Abracadabra
Also spelled Abrakadabra and Abrahadabra.
A word with many ties to the occult and the ancient world of Mythology, Numerology, Kabbalism, Magic, Witchcraft, the Gnostics and folkloric medicine; possibly derived from the initials of the Hebraic words Ab, Ben and ruach a Cadesch ('Father, Son and Holy Ghost').
The term has been used for Kabbalistic charms, magical connotations in Gnostic writings, and it could also be related to the Greek word Abraxas, which also happens to be the name of the supreme deity of the ancient Assyrians. It often appeared on amulets, and it is said to have been used by ancient Jewish physicians to cure fevers and certain ailments.
The first written record of the word is by the 3rd-century physician Quintus Severus Sammonicus, a Gnostic physician to Roman Emperor Septimius Severus. Sammonicus used the word as a 'shrinking formula' to treat tertian fever, asthma and agues. His poem 'Precepta de Medicina' detailed instructions on how to use it as a charm.
Even saying the word Abracadabra out loud was believed to summon powerful supernatural forces. For this reason, Abracadabra is often used by stage magicians and conjurors during the performance and culmination of tricks and magic spells, and by conjuretors to invoke and banish certain spirits. If written, it was usually seen in a diminishing triangle configuration, like so:
ABRACADABRA
ABRACADABR
ABRACADAB
ABRACADA
ABRACAD
ABRACA
ABRAC
ABRA
ABR
AB
A | A
AB
ABR
ABRA
ABRAC
ABRACA
ABRACAD
ABRACADA
ABRACADAB
ABRACADABR
ABRACADABRA |
Invoking Configuration
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Banishing Configuration
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It was widely believed that demons and certain evils would diminish, lessen and finally vanish in the same manner the word did. Sometimes, as a mean of protection, it was worn written on parchment hanging from the neck by a linen thread.
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Sources: (1) Dictionary of the Occult, Caxton Publishing; (2) The Encyclopaedia Britannica Eleventh Edition Handy Volume Edition, Oxford University Press; (3) Webster, Richard, The Encyclopedia of Superstitions, Llewellyn Publications; (4) Budge, E. A. Wallis, Amulets and Talismans, Carol Publishing Corporation.
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