PICATRIX
(translated from Latin)
FOREWORD BY THE TRANSLATOR
We invite you to familiarize yourself with the fragments of the translation of one of the most complete early medieval books on practical magic, known as the Picatrix. I selected the fragments so that you could get an idea of the content of the entire book, at least of its practical part. The fact is that most of the material in the book is a listing, for example, it is said about the "stations of the moon" and a description of each of the 28 stations is given, but I cite only one in these fragments, the rest are similar; or rituals of invoking spirits associated with the signs of the zodiac and planets are given - I am giving here completely one ritual for the sign of the zodiac and one for some planet; or a hundred small rituals are given for various everyday needs - I am citing only a few, etc. Thus, the onethose who are not going to practice the rituals contained in the book, these fragments will be enough to have a general idea of the entire book. As for the theoretical material, in these fragments I almost completely omitted it, due to its incomprehensibility.
***
First, I'll tell you a little about the book itself, and then about its content.
About the book as a whole. Picatrix is the name of the Latin version of one of the most voluminous books on magic, written in Arabic in the tenth century in Andalusia (the Muslim part of Spain). At first, the book was well known among a certain circle of people, and was often mentioned and quoted by occult writers, for example, Pietro d'Abano, Marsilio Ficino, Abbot Trithemius, Heinrich Agrippa, etc. But later, due to its rarity, it was almost completely forgotten.
Promotional video:
The Arabic title of the book is "Gayat al-Hakim", which, at the suggestion of the first publishers, began to be translated as "The goal of the sage", although the "goal" is only one of the secondary meanings of the word "gayat", its primary meaning is "limit" (edge, the end, the highest step, the top, perfection; this word is often used as an adverb for "very"), and if we pay attention to the author's preface to this book, in which he says that he is writing it as a continuation of his previous book, called “Rutbat al-Hakim”, which means “The steps of the sage”, it is obvious that “Gayat” should be understood as “the highest degree”, and not “the goal”. So, a more correct Russian name, in my opinion, is “The Top of Wisdom”. In addition, the word "gayat" is quite often found in Arabic book titles, and is used in the sense of "the perfection of something," likeas in Latin, the word Summa (Summit) was often used in the title of books when the author wanted to indicate the perfection and completeness of his book, for example, the famous "Sum of Theology" by Thomas Aquinas.
More than 30 Arabic manuscripts have survived to this day, which indicates the great popularity of the book in the Arab world. As stated in the author's preface, the book was written between 343 and 348. (in Arabic chronology, i.e. from 965 to 970). Author unknown. Subsequently, the authorship was attributed, as it is believed, erroneously, to the Arab-Spanish scientist mathematician and astronomer of the 10th century Maslam al-Majriti (Majriti, i.e. Madrid), who was born in Madrid, but later moved to Cordoba (the capital of Andalusia - the Arab part Spain). Maslama was the most famous mathematician and astronomer (astrologer) of his time in Andalusia, he founded his own school there. He was mainly engaged in astronomy, wrote several practical books on astronomical measurements and one on arithmetic.
As stated in the preface of the Latin version, the book was translated from Arabic into Spanish by order of the Spanish king Alphonse of Castile in 1256. Presumably, his court physician Yehuda ben Moshe translated the book. This Spanish translation has not survived. A Latin translation is believed to have been made in the same century by a certain Aegidius de Thebaldis, known for his other translations. Two dozen Latin manuscripts have survived to this day, the oldest of which belongs to the second half of the 14th century.
As far as the Latin title of the book, Picatrix, is concerned, its origin has not yet been fully clarified; most often it is believed that this is a distorted transcription of the Arabic name Bukratis, which, in turn, is a distortion of the Greek Harpokratis (or Hippocrates), i.e. Harpocrates is one of the names of the Egyptian god Horus. The fact is that in the 10th chapter of the 2nd part of the book, in the Arabic version, a certain Bukratis is mentioned as the translator of the “book about spirits and images”, in the Latin version Bukratis turned into “Picatrix”. According to another version, highly doubtful, Picatrix is an etymological translation into Spanish of the Arabic name Maslama, to which the authorship of the book was attributed. The tradition of translating names was indeed widespread at that time, but the authorship of Maslama, as far as we know, was attributed by Arab scholars only in the 14th century, i.e.after the appearance of the Latin version. But, it seems to me, everything is much simpler, and the name "Picatrix" is explained by a translation error. The fact is that "Gayat" is also an Arabic name, and the name "Gayat al-Hakim" can be quite rightly translated as "Sage Gayat" - this is how it was understood by the translator, otherwise how to explain that in the Latin preface it is said that the book was compiled by the sage Picatrix (Gayat), which he called by his own name (Gayat), because in the Arabic original the title of the book is clearly indicated, so the translator could not but know the title, and since he writes that the author called the book by his own name, hence, he means the name Gayat. As for the transformation of the Arabic "Gayat" into the Spanish "Picatrix", there is a completely logical explanation for this. After all, one of the meanings of "gayat", as it was said above, is "top",in Spanish it is "peak"; and now, if we take into account that the word "gayat" is feminine, then by adding "trix" - the standard suffix of the feminine gender - we get Picatrix; it is even possible that this name was translated in that way in Spain, so that the translator did not invent anything here.
As for the prints of the Picatrix, the Arabic version was first published in 1933 by the Warburg Institute Press. A scientific German translation was made from it, published in 1962 by the same Institute, under the title "Picatrix: Das Ziel des Weisen von pseudo-Magriti". The first printed edition of the Latin version was published only in 1986 by the same publishing house; in preparing this critical Latin edition, almost all surviving Latin manuscripts were used. The first English edition, translated from Arabic, came out in 2002, but this translation is extremely unsatisfactory, if not worse (I compared it to a German scientific translation). In 2003, a French translation from Latin was published under the title "Picatrix: un traité de magie médiéval". An English translation from the Latin version, quite good, appeared in 2010. There is also a modern Spanish translation from Arabic (1982).
***
About the content of the book. In short, this is a mixture of instructions for preparing talismans, wax figures, incense, drinks, in a word, magic items and potions, as well as instructions for performing rituals to satisfy various everyday needs or to summon spirits, and all this is mixed with cosmological theories and other astrological practices. This book is not the primary source in the literal sense of the word, but a collection compiled from numerous ancient sources, and the author openly says where and what he takes, but, unfortunately, many of the books he mentions have not been identified. One of the main sources of theoretical knowledge presented in this book is a book written in the 10th century by members of a secret Muslim society known as Ikhwan as-safa (Brothers of Purity). Quite possible,that the author himself belonged to this society.
Conventionally, the material of the book can be divided into three categories. The first category can be attributed to the philosophical and scientific ideas, with the help of which the author tries to substantiate magic, but this material is presented here on the assumption that the book will be read by educated people who are well acquainted with the then general scientific ideas, but the problem is that they are practically unknown to the modern reader, and if they are known, they seem absurd in the light of modern scientific knowledge, so it is hardly possible to understand any of these theories. It should also be borne in mind that the theoretical material in the Latin version is very different from the Arabic original, sometimes even exactly the opposite. In addition, much of the theoretical material in the Latin version is simply omitted.
The second category includes the astrological ideas of a practical nature that are presented in sufficient detail. There is almost complete correspondence between the Latin and Arabic versions. But here, too, there may be a slight difficulty in understanding due to outdated terminology.
The third category, the largest, includes all practical material, practical magic itself. There is also an almost complete correspondence between the Latin version and the Arabic original, with the exception of numerous terms - the names of the ingredients that make up the magical compositions, as well as the magical names used in the rituals of conjuring spirits. In those cases where there is such a discrepancy, I cite [Latin term] in square brackets, and {Arabic} in curly brackets, and by "Arabic" I mean the aforementioned scientific German translation. So, someone who is serious about such recipes needs to be extremely careful with the ingredients, in the original they may not be at all the same as in the translations. Moreover, the author of Picatrix cites these recipes from other books, most of which are not of Arabic origin,but only translations from Chaldean (Syriac), so that mistakes are possible already there.
To make it easier to understand the nature of this practical material, it can also be divided into several parts. The first part - instructions for making magical objects of direct use (talismans, amulets, seals, wax dolls - referred to in this book as "images"; and they are intended for wealth, love, hate, etc.); this also includes instructions for making auxiliary magic items used in further rituals (magic ink, censers, smoking mixtures for them, etc.). The second part - various recipes and rituals of a practicing sorcerer, to whom people turn with their everyday needs (for love, for enmity, for wealth, for spoilage, for healing from a disease, or vice versa, for catching fish, birds, for driving out mice, etc.). P.). And the third part is summoning spirits, namely:four rituals for invoking the spirits of "complete nature", seven rituals for invoking the spirits of the planets, twelve rituals for invoking the spirits of the Moon, corresponding to its presence in the twelve signs of the zodiac, 28 rituals for invoking the spirits of the Moon for each day of the month, two additional rituals for invoking the spirits of Saturn and the Sun.
A distinctive feature of all practical magic of the Picatrix is its "astrological character", i.e. the whole theory of making magical objects and performing rituals is based on astrological correspondences that exist between celestial bodies and earthly ones, between the macrocosm and the microcosm. Based on this, it is possible to give such a definition of the magic of the Picatrix, which can be divided into lower and higher, namely, lower magic is the art of connecting astral forces with material objects, and higher magic is the art of directly invoking spirits, carriers of these astral forces; in other words, if in the first case the magician introduces the necessary astral force into a material object suitable for this, then in the second case (upon evocation) the magician accepts the necessary astral force directly into himself. It should also be notedthat, in contrast to the late medieval grimoires, a well-developed system is visible here.
***
About the real Russian translation. This Russian translation is from the Latin critical edition: “Picatrix: The Latin version of the Ghayat Al-Hakim. - Edited by David Pingree, - London, The Warburg Institute, University of London, - 1986”, and tried to make the translation as literal as possible. It should be noted right away that the Latin version is very different from the Arabic original (I judge about the original from the above-mentioned scientific German translation, accompanied by detailed comments). Often, the compiler of the Latin version writes something completely different from what is contained in the original, especially with regard to theoretical reasoning; perhaps he considered some of the ideas presented in the book to be erroneous, and decided to replace them with more correct ones, from his point of view. So the Latin version (its theoretical part) should be considered,as an independent book. The Latin text itself, according to researchers (see the aforementioned editions), is far from classical Latin, contains a lot of errors, and is sometimes unreadable. As for the titles of the chapters, firstly, there are no titles in the original, and secondly, the Latin titles do not quite correspond to their content. Therefore, I left the titles of the chapters, as they are listed immediately at the beginning of each of the four books, but in the book itself I replaced them, in my opinion, with more appropriate content. Sometimes, to clarify the meaning, I made insertions in, as is customary. In [square brackets], as a rule, I cite a Latin term if it does not fully correspond to the Russian word I have presented, or a short explanation; I have also inserted the section titles in square brackets to facilitate navigation through the book. The {curly braces} enclose the corresponding term from the German translation from the original if it does not match the Latin one.
2014-15-11
Ivan Harun (This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it.)
PICATRIX
fragments
(These fragments represent approximately 7% of the entire book; the fragments are arranged in the order in which they appear in the book.)
[PROLOGUE]
To the praise and glory of the Most High and Almighty God, who tends to reveal the secrets of the sciences to his chosen ones, as well as to the enlightenment of those versed in Latin, who lack the books of ancient philosophers - Alphonse, by the grace of God the Most Serene King of Spain and all Andalusia, commanded this book with all diligence and with all diligence to translate from Arabic into Spanish, whose name is Picatrix. The deed was done in the year of the Lord MCCLVI [1256], Alexander - MDLXVIII [1568], Caesar - MCCXCV [1295], and the Arabs - DCLV [655]. The sage and philosopher, the famous and venerable Picatrix, compiled this book from more than 200 books on philosophy, which he called by his own name …
This book is divided into four books, each of which is divided into its own parts. Namely: the first book deals with the nature of the sky and its action through the images that are in it. The second speaks in general about the figures of the sky and the movement of the eighth sphere, and about their actions on this world. In the third - about the properties of planets and signs, and their figures, and forms shown in their color, and how it is possible to speak with planetary spirits, and about many other black magic things. In the fourth - about the properties of spirits, and what must be observed in this art, and how to work with images and incense, as well as with others.
[PARKING OF THE MOON, AND WHAT THE TALISMANS ARE MADE IN THEM]
So the first station of the moon is called Alnath. And it starts from the first minute of Aries, and ends at 12 degrees 51 minutes and 26 seconds of the same sign. And the sages of India begin their travels and take medicine when the Moon is in this parking lot. The same parking lot must be used for the root in all images [talismans] that he intends to do for trips, so that they can safely go and return healthy. Should also be used as a root to sow discord and enmity between a husband and wife, and between two friends, so that they are enemies, and also to sow discord between two comrades; and act similarly when you wish the slave to flee. And I will reveal to you the root and foundation that must be observed in all good deeds and operations, namely, you must see that the Moon will be in a good position,and shielded from Saturn and Mars [ie. will not be in conjunction with them], and the burning of the Sun [ie. will not be near the Sun]; and the opposite in every evil deed, namely - when the Moon is in the burning of the Sun, and Saturn and Mars, or at least is in aspect with one of them …
[ABOUT FAVORABLE AND UNFAVORABLE RELATIONSHIP OF THE MOON AND THE PLANETS]
The sages of India took these 28 sites as the root in all their operations and elections. And this root is that in all good operations the Moon was shielded from Saturn and Mars, and aspects with them, and from the burning of the Sun; but would combine with good luck [ie with the planets bringing good luck - Jupiter and Venus] in favorable aspects, namely, in trine or sextile. And in all this, see that the Moon separates from one good fortune and joins with another good fortune. And in evil deeds, do the opposite …
[EXAMPLES OF PRODUCING LOOKS FOR DIFFERENT NEEDS]
An image for arousing love between two. Make two images [of the doll] during the ascent of the first person of Cancer, when Venus is in it, and the Moon is in the first person of Taurus and in the eleventh house. And when the images are done in this way, join them in an embrace with each other, and bury them in the ground at the place of residence of one of them. And they will love each other, and will have lasting love among themselves. And they call them figures of reciprocity [alteracionis], and Ptolemy said about them in the book "One hundred sayings", in the 33rd word. And we will talk about this in the fourth book of this work of ours; we will also explain there, if God wishes …
***
And I want to give an example that I found in a sage who pursued these sciences, who stayed in Egypt in the king's house, in which there was one young man who came from the Indian lands, who was taught a lot in this subject.
He told me that when he and this young man were talking, they heard the voice of a man groaning from the bite of a poisonous scorpion, as if he were dying. Hearing this, the young man pulled out from his purse a piece of cloth in which seals were wrapped, the smell of which strongly resembled incense. And he ordered one of them to be given to him to drink, and immediately he was healed, as he had said. And I, wanting to find out and check the reason, got up and took the seal from his hands, and gave it to drink, as I commanded; and immediately the voice and pains quieted down and was saved.
And I examined the seal; and there was the figure of a scorpion on it. And he himself asked how he imprinted it, and showed me a gold ring with a bezoar stone, which has the shape of a scorpion. And he asked him what this figure was, and what secret influences he had done. He replied that the figure was made when the Moon was in the 2nd person of Scorpio; and that was the secret and the power of this ring. This is what that sage told me. So, I made an image of this figure at the indicated hour, with which I imprinted both incense and some other imprint, and with them I performed miracles, which everyone marveled at …
[EXAMPLES OF MAKING AMULETS FOR DIFFERENT NEEDS]
The first one is for driving mice out of any place. Draw these figures on a red copper plate as the first person [decan] of Leo ascends, since the figures are associated with the fixed stars in the sign of Leo. And when you've done that, put this plate in the place with the mice; and all will flee from this place and will not return. And these figures are as follows:
[METALS AND MINERALS FOR PLANETS]
And first about Saturn. Saturn of metals has iron and partly gold, of stones - diamond and onyx [aliaza], galena [camaffes] and amber [azebehe], which is black and transparent, and turquoise [ferus], and magnetic iron ore [almagnicie], and partly red stones and golden marcasite [marchasita aurea] as well as hematite [sedina] …
[PERSONALIZED PLANETS]
The form of Saturn, according to the sage Beylus, is the form of an old man sitting directly on a throne. And this is its form. The form of Saturn, according to the sage Mercury, is the form of an erect man, raising his hands above his head, and holding a fish with them, and holding a lizard under his feet in the same way. And this is its shape …
[EXAMPLES OF MAKING AMULETS]
The image of Saturn for drinking plenty. If by products [ex operibus - apparently from the above materials] of Saturn you make the form of a man ascending to a high throne, and having a crimson linen cloth on his head, and in his hand a scythe, at the hour of Saturn, when he is in ascent, on a stone bezoar [feyrizech], then the power of this image will be such that the one who will carry it with him will [be able to] drink a lot and will die only in old age.
And if you want to put a feud between someone, then under the influence of Saturn, you will do these figures in his hour, when he is in ascent, on a diamond:
Here are the images specific to each planet.
And first about Saturn. You will make at the hour of Saturn, during the ascent of the third person of Aquarius, when he is there, an image for healing from a stone [ie kidney stones] and girlish pain, and to stop bleeding or women's menstruation …
[DECANS OF THE ZODIAC AND THEIR IMAGES]
Note that each of the twelve signs is divided into three equal parts, and each part is called a face …
The first face of Aries is Mars, and ascends in it, according to the opinion of the great sage in this science, the form of a black man, with a fierce and large body, having red eyes, and holding an ax in his hand, belted with a white cloth; and with great self-esteem. And this is the face of strength, arrogance, value and shamelessness. And this is its shape …
[DECANS OF THE ZODIAC AND THEIR AMULETS]
Let's start with Aries. And we say that his first face is Mars, and images are made in him, so that those for which these images are cast would always win in wars, litigations and disputes, and would never be defeated; it also makes images for depriving the cattle of milk and for spoiling its butter. The second face of Aries is to the Sun, and in it you make images for kings and masters, and to gain their love, and to ward off the harm they cause. Third person to Jupiter; in this person, images for employees, confidants, city judges and for prelates, and for the establishment of peace and goodwill between them, and also for bringing them to agreement when they are at odds …
[IMAGES OF ZODIAC SIGNS AND THEIR PROPERTIES]
Calf. Its form is intended for the liver and for all its diseases. And it is done in the first person from the first degree to the ninth. And may there not be Saturn in Pisces, and the Moon in Scorpio, and may Mars be straight [i.e. moving forward, not backward]; there is also a lot to change. It is done on the day and hour of the Sun; let the sun not be under the earth. And let it not be in the second person; some say that the second person is from bile diseases, and the third from tracheal diseases. And his shape is made in the shape of a bull: his tail is large, his mouth is small, his eyes are large. And made of red bronze [ere] …
[WHAT SHOULD BE THE PLANETS LOCATIONS FOR DIFFERENT MAGIC WORKS]
I say that the sage Ar-Razi [Alraze] compiled one book on magic, in which he gives the mutual arrangement of celestial bodies, which he verified, which is such.
In all magical operations that are associated with love, friendship, companionship and everything similar that we will do, we must observe that the Moon is in conjunction with Venus or is in aspect with it in the sign of Pisces, or that the Moon itself is in Pisces, being in aspect with Venus, which is in the sign of Taurus; and when we observe this arrangement in this way, we will miraculously achieve what we have planned and fulfill what we wish …
[THE PLANETS AND THEIR CORRESPONDENCE TO FORCES, SCIENCES, LANGUAGES, PARTS OF THE HUMAN BODY, RELIGIONS, FABRICS, ACTIVITIES, TASTS, LOCALS, STONES, METALS, PLANTS, SPECIES.]
And first, I'll tell you about Saturn. Saturn is the minera of the retentive force. And it is related to deep sciences, and to legal sciences, and to the search for the causes and roots of things, and their effects, and to the story of miracles, and to the knowledge of deep and secret properties. And among the adverbs [idiomatibus] has Hebrew and Chaldean; and among the outer members, the right ear, and among the inner members, the spleen, which is the mine of melancholy that connects all members to one another; and among the laws is Jewish; and among the fabrics are all black fabrics; and among the occupations is the cultivation of the land: plowing, digging, mining and processing minerals, and building; and among things of taste - with an unpleasant taste; and among the places are black mountains, muddy rivers, deep wells, gorges [fossatos] and desolate places; and among the stones are onyx and all the black stones;and among metals - lead, iron, and all that are black and fetid; and among the trees are elder, oak, zanthoxylum [carubias], palm, grapes; and among the herbs are caraway, rue, onion, and all plants that have thick [profunda] leaves; and among the spices - aloe, myrtle and the like, like castor oil and coloquint; and among the strong-smelling ones - wild cinnamon and styrax; and among animals, black camels, pigs, monkeys, bears, dogs and cats; and among the birds are all with long necks and a rough voice, like cranes, ostriches, bustards [dugam], crows; and all the animals that live underground, and all the animals are small, fat, and smelly. And among flowers it has all black and motley colors …and among the spices - aloe, myrtle and the like, like castor oil and coloquint; and among the strong-smelling ones - wild cinnamon and styrax; and among animals, black camels, pigs, monkeys, bears, dogs and cats; and among the birds are all with long necks and a rough voice, like cranes, ostriches, bustards [dugam], crows; and all the animals that dwell underground, and all the animals are small, fat and smelly. And among flowers it has all black and motley colors …and among the spices - aloe, myrtle and the like, like castor oil plant and coloquint; and among the strong-smelling ones - wild cinnamon and styrax; and among animals, black camels, pigs, monkeys, bears, dogs and cats; and among the birds are all with long necks and a rough voice, like cranes, ostriches, bustards [dugam], ravens; and all the animals that dwell underground, and all the animals are small, fat and smelly. And among flowers it has all black and motley colors …And among flowers it has all black and motley colors …And among flowers it has all black and motley colors …
[ZODIAC SIGNS AND THEIR CORRESPONDENCE TO PARTS OF THE HUMAN BODY, COLORS, FLAVORS, LOCATIONS, METALS, STONES, PLANTS AND ANIMALS]
And let's start with Aries first. Aries has among the members of the body a head, face, pupil of eyes and ears; and among the flowers - yellow mixed with red; and among tastes - bitter; and among places - sandy places, places of fire and places in which robbers gather; and among metals and minerals those who are treated with fire; and among animals - having hooves, which are covered with legs …
[INK RECIPES USED IN DRAWING MAGIC SIGNS]
Now let's talk about the colors [tinctura] {ink} of the planets. The paint of Saturn is like burnt wool, Jupiter is green {from the yar-copperhead}, Mars is red {from cinnabar}, …
[PERSONALIZED PLANETS]
So, the forms of the planets according to Mercury, in the book that he sent to King Alexander, and which he called the Book of the seven planets [Librum 7 planetarum] {The Book of Lamps and Banners}. And they are the following, and in this science are very necessary.
And the form of Saturn is the form of a black man, wrapped in a green robe, with the head of a dog, holding a sickle in his hand …
[THE COLOR OF THE CLOTHES IN WHICH THE MAG IS WEARING WHEN WORKING WITH THE PLANETARY SPIRITS]
Now about the color of fabrics, or clothes, planets.
The color of Saturn's robes is completely black, and best of all is completely woolen. …
[PLANETARY SMOKING]
Now let's talk about planets smoking.
Saturn's smoking is all offensive, like assa fetida, gum arabic, bdellium [wine-palm gum], cicuta and the like {ammoniac gum, castor oil, asafetida}; …
[INK ZODIAC SIGNS AND THEIR DECANS]
Now the colors of the faces of the signs follow in order.
Aries' first face paint is red and is done this way. Take gallarum viridium one part, gum arabic [gummi] and gold paint [auri pigmenti] {vitriol} - half each. Powdered separately; then all are mixed together. And when you want to write or draw something with this, it is diluted with egg white [in the original it is said that these ingredients are combined with the help of protein in the form of pills, which then solidify while in a vessel, and when the need arises for them, they are crushed and dissolve]. The second face is yellow and gold-colored, and is done in this way …
[EXAMPLE OF THE MAGIC SUBMISSION OF A MAN WITH THE HELP OF A WAX FIGURINE]
I saw in a book a certain sage entitled "Divisio scienciarum et panditor secretorum" [The division of sciences and the disclosure of secrets], in which it was written: Someone worthy of faith said to me, who met someone else from the land of Khorasan, who came from the land of the Hindus, and was engaged in this science, that when they talked with each other, they discussed some controversial issues concerning this science. He said so to prove it.
There was one girl in that land whom everyone considered beautiful. Said he would make her come to my house. I myself asked to fulfill this promise for me, and this is for two reasons: one - for love of science, the other - the use of a girl; and to do the said deed in my presence. And immediately he took out an astrolabe and found the elevation of the Sun, took the ascendant, and also installed twelve houses. I found Aries in the ascent, whose master is Mars, and found at 7 - Libra, whose master is Venus. I asked what was said. He replied that the ascendant and the seventh are auspicious [formales] in the petition you ask for. And comparing Mars and Venus, he put them on the map, saying that when they are in the aspect of the trine type, which is the aspect of love and friendship, then the plan will come true. Found,that this aspect between them will be exactly 40 days from now. He assured that after the said 40 days, from the day of the petition, he would really receive what was planned. And immediately he took a piece of the stone of the magnet [aymantis], crushed it thoroughly, and mixed it with the same amount of ammonia gum [gummi armoniaci, dried milky juice of the plant "gum-bearing dorema," was used in paganism as the incense of the god Amun]; and from this composition I made an image in my image. After that, he took the dried sycamore {leek} and, carefully chopping them, mixed with wax; then he made an image out of this mixture in the shape of that girl, and dressed it in a cloth similar to her clothes. Then he took one new jug, in which he put 7 sticks or twigs (namely: twigs of myrtle, willow, pomegranate, quince, mulberry [cotoniorum], sycamore and laurel), and put this inside the jug, namely 4 below and 3 above,in the form of a cross. Then he put in him an image made in my name; then he put the image of a girl in the named jug. And to do this, I looked out for when Venus was in opposition to Mars, and Mars turned out to be strengthened by good luck. He closed the jug and opened it every day at the hour at which he put all of the above. After 40 days, when the lord of the ascendant was in aspect to the 7th house with an aspect of the trine type, he opened it and put these images facing each other, i.e. face to face. After that he closed the jug, and commanded me to bury it under the hearth, in which there should be a moderate fire; and while digging in a little gravel, say one Indian word, a word that he interpreted and told me what we will tell later. So, having completed the work, as mentioned above, I took out and opened the jug, and pulled out an image from it. And immediately they saw the named girl,crossing the threshold of the house and remaining there for ten days. At the end of these ten days, the aforementioned activist told me: after your promise has been fulfilled, it would be better for this girl to be released and return her to her previous state. And, for her sake, he agreed. And, taking the two above-mentioned images, he put them back to where they were buried. And, taking the crushed sacred vitex mixed with wax, made a candle out of it, and burned it in the hearth. When it burned down, I extracted the images from the burial, separated them, throwing them in different directions, saying other words, which later explained to me. He did all this to show me his science. Having done this, they immediately saw how the memorable girl fainted and, as if deprived of feelings, got up from sleep. And so she spoke: what do you want to hear from me. And ran away from the house.
[THEORY OF EVALUATION OF PLANETARY SPIRITS]
The evocation [recepcio - perception] of the planetary spirit, according to the ancients, is as follows. First of all, you need to know the nature of the planet, with which, when invoking its forces and spirits, you want to work, and put the forces themselves into any figures or images you like, and the nature of things inherent to this planet itself, as described above, namely: colors, types of food, incense and smoking. Then pay careful attention to the fact that the color of the surface of the image's body is similar to the color of the chosen planet, as well as the smell - smell, and the color of the clothes of the image and the operator matches the color of the planet; and let the incense correspond to the incense of this planet. And let the inner body of the operator have the nature of this planet, namely, let it feed on the food of this chosen planet, and so that from this the body of the operator himself could acquire the proper temperament …
Then you will take a mineral corresponding to a given planet, from which you will cast one cross [hereinafter the text is absurd; the original is about making an "internally empty cross", but what is meant by this is impossible to understand from the German text; I can assume that you need to drill two holes in a piece of mineral (perpendicular to each other to make a cross), and then apply the image to the surface of the mineral; the fact is that in the future it will be necessary to plant this "cross" on the neck of the censer so that the smoke passes through it]; and you will do it with the right arrangement of the stars, and raise the cross with two feet …
When you make these figures in this way, then make one censer, which you will make of the same material as the cross, and in such a way that it is completely closed, except for its top, in which there will be a hole through which smoke can escape, and through no other smoke would come out …
After that, you will take incense of the same nature as that of the planet, which you will burn in the fire in that censer. After that, put the cross over the censer in this way …
And the sage said that there is no other way or way to connect incorporeal spirits with bodily spirits, except for the above; and this is the secret of this art. Whoever fulfills the above without error will be able to achieve whatever he wishes. And the sage Aaron said that he who knows his birth, only he can practice this science, the hour of joining his spirit and body with each other can recognize and, as a result, the planet that dominates in his birth, and so he knows the planet that realizes the combination of spirit and body in his creation. And if it is unsuccessful, it will make him unsuccessful; and if it is successful, then, on the contrary, it will make it successful.
[ABOUT THE FOUR SPIRITS OF FULL NATURE, THE RITUALS OF CALLING THEM]
This same science every wise man hides to the extent of his degree of this science, so that no one except philosophers could reveal. And they show all science and philosophical wisdom to their students, except for the deeds of the spirits of complete nature. The spirits of this complete nature are called by the following four names: Meegius, Betzahuech, Vacdez, Nufeneguediz {Tamagis, Bagdisawad, Wagdas, Nufanagadis}, and these four are the names of those spirits of the complete nature named above. And when these sages spoke of this complete nature, they called these four names, which denote the forces of complete nature.
… And take four jugs (and let each of them be one pound), one of which you fill with cow butter, the other with nut butter, the third with almond oil, and the fourth with sesame oil. Then take the other four jugs of the same size, which you will fill with wine. Then you make a mixture …
… And having called seven times, so begin to speak:
I appeal to you, spirits strong, mighty and above, for from you comes the knowledge of the wise and the mind of the reasonable, and your forces also fulfill the petitions of philosophers - answer me, and be with me, and combine with me your forces and your energies, and strengthen me with your knowledge, so that I may understand what I do not understand, and I recognize what I do not know, and what I do not see, then I will see; …
[WHAT TO ASK FROM WHAT PLANETS]
Now we will briefly repeat what petitions are in the jurisdiction of which planet.
Turn to Saturn in petitions requiring old people or noble people, city elders and rulers, hermits {devout}, farmers {landowners}, giving citizenship and inheritance {tax farmers and inheritance managers}, outstanding people {householders, lawyers}, farmers, builders, servants, thieves, fathers, grandfathers and great-grandfathers. And if you are in thoughtfulness and suffering, or in melancholy, or a serious illness, then in all of the above, or in any of the above, you will ask Saturn, and ask what is in the control of his nature, and then ask him what we will say more later, and you will help yourself in your petitions with Jupiter. And the root of all these petitions is that he did not ask for anything from any planet, except for what is in her power …
[WHAT IS WHAT PLANET MEANS]
And we start with Saturn as from the beginning. Saturn is cold and dry, and bad luck, damaging, the source of a bad and smelly smell, proud, a traitor, for when he promises something, he commits a betrayal. And its meanings: farmers, rivers that cultivate the land, and disputes, long and long roads, great and prolonged feuds, atrocities, wars and everything that is done under compulsion, works. Truthful words, hope, blackness, old age, construction, fear, big thoughts, anxiety, anger, betrayal, suffering, poverty, death, inheritance, orphans, ancient places, values, annoying speech, secret sciences, secret meanings and scientific depths, - all this means while it is in its direct movement. But when it backs down, it denotes failure, weakness or illness, prisons and everything evil in things; if it is in aspect with any other planet,that weakens it, and damages all the qualities of that planet. And if it backs down, and you ask for something from him, then with burden and sorrow and with great difficulty the petition will be fulfilled. And if he retreats in any of his dignity, then his evil influences will increase and increase; and if he has strength or dignity in his ascent, he will be more agreeable and submissive …
[RITUALS OF CALLING OUT THE SPIRITS OF THE PLANETS]
How is it possible to talk to Saturn. When you wish to speak with Saturn, and you want to ask something from him, you must wait until you reach a good position, of which the best is to be in Libra, which is his exaltation, then in Aquarius, which is his house of joy, finally in Capricorn, which is his second home. If in any of these three places you cannot find him, then put him in any of his terms, or triplex, and in any of the corners or east burning (the best of which is the corner of the middle of the sky), in its right movement and in the male quarter located in the east, as above. And beware of its damages and misfortunes, the worst of which is its Mars quadrant aspect; and may it not fall. And the root is (in which you should be especially careful) that the planet is in good position and quality,and removed from any failure, and when it is so, it will be like a man of good will and a generous heart, and a broad and spacious will, from whom you will not refuse anything. And when this planet is in its backward motion or falling from corners, it is like a person full of anger and ill will, who easily refuses.
And when you put Saturn in a good location, as described above, and wish to talk to him and pray to him, then you will dress in black cloth, i.e. all the clothes your body will be dressed in, as well as a black hat, like a doctor's; and you will wear black shoes. Then you go to a place intended for such a thing and remote from others, and humbly with a submissive will, in the likeness of the Jews, you will go, for Saturn was the master of their conjunction. And hold in your hand an iron ring, and take with you an iron censer, in which you will put burning coals, on which you will put a smoking mixture, the composition of which is as follows:
Take equal parts opium, actarag {styrax} (such a herb), saffron, laurel seeds, caraway [carui], wormwood {plantain, cardamom}, lanolin [succiditatis lanarum], coloquintide, head {skull} of black cat. The rubbed is rubbed, and you mix everything with the urine of a black goat; and you will make a wick [licinium] out of it.
And when you wish to act, put one of them on the burning coals in the censer, the rest in reserve; then turn your face to the part where Saturn will then be. And while the smoke rises from the censer, you will say the following prayer:
O Lord above, you bear a great name, you stand above the heavens of all the planets, you whom God has set as the highest and highest! You are the Lord Saturn, you are cold and dry, gloomy, benefactor, faithful in friendship, truthful in promises, reliable and lasting in friendship and enmity; your mind is far and deep; in his words and promises, faithful, in his deeds, one, lonely, far from others, with sadness and suffering, far from joy and gaiety; you are old, ancient, wise and of sound mind, a destroyer, you are a benefactor and a villain. Poor and unhappy is he who is made unlucky by your failures, and lucky is he who touches your successes. God has put energy and strength into you, and a spirit that does good and evil. I pray you, Father and Lord, by your great names and wonderful deeds, do me this and that.
And here you will utter your petition as you wish, and you will fall on your face to the ground, constantly keeping your face turned to Saturn, and with humility, sadness and meekness. And may your will be pure and strong in what you intend to ask, and you will repeat the above words many times. And you will do the above on his day and hour. And know that your request will be fulfilled.
There are other sages praying with other prayers and incense to Saturn, the composition of which is as follows:
Take equal parts of wormwood, berici seeds {not in the original}, juniper roots, nuts, old dates [dactilorum veterum], asparagus [cardinelle]. It is ground and mixed with strong wine, old (i.e. perennial). And pellets are made and stored until used.
And when you wish to act, you will do as you said above, and put this incense in the censer, facing Saturn. And while the smoke rises, you will say:
In the name of God and in the name of Ishbiil [Heylil] {Isbil}, the angel to whom God gave the powers and energies belonging to Saturn, performed in cold actions. You are in seventh heaven. And I call you with all your names, which are: in Arabic - Zohal [Zuhal] {Zuhal}, in Latin - Saturn, in Persian - Keevaan [Keyhven] {Kewan}, in Roman - Kronos [Koronez] {o Kronos}, in Greek - Kronos [Hacoronoz] {o Kronos}, in Indian - Samsara [Sacas] {Sanasara}; with all these names I call you and I call you. And I conjure you in the name of the highest God, who gave you energy and spirit so that he would hear me and accept my prayer for the sake of obedience, to which you obey God and his dominion, and so that he would do me this and that.
And here you will utter your petition, while the incense continues to be on the coals in the censer. And when you say the above once, you will fall on your face to the ground, turning to him in the way that corresponds to his nature [as was said above, i.e. with humility, sadness and meekness]. Repeat the above words many times, then make the following sacrifice: Decapitate the black goat, collect its blood and save it; and you will take out his liver, which you will burn all over in the fire and lay down the blood. And having done so, it will happen what you want …
[SPECIAL RITUALS TO THE SATURN AND THE SUN]
The Nabataean sages say that the energies and actions of the heavens and the stars are directly from the Sun, and therefore … And these pagans have a habit of making such a prayer to the Sun: …
The sages of the "Chaldean agriculture" [aka "Nabataean agriculture"] say that such [see. below] prayer pray to Saturn, but first make sure that this master is not descending in a circle, neither to the west of the Sun, nor under its rays, nor in the middle of his backward motion. But when they find him free and clean from all obstacles, they offer him the following prayer and smoking from old skins, fat, sweat, dead bats, mice, of which 14 bats were burned and also 14 mice were burned, and they took their ashes, and put him on the head of his image. And they threw themselves around the image over the stone or black sand. And by these actions they defended themselves from his intrigues and evil, for from him all kinds of evil, damage and grief come. He is the master of all poverty, misery, suffering, imprisonment, shame, sobbing; and denotes the above,when falling and defective. But when in good disposition and in its exaltation, it means purity, longevity, …
[PLANETARY SPIRITS OF PARTS OF THE WORLD]
The spirit of Saturn, called Barimas [Redimez] {Barimas}, is uniting all of its names, integral and separate, and its parts, which are under and above and inde [this nonsense means that the name Barimas is a consolidated name obtained by kabbalistic methods from others listed below six names associated with the cardinal points or climatic parts of the world], according to the opinion of Aristotle in the book, which he gave to Alexander, and which is called Estemequis, and in which it is explained how the planetary forces and their spirits should be attracted. But his names, according to the classification of this Aristotle, are as follows. The name of his spirit of height is called Tus [Toz] {Tus}, his spirit of the bottom - Harus [Corez] {Harus}, right - Kvayus [Deytyz] {Qajus}, left - Daryus [Deriuz] {Darjus}, front - Tamas [Talyz] {Tamas}, the backside is Darus [Daruz] {Darus}; and his movement in his sphere, and his progress in signs,and his movement in spirits - all this is combined in this name: Tahitus [Tahaytuc] {Tahitus}. And all these above names are combined in that first name - Barimas; and this name is, as it were, the root and genus of all the above names …
[CALLING THE PLANETARY SPIRITS OF PARTS OF THE WORLD]
Working with Jupiter. Whenever you wish to work with Jupiter, act on the day of Jupiter, when the Sun is in Sagittarius or in Pisces, while the Moon is in the head of Aries (which is the exaltation of the Sun). And you will prepare a clean and tidy house, decorated with curtains, curtains and the finest fabrics, so that the house is fit for the job. And take a tray with a mixture of honey, butter, nut butter and sugar in your hand, and make it all liquid and wet. After that, you will make a cream (i.e. pie) from flour, butter, milk, sugar and delicious saffron, and do as much as you can.
And at the head [in the corner] of this house you will put a large table on a strong tripod. And put in front of you a censer made of Jupiter's metal. And put on this table musk, camphor, aloe tree and other pleasant incense, and civet and the like, and one measure of mastic and cream that you prepared, and the mixture that you prepared, i.e. from wet and dry. And in the middle of the table you will put a large lighted candle, and behind this candle you will place four baskets with peeled pomegranates and boiled and fried meat of rams, chicken and pigeons, as well as trays filled with cabbage stumps. And at the head of each of the baskets you put a jug of wine and one transparent vessel. And put the sprigs of myrtle on the table. And when you have done all this, as above, then at the head of the table you burn mastic and a tree-like aloe, and put other incenses from mastic in the other heads [corners] of the house. And let no one be in this house except you alone. And you say:
Demeuz, Armez, Ceylez, Mahaz, Erdaz, Tamyz, Feruz, Dyndez, Afrayuz, Tayhaciedez {Dahamus, Armas, Hilis, Magas, Adris, Tamis, Farus, Dahidas, Afrawas, Kiaqiras}!
These are the names of the spirits of Jupiter in all six parts of his sky. The translation of the name Afriduz {Afrawas} and others that follow is: Come and enter, you are all spirits of Jupiter, and smell these smells, and eat these dishes, and what you want to do with them. And repeat this seven times. Then you will leave the house and stand quietly for a while. Then you will enter the house, performing the above prayer. And if you do it five times, on the sixth, when you return to the house and perform this prayer, as they said, then the spirits of a beautiful appearance and dressed in decorated clothes will come and they will accept your request and in some way fulfill the request, and help you in the sciences and understanding, and overshadow you and cover you with their spiritual strength. Having fulfilled all this according to the order, you will call your friends and comrades, and eat the food prepared earlier, and drink the wine, and smell the incense, and smoke all of you with all those incenses. And this is the planetary prayer that the Roman sages performed every year, and especially to Jupiter …
[MAKING MAGIC AMULETS]
Aristotle, in the above-mentioned book on estemequis, which he compiled for Tsar Alexander, gives methods of making four stones, which have the powers and influences of spirits. Of which the first is called Rayetanz {al-Damatis amulet} …
This stone is red, and its recipe is as follows. Take 2 ounce ruby {1 calico}; grind to homogeneity with half a drachma {1 danak} of diamond, crushed lead and magnesia in 1 ounce {2 danak}, sulfur half an ounce {2 danak} and gold 2 ounce {1 mitcal}. And all of the above is mixed in a crucible and put on a weak fire, which gradually intensifies, until all of the above is fused, so that ruby will melt by the power of diamond, and diamond by the power of magnesia, and magnesia by the power of sulfur. And when everything is well fused, take the crucible out of the fire and let it cool. And you will find one body, completely homogeneous, dull in color; and get it.
And then take the brain of a lion, the fat of a leopard, the blood of a wolf - all equally. Melt the bacon and mix it with the brain; then you pour blood on it, and it will take an ashen color. But look, do not touch it either with your hands or with your clothes, and you should turn away from its smell, for it is a deadly poison in all its qualities from a special form in the opinion of Cetratis [Cetratis] in a dream {this is the same poison called Guitaratis }. When it calms down, take it off.
And then take oripigment [azernec, croci (saffron)], yellow sulfur and red {red lead} - 10 ounces {each weighing 5 calories}. It is crushed and cleaned and poured onto the aforementioned poison. And immediately its toxicity is destroyed, and everything liquefies. And when all this becomes liquid and homogeneous, it is placed in a jug or in a small vessel, which is smeared over aurifabrorum with earth {clay of wisdom}; and put on low heat. When everything becomes liquid, like wax, it is removed from the fire and left to cool. Then you will melt the first body, with which the spirits will gradually unite, until everything mixes with it and unites with itself. Having done this, take it out of the fire and let it cool. And from this, with the help of a diamond cutter, you will make rounds of the desired size, for this is what Aristotle said to Alexander: O, Alexander, know that this is a body,conquering all miracles …
[DIFFERENT MAGIC RECIPES]
I found such medicines in the books of sages on this art, which the mentioned Kanis does not have at all.
And the first is how to bind tongues so that they do not speak evil about you. So, when you want to bind tongues so that evil does not speak, prepare the following medicine: Take the tongues of all the following: crow, eagle, water snake [colubre aquatice], white dove, white rooster and hoopoe. And interpret all the above languages and bring them to a homogeneous mixture. Then take one grain of pearls, gold, silver, camphor, borax, aloe - half an ounce each. Mix all this and mix together, and add the aforementioned powder, and mix it all with honey. Then put it in a white silk cloth. Then take two pilos oculorum of a hawk, two ciliary hairs of a peacock, a hoopoe liver, a cock's liver, two pigeon wing bones, and two hoopoe wing bones. All these are interpreted, and mix with milk, and put in the above silk cloth to that mixture. Then you will make an image [i.e. a doll] of white wax, which you will call your name, and on its head write your name and the figure of the Sun; and in the same way on her chest write your name and the figure of the moon. Then wrap this image in another piece of white silk, wrap it up, put it in the middle of the above mixture, and tie everything with a silk thread. And whoever carries this image with him will see miracles, and no one will speak evil about him, and everyone will be loved and respected. And whoever carries this image with him will see miracles, and no one will speak evil about him, and everyone will be loved and respected. And whoever carries this image with him will see miracles, and no one will speak evil about him, and everyone will be loved and respected.
Here are four incenses that are made for enmity, division, and devastation. The first of them: Take the blood of a black cat, the brain of a red dog, and the blood of a fox - equally. Everything is mixed, and to this is added St. John's wort, sacred vitex - 2 ounces each. And whomever you want, smoke them …
To take the form of any animal. Take the head of the animal you want and its fat, scialtam nuts, as much as you need. And filled with oil in a pot; and put on a slow fire for day and night, until all that oil runs out [evaporates]. And when it cools down, it is carefully filtered. If you turn on the light from it and smear it on someone's face, then it will take the form of that animal. And this can be done with the heads of different animals, and accordingly it will seem like different animals …
[RITUALS OF INVOKING THE SPIRITS OF THE MOON IN THE TWELVE ZODIAC SIGNS]
How can you talk with the spirits of the moon, and first of all, when you are in Aries.
When you want to attract the power and energy of the Moon, when you are in the sign of Aries, at the hour when it fully rises, for this is better and more useful for your petition, and at that very hour you will put on a crown and go to the plain green [ie covered with vegetation] and a body of water, near a river or stream. And take with you a rooster with a severed comb, which you will cut off with the bone of another, but in no case touch it with an iron. And turn your face to the Moon, for this is a very great secret for them. And you will put in front of you two iron censer, filled with burning coals, into which you will gradually throw granules of incense until smoke begins to rise from them. Then you get up in the middle of the censer and, looking at the moon, say:
You, the Moon, bright, respectable, beautiful, breaking the darkness with your light, rising with your ascent and filling the entire horizon with your light and beauty. I come to you humbly, asking for rewards, praying so humbly. (Ask your petition here.)
Then you will step forward ten steps, constantly looking at the moon, again saying the above words. And place one of the censes in front of you, into which you throw 4 ounces of styrax. Next, you will burn your victim [i.e. rooster], and draw these figures on a leaf of hemp with the ashes of the victim with a little saffron:
Picatrix
And you will burn this leaf in the fire. And as soon as the smoke rises, opposite you will see the figure of a pretty and exquisitely dressed man standing near the censer, to whom you will turn with your petition; and it will be fulfilled by them. When after that you want to ask him for something else, you will repeat the above-described ritual [opus], and the above-mentioned figure will appear to you, answering questions …
[RITUALS OF THE SPIRITS OF THE SEVEN PLANETS]
And let's start with Saturn. When you want to work through Saturn, fast 7 days, starting from the day of the Lord [from Sunday]; on the 7th day, i.e. sabbath day, you will decapitate the black crow, and say:
In the name of Anzil [Anzil] {Ashbiil}! reclining with Saturn. You, Anzil, the angel of Saturn! I conjure you as the lord of the highest firmament, so that you fulfill my request and my desire.
Then work with calcitarat [tracing] for whatever you want. The figures of Saturn are as follows:
[PLANETARY SMOKING RECIPES]
Smoking Saturn. Take 100 ounces each of Mandrake Fruit, Dried Olive Leaves, 10 ounces each of Black Cherry Cherry [mirobalanorum] Seeds, 10 ounces each of Dried Black Crow Brains, 30 ounces of Crane Brains, Dried Pig Blood, and Monkey Blood 40 ounces each. - interpret everything well and mix together. And you will make half an inch balls out of it; and while doing this, work with the spiritual energy of Saturn, i.e. with the one mentioned in the 6th chapter of the 3rd book of this work. Then seal them and store them until you use them …
[RECIPES FOR PREPARATION AND APPLICATION OF MAGIC OINTS AND DRINKS]
A potion of this kind, which is from the spirit of Saturn, is prepared like this. Take 40 ounces of lard, bear lard, 20 ounces of red pepper, lupine seeds, 10 ounces of cherry plum seeds, and 30 ounces of dried elephant blood. Pound everything well and mix together; and you will do everything in the order as mentioned above. And while preparing this, attract spiritual and heavenly power to this, i.e. say a prayer to the angel Saturn as said in this book. The same drug was shown [used] for the sake of the spirit, so that they would not hear people, but obey the operator …
The next ointment was found in the book of the sages, which is called the sun ointment; and her strength is to receive mercy, honor, promotion and love of kings, soldiers and nobles. Take glass jar [fialam]; and put the best and purest rose oil in it. On the day of Mars, you will stand on your feet facing the Sun when the Sun is in the sign of Aries or Leo and is in the degree of ascendant [ascendant], and the Moon is in a friendly aspect with him; then you take the named vessel with your right hand, and, turning your face to the Sun, you say:
May God save you, O planet, full of its light and kindness! Oh, how beautiful and kind in her source and adorned in her spirit! …
I conjure you, Lord, Beibilion, Celuberon [Behibilyon, Celyuberon] {Salubarun}, who is in the fifth heaven, so that they open their hearts and their tongues so that they could not speak evil about me, and so that they could not find it in in words, not in deeds; and impose this connection now and forever …
I conjure you with a name that gives life to love and friendship, and which connects and unites the hearts of those who love, instill in all their hearts a lasting love and favor for me, now and forever. Amen.
You will say this prayer twelve times, observing the aforementioned conditions. Then, carefully store this oil. When you want to appear before the king, lord or nobleman, you will smear this oil on your face; and present yourself to whoever you want, and you will see miracles associated with a friendly attitude towards you. This case, like the previous ones, was found written in the books of the Indians; and this work is constantly being done in all their affairs …
[DIFFERENT MAGIC RECIPES, RITUALS, MAGIC PROPERTIES OF PLANTS, ETC. TAKEN FROM THE BOOK "NABATEAN FARMING"]
For the lover to forget about the beloved. Take beans when the moon is in any of the houses of Saturn, which you put in wine to soak for day and night; then let them cook in this wine. And when they cook, they are given food to the lover; and forget about her beloved …
[ABOUT THE MAGIC PROPERTIES OF VARIOUS STONES, PLANTS AND ANIMALS]
In the same part, we will talk about the amazing properties of simple things, like trees, animals, and minerals. And let's start with the emerald stone, which, when a viper with a head like an eel looks at it, will instantly blind the eyes. In addition, when snakes suffer from eyes, they turn their eyes to fennel; and immediately they are healed …
[DIFFERENT MAGIC RECIPES]
For visual acuity. You will make a crown from the twigs of one tree called the catlam, which I think is the goboram, and place it on your head; and as long as you hold it on your head, your vision will become so strong that you will be able to see the smallest in the distance. When you take it off your head, your vision will return to its previous level. If you smear the sap of the leaves of this tree mixed with wine vinegar, then the leprosy [morphea] will be cured in a moment.
In order not to get drunk. You will make a vessel out of brass [latone], as thin as you can. Then take wine vinegar, cabbage juice and cupyr juice distilled using a distillation apparatus - equal parts; and mix everything together. Having done this, squeeze the aforementioned vessel in the aforementioned mixture so many times until one pound is drunk from it [so! in the original there is a lacuna, but it speaks of heating; the point is to boil this bowl in this liquid]; then remove this vessel. When you want to drink, grease this vessel with bitter almond oil, and drink from it as much as you like; and you won't get drunk at all.
So that the woman does not become pregnant. You will make an image of a monkey out of copper, and drilled its back, which [ie hole] fill with scammon. And when you want to lie with a woman, tie this image to your shins; and the woman will not get pregnant …
[STATIONS OF THE MOON, RELATED IMAGES, SPELLS AND THE NAMES OF THEIR SPIRITS]
Here are the twenty-eight stations of the moon, according to Pliny.
The first is for destruction and devastation, and this site is called Alnath. When the Moon passes through this station, you will make the image of a black man, dressed in a hair shirt and girded, and standing upright on his feet, and having a dart in his right hand, like those fighting. And insert this image into an iron ring; and fumigate with liquid styrax. And make them a seal on black wax, thus saying: You, Geriz, kill such and such a son of such and such a woman quickly and abruptly; and destroy it. Observing all this, it will be what you desire. But know that Heriz is the name of the owner of this camp …
[PRAYERS TO THE PLANETS]
Prayer of Saturn. Quermiex, Tos, Herus, Quemis, Dius, Tamines, Tahytos, Macader, Quehinen; Saturn! Come now with your perfume …
This ends the book of Picatrix, the sage in mathematics.
Preface and translation excerpts © Ivan Kharun
