10 Ancient Books That Promise Supernatural Powers

K.FANE OCTOBER 18, 2014Humankind has long dabbled in the supernatural, lured by
the promise of obtaining power and enlightenment. Several texts have been devote
d to this practice, outlining complicated and mysterious rituals that were prese
nted as the key to achieving communion with otherworldly spirits.10Greek Magical
Papyri01
Photo credit: Glasgow University
The Greek magical papyri from the second century B.C. listed spells, rituals, an
d divinations. These included instructions for how to summon a headless demon, o
pen doors to the underworld, and protect yourself from wild beasts. Perhaps most
tantalizing of all, they describe how to gain a supernatural assistant, an othe
rworldly entity who does your bidding. The most commonly found spells in the Pap
yri are divination spells ceremonies that offer you visions of the future. One of
its most well-known passages provides instructions for how to forecast upcoming
events using an iron lampstead,
an offering of frankincense, and an uncorrupted and p
ure child. After being placed into a deep trance, the child sees images flickerin
g in the flame. Among the Papyri s most famous components is the Mithras Liturgy.
This ceremony describes how to ascend through seven higher planes of existence a
nd communicate with the deity Mithras.
9The Black Pullet02
Originating in France in the 18th century, The Black Pullet focuses on the study
of magical talismans, special objects engraved with mystical words that protect
and empower the wearer. It was reportedly written by an anonymous officer in Na
poleon s Army, who claimed to have received the contents from a mysterious mage wh
ile on expedition in Egypt. The Pullet includes detailed instructions for how to
construct talismans out of bronzed steel, silk, and special ink. Among these in
vocations is a spell to call upon a djinn, a creature made of smoke and fire who
will bring you true love. If your ambitions are slightly more cynical, then the
Pullet also provides talismans that will force discreet men to tell you their sec
rets, allow you to see behind closed doors, and destroy anyone who is plotting a
gainst you.The apex of the book s mystical teachings is acquiring the Black Pullet
itself a hen that can find buried treasure. 8Ars Almadel03
The Ars Almadel is Book Four of the Lesser Key of Solomon, also known as the Lem
egeton, a significant grimoire of demonology compiled in the 17th century by an
unknown author. This particular book of the Legemeton provides a blueprint for c
onstructing an Almadel a magical wax altar, somewhat like a ouija board, that allo
ws you to communicate with angels. The Almadel is composed of four Altitudes, or
Choras, each of which corresponds with a unique set of angels with different doma
ins. The text provides the names of the angels of each Chora (Gelomiros and Aphi
riza, for example), the proper way to direct your requests to them (ask only wha
t is just and lawful ), and the best calendar dates for invoking them. It also incl
udes brief physical descriptions of these angelic manifestations. The Angels of
the Third Chora, for example, come in the form of little women dressed in green a
nd silver wearing crowns made of bay leaves. 7Picatrix04
Photo via LuLu
The Picatrix is an ancient grimoire of astrological magic. Originally written in
Arabic and titled the Ghayat Al-Hakim, it dates back to the 11th century and sp
ans a mammoth 400 pages of astrological theory. Alongside are spells and incanta
tions to channel the occult energies of planets and stars to achieve power and e
nlightenment. The Picatrix is perhaps most notorious for the obscenity of its ma
gic recipes. These gruesome and potentially deadly concoctions are designed to i
nduce altered states of consciousness and out-of-body experiences. Not for the f
aint of the heart, their ingredients include blood, bodily excretions, and brain
matter mixed with copious amounts of hashish, opium, and psychoactive plants. T
o construct a mirror that gives you power over the dead, for example, you must u
se noxious fumes of blood, sperm, spit, ear wax, tears from the eyes, feces, and
urine. 6Galdrabok05
An Icelandic grimoire that originated in 16th century, the Galdrabok is a collec
tion of 47 spells compiled by multiple magicians. Like most Icelandic magic of t
he period, the Galdrabok relies heavily on staves runes that have magical properti

es when carried on the body, carved on objects, or written out. Among the staves
drawn in the Galdrabok are ones to attract and curry the favor of powerful men,
incite fear in your enemies, and put someone to sleep. The majority of the spel
ls found in the Galdrabok are apotropaic spells, benign remedies designed to prote
ct the practitioner and heal various maladies. These include tiredness, difficul
ty with childbirth, headaches, and insomnia. Other spells are pretty peculiar in
nature. Spell 46, the hilariously titled Fart Runes, is a stave that will strike
your enemy with bad gas . . . and all of these will plague thy belly with great f
arting . . . may thy farting never stop. Some are downright sinister. Spell 27, f
or example, when drawn on someone s food, will make them sick and unable to eat al
l day, while Stave 30 is designed to kill another person s animal. There are also
staves to prevent your house from unwanted visitors, catch thieves, and get satis
faction in a legal case. 5Arbatel De Magia Veterum06
Composed late in the 16th century by an unknown author, the Arbatel de magia vet
erum is a comprehensive handbook of spiritual advice and aphorisms. The Arbatel
reads much like a mystical self-help book, stressing the importance of Christian
godliness, productivity, positive thinking, and using magic to help instead of
harm. Its kernels of wisdom include live for yourself and the Muses; avoid the fr
iendship of the multitude and flee the mundane; seek heavenly things. The Arbatel re
veals a series of rituals to invoke the seven heavenly governors and their legio
ns, who rule over the provinces of the universe. The governors include Bethel, w
ho brings miraculous medicines, Phalec, who brings honor in war, and Aratron, wh
o maketh hairy men. However, the ability to perform these rituals is only for a pe
rson who is born to magic from his mother s womb. All others, the Arbatel warns, are
powerless imitators. In addition to angels and archangels, the Arbatel mentions
a coterie of other helpful elemental spirits that exist beyond the veil of the
physical world, including pygmies, nymphs, dryads, sylphs (tiny forest people),
and sagani (magical mortal spirits that inhabit the elements). 4Ars Notoria07
A Solomonic grimoire compiled in the 13th century, the Ars Notoria does not cont
ain any spells or potions. It focuses instead on the acquisition of learning, th
e command of memory, and gaining insight into difficult books. The Ars Notoria p
romises practitioners the mastery of liberal arts geometry, arithmetic, and philos
ophy among them through a lengthy daily process of visualization, contemplation, a
nd orations. Through these orations, you can beseech God for intellectual gifts,
including eloquence, heightened senses, wisdom, and perfect memory. As a book c
oncerned primarily with enlightenment, the Ars Notoria eschewed some of the more
malevolent aspects of magic. However, not everyone was convinced of its benign
nature. One notable 14th-century monk, John of Morigny, devoutly followed the te
achings of the Ars Notoria and had haunting visions, until he claimed that the v
isions themselves were demonic in nature. He warned people of the diabolical nat
ure of the Ars Notoria in his own mystical manuscript, the Liber Visonum. 3Pseud
omonarchia Daedonum08
The Pseudomonarchia Daedonum was written by famed 16th-century physician and dem
onologist Johann Weyer, who was greatly inspired by his former teacher, celebrat
ed German occultist Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa. It is the appendix to his semina
l work against the persecution of witchcraft, the Praestigiis Daemonum, hailed b
y Sigmund Freud as one of the most important books of all time. The Pseudomonarc
hia Daedonum is a catalog of 69 noble demons prominent members of Hell s monarchy thei
r specialties, and the methods of conjuring them. Naberius, for example, is a ma
rquess who comes in the form of a crow and maketh a man amiable and cunning in al
l arts. Foras is a president who recovereth lost things and discovereth treasures.
Other members of the demonic aristocracy include Haagenti, who can turn water in
to wine, Shax, who steals horses and robs people s sight and hearing, and Eligos,
who can see the future of wars and the fates of soldiers. Weyer, however, was a
devout Christian who approached the prospect of conjuring these Hell-bound spiri
ts with great caution. He omitted key details of the rituals and warned those wh
o read the Pseudomonarchia against imitating this proof of folly. 2Sworn Book Of Ho
norius09
Also known as the Liber Juratus Honorii, the Sworn Book of Honorius is a medieva
l grimoire and defense of ritual magic rumored to be the work of Honorius of The

bes, a mysterious, possibly mythological figure who has never been identified. T
he book begins with a scathing criticism of the Catholic church. The Church, a s
taunch enemy of the dark arts, has been corrupted by the devil, whose goal is to
doom humanity by ridding the world of the benefits of magic. The Sworn Book mak
es lofty demands of its practitioners. Only three copies of the book can be made
, anyone in possession of the book who cannot find a worthy magician to inherit
it must take it to their grave, and all adherents must utterly forbear the compan
y of women. Like many other grimoires, its rituals focus largely on summoning ang
els, demons, and other spirits to gain knowledge and power. By repeating long-wi
nded orations, the practitioner is promised a wealth of scintillating abilities.
These powers range from the awesome (causing floods and destroying kingdoms) to
the eerie (seeing into purgatory and knowing the hour of your death). Among its
most malign spells are ones to to cast sickness into whom you will, to cause disco
rd and debate, and to kill whom you will. 1The Book Of Abramelin The Mage10
Written in the 15th century, the Book of Abramelin the Mage is one of the most p
rominent mystical texts of all time. It is the work of Abraham von Worms, a Jewi
sh traveler who purportedly encountered the enigmatic magician Abramelin during
a voyage to Egypt. In exchange for 10 florins and the promise of piety, Abrameli
n gifted this manuscript of magic to Abraham, who then passed it on to his son L
amech. Abramelin s ritual, referred to as the operation, is an arduous one. It consi
sts of 18 months of prayer and purification, which is only recommended for men o
f sound health between the ages of 25 and 50. Women in general are discouraged f
rom undertaking the operation because of their curiosity and love of talk, although
an exception can be made for virgins. If the tenets of the operation are adhered t
o strictly and with unwavering devotion, you get in touch with your Holy Guardia
n Angel, who will grant you a wealth of powers. These powers include necromancy
and divination, precognition, control of the weather, knowledge of secrets, visi
ons of the future, and the ability to open locked doors. The book relies heavily
on the power of magic squares unique words arranged into puzzles. Like the Icelan
dic staves in the Galdrabok, these squares contain mystic and occult properties
when written out. The word MILON, for example, reveals the secrets of past and fut
ure when written on parchment and placed over the head, while SINAH brings war. Th
e author warns that some magic squares, like CASED are too sinister to ever implem
ent. This text had a profound impact on famed occultist Aleister Crowley, who cl
aimed to have experienced several supernatural occurrences after embarking on th
e ritual, and on the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, a 19th-century British m
agical order. Crowley later used the book as the foundation for his own system o
f magic.