ARABIC INFLUENCES ON EUROPEAN MAGIC

After various Arab texts on magic were translated into Latin, in the 12th Century, European magic became transformed. For the Europeans, these new texts solidified in their minds what magic could be. At their universities and cathedral schools, they combined these exciting ideas with the existing ones about the spiritual and material realms. From this mix, the Europeans developed Western magic into a natural science and a philosophy.

 

The status of magic rose among European intellectuals from simply being folk magic practiced by peasants to being a noble philosophy. Christopher Warnock, modern astrologer, wrote, “our illustrious predecessors insisted that magic and astrological magic in particular constituted the highest science and deepest practical application of philosophy.” Warnock asserted that magic became a spiritual science with consisting of material, celestial, and divine layers.

 

Albertus Magnus (Albert the Great of Cologne), leading scholar and Dominican friar, was inspired by the translated texts on metaphysics and natural philosophy. Forming his theories, this noted Doctor of the Catholic Church wrote that the Stars influence the Body, and the Body influences the Soul. Furthermore, Albertus wrote treatises on many topics of natural magic such as the magical properties of minerals and plants. He became an expert on astronomy, astrology, and alchemy. Many of his writings became the basis for modern natural magic.

 

The best known of the texts was the “Picatrix” (Ghayat al-Hakim). King Alfonso X (Alfonso, the Wise) of Castile had it translated along with many other books on the occult. Compiled by an anonymous magician in the 9th or 10th Centuries, the “Picatrix” was an encyclopedia of magical philosophy and practice. This text claimed to deal with matters which are “hidden from the senses so that most people do not grasp how they happen.” According to the text, the heavenly bodies were sources of magical power. In “Magic in the Middle Ages,” Richard Kieckhefer wrote that “the basic point of the work is to show how spirit itself, dwelling at its purest in the stars can be brought down to earth and work upon matter.”

 

John Michael Greer, noted writer on the occult and Druidism, said that the most important magical books of the medieval age borrowed from the “Picatrix.” In fact, according to Greer, this encyclopedia became the basis of modern Western magic. Even New Agers, today, consult it for information on astral magic.

 

In Arabic astral magic, there is an astral plane between the Divine and human planes. The Planets, Stars, and other Heavenly Bodies resided in this plane. Because everything is influenced by astral power, a magician needed to know the Stars. For example, doctors memorized what parts of the body were governed by what Sign of the Zodiac. They consulted horoscopes to find the best days for surgery. In fact, Philip VI of France convened the local doctors of Paris to explain why the Black Death was occurring. They explained that the plague was caused by a Conjunction of three Planets in Aquarius three years before.

 

Astrology blossomed in Bagdad, which became the astronomical center of the Middle East and Europe. Meanwhile the Sabians of Harran maintained a haven for Pagan astrologers. The astrologers of both places made charts combining astrological timing with the Planets, Fixed Stars, the Twenty-Eight Mansions of the Moon, and the Thirty-Six Decans of the Zodiac. These charts allowed for the mapping of influences at the time of asking a question or for choosing dates for marriages. Moreover, using the charts, magicians could create talismans with the power of the Beings of the Heavenly Bodies. According to Christopher Warnock, a talisman could be made by choosing the right materials with the right symbols at the right time.

 

Warnock writes that the Arabs preserved the knowledge of the ancient Greeks and others, and then expanded on it with their own discoveries. In turn, this influenced the theories of magic that were being developed by European magicians at the time. The Europeans added to the knowledge obtained from the Arabs. The result was the magical theory that the Cosmos was “one great, interconnected Being, a System based on intricate harmony, sympathy and correspondence, both spiritual and material.”

 

The 17th Century astrologer, William Lilly built on the efforts of the Arabs and the Europeans. Lilly wrote “God rules all by divine providence, and the stars by his permission are instruments whereby many contingent some small glimpses of the great affairs God intends upon earth.” For him, Astrology revealed God’s Will. With that in mind, Lilly wrote the basic text of Horary Astrology, “Christian Astrology.”

 

Alchemy came into European knowledge during the 1100s. In 1144, Robert of Chester began translations of various texts of Alchemy into Latin. By 1200, the Archbishop of Toledo had a college devoted only to translating these writings into Latin.

 

After saving the materials from the Egyptians and Greeks, the Arabs expanded their work in Alchemy. The Arabs first developed the Two Contraries (active and passive). In the 800s, Jabir Ibn Hayyan devised many new processes and theories. From Jabir came the theory of Sulphur and Mercury as the Principles of Alchemy. The Swiss Alchemist, Paracelsus added the Third Principle of Alchemy. after examining how various materials behave in fire. Now according to modern alchemical theory, all things created consist of the Three Essentials – Sulphur, Mercury, and Salt.

 

Various Europeans built on the transfer of knowledge that came with Arabic magic. Albertus Magnus develop theories of natural magic and developed natural philosophy. The magical properties of crystals are derived from his writings. Meanwhile, Paracelsus became the first among alchemists. Moreover, his ideas became the basis for the revival of Alchemy in the 20th Century. William Lilly wrote “Christian Astrology” in 1647, which became the standard text for modern astrologers.

 

Works Used:

Bairgent, Michael, “Astrology in Ancient Mesopotamia.” Bear and Co.: Rochester (VT). 1994.

Davis, Owen, ed. “The Oxford Illustrated History of Witchcraft & Magic.” Oxford University Press: Oxford. 2017.

Greer, John Michael, “The Occult Book.” Sterling: NY. 2017.

—, “The New Encyclopedia of the Occult.” Llewellyn: Woodbury (MN). 2003.

Hauck, Dennis, “The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Alchemy.” Penguin: New York. 2008.

Hennessy, Kathryn, ed., “A History of Magic, Witchcraft and the Occult.” Dorling Kindersley: New York. 2020.

Hutton, Ronald, “The Witch.” Yale University Press: New Haven. 2017.

Kieckhefer, Richard, “Magic in the Middle Ages.” Cambridge University Press: Cambridge (UK). 2014.

Seligmann, Kurt, “The Mirror of Magic.” Inner Tradition: Rochester (VT). 1948.

Warnock, Christopher, “Renaissance Astrology,” 2018. Web. https://www.renaissanceastrology.com/