Chapter Six, "Combining Words and Deeds Angelic Imprecations in the Book of Secrets," continues on with Jewish mystical tradition; only this time, the focus is placed on a Jewish magical witchcraft text the Book of Secrets or the Book of Raziel. Janowitz rightfully compares it with the Greek Magical Papyri (PGM), as it has many practical spells--ranging everything from healing the sick, divining the future, influencing kings in your favor, binding yourself to a "great woman", and speaking with the spirits, planets and stars. She has a very helpful table that lists all the spells in the book, too. Very nice. Instead of relying on demons or familiar spirits, the magician instead relies on angelic powers in legal oaths and pacts so that they may carry our your wishes and goals, which are often fueled by a personal and financial drive for success.
Later in the chapter, Janowitz discusses how animal sacrifices in Judaism and other pagan religions are directed more towards lower spirits like the elementals, daimons and angels and not God, necessarily. This is why philosophers …show more content…
The transformation of metals and substances are focused on as she is mostly concerned with the Gnostic-Hermetist Zosimos' writings. These writings are mostly allegorical as well literal in the sense that these ancient theories linked the ritual transformation of metals with the spiritual transformation of the adept himself: "By means of fire, the metal makes a dramatic progression upward to another type of existence, exactly as human bodies can" (p. 119). Sacrifices are also involved but the sacrifice isn't concerned with animals but with the initiate himself. In Zosimos' Visions, Zosimos falls asleep and dreams that he walks seven steps that leads to the krater or altar shaped bowl with boiling
Later in the chapter, Janowitz discusses how animal sacrifices in Judaism and other pagan religions are directed more towards lower spirits like the elementals, daimons and angels and not God, necessarily. This is why philosophers …show more content…
The transformation of metals and substances are focused on as she is mostly concerned with the Gnostic-Hermetist Zosimos' writings. These writings are mostly allegorical as well literal in the sense that these ancient theories linked the ritual transformation of metals with the spiritual transformation of the adept himself: "By means of fire, the metal makes a dramatic progression upward to another type of existence, exactly as human bodies can" (p. 119). Sacrifices are also involved but the sacrifice isn't concerned with animals but with the initiate himself. In Zosimos' Visions, Zosimos falls asleep and dreams that he walks seven steps that leads to the krater or altar shaped bowl with boiling