5 Best Egyptian Magic Books
Egypt was previously known as Al-Kami (Black Land, Land of Transformation) and it’s where the word alchemy comes from. In fact, alchemy, Hermeticism and almost all Western esoteric and occult tradition can be traced to this magical land of the pyramids, high priests and pharaos that has captivated our imaginations for centuries.
Even the Greek philosophers like Pithagoras, Plato and Aristotle to whom the academics sing praises when it suits them considered Egypt as the real cradle of wisdom and knowledge, not Greece.
So dear reader, your interest in Egyptian magic is well placed. Egyptian magic is still as relevant today as it was back in the ancient times.
Luckily, there have been many efforts of preserving this knowledge by Western occultists, while many original texts have also been discovered after the decipherement of the hieroglpyhics during the last two centuries. Texts that shed further light on this highly interesting and enlightening topic.
If you want to learn the theory as well as the practical application of Egyptian magic, these ten books are arguably the best gateway into the subject matter:
1. Ancient Egyptian Magic
Many ceremonies and spells are listed and well-explained. The magical instructions are based on original magical texts found in the ancient papyri such as The Leyden Papyrus, Egyptian Book of the Dead and others. Some things that I personally enjoyed reading about and found useful include:
- Invocations for Egyptian gods and spirits
- How to facilitate dream visions
- Shape-shifting into god forms
- Creating magical tools and clothing
So if you’re just starting out and need an in-depth but beginner friendly overview that covers pretty much the entire Egyptian magical tradition definitely give this Eleanor L. Harris book a go.
2. Techniques of Graeco-Egyptian Magic
In this highly respected book, Dr. Stephen Skinner explains not only the Egyptian magic from the time of the Pharaos, but also of this new, multi-cultural development making it an interesting book from a magical and historical perspective.
If you’re interested primarily in the practical side of magic, there is also plenty of revealed knowledge, including:
- Attracting love, health, and foresight
- Bowl and lamp skrying
- Sending of dreams
- Mystery rites for fellowship with the gods
So I highly recommend this book not only for learning about Egyptian magic, but also for learning about this intermediary and transformational period of Egypt’s history, which greatly affected the esoteric and magical developments in Ancient Rome, Medieval period, Rennaisance and essentially to this very day.
It’s also interesting how the multicultural impact of Alexander’s victories created a world similar to our own. For example, nowadays we have greater access to world cultures, so it’s very common for us moderners to borrow knowledge and techinques from various traditions. The same thing was happening back in the day, so Graeco-Egyptian magic is somewhat similar to modern Chaos Magick.
3. The Book of Gates: A Magical Translation
The Book of Gates is a marvelous discovery, very similar to The Book of the Dead in its importance. However, unlike the Book of the Dead, this one provides magical guidance for the living as well.
Keep in mind that hieroglypics and other illustrations on tomb walls and royal sarcophagi were the way this knowledge was preserved. So this book contains amazing photographs from the tomb walls and reproductions from an artist specialized in magical themes Stuart Littlejohn.
So this book is not only a great source of information, it’s visually stunning as well. Overall, it’s good to mix original sources such as this book along with modern works. That’s been my approach to magic for some time and it helps in getting into the mindset of a particular culture of magicians more effectively.
For example, while one could read a book about The Key of Solomon and understand it in theory, it’s also very helpful to read The Key of Solomon to get the feel for the manuscript. The same logic applies to The Book of Gates as well.
4. Heka: The Practices of Ancient Egyptian Ritual and Magic
But it’s not exactly an academic work. Some of the information is hear-say, so you have to trust the author and use your intuition. This is what got some people dissapointed as they expected footnotes on everything but ended up with a more amateurishly edited work.
However, Heka is heck of an interesting system of magic and I loved reading this book. It was just very fun and I found many of the techniques useful in my own rituals. Here is a list of subjects covered in this book:
- What is Heka?
- Ancient Egyptian Worldviews
- The Gods and Goddesses of Magic
- Symbolism
- Colours & Sacred Numbers
- The Tools Used
- Sacred Words & Gestures
- Statues & Masks
- Crystals & Other Materials used in Heka
- Incenses & Perfumes
- Food & Wine used in Offerings & at Feasts
- The Ancient Egyptian Magical Calendar
- Purification, Sacred Space & Rituals
So if these topis interest you, you will be very happy with the book. Just don’t expect the academic style and take some of the information with a grain of salt. Come to think of it, that’s good advice for any book about magic!
5. Necrominon: Egyptian Sethanic Magick
Every culture has a Right Hand and Left Hand path. In the Judeo-Christian culture, the LHP would be Satanism, Qliphoth pathworking and black magic in general. In Egypt, the god Seth was the greatest nemesis of Horus, Osiris and other gods of the light side.
So if you want to learn about the dark side of Egyptian magick, this book is highly entertaining and informative. You will also learn how to practice this magic on your own or integrate its principles within your own magical system.
So I hope this information helps you. Start with the books you are most drawn to, and hopefully include the course into the mix to speed up and spice up your learning process. If you accomplish this, I’m confident that you will become a more powerful magician at the end of this journey!
