Paris Papyri Graecae Magicae

First invocation prayer of the Paris Papyri Graecae Magicae (Mithraic Liturgy).


Please note I have eliminated the magical names and vowel strings appearing at the end of most lines. This is the invocation that begins an amazing voyage to heaven, where the initiate is graced to meet God, and receive revelation. Albrecht Dieterich estimates that this liturgy appeared around 150AD, with a 200 year development time (now there's some heavy duty work in progress internal charges the Mithraic accounting department could levy). There are a series of magical practices at the end involving a scarab and a Kentritis plant, and some seriously pre-Platonic imagery invoked throughout.

This Invocation Prayer has been great as a grounding in an awareness of my humble humanity, which is present in, and preceeding, any heavenly voyage far beyond any earthy realms.


First origin of my origin,
First beginning of my beginning,
spirit of spirit, the first of the spirit in me,
fire god-given for the mixture of mixtures in me,
the first of the fire in me,
water of water, the first of water in me,
earth material, the first of earthly material in me,
a perfect body of me,
which, because of it's fashioning by a noble arm and an
incorruptible right hand in a world without light and yet
radiant, without a soul and yet alive with soul,
now,
transfer me to the immortal birth and next, to my
underlying nature, in order that, after the present and
exceedingly pressing need, I may envision the immortal
beginning with the immortal spirit,
with the immortal water,
with the firmest air,
in order that I may be born again in thought,
and the sacred spirit may breathe in me,
in order that I may marvel at the sacred fire,
in order that I may gaze upon the unfathomable, frightful
water of the dawn,
and that the life-giving, encompassing ether hear me.
For today I am going to envision with immortal eyes -
I, a mortal born from a mortal womb, but improved through
the exceedingly powerful might and the imperishable
right hand, and with the immortal spirit to envision the
immortal Aion and lord of the fiery diadems - I sanctified
through holy consecrations - which holy power supports
for a short while my human soul power, which I will again
receive after the present bitter and relentless necessity
which is pressing down on me.
Since for me, being mortal, it is out of reach to
ascend together with the golden radiances of the immortal
brilliance,
I stand, O perishable nature of the mortals,
and at once be safe after the inexorable
and pressing need.