The ancient Egyptians word for magic was heka, and it was part of everyday life, from farming,childbirth,medicine,and occasions. They believed just by saying the words out loud, that the magic would become real. There was four main rules that took place, which where: Images, identification with the god or goddess, words of power and repetition of Egyptian myths and events.
- Images: Paintings inside the tombs include such images as menus, so that the dead could come visit his burial place and pick from the menu what he wanted to eat, eyes where painted on sides of the coffins so the dead could look out, they included pictures of ears on their prayers so they would be heard. An image had the power to bring about the situation that was depicted.
- Which God or Goddess: By invoking and working with the required deity, helps you channel their power. It would do no good to work with Anubis for a beauty spell, you want a deity that holds a beauty correspondence such as Hathor or Isis. So correct identification will serve you well.
- Words of power: To be aware of the true name of a deity, demon, animal, person and so on, was to have power over them.
- Myths: The Egyptians based their magic around events of the deity’s, they would place themselves in the deity position for example: Horus was ill several times as a child and his mother Isis healed him. So to perform a healing spell, you would tell the patient this tale of Isis healing her son, putting the role of Horus into the patient and yourself as Isis, and just as she healed him, the patient would be healed with other elements as well such as herbs and amulets.
Source: Egyptian Paganism- Jocelyn Almond&Keith Seddon
Papyrus of Ani 