The word Abracadabra is a powerful word of magic. Find out the meaning of the word, its history, and how to use it.
Abracadabra is a word heard in movies, in parlor magic shows, and utterings from children when they want to make something happen. It’s believed to be powerful healing magic that wards off deadly disease, but is it? Join SpiritualBlossom to find out. Discover the history of the word, and what magic in, and of itself really is. Find out if words hold magic and how magic can heal. At the end of your journey, you will find out how to use Abracadabra in your own magic. One word can create so much magic. Read on to find out how this word of power can create great things for you.
What is Abracadabra?
Abracadabra is a magical word first recorded in the 2nd century CE in the writings of a physician named Serenus Sammonicus in his publication Liber Medicinalis. The word was inscribed on parchment and used in healing like this:
ABRACADABRA
ABRACADABR
ABRACADAB
ABRACADA
ABRACAD
ABRACA
ABRAC
ABRA
ABR
AB
A
It was believed that wearing things with this inscription healed fevers and diseases like malaria. Charms like this for magic are a specific kind of magic known as sympathetic magic. Sympathetic magic is the belief that similarity creates results. This means an object, like a paper with an inscription, can create what the inscription says. In this instance, like attracts like.
With this particular inscription- it was made of parchment and the letters were arranged in a triangular fashion in the belief they would funnel the illness out of the wearer, letting illness simply drain away. The word was not just used in the 2nd century CE, but also in the middle ages. Ets ha-Da’at, a Jewish codex from 16th century Italy included Abracadabra as a cure from the heavens in its collection of magical remedies.
Nobody knows exactly where the word originated, but there are theories. One theory is that it comes from the Aramaic term, “avra kehdabra”, which translates as “ I will create as I speak”. So, saying, and wearing the word Abracadabra was believed to automatically create healing. The Hebrew word “Ebra k’dabir” means “ I create as I speak” but there is also their word “Ha brachah dabarah” which means “Name of the Blessed”. This could invoke a holy name for healing. One of the most powerful tools for healing is laughter. Read here about how laughter heals: Why the Best Medicine is Laughter- How Laughter Heals
What is Magic?
Magic is simply moving energy in conformity with your will. A lot of people think of magic as spells that use oils, incense, and candles, but there are so many ways to work magic. Magic can be worked by ignoring an insult, and therefore deescalating a tense situation to restore peace. It can be done by pretending to be less wealthy, and securing a bigger discount from a salesperson. It can be done using mental telepathy, or using your psychic intuition to tell when someone is lying to you. It can also be done by pretending to be more confident than you feel, and getting the job you want because of it.
Abracadabra, and other sympathetic magic practices are a very common form of magic. Wearing the symbol of your faith to ward off evil is magic also. Smudging yourself or your home to remove negativity after an especially stressful visit with a toxic family member is too. Giving money to a charitable organization that rehabilitates the type animal that is your spirit animal helps forge a more powerful magical spirit animal connection. Getting rid of everything that makes you think of your ex after a breakup removes their energy and presence from your life and it’s powerful magic. One of the most common forms of magic is protective magic and you can get started learning how here: Magic for Self-Defense
Do Words Hold Magic?
Everything holds magic. Words are an especially powerful way to do magic. First, it’s basic psychology. The more we say something, the more we believe it. That’s one reason why positive affirmations are so important. If you tell yourself “I’m too stupid to accomplish this”, you won’t try. However, if you tell yourself “I have no idea how I am going to accomplish this, but I am going to ask for help until I know how “, this creates a completely different mindset. When you tell yourself you can’t do something, you program yourself to not even try. When you tell yourself you can do something, you get started trying.
The language we use with other people magically creates things as well. If you use welcoming tones of voice, people will be drawn to you. If, instead, you use unpleasant tones, people are repelled. One of the most magical uses of words is encouraging people. This is especially important when you are mentoring someone, especially students or children. Telling them mistakes are stepping stones to learning will make them proud of their progress and encourage them to keep working on themselves. Telling them they are limited and can’t accomplish much will make them either not work to progress, or make them quit. Choose your words wisely, because they magically create our world. There is magical strength in numbers too. Read about it here: Teamwork: The Power of Strength in Numbers
Can Magic Heal Us?
Magic can heal, but it’s not the only ingredient for healing. Some people make the mistake of casting a spell for healing, and then taking no other steps to heal. Magic works best when we are proactive in making it come about. So for healing, use magic, yes, but help it along. To use magic for healing, set a powerful intention and then become aware of your body. Then, actively participate in healing, and never underestimate the power of belief and the placebo effect.
Set Intentions
Anytime you want to do magic, you need to create goals. Setting an intention is more than just creating goals. That's deciding what you want, how you want it, but then also how you're going to do it. With intentions, you are proactive in what you're going to do magically. Some people believe that the most powerful magic is making a wish and expecting the universe to deliver them results without any other participation on their part. This is wrong.
The most powerful tool for magic you have is yourself. If you have been diagnosed with cancer, telling the universe to heal you is the same as sending out a prayer. Putting energy out to the universe is only part of magic. Deciding that you're going to see the right doctors, and then following their advice and allowing them to treat you will heal your cancer better than just making a wish or a prayer. When you're working on your healing, your number one intention should be that you will do whatever it takes to get better. Some people like to use candles in all their magic. Find out how to get started here: The Complete Beginner’s Guide to Candles and Magic
Awareness
When you are healing, knowledge is power. Understanding what needs to change so that you can heal and understanding what you need to do to make that healing happen are very powerful magical tools. Healing begins with understanding what's wrong and then what needs to be done to correct it. You will work with your doctor, possibly a nutritionist, with your loved ones, and maybe even with a counselor to understand what's going on and what you can do. It's also very important to know what to expect and how much your body is expected to recover.
Active Participation
The most important part of magic is action. Once you decide that you're going to do whatever it takes to heal, and you have full awareness of what those things are, don't wait. Get started. You may have to be patient with healing, because sometimes healing takes a long time. Every day you will have to get up and work to heal and do the things to make healing happen. You will have to do your therapy, exercise, or whatever it is that makes healing possible. You might have to eat or drink foods that you'd rather not. You will have to sacrifice time that you would prefer to be doing other things. It's all worth it to actively participate in your own healing, because that's the magic that's going to make healing happen. Just don’t forget to ask for help if you need it because radical independence doesn’t help. Learn why here: The Problem with Being Radically Independent
The Placebo Effect
Belief does not create reality, but it creates how you function. This has been proven in studies on something called the placebo effect. This means believing that a treatment is working, and in studies, doctors used fake treatments, but saw success and treating illness anyways. What they create is psychological relief, taking some of the stress off your body. This improves your immune system, allowing it to function better and it takes some psychological pain off you. So, your body can focus on healing more as opposed to the stress.
One of the things that take psychological stress off you is having faith that your medical team has the answers. Making sure that you see the right doctor is a big part of this. Never allow someone to bully you and to not seek a second or even third or fourth opinion. Never allow a medical professional to keep you stuck in one spot if you feel like you should be moving forward. Having a healer who you have faith in will reassure you that healing is possible. While this belief doesn't heal you, it helps take some of that stress off and keeps you going to your Doctor who has the answers so you can get better.
How to Use Abracadabra
Abracadabra can be used in exactly the way it was centuries ago. Make your own parchment paper triangle and wear it while you heal or buy a pendant from a seller, and use it. Positive affirmations are verbal uses of the magic of healing you speak into existence. The words from other people’s support verbally supports healing too, and sometimes, that’s all the magic you need.
Talismans
Like the 2nd century physician’s patients, you too, can have your own Abracadabra medallion. Countless pre-made Abracadabra pendants can be found online around the world. You can make your own with parchment, or even paint your own. If you want to, you can create one as a gift for someone who is healing. You can also write Abracadabra in a triangle the traditional way on paper and burn it as an offering, using that as the beginning of a wish to heal. If you want to get started making your own talismans, we have you covered. Read here: How to Make Your Own Amulets and Talismans
Affirmations
During healing, the last thing you want to do is tell yourself constantly how sick and miserable you are. Sometimes this is true. Sometimes you'll be so afraid that you'll never heal, that you won't know what to do with yourself. The most magical thing you can do is tell yourself that healing is possible and that you will do whatever it takes to make sure it happens. A very powerful magical affirmation that you can use every day is “ In this space and this time, my body is whole, but part of it is broken and I want that to be healed. I opened myself to guidance from the universe for what I need to do to heal. Every moment of every day has the potential to heal more and for all that is broken to be mended. So be it.”
Support Systems
The power of uplifting words can be found in your support network while you're healing. Your medical team is a big part of that support system. Having open communication with them so you understand what's happening to your body while you're healing is a big part of the magic of words. Surrounding yourself with loved ones who want to see you get better, and will participate in your healing is another part of that. Having someone to talk to and having a relationship to continue life with so that you don't feel like sickness is the center of your life is very important. Some people use crystals to help with anxiety while they heal. Read how here: The Best Stones for Anxiety
Never underestimate the power of talking to other people who are either going through the same thing as you or have healed from it. Focused support groups with people who are enduring similar things have been shown to empower healing and give you the emotional support that you need. These people will have wisdom and resources to share with you that will help your healing come faster and easier. You form friendships, which further takes stress off of you and these people will make you feel less abnormal, because there are plenty of people going through the same thing as you. They will also be available for you to share your successes and you can support other people the way that they supported you.
When you need to heal, you might think that it's not possible because your body is somehow too compromised. Everyone's body is broken sometimes and everyone gets sick. While it is true that sometimes injuries and illness lead to death, each of us will have multiple illnesses and injuries throughout our life that we heal from before it is our time to join the ancestors. Sometimes healing is easy and blissful and sometimes it is a long, arduous process that hurts before things get better. Sometimes our body heals itself, and sometimes we need the help from other people. If you decide to do whatever it takes to heal, chances are you will. May you be more powerful than whatever broke you, and may you heal to be stronger than you were before you were broken. So be it.
About the Author: Lady Saoirse has studied magic and lore for most of her life but started walking her own Magical Path after being spiritually reborn in the desert. Today she is a High Priestess for The Temple of the Goddess, she is a psychic advisor and spiritual counselor, she shares her gifts as a Psychic and Content Writer for Mysticsense and SpiritualBlossom, and she writes for PaganPages.Org emag and Green Egg Magazine.
