Anyway, we have seven materials to be used as planetary incenses. Another option might be bitter vetch, Vicia ervilia, which was domesticated before fava beans by about 1500 years, but I’m inclined to think that fava beans are meant here. Kyphi Incense. Frankincense Essential Oil: Uses, Benefits, and Precautions Posted by Elizabeth Grasse on July 27, 2017 Frankincense essential oil (Boswellia frereana, Boswellia carterii, and/or Boswellia sacra) is a tree or shrub that produces a gum or resin that can be steam distilled into … Sep 8, 2020 - Explore Nelson's Herbs's board "Incense", followed by 132 people on Pinterest. The timeline given in the ritual suggests that a pre-initiatory period of sunrise salutes begins on the New Moon for seven days leading up to the initiation, which then would make the initiation occur on the First Quarter Moon. If one wanted to get really particular, I’d recommend the Damask rose. These medicinal trees are traditionally used for clearing the body of diseases and also to keep mosquitos away. stacte (understood as the sap of the balsam tree, i.e. It shall be most holy to you. This doesn’t apply, however, to the final dismissal, where incense is burned, because the parts of the PGM where I pulled those prayers from do indeed call for incense, and it being a dismissal and thanksgiving offering to the spirits, the use of incense is appropriate. The directions further on in PGM XIII.1—343 suggest that the the seven flowers was to be mixed with the appropriate planetary incense into a “bean”, a small nugget of incense, which was then to presumably be burned; later, the incense and the powder of the seven flowers is to be used when making ink for writing on a special tablet of natron before washing it off in wine and drinking the wine. Incense is composed of aromatic plant materials, often combined with essential oils. Seven types of incenses are described as proper to the seven planets: In addition, PGM XIII.1—343 says that one should “prepare sun vetch on every occasion”, meaning the “Egyptian bean”. PGM XIII also prescribes the use of “the seven flowers of the seven stars”, a mixture to be made from the flowers of: Though these seven flowers are said to be “of the seven stars”, no association is made explicit between these and the planets. Required fields are marked *. Interested in a self-directed at-your-own-pace crash course on Renaissance Hermetic magic, taking you from beginner to expert level? Dioscorides' Kyphi from Alchemy Works - Incense for Ritual Magick and Witchcraft. Having a PGM-style temple incense (and maybe even an oil, if I were to go the essential oil route, or simply distill the resins and flowers into an oil without the wine and fava beans) could be useful, indeed. If I translated it right, this word refers to tufted thyme, This is just daffodil, most likely the type species, “Gillyflower” confused me, but Preisendanz gives “Goldlack” as the name in German, which refers to. Kyphi is the Latin version of the Greek translation of Kapet in Egypt which was originally a general term for fumigation through smoke and was used in the temples. What we end up with, essentially, is a type of PGM-specific kyphi, the sacred incense compound used in Egypt for both religious and medicinal purposes, which was also a blend of a variety of resins, flowers, barks, and so forth, many of which according to ancient authors are found in our ingredients above (and which, of course, have overlap with the incense and oil recipes given by the Book of Exodus which may also have been influenced by ancient Egyptian priestly practices). 4 parts Frankincense 2 part Benzoin 2 part Gum Mastic 2 part Myrrh 1 part Cedar 1 part Galangal (or Ginger) 1/2 part Calamus (or Vetivert) 1/2 part Cardamom 1/2 part Cinnamon 1/2 part Cassia 1/2 part Juniper berries 1/2 part Orris 1/2 part Cypress Few drops Lotus bouquet Personally, I love the use of incense, and I don’t do many rituals without it; I typically find it to be an important, if not outright essential, part of ritual magic, and there are too many rituals in the PGM to count that use some sort of suffumigation or another. Tukankhamen was entombed with seeds from this ancient herb. Doreen Valiente says incense has a … Whoever makes perfume like it and puts it on anyone other than a priest must be cut off from their people. The fragrant is never “burnt” and always pleasant with kyphi. The order of the incenses might be temping to use as a correspondence, but there are two orders given both for the incenses and the flowers between PGM XIII.1—343 and PGM XIII.343—646, so I’m not comfortable linking them up that way. The text says that the flowers, once picked, are to be ground finely either in a white mortar or into a white incense (the Betz translation gives two options for this), then left to dry in the shade. To make matters even more interesting, consider the rabbinic literature of the Talmud: it expands the list of ingredients for the incense offering significantly from the Exodus list: We know that the Talmudic literature and traditions go back to the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE, and so its beginnings would have been roughly contemporaneous with the PGM authors. Considering Geomancy: One Woman’s Geomantic Practice, Despite the common modern use of styrax (or storax) to refer to benzoin. My Free eBook: The Essential Recipes and Formulas, http://artisticwitch.blogspot.fr/2011/04/making-kyphi-or-kapet-egyptian.html, Myrrh – heightens physical vibrations, banishing negativity, Frankincense – heightens spiritual vibrations, Honey – sweetens the atmosphere/emotions, attracting good, Cinnamon – healing, draws in positive energies, Lotus – calms the mind, a flower of Egypt. Looking through the PGM, whenever incense is burned, it’s for a specific purpose, generally to bless a particular object or as an offering. Like, obviously this is not a particularly canon rite that would have been done in the Temple at Jerusalem, but the whole Eighth Book of Moses is definitely appropriating Jewish elements heavily, far beyond just attributing the book to the prophet Moses. ), it could be seen as a reasonable substitute for cinnamon, and some rabbinical scholars suggest that it could indeed have been used in place of actual cinnamon. There are other Jewish influences in PGM XIII as well, such as how the ritual is to be done such that the 41 days of purification ends with the New Moon in Aries. Do not make any incense with this formula for yourselves; consider it holy to the Lord. Most of the kyphi that is on the market is synthetic, made using the quick version (which is not the same and doesn’t even burn or smell the same), or contains ingredients to help it ignite or burn, but take away from its character. Do not pour it on anyone else’s body and do not make any other oil using the same formula. Betz includes a fantastically sharp footnote here for this paragraph: “pretentious hokum”. Taken all together, PGM XIII presents a fascinating self-initiatory form of magic coming into some of the highest and most glorious powers of the cosmos, and presents an interesting blend of Egyptian and Jewish priestly practices. Enter your email to subscribe and get notified when something new happens. The Egyptians also used frankincense and terebinth gum on the hot coals of … However, it’s unclear whether it’s the bean itself to be used or the leaves or flowers of the plant instead. Was cannabis present in Egyptian kyphi?. PGM XIII.343—646 suggests that, as a general initiatory incense, all seven of the planetary incenses were to be mixed with the the seven flowers, along with unmixed wine; additionally, the seven flowers are to be mixed with ink in the same way as before; though no reference is made here to using the incense as well for this purpose, PGM XIII.646—734 does say to use both the incense and the flowers for the ink. Moreover, finding these ingredients can be hard; expensive perfumery is as expensive as ever, and while all the ingredients are still technically available, the fact that some of the ingredients (like costus and, increasingly, frankincense) are considered endangered makes getting hold of sufficient quantities exceptionally difficult. Real Kyphi incense must be properly aged in phases to have the desired scent and effect. The use of the flower powder and the incense for making ink is outside the scope of this post, since I want to focus on the process of making the incense. The word Kyphi is understood as the Greek interpretation of the Egyptian term kp.t. Interested in an informal series of lectures on geomancy that'll get you up and running to start reading geomantic charts? It is to be salted and pure and sacred. Frankincense essential oil (Boswellia frereana, Boswellia carterii, and/or Boswellia sacra) is a tree or shrub that produces a gum or resin that can be steam distilled into an essential oil with HUGE health benefits.Frankincense trees grow in the harshest environments. Before the late 1800’s we only knew of the existence of Kyphi, and its uses both as temple incense and as a form of medication to be taken orally, through the earliest surviving Greek recipes - often consisting of up to sixteen ingredients. The problem is, though, the use of incense generally outside of a ritual for its own sake. It’s possible to deduce some planetary rulerships, but I’m unclear on what sources to use; most modern resources would give multiple flowers to Venus (lily, rose, narcissus, and thyme), leaving not many for the other planets. 5 out of 5 stars (20,452) 20,452 reviews $ 18.00. The Witching Hour Perfume - Kyphi Incense, Smokey Oud, Van Van herbs, Caramels, Aged Rum, Rose Petals, Black Vanilla Alkemia. Even the word makes my heart skip a beat. In Ancient times, and on a daily basis, the ritualized burning of incense consisted of frankincense in the morning, myrrh in the middle of the day and Kapet (Kyphi) in the evening. Geomancy in the Reign of the Lady of Crowns, Blessing of Water, Chalk, Candles, and Fire, Consecration of the Twelve Faces of Hēlios, Consecration of the Twenty-Eight Faces of Mēnē, Novena of Saint Cyprian and Saint Justina, PGM Kyphi: On The Incense of the Eighth Book of Moses, Pole Lords and Northern Stars: The Seven Pairs of Divinities from the Mithras Liturgy « The Digital Ambler. Certain ingredients within it must ferment and blend with time. Incense can generally be separated into two … Here, it’s most likely referring to Vicia faba, or the simple fava bean, still a staple in Egypt to this day. Kyphi was being made with lots of devotion in an mindful process. Say to the Israelites, ‘This is to be my sacred anointing oil for the generations to come. Check out the Red Work Course! Still, it’s indicative of how heavy Jewish influences are in this part of the PGM, and the incense list above indicates a distinct familiarity with priestly practices. It will be the sacred anointing oil. Kyphi is both a meditative and spell because you are hand grinding all the herbs while in meditation and putting your intentions into the herbs. Historical and Ancient Incense. Indeed, “white lily” would have been referred to by λείριον and not the word used in the PGM, while this word here refers to non-white lilies. The vibratory rates of kyphi induced peace and sleep, intensified dreams, relaxed the body, and soothed anxieties, while generating harmony and order in all who inhaled the sacred vapors. Consider Exodus 30:22—38, which discusses the recipes and uses for the holy anointing oil and the offering incense: Then the Lord said to Moses, “Take the following fine spices: 500 shekels of liquid myrrh, half as much (that is, 250 shekels) of fragrant cinnamon, 250 shekels of fragrant calamus, 500 shekels of cassia—all according to the sanctuary shekel—and a hin of olive oil. 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