Abramelin Oil, the Ceremonial Jewish Holy Anointing Oil as Described in the Biblical Book of Exodus

Abramelin oil, also called Oil of Abramelin, is a ceremonial magical oil blended from aromatic plant materials. Abramelin oil became popular in the Western esoteric tradition in the 20th century after its description in a medieval grimoire called The Book of Abramelin 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. Abramelin Oil may be used in any sort of ceremony or ritual aimed at a white magical goal. Use to anoint white candles. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abramelin_oil, n.d.).

      

The four ingredients listed by Mathers in his translation of The Book of the Sacred Magic of Abramelin the Mage are myrrh, cinnamon, galangal, and olive oil. The word that he translated from the French as "galangal" is actually the word "calamus." Other existing manuscripts list calamus as the ingredient.

   

In hoodoo, galangal root is used in protective work, especially work involving court cases.

    

Following are several recipes for making Oil of Abramelin according to the Sacred Magic of Abramelin the Mage, Mathers and Crowley. All are similar to the other though there are some slight differences which are discussed. Two methods for making the oil are employed: maceration (crushing and soaking) of herbs and blending of essential oils. Which recipe and method you choose is purely a matter of personal preference.

Macerated Abramelin Oil

• 4 parts powdered Cinnamon bark
• 2 parts finely ground Myrrh resin
• 1 part Calamus chopped root, reduced to powder
• 7 parts Olive oil

The resins and spices are gently macerated with a mortar and pestle, covered with olive oil and allowed to sit for a month. It is then transferred to a bottle. This method produces a fragrant oil suitable for use as an anointing oil on any portion of the body, and will not burn the skin. 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 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abramelin_oil, n.d.). This oil should be stored under the altar.

Mathers’ Macerated Abramelin Oil

The following recipe for Abramelin oil substitutes galangal root for Calamus root.

• 4 parts Cinnamon bark quills, reduced to powder
• 2 parts Myrrh resin tears, finely ground
• 1 part Galangal sliced root, reduced to powder
• 7 parts Olive oil

This mixture is macerated for one month, and then strain through cheesecloth and bottled for use.

The result is fragranced oil suitable for anointing any portion of the body, and it will not burn the skin. This oil should be stored under the altar.

Abramelin Oil Made with Essential Oils

• half part Cinnamon essential oil
• 1 parts Myrrh essential oil
• 1 part Calamus essential oil
• 1 part Cassia essential oil
• 7 parts Olive oil

Keep it in a clean container until you need it. This is highly fragranced oil that may be applied to the skin in more liberal amounts; it is a close, modern approximation of the oil described by Abramelin to Abraham of Worms. This oil should be stored on or under the altar.

Crowley’s Holy Oil of Aspiration (Oil of Abramelin)

British occultist Aleister Crowley had a different symbolic view of the ingredients that he found in the Mathers translation. According to Crowley:

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 Tiphereth, 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. (Crowley, 1997, p.60).

Crowley’s recipe is as follows:

• 8 parts Cinnamon essential oil
• 4 parts Myrrh essential oil
• 2 parts Galangal essential oil
• 7 parts Olive oil

Crowley’s recipe has a much higher concentration of cinnamon than the Mathers version. Since cinnamon can be a skin irritant in high concentrations, this recipe is not for liberal use on the skin. Rather, it is designed for the consecration of ritual tools.

      

According to the Ordo Templi Orientis, Crowley’s Holy Oil of Aspiration should undergo a special consecration. The ideal time for a consecration ceremony is during the Equinox (Apiryon, 1997).

Purchase Oil of Abramelin at Creole Moon.

 

New Year's Day Prosperity Ritual

All over the South people eat a meal of collard greens, cornbread, and black-eyed peas to ensure their prosperity and protection in the coming year. Symbolically, the greens are said to represent green paper money; the corn, being yellow, represents gold or coins; and the black-eyed peas, each possessing an eye, is said to protect you from negativity and bad luck (especially in the form of the evil eye).

Interestingly, a silver dime is often placed in the black-eyed peas, and the person who by chance is served the dime is said to be especially lucky that year, and he or she will keep the dime as a lucky token throughout the year. On a personal note, growing up in the South our grandmother's often told us that "what you do on New Year's Day, you'll be doing all year," therefore, we were never to wash clothes, do housework, or anything else we wouldn’t want to be doing on a daily basis.

Hoppin' John for Good Luck

Dose black-eyed peas is lucky,
When e’t on New Year’s Day,
You allus has sweet ‘taters,
An’ ‘possum come yore way.
~African American folk rhyme

On New Year’s Day many people make the dish called Hoppin' John along with collard greens to insure prosperity and abundance for the New Year. Because black-eyed peas swell when soaked in water, they represent abundance, magically speaking. Reportedly a favorite of Marie Laveau’s, Hoppin' John is a traditional Southern food prepared on New Year’s Day for it’s luck drawing qualities. The name Hoppin' John is thought to refer to the Southern folk hero, High John the Conqueror.

RECIPE

• 1 lb. Black-Eyed Peas
• 8 slices Bacon, cut into fourths
• 1 1/2 cups Onions, finely chopped
• 1 cup celery, finely chopped
• ½ cup bell pepper finely chopped
• 2 1/2 quarts water
• 2 cloves Garlic, minced
• 1/8 teaspoon Maison Louisianne Creole Spice Blend
• 1/8 teaspoon Thyme
• 1 Bay Leaf
• 1/8 teaspoon Rosemary
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt
• 1/4 teaspoon Black Pepper
• 2 cups raw Rice

DIRECTIONS

Soak black-eyed peas overnight in water. Fry bacon in a heavy skillet until crisp. Add 1 1/2 cups onions, and cook until the onions are transparent. Add 2 1/2 quarts water, bring to boil. Add garlic cloves, Maison Louisianne Creole Spice Blend, thyme, bay leaf, rosemary, salt, and pepper. Drain peas and add the boiling mixture. Barely simmer mixture, partially covered, for 1 1/2 hour. Add 2 cups raw rice. Serve with crisp French bread. Enjoy!

Celebrating St. Dymphna

St. Dymphna is the patron saint of incest survivors, runaways and people with mental disorders. She was the daughter of a pagan Irish king and his Christian wife in the 7th century AD. She was murdered by her father for refusing to marry him after her mother died. She was only 15 years old when she was killed.

St. Dymphna is sometimes called Lily of Fire in reference to her purity and glorious martyrdom. It is said that at a very young age she consecrated her virginity to Jesus Christ and to his Blessed Mother with a vow of chastity.

All of the stories I have read about the unfortunate and tragic plight of this young girl explain her father’s advances on the fact that he was grieving the loss of his wife. As far as I know, grief has never been a precursor or cause of incest and rape. These conditions have much more to do with power and serious psychological problems of the perpetrator. It does no one any good to attempt to turn her story into some sort of tragic fairytale or a glorious story of Christian martyrdom. It was no fairytale—she obviously lived in extreme fear and likely suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder. Before she was brutally murdered, a priest, Father Gerebran, did everything he could to keep her safe by helping her flee her country. One would think that would be the end of it and her father would move on to someone else but he was so obsessed with marrying his daughter that he tracked her down in a little village called Gheel in Belgium. Her father, along with his companion brutes, confronted her and Father Gerebran who defended Dymphna and refused her father access to his daughter. This only enraged the king who then ordered the priest murdered, a task eagerly carried out by his thuggish minions who promptly beheaded the priest.

Dymphna’s father continued to intimidate her and attempt to force her to return to Ireland with him as his wife. When she continued to refuse his perverted advances, he once again became enraged and took his own sword out of his belt and beheaded her on the spot. At the age of 15, on the 15th of May sometime between 620 and 640, she became a martyr.

As the story goes, the bodies of the two martyrs, Father Gerebran and Dymphna, lay at the spot where they were murdered for quite awhile until some of the locals found them and moved them to a cave as was their custom. After a few years, folks decided that given the circumstances of their deaths and statuses as martyrs, Father Gerebran and Dymphna deserved a better burial. So, they set out to disinter them and move them elsewhere. When the earth covering the entrance to the cave where they were buried was removed, the workers were surprised to find two clean, white tombs seemingly carved by angels. When the tomb of Dymphna was opened, There was a red tile laying on her breast that read:

Here lies the holy virgin and
martyr, Dymphna.

Dymphna’s remains were placed in a small church. Later, the magnificent Church of St. Dymphna was built on the site where the bodies were first buried. There, St. Dymphna's relics are kept in a golden reliquary. Miracles and cures began to occur in continually increasing numbers at her shrine. St. Dymphna became known as patroness of victims of nervous diseases and mental disorders. The stories of miracles spread from country to country. An increasing number of people with psychological and emotional problems made the pilgrimage to her shrine with hopes of healing. Novenas were made, and St. Dymphna's relic was applied to the patients. Reports of remarkable cures continued to spread throughout the land and more and more people came to believe in her healing powers. In the beginning, the people who came for healing were put up in a little building that was built onto the church. Later, there were so many people coming that the people in the village of Gheel opened their homes to them. As a result, Gheel was renowned for its care of the insane and mentally afflicted.

To work with St. Dymphna, dedicate a sacred space to her. Place her image and anything that helps you feel emotionally and psychologically balanced in that space. This can be special rocks, a crucifix, rosary, flowers, etc. These things need not be Catholic—the important thing is that they bring you comfort within your own belief system. St. Dymphna is often depicted with a sword which represents her martyrdom so you could place a sword on her altar. She is also depicted with lilies which represent her as female, a blue book and a little green devil representing insanity.

Get a white or green 7-day glass encased candle and anoint with Lilly of the Valley and Clarity oils. Write a petition stating your needs on parchment paper and place under the candle. Light the candle and say a devotional to her each day. You can use the following prayer:

Hear us, O God, Our Savior, as we honor St. Dymphna, patroness
of those afflicted with mental and emotional illness.
Help us to be inspired by her example and comforted by her
merciful help. Amen.

After the prayer, you should speak to her from the heart letting her know that you need her help. A variation of this work would be to get a picture of a devil, color it green and name it for the affliction you wish to remove or heal. Place that image face down under the candle and proceed as above. Once the candle burns to the bottom but has not yet extinguished, take the image of the devil and burn it in the flame of the candle. Then allow the candle to burn out. Take the candle to a cemetery and bury it there to symbolize the death, burial and/or transformation of your affliction.

Reference

Benedictine Convent Sisters (1946). Tabernacle and Purgatory, Clyde, Mo.

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*This article first appeared in the Hoodoo Almanac 2012 which can be purchased here.