The doll is made as far as possible in the sh

the new-born child, and must be of the same sex . It must then be h

behind a Taoist altar, so that spells pronounced over the latter

have effect upon it . Alternatively, the witch herself calls upon a sp

through her own altar, behind which she has placed the peachw

e f f i g y .

This is considered to be an operation of the Black Art: f o r , a s

spirit enters the doll, it may well leave the body of the child in

image it is made . Alternatively, the infant may become maimed

mentally affected. For this reason such practices are hated by mo

Confucians, and by many other people .

Called the Òperation for Drawing Out Life', or the `Means

Compelling a Spirit', the dangers of detection seem only to add t

value of the rite. It is implicitly believed that after it has been

pleted, the familiar will remain in the doll, and answer any ques

Another method of using an image is this

"The image is first exposed to the dew for forty-nine nights,

after the performance of certain ceremonies it is believed to have

power of speaking . It is laid upon the stomach of the woman to

it belongs, and she by means of it pretends to be the medium of

munication with the dead . She sometimes sends the image into

world of spirits to find the person about whom intelligence is s

It then changes into an elf or sprite, and ostensibly departs on

errand. The spirit of the person enters the image, and gives

information sought after by the surviving relatives.

The woman is supposed not to utter a word, the message seemi

to proceed from the image. The questions are addressed to medium, the replies appearing to come from her stomach ; ther

probably a kind of ventriloquism employed, and the fact that the

appears to proceed from the stomach undoubte dly assists the delu

Anyway, there are scores and scores of these mediums implici

believed in, and widows who desire to communicate with their dec

husbands, or people who desire any information about a future st

invariably resort to their aid."



UkUhNTAL MAGICDEATH SPELL

A common form of the death spell as usedin Chinamay be quoted

here as typical . Most houses and all villages havea tablet consecrated

to the name of the local deity. Upon it is placed apiece of paper, con-

taining the name of the person it is intended tokill, with an intimation

that they àre already dead' . The spiritwill then think that the person

has already died; and he will prepare for the soul's arrival in Heaven .

Such will be the force of this belief among the spiritsconnected with

receiving departed souls, that their concentrationwill attract the soul

out of the body of the person named, and hew i l l thus die.

Of course, if the doomed man were to know that his name had

thus been placed before the spirit, in a number of cases he would

expire from pure fear . This is an interesting parallel to sympathetic

magic and the curse-mechanism throughout the world .

RAINMAKINGIt is believed that rain can be caused to fall by burningan image of

a deformed or otherwise pathetic person . The idea behind this is that

Heaven will feel pity, and will pour down water to relieve his plight.

ETERNAL LIFELike all other peoples, the Chinese have always been highly

interested in the possibility of securinge t e r n a l l i f e. Many believe that

the following method will secure it, but that it doesnot always function

s a t i s f a c t o r i l y :

A silver-coloured insect-the silver-fish'-(Lepisma Saccharin) is

captured, and made t o eat a piece of paper upon which the characters

Shen-Hsien have been inscribed. This formula, signifying 'immortal-

spirited', will, it is thought, cause the creature's body to take on multi-

colour hues . Anyone eating the prepared silver-fish will then be pro-

tected from death for ever. The magicians recommending this process

warn that it `may take months of experiment before a suitable fish

be found, whose body w i l l react correctly, and will display several

colours' .

CHAPTER 18

WONDER-WORKERS OF TIBETTIBET, more than any other part of the world, has suffered from

spate of misrepresentations, distortionsand downright invention i

Western literature which is almost unparalleled at any time. Readin

the supposed travels of armchair authors, the strange tales of magi

mystery and spiritual wonders that are supposed to make up Tibeta

life, one i s reminded of the fanciful maps of ancient geographer

When they were uncertain of the features of some place or other, th

would fill the space with such legends as "Herebe Dragons" .

Tibet, it is true, is one of the last countries where Buddhismflou

ishes without much interference from outsiders . Its Buddhist histor

however, shows that in cultural development it is far behind su

places as Bamiyan in Afghanistan, where (before Islam replaced i

much of the extra-Indian development of Buddhist art and theolog

took place. Again, Tibet is certainly not impenetrable. I t i s f a r e a s i e

to enter and gain the confidence of the Lamas than it is to get i

Mecca-as I know from experience-or to take photographs of th

Mahdi's Tomb in the Sudan .

Dozens of non-Buddhist Westerners have travelled in Tibet

not one non-Moslem has been allowed into Mecca .

The second thing to remember about Tibet is its size. Thos

Westerners who have been there have, in almost everycase, spent mo

of their time in Lhasa or within what a Tibetan wouldc a l l ` e a s y r e a c

o f i t. They have travelled from India, B hutan,Nepal and China. Som

have gone in by the Kashmir route . Very few-if any at all-hav

been through the eastern and north-eastern areas,to Eastern Turkest

and Mongolia . Yet it is in those very partsthat the most importan

aspects of Lamaist and Bonist magic prevail.

Buddhism is a relatively recent import intoTibet. There are, it i

true, vast and richly endowed monasteries, millions of devotees.

the western parts of the country, one person in eight is said to be

monk, nun or acolyte of the Jewel in the Lotus. This part of th

population have been deeply affected by religiousideas through Budd

hist propaganda during the fifteen hundred-oddyears since the religi

came from India, and since their numbers were increased by th

migrations of Afghan monks during and after the Moslem conques

of Afghanistan .

1 73



174 ORIENTAL MAGICYet, though Tibet is called the `Most Religious Country in the

World', this, too, is in away a misnomer. The country, from thepurely anthropolog ical point of view, is far from being a unity. There

is , in the first place, the constant struggle between three elements

within the Budd hist fold : the `Pure Buddhists', who constitute the

established priesthood, the lay public, and the Tantrics, which latter

have been gaining in power for the past thirty years.

The established church of Buddhism, here as in all countries

professing that faith, has little time for magic and supernatural thauma-

turgy. Life is given over to contemplation an d the perfection of the

soul as a prerequisite to reincarnation. There are no short cuts to

Nirvana, and the ambitions of this world are not for the devout ortho-

dox Buddhist. Why, therefore, should he indulge in magic? On thecontrary, magic in all its forms is not only frowned upon in Tibet

among the established clergy, but is distinctly forbidden. And thetrue Buddhist takes his religion very seriously. This is why you muststeadfastly discount any alleg ed stories of the wonders of the Lama-

series of the Buddhist faith in Tibet.

The laity, on the other hand, is still permeated to some extent by

beliefs which are partly derived from the primitive, pre-Buddhist

animism of the country (Bo nism), and partly by the tantric form of

Lamaism-an offshoot of the orthodox rite. Lamas, of whateverpersuasion, tend rather to look down upon the uniniti ated: leaving

them to follow the magical practices which are contained in the few

books at their disposal. Access to books of higher learning and esot eric

meaning is restricted-not only by their scarcity but by the obtuseness

of their meanings.

Probably by far the greatest part of the country is under the

`spiritual' ministry of unorthodox Lamaism and particularly Bon ism.

Bonism may be said to resemble closely the Taoist and shamanistic

religion which has been treated in this book un der China . Believing

in the possibility of raising demons, in the powers of darkness and

good, in the importance of words of power and the supernaturalpowers of its priests, Bonism is perhaps theworld's best organized

magical cult. Like the Buddhists a gainst whom they wage physical

and psychological warfare, Bonists have their own Grand Lamas, their

armies and their temples.

Many of their places of worship, their monasteries and palaces

are embellished with a luxuriance that would make even a DalaiLama's palace seem ordinary . Unlike the Buddhists, they repeat

the creed (Om Mani padme bum!) backwards : Muh-em pad-mi-mo I

Again, unlike their neighbours, they believe in taking life, and have

WONDER-WORKERS OF TIBET 1

from time immemorial practised this and human sacrifice in th

propitiation rites. Their priesthoo d issue talis mans agains t disease

demons, even to make the crops grow or wither, to cause and an

love, to make the wearer invincible an d rich. These, like those of

savage peoples of High Asia, are often consecrate d pieces of ordi

bone, hair, teeth and metal. Divination and the taking of auguries

widely practised, both by the initiates and the laity. There is a stra

resemblance between their rites of propitiation of the Spirit of H

(Yama) and dragon-worship, and the rites of the Black M ass in E

pean witchcraft .

At a typical ritual of the Bon magician -priests, the chief sits

lonely clearing, surrounded by his lesser associates. In the middle

Charm t o a t t r

wealth to the wea

the place, surrounded by small bowls of burning incense, the alt

raised, offering meat, wool and a yak-skin to the Spirit that it is int

to conjure. Three blasts are given on the bone horn. The congregat

chants the invocation to the demon and his fellows, following

lead of the High Priest: Yamantaka!-thrice repeated, then thrice ag

Everyone is supposed to concentrate upon the image of the d e

which is generally to be seen in huge and frightening effigy in

temples : a bull-headed monster, with fangs and horns, tramplihuman bodies underfoot, with skulls and human heads as orname

and surrounded by licking flames.

It is believed by Bonists that the deityw i l l appear and partake

the nourishment, which is a sign that their homageis accepted.

Chief then addresses a prayer to the spirit, telling him of the desir

the people, and these will be fulfilled . Tho se wh o do not exert

utmost to contribute their own particular share of the spirit-for

the gathering will suffer terrible pains, and may even lose their

or some other faculty.

Bonism, like Lamaism and Buddhism in general, does not see

make converts. If one is not of the initiated, one does not mattN



176 ORIENTAL MAGICthe least. There is an interesting account of one Bon gathering preserved

from the sixth century of the Christian era, which is typical of those

dark rites: "The (Tibetan) officers assemble once a year for the lesser

oath of fealty. They sacrifice sheep, dogs and monkeys, first breaking

their legs, and then killing them. . Sorcerers having been summoned,

they call the gods of heaven and earth, mountains and rivers, Sun,

Moon, stars and the planets. . . ." (89) .

With the enormous pressure of this kind of devil-propitiation

current throughout much of the country, ordinary, devout Buddhism

of the Lhasa variety finds itself surrounded by the tantric and magica l

r i t e s . There have been several attempts to combat this menace, which

was started-it i s said-by Asanga, during the sixth century, and

embodied in the widely-read work Yogachara Bhumi Sastra. Devils and

lesser gods of the lower heavens are invoked and adapted from or-

thodox Buddhism to serve as genii of the tantrics. Reincarnation, as

understood by the devout but unlettered laymen of Buddhis t Tibet, is

very often far from the ideal which their followersin the West imagine.

Youwill frequently come across some person in t he process of per-

forming a hostile (hence forbidden) act against another, amply reassured

by the belief that he would not have had such an uncharitable thought,

even, had not the other individual done him an injury in a former life.

The orthodox Buddhist contribution towards oriental magicinsofar as it affects our study is far more philosophical than the familiar

rites of magical thought else where in the East-with the exception

of Sufism . Dedication, for a start, is held in common by Tibetan

Buddhism and occultists as essential for attaining the thought-con-

centration which all desire. Like other supernatural thinkers, the

Tibetans emphasize mental (though not so much physical) hygiene.

The mind must be purified until it can receive impressions which

will enable it to become ever more suitable for eventual absorption

into Nirvana, or annihilation int o the Spirit of All. Whence does this

power come? Partly from inside, that small entrapped piece of the

psychic force of the mysterious `wireless station' in some far mountains,

to which all spirits must return, and from which they are dest ined to

re-emanate, in the form of incarnate beings, until- the purification

process is complete, and perpetual Nirvana is the reward.

These vibrations, which are to guide the anchorite, are perceptible

all over the world. They guide the initiate, while leaving the igno rant

*The seeker must always purify himself before undertaking any magicaloperation . Sometimes he has to ensure that this step has been taken even by hisservants. At times it is for nine days, which includes the tabu on contact with

women, and abstinence from fish or venison (Ref. go) .

WONDER-WORKERS OF TIBETin his ignorance. It is no real part of the dedicated man's funct i

spread this doctrine, or even to enforce it, unless his s tation in

be such as to make this necessary.

Those who attain near-perfection are presented with a rin

Lamas of high degree-Doctors ofBuddhism. They must not thihowever, that they will reach perfection itself in one lifetime :

happened only in the case of the Gautama himself. At this stage i

possible to apply for release from the monastic life, in order to w

far and wide, to acquire merit which will out weigh sin.

He is generally warned, however, before he leaves the Lamas

Charm used in curan enemy

that he is sure to return broken and distressed, to relearn muc

he has lost through contact with ordinary mortals. Here, the esot

philosophy of Lamaism differs radically from Sufism: altho

superficial orientalists delight in asserting a close identity of th

between the two systems.

At the time of `returning from a life of perfection to the l i

imperfection', two stones are removed from the ring by his me

The first to signify the loss that he will undergo, as already s

the second because he is supposed to have `doubted the advice g

to remain in the Lamasery. When the lessons are learned, andmonk returns to the fold, the stones are replaced, and then

leave the finger-'even in the fire of cremation'.

If, however, the Lama rises to such perfection that he is emb

and gilded, and placed behinda lattice screen for all time, the ri

placed above him. Then àll who gaze at the glorious remains

especiallyat the ring, have shamefacedly to hang their heads in hum

tion, before such power and such greatness, and utter a prayer

turns the prayer wheel that the soul may conti nue to hold that

it had so painstakingly and slowly attained in this most sco

of all worlds, compared to which the first twelve years of mo

study were light as a feather'.



vx1JNTAL MAGICThere is more than a hint of the elusive ideaof a secret world-

wide priesthood in the explanation of the Path of the Great Masters,

which was transcribed by Mme Morag Murray Abdullah from a Tibetan

original in one nunnery which she visited, and which she has kindly

allowed me to quote here (91):

"The masters of mystical powers, who choose to remainaway from the world, are able to assist through contemplation

the affairs of other peoples, far away. While those who havereturned as missionaries and failed, for any reason, and s o returned

to the source of all earthly knowledge, are often debarred from

assisting further in the world. It is but forgetfulness for them.

And they are content, must become content, with the incon-sistencies of the world. Having successfully trod the Path of

Forgetfulness, which may take many years, the traveller is able to

see all the world laid out below him. He will be able to see what

will develop into earthquakes, wars, famines, and he can start

in advance to mitigate by his thoughts the human sufferingengendered thereby. . . .

Part of the training for this sort of spiritual diagnosis of the patient's

ills, is to stay out on a hillside, day and night, for a week-an exposed

hillside, and during winter. Thrice a day the trainee is obliged to steep

a sheet in icy water and wrap it around himself. It is then allowed to

dry, by the ìnward heat generated by his concentration'. If the cloth

does not dry, or the Lama feels the cold, his concentration has been

at fault, and the process has to be repeated. The rigors of this training

are not such as would appeal to our more impatient magicians or

even philosophers of more westerly cults. Where such patience and

endurance reign there is, conversely, little room for the briefer rituals

which are directed towards producing power rapidly. The training

does result in a gentle and very dissimilar creature from the ferocious

Bonist who may be lurking not very many miles away.

"True Lamas of Tibet count among their number some of thelast true followers of their master's teachings." One would expectthem to be sceptical of foreigners and, shut away in their mountain

fastnesses, unresponsive to friendly gestures. Instead I found them

like friendly children, trusting and willing to hear all that I had to say

about the world beyond. At first, coming from the West, wherediplomacy is not confined to the diplomatic service, one doubted

their sincerity; they seemed altogether too confiding, as though they

kept politeness on the surface to hide something less tractable under-

WONDER-WORKERSOFTIBET 1

neath. That, of course, was a personal feeling, until I found that in

as well as out they seemed to have no ungracious thought concern

anyone. In this I refer to monks of a decade's standing. If they heathe wonders which they will never see, in our world, they showed

signs of jealousy, or even disbelief : although I was to le arn that

had very definite ideas about the West. In my experience, they wo

no more think of breaking a promise than t hey would of being

hospitable-which latter is carried out almost like a religion, as a

the Afghans and Arabs.

"Tibetan lamas are convinced that they can, b y the mere p

of prayer, overcome any invasion, whether spiritual or otherw

it is the power of the magical wordsOM MANI PADMEHum. " WheI spoke to them of war, they said that only those with unhappy spi

go to war, and that hence they dese rve it, and it is something w

is decreed for them to undergo: "If we who have so little can acc

plish the little we do, surelyyou people beyond the seas, who ha

everything material, as you say, can create beauty.

One of the most absorbing things about Tibetan wonder-worki

from the magical point of view, is undoub tedly the fire-walking r

The apparent ability to walk across glowing coals is demonstr

in India, Polynesi a and other parts of the Far East. But since personal experience of a demonstration is confined to Tibetans, I

comment only on this, and refer readers for corroborative mater

to others who have reported their own experiences in full.

Both the B onist (animist and devil-propitiating) and Lamai

priesthoods regard fire-walking as an important part of their ri

Whydoes this activity figure in Buddhist circles, where magic i

encouraged? Because it purports to show the heights of self-discip

that the initiate can reach. A man who can so overcome his natur

disadvantages as to be abl e to tread glowing coals is clearly one

has established the rule of mind over matter. The Bonist theory

not practice-is very different. Fire-walking is a propitiation ceremo

first and foremost. It is done because the fire-god demands hom

And, in return for this homage, he gives the power to endure the

to those who believe in him.

In both instances it is probable that some sort of mental dissoci

akin to hypnosis is induced: though there seems to be some oth

factor; for while a person hypnotized in the normal way woulperhaps, be able to endure the pain of the fire, there is the questio

actual physical hurt to be considered. Not one Lama or Bonist pri

who indulged in fire-walking while I watched seemed to suffer

pain or wound. This leaves only the possibility of mass-hypno



v&LJtv'rAL MAGICof which one has heard a lot, but canprovelittle-as in the case of the

Indian rope-trick .

At one Bonist ritual,in addition to the priests passing through the

flames, a number of candi dates for `holy orders' were led through the

f i r e . None of these laymen was harmed ; it may be that there is some

trick by which the whole thing is accomplished . In common withparallel rites elsewhere, this amounts to a testing of applicants for

ordination : a form of the ordeal thesis.

Another small fact that may be of interest here is that it is reported

that in many cases fire-walkers are seen to have scorched hands and

faces, frizzled hair, and so on-butno marks on the soles of their feet.

The experiment that I saw was performed in a large clearing :

the actual site of the fire being a trench three feet deep by thirty feet

long and about ten feet wide. After rounded, smooth stones had been

placed in the trench, a vast quantity ofwood and branches were piled

on the top, set alight, and kept burning for about six hours . Then

the charcoal was scraped off, and the surface swept flat.

There was a crowd of about two hundred people watchi ng the

display. A wizened Bonist priest, hung with amulets and characterized

chiefly by the raggedness and apparent filth of his face, hands and

sheepskin cloak. Under the skins, which he peeled off, there was a

loincloth wrapped round the body and between the legs. In his hand

he carried a wand : a stick about fifteen inches long, which ended ina

clump of small feathers . He walked about the fire, first three times

clockwise, then five times in the reverse direction, at the same time

raising and lowering his hands towards the blaze-which was still

very hot. Muttering prayers or incantations, he began to strike his

legs, first one, then the other, with the wand.

At the signal of a bone horn, ten men walked slowly through the

crowd, and lined up in front of the magician. As each one bowed, he

was tapped first on one shoulder, then the other, with the stick. Not a

sound was to be heard . There almost seemed to be something uncanny

i n t h e a i r. The heat from the fire and the su n above was overwhelming.

Several people in the audience, overcome by the heat or emotion, fell

where they stood. Nobody took more than passing notic e of this, and

all eyes lingered on the sinister figure of the priest .

In single file, while the sorcerer keptupa high nasal chant, the men

crossed the white-hot mass, stepping off through a small bowl of water

as they reached the end of the course.

Nowthe old sorcerer followed, and performed a dance in the

centre of the trench. He then called for people-not being initiates-

who would like to take part in the rite, tellingal l and sundry of the

WONDER-WORKERS OF TIBET

great powers that were conferred by the Sun God for this act

devotion.

Three men and two women only accepted the challenge : on

each sex being clearly of an Indian, rather than Mongolian, cast

feature .

The same performance of running round the fire, the same salu

tions and raising of hands, the incantations, and this time the fir

Talisman of vict

added their singing to the sorcerer's voice. Led by the two wom

who were almost pushed ahead by the sorcerer, the five negotiate

fire without mishap . I noticed that their faces were covered w

sweat, and they seemed deadly afraid . As they stepped off the t

I examined their feet: I could hardly escape doing so, for they

showing them to all and sundry, and such was their relief that it

almost touching .

There was no sign of burning, eit her on their feet or on an

of their cotton or yak-skin garments.

I was unable to get any further information about how this

accomplished. Another person, who saw the rite performed in a s

way in an Indian State, where four Britishers too k part, wrote



"The quartette of Britishers-a Scot,two Irish and an Englishman

. . . were showing their feet tothe other guests for days afterwards.

They begged the ancient to tell them the secret, and I joined in

their request. He would not even accept C5oo for the knowledge,but said if the four cared to attach themselves to his temple he would

teach them everything . . none of the four was able to accept. The

only thing that the old man would confide was that only those with

developed psychic power would be able to do the experiment un-harmed by themselves. This power was something that `you'wouldone day accept as natural, `thoughyou hope in your heart not to be

obliged to do so' . This power was practically unknown in mostplaces (especially `materialist India', ashe called it) owing to a lack

of real faith, as opposed to hypocrisy.

Talismans and charms, he said, could be given to those whohad no power, and these would enable them to fire-walk and domany other things : but why should they have them, if they did not

benefit the soul?" Evidently this particular priest belonged to the

established Buddhist cult of Tibet.

With these talismans "the ignorant, being then able to concentrate

their lower minds on something tangible, because they could not get

really absorbed in spiritual things, coul d derive power from the

symbols and secrets (in the talismans) because there were some sort

of spirits which should help them".

When questioned about the real' power which made talismansunnecessary, this authority says: "Concentration and meditation were

able, in time, to achieve al l that was needed. The mind must first be

taught to think of nothing. This is another way of saying that there

must be no conscious thought at all. This is the most difficult part.

When it was achieved, help came to the student. Many people at this

stage got mental impressions, which were nothing more than phan-

tasies of their minds, trying to re-establish the thinking process. I f

these were not identified for what they were, and `thought away',

then they would remain for life with the person, and kill hi s spirit.

They would also seem to give messages, and that these might even be

from evil demons." When asked how one knew when one had becomeenlightened, he replied that one saw and felt it, and that hence the

invisible world became something which was in fact reality, only a

different reality from the one in which the laity lived: but it had a

substance and a host of analogies.

Contrary to the idea widely current in some circles in the West,

there is no parallel among the Tibetans to the practice of `spiritualism'.

There is, it is true, aform of Shamanism (witch-doctoring) among the

Bons, or animistic demon-propitiators of whom I have already s

Their `seances' are in some ways similar to the Taoist ones

do purport to conjure spirits. But the content of th e spirit revel

are entirely' different, in general, from thosewhich are produce

the West. There is far less of the materialization of the dead, a

contact with what are called `spirit entities', which have not, appa

had an incarnate form. Again, communication with the spirits i

for different purposes : for the encouragement of crops and casti

demons of disease, such as plague ; for the realization of wo

ambitions, and for advice as to what to do in one's career. The

never a suggestion of the kind of well-meani ng and general

significant greeting s which are exchanged between relatives

West and those that have `passed on'. One reason for this is th

belief in reincarnation and transmigrati on is so universal tha

assumed that dead relatives are alread y in all probability in pro

another life on earth, and out of contact by spiritualist (spi

means.



CHAPTER 19

MAGIC ART OF JAPANAs INmany other countries, Japanese occult practicestake two main

forms : i n the first, which consist of highly ritualized observances

stemming from the national cult of Shinto, specialists hold undisputed

sway. In `low magic' (majinai), spells, curses and sympathetic charms

are in wide current use among the general public. Apart from the

national cult of Shinto, certain secret sects indulging in magic are

known to exist among the Buddhist element . In all three cases there

are both similarities to Western magic,and copious borrowings from

the arcane beliefs of the Chinese.

The main source of Shinto magic is undoubtedly the N o r i t o - _

the manuscript collections made in the tenth century, which bear

marks of far earlier origins. Like many of the repetitive Indian and

Babylonian rites, these involved ceremonialsare not as appealing to

Western students as they might be On the other hand, the codices

contain valuable material for study.

Several remarkable coincidences of practice are apparent even

from the most cursory survey. As in Western, Chinese and Jewish

magic, swords play an important part . Rice is use d to ward off evil

s p i r i t s : which is the origin of its use in European weddings today .

Jewels and talismans take the place of theSolomonic pentacle-but

their uses are very similar. The reputed powers inherent in gems are

considered and described.

The Semitic thesis that magic (particularly that part of it called

Black) equates with worship of the Devil is, as in many other com-

munities, unknown to the Japanese . Magic is described as `Good'

or Èvil', depending mainly upon the intentions of the practitioner.

It is certainly not believed that the Devil seeksto rob man of his soul

in return for a compact, whereby some satanic power is granted to

that man . Spirits there are, it is true,and even demons. But these

s p i r i t s (kami) bear a closer relationship with the Indian `life-spirit'

theory than with the organized demonology of, say, Christianity.

This does not mean that there is no such thing as witchcraft .

Sorcery, and the doing of evil to others, isboth recognized and con-

demned by Imperial decree . At the same time, there is the significant

belief that hewhopractises bewitchment may very well die of it :

and this parallels the anxiety displayedby Western wizards of old,

184

and their preoccupation with methods of preventing demons

harming the magician himself.

One of the standard procedures of Japanese magical texts con

an interesting example of what might be called 'emotion-concentr

A hungry dog (dogs are believed to have some special occult

nificance) is tied up within sight of food. The emotion of hunge

brought to a fine pitch by changing the meal for one more appe

When this feeling has been thus `concentrated', the animal's

chopped of It i s then thought to contain the essence of concent

It is interesting to reflect two things: first, that for thousands of

man has practised fasting as a means to clear and sharpen the

Chinese talism

attract money ('si

Those who have fasted regularly-whatever their motive

invariably claimed that a sense of concentrationof power does in

result . This may be a reason for this particular rite. Alternat

excluding the possibility that the process is merely sadistic, it d

to reflect the theory (in India, among other places)that there is a

connected with the brain which is capable of being concentr

Some people attempt its cultivation by prayer or incantation. P

the Japanese> think that it may be engendered and preserved by

method, combined with the severing of the animal'shead.

Where else does this mysterious concentrated power oc

According to Japanese sources, in trees. Every tree has its s

which is a part of t h e l i f e of that tree. What form the spirit or

takes, no one can tell. It is, however, im 'tly believed that if a

s p i r i t is disturbed by hammering a nail into his abode, he wil

revenge . When the actual sap has been reached bythe nail, out

the spirit. This is the magician's opportunity. Dressed in whit

repeats a request to the spirit to `pursue and annoy so-and

or whatever spell he happens to be exercisingat the time. It ha

said that the reason for dressing in white may be traced to a s

identification of the operator with thespirit's own kind. While



18 6 ORIENTAL MAGICquite possible, it may alternatively indicate a state of dedication on the

magician's part, and the ritual purity which is supposed to be the

state of al l invocants, if they desire com munion with the spirit world.

What are the main objects of Japanese magic? No different from

those which we encounter in almost every magical ritual, wherever

it may be. There are rites to propitiate hostile demons, to overcomethe works of rival sorcerers (whether on one's own behalf or that o f

clients), charms and spells to excite love and hatred, to cure disease

and procure children, to make fields fertile, to secure riches, revenge,

invisibil ity and power.

Many of the processes can be placed in the category of 'sympathetic

magic'. Typical of these is this one, for the restoration of virility:

A drawing is made on paper, portraying certain organs. Then the

following are mixed together: vinegar, sake (rice-spirit), soya bean,

oil, mixture for blackening the teeth , water and pith. The seveningredients are boiled, and the picture added to them. When the whole

lot has been boiling for some time, the desired result will be obtained.

This charm is recommended for use by women who want their hus-bands to become more constant. Many other charms are in use, whereby

the aid of Shoki-the demon-devouring spectre is sought. Shoki,the Japanese version of the Chinese Chung-Khwei-intervenes incases of demonaical possession, as well as to help people whomdemons have rendered indifferent to their spouses.

The most powerful of all Japanese love charms is made fromnewts, burned and cindered. The cinders are powdered very finely,

and divided into two portions. Oneis carried by the magician (gener-

ally a lovelorn swain) and the other may be secreted among the personal

possessions of the beloved, or sprinkled in her hair.

The use of reptilian remains in love and hat e magic is very wide-

spread. In Central Europe, there was once a common belief thatpowdered and incinerated frogs' bones would act ina very similar

manner. Whether the bones are used for love or hate, say the Arabsorcerers-whom we will allow to complete the picture here-depends

upon whether they sink or swim when cast into water. If they sink,

they are potent for hatred: ;f they float, they are used in love charms.

The currency of another type of love charm shows that the Japanese

is not con tent with loving or being lo ved from afar. The object of one's

affection may be drawn inexorably to one's presence:-and for this a

special poem, "Waiting on Matsuo's Shore is used.

The invocant may proceed in variouss ways . He may write half of

the ode on a piece of paper, fixing it on the northern side of something.

Why the northern side? This may be connected with the Hindu and

MAGIC ART OF JAPANother mana-akasa theses, which conte nd that the northis magneti

powerful, and that magnetism is not simplya physical phenome

but one manifestation of the m ana, or thought-force by whi

magic works.

To return to our lover : within three days of fixing the hal

towards the north, the person desired is bound to come and se

out. The spell is completed (and the beloved presumably 'bby writing the rest of the poem after her arrival. The lines a

follow :

"Waiting on Matsuo's Shore

This quiet Evening . . . .

For you who do not come,

I burn with longing:

Fierce as the fire of the salt-pans . "

But there does seem to be a division of opinion upon the cer

of the beloved's arrival. This is best illustrated by the fol

variation, which not only invokes the lady (or gentleman, as t

may be) but informs the operator of his chances.

The verse is recited three times in succession, and in one

There are certain other requirements, too. The man or woman sh

go into a room which is not generally used, in the very early

of the morning. The supplicant's sandals are removed and

upside down in the room, and the door closed(92) . Then the op

goes on to the veranda, placing his hand on his bosom. Closi

eyes, he repeats the words of the poem three times.

According to some writers, a voice will then be heard, tell

whether the desired one will come or not.

One notices here a reflection of several interesting belief

exist in Egypt and elsewhere, connected with the inverted s

It is believed that if a woman's slippers are placed soles u pwar

room, she will quarrel with her husband.

The shoes may be pointing in any direction except the side

house facing Mecca.

What is the significance of the slipper rite? There are tw

p o s s i b i l i t i e s . Both Arabs and Mongolians believe that footprin

feet in general, have a special magical r a p p o r t with the indiv

If this be so, then it would suggest that d isturbing the Eg

woman's slippers would upset her inner ('magical') personali

the case of the Japanese form, the invocant indicates his or h

turbed state of mind by the symbolism of the shoes.



GENERALDESCRIPTION: CHARMSIN CHINESE CALLIGRAPHYIndividual Descriptions

(A) Charm to ensure safety (C) Talisman for long life

(B) Charm to secure happiness (D) Talisman of success



B

DE CALLIGRAPHY

l i f e

MAGIC ART OF JAPAN 189

The other explanation? It was given to me by a Chinese friend,

to whom the slipper charm was also known : "According to established

magic workers, there are two forms of magic : (I) That wrought bymagical properties of things and words discovered by man ( a) That

brought about by rites which have been revealed to man by spirits and

gods. The slipper is a true object embodying magical power, and this

is the 'official' view. Magicians are always careful to distinguish

between the two sources, becau se the margin of possible error in

relation to man-made magic is higher, and they do not want to lose

their reputations."

The dog-charm is another potent object. Geishas and others

particularly favour this method, and it is found throughout the

islands in what might be called household use .

Two pieces of very thin paper are rolled into a stringlike form, and

a figure very approximately resembling a dog is made from this by

twisting and knotting . There is no standard shape, and much depends

upon the skill or otherwise of the maker as to whether the finished

article really looks like a dog or not . The result very often seems

something like the rabbits that people in the West make out of hand-

kerchiefs to amuse children .

There are, however, two artistic (or magical) conventions in the

styling : one paw is beckoning, and the tail is long .

This model, after being placed on a special 'small shelf (the Kami- -

dana) devoted to supernatural usage, is pierced with a needle through

one of its hind legs . As soon as this has been done, the woman addresses

the dog, promising it that it will be released from its `torture' if the

lover comes . In addition, food and (rice) wine will be given it .

Needless to say, if the spell succeeds, the promises have to be

kept .

There is another use for the dog-image, by which it becomes an

ally in relation to guests . The guest is left in the next room . The girl

(the hostess) goes next door, where the dog is sitting, and asks if the

person is planning to stay long or not . "A guest who is thinking of

taking his departure goes away forthwith, while one who wishes to

stay immediately expresses his intention . (93) •

Hate magic-so often bound up with the magic of love, where

love for one can mean hatred of another-has an interesting manifesta-

tion in Japan in the buried charm . If a person passes over a buried

spell, it will affect him. This, briefly, is the theory, which is probably

linked with the belief that the foot and footprint which touch the

ground where the charm is hidden are especially sensitive to magical

forces .



I9 0 ORIENTAL MAGIC"Someone who intended to kill you by means of sorcery has

buried here a magic object, thinking that you would pass over it. "

Such was the deduction of an authority called in to investigate,

in old Japan (94) .

It has been said that the magical obj ect (which is a spellbound

symbolical mixture of items which will be detailed later) is buried in

order that the victim, passing over it, would `sensitize' it with part

of his being. The object then had a special relationship-a link-with

the victim. As a result of this, the m agician would retrieve it by

night, and submit it to torture, which would then be felt by the

victim himself.

This, however, is not the standard method, if the term can be

used at all in magic. It is more probable that there has been a confusion

here with the waxen image' type of spell. If there is a connection

between the two, it is possible that the buried-spel l method is derived

from the image-curse. We read that after the presence of a buried

curse was suspected

"Michinaga caused the ground to be dug up, and two piecesof earthenware were found, crosswise bound together, and wrapped

up with yellow paper twisted into a strin g."

There is an actual description of how to cas t this spell in one

Japanese text:

"Take a clean bit of earthenware. Inscribe it with the name

of the person (victim) and the Chinese character for `stop'.* Put

it up in yellow paper, tie it crosswise, and bury it in the ground

three feet deep at the place by which the person usually approaches."

In making up spells, Japanese sorcerers generally specify that

Chinese ideographs should be used, and not the Japanese . In the

present work, most of the illustrations of Chinese characters areused by both the Chinese and Japanese for their charms and spells .

In the case of a written spell for happiness or money, the Japanese

follow the Chinese custom of using yellow paper.

* N . B . : the character `stop' is used here merely to stop a visit. Hate spells

involving harm or death demand the requisite Chinese word-compare ideograph

i l l u s t r a t i o n s i n t h i s c h a p t e r , a n d s . v . Chinese magic .

Source : v i d e N o . 93 of my Bibliography .

BIBLIOGRAPHYThe Written Sources of Oriental Magic and Commentaries

GiuMOIRE REFERENCES

Chaldea:

The following `Black Books' of the sorcerers have trace s of C

magical rituals or processes attributed to Chaldean origin:

Sefer Raziel (The Book of Raziel). B.M. S l o . 3826.

The Grimoire of (attributed to) Pope Honorius II. Paris : I76

1800.

Solomon:

Grimoires and commentaries containing so-called Solomonic Ma

the following :

The Key (Clavicle) of Solomon. (Tr. Mathers, London, 1888. )

Ars Notoria, by Robert Turner . (MS. , B.M. S 1 o . 3648 . )

De Novem Candariis SalomonisTrue Black Magic.

Lemegeton (The Lesser Key). B.M. MS. S l o . z73I (1676) .

The Grimoire of Honorius. Rome, I76o.

Kitab-el-Uhud (Arabic MSS. ) .

Speculum Salomonis.

Semphoras .

Septem Sigilla Planetarum.

Anelli Negromantici del Salomone.

Verum Chaldaicurn VinculumBeschwerungen der Olympischen Geister.

Salomonie Trismosini.

De Tribus Figuris Spirituum.

Liber Pentaculoru m.

Offciis Spirituum .

Hygnomantia ad Filium Roboam .

Many of these works are mainly composed of extracts from T

some are almost certainly forgeries. In any case, there is frequent co

as to whether the Solomon referred to is the king or one of the

rabbinical writers of that name.

These books, however, in many versions, and those grimoire

follow, have all at one time or another been used as the authoritativ

of the sorcerers. The mere possession of MSS. such as these meant

at the time of the Spanish and other Inquisitions.

19 1



EGYPT:

As in the case of Chaldean magic, Egyptian rituals seem greatly to have

influenced magic throughout the West and the Middle East. At the sametime there are very few works extant which even claim direct Egyptian

inspiration in their entirety . Works by the Egyptologists Wallis Budgeand Flinders Petrie contain the references for magico-religious papyri andinscriptions .

The following three formerly well-known and much used grimoireseither contain Egyptian traces, or themselves claim Egyptian originals

The Sage of the Pyramids.

The (Sworn) Book of Honorius.

The Arbatel of Magic.

HBBICBwEuropean and Arabic sources abound with books containing real or

attributed Hebrew inspiration . In some of these-as in several of the fore-

going grimoires-Chaldean, Salomonic and other magicians are cited asauthorities. For this reason there must of necessity be some duplication

in any bibliography .

It is generally agreed that the grimoires most used in Europe have con-

tents which mark them as of very probably Jewish authorship or derivation .

Those with Gnostic, Egyptian, Chaldean and Arabian inspiration verypossibly filtered through Arab Spain to the more western parts of Europe ;

where they were generally first known in their Latin form .

The following list completes the major works of bl ack and white magic

known collectively as the Books of the Sorcerers. One or more of thesevolumes formed an essential part of all witches' and wizards' repertoires .

They are almost all clandestine works . Those copies which are known are

mostly to be found represented in such libraries as the British Mu seum,

the Bibliotheque Nationale, and the Bibliotheque de l'Arsenal in Paris .

The few reprints and French editions are extraordinarily hard to come

by, and command high prices.

The Arbatel of Magic.

The Enchiridion of Pope Leo III.

The Pauline Art.

The Almadel.

The Book of Sacred Magic of Abramelin the Mage . (Tr. Mathers,

London, 1898.)

The Grimorium Verum. (Tr . Plaingi8re, Paris, `1517' .)

The Grand Grimoire (The Red Dragon), Paris, 1822 .

The Heptameron of Peter de Abano

The Fourth Book of Occult Philosophy (attributed to CorneliusAgrippa). London, 1783

Bibliographical material concerning other occult works and commen-

taries, with particular reference to the oriental traditions and rites, are

BIBLIOGRAPHYgiven in the body of the text of thi s book, or in the form of footnotes

addition to this, a select list of useful works has been appended to

section of the volume.

Relatively little exists in European language s, covering Asian

and its theory. Anthropological works, almost without exception, d

concern themselves with collating magical practices with the literatur

the subject . Of those which are extant, hardly one such work is ava

to the general public . Much useful work has been done, but it is nearl

buried in periodical literature and the proceedings of learned soci

Some ultra-sc holarly works are far too heavy going for most peopl

attempt to cover too much ground. Facts are often collected and

upon one another until almost anything cou ld be `proved'.

SUPISMThe following are the most important works on Sufis m, and are

able in their complete form only in Arabic or Persian . This list covers

major classical works by the Sufi saints :

Sheikh Abu-Hamid Mohd.

AL-G$AZZALI : (C. 1056-IIII)

Ibn el-Arabi : (1164-x240)

Mullah Nur-ed-DinAbd-er-Rahman JAMI :

(1414-1492)

Sheikh Farid-ed-Din

ATTAR : (1140-1234)

Maulana Jalal-ed-Din

RUMI. (1207-1273)

Abu el-Muwahih

ash-ShaAhili

Sheikh Masiihuddin i . Gulistan .

SAADI, of Shiraz : (1184-1290) 2 . Bostan

3 . Risa'il.

}

}

}

I . Ihya Ulum ed-Din .

2 . Al-Munqidh min ad-Dalal3. Ibtida el-Hidaya .

4. Kimiyya es-Saadat.

Risail .

i . Nafahat el Uns.

2 . Lawaih

3 . Salman o Abdal4. Yusuf o Zulaikha.

f . Baharist in .

5

i . Tadkhirat el-Awliya.

2 . Mantiq ut-Tuyur

i . Mathnavi-i-Maanavi.

52 . Diwan-i-Mawlana-Rum.

Qawanin Hikam el-Ishraq



. t BIBLIOGRAPHYSheikh Mohd . SHABISTARI : Gulshan-i-Raz .

(13th.-loth century)

Khwaja Shams-ed-Din HAFiz, Diwanof Shiraz: (1300-1388)

The following books published in European languages contain valua ble

material about Sufism and the Fakirs:

Shah, Sirdar I. A l i . Islamic Sufism. (London, 193 8 . )

Asln Palacios,M Mistico murciano Abenarabi. (Madrid, 1925 . )

Smith, M Early Mysticism in the Near and Middle East. (London,

1 931 .)

Massignon, L. Technique de la Mystique Musulmane. (Paris, 1928 . )

JEWISH MAGICGaster, M. (Tr . ) . Sword of Moses. (London, 1896 . )

Weiner, WSippurim e i n e Sammlung jiidischer Volkssagen, Mytben,

Legenden. (U . S . F ., Prague, 1848 . )

Van Dale De Origine ac Progresso Idolitatraae . (Amstel, 1696 . )

Davies, T. W. Magic and Divination among the Hebrews. (London, 1898 . )

ASSYRIA AND BABYLONIAThompson, R. C. Devils and Evil Spirits of Babylonia . (London, 1903 .)

Thompson, R. C . Reports of th e Magicians and Astrologers of Nineveh

an d Babylon. (London, 190o .)

King, L. W Babylonian Magic and Sorcery. (London, 1896 . )

Fossey, C. La Magie Asyrienne. (Paris, 1902 . )

Laurent, A. La Magie et la D ivination chef les Cbaldeo-Asyriens . (Paris,

1894 .)

Lenormant, F S c i e n c e Occulte : Magie Cbe.Zles Cbaldeens. (Paris, 1874 . )

INDIAHenry, V La Magie daps l'Inde Antique. (Paris, 1904. )

Hatch, W. J . Land Pirates of India. (London, 1928 . )

Marques-Rivi6re, J. L'Inde S e c re t e et s a Magie . (Paris, 1 9 37 . )

Carrington,HHindu Magic. (London, 1909 . )

Barbe, P. "Indian Death-Spell", in fourn. Asiatic Soc. Bengal, XV,184 8 , 3 5 1 f f

Shah, S . Occultism . (London, 1952 . )

Raghunathji, K. (Tr . ) . Manirama, the Book of Fate. (Bombay, 1886 )

Jacolliot, L. Occ. S c i . i n I n d i a . (1884 . )

Nana-Prakasam Pillai. Personal Magnetism and Occultism . (Madras,

1911 .)

Bosc, E . Addha-Nari, ou 1'Occultisme daps 17n&.Paris, 1893.)

BIBLIOGRAPHYCHINA

Shen Chung-tao . Symbols of the Yi-King. (Shanghai, 1934.)

Cibot, P. "Magie des Chinois" , in Mdmoires Concernant les Cb

(Weimar, 18oz)

De Groot, J. J . M R e l i g i o u s System of China . (Leyden, 189z.)

Legge, J. The Yi-King. (Vol . XVI of Sacred Books of the East

Prof. Max Muller.) (Oxford, I88z . )

de Harlez, C . Let Croyances religieuses des premiers Cbinois. (Bru

(Acad. des Sciences), 1887. )

Bouinais, A., and Paulus, A. LeCulte des Morts d a n s l e Celeste Em

(Paris, Musee Guimet, 1893.)

EGYPT :

Crum, W. E . La Magie Copte. (Paris, 1922 . )

Budge, A. Wallis . Egyptian Magic . (London, 1899.)

Groff, P . E t u d e s s u e l a S o r c e l l e r i e : Memoires Presentes a 1'Institut Egyp

(Cairo, 1897. )

Knight, A. E. Amentet: Account of the Gods, Amulets and Scara

the Ancient Egyptians. (London, 1915 . )

Petrie, W. M . F . Egyptian Festivals and Nile Shrines. (Brit. Scho

Arch in Egypt, STUDIES, 1911 .)

Wiedemann, A Magie and Zauberie im alten 'A'gvpten. (19o5 . )

Lexa, F . LaMagie dapsl'Fgypte antique de l'aneien Empirejusqu'h 1'e

c o p t e . (Paris, 3 vols . , 1 9 2 5 . )

IRANDonaldson, B. A . The Wild Rue . (London, 1938 . )

Abdullah b. Muh., b. Husain . Khawas-i-Ayat. (Copenhagen, 192

Benveniste,E Les Mages daps l'ancien Iran . (Paris (Etudes iranie

xv), 1 93 8 . )

Williams-Jackson, A. V . Di e Iraniscbe Religion . (Strasbourg, 1901

TIBET:

Bonvalot, G . L'Asie Inconnu. (Paris, 1910. )

Shah, A Four Years in Tibet. (Benares, 1906. )

Neel, A. D . Mystiques et Magiciens du Thibet. (Paris, 1929 . )

Schlagintweit,E. Buddhism in Tibet. (London, 1881 . )

Waddell, L. A . Buddhism of Tibet. (London, 1895 . )

Koppen, C. F . Di e lamaircbe Hierarchic and Kirche. ( B e r l i n , 1 8 5 9 . )

Rockhill, W. W Ethnology of Tibet . (Washington, 189 5.)

ARAB(NORTH AFRICA)Ibn al-Wahshiyya . Kitab Sbauq e l Mustakbam (Cairo, 1350. )

Westermarck, E. Ritual andBelief in Morocco . (London, 1926.)

Hammer (Ed. ) . Ancient Alphabets (1922 . )

Douttc, E . Magie e t R e l i g i o n . (Alger, 1909 . )



Igo BIBLIOGRAPHY

JAPAN:

Chikashige, Prof. M Alchemy and other Achievementsof the Ancient

Orient. (Tokyo, 1936.)

Aston, W. G . , in Folklore . Vol. XXIII. (1912.)

Hildburgh, W. L., in Man Vol LXVII . (1915-17.)

Aston, W. G . Shinto . (London,1 907-)

Lowell, P. Occult Japan . (London, 1895-)

ORIENTAL MAGIC IN GENERAL, AND COMPARATIVE STUDIES :

Lenormant La Science Oceulte en Asia. ( P a r i s , 2 vols., 1874-75 .)

Thimmy, R La Magie aux Colonies. ( P a r i s ,193 5 .)

Tchdraz,MArmenian Magic. Trans . (IX Oriental Cong. ii, 826 .)

Budge, F . W . Lives of Mabd Seyyn and gabra Krestos.

Gimlette, J. D. Malay Poison and Charm Cures. ( 1 915 .)

Skeat, W. WMalay Magic. (London, I9oo.)

Marinas, Albert. "Quelques probl8mes de mdthode dans l'dtude de

la magie. " (Extrait de Bulletin de la Sociiti Royale d'Antbropologie

e t d e l a P r i h i s t o i r e . ) (Merxplas, 1933.)

Sayce, A. H. The Religions of Ancient Egypt and Babylonia. (Edinburgh,

1902.)

Gollancz,HB o o k o f P r o t e c t i o n . (Frowde, 191 z .)

Davies, MMagic, Divination and Demonology among the Hebrews and

their Neighbours . (London, 1898 .)

Thompson, R. C. Semitic Magic. (Vol . 3 , Luzac's Oriental Religions

Series.) (London, 1908 .)

Daiches, S . Babylonian Oil Magic in the Talmud and later Jewish Litera-

t u r e . (London, 1913.)

Cooke, J . T . I n q u i r y i n t o Ps y c h i c a n d N e r v o u s F o r c e s . (Dublin, 19o5 .)

(1 ) Lenormant, C : "Chaldean Magic (Sd O- c. en Arie) . Eng. ed ., London,p. 380 .

(z) Maqlu ("Burning") Tablets, in : Tallquist, KDie Asryr. Besrbwbrungrserie "

Leipzig, 1895 .

(3) "We have compared the data of the system of these books to the ante-Ir

past and Median Magism and the Finnish mythology, and so have been able to pro

existence of an independent family of religions which must be called Turanian, re

having no other worship but magic, and proceeding from the old fund of demonolnaturalism."-Lenormant, op. c i t ., loc . c i t .

(4) Schiitte,G, ap : Scot. Geogr. Mag., XXXVI, 4, Pp . 244 ff.

(5) Stewart Blacker, Col . L . V . : unpublished thesis on Aryan origins, consulthe author, 2953 .

(6) Lea, H . C . : Hint. o f t h e I n q u i r i t . in the Middle Ages, 3 vols., 1887-8 8 .

(7 ) "Key of Solomon" ( L e s C l a v i c u l e s ) , anon. P a r i s , 1817-

(8 )Winkler, M : Die Gesette Hammurabir . Leipzig, 1902, p

. to.

(9) MSS. (unpublished), courtesy of Mme M . M. Abdullah .

(1o) The last "adept" to leave his testamentary magical book was Francis Ba

The Magus . London, x8ox .

(2I) Hekau (Words of Power), form Chap . 24 of the Book o f the Dead, tr . and ed

Budge (Sir E. A. T) , London, 2895 and 1902 . Cf. Talmud : ZERAIM,Berakhoth, I9

(iz) Catholic Euydopaedia, Vol . XV, pp . 674 ff.( 1 907-12)-

"?' Le. investigations carried on since the study of magic ceased to be con

mainly in Europe by the Church .

(14) In the Talmudand elsewhere. Cf SAN, io6s, SOTAH,478.

(25) Jewish Encyclopaedia, s .v. Magic . New York, x9o2--06 .

(i6) Book of Enoch (Apoaypha), tr. and ed. Odenburg, H., Cambridge, 19also idem. , e d . Charles. Oxford, 1912 .

(17) One rabbi, in the fast century A.D . , actually caught eighty witches prac

magic at Ashkelon, and hanged them all in one day .

(i8) Ibid . , i x , 7 .

(19) Mcnard,L : Hermes Trismigiste . Paris, 2866.

(zo) The Zohar, tr . as Le Livre de la S endeur, bp~ . de Paulq. P a r i s , 2~066-I I .

( 2 x ) The Book of Sacred Magic o f Abrelin the Mge, tr . and ed . MacGregor Ma

S. L . London, 1898 .

( 2 2 ) Cf Sefer Razid : British Museum MSS. No. Sloane 3826 ; and Bloch : His

the Development of the Kabala . Treves, 1894.

( 2 3 ) Anon . : Les Veritables Clavicules (Grimorium Verum) . Memphis (?Rome), "1(24) Exodus vii, 12 .

(z5) Thompson, C. J . S : Semitic Magic . London, x908,sim . Maury : La Ma

1'Astrologie, Paris, I86o . Lane : Manners and Customs, 2 vols ., London, 1836.

( z 6 ) Nostradame, Michel de : Les Vrayes Centuries de M. M. Nostradamus . Rouen( 2 7 ) Barrett, F . : The Magus, o r C e l e s t i a l I n t e l l e g e n c e r . London, i8o2 .

( z 8 ) Quran: Sura27, verse x5 .

( 2 9 ) Ibid ., 27 : 22 .

(30) Fleck, F. : "Wissenscbaltl", Reise, II, 3 . 188z .

(31) Sifra de-Ashmedai, frequently quoted in the Zebar (q .v .) as "The BoAsmodeus, given to King Solomon" (III, 1948and 77A), "The Magic Book of Asm(III, 43A), and under similar titles, e . g . i b i d ., II, 128A, III, 19A .

( 3 2 ) Crawley, E : Oath, Curse and Blessing . London, 1934-

(33) The library, containing thousands of books, was unearthed at Kuyunjisite of Nineveh .

(34) Tablets of Assur-bani-Pal, in Smith, S.A. : Die Keilschrifttexte Asurba

1887-

(3 5) Lenormant : LaMagie Cbet let Chaldiens . P a r i s , 1874, pp 254-5 •

(36) Ibid,

197



19 8 LIST OF NOTES

(37) Ibid .

(38) Kalevala of the Finns, I, tz .

(39) Most of the god-spirits have dual natures, being known as male by one name

female by another .

(40) These unexplained numbers are thought to be connected with cabbalism .

(4, Quran: Chap. 26, verses 43-6 .

(4z) In 1863 a Mr. S . Sharp brought a statue of this magician to the British Museum

It was identified in 1903 .

(43) In the Egyptian, as in the Accadian and Chaldean magico-religious systems, the

idea of sin and punishment in a future life was not well developed . Magic was divided

socially rather than spiritually. Legitimate magic was a part of religion ; illicit magic was

a crime, and punishable by death through obligatory suicide .

(44) Maspero, G: Hist. Anc . des Peu lei de 'Orient . Paris, 1875, p . 39 .

(45) Elliot Smith (see Ref. 47, below), studying this question as an anatomist, concurs

with other authorities that there was a continual ethnic drift from inner Africa to ancient

Egypt .

Frther evidence of the wider s reading of purely African ideas is found in this extract

from the works of another Egyptologist (R ef. No . 48, below) : " . . . towards the end of the

Palaeolithic Age, it is possible that similar ethnical waves invaded all Northern Africa .

Favoured by climatic conditions other than the present, they laid the basis of a proto-

Ethiopian substratum reaching from the Red Sea to the Atlantic in all those countries

where they have left their rough stone implements along the great water-courses now

dried up" .

(46) The Pyramid of Cheops was built c i r c a 3733 B•c•

(47) Elliot Smith, C : AnEgyptians and their Influence upon the Civilisation of Europe.

London, Ipl1, p. 213 .

(48 ) Giuffrida-Ruggeri, Prof. V . , i n MAN 1915, No . 3z .

(49) Capart, C : Lessons in Egyptian Art, pp . 300 et seq .

(so) "Porphyry, apud Euseb", Praep. Evang., V, 7 .

(51) Cf. "Rite of Lucifuge", Veritable Clavicule du Roy Salomon .

(5z) Chabas, F. J . : La Papyrus Magique Harris . Paris, x86o .

(S3) Brit . Mus . Papyrus No . 10, 474 . Presumably "U.U." stands for "very unlucky'

here .

(54) Chabas, F. J . : La Calendrier, 2 4 f f . ; where this day is marked "L", as in Papyrus

Sallier, IV .

(55) In the countries of the Arabised and Semitic Middle East, magic is considered

to be destroyedby water, especially running water .

(56) Akbar Khan : Tasawwuf-i-AZim . Persian MS ., seventeenth century .

(S7 ) These are said to be the original mines of King Solomon, worked by the jinn

(genies), whose magical powers still linger there . I examined some of these workings-and

recalled the words of the Quran: "And to Solomon we taught the use of blowing winds

and we subjected to him some of the evil ones, who dived for him, and did other

things besides ." (Quran : The Ants, xxi, 81-z.) -

(58) I nteresting pioneer work has been done in this subject by R . Pettazoni, in a

little-known work dealing with African rituals in Sardinia (La Religion Primitiva in Sardegna,

1912) .

(f9) The word is incorrectly used, of course, to describe itinerant jugglers in India .

A similar vulgarization is that of the word "magician" in English-where it is generally

used to denote a juggler or illusionist .

(6o) M ystics and miracle-workers of this type were known in Arabia even before

Mohammed. Most Sufis hold that the cult dates from Adam himself, and is actually the

only true "secret tradition" ofhigh occultism.

(61) Akbar Khan, op . c i t .

(62) Sheikh Shahabuddin Suharawardi : Awarif el-Maarif, and : Gbayath el-Lugbat.

(63) Vide infra, Chap . 8, s.v . Sihr.

(64) Farid-ud-Din Attar : Tadkbirat el-Awliya.

(65) Typical dhikrs are "La Hawla wa la Quwwata Ills-Billah" (No Power and No

Justice except in Allah) ; "Astighfirullah" (I seek Refuge in Allah); "Allah-o-Akbar

(Allah is Greater than all Else) .

(66) The life of Ibn Sina ("Avicenna") is one of the main magical works of the period

s t i l l e x t a n t .

(67) 1 came across an interesting instance of the extent of the diffusion of Arabic

LIST OF NOTESmagical formulae or Dhikrs in Argentina . I saw in Buenos Aires a small lockwhich was, the following phrase, as printed :

OJALAOJALOJAOJ0

This is clearly a version of the "abracadabra-motif", as it was described to

charm worn by a girl desiring a husband . When the Arabs were in Spain, as is well

this word ojald (from At Inshallab, "may Allahwill i t " ) ?passed into the Spanish . I

much used; e . g. "Ojala that such-and-such may happen' . I had not, however, h

it in Spain as a charm or spell. Most Spaniards and Latin Americans are ignoran

philology of ojali .

(68) Anon . : "Tilism wa'l Quwwa" ("Talismans and Power"), undated MSTurkish Library, Nicosia.

(69) The swastika is, of course, generally taken to be a solar symbol .

(70) Quran, S t i r s . 1 1 3 .

(71) Vide, s .v . Arabian Magic, Shah, Occultism, Rider, 1950, one such process in

(72 ) Kenyon, Sir F. G . : Palaeography of Greek Papyrus, 123. London, 1889 .

(73) Zimmern, H . : The gurpu Series ( Alte Orient, 1905-06) .

(74) Atharva-Veda : Sacred Books of the East Series, Vol . XLII. Ed. MulBloomfield. London, 189 2 .

(75) Shah, Golden East . London, 1931 . 185 f(76) Atharva-Veda, o p cit. XIX, Spell 25 .

(77) Rhine, Prof. J . B . : Reach of the Mind . London, 1951 .

(78) Louis de Wohl : Stars of War and Peace . Rider, 1952, p . 23 2(79) E .g . Bennett, S. K . : Astrology . California, 1945- Chap. 14, pp. 127 ff

.

(8o) and (81) Bulfinch, Age of Chivalry, Pt. I, Chap . III, p .50 ; Alfonson de

Fortalitum Fidei, 1458, pp . 2 8 1 f f . ; and Father P . S i n i s t r a r i : Demonality, paras. 29

(82) Social Life of t h e C h i n e s e , I I , 308 .

(83) Shen : Sien Cb'wen, Chap. 9 .

(84) Doolittle, Rev . J . : China Mail, I86o, and Yule : Marco Polo, I, 290 ff

(85) Li Siun: The Chi i Ki : "On Strange Matters Collected and Written T'ang Dynasty .

(86) Khu i Shwoh : Discourses upon the Dissipation of Doubt .

(87) Mung Kbi Fib Tian, Chap. 21, II, 5 ff. Quoted in Dc Groot, J . J . M : R

System of China . Leyden, 1892 .

(88) Eitel : Notes and Queries on China and Japan, II, zo . Quoted in De Groot, J

Religious System of China . Leyden, 1892 .

(89) Bushell, S. W. : Trans. R . Asiatic Soc. 1880, 441 .

(9o) Book o Overtbrowing Apep, 24 : 1~ Book of the Dead, LXIV; Naville : Des

des Hommes, Trans . S o c. Bib . Arch. , i v , 10: 79 -

(91) Unpublished MS . of Mme M. M. Abdullah, by courtesy of the Author .

(9z) De B ecker, J. E. : Nightless City, 1905, P • 44 -

(93) Ibid . , p . 145-

(94 ) De Visser, M. W . : Trans. Asiatic Soc . ofJapan, Vol. XXXVII, p 18 .

(95) Aston, W. G : in Folklore, Vol. XXIII, p . x91 .



Aaron, 15ABDAL (spiritually changed Sufis), 65Abdullah, Mine. Morag Murray, xv, 134Accadian language : importance of in magic,30

AxAsA ( `LIFE-SPIRIT') theory defined, 30 ;

discussed, 127Akiba, Rabbi, onwitches, 15Alchemist, account of an Indian, 135Alchemy, origin of the term, 35AL-MANDAL: the magical circle (Arabic), 83ALMADEL, Arabic derivation of, 24Altankol, legend of the Golden River inTibet, 86

Altar, in Chinese evocationary rite, 158Aluminium, 121AMEN-RA, the Egyptian Jupiter, 39Amerindian tribes, 3Amoy witches, familiar spirits of, 170Amsu, magical process for identificationwith, 44

Amulets, Egyptian, 41 . Persian magicians',104

ANGARIB: Egyptian bed, 39Antimony metal in alchemy, 131Alport, instance in Hindu magic described,Aquil Khan, alchemist, 134ARABIAN NIGHTS, tales of sorcery in, 82Arabs, contact with China, 151ARIF: degree of Sufism, 68AsHAE-US-SAFA: Sufi group, 63AsMODEOS, Boox OF, 24Assur, 26Assur-bani-Pal, 25, 26

AsvArrHA tree, daily invocation to, 124Atomic theory and Indian magic (AxnsA),127

Attsir, Sufi saint, 64

Automatic writing inChina, 157AwTAD: pillars of Sufism, 65

AzAEL: pagan Arab angel, 12

B

BARAKAT: Perso-Arabic term for magicalvirtue, 105

Barley, magical power of, 118Beauty, charm to increase, 148Beduins, contact with ancient Egyptianmagic, 36

Bell: Mountain of the (Jebel Narkous), 46 ;

superstitions imported to Arabia fromByzantium, 154

GLOSSARIAL INDEX

20I

Bell Rock, at Tunbridge Wells, 48Bible, the, 9, 14, 16, 2 2, 28, 35 et peBirds, language of the, 23Black and white magic, 9Blowing on charms: similarities in and Arabian magic, 156

B~ ,oKIM, Asiatic evil spirit raised, 100

BONISM: pre-Buddhist animism of 174ff

BOOKOF ENOCH, 11, 12BOOKOF RAZIEL, 11BOOKOF SACRED MAGIC OP ABRATHE SAGE, 13BOOKOF SIGNS, 11BOOKSOF HERMES, 12Bottle, confining spirit in a (Persia),

Brahma, invocation to, 123Brahma Veda, identical with Atharva110

BRAHMIN: highest Hindu caste, 110fBritish Museum, 38Buddhism in China, 150. In Tibet, 1

CCabbalism, 18CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPAEDIA, 9Catholicism, condemns magic, 8Chaeremon on Egyptian magic, 41Chaldean system of evocation, 94CHANDI (silver), 130Charms, Chinese, 153CHASAF (poisoner), 16Chinese magic, influence on the WestAffinity with Hindu magic, 120

Chow Dynasty, Shinto magic adduring, 149CHUNG-KHWEI: Chinese demon-dest

spirit, 186

Circle, magi)

cal (Assyrian-consecra96; (Indian, 127

Coin-sword, Chinese magical descr166

Compelling a spirit (China), 171Concentrated power (Japan), 185Concentration and magic : similarsystems of the Finns, Indians, AraWestern witch-cults, 31

Confucius and Lao Tze (philosophy),Consecration formula for magical c

(Assyria), 96

Copper in alchemy, 131f.

Costume, Tibetan magician's, 90f. magicians (China), 167

Curative talisman (Arab), 79



202 GLOSSARIAL INDEXD

Dances, African ritual, 56 . Sufi and Chinese,

Days for magical rites (Egyptian), 49Dead (Babylonia), 27. Reviving the, 38

Dedication

ll

of the magician (Persia), 104

Demons, Indian charms against, 116. Re-pelling (Babylonia), 28. Similarity ofBabylonian and Far Eastern, 27

Dervishes, dancing, 65. Sudanese, 63Devil-Dancing described (China), 162Devil, pacts with the, 10de Wohl, Louis, on astrology, 141DHATAR: Creator, 145DHIKR: repetition of formulae among

Sufis, 66

Discii3pleship among Brahmin magicians,

Dismissal of the spirit (China), 160

Divining, similarities of Chinese and Wes-tern systems, 151

Dog charm (Japan), 189Dogs in Japanese magic, 185Dragon spell, 157Dreams, 19f.Drobutt, Professor R., xv

Drugs, used in witchcraft, 31

E

Earth, magical names of the, 100Eclipses, prayer to defeat, 26

Egyptian magic, superiority of, 35Elements, images of the (India), 125Embalming, reason for, 45Emotion as a sourceof magical power, 86En-Dor, witch of, 17Eskimos, 3Et5 iopia, impact of its magic on the Sudan,

Everlasting life, Brahmin spell for, 110Evil, Vedic spell against, 115

Exorcism formula (Babylonian), 28.

Through the Varana Tree (India), 118

F

Fakhr-ed-Din El-Razi (Rhazes) definitionof magic, 77

Fakir: mystic, not ajuggler, 60Female Wu, rites of, 168FERONIA ELEPHANTUN, root used in virilitycharm, 148

Fig tree (India) circumambulation of the,125

FIKR technical term for meditation (Sufi),

70

Finns, thought-concentration among, 31 .

Share Chaldean theory of power, 33Fire-walking rite described (Tibet), 180-1Fish tabu, 54Flame, passing over, 16E -

Flying, process for (Persia), 107

Fountain of Life legend (Persia), 109Friendship, talismans for (Arab), 79

GGangids tree, protection charm (India), 117Gelal,16Gemini, talisman of (Arab), 79Giza, Pyramids of, 39Grant, Dr. J, xviGRIHASTA; title of young Indian magicians,123

Grimoires, 7-8, 13 et passim .

GRIMORIUM VERUM, 13Gods, evocation (Chinese), 160Gold, Indian formulae for making, 128Gown of the Universe (China), 167Guest, divining intentions of a (Japan), 189

HHALKA: Sufi circle, 63, 65

Hammurabi, Code of, 1Hanim, Sayeda Amina, xvHarvard, experiments and sunspots, 141

Health charms and invocations, 112Heat as used inalchemy (India), 136Hebrew, method of invocation, 94HIJAB: protection charm, 56Himalayan Leopard Powder, 88Hindu magicians, powers of, 126

Hours, magical names of the, 99Huma bird, in Persian magical lore, 108Husband, Indian spell to obtain a, 145

Hypnosis and magnetism, unexplained as-pects of, 140

Hypnosis in Indian magic, 122

I

Ibn Khaldun on magical rites, 78Ibrahim Yusuf Musa Effendi, xviIGERETH: Jewish demon, 15IMGA: derivation of the word magic, 35Incenses, for magical practices, 101

Indo-Chinese border, 1-2Indra invoked in virility magic, 148Initiation, Chinese magical, 164. In Sufism,65. Of Sudanese sorcerers, 52.

INSAN-I-KAMIL: the Perfect Man, 64 (Sufiterm)

Instruments of magic (Chinese), 165f.

Intermediaries, in Hindu, Jewish andChristian magic, 117

Invocations, how practised by Brahminmagicians, 119 . tian, 41. Graeco-

ian method, Hebrew, 94. Ofthe un, 124. Tree, 124. Lady Tzse, 168.

Of Vishnu, 123f.Ipi, Fakir of: Sufi leader, 64 .

IRRAH: Sudanese witch-doctor, 51Ishtar, identical with Aphrodite and Venus,27

IsM-EL-1z": Word of Power (Arabic)

Paw-ISTIDRAJ: conjuring tricks, as distinct fromtrue magic, 62

J

Japanese magic, objects of, 186Japanese metallurgy and Indian alchemytoday, 131

Jasmine flowers in alchemy, 132Jealousy, s 11 against a woman's, 147Jews and Egyptian magic, 35

KKafirs, magical lore of the, 57

KALA RAL: Colophony, 130K Aluddin, Sufi historian, 68KAMI, Japanese spirits, 184KAG-I: red Garment of the Chinese Wumagicians, 167

KARAMAT: the Wonders possible to Sufis,62

KEMT: origin of the word alchemy, 35KEYOFSOLOMON, xv, 9, 14, 15, 23 et

rim.

-Urff, Rustum, xviKHATRAT: Arabic term for aspects of Sufiillumination, 70

KHUFU (Cheops), 38Kiai Siang (Chinese wizard) conjures fishand ginger, 157

Knot in sorcery, making and use of, 81f .

KoELA: Charcoal (India), 131Krimuka tree, in poison spell, 116Kyphi, magical substance, 42

LLAL GANDAK: Red sulphur (India) inalchemy, 130

LAL SANKHIYA: Red arsenic (India), 130Lamaism and Sufism, 177Lao Tic, his philosophy rooted in Shinto,150

GLOSSARIAL INDEXLemminkainen, Scandinavian sorcerer,

ploits, 32

Levitation described (Hindu), 121Life, eternal (China), 172

Lightning, harnessed by El-Arab, 84Lilith, 16

Lime-spar in alchemy (India), 131LING: Chinese magical sign, 156Literary ability, conferred by Lady T170

LoHE KA BURIDA: Iron filings (Inalchemy), 130

Loom : Indian magical word, 126Love charms (Japanese), how made, Sudanese, 53. Arab, 79

Lu Chung-Sian, Commander D., xvLuridan, King of the North; methocalling, 101

Lycanthropy, China, 152 . See also MAsKH

MMagic: formula (Sufist), 68; Pencil (Ch157; Power (Sudanese), 54; Ring (monic), 21 ; Words, see under Powords of

Magician, identification of, 55Magicians: Amoy, 170; Brahmin, 199;Dot, 17; El Ghirby, 91f . ; Irrah,Purohitas, 132; Sadhus, 122; Scanavian, 32; Wu, 149, 163, 168

Magnesium metal in alchemy, 131Magnetism and magic, 138MAGUS, the, 19MAJINAI: low magic (Japanese), 184Manchuria, devil-dancin*, 163MASKH: transformation into animals, 7Maspero, Gaston, 37

Materialization (China), 169Maulavi Order (Sufi) Monastery, 65Medium (China), 171Memphis, centre of magic, 39Menachen, Rabbi, 15Michael, angel, 23Ming Ch'ung-yen, 156. Dragon s

157Miracles, India, 120Mirrors, magic (China), 151Mirth Khan, Anslri: mystical poem

71

Miscarriage, spell to prevent, 147Mohammed, the Prophet, and bewitchm

82Mongolian occult lore, 3Moses, 7, 11, 15 et passim.

Moslem attitude to magic, 77MUCUNA PRUaITUS: plant used for virimagic, 148

MuNGO: Sudanese magical power, 55fMURiD: Sufi discile, 66

MURSHID, Sufi title, 67



NNAouA: Sudanese term for wizardry, 51fNapoleon, omen of defeat for, 48Naqshband, Hadrat Bahauddin (Sufi saint),64

Naqshbandi miracles, 68Night Journey, of Mohammed the Prophetto Jerusalem, 62

Nile, 37Nile, Chant to the, 37NoRITo, main source of Japanese Shintomagic, 184

Nostradamus, life and exploits of, 17f.

N6L6sH, invocation of the spirit, 105

0Occult force: is it a physical one?, 122

OCEAN OF MYSTERIES, contents described,104

O'Donovan, Miss P. M., xviOrders, Sufi, 62f.

Osiris, marriage of, 38

P'

Pacts with the Devil, 10Panacea for all ills (India), 113

Paper, for talismans, 156

Passionate love, rite to arouse, 143

Peach wood in magic, how collected,171

Pen, use of the magical, 156PERISTAN: Country of the Fairies (Persia),83

Persian princess, story of the, 87

Pitris, invoking the spirits of the, 126

Planets, incenses of the, 101

Plants, hymn to curative, 119Poison, Vedic spell against, 116Porphyry, critical of the Isis priesthood,

40f.

Possession (China), 169Power, words of, 43. Accadian, 30Power and magic, 5

PUKHTA: Sufi term "mature for enlighten-ment", 65

Purification, magical prayer of, 100

Pi,IROHITA: royal priest of ancient India,132

QQuran, 21-23, 35, 82 ei pairim. Invocation

against e v i l in the, 82

QuTus: chief of the Sufi system, 64

v •a•~a •1-. aP1L8A

RRainmaking (China), 172Rameses II, father of a magician, 35Ramman, 26Rat, killed by magic, 154Reincarnation in Tibet, 176fReptiles in magic, 186Rhine, Professor J. B., on cerebral magnet-ism, 140f

Rice, against evil spirits, 184

Ring, Solomon's magical, 21Rings, in Lamaism, 177Rituals: Identification with Amsu, 44 ;

Beauty, 148; Bonist, 175; in Chinesemagic, 165f; Assyrian, of consecration,96; curative (Arab), 79; confining aspirit in a bottle (Persian), 106; conjura-

tion of the dead (Chaldeo-Semitic), 98;

reviving the dead, 38; Death (China),172; against demons, 116; repellingdevils, 28; against eclipses, 26 ; Egyptian,41 ; formulae against evil in the Quran,82; against evil (Vedic), 115 ; circumam-bulation of the fig tree, 125 ; fire-walking,

180; flying, 107; friendship (Arab), 79 ;

to procure a husband, 145; panacea forall ills, 113 ; ritual of invocation, 100 ;

against jealousy, 147; killing (Japanese),190; longevity (China), 110, 172; love(Arab), 79; love (India), 143; love(Japanese), 186f ; love (Sudanese), 53;

magical mirrors , 152 ; procuring a mis-carriage, 147 ; Mungo rites in the Sudan,55f ; protection, 117; rainmaking, 172 ;

against a rival, 146 ; sacrificial, 125 ;

scarab spell, 41f ; birth of a son, 146;

against sores, 115; for binding spirits(Graeco-Egyptian), 96 ; causing sterility,

147; for travellers, 79 ; for victory, 113f ;

virility, 148 ; war, 115 ; to obtain a wife,144

Rival, woman's charm against, 146Robes, magical, 104Roc: Magical bird, 86Room: Indian magical word, 125Roucous, M J., on magnestism in illness,138

S

Sacrifice, human, in Bonism, 175Sacrificial rites, in Indian magic, 125

Sadhus, their magical practices, 122SAFAR LI-ALLAH (Journey Away from Forgetfulness), 68

SAFAR-ULLAH (Journey to Knowledge), 67Sahab-el-Din, Sheikh. Mystical powers of,61

SAKE: Japanese rice spirit, 186

SALIx: first degree of Sufism, 64Satan, 1

Scarab, performing the spell of the, 41f.

Scroll for the purification of the soul(Tibetan), 90

Seasons, angels of the, 99

Secrecy, essential in magic (Persia), 107Secret rules of the Naqshbandi Order(Sufism), 75

Semitic and Chaldean spirits, 33Semitic magic, shared by Arabs and others,76

SHAMANISM: Asiatic witch-doctoring, xizzSheba, Queen of, 22SHEIKH, as a Sufi title, 67

Shem, son of Noah, 38Shen, magical sign (China), 156Shinto, diffusion from China to149

Shi Tsung rules court by spirit messages,162

Shoes in magic, how used, 187SHOKI: Japanese version of Chung-Khweithe Demon-Destroyer, 186

Sibziana, 26Silver fish (Lepisma Saccharin) in lon-gevity spell, 172

Sita, 2

Snake worship in India and Mexico, 4Solomon, name used in conjuring jinn, 83SOMA plant (Asclepias acida or gyanchumviminale), 128

Son, Vc 'ic spell to ensure birth of a, 146SoNA: gold, 131Sores, Vedic spell against, 115

Souls of the dead; Chaldeo-Semitic invoca-tion cited, 98

Spectres, magical swords of great valueused against (China), 167

Spells, Sudanese, 52Spirit evocation, Indian, 125Spirits, Accadian-Assyrian, 29f.

Spirits, binding (Graeco-Egyptian method),96

Spirits, in Chinese and Japanese magicalsystems, 149

Spirits, evil, among the Arabs and Chal-deans, 34

Spirits, use of in magic, 93

Spiritism in China, similar to Westernseances, 157

Spiritualism, based on African and Asiancults, 94

SRAKTYA TREE (CLERODENDRUM PHLO-MOIDES), 113

Sterility, hate spell to cause, 147

STRIKARMANI: venereal magic (India), 143Sudan, hereditary magicians of the, 51Sufism, 59-75Sufism and Lamaism, 177SUHACA llorai; (Indian alchemy), 130Sun, Indian magician's invocation to,124

Supreme formula (India), 123Swastika, among Arabs, 80f

GLOSSARIAL INDEX

Japan,

Swords, valuable coin swords used inChinese magic, 167 ; in Japanese magic184

Symbolism, similarities in Jewish andChinese systems, 24

Sympathetic magic (Japanese), 186

TTahus, 5f.

Talismans (Arabic) composition and uses,79

TANEA: Copper (Indian alchemy), 131Tantric Buddhism (Tibet), 174Tao magicians, headdress of, 168TARIQAT: Potentiality-Second Stage oSufism, 66

Telepathy in Sufism, 66Temples, Egyptian and Greek, 5Teta, Egyptian magician, 38f.

Thebes, replaces Memphis as magical centrof Egypt, 39

Thoth, 12, 42Travellers, talismans for, 79

Treasure of El Ghirby, 91f.

Treasures, obtaining: Arab, 79; Persian107

Tree, invocation to the (India), 124. Spiricontained in, 185

Turanians, xiii, 25 et parrim .

Turkey, snake-cult, 4Tzse, Lady: spirit conjured (China), 168

UUWAYSI: Sufi practising alone, 66

UzzA: pagan Arab god, 12

VVampire, modern Indian account, 88Victory, Sudanese spell for, 52. Talisman

(India), 113f

Vigil (Chinese), described, 164

Virility spell (Japan), 186

Vishnu conjured, 123f.

WWAINAMOINEN: Finnish Spirit of all Life, 32

WAJD: Sufi term for ecstasy, 70WALI: Term for Sufi saint, 65Wand (Hindu) described, 121Wang To, booklet on magic mirrors, 152War amulets, similarities of Indian, Baby-lonian and Semitic; footnote, p. 115

20



206 GLOSSARIAL INDEXWASL: Sufi term for absorption with the Y

Infinite, 64

Wastcar Papyrus, account of miracle identi- YAMA: Spirit of Hades, 175 . Invoked,

cal with Moses"parting of the waters', 35 146

Wax figures, 1, 8 Yemen, 166Whistle, magical, 52 Yoom: Indian invocatory formula, 125

Wife, Indian spell to obtain a, 144

Willow wand in magic, 157

Woman, Indian spell to secure the return

of a, 144 ZWords of power and their uses, 43 es

passim. Zinc in alchemy, 132Wv Official Chinese magicians, 149 . ZOHAR,the, 13

Categories of, 163 Zoroastrian magic, 103

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