Testi magici: The sacred magic of Abramelin the Mage – Introduction

The style of the French employed in the text of the MS. is somewhat vague and obscure, two qualities unhappily heightened by the almost entire absence of any attempt at punctuation, and the comparative rarity of paragraphic arrangement. Even the full stop at the close of a sentence is usually omitted, neither is the commencement of a fresh one marked by a capital letter. The following example is taken from near the end of the third book; “Cest pourquoy la premiere chose que tu dois faire principalement ates esprits familiers sera de leur commander de ne tedire jamais aucune chose deuxmemes que lorsque tu les interrogeras amoins queles fut pour tavertir des choses qui concerne ton utilite outon prejudice parceque situ ne leur limite pas leparler ils tediront tant etdesi grandes choses quils tofusquiront lentendement et tu ne scaurois aquoy tentenir desorte que dans la confusion des choses ils pourroient te faire prevariquer ettefaire tomber dans des erreurs irreparables ne te fais jamais prier en aucune chose ou tu pourras aider et seccourir tonprochain et nattends pas quil tele demande mais tache descavoir afond,” etc. This extract may be said to give a fair idea of the average quality of the French. The style, however, of the first book is much more colloquial than that of the second and third, it being especially addressed by Abraham to Lamech, his son, and the second person singular being employed throughout it. As some English readers may be ignorant of the fact, it is perhaps as well here to remark that in French “tu,” thou, is only used between very intimate friends and relations, between husband and wife, lovers, etc.; while “vous,” you, is the more usual mode of address to the world in general. Again, in sacred books, in prayers, etc., “vous” is used, where we employ “thou” as having a more solemn sound than “tu”. Hence the French verb “tutoyer,” = “to be very familiar with, to be on extremely friendly terms with any one, and even to be insolently familiar”. This first book contains advice concerning magic, and a description of Abraham’s travels and experiences, as well as a mention of the many marvellous works he had been able to accomplish by means of this system of Sacred Magic. The second and third books (which really contain the magic of Abra-Melin, and are practically based on the two MSS. entrusted by him to Abraham, the Jew, but with additional comments by the latter) differ in style from the former, the phraseology is quaint and at times vague, and the second person plural, “vous,” is employed for the most part instead of “tu”.
The work may then be thus roughly classified:

• First book: = Advice and autobiography; both addressed by the author to his son Lamech.
• Second book: = General and complete description of the means of obtaining the magical powers desired.
• Third book: = The application of these powers to produce an immense number of magical results.

Though the chapters of the second and third books have special headings in the actual text, those of the first book have none; wherefore in the “Table of Contents” I have supplemented this defect by a careful analysis of their subject matter.
This system of Sacred Magic Abraham acknowledges to have received from the mage Abra-Melin; and claims to have himself personally and actually wrought most of the wonderful effects described in the third book, and many others besides.
Who then was this Abraham the Jew? It is possible, though there is no mention of this in the MS., that he was a descendant of that Abraham the Jew who wrote the celebrated alchemical work on twenty-one pages of bark or papyrus, which came into the hands of Nicholas Flamel, and by whose study the latter is said eventually to have attained the possession of the “stone of the wise”. The only remains of the church of Saint Jacques de la Boucherie which exists at the present day, is the tower, which stands near the Place du Châtelet, about ten minutes’ walk from the Bibliothèque de l’Arsenal; and there is yet a street near this tower which bears the title of “Rue Nicolas Flamel,” so that his memory still survives in Paris, together with that of the church close to which he lived, and to which, after the attainment of the Philosopher’s Stone, he and his wife Pernelle caused a handsome peristyle to be erected.
From his own account, the author of the present work appears to have been born in A.D. 1362, and to have written this manuscript for his son, Lamech, in 1458, being then in his ninety-sixth year. That is to say, that he was the contemporary both of Nicholas Flamel and Pernelle, and also of the mystical Christian Rosenkreutz, the founder of the celebrated Rosicrucian Order or Fraternity in Europe. Like the latter, he appears to have been very early seized with the desire of obtaining magical knowledge; like him and Flamel, he left his home and travelled in search of the initiated wisdom; like them both, he returned to become a worker of wonders. At this period, it was almost universally believed that the secret knowledge was only really obtainable by those who were willing to quit their home and their country to undergo dangers and hardships in its quest; and this idea even obtains to an extent in the present day. The life of the late Madame Blavatsky is an example in point.
This period in which Abraham the Jew lived was one in which magic was almost universally believed in, and in which its professors were held in honour; Faust (who was probably also a contemporary of our author),Cornelius Agrippa, Sir Michael Scott, and many others I could name, are examples of this, not to mention the celebrated Dr. Dee in a later age. The history of this latter sage, his association with Sir Edward Kelly, and the part he took in the European politics of his time are too well known to need description here.
That Abraham the Jew was not one whit behind any of these magicians in political influence, is evident to any one who peruses this work. He stands a dim and shadowy figure behind the tremendous complication of central European upheaval at that terrible and instructive epoch; as adepts of his type always appear and always have appeared upon the theatre of history in great crises of nations. The age which could boast simultaneously three rival claimants to the direction of two of the greatest levers of the society of that era — the Papacy and the Germanic Empire — when the jealousies of rival Bishoprics, the overthrow of dynasties, the Roman Church shaken to her foundations, sounded in Europe the tocsin of that fearful struggle which invariably precedes social reorganisation, that wild whirlwind of national convulsion which engulfs in its vortex the civilisation of a yesterday, but to prepare the reconstitution of a morrow. The enormous historical importance of such men as our author is always underrated, generally doubted; notwithstanding that like the writing on the wall at Belshazzar’s feast, their manifestation in the political and historical arena is like the warning of a Mene, Mene Tekel, Upharsin, to a foolish and undiscerning world.
The full and true history of any adept could only be written by himself, and even then, if brought before the eyes of the world at large, how many persons would lend credence to it? and even the short and incomplete statement of the notable events of our author’s life contained in the first book, will be to most readers utterly incredible of belief. But what must strike all alike is the tremendous faith of the man himself, as witnessed by his many and dangerous journeyings for so many years through wild and savage regions and places difficult of access even in our own day with all the increased facilities of transit which we enjoy. This faith at length brought him its reward; though only at the moment when even he was becoming discouraged and sick at heart with disappointed hope. Like his great namesake, the forefather of the Hebrew race, he had not in vain left his home, his “Ur of the Chaldees,” that he might at length discover that light of initiated wisdom, for which his soul had cried aloud within him for so many years. This culmination of his wanderings was his meeting with Abra-Melin, the Egyptian mage. From him he received that system of magical instruction and practice which forms the body of the second and third books of this work.
In the manuscript original this name is spelt in several different ways, I have noted this in the text wherever it occurs. The variations are: Abra-Melin, Abramelin, Abramelim, and Abraha-Melin. From these I have selected the orthography Abra-Melin to place on the title page, and I have adhered to the same in this introduction.
As far as can be gathered from the text, the chief place of residence of Abraham the Jew after his travels was Würzburg, or, as it was called in the Middle Ages, “Herbipolis”. He appears to have married his cousin, and by her to have had two sons, the elder, named Joseph, whom he instructed in the mysteries of the holy Qabalah, and Lamech, the younger, to whom he bequeaths this system of Sacred Magic as a legacy, and to whom the whole of the first book is addressed. He speaks further of three daughters, to each of whom he gave 100,000 golden florins as a dowry. He expressly states that he obtained both his wife, and a treasure of 3,000,000 golden florins, by means of some of the magical operations described in the third book. He further admits that his first inclination to Qabalistical and magical studies was owing to certain instructions in the secrets of the Qabalah, which he received when young from his father, Simon; so that after the death of the latter his most earnest desire was to travel in search of an initiated master.
To the sincere and earnest student of occultism this work cannot fail to be of value, whether as an encouragement to that most rare and necessary quality, unshaken faith; as an aid to his discrimination between true and false systems of magic; or as presenting an assemblage of directions for the production of magical effects, which the author of the book affirms to have tried with success.
Especially valuable are the remarks of Abraham the Jew on the various professors of the “art which none may name” in the course of his wanderings and travels; the account of the many wonders he worked; and, above all, the careful classification of the magical experiments in the third book, together with his observations and advice thereon.
Not least in interest are the many notable persons of that age for or against whom he performed marvels: The Emperor Sigismund of Germany: Count Frederic the Quarreller: the Bishop of his city (probably either John I, who began the foundation of the Würzburg University in 1403 with the authorisation of Pope Boniface IX, or else Echter von Mespelbrunn, who completed the same noble work): the Count of Warwick: Henry VI of England: the rival Popes — John XXIII, Martin V, Gregory XII, and Benedict XIII: the Council of Constance: the Duke of Bavaria: Duke Leopold of Saxony: the Greek Emperor, Constantine Palæologos: and probably the Archbishop Albert of Magdeburg: and also some of the Hussite Leaders — a roll of names celebrated in the history of that stirring time.
Considering the era in which our author lived, and the nation to which he belonged, he appears to have been somewhat broad in his religious views; for not only does he insist that this sacred system of magic may be attained by any one, whether Jew, Christian, Mahometan, or pagan, but he also continually warns Lamech against the error of changing the religion in which one has been brought up; and he alleges this circumstance as the reason of the occasional failures of the magician Joseph of Paris (the only other person he mentions besides himself and Abra-Melin who was acquainted with this particular system of magic), namely that having been brought up a Christian, he had renounced that faith and become a Jew. At first sight it does not seem clear from the occult point of view what particular occult disadvantage should be attached to such a line of action. But we must remember, that in his age, the conversion to another religion invariably meant an absolute, solemn and thorough renunciation and denial of any truth in the religion previously professed by the convert. Herein would be the danger, because whatever the errors, corruption, or mistakes in any particular form of religion, all are based on and descended from the acknowledgment of supreme divine powers. Therefore to deny any religion (instead of only abjuring the mistaken or erroneous parts thereof) would be equivalent to denying formally and ceremonially the truths on which it was originally founded; so that whenever a person having once done this should begin to practise the operations of the Sacred Magic, he would find himself compelled to affirm with his whole will-force those very formulas which he had at one time magically and ceremonially (though ignorantly) denied; and whenever he attempted to do this, the occult Law of Reaction would raise as a ceremonial obstacle against the effect which he should wish to produce, the memory of that ceremonial denial which his previous renunciation had firmly sealed in his atmosphere. And the force of this would be in exact proportion to the manner and degree in which he had renounced his former creed. For of all hindrances to magical action, the very greatest and most fatal is unbelief, for it checks and stops the action of the will. Even in the commonest natural operations we see this. No child could learn to walk, no student could assimilate the formulas of any science, were the impracticability and impossibility of so doing the first thing in his mind. Wherefore it is that all adepts and great teachers of religion and of magic have invariably insisted on the necessity of faith.
But though apparently more broad in view in admitting the excellence of every religion, unfortunately he shows the usual injustice to and jealousy of women which has distinguished men for so many ages, and which as far as I can see arises purely and simply from an innate consciousness that were women once admitted to compete with them on any plane without being handicapped as they have been for so many centuries, the former would speedily prove their superiority, as the Amazons of old did; which latter (as the writings even of their especial enemies, the Greeks, unwillingly admit) when overcome, were conquered by superior numbers, not by superior valour. However, Abraham the Jew grudgingly admits that the Sacred Magic may be attained by a virgin, while at the same time dissuading anyone from teaching it to her! The numerous advanced female occult students of the present day are the best answer to this.
But notwithstanding the forementioned shortcomings, his advice on the manner of using magical power, when acquired, to the honour of God, the welfare and relief of our neighbour, and for the benefit of the whole animate Creation, is worthy of the highest respect; and no one can peruse it without feeling that his highest wish was to act up to his belief.
His counsel, however, of a retired life after attaining magical power by his system (I do not speak of the retirement during the six months’ preparation for the same) is not borne out by his own account of his life, wherein we find him so constantly involved in the contests and convulsions of the time. Also, however much the life of a hermit or anchorite may appear to be advocated, we rarely, if ever, find it followed by those adepts whom I may perhaps call the initiated and wonder-working medium between the great concealed adepts and the outer world. An example of the former class we may find in our author, an example of the latter in Abra-Melin.
The particular scheme or system of magic advocated in the present work is to an extent “sui generis,” but to an extent only. It is rather the manner of its application which makes it unique. In magic, that is to say, the science of the control of the secret forces of Nature, there have always been two great schools, the one great in good, the other in evil; the former the magic of light, the latter that of darkness; the former usually depending on the knowledge and invocation of the angelic natures, the latter on the method of evocation of the demonic races. Usually the former is termed white magic, as opposed to the latter, or black magic.
The invocation of angelic forces, then, is an idea common in works of magic, as also are the ceremonies of pact with and submission to the evil spirits. The system, however, taught in the present work is based on the following conception: (a) That the good spirits and angelic powers of light are superior in power to the fallen spirits of Darkness. (b) That these latter as a punishment have been condemned to the service of the initiates of the magic of Light. (This Idea is to be found also in the Koran or, as it is frequently and perhaps more correctly written, “Qûr-an”.) (g) As a consequence of this doctrine, all ordinary material effects and phenomena are produced by the labour of the evil spirits under the command usually of the good. (d) That consequently whenever the evil demons can escape from the control of the good, there is no evil that they will not work by way of vengeance. (e) That therefore sooner than obey man, they will try to make him their servant, by inducing him to conclude pacts and agreements with them. (z) That to further this project, they will use every means that offers to obsess him. (h) That in order to become an adept, therefore, and dominate them; the greatest possible firmness of will, parity of soul and intent, and power of self-control is necessary. (q) That this is only to be attained by self-abnegation on every plane. (i) That man, therefore, is the middle nature, and natural controller of the middle nature between the angels and the demons, and that therefore to each man is attached naturally both a guardian angel and a malevolent demon, and also certain spirits that may become familiars, so that with him it rests to give the victory unto the which he will. (k) That, therefore, in order to control and make service of the lower and evil, the knowledge of the higher and good is requisite (i.e., in the language of the Theosophy of the present day, the knowledge of the higher self).
From this it results that the magnum opus propounded in this work is: by purity and self-denial to obtain the knowledge of and conversation with one’s guardian angel, so that thereby and thereafter we may obtain the right of using the evil spirits for our servants in all material matters.
This, then, is the system of the Secret Magic of Abra-Melin, the mage, as taught by his disciple Abraham the Jew; and elaborated down to the smallest points.
Except in the professed black magic Grimoires, the necessity of the invocation of the divine and angelic forces to control the demons is invariably insisted upon in the operations of evocation described and taught in Mediaeval magical manuscripts and published works. So that it is not so much, as I have before said, this circumstance, as the mode of its development by the six Moons’ preparation, which is unusual; while again, the thorough and complete classification of the demons with their offices, and of the effects to be produced by their services, is not to be found elsewhere.
Apart from the interest attaching to the description of his travels, the careful manner in which Abraham has made note of the various persons he had met professing to be in the possession of magical powers, what they really could do and could not do, and the reasons of the success or failure of their experiments, has a particular value of its own.

and is to be used for obtaining the love of a maiden.
The pentacle in my Key of Salomon is classed under Saturn, while the above is applied to the nature of Venus. I give the Hebrew form (see Appendix A, Table of Hebrew and Chaldee Letters) of equivalents:–

Or in Latin letters:

In the Key of Solomon it is (as being a pentacle) inscribed within a double circle, wherein is written the following versicle from Psalm lxxii, v. 8 “His dominion shall be also from the one sea unto the other, and from the flood unto the world’s end”. In the Hebrew, this versicle consists of exactly twenty-five letters, the number of the letters of the square. It will be at once noticed that both this form and that given by Abraham the Jew are perfect examples of double acrostics, that is, that they read in every direction, whether horizontal or perpendicular, whether backwards or forwards. But the form given as a pentacle in the Key of Solomon the King is there said to be of value in adversity, and for repressing the pride of the spirits.
This example therefore shows clearly that it is not so much the use of symbolic pentacles that Abraham is opposed to, as their ignorant perversions and inappropriate use.
It is also to be observed, that while many of the symbolic squares of letters of the third book present the nature of the double acrostic, there are also many which do not, and in the case of a great number the letters do not fill up the square entirely, but are arranged somewhat in the form of a gnomon, etc. Others again leave the centre part of the square blank.

Num-
ber.

Sound or Power.

Hebrew
and
Chaldee
Letters.

Numerical Value.

How ex-
pressed in
this work
by Roman
letters.

Hebrew Name
of
Letter.

Signification of Name.

From The Perfection and Key of . . . Ceremonial Magic; being the second part of the second book of The Magus or Celestial Intelligencer;⁶ by Francis Barrett, F. R. C.

AN INVOCATION OF THE GOOD SPIRITS.

“In the name of the blessed and holy Trinity, I do desire ye, strong and mighty angels (here name the spirit or spirits you would have appear), that if it be the divine will of him who is called Tetragrammaton, etc., the holy God, the Father, that ye take upon ye some shape as best becometh your celestial nature, and appear to us visibly here in this place, and answer our demands, in as far as we shall not transgress the bounds of the divine mercy and goodness, by requesting unlawful knowledge; but that thou wilt graciously shew us what things are most profitable for us to know and do, to the glory and honour of his divine majesty who liveth and reigneth world without end. Amen.
“Lord, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven –- make clean our hearts within us, and take not thy Holy Spirit from us. O Lord, by thy name we have called them, suffer them to administer unto us.
“And that all things may work together for thy honour and glory, to whom with thee, the Son and Blessed Spirit, be ascribed all might, majesty, and dominion, world without end. Amen.
“The invocation being made, the good angels will appear unto you which you desire, which you shall entertain with a chaste communication, and licence them to depart.

THE PRAYER.

“Adonai, Elohim, El, Eheieh Asher Eheieh, Prince of Princes, Existence of Existences, have mercy upon me, and cast thine eyes upon thy servant (N.) who invoketh thee most devoutly, and supplicateth thee by thy holy and tremendous name, Tetragrammaton, to be propitious and to order thine angels and spirits to come and take up their abode in this place; O ye angels and spirits of the stars, O all ye angels and elementary spirits, O all ye spirits present before the face of God, I the minister and faithful servant of the most high conjure ye, let God himself, the Existence of Existences, conjure ye to come and be present at this operation; I the servant of God, most humbly entreat ye. Amen.
 
“After which thou shalt incense it with the incense proper to the planet and the day, and thou shalt replace the book on the aforesaid table, taking heed that the fire of the lamp be kept up continually during the operation, and keeping the curtains closed. Repeat the same ceremony for seven days, beginning with Saturday, and perfuming the book each day with the incense proper to the planet ruling the day and hour, and taking heed that the lamp shall burn both day and night; after the which thou shalt shut up the book in a small drawer under the table, made expressly for it, until thou shalt have occasion to use it; and every time that thou wishest to use it, clothe thyself with thy vestments, kindle the lamp, and repeat upon thy knees the aforesaid prayer, ‘Adonai, Elohim,’ etc.
“It is necessary also in the consecration of the book, to summon all the angels whose names are written therein in the form of litanies, the which thou shalt do with devotion; and even if the angels and spirits appear not in the consecration of the book, be not thou astonished thereat, seeing that they are of a pure nature, and consequently have much difficulty in familiarising themselves with men who are inconstant and impure, but the ceremonies and characters being correctly carried out, devoutly, and with perseverance, they will be constrained to come, and it will at length happen that at thy first invocation thou wilt be able to see and communicate with them. But I advise thee to undertake nothing unclean or impure, for then thy importunity, far from attracting them will only serve to chase them from thee; and it will be thereafter exceedingly difficult for thee to attract them for use for pure ends.”

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