It is recorded that the philosopher Maximus of Ephesus attended the Temple of Hekate in the city of Ephesus to initiate a ritual. Following the burning of incense and the singing of a hymn, the statue of the Goddess was animated and began to smile and laugh out loud as the torches in Her hands were set ablaze (Cook 2000, 278). But what was this recorded practice?

The term “animated statue” derives from the Latin word “anima,” from which the English “animated” is derived, and can be translated as breath, life, soul or spirit. Anima animates, or gives life. The Greek word pneuma, also means spirit. An animated statue is not necessarily one that moves, but one that is enspirited or is connected to the pneumatic vehicle of one of the greater kinds, the Gods. Not any statue can be ensouled though, it is specifically eikons that are ensouled.

Why create an ensouled statue? Can’t the Gods and Greater Kinds manifest themselves to us in other ways? Yes, however…

1. Such appearances can be violent, even life threatening (Such a thing is seen with Semele), or require a specialized form of the telestic art in order to induce divine possession (which will be tackled later). Divine possession is primarily used for oracular purposes, which may not be what the theurgist wishes to accomplish.
2. Furthermore, as Julian the Philosopher wisely spoke, even the Encosmic Gods (the Gods who, though above matter, take in matter to impose order on it) cannot be properly worshiped in their natural, transcendent state, nor can their divine images, the seven planets. Therefore another kind of body is created on earth. Ensouled statues are more than simply valuable tools. For those practicing Material Theurgy, the first stage of theurgy, animated statues are a necessary means of connecting ourselves to the divine.
3. Finally, for any ritual, it’s helpful to have an image of the God or Gods who are the focus of that ritual. This is especially true in ritual reenactment, because an ensouled statue of a God can stand in for that God’s position and function in the original myth. They are the “thing shown” in these rituals.

An animated statue of a God is not merely a talisman. A talisman is created for a specific purpose and fulfills that particular application; meaning a talisman is at the command of the theurgist in their demiurgy. An animated statue, however, is at the command of the God who fills it with pneuma (soul). The statue is ensouled, and called by the theurgists an agalma empsychon (ensouled shrine). They are essentially “phone lines” that connect us to the divine by partaking in a God’s essence, and an easy way to work with a deity for an extended period without necessarily having access to a temple. Once animated, the statue may take on a certain additional presence to the sensitive. The statue may also seem to have facial expressions and react to events; although without moving, of course.

According to Olympiodorus of Alexandria, the statues themselves aren’t considered divine, nor do they literally house a God or other divine being. A God’s essence lies elsewhere. Instead of entering a body as a means of animating it as humans do with their own bodies, Gods don’t identify themselves with their bodies nor dwell inside them. Instead, the statue becomes connected to the invoked being and its pneumatic vehicle through its tokens, effectively making it a body for the divinity that is ruled from the outside rather than from within. Even further, it may very well not be a God at all, but a Daimon or messenger of the God.

People use statues to remind ourselves of the divine realm, by filling them with signs, symbols, and tokens. This, in combination with theurgic worship, awakens in our souls the synthema placed there by the Celestial Demiurge, ultimately lifting us to the heavenly realm and our leader God. Of all this Proclus summarizes:

“The ensouled statue, for example, participates by way of impression in the art which turns it on the lathe or polishes it and shapes it in such and such a fashion, while from the universe it has received reflections of vitality which even cause us to say it is ensouled; and as a whole it has been made like the God whose statue it is. For a telestic priest who sets up a statue as a likeness of a certain divine order perfects the symbola of its identity with reference to that order, acting as does the craftsman when he makes a likeness by looking to its proper model.”

For really any ritual, it’s helpful to have an image of the God or Gods who are the ritual’s focus. This is particularly the case in ritual reenactments of myths since an Animated Statue of a deity can stand in for that God’s function and position in the myth.

 

Ritual

The following ritual is about animating an eikon. This is to be understood in the original sense of “animation”: to put a soul into. I’m not suggesting that your statue will literally get up and move about physically; though as seen with Julian’s case, it’s not out of possibilities.

Do not undertake this ritual unless you have built up a close relation with the God in question. It is strongly advised several libations, sacrifices, and prayers of praise are done in the weeks or months prior to attempting this ritual. Furthermore, consider carefully:

• Convenience. Doing this ritual will mean you quite literally have a God in your house; and you can’t exactly decide to just throw it out if you have to move.
• Maintenance. At the very minimum, you will be responsible for dusting it and keeping it clean. You will also probably need to make libations and offerings of incense to it occasionally. It’s not exactly as complicated as having a pet and certainly not as complicated as having a child, but you are inviting a powerful being into your life and must take care of its avatar.

Do not go about filling a room full of animated statues. The cost is restrictive, and the work of set-up & maintenance is significant. Instead, carefully choose particular deities you wish to work with in this intensive way, based on your previous experiences, resonance with particular myths, and insights acquired through divination.

Iamblichus’ work that likely detailed animated statues in depth, On Cult Statues, is unfortunately lost, and thus our instructions for how to complete this ceremony is limited. It is clear, however, that the concept of the animation of statues comes from the Kemetic practice of opening the mouth (It was a tendency of Iamblichus to borrow from Egyptian theology and fit it in a Platonist framework). The opening of the mouth was done to newly created mummies and divine images in order to enliven them. From here, we can use what we know of animated statues and fill in the gaps with the opening of the mouth ritual. For the sake of clarity, I will give this ritual for the enlivening of a statue of Serapis, but I will place the names and incantations specific to Him in italics so you can modify them to fit the God you wish to work with.

 

Preparation

Prepare an altar with these materials:

• A dish for libations
• A dish for sacrifice
• A censer with a charcoal fire
• The eikon behind these on the altar.

Further, you will need:

• A cup of wine or other appropriate beverage
• A symbolically significant sacrifice (e.g., bread, grain, animal, etc)
• An appropriate incense (especially good if significant to the particular God).
• Spring & sea water + a clean cloth
• A sprig or twig to light in the fire
• A candle or lamp.

You can also do this ritual with stick incense rather than charcoal.

When ready to begin the ceremony, recite these words which are attributed to Orpheus:

“I speak to those who lawfully may hear: Depart all ye profane, and close the doors.“

 

Step 1: Light the lampsaying

Light the lamp and recite a prayer to santify the fire, such as this:

“O, All Ruling Sun!
Spirit of the World, Power of the World, Light of the World,
Undefeated and shining benefactor, who illuminates all things,
Who is the divine Mind and shaper of the eternal cosmos,
Whose radiance delivers only good, whose stare averts only evil.
Boaster and dispenser of the harmony of light, whose all-seeing eye bring justice and truth to all,
Feast your eye onto this fire,
So we may be brought closer to you, in harmonious union.”

 

Step 2: Light the twig with the lamp

Light the twig with the lamp, then use it to light the charcoal, and extinguish the twig in the bowl of water, thus creating khernips.

Recite the following fragment from the Chaldean Oracles (193. Proc. in Cray. Z. or T.) as you pour the lustral water over your hands:

“So therefore first the Priest who governeth the works of Fire, must sprinkle with the Water of the loud-resounding Sea.”

Dry your hands with the clean cloth.

 

Step 3: Circumambulate the altar

Take the statue in your right hand and the bowl of water in your left, then circumambulate the altar. Do this four times while reciting this once each time:

“You are pure. You are pure, O [God]” [x4]

When you return to the center, put the statue back in its proper position and dip three fingers of your right hand into the khernips, sprinkling it over the altar and then in the four directions.

 

Step 4: Contemplate its matter

Contemplate the matter on the statue until it’s reduced to formlessness in your mind.

I. Analyze out from that object all of its qualities. These are descriptors, usually either adjectives or nouns, that you might use to describe the object to someone else. List them out and categorize these qualities, a word or a phrase at a time, either in your mind or on a piece of paper if you need it. (Note that as you get better at this practice, you can abandon the paper and hold these qualities much easier in your mind.)

Example: visual, tactile, and so on.

 

II. Put the object down. While looking over your list, call up a phantasm of the statue in your mind. Now, begin removing qualities from the object. It’s often simpler to start with smell, taste, and color before going on to form.

Example: Holding the statue in your mind, remove some of its related qualities. Take away its shape, color, texture, and so on.

 

III. When you remove the related qualities, begin by removing the essential qualities.

It’s essential not to cheat. For example; when you remove color from the object, don’t simply imagine it clear or white: picture it without color. It’s not clear, it’s colorless. Don’t replace one quality with another; taking away the quality “smooth” doesn’t mean making the object rough; it means abolishing texture as a category altogether.

Example: Taking away the concept of color and texture, material phase (solid or liquid), and finally shape itself, one is left with pure matter (hyle).

 

IV. Try to hold the eikon in your mind without having any concept of its qualities for as long as you can. You’ll perhaps experience a mental blankness or fog. You will almost certainly experience the statue trying to take shape again, but whenever it does gently deny its qualities, so it returns to the formless chaos to which you have reduced it. You won’t be able to articulate your experience of what remains, as to do so will be to apply qualities to it; but what’s left is pure matter (hyle), without any shape given to it by the Demiurge.

 

Step 5: Recite a prayer

Recite the following prayer, from the Corpus Hermetica (Poemander 86-96) and Patrick Dunn’s book on theurgy, with your hands in the air and palms facing upward, facing upwards, raising your soul and pursuing the divine Nous as much as you can:

“Holy is God, the Father of All Things.
Holy is God, whose will is performed and accomplished by His own powers.
Holy is God, who Determines to be Known, and is Known of His Own, or Those that are His.
Holy art Thou, that by Thy Word hast established all Things.
Holy art Thou, of Whom all Nature is the Image.
Holy art Thou, Whom Nature hath not Formed.
Holy art Thou, that art Stronger than all Power.
Holy art Thou, that art Greater than all Excellency.
Holy art Thou, Who art Better than all Praise.

Accept these Reasonable Sacrifices from a Pure Soul,
and a Heart stretched out unto Thee.
O Thou Unspeakable, Unutterable, to be Praised with Silence!
Grant me a sign that you will not reject my
petition for the knowledge of our being.
Empower me, and with this grace, I will enlighten
those of my kind who lay in a state of ignorance—
my kin, your children.
Therefore, I believe, and I witness:
I advance to life and light.
You are the basis of reason,
and Your people strive to join with You in the sacred work,
as you provided them with the Love to do so.”

 

Step 6: Recite a prayer to the particular God

Recite a prayer particular to the God, petitioning for them to dwell within the image. Use the prayer format for this.

 

Step 7: Rebuild

As you pray, use your mind to build a phantasm of the God, standing behind the eikon. After the prayer, continue your focus to further strengthen the power of that phantasm while exclamating these words of power from the Greek Magical Papyri:

“Aeēioyō iaō aiō aōi iōa ōia ōai oyoiēea”

Allow the phantasm to return form to the statue, rebuilding all the qualities you have stripped from it, however, this time reconstituted with their divine counterparts.

 

Step 8: Libation and sing

Perform a libation to the deity, then either recite a poem or sing a song in honor of the deity relevant to this ritual. You can compose one yourself, or merely chant a pre-existing one appropriate to the deity (Orphic and Homeric Hymns have a great selection), or you could even speak spontaneously.

 

Step 9: Offering

Burn a minor portion of the offering and a few grains of incense on the charcoal, and say:

“O [God], I have brought forth this offering for you.
May you take this offering, and may you accept it,
and enter into this image,
to walk among the Living Immortals.”

 

Step 10: Touch the mouth of the figure and repeat this three times

“O [God], I open your mouth with the finger.
I bring your mouth to the earth.
I open your eyes. I bring your eyes to the earth.” [x3]

 

Step 11: Add more incense to the charcoal, then pray anew:

“O [God], who has arrived from your abode,
who has set foot in this sacred space to join me in holy festivity,
receive my praise and gratitude.”

 

Step 12: Contemplate

Contemplate the God for as long as you desire, whether that be a few brief minutes or an extended period. However, do not rush through it.

 

Step 13: Gratitude

When finished, offer a short prayer of gratitude, such as the following:

“I give thanksgiving to the Gods, the Daimons, and the ancestors,
who have lead me to this site,
and who guide and aid me in participation within the eternal works of creation.
May there be enduring amity preserved between us.”

 

Step 14: Close the Ritual

Close the ritual by placing the statue in an appropriate place, perhaps covered from prying eyes. When you are done, kiss your hand to it in adoratio, turn around and exit the room in muteness. Solemnly and respectfully shut the door.

 

After the Ritual

This ritual can be exhausting, and so it is recommended to do something that’s mundane following a significant ritual such as this.

It is crucial to make sure you can easily clean and care for the statue, as well as burn incense to it periodically. Pour out the libation outdoors, and let the incense burn down and cool before putting it away. Remember, this is a standin for a God. You are to take care of it as another member of the house.

 

Bibliography

Addey, Crystal. Divination and theurgy in neoplatonism: oracles of the gods. Farnham: Ashgate, 2014.

Betz, Hans Dieter. The Greek Magical Papyri in Translation, Including the Demotic Spells. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1986.

Dunn, Patrick. The practical art of divine magic: contemporary & ancient techniques of Theurgy. Woodbury, MN: Llewellyn Worldwide, Ltd, 2015.

Kupperman, Jeffrey S. Living theurgy: a course in Iamblichus philosophy, theology and theurgy. London: Avalonia, 2014.

Opsopaus, John. The oracles of Apollo: practical ancient Greek divination for today. Woodbury: Llewellyn Worldwide, Ltd, 2017.

Reidy, Richard J. Eternal Egypt: Ancient Rituals for the Modern World. New York: IUniverse, 2010.

Ruth Majercik, The Chaldean Oracles:  Text, Translation and Commentary. Leiden, NL: Brill, 1989.

Tanaseanu-Döbler, Ilinca. Theurgy in Late Antiquity: the invention of a ritual tradition. Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 2013.