Ink and Invocation: Simple Spellcraft from the Greek Magical Papyri
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Across the sands of Roman Egypt, fragments of magical text were buried, forgotten, and rediscovered—revealing a syncretic spellbook drawn from Greek, Egyptian, and Near Eastern traditions. Known collectively as the Greek Magical Papyri (PGM), these ancient scrolls offer an extraordinary glimpse into the everyday sorcery of late antiquity: love spells, curse tablets, protective amulets, prayers to planetary gods, and ritual scripts as vivid as any modern grimoire.
Far from the elaborate rites of temple priesthood, the PGM preserves a raw, personal form of magic—one where ink, breath, and bone could shape reality. In its pages, the divine was accessed not through dogma, but through performance: the crafting of talismans, the singing of “barbarous names,” the inscribing of symbols on lead, linen, or parchment.
For contemporary practitioners, these texts provide not just historical curiosity but practical methods—direct spells and spiritual technologies that can be adapted respectfully and effectively into modern ritual work.
A Living Manuscript: What Is the PGM?
The Greek Magical Papyri refer to a collection of papyrus texts discovered in Egypt between the 18th and 20th centuries. Written between the 2nd century BCE and the 5th century CE, they compile a range of magical techniques—spells, hymns, invocations, and recipes—often blending Egyptian cosmology with Hellenistic Greek ritual, Jewish angelology, and Babylonian astrology.
These were working texts, used by itinerant magicians, healers, and mystics. Their gods include Zeus, Isis, Horus, and Helios—but also hybrid deities and daemons whose names were meant to be spoken in ecstatic breath, often untranslated to preserve their numinous power.
Rather than view them as antiquated curiosities, we might see the PGM as the ancestor of the modern spellbook—practical, experimental, and alive with spirit.
Working With the Texts Today
Most PGM spells are composed of three parts:
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Invocation – Calling the deity, spirit, or force into presence.
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Action – The act of inscribing, chanting, binding, or anointing.
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Request – A clearly stated goal: to attract love, gain favor, ward off harm, or bring luck.
The language may seem cryptic, but its structure is clear and adaptable. You don’t need to replicate every phrase exactly—what matters is the energy, the form, and the intent behind it.
Crafting a Parchment Amulet (Adapted from PGM VII.619–27)
This love and favor charm draws on solar energy and the power of sacred names. It’s simple, poetic, and tactile.
You’ll need:
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A piece of parchment or thick paper
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Red or gold ink (or pen)
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A thread (red, gold, or white)
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A small pouch or square of cloth
Step-by-step:
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Inscription
Write your name and the name of your desired outcome—whether a person, spirit, opportunity, or concept.
Around it, inscribe the solar names from the PGM (or use “IAO,” “ABRASAX,” or “PHRE” as divine identifiers). You may also draw a solar glyph—a circle with a dot at the center. -
Invocation
Say aloud:
"I call you, radiant one who rides the chariot of day—bring warmth to this name, draw favor like flame to wick."
Visualize solar energy flooding the parchment as you breathe over it three times. -
Activation
Fold the parchment tightly and bind it with the thread. Place it into the pouch. Keep it close to your body or altar, especially at sunrise, to align with solar currents.
Protection Formula: “Spell Against Hostile Forces” (PGM IV. 3007–86, abridged)
Many spells in the PGM are protective, invoking divine names as shields. Here is a simplified version:
Speak aloud or whisper three times:
"Protect me, O great one, ABRAOTH, IAO, PHRE, master of storms and stars—
Shield me from all evil tongues, from envy, from the evil eye,
Bind the feet of those who pursue me,
And let my name be light to the righteous, shadow to the harmful."
Optional: inscribe this on parchment, lead foil, or cloth and wear it near the heart.
Elemental Simplicity, Divine Depth
Many spells in the PGM rely on basic tools—earth, breath, water, oil, ink, and thread. Yet each is charged through invocation, repetition, and direct entreaty. The gods are not silent—they are called with urgency and passion.
There is no divide between religion and magic in these texts. To speak a sacred name is to invoke its presence. To write it is to create a container for its power.
Ritual Ethics and Historical Sensitivity
Though adapted for modern use, these rituals emerge from cultural syncretism and ancient belief systems. Practitioners should approach the PGM with both creative engagement and historical respect. Do not decontextualize without reflection. Where possible, study the cultures from which the names and techniques emerge.
This magic was crafted in colonized spaces, among people navigating imperial powers, spiritual longing, and survival. Treat their legacy with care.
Reviving the Ancient, Rekindling the Now
In the flicker of a candle and the curve of an inked sigil, the ancient voices of the PGM speak again. Their spells remain flexible, powerful, and profoundly human—full of longing, protection, devotion, and will.
You don’t need a temple. You don’t need perfect Latin or Greek.
All you need is breath, ink, and intention.
Let the parchment receive your will.
Let the names awaken the flame.