Book Discussion Shams al-Ma'arif wa Lata'if al-'Awarif

[Jadugar]

The interest in the book request thread for Voldemont's translation (now locked, alas) inspired me to start up a new thread on it.

A fascinating book, I'd venture so far as to call it the Arabic-speaking world's Key of Solomon--i.e., highly influential and popular book considered a must-have for any magical practice. Arabic, Urdu, and Turkish versions are abound and I'm glad for the growning interest in English-speaking occult circles. Although, surprisingly unlike the KoS, very little demon summoning! Jinn magic is the stereotype of Islamicate magic, but trafficking with jinns is relatively unpopular all things considered. After all, the popular conception is that sihr (forbidden magic, also translated as "black magic" or "witchcraft") works because of the illicit-magician's contact with jinns. Not that the Shams doesn't contain Jinn calling techniques, but they're more religiously aligned. A lot of popular jinn-calling methods involved a lot of religious purity including fasting, dhikr (ritual repetition, usually one of Allah's (SWT) 99 Names), prayer, and so on. Al-Buni in his famous work is more interested in talismans, specifically wafq (magic squares). He saw the universe in distinctly linguistic terms with the 28 letters of the Arabic alaphabet (and the holy phrases/names they make up) literally forming the universe, a distinctly Muslim understanding of the Neoplatonic magic that dominated at the time.

Magic squares represent a great bulk of Islamicate magic, and Buni's work includes a lot of them. Latin squares, numerical ones, mixed, squares formed for the abjad values (the numeric values associated with each Arabic letter), planets, Allah's (SWT) 99 Names, phrases like the Bismillah, and more. Chaos Magic aligned folks might find inspiration in how Al-Buni reccomends mixing the target's name with the planets which can then go on to make (you guessed it) more magic squares. Although these usually follow letterist understandings rather than just creating spur of the moment geometric sigils to charge with your spank-bank, but certainly inspirations for ways to generate barbarous names.

The squares and other talismanic images tend to also come with astrological, material, or ritual considerations (inscribing something when the Moon is in cancer, or writing a talisman on yellow silk, fumigating it with this or that or washing the ink off with water and then drinking the water--washing words, squares, and signs with water to have it "absorb" the effect is a very common practice in Islamicate magic).

But lest you think it's all just squares, Al-Buni comes to us with a lot of philosophy for the construction of the universe, occult understandings of common Islamic words or phrases (there's a lot on the occult meanings of the Bismillah, for example), or just a handy list of the 99 Names and the benefits they are supposed to provide if repeated often. I personally make great use of Al-Bari ("The Maker") which, when repeated, Al-Buni says "God shall reveal wonderful secrets and understanding of the subtleties of cause and effect."

Alas, it is late and I must break off this post here, but I hope it's helped whet people's appetite for what the book has to offer and perhaps tempt more souls to search for the Voldemont "Shams al-Ma'arif: Talismans and Magic Squares" PDF and share it with the rest of us. I realize this post has been very rambly, but hoping to also run across some other folks interested in this current. I'll try to return sometime soonish to post pictures from my copy of Revelore Press' translation of some excerpts from the Shams to give a more concrete idea of the book and spark some discussion about specific ritual techniques found in there.

Post automatically merged: Feb 9, 2024

Ah, meant to share some recommended reading, too. Besides Revelore's translated excerpts, Islamic Symbols and Sufi Rituals for Protection and Healing by Edgar Francis (despite its strange title) gives a good overview of the Shams and its author. Magic in Islam by Micheal Knight and The Arabic Influences on Early Modern Occult Philosophy by Liana Saif for general overviews of the magical in Islam. And many more I'm forgetting to list.

 

[Xingtian]

I haven't read the book... I'm still muddling through late antique but pre-Islamic stuff- but this interview on the SHWEP about the book piqued my interest for sure:

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This is one of the SHWEP's oddcast episodes, that is, it jumps ahead of the podcast's chronological sequence. The podcast is currently in the 5th century so it might be another few years before they get to examine Islamic esotericism in detail, but boy is that going to be great.

Regarding jinns, I remember hearing on the SHWEP- not sure if this episode or a different one- that the jinn, like humans, have different religious affiliations, including Muslim Jinn, Christian Jinn, polytheist jinn, etc.

The squares and other talismanic images tend to also come with astrological, material, or ritual considerations (inscribing something when the Moon is in cancer, or writing a talisman on yellow silk, fumigating it with this or that or washing the ink off with water and then drinking the water--washing words, squares, and signs with water to have it "absorb" the effect is a very common practice in Islamicate magic).

That's interesting. Not sure if it's coincidental or if there is some common influence, but Daoist talismans work similarly. They are written on slips of paper (usually yellow) and some are used by burning them, mixing the ashes with water, and drinking it.

 

[theil]

Fascinating. I'll look into reading some of the recommendations here.

I'm curious how Jinns' energy is typically presented when called or worked with. From the discussion so far is seem it depends on the individual Jinn. Might be worth considering creating a filter to narrow likely compatible Jinn Mage connections.

Thank you Xingtian for providing the postcast link. I found it on Pocktet Casts app and subcribed to SHWEP

Oh. Believe I found Shams al-Ma'arif in Arabic on Scribd. Jadugar, If you can read Arabic and don't have a subscription to Scribd, I'd be happy to upload it here for you. It's not a very good scanned copy.

 

[Jadugar]

Regarding jinns, I remember hearing on the SHWEP- not sure if this episode or a different one- that the jinn, like humans, have different religious affiliations, including Muslim Jinn, Christian Jinn, polytheist jinn, etc.

And even their own languages, lineages, families, learning, etc. Taking it from a purely anthropological perspective, I suppose it's no wonder why jinns are replete with a variety of lore when the term can basically apply to any culture-specific spirit. One belief that always stuck with me regarding them is how they're said to rise into the sky to eavesdrop on heaven, returning with stolen information (in some accounts to inform soothsayers); it goes on that shooting stars are fireballs sent down to strike the jinn and prevent their spying. It used to be just a fun thought back then, but now in my worldview become a very validating thought for a Neoplatonic make-up to the universe.

Jadugar, If you can read Arabic and don't have a subscription to Scribd, I'd be happy to upload it here for you. It's not a very good scanned copy.

I appreciate it, but unfortunately not a fluent Arabic speaker. Time to log more hours into Duolingo.

'm curious how Jinns' energy is typically presented when called or worked with. From the discussion so far is seem it depends on the individual Jinn.

Al-Buni et al. seem to be very tight-lipped about the exact nature of the magician-jinn relationship. These texts tend to have, for example, a lot of rituals that are meant to reveal wisdom but don't quite elucidate what type of wisdom. But there's also a common motif of needing to be ritually pure and prepared for a lot of these rites and pieces of information, so likely to be intentional binds with the reasoning "the student will learn them when they actually perform them." But you're right on it depending on the jinn, too. Their personality tends to be as varied as their make-up.

On the topic of jinn, why not an excerpt from the Shams detailing how to summon them?

https://imgur.com/a/KdUcDzg

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(I apologise for the low-quality.)

What I think should be interesting, from a Western magical perspective, is the relatively inexpensive cost of materials (no black-handled knife to cast on your own) but the counter-balanced cost of time and effort on the part of the magician. Islamic magic loves utilizing the abjad, and with values of individual letters easily ranging into the high hundreds, it's no surprise you'll find a lot of instructions to write/read/say something hundreds or even thousands of times because of the values some key word/phrase gets "translated" into. I'm curious what else leaps out to readers here.

 

[theil]

I'm curious what else leaps out to readers here.

Wow. Thank you for sharing pics of the Shams. I did notice chapter 112 Sincerity be written a 1000 times. One of the many topics I'm researching is words used as mantras and their unfolding as portals.

I see there is filtering being used requesting God to subject them a faithful jinn aid. After reading the last page of warning to request the jinn's aid only for a serious situation and be of strength yourself because some serious stuff can go down.

Not to look directly at a jinn makes a lot of sense to me with their ranking as kings level entities.

 

[Jadugar]

I bring more excerpts.

https://imgur.com/a/vVpOT3j

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One day I'll digitize this book entirely.

I'm used to spatial-based variants of calling allies in esotericism, so a seasonal-based method is very interesting. There seems to be a great concern for ensuring spiritual beings help and not hinder works. I wish I could remember the source for it, but I remember reading that sometimes jinns in a home, especially in homes left undisturbed for long periods before being inhabited again, may intentionally impede rituals cast by the magician as a way to rebel against what they perceive as intruders into their space.

I'm also intrigued by how the invocations invoke the grace of god to ask for authority over these spirits and forces. As an experiment, I was planning on using the invocations as part of a daily meditation decoupled from any specific working to see if it might work as a way to increase one's own spiritual prowess. Maybe even find unexpected allies. Consider this an open invite for anyone else curious to try it to see what results they gain from it.

 

[Art Thurian]

You will find the book on Scribd in Arabic, if you want this interesting book.

 

[pixel_fortune]

"Savour this honey and do not ask about the bees" is a great phrase (if one I am pathologically incapable of following)

Post automatically merged: Mar 28, 2024

The square obsession is interesting, maybe I'm being simplistic but it seems to fit with the early development of mathematics in the Arab world, and also the... you know the thing about how lots of denominations of Islam can't depict people so they developed incredibly intricate pattern-based art. And patterns and fitting then together and designing them so they can be elaborated out infinitely etc all seems like the kind of thinking that would apply well to magic squares

I've been reading Henry Corbin talking about Ibn 'Arabi (famous Sufi) and specifically his conception of the HGA, which is something like: your HGA is one of the names of God (one of the many billions upon billions of names of God). It is unique, and can only be realised / made to live through you. It is also the facet of God that has specifically been sent to you because it's a facet you specifically can understand (God being generally unknowable and vast beyond conception). So it is your best chance at connecting to God, but also you are God's only chance to have that splinter of himself become real and live. Which you do by awakening/invoking/purifying etc etc. There is an idea that, through this specific name of God, god longs for you just as much as you long for God.

There's a good chance I'm badly mangling that, by that's my understanding at the moment. It's in "Creative Imagination and Mystical Experience in the Sufism of Ibn ‘Arabi", by Henry Corbin. Also talks about the imaginal world a lot, what we would call the astral plane

 

[Xingtian]

"Savour this honey and do not ask about the bees" is a great phrase (if one I am pathologically incapable of following)

Post automatically merged: Mar 28, 2024

The square obsession is interesting, maybe I'm being simplistic but it seems to fit with the early development of mathematics in the Arab world, and also the... you know the thing about how lots of denominations of Islam can't depict people so they developed incredibly intricate pattern-based art. And patterns and fitting then together and designing them so they can be elaborated out infinitely etc all seems like the kind of thinking that would apply well to magic squares

Check out this discussion on magic squares at the SHWEP:

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I've been reading Henry Corbin talking about Ibn 'Arabi (famous Sufi) and specifically his conception of the HGA, which is something like: your HGA is one of the names of God (one of the many billions upon billions of names of God). It is unique, and can only be realised / made to live through you. It is also the facet of God that has specifically been sent to you because it's a facet you specifically can understand (God being generally unknowable and vast beyond conception). So it is your best chance at connecting to God, but also you are God's only chance to have that splinter of himself become real and live. Which you do by awakening/invoking/purifying etc etc. There is an idea that, through this specific name of God, god longs for you just as much as you long for God.

That's beautiful and sounds similar to the theory of the logoi elaborated by Maximus the Confessor (himself following Dionysius on the divine names), which Gregory Palamas later combined with his doctrine of God's energies. And all this came together in a wonderfully strange way with late 19th-early 20th century Russian philosophers' sophiology (see The Lamb of God and other works of Sergei Bulgakov for some very mind-bending esoteric orthodox theology).