Techniques of Ancient Egyptian Magic
On this episode of Magic & Ritual we’re laying out different techniques used in ancient Egyptian magic including words, images, symbols, spitting, licking ingestion, and encircling.
A quick caveat… though we are discussing the subject of magic and ritual, the debate of what can be considered magic and trying to separate it from ancient Egyptian religious rituals has been a long drawn out one without a very clear answer.
But we’ll get into this discussion another time.
For now, it’s good enough to understand the term magic as: an action taken to bring about an effect on some sort of supernatural level.
Let’s Dive In!
The Different Techniques of Ancient Egyptian Magic
Words and images are closely linked in ancient Egyptian magic, first of all because hieroglyphs are essentially both words and images at the same time.
Secondly, the word or name of something conjures up its image.
The names of beings, whether mortal or divine, were sometimes used to gain power over them. For example, going through the gates of the underworld, the deceased could subdue the demonic gatekeepers simply by speaking their names.
The ancient Egyptians also used a type of word play in their rituals, not for the sake of fun, but to purposely add or take away the emphasis on the power of a word.
Whether written or spoken, words were central to the use of magic and had the power to affect others from a long distance away, just by conjuring up their image. This is similar to the use of things like voodoo dolls, which act as a representation of whoever you are trying to harm.
Symbols were used in different ways, like for gaining strength, healing or protection. Amulets with special symbols were the most common form of protective magic and were used by both the living and the dead.
Particularly vulnerable times, like during childbirth or passing through the underworld, were when protective magic was needed the most.
For more on this, check out my video titled Ancient Egyptian Protection Symbols.
If you are not very familiar with ancient Egyptian magic, you were probably a little surprised to hear me mention spitting and licking as two of the techniques used. But the fact is they play a sizable role.
First of all, spitting was mentioned in the Creation Myth of Heliopolis, where the god Atum spat out the first pair of gods, Shu and Tefnut, who then went on to have other divine children who had other divine children, until the entire Ennead was formed.
Also, the healing power of saliva is widely known, and that’s why we say things like “lick your wounds” and why you see animals doing just that.
And so spit was used for its curative powers in medicine and magic, but it was also thought to be a source of harm and a tool to curse and threaten with. There are myths linking the gods Seth and Apep, both very feared, with the act of hostile spitting. This probably has something to do with seeing snakes and other poisonous creatures spitting their venom.
Next we have the magic of ingestion, whether by consuming something for real or just symbolically. For example, the dead were supposed to recite a number of different spells to help them go through the trials of the underworld, but most ancient Egyptians couldn’t read.
The answer to this dilemma was having the spells written out on a sheet, dissolving it in some type of liquid and then drinking the mixture. By virtue of ingestion, the knowledge would be stored within. Even literate ancient Egyptians would sometimes employ this tactic.
On the opposite side, there was also a type of hostile consumption. For example, in the weighing of the heart ceremony, if the heart of the deceased was found to be heavier than the feather of truth, it would be devoured by a demon, dooming the deceased to total annihilation.
The worst possible fate for an ancient Egyptian soul.
Next up we have the magical act of encircling. This was done to keep away evil spirits and protect whatever stays inside the circle.
Wands were sometimes used to make a symbolic circle around a woman giving birth. Processions would go round and round an area to keep it free from harmful forces. Circles were drawn around names, like cartouches, and Shen rings were worn for protection.
This magical act was also associated with the daily voyage of the Sun God Ra, who would go around the world on his bark asserting his power over it every day.
There are a few other techniques that were part of ancient Egyptian magic, like breaking pots, using wax figurines and binding. Many methods were used together, spells would usually accompany the acts, and the different tools were used for different purposes.
I hope you enjoyed this page on Techniques of Ancient Egyptian Magic. If you did, please share it with anyone else you think might like it. And if you subscribe to my newsletter, you’ll be updated whenever I upload a new page or video.
Thanks and take care!