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Abramelin oil

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Abramelin oil, also called Oil of Abramelin, is a ceremonial magical oil blended from aromatic plant materials. Its name came about due to its having been described in a grimoire called The Book of the Sacred Magic of Abramelin the Mage -- but the recipe is apparently adapted from the Jewish Holy Oil of the Tanakh, which is described in the Book of Exodus. There is quite a bit of controversy concerning one of the ingredients, due to translation issues surrounding the French text of the book, the English translation by S. L. McGregor Mathers, and the Hebrew scripture from which the recipe presumably derived.

The ingredients

According to the S.L. MacGregor Mathers translation, the recipe is as follows:

You shall prepare the sacred oil in this manner: Take of myrrh in tears, one part; of fine cinnamon, two parts; of galangal half a part; and the half of the total weight of these drugs of the best oil olive. The which aromatics you shall mix together according unto the art of the apothecary, and shall make thereof a balsam, the which you shall keep in a glass vial which you shall put within the cupboard (formed by the interior) of the altar.

Those familiar with the recipe for Jewish Holy oil will at once recognize the derivation of this formula, right down to the catch phrase "according unto the art of the apothecary." Here is the recipe for Jewish Holy Oil from the Bible:

Take thou also unto thee principal spices, of pure myrrh five hundred , and of sweet cinnamon half so much, two hundred and fifty , and of sweet calamus two hundred and fifty , And of cassia five hundred , after the shekel of the sanctuary, and of oil olive an hin: And thou shalt make it an oil of holy ointment, an ointment compounded after the art of the apothecary: it shall be an holy anointing oil.

The Bible lists five ingredients: Myrrh, Cinnamon, Cassia, Calamus, and Olive oil.

The four ingedients listed by Mathers in his translation of The Book of the Sacred Magic of Abramelin the Mage are Myrrh, Cinnamon, Galangal, and Olive oil.

Since Cinnamon and Cassia are two species of the same 'Cinnamomum' genus, their doubling up into one name by the author of the Abramelin formula is not unexpected, but Mathers' substitution of "Galangal" for "Calamus" seems to be a poor translation on his part; the word that he translated from the French is actually the word "Calamus." This mistake on his part was to have repercussions in the works of later occultists, especially Anglophones.

Macerated Abramelin Oil

Those who make Abramelin according to the English translation of Mathers' book compound their Abramelin oil from raw ingredients. They use the ratio given in the book:

  • 4 parts Cinnamon bark quills, reduced to powder
  • 2 parts Myrrh resin, finely ground
  • 1 part Galangal sliced root, reduced to powder
  • half of the foregoing total weight Olive oil

This mixture is macerated for one month, then decanted and bottled for use. The result is a fragranced oil suitable for anointing any portion of the body, and it 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. It is not, however, made "according unto the art of the apothecary", for it is not distilled after the maceration, merely decanted into bottles.

Those who hold that Mathers grossly mistranslated the text make a macerated version of Abramelin oil as follows:

  • 4 parts Cinnamon bark quills, reduced to powder
  • 2 parts Myrrh resin, finely ground
  • 1 part Calamus chopped root, reduced to powder
  • half of the foregoing total weight Olive oil

Again the mixture is macerated for one month, then decanted and bottled for use, producing a fragranced oil suitable for anointing any portion of the body, that will not burn the skin.

Abramelin Oil recipe made with essential oils

Early in the 20th century, the occultist Aleister Crowley created his own version of the Abramelin oil using the Mathers translation and a preparation method that consisted of pouring together distilled essential oils, plus a neutral oil to dilute the essentials. His recipe reads as follows:

Because essential oils vary only minimally in weight from olive oil, the amount of Olive oil is approximately 3.5 parts, giving a non-fractionated formula ratio of 8:4:2:1:7.

Cinnamon essential oil, the dominant ingredient in Crowley's version of the formula, is highly irritating to the skin, and Crowley apparently realized that his version of the recipe would cause pain to the wearer, for he wrote in Book 4, Ch.5 that "when placed upon the skin it should burn." His version of Abramelin Oil cannot be poured upon the body after the manner of Jewish spiritual practice. The reason it is overly strong is obvious: the maker is using pre-distilled oils, not macerating herbal materials in oil and distilling the result.

Those wishing to make a version of Abramelin oil with essential oils, but in the proper form, with Calamus, can use this formula:

However, in recognition of the fact that ancient perfumers and apothecaries did not compound their fragrances by mixing essential oils in such large ratio with respect to carrier oils because the original formula was to be distilled after maceration, not before, it is sensible to restore the proportions to something like what they would have been if maceration and distillation had occurred "according to the art of the apothecary":

This is a highly fragranced oil that may be applied to the skin.

Doubly-consecrated Abramelin Oil recipe

Some followers of Aleister Crowley add 1 part of a previously consecrated batch of their own version of Abramelin oil to each new batch they make according to the Crowley formula. This is done for magical reasons and does not change the proportions of the ingredients.

Symbolism of the ingredients

Many traditions of magic work with plant materials, and most also assign some symbolic meanings or ascriptions to these ingredients. In the Jewish tradition, from whence came the original recipe upon which Abramelin Oil is based, the Olive is a symbol of domestic felicity and stability, Myrrh (which contains opioids) is sacred to the Lord, Calamus is known for its sweetness, and Cinnamon is favoured for its warming ability.

In hoodoo folk magic, these symbolisms are somewhat changed: Myrrh and Olive remain the same, but Cinnamon is for money and luck, and Calamus is used to sweetly control others. (Its Matherian alternative, Galangal, is employed in protective work, especially that involving court cases.)

Crowley also had a symbolic view of the ingredients, for in Book 4 (Ch. 5), he wrote:

"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."

Abramelin Oil in occult tradition

The popularity of Abramelin Oil rests on the importance magicians place upon The Book of the Sacred Magic of Abramelin the Mage. The oil is highly esteemed by those who wish to follow the course of ritual activities outlined in the book by Abramelin the Mage in order to obtain the outcomes he promised those who successfully applied his system of "Divine Science" and "True Magic", namely, the gifts of flight, treasure-finding, and invisibility, as well as the power to cast effective love spells.

Abramelin Oil and Thelema

Abramelin oil was also seen as highly important by Aleister Crowley, the founder of the religion of Thelema, and he used it throughout his life. In Crowley's mystical system, the oil came to symbolize the aspiration to what he called the Great Work—"The oil consecrates everything that is touched with it; it is his aspiration; all acts performed in accordance with that are holy."

Crowley went on to say, in Book 4, Ch.5:

"The Holy Oil is the Aspiration of the Magician; it is that which consecrates him to the performance of the Great Work; and such is its efficacy that it also consecrates all the furniture of the Temple and the instruments thereof. It is also the grace or chrism; for this aspiration is not ambition; it is a quality bestowed from above. For this reason the Magician will anoint first the top of his head before proceeding to consecrate the lower centres in their turn."
"This oil is of a pure golden colour; and when placed upon the skin it should burn and thrill through the body with an intensity as of fire. It is the pure light translated into terms of desire. It is not the Will of the Magician, the desire of the lower to reach the higher; but it is that spark of the higher in the Magician which wishes to unite the lower with itself."

This oil is currently used in several ceremonies of the Thelemic Ecclesia Gnostica Catholica, including the rites of Baptism, Confirmation, and Ordination. It is also commonly used to consecrate magical implements and temple furniture. The eucharistic host of the Gnostic Mass—called the Cake of Light—includes this oil as an important ingredient.

References

  • Abramelin the Mage The Book of the Sacred Magic of Abramelin the Mage Aquarian, 1976. ISBN 0850302552
  • Crowley, Aleister. Magick: Book 4. 2nd ed. York Beach, Me. : S. Weiser, 1997.

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