A practitioner once placed the Seal of Botis on a black silk cloth and watched the candle flame lean toward the parchment as if drawn by an invisible mouth. The seal was not speaking. It was listening. The Seal of Botis is the engraved signature of the Goetic president who appears first as a viper, then as a man with sharp teeth and two crowns, and its use in rituals follows the same logic as addressing a letter: you do not shout the address, you write it clearly and present it at the threshold.
How to Use the Seal of Botis in Rituals
How to use the Seal of Botis in rituals: consecrate the seal during a planetary hour of Mercury, place it inside your triangle of art during evocation, and burn it only if the spirit refuses to depart. The seal is not a summoning tool. It is a binding contract that gives the magician authority over the spirit’s appearance and departure.
Where the Seal of Botis Appears in the Grimoire Tradition
The seal of Botis appears in the Ars Goetia, the first book of the Lesser Key of Solomon, where the spirit is named as the seventeenth spirit — Botis, the president and the earl, who appears as the viper and then in the human form, and who gives the knowledge of the past and the future. How to use the seal of Botis in rituals: consecrate the seal at the proper time, place it within the triangle of the art, and invoke the spirit through its name and its sign. The seal originates from the Ars Goetia, the first book of the grimoire, and its use descends from the practice of the Solomonic evocation.
The Seal’s Origin in the Ars Goetia
The seal originates from the Ars Goetia, the first book of The Lesser Key of Solomon, compiled in the 17th century from earlier manuscripts. The earliest known list of Botis appears in Johann Weyer’s Pseudomonarchia Daemonum (1563), where he is described as a president who reconciles friends and foes. Weyer included no seals. The seals themselves were added later, likely by the editors of the Lemegeton manuscripts, and standardized in Samuel Liddell MacGregor Mathers and Aleister Crowley’s 1904 edition, The Goetia: The Lesser Key of Solomon the King. The seal is a geometric figure composed of intersecting lines, circles, and crosses. Each line is a letter in a script that the grimoires call “the angelic alphabet” or “Malachim,” though the letters have been corrupted through copying. What matters is the shape: the seal is the spirit’s signature, and the spirit is bound to respond when it is presented correctly. That history explains why the seal is not decorative. It is a legal instrument in the language of the spirit world. What follows is how it was actually prepared and used. ---
How the Seal Was Prepared: Materials and Consecration
The preparation of the seal followed the prescriptions of the grimoire. The seal was drawn on the virgin parchment or engraved on the proper metal, at the day and the hour of the working, and consecrated with the rites of the Solomonic magic: the names invoked, the figures drawn, the object set apart for the purpose. The seal originates from the Ars Goetia, the first book of the Lesser Key of Solomon, and the preparation is the preparation of the whole Goetic apparatus — the circle, the triangle, the timing, and the consecration of the instruments. The seal is the signature of the spirit, and the preparation is the act that makes the signature operative.
What Materials Are Required for the Seal
The grimoires insist on specific materials. The seal of Botis must be drawn on virgin parchment (never paper) or engraved on a plate of pure silver. The ink must be black — traditionally made from lampblack and gum arabic, though modern practitioners can use a high-quality India ink. The pen should be a quill from a raven or a crow, not a steel nib. The reason is symbolic: the raven is a bird of prophecy, and Botis knows the past and future. The consecration follows a fixed procedure: 1. Draw the seal on a Tuesday (Mars) or Wednesday (Mercury) during the planetary hour of Mercury. 2. Hold the seal over incense of frankincense and myrrh mixed with sulphur (a small pinch — the sulphur is for the spirit’s nature, not for the smell). 3. Recite the Conjuration of the Seal from the Goetia: “O thou spirit Botis, I conjure thee by the great living God, that thou dost accept this seal as thy bond, and that thou dost appear before me in a fair and human shape…” 4. Pass the seal through the flame of a black candle (not burning it, just through the edge of the flame) and then through the incense smoke three times. 5. Wrap the seal in black silk and store it away from sunlight. The fire is not decoration. It is the altar. The seal is now a living object. It carries the spirit’s name and the magician’s will. ---
The seal has three functions in ritual, and confusing them is the most common mistake. First, it is placed inside the Triangle of Art. The triangle is drawn on the floor or on a black cloth, with the seal at its center. The spirit is constrained to appear within that triangle. The seal anchors the spirit’s presence. Without it, the spirit may appear outside the circle or not at all. Second, it is used to command. If the spirit is slow to answer or begins to speak in riddles, the magician holds the seal toward the triangle and repeats the spirit’s name. The seal acts as a focusing lens for the magician’s will. Third, it is used for dismissal. When the ritual is complete, the magician shows the seal to the spirit and says the License to Depart. The spirit must leave. If it refuses, the seal is burned in a fireproof dish. The spirit is then bound to depart until the seal is remade. We have seen a practitioner who kept a seal of Botis in a locket for three years, never using it. When they finally performed the evocation, the spirit appeared within seconds. The seal had been “listening” the whole time. That is not magic. That is the nature of a signature. ---
Every Goetic spirit has a unique seal, but the seal of Botis is unusual in two ways. First, it contains two distinct geometric clusters. Most Goetic seals are a single interlocking figure. Botis’s seal has a left cluster and a right cluster, separated by a vertical line. Some commentators suggest this represents the spirit’s dual nature: the viper and the man. Others say it reflects Botis’s role as a reconciler — two opposing forces held together by a line. Second, the seal includes a cross at the top. Very few Goetic seals incorporate a Christian cross. The presence of the cross suggests that the seal was drawn by a Christian magician who wanted to assert the power of Christ over the spirit. This is consistent with the Goetia’s framing: the spirits are fallen angels, and the magician operates under divine authority. The seal of Botis is often confused with the seal of Bathin (who also appears as a man with a serpent’s tail) or Buer (who has a similar wheel-like pattern). The difference is in the number of points: Botis’s seal has seven distinct points, Bathin’s has five, Buer’s has six. ---
“You can summon Botis without the seal.” The grimoires disagree. The seal is the spirit’s signature. Without it, the spirit is under no obligation to appear. Some practitioners claim success with only the name, but the historical tradition is clear: the seal is required. “The seal is dangerous to touch.” The seal is not cursed. It is consecrated. Touching it with bare hands will not harm you, but it will transfer oils to the parchment, which can degrade the ink. Handle it with silk or cotton gloves. “You must destroy the seal after one use.” No. The seal can be reused indefinitely as long as it is stored properly. Destroy it only if the spirit becomes disobedient or if you wish to permanently sever the connection. “The seal works without the circle.” The circle and the seal are a paired system. The circle protects the magician. The seal binds the spirit. Using the seal without the circle is like signing a contract without reading it, technically possible, but unwise. ---
FAQ
Can I print the seal from a computer?
No. The seal must be hand-drawn or engraved. The act of drawing is part of the consecration. A printed seal has no power because no will was invested in its creation. What if I make a mistake while drawing the seal?
Start over. The seal must be perfect. A broken line or missing cross is a broken contract. Burn the flawed parchment and begin again. Do I need to speak the spirit’s name aloud when using the seal?
Yes. The seal and the name work together. Show the seal and say “Botis” three times in a firm voice. Can I use the seal for divination without evoking the spirit?
Some practitioners place the seal under a black cloth and sleep with it under their pillow to receive dreams from Botis. This is a gentler use, but the grimoires do not describe it. Proceed with caution. ---
The seal of Botis is not a shortcut. It is a discipline. It asks the magician to draw carefully, consecrate patiently, and command without fear. When the seal is made correctly, the spirit answers. When it is not, the silence is absolute. For a deeper understanding of the spirit itself, see our guide on Botis, the Goetic President. To learn how seals function across the entire Goetic system, visit the demonology and Goetia hub. And if you need to distinguish one seal from another, our glossary of Goetic symbols breaks down each geometric element.