Leigh Fetner
Chapter 6, Magika Hiera
Dreams and Divination in
Magical Ritual
Samson Eitrem
I. Magical Dream Power
A. Egyptian Papyri
1. Information about inducing a dream or causing someone else to dream
2. Greek and Egyptian practices merge
i. Hermes and Apollo side by side with Ra, Thoth, Bes, Isis
ii. Olive and laurel branches mixed with Egyptian plants
iii. Tripod with magical dolls and magical songs
3. Christian angels first appear
B. Light
1.Lamp or lantern magic used—nocturnal sun exploited
2.Night offered the magician best opportunity for exercising his/her
art
C. Examples of Spells
1. “Pitys the Thessalian” for “the interrogation of a
corpse”
i. 2 magic words written in magic ink on flax leaf then stuffed into
corpse’s mouth
ii. Context will make clear if the magician is to dream or to transmit
the dream to others
iii. Hermes will appear
2. Another example
i. Hermes is painted with blood of quail on a strip of linen (Note:
Hermes’ face is that of an ibis and is identified with the Egyptian god
Thoth)
ii. Name is added in myrrh ink
iii. God is invoked plus his parents (Osiris and Isis)
iv. Invocation ends with “Tell me about the matter at hand, about
everything that I wish to know”
v. Practitioner lies down to sleep with the belief that the god will
appear
3. Use of Lamp:
i. Magic name and entire invocation is written on papyrus leaf and placed
under a lamp
ii. Practitioner is to sleep in a “pure state”
4. No lamp:
i. Tin tablet is inscribed with invocation lords, gods
ii. Crowned with myrtle
iii. Carried around burnt offering of frankincense is placed beneath
one’s pillow
5. Invocation of Helios-Apollo
Definition–Systasis– ‘union’ with a divinity
i. Prayer said toward either the east or west on the 2nd or 4th day
of the new moon
ii. Smoke of incense on an alter and a lamp (that has not been colored
red) placed on a wolf’s head
iii. Laurel branch held in right hand and ebony staff in the left
iv. Call upon the “heavenly gods and the daemons of the earth”
then pronounces in order “the holy and divine names” so they
may send to the dreamer “the divine spirit”
6. Apollo’s Tripod
i. No mention of his name
ii. Three reeds are plucked from the ground while the magic formula
is recited (the purpose of the request is stated as the third reed is plucked)
iii. Reeds are written upon with magic ink and practitioner recites
what he request
iv. Lamp is filled with pure oil (not been colored red)
v. Fashion a wick from pure materials and magic names are inscribed
on it while they pronounce seven times facing the lamp
vi. Lamp turned towards the east
vii. Lumps of frankincense offered up in a censer
viii. Put reeds together to form a tripod
ix. Crown one’s head with olive branches
x. Sleep in a room on flat ground and without light
7. Invocation of Hecate
i. Summoned at night at an intersection of three roads
ii. “She will give you in a dream all the information you desire,
even if you are in the face of death.”
iii. Leave the intersection quickly
8. Invocation to a star angel Zizaubio
i. On a laurel branch with twelve leaves the zodiac is drawn on each
leaf and is traced with a magic word and character
ii. Name of the god is written on special laurel branch
iii. Leaves wrapped in a new “sweat cloth” then placed under
his head for three nights while he sleeps
iv. On the last day, facing west, offering of franckincense ( involves
the angel and the twelve other angels of thePleiades and Helios
v. Laurel branch held over burning incense and then bent around one’s
head as a crown
9. Invocation to “weak-sighted” Bes
Protection against everything evil, the evil eye, and against anything
that disturbs the sleeper
II. Dream Transmission and the Papyri
A. Olympians
1. Dreams were under the control of the Olympian deities
2. Olympians didn’t make an effort to bring dreams themselves
3. Practitioners pressed the Olympians into service in order that they
might direct dreams in the proper direction (according to the magician’s
wishes)
B. Moon Goddess
1. Appears to the individual concerned in the form of that divinity
or daemon to whom “NN” habitually prayed
2. Has the objective of leading a loved one to the practitioner and
also useful in magicial binding and dream transmission
3. Making the moon goddess work
i. Magic likeness of the “Egyptian Lady Selene” is made from
a magic mixture of potter’s clay, sulfur, and the blood of a spotted goat
ii. Figure is anointed and crowned and place in a shrine made of olive
wood erected late at night in the 5th hour facing the moon
iii. Offering of incense is made to Selene and coercive prayer is addressed
to her
iv. Ask the moon goddess to send a different angel at each the twelve
hours of the night
4. Assistants–one of the many spirits, stellar angels, or daemons of
the dead, may contribute anything including dream transmission and revelation
by dreams
5. Dream transmission that involve animals
i. Agathocles involved a “violently slain tomcat”
ii. Zminis of Tentyra involves a winged daemon with the horns of a bull
and tail of a bird with diadem on its head and swords at its feet
iii. Hippopotamus is fashioned from reddish wax; gold, silver, and iron
are inserted in its belly and then placed at a clean window
iv. Serpent that bites its own tail and carved on a heliotrope stone
and worn as a ring (makes the wearer capable of all types of magic)
6. Sympathy dolls
i. Instructions handed down in the papyri for the transmission of dreams
ii. Possible that the doll might not have been present in the original
magical operation
iii. Doll fashioned after the investigation of the planetary constellation
iv. Given the name of the dreamer and adorned with the symbol of Hermes
and the names of both Hermes and Selene
v. Doll then told what individual should dream
7.Christians and Dreams
i. Horrified by the transmission of dreams and magic of sorcerers
ii. Evil daemons were invented to beguile the weak and subjugate them
to their power
iii. Justin Martyr protested against daemon-mania
iv. Peter said that and evil daemon had in the dream the best opportunity
to pass himself off as being sent by God
v. Peter also said that fears and desires called forth dreams which
were then shaped by either by a daemon or one’s psyche
vi. Other Christians were convinced that God could reveal his will and
counsel to men in dreams Ex. Monica
Return to Main Page: CLST 4003H. Greek Religion
Honors Colloquium. Spring 2002.
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