In the last post I gave general instructions on making planetary talismans. Here’s what making a specific talisman looks like. Please note that while you should feel free to adapt this methodology to suit your practice, you should operate within the Abrahamic paradigm for the duration of the construction. Swapping out Abrahamic godnames and symbols for pagan ones likely will cause malfunctioning (if it functions at all) as Abrahamic entities rarely play nice with entities from other paradigms. If you’d like to make a pagan or atheistic version, I recommend you design your pentacle from the ground up.
1. Pick a pentacle that matches your goal. My husband has been quite sick lately so for this post we will be making a healing talisman using the 2nd pentacle of Mars from the Greater Key of Solomon.
Figure 26. The Second Pentacle of Mars. – This Pentacle serveth with great
success against all kinds of diseases, if it be applied unto the afflicted part.
Editor’s Note.– The letter Hé, in the angles of the Hexagram. Within the same the
Names IHVH, IHShVH Yeheshuah (the mystic Hebrew Name for Joshua or Jesus,
formed of the ordinary IHVH with the letter Sh placed therein as emblematical of the
Spirit), and Elohim. Around it is the sentence, John i. 4:– “In Him was life, and the
life was the light of man.” This may be adduced as an argument of the greater antiquity
of the first few mystical verses of the Gospel of St. John.
Those of you familiar with planetary magick are probably scratching your head over using Mars for healing as it’s a pretty unusual choice. It threw me for a loop too until @kab-niel pointed out that the Mars talismans deal with protecting the magician from harm and illness can be viewed as a type of harm. Fair enough – still seems a bit weird to me but let’s roll with it.
2. Timing. I’m going to admit straight up I fudged this a bit. Ideally planetary talismans should be constructed on the day ruled by their planet (ie. Mars talismans should be made on Tuesdays) but since my husband was pretty sick, I opted to do it sooner rather than later. There is some lenience on the day but you should be sure to begin construction in the correct planetary hour. As you can see here, we are beginning in the hour of Mars:
3. Pentacle construction. This step is pretty easy but a bit tedious. Note that it can be difficult to find a clean, legible version of your pentacle so just do the best you can with what you can find. As should be obvious from my terrible Hebrew, it doesn’t have to be perfect. Be sure to use a fresh (”virgin”) sheet of paper and to give yourself some space away from the edges because we will be tearing them off.
4. Sigilize your desire. I went kind of a weird route with this one and you absolutely do not need to do the sigil step this way. A more standard version of this step would be sigilizing “[NAME] is healthy” but I wanted to start developing an idea I’ve had rolling around in my head.
My train of thought was that since Psalms have a long history of use in Abrahamic magick, using a healing psalm would make a nice addition to the talisman particularly because I plan on saving this one for general healing in the future. Since Psalms are something I use fairly often in magick, I want to start developing a Biblical alphabet of desire using common phrases that can be combined into unique phrases. Below is my first attempt. I tried to keep the symbols more representational than I typically would use in sigil magick (monad symbol for God, Ouranus for the magician etc) to assist in remembering the alphabet well enough to use it regularly.
5. Putting it together. Draw your sigils and any other symbols you’re using in a pleasing manner around your pentacle and ink everything in the color associated with your planet (in this case red for Mars). Here I’ve added the name EL SHADDAI (a name of God associated with nourishment and blessings) and the symbol of Mars. Tear (not cut) off the edges – only cut if the pentacle is being used against an enemy. I chose to tear it five times because five the number of Mars.
6. If you’re using powdered herbs, add them now. For this one I’m using ginger, tumeric, and St. John’s Wort as they’re all healing herbs and used to drive away “evil spirits”. My husband and I both crave curry when we’re sick and as a result I tend to associate curry spices with healing from illness so tumeric and ginger are kind of playing double duty here.
You may have correctly noted that St. John’s is a solar herb rather than a Martial one however Mars and the Sun play very nicely together, the Sun has some pleasant healing aspects, and St. John’s is good for minor joint pain which unfortunately my husband was experiencing. Use whatever makes sense to you and if you have to wander a bit outside your planet that’s fine as long as you avoid conflicts (don’t combine Jupiter and Saturn etc.)
Fold the paper around the herbs, folding towards you to draw, folding away to remove, and bind with an appropriately colored thread. I didn’t take a photo of this step but I bound it with five knots.
7. Activation. This generally involves launching your sigil, reading the Bible verse associated with the pentacle, and a consecration. If you have a process for consecrating tools, do it now but I recommend avoiding calling on deities other than the Abrahamic god. The one exception to this is using the Orphic hymns of the planets as rather than deities, the planets can be viewed as emanations from the Godhead. Traditions that have syncretized with Abrahamic religions obviously are the other big exception.
If you do not have a process, follow this procedure:
Place your talisman on your altar/working space, light a candle, incense, and pour a shot of whiskey.
Recite the following prayer or the Orphic Hymn to the planet being utilized:
O ADONAI most powerful, EL most strong, AGLA most holy, ON most righteous, the ALPHA and the OMEGA, the Beginning and the End; thou who hast established all things in thy Wisdom; thou who has chosen Abraham thy faithful servant, and hast promised that in his seed shall all nations of the earth be blessed, which seed thou hast multiplied as the stars of Heaven; thou who hast appeared unto thy servant Moses in flame in the midst of the Burning Bush, and hast made him walk with dry feet through the Red Sea; thou who gavest the Law to him upon Mount Sinai; thou who hast granted unto Solomon thy Servant these pentacles by thy great Mercy, for the preservation of Soul and of Body; we most humbly implore and supplicate thy Holy Majesty, that these pentacles may be consecrated by thy power, and prepared in such manner that they may obtain virtue and strength against all spirits, through thee, O Most Holy ADONAI, whose Kingdom, Empire, and principality, remaineth and endureth without end.
Read the Bible verse associated with your pentacle over it. In this case we are using John 1:4:
In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
Feed your talisman a few drops of whiskey, then leave it on your altar until the candles burn out.
That’s about all there is to it. This one served it’s purpose in 48 hours so I am definitely keeping it around for future use. If your talisman is to be used repeatedly, periodic feeding is necessary in addition to reciting the pentacle’s verse
Planetary pentacles are very useful but their purposes tend to be quite generalized. I personally find combining them with sigils, herbs, stones, and other magick items to be extremely potent and ensures a more targeted effect. The following process should ideally be done in it’s entirety on the correct planetary day.
Construction
Create a planetary pentacle (for instructions see this post) appropriate for your working. I highly recommend you use paper to make your pentacle as we will be writing on it and folding it up.
Sigilize the desired effect of your talisman. Be as specific as possible and remember to use positive phrasing (”I am” instead of “I am not”) and the current tense (”I am” instead of “I will be”). Once you have a sigil you are pleased with, write it on the back of your pentacle using an appropriately colored ink.
Reach gnosis and launch your sigil using your preferred method. If the talisman is for someone else, have them launch the sigil if at all possible. Sigil launching methods include but are not limited to:
Orgasm while looking a the sigil
The death posture
Drugs
Physical exhaustion
Hyperventilation
Meditation
Mantra
Fold your pentacle up and bind it with an appropriately colored string. Fold towards you if you are trying to draw something to you, away from you if you are banishing or removing something. It can also be useful to use the number of folds that correspond to your working or to add an appropriate number of knots (7 times for luck etc).
Place the packet in your container along with any herbs, stones, or other items you wish to include. I usually just use those little organza baggies but you’re welcome to use anything that suits you. If the talisman is for someone else make sure to include a taglock – particularly if you were unable to get them to launch the sigil.
Correspondence lists are outside the scope of this tutorial but many can be found online – I recommend Alchemy Works for planetary correspondences.
Decorate your container if desired.
Consecrate the talisman for use. How you go about this will depend heavily on your practice and paradigm so use whatever method your comfortable with. I tend to create mine during other planetary workings which includes reciting the Orphic Hymn of the planet being used over it, speaking it’s purpose aloud, and anointing it with consecrated oil or water.
Here is an example of a talisman I made recently. It’s nothing special to look at but it packs quite a punch. You can make much more elaborate and beautiful ones than this but boring ones are perfectly functional.
Talisman Care and Feeding
Talismans typically require some periodic maintenance – particularly if you intend their effects to last indefinitely. How you choose to do this is up to you however the feeding should be performed on the planetary day and hour that corresponded to your talisman and last the duration of the planetary hour. I find traditional spirit offerings of a tea light and incense do the trick quite nicely but feel free to get creative with it. In my experience talismans can go 3-4 weeks without any maintenance and much longer if you carry them on you regularly but your mileage may vary.
Upon a fine piece of parchment, ABRACADABRA was written as below:
On the reverse side, a psalm or prayer was written by the Pellar. For those who had no particular religious sentiments, the word “NALGAH” was written largely on the back (about an inch and a half by one inch).
The piece of parchment was folded like a valentine, sealed and suspended from the neck.
This specific charm was to protect against ill magic and supernatural ailments, specifically caused from witchcraft.
As we celebrate the birthday of John Henry Bonham (May 31, 1948 – September 25, 1980), I’m taking some time to mediate on John Bonham’s Sigil of three interlocking circles representing the trinity.
Bonham is by many regarded as the greatest and most influential rock drummer of all time. Rolling Stone magazine ranked him number 1 in their list of the “100 Greatest Drummers of All Time.” The power of his influence is not only heard in the sampled music of Led Zeppelin, his influence is also seen via tattoos of his Sigil on drummers across the globe. Jason Bonham & Dave Grohl being just two examples.
“We decided the album couldn’t be called Led Zeppelin IV. Each of us decided to choose a metaphysical symbol which represented us individually.” ~ Robert Plant
[Continued] “Each of us decided to go away and choose a metaphysical type of symbol which somehow represented each of us individually–be it a state of mind, an opinion, or something we felt strongly about, or whatever. Then we were to come back together and present our symbols.”
Robert Plant and Jimmy Page did not find their Sigils in Rudolf Koch’s The Book of Signs, a rather limited reference book if you will, but everyone else John Paul Jones, John Bonham & Sandy Denny all did. One could assume that Sandy Denny’s Sigil was chosen for her. And when one looks at these three Sigils they all have something in common, three identical objects visually working together symbolically. John Bonham’s three overlapping circles, John Paul Jones’s [See my post on the Triquetta here]three vesicae piscis, with a circle interconnecting them, and Sandy Denny’s three triangles connected at a corner, symbolizing the Godhead.
The commonality of these THREE Sigils is that they all feature THREE Objects. John Bonham’s Sigil representing the Trinity, John Paul Jones Sigil, Tri-quetra literally meaning “THREE Cornered” and Denny’s
[FROM WIKI] In Trinitarian doctrine, God exists as three persons or hypostases, but is one being, having a single divine nature. The members of the Trinity are co-equal and co-eternal, one in essence, nature, power, action, and will. As stated in the Athanasian Creed, the Father is uncreated, the Son is uncreated, and the Holy Spirit is uncreated, and all three are eternal without beginning. “The Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit” are not names for different parts of God, but one name for God because three persons exist in God as one entity. They cannot be separate from one another. Each person is understood as having the identical essence or nature, not merely similar natures.
Other Trinities Prior to the Christian Doctrine include
The myth of Osiris was deeply influential in ancient Egyptian religion and was popular among ordinary people. One reason for this popularity is the myth’s primary religious meaning, which implies that any dead person can reach a pleasant afterlife. Another reason is that the characters and their emotions are more reminiscent of the lives of real people than those in most Egyptian myths, making the story more appealing to the general populace. In particular, the myth conveys a “strong sense of family loyalty and devotion”, as the Egyptologist J. Gwyn Griffiths put it, in the relationships between Osiris, Isis, and Horus.
With this widespread appeal, the myth appears in more ancient texts than any other myth and in an exceptionally broad range of Egyptian literary styles.These sources also provide an unusual amount of detail. Ancient Egyptian myths are fragmentary and vague; the religious metaphors contained within the myths were more important than coherent narration. Each text that contains a myth, or a fragment of one, may adapt the myth to suit its particular purposes, so different texts can contain contradictory versions of events.Because the Osiris myth was used in such a variety of ways, different versions often conflict with each other. Nevertheless, the fragmentary versions, taken together, give it a greater resemblance to a cohesive story than most Egyptian myths.
SEE BONHAM’S SIGIL ON ALEISTER CROWLEY’s THE HIEROPHANT CARD
The Symbol of the Three interlocking circles on Crowley’s Thoth Card is said to represent Themelas Three Aeons & Egyptian Deities.
The Aeon of Isis (10,996B.C.-8830B.C.)
The Aeon of Osiris (166B.C. – 2000A.D.)
The Aeon of Horus (2000 A.D+)
The Aeon of Isis – Known as the Aeon of the Great Goddess and associated with the astrological age of Leo. She represented a time of the divine feminine and was the human embodiment of the earth giving forth life. Life was seen to be given birth from the earth and from woman, with the woman having the cycles of birth.
The Aeon of Osiris – Known as the Aeon of the dying God and associated with the astrological age of Pisces. Osiris is on the Stele of Revealing.
Osiris is usually distinguished as the god of the afterlife, the underworld & the dead, but more appropriately as the god of transition, resurrection, and regeneration. In this Aeon people were more advanced in agriculture and the role of the Sun in growing crops. Also the role of men was more widespread in the birth process. So from this, just as the sun (masculine) was important for life on earth (feminine), so man was important in the birth of a child.
The Aeon of Horus –
Horus is the son of Isis and Osiris & is associated with the age of Aquarius. The Aeon of Horus is also known as the crowned and conquering child and the ever-living Sun and continuous life. In this Aeon death is an illusion. The modern Aeon of Horus is portrayed as a time of self-realization as well as a growing interest in all things spiritual matters and the evolution of the soul. Alternative medicines have also evolved coupled with a growth in meditation groups and spiritual practises. Crowley emphasised the need to follow ones ‘true will’ or soul direction in life.
The Sigil’s of Zeppelin’s rhythm section formed the foundation of Led Zepplin’s music. As musicians they were bedrock on which the magick was created. It is no surprise to me that these two Sigil’s each representing the magickal concept of The Trinity, come together andfound a third Sigil in Sandy Denny’s, on Led Zeppelin’s “FOUR SYMBOLS”. In a strange way with the additional 5th symbol they completed their own TRINITY in BONHAM JONES & DENNY.
“The first book I read about Aleister Crowley was The Great Beast and it created an intense curiosity. The more I read about him, the more fascinated I became, because he’d tied so many traditions in Western magic. He’d introduced yoga to the West as well, and because I found that his system worked. Plus, all the aspects of the ritual magic, talismanic magic – I could see that it worked.”
— Q Magazine Special Edition (2003) “BRING IT ON HOME” by Nick Kent
Occult Aspects 