Related: religion
Sacred-Texts.com/gno/gar/gar44.htm:
"'
The most famous spell of all, ABRACADABRA, is first mentioned by Serenus Sammonicus, the most learned Roman of his times, and physician to Caracalla, to whom he dedicated his poetical 'Guide to Health,' entitled 'De Medicina præcepta saluberrima.' This work, remarks Spartian, was the favourite study of the unfortunate Cæsar, Geta, for attachment to whose cause this true son of Apollo was afterwards put to death by the imperial fratricide. Severus Alexander also, "who had known and loved Serenus," greatly admired his poetry, putting him on a level with Horace, as Lampridius’ expressions seem to intimate. This high authority orders the word to be written out in the form of an inverted cone, and declares it of virtue against all diseases.
"Thou shalt on paper write the spell divine,
Abracadabra called, in many a line;
Each under each in even order place,
But the last letter in each line efface.
As by degrees the elements grow few
Still take away, but fix the residue,
Till at the last one letter stands alone
And the whole dwindles to a tapering cone.
Tie this about the neck with flaxen string;
Mighty the good ’twill to the patient bring.
Its wondrous potency shall guard his head--
And drive disease and death far from his bed."
The belief in the virtue of this recipe flourished through the Middle Ages. It seems alluded to in the 'Dialogue on Masonry,' ascribed by Leland to Henry VI.; for amongst "the things that Masons conceal" is "the winnynge of the facultye of Abrac": perhaps signifying the possession of this mystical arrangement of letters: unless, indeed, one chooses to suspect in this "facultye" a deeper sense, some traditionary knowledge of the ancient Abraxas religion. Again, De Foe mentions how people commonly wore the word written in the manner above prescribed, as a safeguard against infection during the Great Plague of London.
As for the etymology of the word, the most satisfactory yet offered is the compound of the Hebrew Ha-Brachah, "blessing," and Dobara, "speak"; meaning the "Blessing of the Mystic Name"--that is, utter the Tetragrammaton, invoke the Holy Name of Jehovah, itself the mightiest of charms. *
It is very remarkable, considering its high repute, that no Gnostic stone bearing such an inscription should be known to exist. On the other hand that normal address to Iao, ΑΒΛΑΝΘΑΑΛΒΑ, "Thou art our Father!" is so found on talismanic jaspers arranged in the exact pattern recommended by Serenus for the paper spell, and probably so done in compliance with his directions. One is strongly tempted to discover in this same Ha-Brachah the real origin of the equally famous title "Abraxas." The Greek letters, constantly in use for numerals, at once presented their numeric value in every word to the practised eye of the Kabalist.
'"
A B R A C A D A B R A
A B R A C A D A B R
A B R A C A D A B
A B R A C A D A
A B R A C A D
A B R A C A
A B R A C
A B R A
A B R
A B
A
Money and gold are riches we are told.
But treasure from ground can be found-
For ears which hear and eyes that see.
Is it a bird in a cage, a vial of oil?
Key in a bucket, or sack of holy seed?
Magic includes:
The wonders of nature (god) that we don't yet understand.
Human constructs such as religion, symbols, hypnotism, scripture.
Sex is magical in many ways.
A "magic number" in computer terminology is usually a few bytes at the beginning of a stream that identifies the 'type' of that file.
WebMagick.sf.net "'WebMagick makes putting images on the Web as easy as magick.'"Related: religion
Sacred-Texts.com/gno/gar/gar44.htm:
"'
The most famous spell of all, ABRACADABRA, is first mentioned by Serenus Sammonicus, the most learned Roman of his times, and physician to Caracalla, to whom he dedicated his poetical 'Guide to Health,' entitled 'De Medicina præcepta saluberrima.' This work, remarks Spartian, was the favourite study of the unfortunate Cæsar, Geta, for attachment to whose cause this true son of Apollo was afterwards put to death by the imperial fratricide. Severus Alexander also, "who had known and loved Serenus," greatly admired his poetry, putting him on a level with Horace, as Lampridius’ expressions seem to intimate. This high authority orders the word to be written out in the form of an inverted cone, and declares it of virtue against all diseases.
"Thou shalt on paper write the spell divine,
Abracadabra called, in many a line;
Each under each in even order place,
But the last letter in each line efface.
As by degrees the elements grow few
Still take away, but fix the residue,
Till at the last one letter stands alone
And the whole dwindles to a tapering cone.
Tie this about the neck with flaxen string;
Mighty the good ’twill to the patient bring.
Its wondrous potency shall guard his head--
And drive disease and death far from his bed."
The belief in the virtue of this recipe flourished through the Middle Ages. It seems alluded to in the 'Dialogue on Masonry,' ascribed by Leland to Henry VI.; for amongst "the things that Masons conceal" is "the winnynge of the facultye of Abrac": perhaps signifying the possession of this mystical arrangement of letters: unless, indeed, one chooses to suspect in this "facultye" a deeper sense, some traditionary knowledge of the ancient Abraxas religion. Again, De Foe mentions how people commonly wore the word written in the manner above prescribed, as a safeguard against infection during the Great Plague of London.
As for the etymology of the word, the most satisfactory yet offered is the compound of the Hebrew Ha-Brachah, "blessing," and Dobara, "speak"; meaning the "Blessing of the Mystic Name"--that is, utter the Tetragrammaton, invoke the Holy Name of Jehovah, itself the mightiest of charms. *
It is very remarkable, considering its high repute, that no Gnostic stone bearing such an inscription should be known to exist. On the other hand that normal address to Iao, ΑΒΛΑΝΘΑΑΛΒΑ, "Thou art our Father!" is so found on talismanic jaspers arranged in the exact pattern recommended by Serenus for the paper spell, and probably so done in compliance with his directions. One is strongly tempted to discover in this same Ha-Brachah the real origin of the equally famous title "Abraxas." The Greek letters, constantly in use for numerals, at once presented their numeric value in every word to the practised eye of the Kabalist.
'"
A B R A C A D A B R A
A B R A C A D A B R
A B R A C A D A B
A B R A C A D A
A B R A C A D
A B R A C A
A B R A C
A B R A
A B R
A B
A
Money and gold are riches we are told.
But treasure from ground can be found-
For ears which hear and eyes that see.
Is it a bird in a cage, a vial of oil?
Key in a bucket, or sack of holy seed?
Magic includes:
The wonders of nature (god) that we don't yet understand.
Human constructs such as religion, symbols, hypnotism, scripture.
Sex is magical in many ways.
A "magic number" in computer terminology is usually a few bytes at the beginning of a stream that identifies the 'type' of that file.
WebMagick.sf.net "'WebMagick makes putting images on the Web as easy as magick.'"