Ancient Egyptian Magic: Classic Healing and Ritual for the 21st Century

by Cassandra Eason

As early as 4000 B.C., ancient Egyptians wove magic and religion into whole cloth, wrapping themselves in ritual and symbolism that ranged from simple charms and protective hieroglyphs, to the towering monuments to immortality that are the pyramids of the Nile Valley. The rich religion and mythology of ancient Egypt is vividly documented here, with descriptions of the panoply of deities and their complex hierarchy, along with comprehensive explanations of the sacred oils, crystals and plants used in the many rituals that were an integral part of everyday life. Natural healing, magic, power animals, chants, prayers, and the Pyramids are covered in detail, backed by the author's unparalleled access to rare manuscripts and original images taken from Britain's National Witchcraft Museum.

192 pages, Paperback

First published May 28, 2003

Reviews

[Nimue Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a book aimed at people who wish to practice, so I must start by acknowledging that reading it for academic interest, and not trying any of it, does not make me an optimal reviewer. However, it was a very interesting read, full of history, myth and magic. I was fascinated by the way in which the author approaches magic and belief from a very different place and time and tries to make it make sense in our context. While these days I am too tied to my English roots to be able to make emotional sense of practicing something Egyptian here, there was a time when I would have done. In my teens, this was the book I longed for and craved. Only, it hadn’t been written then.
The approach to magic is both ethical and sensible, positive without being fluffy, and not encouraging foolish or trivial things. In short, it is aimed at adult practitioners, not spoiled children (of any age). It’s nicely written, easy to follow, easy to dip into when you need something specific. It’s not my sort of thing so I’m not that well qualified to comment, but, if it’s a book of Egyptian magic you’re looking for, I think this one is well worth picking up.