Today, most people think of Abraxas as the name of a demon, appearing as the second entry in the Infernal Dictionary. But in early Gnosticism, Abraxas was a divinity, and perhaps even the highest divinity. It was the name applied to the first Archon, who commanded the remaining archons. The archons were beastly but powerful rulers of reality who created the world that stood between humanity and salvation.
Gnostic cosmology suggested that the universe contained 365 heavens, and the beings that created the mortal world exist within the last visible heaven, number 365. Abraxas is the ruler of all these heavens. This is why the name Abraxas in Greek isopsephy (numerology) adds up to the number 365, which is also the number of days of the year and, in Gnosticism, the number of parts of the human body.
Α = 1, Β = 2, Ρ = 100, Α = 1, Σ = 200, Α = 1, Ξ = 60 > 1+2+1+100+200+1 = 365
As a result of this leading role in creation, Abraxas was sometimes described as the “first principle” and the “archetype” of existence. It was sometimes even suggested that it was Abraxas who sent Christ to the mortal earth, described as a benevolent ghost sent by Abraxas.
While it was already implied, the Gnostic Basilides later stated more explicitly that Abraxas created the first principle, which was Mind, and from this sprang the Word, Providence, Virtue, and Wisdom. It was from these elements that all subsequent Principalities and Angels emerged. It was these angels who formed the 365 heavens and the world. He suggests that the God of the Jews is one of these angels, under Abraxas.
When the Catholic Church emerged, it demonized Abraxas and declared these teachings heretical. And yes, in Charmed, it is Abraxas who steals the book of shadows and tries to undo all the magic done by the sisters by reading the book backwards.
Abraxas Stones
The word Abraxas was believed to unlock magical powers and is mentioned both in the Holy Book of the Great Invisible Spirit and in the Greek Magical Papyri.
Abraxas stones are a significant number of engraved stones that show grotesque mythological creatures and are often inscribed with the name Abraxas, often spelled Abrasax, representing the seven classical planets and the root of the word Abracadabra, which was an incantation against inflammation and fever.
The Abraxas Stones seem to have been used as mystical amulets for protection, especially against physical ills. The Gnostic physician Severus Sammonicus recorded that the word could be inscribed on an amulet in triangular form, worn for nine days around the neck, and then thrown into a river on the tenth day, whereupon the wearer would be healed.
Abraxas stones were also used as a token or password among initiated members of the group and as seals for documents.
The stones often show Abraxas alone, identified by his shield and either a spear, wreath, whip, sword, or scepter. He has a cock’s head, the tail of a serpent, and is clad in armor. There is significant variation within the iconography, sometimes showing elements of lions, hawks, and eagles, and sometimes with a trident and star.
The name of Abraxas can appear alone or with one of the many names for God, or in connection with other mystical figures or groups of letters.
While most surviving Abraxas gems come from Egypt, they have been found as far west as England and as far east as Asia.
Abraxas in the Modern World
In the 19th century, the mythographer Sir Godfrey Higgins suggested that the name Abraxas might have druidic origins, or that it was the corruption of an ancient Egyptian word meaning “hurt me not.” It was this kind of speculation that led to the popularity of Abraxas in the modern occult.
The psychologist Carl Jung was a modern Gnostic and agreed that Abraxas was a higher god than the Christian god that encompassed both God and the devil. In his Red Book, published anonymously in 1955, Jung drew a mandala of the system of all worlds (above). He called it a cosmological map that identifies the human microcosm in the grand macrocosm. It includes Abraxas as the ruler of the lower human bodily realm.
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