A simple dream divination ritual based on the two final entries of the fifth collection of the Greek Magical Papyri, PGM V.447—458 and PGM V.459—489.  Although Betz and Preisendanz give these as two separate entries, and although Stephen Skinner in his Techniques of Graeco-Egyptian Magic considers them separately as well, I feel that they are better read as a single unit and single ritual, especially as they appear to have no connection to the preceding ritual of PGM V.370—446.  The final two entries of PGM V are notable for including a brief invocation to the Supreme Intelligence, or the Great Nous, a Platonic and possibly Hermetic understanding of the divine, which is also called Zeus and Serapis (or Sarapis), and is described as being an all-purpose formula: “it loosens shackles, makes invisible, sends dreams; a spell for gaining favor.  Add the usual for what you want.”   The invocation is also notable for having distinctly Jewish elements, though these may be accidental rather than intentional, as a common Jewish formula of blessing is used as a form of barbarous words.

The ritual as a whole is designed for the purpose of dream divination and receiving visions in dreams, but which also makes use of a lamp, so this ritual may be considered as either a dream divination or a lamp divination as far as other PGM rituals are concerned.  The following ritual format is based on PGM V.447ff with my own additions and clarifications, with the invocation provided from PGM V.459ff.  This ritual was first described in this 2019 post.

The ritual requires the following:

• A small, ring-sized “jasperlike agate” stone
  • Since both jasper and agate are both forms of chalcedony with the only difference being its translucency or opacity, this may be interpreted to mean an almost-opaque agate or a barely-translucent jasper, perhaps with only the slightest of striations or bands in it.
• Either a gold ring to set the stone in or a strip of linen to bind it to the hand
• An oil lamp with a clean wick and pure oil
• A spray of olive and laurel twigs, branches, or sticks

On the stone, engrave the following:

• On the front, an image of Serapis seated holding a royal scepter with an ibis on top.
  • The “royal scepter” may be the famous was-scepter of the Egyptians, but it is possibly more likely to be the heka-scepter, the crook of the crook-and-flail combination.
  • Alternatively, it may be an Egyptian interpretation of the Hellenistic Haidēs, who is known to have a two-pronged or three-pronged staff or a staff tipped with a bird.
  • More simply, especially given the image of Serapis on coins of the early Roman Empire, the “royal scepter” may simply be a long staff, usually held in the left arm.
• On the reverse, the name “Serapis” (ΣΕΡΑΠΙΣ, or as the original text specifies, ΣΑΡΑΠΙΣ).

Set the stone into the ring such that the stone is either mostly or wholly enclosed by the ring, or wrap it up tightly in the middle of the linen strip.

On the evening you wish to engage in the divination, in the evening after sunset, light the lamp and stand before it facing the east.  If the stone was set into a ring, wear it on your left index finger; if it was wrapped up in linen, bind the stone to your left index finger as if it were a ring.  Hold the spray of olive and laurel in your right hand, and continuously wave them in a clockwise circle towards the lamp while reciting the Invocation to the Supreme Intelligence seven times, asking for guidance and visions in dreams following each repetition of the invocation.  Once this is complete, go to bed with the lamp lit, saying nothing more to anyone and not speaking again for any purpose, and sleep on your left side facing east towards the lamp, with your head oriented to the north, on your left side with the stone (whether in the ring or in the linen wrap) by your left ear.

PGM V.459ff gives the Invocation to the Supreme Intelligence (ὁ μέγας Νοῦς, ho mégas Noûs).  The following translation is based on Betz with corrections from Preisendanz as well as the digitization of the original Papyrus 46 from the British Museum:

I call upon you who created earth and bones and all flesh and all spirit and who established the sea and suspended the heavens,
who separated the light from the darkness,
the Supreme Intelligence who lawfully administers all things!
Eternal Eye, Daimon of Daimons, God of Gods, the Lord of Spirits,
ΑΙΩΝ ΙΑΩ ΟΥΗΙ who cannot go astray!
Hear my voice!

I call upon you, Master of the Gods, high-thundering Zeus, sovereign Zeus: ΑΔΩΝΑΙ
Lord: ΙΑΩ ΟΥΗΕ
I am he who calls upon you, great god, in Syrian: ΖΑΑΛΑΗΡ ΙΦΦΟΥ
You must not ignore my voice in Hebrew: ΑΒΛΑΝΑΘΑΝΑΛΒΑ ΑΒΡΑΣΙΛΩΑ
For I am ΣΙΛΘΑΧΩΟΥΧ ΛΑΙΛΑΜ ΒΛΑΣΑΛΩΘ ΙΑΩ ΙΕΩ ΝΕΒΟΥΘ ΣΑΒΙΟΘ ΑΡΒΩΘ ΑΡΒΑΘΙΑΩ ΙΑΩΘ ΣΑΒΑΩΘ
ΠΑΤΟΥΡΗ ΖΑΓΟΥΡΗ
ΒΑΡΟΥΧ ΑΔΩΝΑΙ ΕΛΩΑΙ ΙΑΒΡΑΑΜ
ΒΑΡΒΑΡΑΥΩ ΝΑΥΣΙΦ

High-minded one, immortal one, o you who possess the crown of the whole world!
ΣΙΕΠΗ ΣΑΚΤΙΕΤΗ ΒΙΟΥ ΒΙΟΥ ΣΦΗ ΣΦΗ ΝΟΥΣΙ ΝΟΥΣΙ ΣΙΕΘΟ ΣΙΕΘΟ ΧΘΕΘΩΝΙ ΡΙΓΧ
ΩΗΑ Η ΗΩΑ ΑΩΗ ΙΑΩ
ΑΣΙΑΛ ΣΑΡΑΠΗΟΛΣΩ ΕΘΜΟΥΡΗΣΙΝΙ ΣΕΜ ΛΑΥ ΛΟΥ ΛΟΥΡΙΓΧ

The same, but with the barbarous words in my transcription:

I call upon you who created earth and bones and all flesh and all spirit and who established the sea and suspended the heavens,
who separated the light from the darkness,
the Supreme Intelligence who lawfully administers all things!
Eternal Eye, Daimon of Daimons, God of Gods, the Lord of Spirits,
AIŌN IAŌ ŪĒI who cannot go astray!
Hear my voice!

I call upon you, Master of the Gods, high-thundering Zeus, sovereign Zeus: ADŌNAI
Lord: IAŌ ŪĒE
I am he who calls upon you, great god, in Syrian: ZAHALAĒR IPH-PHŪ
You must not ignore my voice in Hebrew: ABLANATHANALBA ABRASILŌA
For I am SILTHAKHŪKH LAILAM BLASALŌTH IAŌ IEŌ NEBŪTH SABIOTH ARBŌTH ARBATHIAŌ IAŌTH SABAŌTH
PATŪRĒ ZAGŪRĒ
BARŪKH ADŌNAI ELŌAI I-ABRAHAM
BARBARAUHŌ NAUSIPH

High-minded one, immortal one, o you who possess the crown of the whole world!
SIEPĒ SAKTIETĒ BIŪ BIŪ SPHĒ SPHĒ NŪSI NŪSI SIETHO SIETHO KHTHETHŌNI RINKH
ŌĒA Ē ĒŌA AŌĒ IAŌ
ASIAL SARAPĒOLSŌ ETHMŪRĒSINI SEM LAU LOU LOURINKH

This invocation from PGM V.459ff is followed by a description of its general-purpose nature (“it loosens shackles, makes invisible, sends dreams; a spell for gaining favor”), along with an instruction to “add the usual for what you want”.  Thus, although this invocation may have originally been designed for dream/lamp divination with the preceding ritual from PGM V.447ff, it may be used as a general prayer directed to the divine for assistance or help.  Most of the barbarous words in the invocation are fairly common throughout the PGM, especially the first set from the final paragraph, with the repetition of [ΒΙ]ΒΙΟΥ, ΣΦΗ, ΝΟΥΣΙ , and ΣΙΕΘΟ being a formula that appears elsewhere.  The barbarous words ΒΑΡΟΥΧ ΑΔΩΝΑΙ ΕΛΩΑΙ ΙΑΒΡΑΑΜ are a clear derivation of Hebrew barukh [atah] Adonai, “blessed [are you], my Lord” and eloha-i Avraham, “my god of Abraham” or elohi Jah Avraham, “my God, the God of Abraham”, though it is not clear if this is a direct Jewish influence in the prayer or simply an appropriation of a Jewish blessing formula.