Using Egyptian pharaonic magic provided a number of benefits and advantages to both the royalty as well as the ordinary people. Just like any other ancient civilizations, Egypt sternly believed in practicing magic and controlling all those invisible forces that surrounded them. In fact, ancient Egyptians were the complete masters in the art and they made it a point to use it in their daily life along with the usual religious and sacred procedures. Egyptian literature abounds with a number of texts and scriptures that provide graphical accounts of how the principles of magic will help society in general and people in particular.
Past and present records show that Egyptians spent a quite a lot of time to perfect the art of magic and sorcery. There are definite records that mention amulets as objects to fight diseases and pests. Egyptians also used several types of verses, prayers, hymns, utterances and names to bring good fortunes to people and the royalty. Scientifically designed calendars became the precious tools to find out good days and bad days to refer whenever an important function approached.
Resorting to Heavenly Magic
Everyone in ancient Egypt made it a point to resort to heavenly magic, from the great pharaohs guarding and protecting the country and people with a number of magical rituals and spells. There were instances when the expecting mothers used to wear different types of amulets to protect herself and her unborn child from evil spirits.
Egyptian old world magic also exerted a remarkable influence all over the world; over a period of more than 1500 years, several ancient civilizations like Greek, Roman, Indian and Mexico picked up the basic aspects of Egyptian witchcraft. Egyptian magic also had a close relation with the deceased souls of royalty, as Egyptians sternly believed in the resurrection of souls in another far-away life. Thus, the burial chambers of great kings, their treasures and other valuable treasures needed a foolproof security from marauders and thieves. In fact, the magic rituals conducted for dead pharaohs and royal harems were the most effective and dangerous in their nature. Several types of amulets put on the dead mummies, provided them the needed security and safety from invaders. Scarabs and protective rings found their way on the bodies of mummies to encircle the dead body with a ring of defense.
The Importance of Words and Utterances
Words and utterances have their special meanings in Egyptian witchcraft, as it was the de-facto standard for every temple priest to carry on with the legacy of magic. Ancient Egyptian magic also provided a number of benefits and advantages as people felt reassured and comfortable with the protection and security provided by seasoned and experienced priests and magicians. Magic also provided several necessitate life such as:
- Help people and their families from evil spells unleashed by enemies of the family,
- Help the royal court to stop or prevent destructive forces of nature like hurricane, storm, earthquake and floods,
- To help people travel through remote and inhospitable desert and forest landscape, by driving away beasts, wild animals, ghosts, evil spirits, crocodiles and wild snakes.
- To help protect the royal tombs and deceased kings from snakes, scorpions and other wild creatures, and powerful amulets and talisman lying by the side of deceased bodies created a protective ring around the tomb.
- Expert magicians chanted and recited magical hymns while a pregnant woman gave birth to her baby, while herbal drugs and medicines helped her recuperate from the rigors of the labor.
- Egyptian witchcraft helped people fight evil dead and unsatisfied spirits leaving their tombs. There was a stern belief among innocent people that these runaway spirits brought serious diseases and illnesses.
- Amulets were the most favored protective tools used by almost everyone throughout the country; amulets came in several forms, materials and shapes and with a variety of special spells and hymns.
- Consulting fortunetellers and magicians solved almost all critical problems, while an experienced fortuneteller commanded a considerable influence among the members of the royalty.
- Fortunetellers also acted as special judicial officers to settle or arbitrate disputes and family feuds. In fact, people used to respect their rulings and judgments as binding and final.
- Most of the lengthy amulets contained detailed inscriptions and mysterious text writings for assured protection from disasters and emergencies.
Legendary stories and anecdotes provide us invaluable clues on how temple priests cast their beneficial spells on the entire royal palace to provide foolproof protection from evil forces, criminals, invaders and marauders. The great pharaohs of ancient Egypt trusted their priests with their heart, and their care and hospitality for them extended beyond ordinary king-servant relationship.
According to a set of papyrus found in the archives, the Egyptians also practiced the interpretation and inference of dreams, by using the psyche of the dreamer and interpreting what he or she sees in his or her dreams.
Khufu and the Magicians is an ancient tale of Egyptian witchcraft and this wonderful and stunning account of Egyptian witchcraft provides us graphical details how and to what extent ancient Egyptians used magic. This tale appears in the Westcar Papyrus (Second Intermediate Period – around 1500 BC), preserved in the Berlin Museum. In one of the stories, there is a superb account of how the priest and magician, Djadjaemankh helps the great Pharaoh Sneferu, in recovering a piece of ornament from the river bed, by piling up half the water of the lake up on top of the other.