PATTI WIGINGTON: Coffee: neutralizes harmful magic
יוסף בן מתתיהו: For of the four sons of Ham, time has not at all hurt the name of Cush; for the Ethiopians, over whom he reigned, are even at this day, both by themselves and by all men in Asia, called Cushites.
ANNA BUSUTTIL: A scroll can be used specifically for an individual who is suffering from a physical illness.
HOLLAND COTTER: Magic or healing scrolls usually take the form of long, narrow, often segmented vertical strips of parchment covered with handwritten texts — protective prayers, spell-casting formulas — interspersed with drawn and painted images. Such scrolls were, and still are, created by traditional healers and diviners.
They were created to generate live spiritual power in the material world, which is why the devotees carried them everywhere during the day and hung them unfurled on the walls of their homes at night. Like computers in sleep mode, scrolls were always on, ready to power-up into action.
KRISTEN WINDMULLER~LUNA: Healing scrolls are written in Ge’ez, a 2,000-year-old indigenous Semitic language. As in all Ge’ez manuscripts, prayers are written with carbon black ink, while the names of the holy Trinity and headings are written with red ink. The client’s name is added in red only after the scroll’s completion. The inks are sometimes enhanced with ritually powerful plants or sacrificial blood to increase their effectiveness.
Images on scrolls are nonrepresentational talismanic designs that reveal mysteries and enhance the effectiveness of written prayers. Opaque color fields and curving double outlines guide viewing and reinforce the talisman’s ocular power during the healing process.In Ethiopian talismanic art, the eyes are the conduits through which illness-causing demons leave the body. During the healing process, scrolls are unrolled, priests recite prayers, holy water is distributed, and images are displayed. The talismanic images are seen by the demon through the eyes of their human victim. The eyes of the talismanic figures on the scroll reflect the gaze of the afflicted until the demon flees. This act of reciprocal viewing is key to the healing act, as invoking the names of God alone will not cause the retreat of demons. To hasten the effectiveness of the gaze, many figures are reduced to faces or eyes.
Portable scrolls made to the length of the customer offer head-to-toe spiritual protection, while longer scrolls protect a household. Scrolls that exceeded their owner’s height were hung from a house post or wall so that the talismanic images of saints and nets could confront any malevolent spirits who dared to enter.
