Forays into the Coptic Magical Papyri

Over the last month, I have conducted some experiments with an invocation from a Coptic magical papyrus (Cairo 45060). Being the direct successors of the earlier PGM material, the Coptic magical papyri (henceforth CMP), are a good corpus for PGM practitioners to safely explore and even incorporate into existing workings. The CMP consist primarily of magical rites derived from Sethian Gnosticism, interspersed with some earlier PGM material, and strongly Christianized.

Cairo 45060 forms part of a genre I refer to as the polyvalent / omnivalent formula, an invocation or prayer that has several different uses (which usually follow it in the surviving texts), and often can be employed for just about anything. Several of them occur in the CMP, most of them published in Marvin Meyer's "Ancient Christian Magic" (whence the present one is taken). One of the most impressive ones in my opinion is a long, liturgical Sethian invocation, published in "A Coptic Handbook of Ritual Power", but I sought to get my foot in the door with something simpler. 

Polyvalent prayers are also frequent in early Jewish magical material, such as some versions of the Sword of Moses, and are found in smaller number in the PGM (e.g. PGM IV, 1167; V, 459).

This particular formula, relatively simple and consisting primarily of sacred names, is in my opinion a suitable one to make inroads into the CMP. It takes about an hour to recite, as certain parts need to be vibrated up to 17 times, so it packs a decent punch for wiping away any lust of result. In the original text, it is followed by a variety of uses (healing, revelation, despoiling a ruler, fertility, etc.) to be done on certain days of the month. Breaking with tradition, I decided to see how this formula could be adapted to a potent Hoodoo method of candle magic, and the results of three workings proved successful. 

I also used this formula to consecrate a mojo bag (a talismanic packet), but it was a failure; that said, mojo bags should ideally be empowered through a seven day sequence which I did not do, performing only one consecration, so the lack of success may owe more to this than any other variables (I will redo the consecration properly in the future to confirm this).

A Coptic Candle Magic Rite

Required:

Taper candle of appropriate colour; relevant herbs or powder (I used chamomile, cinquefoil and cinnamon for money workings); small dish; brown petition paper with person’s name beneath dish; general power or consecration oil; 4 tealights. 

The rite should be enhanced by a good amount of preliminary work of your choice, and a 24 hour (minimum) period of chastity should precede the operation.

-Engrave the candle with the person’s name from top to bottom (to bring things in, for positive purposes), or from bottom to top / reversed for negative. Then engrave the goal across the name an odd number of times

- Anoint the candle with oil toward yourself to bring things in, or away to drive out/ negative ends. Then roll it thrice in the powder/herbs, either toward you or away from you.

-Place the candle on the dish, the petition paper being underneath said dish. Set the 4 tealights around the plate in a cross. 

You can add relevant flower petals, plants, or gemstones to the dish. I used chunks of pyrite around the candle for my money workings; you can also use cinnamon sticks for this purpose, rose petals for love, lemon peels for general enhancement, etc. These also beautify your ritual setup, and this in turn empowers the work, in no small part due to its positive psychological effect on the operator.

Light the tealights (top-bottom-left-right), and recite the invocation:

Athariêl Eiphiêl Sêkhrêr Naltrôthôthr Iôranaêl Ne-atêr Mimmêkhabatouthêl Altheros Bunês Eknêl Ekenêl Kenêl Gereêl Bal Baêl Khabrouêl Erphanouêl Xanaêl Anax Anaêl Eia Eieiô Ananaêl Šanamaêl Gabriêl (3x). Then I invoke ye on the right and on the left, Ablanatha Abra Akramakhamariô Sabaôth Atônai  Etône Pelôê Abrasax Xakourax Akouri Semsemlam Taôr Salaper Mikhpeptaphos Athôbar Ambaouêth Sesanke Barpharakes Tamêarrinoues Iaou Baphrênemon Atherar-Thikraphia-Euphričira-Krithô-Niô Mnelphabouê Eieiaeiaei Ha Eieia the father and the son, the holy spirit, Amen  (7x). Aezouêa Tharieê (6x). Nanaeiêl (17x).

Iatheaêl Xêkunathanaêl Thaeiê (17x).  Khôôkh, the true name of god, who lives forever, Amen (7x). Yea, hearken unto me in the power of Iageia Bathakakabatha-tharioumatha Bathabôr Sôkô, thrice holy, forever and ever, Amen (7x). Hearken, holy and glorious god, and fulfill for me the request of my heart and the petition of my lips, for I am a scion of Atamas Kanlahaêl Antanaêl Seblêl. Hearken, Amen, Ônôtôth Aoul Amen (12x).

-Light the candle, and state your petition thrice. Then let it burn out