The Baths (of the Grimoire Tradition)

The following extract from the anthology From a Drop of Water (edited by Kim Huggens) from the essay A FLOW OF WATER THROUGH THE GRIMOIRE WORLD (Exploring holy water, cleansing baths as well as magical operations like the water of life and turning water in to blood ) by the Swedish Grimoire Magician Maestro Nestor.   The anthology explores the use of water, as well as the folklore and mythologies associated with it, in different magical and pagan traditions, you can find out more by going to http://avaloniabooks.co.uk/221/?page_id=329

The Baths

As I mentioned in the Introduction baths are a frequent occurrence during the ritual preparations in the grimoires. There are a few reasons for this, becoming pure and clean being among of the most important reasons for having a bath. The whole idea of the preparation period is to become pure and clean both in mind and body. Water symbolizes purity and holiness in the grimoires and thus not only purifies the body but encourages a holy state of mind.

Another reason for the baths and why each day or major operation starts with cleaning yourself with water in one way or another is to let the magician and his eventual assistants step into the roles they play. It is a ritual action signifying that he is leaving his normal life and entering the life of a magician.

For this you use something like a tub of water, sometimes you just wash yourself from a bucket, other times you go to a river or spring and in some cases you use a fountain. This is usually described in each individual grimoire. If it is not I would recommend following the instructions in the Key of Solomon. An interesting note is that when it comes to the bathing water it self should also be exorcised which was not needed for the making the water of the art.^[1]

In this example from the Key of Solomon we can clearly see the importance of being clean as well as how it prepares the magician to enter his role as a magician. Fittingly enough the part is called “In What Manner the Master of the Art Should Keep, Rule, And Govern Himself”.

“After this he must strip himself entirely naked, and let him have a bath ready prepared, wherein is water exorcised, after the manner which we shall describe, so that he may bathe and purify himself therein from the crown of his head unto the sole of his foot, saying: O Lord ADONAI, who hast formed me Thine unworthy servant in Thine Image and resemblance of vile and of abject earth; deign to bless and to sanctify this Water, so that it may be for the health and purification of my soul, and of my body, so that no foolishness or deceitfulness may therein in any way have place. O Most Powerful and Ineffable God, Who madest Thy people pass dryshod through the Red Sea when they came up out of the Land of Egypt, grant unto me grace that I may be purified and regenerated from all my past sins by this Water, that so no uncleanness may appear upon me in Thy Presence. After this thou shalt entirely immerse thyself in the water, and thou shalt dry thyself with a towel of clean white linen, and then thou shalt put upon thy flesh the garments of pure white linen …”^[2]

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[1] See the Greater Key of Solomon book two pages 92-93.

[2] From the Greater Key of Solomon book two page 86.

 

About Maestro Nestor

Maestro Nestor’s interest in the occult stemmed from an interest in the darker aspects of magic during his teens, including Satanism, which he practiced until his early twenties. On a trip to New York things changed when during a book buying spree he encountered Cavendish’s The Black Arts and Waite’s The Book of Black Magic which introduced him to the grimoire traditions, and since then he has explored the right hand path traditions extensively. His work has previously been published on a variety of websites, as well as in Swedish language magazines. His essay Demons & Devils appeared in the Both Sides of Heaven anthology edited by Sorita d’Este. He is currently engaged in working on a series of books on the practice of grimoire magic. See www.grimoiremagic.com for more information.