PGM VII. 199-201 “For Migraine Headaches”

This simple spell from third or fourth century Thebes (Luxor) is as potent and practical as it was in antiquity.

For a migraine headache: Taking oil in your hands, speak [this] oration:
“Zeus sowed a grape seed; it splits the earth. [If] he does not sow [it]; it does not climb up.”

PGM VII. 199-201
Tr.: Brian Johnson

I consider myself fortunate that I do not suffer from migraines but they are common enough that I was able to reach out to dozens of friends for testing over the course of several years. One tester who suffers from chronic migraines and reported instant results said “the sharp pain subsided and I am just left with the cranial pressure that I get with such headaches”. They used the olive oil they had in their pantry. Another tester who also used olive oil reported that their migraine “started subsiding a few minutes later”. Olive oil was widely available to the Greeks and Egyptians of late antiquity, but the type of oil used for this charm may not matter. I have asked some friends with normal headaches to test this spell and they also received instant relief in some but not all cases.

Birth of Athena from the head of Zeus.Red-figure pelike. Attic.Attributed to the Painter of the Birth of Athena.Clay.Ca. 460-450 BCE.Inv. No. 1849,0620.14.London, British MuseumCredits:(cc) 2019 г. Photo, text: The British Museum (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0).© The Trustees of the British Museum.

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Zeus being mentioned in a headache cure makes sense and is surely related to the story of the birth of Athena from his head. Something I found interesting when I was looking for ancient art that depicted that story was in the vase above.

The male figure next to Zeus holding a labrys (πέλεκυς ) is the same figure we see in the Grand Tablets which comprise a Roman Era astrologer’s board. for the first decan of Aries.

“The tables of Grand show a dressed figure with upraised arms, holding an object that, according to the Latin treatise de triginta sex decanis, can be identified as a double axe.” Vitellozzi, Paolo. “Relations Between Magical Texts and Magical Gems.” Bild und Schrift auf “magischen” Artefakten, Materiale Textkulturen 19 (2018): 181-254.

A male figure holding a double headed axe also appears for the first decan of Aries on the Tabula Bianchini.

It’s a similar figure as listed in Liber Hermetis:

“The first decan of Aries has the face of Mars. Its name is Aulathamas. It is an armed sign, upright, walking, having the likeness of a man, standing on feet like claws, holding above his head a double sided battle axe with both hands.”

In the Sacred Book of Hermes to Asclepius the object being held is a scepter.

In melothesia, which attributes parts of the body to the zodiac, Aries rules the head. Little finds like the figure on this vase should serve as a reminder of the occult wisdom that can be found through art history.