Signs, Symbols & Omens: An Illustrated Guide to Magical & Spiritual Symbolism

by Buckland, Raymond

  Green Man

  Also known, variously, as Jack of the Green, Robin o’ the Woods, and as a foliate mask (from the makeup of foliage), the Green Man was a representation of the god of the Old Religion, in his aspect of God of Nature. By this time the horns or antlers of the hunting god had given way to the branches and leaves of nature.

  Four-Leaf Clover

  Since they are so rare, it is believed that to find a four-leaf clover is to have good luck (and to carry it is to retain that good luck). The four leaves are said to represent love, health, wealth, and fame.

  Mandrake

  The mandrake root (Atropa mandragora) grows naturally in the shape of a human being. Because of this it was once believed to have great magical properties and would fetch a high price when sold. The more it looked like a human being, the higher was the price that could be obtained. Because of this, many magicians were not averse to modifying the plant as it grew. They would find a young mandrake and carefully dig it up. Examining it, they would cut away small pieces to make it look more human, even carving a face into it if necessary. They would then place it back in the earth and let it grow for another month or so. Again they would carefully dig it up and examine it. And again they might modify it before putting it back. By the time the mandrake was fully grown, when dug up it looked as though it had grown naturally looking exactly like a human being, and so it could be sold for a very high price.

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  Ceremonial Magic

  Toward the end of the Middle Ages, many of the more learned, and moneyed, occultists indulged in Ceremonial Magic. The higher dignitaries of the Church were especially attracted to it, having the time, the finances, and the knowledge to practice. Although this form of magic involved the conjuring of entities—also known, variously, as demons and spirits—the practice was not frowned upon by the Church, nor considered heresy, since it was not a religion but merely a practice.

  The object of the practice was to use powerful conjurations to force a variety of spirits to appear before the magician, thus showing his (or her) power over them. Having established that superior force, the magician could then order the entity to do whatever he demanded. Apparently capable magicians such as Johann Wierius (also known as John Wier), a Roman Catholic, and the Frenchman Fromenteau, working over many years in the sixteenth century, determined exactly how many demons there were. Wierius said there were no less than 7,405,926 such demons, organized into 1,111 divisions of 6,666 each, together with 79 princes. During the Reformation, Wierius’ figures were “corrected” by the Lutherans to 2,665,866,746,664 demons!

  Each of these entities was given a name and was recognized as having a particular field of influence. For example, Agares, a duke, could stop movement and could also bestow the gift of languages. Cimeries, a marquis, taught grammar and logic and was able to locate buried treasure. Furcas, another duke, taught philosophy, astronomy, and other sciences. Saleos was able to promote love between the sexes.

  The conjuration was elaborate. First of all, the tools used had to be carefully made by the magician, following traditional formulæ. Materials included virgin parchment, gold, silver, the finest river sand, certain woods cut from trees at specified hours, silk garments woven by a young virgin, and so on. Each and every one of these objects had to be consecrated before use, again according to a certain formula. All the necessary information was kept by the magician in a large, hand-written volume known as a grimoire (from the Old French for “grammar”). Some of the most famous grimoires were The Greater Key of Solomon, The Lesser Key of Solomon, The Calvicle, The Grimoire of Honorius the Great, The Lemegeton (or “The Book of the Spirits”), The Heptameron, The Almadel, The Pansophy of Rudolph the Magus, The Book of Sacred Magic of Abra-Melin the Mage, The Black Pullet, and Le Dragon Rouge. These books were jealously guarded by their creators, who frequently wrote passages in code so that the secrets could not be discovered and used frivolously by one not of the Brotherhood. The codes (actually letter substitutions) were known as magical alphabets, the best known being Theban, Malachim, Passing the River, and Angelic. Later, Egyptian hieroglyphs, runes of various types, and other writings were also used. (See also the chapter on Magical Alphabets.)

  The tools of Ceremonial Magic were many and specific. There were wands, rods, batons, tridents, swords, knives, goblets, bells, cloths, robes, crowns, and even special pens and inks. Rituals were performed in intricate magic circles, constructed to protect the magician from the wrath of the conjured spirit, who was angry at having been summoned. Talismans of protection were also made and worn by the magician. Some of these simply bore what were considered “Words of Power” (the names of the angels and archangels, for example), while others were covered with magical squares, signs, and sigils, all designed to protect. There were a great many symbols used, often made up by the particular magician for a specific conjuration. Here are some of the more common ones, though they varied from grimoire to grimoire.

  Symbols for marking the magician’s robes

  Symbols for marking the assistant’s (disciple’s) garments

  Symbols for marking the crowns of the assistants

  Symbols for marking the shoes

  Symbols for marking the sword

  Sirdar Ikbal Ali Shah, in his book Occultism: Its Theory and Practice, gives four illustrations for the sword; the obverse and reverse of two different swords. Where he gives the names Adonay, Eloy, and Tetragrammaton, these would actually have been inscribed using Hebrew characters.

  Symbols for marking the knife with a white hilt

  Symbols for marking the knife with a black hilt

  Symbols for marking the scimitar

  Symbols for marking the short lance

  Symbols for marking the dagger and the poniard

  Symbols for marking the burin

  Symbols for marking the bell

  Symbols for marking the wand and staff

  Symbols for marking the trumpet

  Symbols for marking the silken cloth

  Symbols for marking the necromantic trident

  Symbols for marking the baton

  Symbols for marking the baguette

  Symbols for marking the virgin parchment

  Symbols for marking the magic candle

  The Magic Seals of the Seven Angels

  of the Seven Days of the Week

  Michael (Sunday)

  Gabriel (Monday)

  Samael (Tuesday)

  Raphaël (Wednesday)

  The Magic Seals of the Seven Angels

  of the Seven Days of the Week (continued)

  Sachiel (Thursday)

  Anaël (Friday)

  Cassiel (Saturday)

  Signs and Seals of the Demons and Spirits

  Agares

  Aini

  Allocen

  Amduscias

  Amon

  Amy

  Andras

  Andrealphus

  Signs and Seals of the Demons and Spirits (continued)

  Andromalius

  Asmoday

  Astaroth

  Baal

  Balam

  Barbatos

  Bathin

  Beleth

  Signs and Seals of the Demons and Spirits (continued)

  Belial

  Berith

 
Bifrons

  Botis

  Buer

  Bune

  Caim

  Cimeries

  Signs and Seals of the Demons and Spirits (continued)

  Dantalian

  Decarabia

  Eligor

  Flauros

  Foras

  Forneus

  Furcas

  Signs and Seals of the Demons and Spirits (continued)

  Furfur

  Gaap

  Gamygyn

  Glasyalabolas

  Gomory

  Gusion

  Hagenti

  Hapas

  Focalor

  Signs and Seals of the Demons and Spirits (continued)

  Lerajie

  Malpas

  Marchosias

  Morax

  Murmur

  Naberius

  Orias

  Ose

  Signs and Seals of the Demons and Spirits (continued)

  Paimon

  Phoenix

  Procel

  Purson

  Raum

  Ronobe

  Sabnack

  Saleos

  Signs and Seals of the Demons and Spirits (continued)

  Shax

  Seere

  Solas

  Sytry

  Valac

  Valefor

  Vapula

  Vassago

  Signs and Seals of the Demons and Spirits (continued)

  Vepar

  Vine

  Vusal

  Zagan

  Zepar

  The Magic Seals of the Three Princes

  of the World of Spirits

  Prince Almishak

  Prince Amabosar

  Prince Ashirikas

  Symbols for the Seals of the Planets and for

  Their Spirits and Intelligences

  Seal of Saturn

  Intelligence of Saturn

  Spirit of Saturn

  Seal of Jupiter

  Intelligence of Jupiter

  Spirit of Jupiter

  Symbols for the Seals of the Planets and for

  Their Spirits and Intelligences (continued)

  Seal of Mars

  Intelligence of Mars

  Spirit of Mars

  Seal of the Sun

  Intelligence of the Sun

  Spirit of the Sun

  Symbols for the Seals of the Planets and for

  Their Spirits and Intelligences (continued)

  Seal of Venus

  Intelligence of Venus

  Spirit of Venus

  Seal of the Moon

  Intelligence of the Moon

  Spirit of the Moon

  Symbols for the Seals of the Planets and for

  Their Spirits and Intelligences (continued)

  Seal of Mercury

  Intelligence of Mercury

  Spirit of Mercury

  Various magicians used a variety of small circles drawn on the ground, into which they would conjure the summoned spirit; but, with so many hundreds of thousands of different spirits, these are too numerous to include in a book of this size. Please see the Bibliography for more detailed books on this subject.

  Sigils for the “Characters of Good Spirits” and “Characters of Evil Spirits” were given in some grimoires.

  Characters of Good Spirits

  A Simple Point

  Round

  Characters of Good Spirits (continued)

  Starry

  Perpendicular

  Horizontal

  Oblique

  Bowed Line

  Waving Line

  Toothed

  Intersection Right

  Inherent

  Adherent Separate

  Characters of Good Spirits (continued)

  Oblique Intersection Simple

  Mixed

  Manifold

  Perpendicular Right Dexter

  Sinister

  Neuter

  Whole Figure

  Broken

  Characters of Good Spirits (continued)

  Half

  A Letter Inhering

  A Letter Adhering

  Separate Letter

  Characters of Evil Spirits

  Right Line

  Crooked

  Reflexed

  A Simpler Figure

  Penetrate

  Broken

  Characters of Evil Spirits (continued)

  A Right Letter

  Retrograde

  Inversed

  Flame

  Wind

  Water

  Flying Thing

  Creeping Thing

  Serpent

  Eye

  Characters of Evil Spirits (continued)

  Hand

  Foot

  Crown

  Crest

  Horns

  Scepter

  Sword

  Scourge

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  Chinese

  The three main religions of China are Buddhism (see the chapter on Buddhist symbols), Confucianism, and Taoism. Confucius is the Latinized form of K’ung Ch’iu. He was a man born in 551 b.c.e., in what is now the province of Shantung. He was a contemporary of Buddha and died in 479 b.c.e. He was a great teacher, traveled a lot, and was instrumental in collecting together the Chinese classical writings that became the basis of a religious movement named after him. Taoism is attributed to Lao Tse, who was born before K’ung Ch’iu, in 604 b.c.e. He was the author of a book known as the Tao Te Ching, or Book of the Way, which seeks to discover unchanging reality and preaches humility and pacifism.

  Many of the Chinese symbols are found in the tools of Feng Shui (pronounced “Fung Shway”): the arrangement of things for the greatest harmony. Others, such as the pictogram for the sky, are more general symbols.

  Shou (symbol of long life)

  Chinese script symbol for the sky

  Ch’i (living energy)