Seals of Solomon in Practical Magick

The Seals of Solomon are a body of symbolic figures from the Solomonic grimoire tradition, understood as the signatures and binding marks of specific spirits, as potent protective and talismanic devices, and as concentrations of divine name-power derived from biblical, Kabbalistic, and angelic sources. They appear in several related but distinct forms across the grimoire literature, most notably in the “Ars Goetia” section of the “Lesser Key of Solomon” and in the pentacles of the “Greater Key of Solomon.”

The term “Seal of Solomon” is also applied, in popular usage, to the six-pointed star (hexagram or Star of David) and sometimes to the pentagram, both of which have been associated with Solomon”s legendary power over spirits. The grimoire seals are a distinct category: specific designs, often incorporating divine names in Hebrew or Latin script, geometric figures, and astrological symbols, each attributed to a particular spirit or planetary force.

History and origins

King Solomon”s legendary command over spirits and demons appears in the Hebrew Bible (primarily in the First Book of Kings), in later Jewish and Islamic literature, and most elaborately in a body of texts known as the Solomonic cycle that developed in late antiquity and the medieval period. The “Testament of Solomon,” a Greek text probably composed between the first and fifth centuries CE, is among the earliest to describe Solomon using a ring or seal to bind spirits to his service.

The grimoires that bear his name, primarily the “Key of Solomon” (Clavicula Salomonis) and the “Lesser Key of Solomon” (Lemegeton), are not ancient texts but compilations from the medieval and early modern periods, drawing on earlier material. The “Key of Solomon” exists in numerous manuscript variants from the fifteenth through seventeenth centuries; no single authoritative version exists. The Ars Goetia, the first book of the Lemegeton, listing 72 spirits with their seals and descriptions, circulated in manuscript from the seventeenth century and was printed in a famous edition by Aleister Crowley and Samuel Liddell MacGregor Mathers in 1904.

In practice

The seals function in practice in two primary ways. First, as evocation tools: in full Solomonic ceremonial practice, the seal of a spirit is drawn on virgin parchment or engraved on metal and placed within the ritual space to call and bind the spirit during working. The spirit”s seal is its address, its name made visual, and displaying it compels the spirit”s presence and cooperation according to the logic of the tradition.

Second, as talismans: seals drawn in appropriate colours on paper or engraved on metals during relevant planetary hours and consecrated with incense, prayer, and suffumigation carry the concentrated power of the spirit or planetary force they depict. The “Greater Key” pentacles for the Moon, for instance, are described as protective against hostile spirits; those for Jupiter attract prosperity and favour.

Beyond ceremonial use, the seals have entered folk magick and popular protective amulet practice. Printed reproductions of specific seals, particularly from the “72 Spirits” tradition and the Key”s planetary pentacles, are widely used as home protection devices, carried in wallets, or worn as jewellery. The hexagram itself, identified with Solomon in medieval and Renaissance European tradition, appears in folk protective charms across Eastern European Jewish communities and beyond.

Working with the seals

A practitioner approaching the seals without a full Solomonic initiation or trained ceremonial context might begin with the planetary pentacles of the “Greater Key,” which are structured around planetary hours and elemental timing rather than spirit evocation per se. S.L. MacGregor Mathers” 1888 English translation of the Key of Solomon (available in numerous reprints) includes the full set with descriptions. Each pentacle specifies which day and hour it should be constructed, in what material, and for what purpose.

Reproducing a pentacle carefully, in the correct colours (typically the planet”s associated colour), during the named planetary hour, and then consecrating it by holding it in the smoke of planetary incense while stating its purpose aloud constitutes a complete and coherent talisman operation that does not require full ceremonial apparatus.

In myth and popular culture

The mythology of Solomon commanding spirits is ancient and persistent. The Quran mentions Suleiman’s mastery over the jinn, wind, and animals, and the Islamic magical tradition elaborated this into detailed grimoire literature including the Shams al-Ma’arif (The Sun of Great Knowledge), a medieval Arabic compilation of talismans and invocations that draws heavily on Solomonic precedent. The Testament of Solomon, a Greek pseudepigraphical text from late antiquity, narrates Solomon’s encounters with each demon he bound during the Temple’s construction, providing names, functions, and the angels capable of thwarting each spirit. This text is one of the most direct ancestors of the European Goetic tradition.

In popular fiction and film, the Solomonic seals have maintained a consistent presence. The Ars Goetia seals appear in countless works of horror and fantasy literature, and the television series “Supernatural” (2005-2020) used Solomonic circles and demon seals as central plot devices across its fifteen seasons. The graphic novel series “Sandman” by Neil Gaiman depicts ceremonial magicians using Solomonic apparatus, and Gaiman consulted with genuine scholars on the tradition’s historical form. The 2016 film “The Witch” drew on early modern English folk magical tradition that overlaps with the Solomonic grimoire heritage.

The seals’ appearance in folk protective tradition is also culturally widespread. Printed reproductions of Solomonic pentacles for protection against illness, enemies, and ill fortune circulated across European Jewish communities, Southern American Hoodoo tradition, and Latin American espiritismo contexts, demonstrating how grimoire material passed into living folk practice over centuries.

Myths and facts

Several common misunderstandings surround the Seals of Solomon and how they work in practice.

• A widespread belief holds that these seals are ancient objects with origins in biblical-era Israel. The grimoires that contain them, principally the Key of Solomon and the Lemegeton, are medieval and early modern compilations, not ancient texts; the seals themselves are products of a several-century process of manuscript development.
• Many practitioners assume that printing or downloading an image of a seal and carrying it constitutes a completed talisman. Traditional practice specifies that the seal must be constructed during the correct planetary hour, in the correct material or colour, and consecrated with appropriate incense and prayer; copying without consecration is considered merely decorative in the grimoire tradition.
• The seals are often described as purely Jewish in origin. They draw on Jewish divine names and angelic lore, but the tradition that produced them crossed Jewish, Christian, and Islamic manuscript culture and was primarily developed in medieval and Renaissance European Christian esoteric circles.
• Some sources treat the 72 seals of the Ars Goetia as identical to the planetary pentacles of the Greater Key. They are distinct: the Goetic seals are signatures of specific spirits; the planetary pentacles are talismans organized by celestial correspondence. Both appear in the Solomonic corpus but serve different purposes.
• The assumption that Solomonic seals can be used safely without knowledge of the larger system is frequently challenged by experienced practitioners. The seals were designed as part of a comprehensive ritual apparatus including circle, triangle, prayers, and purification; using individual elements without the context can produce unpredictable results.