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Egyptian Vessel Divination
Posted on Sunday, December 31, 2006 (CST) by Thoth
 The following is taken from the Leyden Papyrus, a collection of magical spells from Hellenic Egypt compiled around 300 AD. The spell, a technique for using a divining vessel, appears on Columns I-III of the papyrus. I have used the original as inspiration, sticking to the text when practical, but otherwise interpreting the ancient material for a modern audience.
I have taken the greatest liberties in fleshing out portions of the text that were incomplete or incoherent in the Thompson and Griffith translation either due to the state of the manuscript or to confusion on the part of the translators.
Some of the incomplete passages I've dropped entirely as many were merely repetetive strings of foreign names or simply extended epithets of various gods the ritualist is called upon to identify himself with in order to establish his power.
In addition
to smoothing things out so the spell actually reads nicely as a modern
ritual, I've also re-ordered things in the spell, as Column III deals
predominantly with how the boy and vessel should be prepared -- details
which logically should precede the bulk of the working. Finally, I've
edited out one or two of the "incense" recipes as I can't really
imagine most modern workers having access to (let aone wanting to work
with) ape dung, the heart of a hyena, or other such items as the
original actually calls for.
The spell uses a virgin boy
as an intermediary between the ritualist and the spirits, though it is
often unclear whether the boy is relaying what he sees in the scrying
vessel or the spirits are speaking directly through him. I tend to lean
toward the latter, as it seems that the preparations of the ritualist
are geared toward opening the boy up to the influence of the spirits.
For this reason, though the spell implies the boy be young, I strongly
suggest attempting this experiment with someone who is above the age of
consent and will be knowledgeable in how to deal with spirits in the
capacity of a channeler/invoker.
A Vessel Divination
Provided by a Physician of the nome of Pemze
Prepare the room for
ritual. There should be a lit brazier where you can fume incense; the
type of incense will depend upon the type of divination you plan to do.
You need a vessel,
preferably a wide-lipped bowl, to hold water and oil. You also need a
boy, comely in features, who is a receptive seer (the text recommends
that he be a virgin). Seat the boy in a chair in the center of the room
and have him hold the vessel. Pour clean oil into the water slowly, so
the water does not get cloudy. Have the boy bend his face over the
vessel, but at this point his eyes must be closed.
Stand over the boy. Place
your hands upon the top of his head, the back of his neck, and then
upon his shoulders. As you open the boy's perceptions to the spirits,
exort the spirits as follows, speaking down to the boy's head:
"Spirits of the
borderlands, spirits of the Between! You whose faces shine like sparks,
attend me and put light and depth into this my vessel.
Open to me the earth. Open to me the Underworld. Open to me the Abyss.
All ye exalted ones, attend me. Put light and depth into this vessel.
Come to me spirits and
attend me as you attended Isis when she sought the hidden pieces of her
dismembered lord. Attend me and cause the eyes of this child to be
opened. Beautiful ones, hearken to me! Cause the eyes of this boy to be
opened!
For I stand here as a god
before you. I am indeed a god, and I compel you with all the authority
of a god. I stand here now, and I am Hor-Amon. Hor-Amon is my true
name. I am Set-an-khu. I am Setem. Setem is indeed my true name. I call
to you, and truth spills from my lips. I call you and the essence of my
words compels you, for I am Stel, Iaho, Earth-opener."
When you have exorted the
spirits thus, you say to the boy, "Open your eyes." And if he sees a
light within the depths of the vessel, the boy should say, "Grow, O
light. Come forth, O light. Rise, O light and ascend. You who are
without, enter now and come in."
If however the boy does not
see the light, have him close his eyes again. Place your hands again on
the top of his head, upon the back of his neck, and upon his shoulders
and open him to the influence of the spirits. As you do this, say:
"O darkness, remove thyself
from before him! O light, rise and ascend, bring the light to me! You
spirits who are in the Abyss, bring the light to me! You four winds who
are without, bring the light to me! O power who directs this moment,
bring the light to me! Anubis, who guides the spirits in their
journeys, bring the light to me!
For I am Horus, son of
Isis, the good son of Osiris. Bring to me the gods of the place of
judgment and cause them to do my business. May the gods of the place of
judgment make this working proceed. Let this child prosper whose face
is bent down to this oil. Escort the spirits to me and compel them to
come forth. For I am Setem. Setem is my correct name. With the power of
a god I command thee. Spirit of spirits, whose name is powerful, appear
to this child without alarming or deceiving. Appear, and answer
truthfully."
This you utter seven times
over the boy and then make him open his eyes again. If he sees things
stirring in the vessel, have him say, "Anubis is coming in."
If the guide of the dead
has heard and answered, you call out to him: "Hail Anubis! Come to me
high and mighty one, chief over the mysteries of the Underworld, guide
and guardian of the dead. Come, you who serve the souls of Abydos. Come
forth to the realm of the living and appear to me today. Come into the
mouth of my vessel here. See that I am answered truthfully in all I
shall inquire about."
This also you say seven times. And when you are finished, tell the boy:
"Speak to Anubis. Tell him,
'Go forth and bring the spirits hence.'" And Anubis will go fetch the
spirits you are seeking. Ask the boy, "Have the spirits come?" and if
he sees them, he will say, "They have come."
Then tell the boy, "Speak
to Anubis and say, "Bring in a table for the spirits and let them sit.
Bring in wine and bring in some bread. Let them eat. Let them drink.
Let them eat and drink and pass a festal day."
And the boy must offer them
what he can to refresh them, so their hunger and thirst is abated. When
the spirits have refreshed themselves, have the boy call forth Anubis.
And have Anubis go at once to fetch the spirit who will speak with you.
And you have the boy ask Anubis the name of this spirit.
When you have the name of
the spirit, address it thus: "O spirit of today, o lord of this hour! I
charge you, N., to answer me truly in all that I inquire. By your name,
N., you must swear to me that you will speak truly and without deceit,
by your name, N., I charge you!"
And once you have the name of the spirit, it will answer you truly.
Incenses to burn upon the brazier:
Take the shell of a
crocodile's egg and grind this up. Place this upon the brazier to
compel the spirits to enter quickly and answer truthfully. Mingle this
with stalks of anise and put this upon the brazier and the charm will
work at once.
If you wish to speak with the spirit of a living man, place copper sulphate upon the brazier. He will come at once.
If you wish to bring a
spirit by force, take the bile of a crocodile and pound this with
frankincense. Place this upon the brazier and they will be compelled.
If you are seeking the
identity of a thief, put corcus powder and alum upon the brazier and
the spirits will reveal the thief to you.
When you wish the spirits to depart, place asafoetida (the papyrus specifies ape's dung) upon the brazier. Call out to Anubis:
"Hail to you Anubis, guide
and guardian of the dead! You who serve the souls of Abydos, who walk
the lands between the living and the dead! Depart now joyfully. Guide
those you have brought here this day back to their abodes. I send you
and all the spirits you have brought with you back to the borderlands.
Depart happily. Depart joyfully. I compel you to depart!"
They will depart.
Commentary
Much of the magic of the
ancient Egyptians came from the culture within the temple and therefore
was the divine province of the priests. By the time the spells were
adapted and circulated among the lay people, as in documents such as
the Leyden Papyrus, priests were obviously no longer the exclusive
workers of magic. However, the magical power attributed to the priests
is evidenced in the above invocation where the magical worker
identifies himself as "Setem".
It was common in ancient
Egyptian magic for the magician to establish his power by identifying
himself as a god, spirit, or other naturally numinous being. This is
why we see so many repetitions of gods' names, in which the speaker
repeatedly declares that he is indeed the god of which he speaks, the
self-same god who accmplished the subsequent list of deeds.
The Egyptian word "Setem",
however, does not designate a god. "Setem" is an ancient Egyptian word
for Priest. That the speaker here identifies himself ultimately with a
priest in order to establish supremacy over the spirits testifies to
the god-like power often attributed to the priests.
Copyright: House Kheperu
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