Abracadabra
A magical word said to be formed from the letters of the abraxas, and written thus:
A A B ABR ABRA ABRAC ABRACA ABRACAD ABRACADA ABRACADAB ABRACADABR ABRACADABRA or the reverse way. The pronunciation of this word, according to Julius Africanus, was equally efficacious either way. By Serenus Sammonicus it was used as a spell to cure asthma. Abracalan or aracalan is another form of the word, and is said to have been regarded as the name of a god in Syria and as a magical symbol by the Jews. But it seems doubtful whether the abracadabra, or its synonyms, was really the name of a deity or not. (See Abraxas.) Abraham, The Jew: (Alchemist and magician, circa, 1400). Comparatively few biographical facts are forthcoming concerning this German Jew, who was at once alchemist, magician and philosopher; and these few facts are mostly derived from a very curious manuscript, now domiciled in the Archives of the Bibliotheque de l'Arsenal, Paris, an institution rich in occult documents. This manuscript is couched throughout in French, but purports to be literally translated from Hebrew, and the style of the handwriting indicates that the scribe lived at the beginning of the eighteenth century, or possibly somewhat earlier. A distinct illiteracy characterises the French script, the punctuation being inaccurate, indeed frequently conspicuous by its absence, but an actual description of the document must be waived till later. Abraham was probably a native of Mayence, and appears to have been born in 1362. We find that his father, Simon by name, was something of a seer and magician, and that the boy accordingly commenced his occult studies under the parental guidance, while at a later date he studied under one, Moses, whom he himself describes as " indeed a good man, but entirely ignorant of The True Mystery, and of The Veritable Magic." Leaving this preceptor, Abraham decided to glean knowledge by travelling, and along with a friend called Samuel, a Bohemian by birth, he wandered through Austria and Hungary into Greece, and thence penetrated to Constantinople, where he remained fully two years. He is found next in Arabia, in those days a veritable centre of mystic learning; and from Arabia he went to Palestine, whence betimes he proceeded to Egypt. Here he had the good fortune to make the acquaintance of Abra- Melin, the famous Egyptian philosopher, who, besides entrusting to him certain documents, confided in him by word of mouth a number of invaluable secrets; and armed thus, Abraham left Egypt for Europe, where eventu- B ally he settled at Wurzburg in Germany. Soon he was deep in alchemistic researches, but these did not prevent him from espousing a wife, who appears to have been his cousin; and by her he had three daughters and also two sons, the elder named Joseph and the younger Lamech. He took great pains to instruct both of them in occult affairs, while, on each of his three daughters, he settled a dowry of a hundred thousand golden florins. This considerable sum, together with other vast wealth, he claims to have gained by travelling as an alchemist; and whatever the truth of this statement, he certainly won great fame, being summoned to perform acts of magic before many rich and influential people, notably the Emperor Sigismund of Germany, the Bishop of Wurzburg, King Henry VI. of England, the Duke of Bavaria, and Pope John XXIII.
The remainder of Abraham's career is shrouded in mystery, while even the date of his death is uncertain, but it is commonly supposed to have occurred about 1460. own The curious manuscript cited above, and from which the foregoing facts have been culled, is entitled The Book of the Sacred Magic of Abra-Melin, as delivered by Abraham the Jew unto his son Lamech. This title, however, is rather misleading, and not strictly accurate, for Abra-Melin had absolutely no hand in the opening part of the work, this consisting of some account of Abraham's youth and early travels in search of wisdom, along with advice to the young man aspiring to become skilled in occult arts. The second part, on the other hand, is based on the documents which the Egyptian sage handed to the Jew, or at least on the confidences wherewith the former favoured the latter; and it may be fairly accurately defined as dealing with the first principles of magic in general, the titles of some of the more important chapters being as follows: How Many, and what are the Classes of Veritable Magic?" What we Ought to Take into Consideration before the Undertaking of the Operation," Concerning the Convocation of the Spirits," and In “ " “ " what Manner we ought to Carry out the Operations."
Passing to the third and last part, this likewise is mostly derived straight from Abra-Melin; and here the author, eschewing theoretical matter as far as possible, gives information about the actual practice of magic. In the first place he tells how "To procure divers Visions," How one may retain the Familiar Spirits, bound or free, in whatsoever form," and how To excite Tempests," while in one chapter he treats of raising the dead, another he devotes to the topic of transforming oneself into " divers shapes and forms," and in further pages he descants on flying in the air, on demolishing buildings, on discovering thefts, and on walking under the water. Then he dilates on the Thaumaturgic healing of leprosy, dropsy, paralysis, and various more common ailments such as fever and seasickness, while he offers intelligence on "How to be beloved by a Woman," and this he supplements by directions for commanding the favour of popes, emperors, and other influential people. Finally, he reverts to the question of summoning visions, and his penultimate chapter is entitled, How to cause Armed Men to Appear," while his concluding pages treat of evoking "Comedies, Operas, and all kinds of Music and Dances."
It is by employing Kabalistic squares of letters that all these things are to be achieved, or at least, almost all of them, and lack of space makes it impossible to deal with the many different signs of this sort, whose use the seer counsels. But it behoves to ask what manner of personality exhales from these curious pages? What kind of temperament? And the answer is that Abraham is shown as a man of singularly narrow mind, heaping scorn on most other magicians, and speaking with great derision of nearly all mystical writings save his own and those of his Adam hero, Abra-Melin. Moreover, he inveighs fiercely against all those who recant the religion in which they were bred, and contends that no one guilty of this will ever attain skill in magic; yet it should be said, in justice to the seer, that he manifests little selfishness, and seems to have striven after success in his craft with a view to using it for the benefit of mankind in general. His writings reflect besides, a firm belief in that higher self existing in every man, and a keen desire to develop it. (See Flamel.)