CAPTAIN BOOTSIE'S ANCIENT MAGICAL TIME PORTAL

As a gourmet chef, I discovered that the practice of ancient magic was quite
like modern cooking! While anyone can cook, only some can cook well. Anyone
in the ancient world could make a simple amulet or castigate a wayward
demon, but only a few specialized in such activities and achieved superior
results. And, just like modern cooks, such ancient practitioners had their own
private note-books, where their painstakingly accumulated secrets were
preserved. Collections of recipes, hints, notes, and ideas, whether borrowed
or adapted from others or independently developed. Each recipe was tested,
improved upon, and in some cases passed on to clients, colleagues, disciples, or
successors. Being the main vehicle for the transmission of magical lore, such
books often were the target of suppression, especially, but not exclusively, by
Christians. Fortunately, some of these collections have survived. Since these
were normally written on papyrus, a perishable organic material, the
specimens which did survive all come from the dry sands of Egypt, and are
written either in Greek or in Egyptian. However, similar recipe-books, in
Hebrew, Aramaic, and Arabic, were found in the Cairo Genizah (the
used-paper store-room of a medieval synagogue in Cairo, Egypt), and
numerous medieval manuscripts in Greek, Latin, Arabic, and many other
languages attest to the vitality of such recipe-books in various forms
throughout the Middle Ages.

."[Accomplish] for so-and-so all that I have written you , and I will leave the
east and the west where they were established formerly, and I will preserve
the flesh of Typhon always and I will not break the bonds with which you
bound Osiris, and I will not call those who have died a violent death but will
leave them alone, and I will not pour out the cedar-oil, but will leave it alone,
and I will save Ammon and not kill him, and I will [not?...kind of holey here!]
scatter the limbs of Osiris, and I will hide you from the giants, ei ei ei ei ei ei
ei ei choin [.?..]uth chennoneu aphouth anou a�th ei ei ei peooe ... �b mannoz
arannouth chal... aph koulix no� n... k bornath loubeine aou�r oueire itin lotol.
Recite the secrets of the many-named goddess, Isis.

probably intended to add to the spells' mystique and to prevent them from
falling into the wrong hands. The preserved section contains a spell, and a
ritual to verify its power to produce a desired effect. Notice when you read
the spell how the practitioner threatens the god(s) and alludes to familiar
events of Egyptian mythology, such as the scattering of the body of the
good god Osiris by Seth, the god of chaos and destruction. Such
language was considered normal in Egyptian religious utterances,
which is one reason why non-Egyptians viewed Egypt as the land of
magic par excellence.

Burn cypress with the strip of papyrus and say: "[Isis?], holy maiden, give me
a sign of the things that are going to happen, reveal your holy veil, shake your
black [...] and move the constellation of the bear, holy [...]� pnoun
gmo�rmendoumba great-named ia[k�] phtho�ri,
thermo�r, phtha�, great-named ioth� [...]thou�r b�b helix, great-named iak�."
When you have said this and at the same time have opened your hands, [...] of
your hand from your breast. For you will see a star [...] by necessity, at
which you are to look [intently], as it flashes [a picture] while rushing [toward
you], so that you become god-stricken.
Wear the above picture [for protection]. [...], it is a [...] of Kronos who
encourages you. After you have received this sign, rejoice at [your fortune]
and say once: "chaithrai." For when you have said it, she will cooperate with
you [in whatever] you pray for. And say these words immediately, [lest] there
occur a removal of the stars and your lucky day:
"Tha... [ou]sir phnouch mellanchi� kerd� melibeu... kasp... nebenthtrichgarn... �
thra� sau trais trais basum;
immediately (twice), accomplish this, do it within this hour. Very glorious
Pronoia, make the one who yesterday was [un]lovable beautiful [to all],
make...

Those bowls, which are found in their original position are often face-down,
and in some cases two bowls are found glued together with pitch, the space
enclosed between them containing such items as inscribed egg-shells or human
skull fragments. From their positioning, and from the images of bound demons
which adorn numerous bowls, it would seem that these were demon traps,
meant to lure, trap, and disable any malevolent demons, preventing them from
hurting humans or causing damage to property. Such traps were often placed
in room corners, since the meeting of walls and floor created cracks through
which the demons could sneak in! However, in some cases the bowls'
inscriptions reveal them to have been not so much "environmental protection"
devices, but rather aggressive instruments aimed at sending the demons upon
an enemy's head! Wow! These bowls could be buried in cemeteries -- where
ghosts and demons were abundant -- and perhaps also next to the victim's
house and property, to enhance their power and accuracy.

Unfortunately, no one will know what the egg shell said because it was lost.
The "text" on the bowl is written in a pseudo-script, but the bowl's general
appearance -- with the figures surrounded by a "text" (real or imaginary) -- is
typical of the genre. Note the bound male demons -- their hands are tied, their
feet are chained -- a clear sign of what the bowl itself was meant to achieve,
don't you think ?

"As an ancient magician.........as an ancient magician....I promise never to reveal
my secret recipes..... I promise never to reveal my secret recipes to a
non-magician to a non-magician, unless that one swears to uphold the Ancient
Magician's Oath in turn unless that one swears to uphold the Ancient
Magician's Oath in turn. I promise never to perform any recipes without
knowing they will be successful and do good I promise never to perform any
recipes without knowing they will be successful and do good "

Short but to the point, don't you think? You are now considered a magician,
and the ancient ones expect you to live up to this promise!

Magic," as you can see, is a very elusive category. This is only the tip of the
magician's hat so to speak......I've given you a glimpse into the past....why?
Because it was during this time the magical traditions of several different
cultures coalesced and merged into an unprecedented form of international,
and even multicultural magical practice, with its own rituals, symbols, and
words of power. This is only the first step on the road to understanding, but
a crucial step nonetheless. Moreover, the study of ancient magic can teach
us much, not only about ancient society, but about human nature and human
social structures in general, especially as they relate to the generation,
accumulation, and transmission of knowledge about the powers above and
the powers below.

Magic, after all, is just another manifestation of the innate human desire for
control -- to control your natural environment, to control your social world,
and eventually to control your own destiny. The techniques may have changed
over the last fifteen centuries, but the goals remain the same. Think about
it.......my magical food for thought for you.....