Abramelin Oil is a famous formula for ritual oil whose name came about due to its having been described in a medieval grimoire called "The Book of the Sacred Magic of Abramelin the Mage" written by Abraham of Worms, a fifteenth century Jewish Kabbalist. The recipe is adapted from the Jewish Holy Oil of the Tanakh, which is described in the Book of Exodus attributed to Moses. There is quite a bit of controversy concerning one of the ingredients, due to translation issues surrounding a French manuscript of the book, several German manuscripts, an Aramaic manuscript, an error in the late 19th century English translation by S. L. McGregor Mathers (from the incomplete French manuscript), and the Hebrew scripture from which the recipe obviously derives.
There are, especially among English-speaking occultists, four variant forms of Abramelin Oil.
In the original manuscripts, the recipe for Abramelin Oil is as follows:
You shall prepare the sacred oil in this manner:
Take of Myrrh in tears, one part; of fine Cinnamon, two parts; of Calamus half a part; and the half of the total weight of these drugs of the best Olive Oil. The which aromatics you shall mix together according unto the art of the apothecary, and shall make thereof a balsam, the which you shall keep in a glass vial which you shall put within the cupboard (formed by the interior) of the altar.
Those familiar with the recipe for Jewish Holy Oil will at once recognize the derivation of this formula, right down to the catch phrase "according unto the art of the apothecary." Here is the recipe for Jewish Holy Oil from the Bible:
Take thou also unto thee principal spices, of pure myrrh five hundred [shekels], and of sweet cinnamon half so much, [even] two hundred and fifty [shekels], and of sweet calamus two hundred and fifty [shekels], And of cassia five hundred [shekels], after the shekel of the sanctuary, and of oil olive an hin: And thou shalt make it an oil of holy ointment, an ointment compounded after the art of the apothecary: it shall be an holy anointing oil. (Exodus 30:22-33)
The Bible lists five ingredients: Myrrh, Cinnamon, Cassia, Calamus, and Olive oil.
The four ingredients listed by Abraham of Worms in "The Book of the Sacred Magic of Abramelin the Mage" are Myrrh, Cinnamon, Calamus, and Olive oil.
Since Cinnamon and Cassia are two species of the same Cinnamomum genus, their doubling up into one name by the medieval author Abraham of Worms is not unexpected. His reasons for doing so may have been prompted by a pious decision to avoid duplicating true Holy Oil, or by a tacit admission that in medieval Europe, it was difficult to obtain Cinnamon and Cassia as separate products.
|
|
|
According to the S.L. MacGregor Mathers English translation, which derives from an incomplete French manuscript copy of the book, the recipe is as follows:
You shall prepare the sacred oil in this manner:
Take of myrrh in tears, one part; of fine cinnamon, two parts; of galangal half a part; and the half of the total weight of these drugs of the best oil olive. The which aromatics you shall mix together according unto the art of the apothecary, and shall make thereof a balsam, the which you shall keep in a glass vial which you shall put within the cupboard (formed by the interior) of the altar.
The four ingredients listed by Mathers in his translation of "The Book of the Sacred Magic of Abramelin the Mage" are Myrrh, Cinnamon, Galangal (Little John to Chew), and Olive oil.
Mathers' substitution of "Galangal" for "Calamus" was a poor translation on his part; the word that he translated from the French is actually the word "Calamus." All of the other extant manuscripts, in German and Aramaic, also list "Calamus" as the ingredient. This mistake by Mathers was to have repercussions in the works of later occultists, especially Anglophones.
English-speaking occultists who are aware that Mathers badly mistranslated the French manuscript, as well as others who have never consulted the Mathers version because they have read the text in the original German, French, or Aramaic, make a macerated version of Abramelin Oil as follows:
- 4 parts Cinnamon bark quills, reduced to powder
- 2 parts Myrrh resin, finely ground
- 1 part Calamus chopped root, reduced to powder
- half of the foregoing total weight Olive oil
The mixture is macerated for one month, then decanted and bottled for use, producing a fragranced oil suitable for anointing any portion of the body. It may be applied liberally, after the manner of traditional Jewish Holy Oils, such as the one which was poured on Aaron's head until it ran down his beard. It is not, however, made "according unto the art of the apothecary," for it is not distilled after the maceration, merely decanted into bottles.
|
|
|
Those wishing to make a version of Abramelin Oil in the original form, with Calamus, but using a modern substitution of essential (distilled) oils for raw plant matter, might be tempted to use this formula:
- 4 parts Cinnamon essential oil
- 2 parts Myrrh essential oil
- 1 part Calamus essential oil
- half of the foregoing total weight Olive oil
However, this is incorrect, for if one follows the proportions above and weighs out the proportions of essential oils according to the recipe specified by Abraham of Worms for weighing out raw materials, there will not be enough carrier oil in the final result to make a proper dressing oil. Therefore, in recognition of the fact that ancient perfumers and apothecaries never compounded their fragrances by mixing distilled essential oils in such large ratio with respect to carrier oils (because the original formula was to be distilled after maceration, not before), one should restore the proportions to something like what they would have been if maceration and distillation had occurred "according to the art of the apothecary":
- 4 parts Cinnamon essential oil
- 2 parts Myrrh essential oil
- 1 part Calamus essential oil
- 28 parts Olive oil
This is a highly fragranced oil that may be applied to the body after ancient, medieval, and modern traditions of both folk magic and ritual magic. It is a close, modern approximation of the oil described by Abramelin to Abraham of Worms. This version of the oil is sold by The Lucky Mojo Curio Company.
Some people who make Abramelin Oil according to the English mistranslation in Mathers' book compound their Abramelin Oil from raw ingredients, as Abraham of Worms (and Mathers) specified. They use the ratio given in the book, but substitute Galangal for Calamus:
- 4 parts Cinnamon bark quills, reduced to powder
- 2 parts Myrrh resin tears, finely ground
- 1 part Galangal sliced root, reduced to powder
- half of the foregoing total weight Olive oil
This mixture is macerated for one month, then decanted and bottled for use. The result is a fragranced oil suitable for anointing any portion of the body, and it will not burn the skin. This version of the oil is sold by a number of occult shops in America.
Early in the 20th century, the British occultist Aleister Crowley created his own version of Abramelin Oil. It was based on Mathers' mistaken substitution of Galangal for Calamus. Crowley also abandoned the book's method of preparation -- which specifies blending Myrrh "tears" (resin) and "fine" (finely ground) Cinnamon -- instead opting to pour together distilled essential oils with a small amount of olive oil. His recipe reads as follows:
- 8 parts Cinnamon essential oil
- 4 parts Myrrh essential oil
- 2 parts Galangal essential oil
- 7 parts Olive oil
Crowley weighed out his proportions of distilled essential oils according to the recipe specified by Abraham of Worms for weighing out raw materials. He did not correct this error, as was done with Recipe #2, above. The result is to give the Cinnamon an overwhelming presence, which he justified by claiming that, when placed on the skin, "it should burn." This formula is unlike the Jewish grimoire recipe and the Jewish Holy Oil from which it derived. It cannot be used according to traditional practice, where the oil may be poured over the head or rubbed upon the body for purposes of healing and giving spiritual insight.
|
|
|
The popularity of Abramelin Oil rests on the importance magicians place upon Jewish traditions of Holy Oils. The oil is highly esteemed by those who wish to follow the course of ritual activities outlined in the book by Abramelin the Mage in order to obtain the outcomes he promised those who successfully applied his system of "Divine Science" and "True Magic," namely, the gifts of flight, treasure-finding, and invisibility, as well as the power to cast effective love spells.
Because it derives from the formula for Jewish Holy Oil, Abramelin Oil also finds use among Jewish and Christian Kabbalists who are not specifically performing the works described by Abraham of Worms.
More recently, due to blind adherence to Mathers' mistranslation of "The Book of the Sacred Magic of Abramelin the Mage," a number of American and English occultists have come to believe that Abramelin Oil exists in many "legitimate variants" or that Mathers' error was indicative of the fact that Abramelin Oil had not been derived from Jewish Holy Oil. In particular, Mathers' erroneous recipe was virtually canonized by Aleister Crowley, the founder of a religion called Thelema. His skin-burning version of the oil is currently used in several ceremonies of the Thelemic church (the Ecclesia Gnostica Catholica). The Thelemic Gnostic Mass includes the eating of a eucharistic host, called a "Cake of Light," that includes this oil as a flavouring agent.
Many traditions of magic work with plant materials, and most also assign some symbolic meanings or ascriptions to these botanical ingredients.
In the Jewish tradition, from whence came the original Biblical recipe upon which Abramelin Oil was based, the Olive is a symbol of domestic felicity and stability, Myrrh (which contains opioids) is sacred to the Lord, Calamus is known for its sweetness and phalliform fruiting body and stands for male sexuality and love, while Cinnamon is favoured for its warming ability.
In hoodoo folk magic, these symbolisms are somewhat changed: Myrrh and Olive remain the same, but Cinnamon is for money and luck, and Calamus is used by both men and women to sweetly control others. (The Matherian alternative, Galangal, is employed in protective work, especially that involving court cases.)
Aleister Crowley had his own symbolic view of the ingredients that he found in the Mathers translation. He wrote:
This oil is compounded of four substances. The basis of all is the oil of the olive. The olive is, traditionally, the gift of Minerva, the Wisdom of God, the Logos. In this are dissolved three other oils; oil of myrrh, oil of cinnamon, oil of galangal. The Myrrh is attributed to Binah, the Great Mother, who is both the understanding of the Magician and that sorrow and compassion which results from the contemplation of the Universe. The Cinnamon represents Tiphareth, the Sun -- the Son, in whom Glory and Suffering are identical. The Galangal represents both Kether and Malkuth, the First and the Last, the One and the Many, since in this Oil they are One. [...] These oils taken together represent therefore the whole Tree of Life. The ten Sephiroth are blended into the perfect gold. ("Magick, Book 4": Part Two, Chapter 5)
This ridiculous mish-mash of Greek, Jewish, and Christian fabulizing was typical of Crowley's scholarship. Worse, due to a persistent racist bias in Crowley's works, he repeatedly appropriated Jewish sources in the Kabbalah while simultaneously proclaiming his belief in the blood libel against Jews, namely, that they commit ritual murder and cannibalism. There is a kind of poetic justice in the fact that Crowley's peculiar version of Abramelin Oil burns the skin; let that pain serve as a warning to those who would follow him that he was a sadist and one who was fundamentally inept in the realms of perfumery and botanical magic, both of which he so conspicuously defiled by his deep-seated anti-Semitism.
|
|
|
Those who make Abramelin Oil according the recipe given by Abraham of Worms are working well within the Jewish and Christian occult traditions of the Middle Ages. Mathers' mistaken substitution of Galangal for Calamus, coupled with Crowley's innovative use of essential oils rather than raw ingredients in weighing out the proportions, has resulted in some interesting repercussions to those who work with various formulas for Abramelin Oil:
- SCENT: The oils of Mathers and Crowley have an entirely different aroma from the Jewish Abramelin Oil. The scent of Galangal is gingery and spicy whereas Calamus is florally sweet yet a bit yeasty. Insofar as occultists work with plant materials because they value botanical contributions to ceremonial rites, they find that these oils produce different states of mind, of thought, of "being."
- SYMBOLISM: In Jewish, Greek, and European magical botanic symbolism, the ascription given to Sweet Flag or Calamus is that of male sexuality, due to the shape of the plant's fruiting body. Crowley, following Mathers' substitution of Galangal for Calamus, gave his own unique meaning for Galangal: "Galangal represents both Kether and Malkuth, the First and the Last, the One and the Many." Thus Crowley's reliance on the mistake made by his mentor, Mathers, led him to inanely create a new meaning for Galangal and to remove from the basis of the original Jewish Holy Oil its important symbol of phallic virility.
- SKIN TOXICITY: The original recipe for Abramelin Oil does not irritate the skin and can be applied according to traditional Jewish and Christian religious and magical practices. Crowley's recipe has a much higher concentration of Cinnamon than the original recipe. This results in an oil so uncomfortably hot on the skin that it can actually cause skin burns or rashes if applied too liberally. Cinnamon essential oil is listed as a dermal (skin) toxin, irritant, and sensitizer. Safety guidelines for essential oil of Cinnamon recommend 10% dilution with 90% neutral carrier oils such as Olive oil (Tisserand & Balacs, 1995). Therefore, the Crowley recipe, in which Cinnamon essential oil is 38% of the whole by weight, or almost four times the recommended safe level, can only be used in relatively small amounts upon the skin and must be carefully placed to avoid contact with the eyes, nostrils, or mucous membranes of the genitals or anus. If dermal sensitivities are an issue, a skin patch test should be conducted prior to first-time use.
- DIGESTIVE TOXICITY: Galangal is edible, Calamus is a stomach irritant in high doses. This is certainly relevant to Thelemites who use Crowley's recipe as a flavouring for their eucharistic Cake of Light, giving it a mild opiated taste (from the Myrrh) and a spicy tang (from the Cinnamon and the Ginger-like Galangal). The use of Calamus essential oil in such a recipe might render their sacred host inedible.
Acknowledgements
|
Order Abramelin Dressing Oil from the Lucky Mojo Curio Co. |
|
|
Order Abramelin Incense Powder from the Lucky Mojo Curio Co. |
|
|
Order Abramelin Sachet Powder from the Lucky Mojo Curio Co. |
|
|
Order Abramelin Bath Crystals from the Lucky Mojo Curio Co. |
|
Search All Lucky Mojo and Affiliated Sites!
You can search our sites for a single word (like archaeoastronomy, hoodoo, conjure, or clitoris), an exact phrase contained within quote marks (like "love spells", "spiritual supplies", "occult shop", "gambling luck", "Lucky Mojo bag", or "guardian angel"), or a name within quote marks (like "Blind Willie McTell", "Black Hawk", "Hoyt's Cologne", or "Frank Stokes"):
|
copyright ©
1994-2019 catherine yronwode. All rights reserved. Send your comments to: cat yronwode. |
|
Did you like what you read here? Find it useful? Then please click on the Paypal Secure Server logo and make a small donation to catherine yronwode for the creation and maintenance of this site. |
|
LUCKY MOJO is a large domain that is organized into a number of interlinked web sites, each with its own distinctive theme and look. You are currently reading HOODOO IN THEORY AND PRACTICE by cat yronwode . |
Here are some other LUCKY MOJO web sites you can visit:
OCCULTISM, MAGIC SPELLS, MYSTICISM, RELIGION, SYMBOLISM
Hoodoo in Theory and Practice by cat yronwode: an introduction to African-American rootwork
Hoodoo Herb and Root Magic by cat yronwode:a materia magica of African-American conjure
Lucky W Amulet Archive by cat yronwode: an online museum of worldwide talismans and charms
Sacred Sex: essays and articles on tantra yoga, neo-tantra, karezza, sex magic, and sex worship
Sacred Landscape: essays and articles on archaeoastronomy and sacred geometry
Freemasonry for Women by cat yronwode: a history of mixed-gender Freemasonic lodges
The Lucky Mojo Esoteric Archive: captured internet text files on occult and spiritual topics
Lucky Mojo Usenet FAQ Archive:FAQs and REFs for occult and magical usenet newsgroups
Aleister Crowley Text Archive: a multitude of texts by an early 20th century occultist
Lucky Mojo Magic Spells Archives: love spells, money spells, luck spells, protection spells, and more
Free Love Spell Archive: love spells, attraction spells, sex magick, romance spells, and lust spells
Free Money Spell Archive: money spells, prosperity spells, and wealth spells for job and business
Free Protection Spell Archive: protection spells against witchcraft, jinxes, hexes, and the evil eye
Free Gambling Luck Spell Archive: lucky gambling spells for the lottery, casinos, and racesPOPULAR CULTURE
Hoodoo and Blues Lyrics: transcriptions of blues songs about African-American folk magic
EaRhEaD!'S Syd Barrett Lyrics Site: lyrics by the founder of the Pink Floyd Sound
The Lesser Book of the Vishanti: Dr. Strange Comics as a magical system, by cat yronwode
The Spirit Checklist: a 1940s newspaper comic book by Will Eisner, indexed by cat yronwode
Fit to Print: collected weekly columns about comics and pop culture by cat yronwode
Eclipse Comics Index: a list of all Eclipse comics, albums, and trading cardsEDUCATION AND OUTREACH
Hoodoo Rootwork Correspondence Course with cat yronwode: 52 weekly lessons in book form
Hoodoo Conjure Training Workshops: hands-on rootwork classes, lectures, and seminars
Apprentice with catherine yronwode: personal 3-week training for qualified HRCC graduates
Lucky Mojo Community Forum: an online message board for our occult spiritual shop customers
Lucky Mojo Hoodoo Rootwork Hour Radio Show: learn free magic spells via podcast download
Lucky Mojo Videos: see video tours of the Lucky Mojo shop and get a glimpse of the spirit train
Lucky Mojo Publishing: practical spell books on world-wide folk magic and divination
Lucky Mojo Newsletter Archive: subscribe and receive discount coupons and free magick spells
LMC Radio Network: magical news, information, education, and entertainment for all!
Follow Us on Facebook: get company news and product updates as a Lucky Mojo Facebook FanONLINE SHOPPING
The Lucky Mojo Curio Co.: spiritual supplies for hoodoo, magick, witchcraft, and conjure
Herb Magic: complete line of Lucky Mojo Herbs, Minerals, and Zoological Curios, with sample spells
Mystic Tea Room Gift Shop: antique, vintage, and contemporary fortune telling tea cupsPERSONAL SITES
catherine yronwode: the eclectic and eccentric author of many of the above web pages
nagasiva yronwode: nigris (333), nocTifer, lorax666, boboroshi, Troll Towelhead, !
Garden of Joy Blues: former 80 acre hippie commune near Birch Tree in the Missouri Ozarks
Liselotte Erlanger Glozer: illustrated articles on collectible vintage postcards
Jackie Payne: Shades of Blues: a San Francisco Bay Area blues singerADMINISTRATIVE
Lucky Mojo Site Map: the home page for the whole Lucky Mojo electron-pile
All the Pages: descriptive named links to about 1,000 top-level Lucky Mojo web pages
How to Contact Us: we welcome feedback and suggestions regarding maintenance of this site
Make a Donation: please send us a small Paypal donation to keep us in bandwidth and macs!OTHER SITES OF INTEREST
Arcane Archive: thousands of archived Usenet posts on religion, magic, spell-casting, mysticism, and spirituality
Association of Independent Readers and Rootworkers: psychic reading, conjure, and hoodoo root doctor services
Candles and Curios: essays and articles on traditional African American conjure and folk magic, plus shopping
Crystal Silence League: a non-denominational site; post your prayers; pray for others; let others pray for you
Gospel of Satan: the story of Jesus and the angels, from the perspective of the God of this World
Hoodoo Psychics: connect online or call 1-888-4-HOODOO for instant readings now from a member of AIRR
Missionary Independent Spiritual Church: spirit-led, inter-faith; prayer-light services; Smallest Church in the World
Mystic Tea Room: tea leaf reading, teacup divination, and a museum of antique fortune telling cups
Satan Service: an archive presenting the theory, practice, and history of Satanism and Satanists
Southern Spirits: 19th and 20th century accounts of hoodoo, including ex-slave narratives & interviews
Spiritual Spells: lessons in folk magic and spell casting from an eclectic Wiccan perspective, plus shopping
Yronwode Home: personal pages of catherine yronwode and nagasiva yronwode, magical archivists
Yronwode Institution: the Yronwode Institution for the Preservation and Popularization of Indigenous Ethnomagicology
