Inks for Magic & Talismans, part 1

Re-creations from an ancient grimoire

When I started my research of early Islamic inkmaking, I was pointed to Ghāyat al-Hakīm, a book of magic and astrology written in the 11th or possibly 10th century. One chapter in the book provides recipes to make inks that correspond to each of the 36 decans and are “absolutely necessary for the work of magic or talismans”. Now, for the purposes of a c…