Theurgia Goetia, How are the seals made and other questions Options

I've been reading through 'Theurgia Goetia' over the last couple of days and I noticed that while it suggests that you use almost the same rituals and tools as you would for Goetia, it is strangely silent on the composition of the seals. That is, there is no mention on how or from what material the seals are constructed.

As for the procedure itself, from what I've been able to gather, the practitioner uses the same 9' circle and the same preliminaries (washing, prayers, etc.) as in Goetia. The seal is likewise worn as a pendant, over the heart. Then, facing the direction assigned to the spirit, the practitioner recites the specified conjuration. In addition, there are further conjurations at the end of the text (for princes of quarters, emperors, wandering princes/dukes, and fixed point dukes). It is not yet clear to me when these additional conjurations are meant to be used.

The spirits can either appear outside of the circle (in a triangle?) or in a crystal stone (~ 4" in diameter) set upon a special seal. In some mss, this is the Solomon's secret seal, in others it's something more akin to the design in Pauline Art or Dee's Table of Practice.

Timing of the conjurations is related to Planetary hours. I'm not sure if the Moon is supposed to be waxing, as in Goetia.

So, can someone who has practiced this system clarify some of the points as to the actual execution of it? How are the seals made? How does the actual procedure go? Where/how to the spirits manifest themselves? When does one evoke?

Many thanks,

-Theodor

I use the same system here as for Goetia: the seals are made in metals with the Pentacle on their reverse sides. The Emperor's or Kings use gold, the aerial Princes in tin, and their Dukes in copper, and the Knights in lead.

The text gives no indication that these should be made otherwise than they are for Goetia. It may be more practical to make a large plate with all the available Ducal seals on it, but I haven't tried this.

The spirits of this art are classified in two categories: those whose office relates to a particular direction on the compass, and those whose office relates to a particular time of day.

The spirits are classed as follows:

Kings govern activity in all parts of that quarter.
Princes govern one of the sixteen compass-point directions.
Dukes govern the activity in the domain of a prince during a particular time of day.

In all cases, the spirit is approached facing the direction of the Kings:

East: Carnesiel (KRN-Ash) “radiant fire”
South: Caspiel (KShPYM) “wonders”
West: Amenadiel (AMNH) “treaty”
North: Demoriel (DM-ARY) “blood of the lion”

There are sixteen Princes:

East: Pamersiel (PTUR) “exempt”
E S E: Padiel (PRY) “fruit”
S E: Camuel (KMUL) “withered”
S S E: Asteliel (ASTLH) “monument”

South: Barmiel (BRM) “exception”
SSW: Gediel (GDY) “baby goat”
SW: Assyriel (OShYUI) “tenth”
WSW: Maseriel (MSR) “deliver”

West: Malgaras (MLGH-Rsh) “award-head”
WNW: Dorochiel (DRYChH) “trampling”
NW: Usiel (YTzYB) “stable”
NNW: Cabariel (KBR) “landholding”

North: Rasiel (RShAY) “authority”
NNE: Symiel (SYMUY) “blinding”
NE: Armadiel (ORMH) “heap”
ENE: Baruchas (BRCh) “blessed”

The sphere must be set up prior to the ceremony on a small table made with three sides and three layers. The three sides emerge from a central axis, with the top carved out at an angle to make space for the ball above.

These spirits have power over the four elements. Each one can create changes in the elements within its quarter relating to the magician. For action in the central part of a continent, for example, magicians on opposite coasts wishing to perform the same task would conjure spirits of opposite direction to one another.

As the Cardinal Empires have dominion over a certain direction, the Wandering Princes have no specific point of reference. Four represent the elemental powers and seven represent the planetary powers. They may be called to perform works in the four elements upon things of unknown or nonspecific location. They, like the Cardinal Princes, affect the qualities of the four elements in the target.

These eleven princes are conjured to create more specific changes than those of the Cardinal Princes, but still within the realm of the four elements. Whereas the Cardinal Princes may effect a general environmental or atmospheric change, the Wandering Princes are called to affect changes on a smaller scale but with greater precision. The four related to the elements make changes in things belonging to those elements, and the seven related to the planets make changes in things attributed thereunto.

The Elemental Princes

Aeradiel (Air)
Buriel (Earth)
Hydriel (Water)
Pyrichiel (Fire)

The Planetary Princes

Uriel (Saturn) for walls and barriers
Emoniel (Jupiter) for luxuries and property
Icosiel (Mars) for tools and weapons
Soleriel (Sun) for athletics and games
Bydiel (Venus) for clothing and food
Macariel (Mercury) for books and puzzles
Monadiel (Moon) for hidden or lost things


These princes have a peculiar apparition, a serpent with a head that varies between each spirit. The elemental princes have human heads, and the planetary princes are zoomorphic. I have never felt very comfortable with "scrying," but I use a clear sphere of rock crystal and set it up as described. I am not the most vigilant about keeping up with this practice, and have used others to do the scrying for me at times, but not always. It is more a matter of knowledge received at request than of seeing anything special in the stone, but this may be in part my own ineptitude with the device.

The text gives a mark where to insert the conjuration for subordinates and superiors. If you want to call a Duke, you call it by the authority of its Prince, etc...

The planetary hours and Table of Practice are in the Pauline Art and are not part of Theurgia. Instead there is a rule of hours to abide for each of the Dukes, but since the Princes are more powerful it is better to just call them instead. The dukes are better to call if you want to know something, the princes if you want to do something, and I cannot foresee a need to call the cardinal emperors.

Very nice post Imperial Arts,

I liked to work with the TG some years ago, although I did get into some trouble at the time. I did a lot of workings back then so it might be unrelated.

I've seen the planetary attribution somewhere before and it makes sense, although I definitely could not deduce it from the TG itself.

I have a memory of one of them presenting himself as the Emperor of Fire of the Air or something like that... as if they were of mixed elements.

Could you give some examples of practical results for working with the Wandering Princes especially, or some suitable intents?

The sphere must be set up prior to the ceremony on a small table made with three sides and three layers. The three sides emerge from a central axis, with the top carved out at an angle to make space for the ball above.
...
The planetary hours and Table of Practice are in the Pauline Art and are not part of Theurgia.
...

Thank you for your reply, Imperial Arts.

Can you elaborate on the table that you've described? Where did you get this description from? Do you have a picture of what it's supposed to look like?

The ms text regarding this object is as follows:

...you may call these spirits into a Crystall stone or Glass Receptacle, [this] being an Ancient & usuall way of Receiveing & binding of spirits, This Cristall stone must be four Inches Diameter sett on a Table of Art made as followeth [according to the following figure] wch is truly called the secrett Table of Salomon, & having the seale of the spirit on your Breast, and the Girdle about your wast [waist] and you cannot erre, the forme of the Table is Thus, as this present figure doth here represent & shew, behold the [thee] the figure...

And the image that appears after this paragraph is:
(IMG:http://www.esotericarchives.com/gifs/sealsolo.gif)

I think this is probably in error and should be something else. I'm curious to hear more about the triangular table that you describe.

-Theodor

Can you elaborate on the table that you've described? Where did you get this description from? Do you have a picture of what it's supposed to look like?


The image you gave is the same in my edition except that there is a half-circle affixed to the top horizontal line, curving downwards to the center.

The figure itself is strongly reminiscent of the frontspiece for the Key of Solomon. Since it's the only figure given for Theurgia, and it is described as a table of sorts, I had to imagine how this thing might be made into something that could work as a table. It didn't seem right to lay it flat as there doesn't appear to be any place to set the stone, and if it were to be set upright there are similar problems.

My interpretation of the figure is that it represents a 3-d device in a flat image. In my copy all the lines except for the half-circle are double-lines so that they look like solid parts instead of drawn lines on an engraved sigil. My solution was to make it into a small crystal ball stand with three upright wooden pieces meeting at the center at 60 degree angles if viewed from above. They are cut out from near the top edge to the center to form the down-pointing triangle in the diagram, and the whole thing is stabilized by three horizontal disks set up like the horizontal bars in the diagram.

All this may be totally irrelevant! It was my best-guess approximation.

I've seen the planetary attribution somewhere before and it makes sense, although I definitely could not deduce it from the TG itself.
I have a memory of one of them presenting himself as the Emperor of Fire of the Air or something like that... as if they were of mixed elements.

There is a tendency for editors etc to relate these to individual elements or, as you say, mixed elements. This is more like Golden Dawn Enochian than like Theurgia. The princes are all for all the elements in a particular place, but for some reason people like to think of the Eastern princes as having "air" powers and the southern princes "fire" power of something like that.

Could you give some examples of practical results for working with the Wandering Princes especially, or some suitable intents?

Of the Wandering Princes, I have only called Emoniel and Bydiel. The former was called to help me in dealing with lawyers, and and the latter for help in making a long-distance move and the people involved in that ordeal. I have also called the dukes and princes of several of the quarters for what might be called weather magic, in time when I was either too hot or too cold to bear it any longer. In none of these conjurations did I feel as though I had anything like the upper-hand (more like "way out of my league") but they have always done exactly what they are supposed to do in every case.

The ms text regarding this object is as follows:
And the image that appears after this paragraph is:

I think this is probably in error and should be something else. I'm curious to hear more about the triangular table that you describe.

-Theodor

Check out the "other" ones listed in the Magical Calender taken from Harl. 3420, 40v-41r.
Scroll Down to number eight: http://www.esotericarchives.com/mc/index.html

They are labled "Eight most holy Tables of the Fathers" and yes they all do remind you of Solomon's Great Seal from the Greater Key. Each listed with their own particular virtue i.e. wisdom, health, visions, etc. Perhaps they are not physical tables as we would call a table but rather like a tablet. Oddly enough the Biblical Jews called the little couches they would sit on to eat, Tables as well. Maybe you are supposed to sit or stand upon the diagram like a mandala or something.

I've been reading through 'Theurgia Goetia' over the last couple of days and I noticed that while it suggests that you use almost the same rituals and tools as you would for Goetia, it is strangely silent on the composition of the seals. That is, there is no mention on how or from what material the seals are constructed.

As for the procedure itself, from what I've been able to gather, the practitioner uses the same 9' circle and the same preliminaries (washing, prayers, etc.) as in Goetia. The seal is likewise worn as a pendant, over the heart. Then, facing the direction assigned to the spirit, the practitioner recites the specified conjuration. In addition, there are further conjurations at the end of the text (for princes of quarters, emperors, wandering princes/dukes, and fixed point dukes). It is not yet clear to me when these additional conjurations are meant to be used.

The spirits can either appear outside of the circle (in a triangle?) or in a crystal stone (~ 4" in diameter) set upon a special seal. In some mss, this is the Solomon's secret seal, in others it's something more akin to the design in Pauline Art or Dee's Table of Practice.

Timing of the conjurations is related to Planetary hours. -Theodor

The stone is dangerous because that's the way in which Choronzon was evoked and almost killed. The seals are pretty much the same as in the other . Princes Tin, Emperors are Gold not sure about wandering dukes. You've given up on Gamori huh?