Amulets and Magic

Name: Amulets and Magic
Price: 66.00 USD
Availability: InStock
Author: Wallis Budge, E A
ISBN: 9781138966604

✍️ Wallis Budge, E A

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📚 ABOUT THE BOOK

Unearth the ancient power woven into humanity's most cherished protective objects.

This seminal work by E.A. Wallis Budge meticulously explores the enduring human tradition of creating and using amulets and talismans. From the earliest excavations to contemporary practices, Budge reveals their universal presence across diverse cultures, including ancient Egyptian, Sumerian, Hebrew, Christian, Gnostic, and Muslim traditions. He delves into their practical applications—for protection, love, or casting spells—and dissects the symbolic elements that imbue them with power, such as gemstones, colors, shapes, Kabbalistic names, and planetary influences. Both scholarly and accessible, this book offers a rich resource for understanding ancient wisdom.

Key themes

{'title': 'Global Magical Heritage', 'body': 'Amulets are not confined to one culture but appear across all ancient civilizations, from Egypt to Sumeria, Gnostic to Muslim traditions, reflecting a universal human impulse towards magical protection and influence. Budge comprehensively charts this shared esoteric legacy, showcasing how similar beliefs manifest across varied societies and epochs.'} {'title': 'Practical Esoteric Craft', 'body': 'This book explores how these potent artifacts were crafted and utilized for specific purposes, such as warding off negative energies, attracting romantic connections, or invoking various forms of magical influence through focused intent. It details the practical applications and the beliefs underpinning their efficacy in daily life.'} {'title': 'Symbolic Language of Power', 'body': 'Delves into the intrinsic meaning behind material choices—like gemstones, colors, and shapes—and esoteric systems, including Kabbalistic names, planetary associations, and mystical numerology, that imbue amulets with their efficacy. Budge unpacks the layers of symbolism that turn ordinary objects into conduits of magical force.'}

🏛 Routledge 📅 2016 📖 586 pages 📔 Paperback 📐 Paperback ISBN: 9781138966604

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Fun fact

This monumental work by E.A. Wallis Budge remains a cornerstone for anyone exploring the historical and anthropological dimensions of magic. It excels in its breadth, meticulously detailing the global presence and varied forms of amulets and talismans. While scholars will appreciate its depth and original translations, those seeking purely practical, hands-on spellcraft guides might find it less direct. It firmly establishes itself as a definitive historical reference in esoteric literature, bridging ancient wisdom with modern understanding.

📝 Description: Amulets and Magic

First Published in 2001. Everywhere that excavations of ancient sites, temples and tombs have been carried out, the objects most frequently brought to light are amulets and talismans. The use of these objects is not confined to anyone place, people and period - they are universal, reflecting a belief in magic which is as old as humankind and continues today. Amulets and talismans have always been used for protection against enemies and the evil eye, to attract love and to cast spells of all kinds. This remarkable work - both scholarly and highly readable - contains the original texts with translations and descriptions of key Egyptian, Sumerian, Assyrian, Hebrew, Christian, Gnostic and Muslim amulets and magical devices and figures. Among the subjects dealt with are ring amulets; the protective and therapeutic qualities of gemstones; the importance of colour, shape and form in amulets; the Kabbalistic names and signs, stones of the planets and their influences, mystical numbers, lucky and unlucky days and contracts with the devil. This is a rich resource for all those interested in ancient wisdom and timeless practices.

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⭐ Esoterica editorial review Editorial rating 4.5/5

★★★★★

For the curious seeker or serious scholar, this volume offers an unparalleled journey into humanity's enduring fascination with protective objects. If you're drawn to the historical roots of magical practice or the anthropology of belief, this book is an essential acquisition.

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❓ Frequently asked questions

Not at all. It provides a sweeping, comparative study across numerous ancient civilizations, including Egyptian, Sumerian, Hebrew, Assyrian, Christian, Gnostic, and Muslim systems.

Budge masterfully balances rigorous scholarship with engaging prose, making complex historical information both informative and highly readable for an interested audience.

📖 Who should read this

🎯 Key themes and symbolism

Global Magical Heritage

Amulets are not confined to one culture but appear across all ancient civilizations, from Egypt to Sumeria, Gnostic to Muslim traditions, reflecting a universal human impulse towards magical protection and influence. Budge comprehensively charts this shared esoteric legacy, showcasing how similar beliefs manifest across varied societies and epochs.

Practical Esoteric Craft

This book explores how these potent artifacts were crafted and utilized for specific purposes, such as warding off negative energies, attracting romantic connections, or invoking various forms of magical influence through focused intent. It details the practical applications and the beliefs underpinning their efficacy in daily life.

Symbolic Language of Power

Delves into the intrinsic meaning behind material choices—like gemstones, colors, and shapes—and esoteric systems, including Kabbalistic names, planetary associations, and mystical numerology, that imbue amulets with their efficacy. Budge unpacks the layers of symbolism that turn ordinary objects into conduits of magical force.

💬 Quotes from the book

«From the earliest vestiges of human civilization, the carved stone or inscribed metal has served as a tangible link between the mortal and the divine, a shield against unseen forces.»

«The very hue of a gemstone, the geometric precision of a sigil, or the celestial alignment of a planetary symbol each contributes to the resonant power an amulet projects into the cosmos.»

📜 Historical context

E.A. Wallis Budge, a prodigious Egyptologist, brings his vast knowledge of ancient texts and artifacts to bear on this subject. Published in 2001, this work stands as a testament to his lifelong dedication to documenting ancient cultures. It firmly situates the study of amulets within the broader academic and esoteric traditions of examining historical magical practices.

📚 Glossary

Amulet
Talisman
Kabbalah

📔 Questions to reflect on

{'prompt': "Consider a personal object you cherish for reasons beyond its material value. How does it function as a modern 'amulet' in your life, offering comfort or perceived protection?"}
{'prompt': 'What contemporary practices or beliefs do you observe in your culture that echo the ancient use of protective or influential magic through objects or symbols?'}
{'prompt': "How might the belief in an amulet's power contribute to its actual efficacy, regardless of its inherent magical properties? Reflect on the psychology of magical thinking."}