A brass disc, palm-sized, hangs on a chain. On its face a cross is incised, each arm ending in a perfect circle. Four smaller circles occupy the corners of an invisible square around the cross. The geometry is exact, the lines cut with a burin that left no burr. This is the seal of Halphas, the 38th spirit of the Ars Goetia, and it is not a decoration. It is the key that opens the door.
The seal of Halphas is a geometric sigil used in Solomonic evocation to summon the great earl Halphas, a spirit who appears as a stock dove and commands 26 legions. The seal is the spirit’s symbolic signature, a diagram of its rank, element, and office. Without it, the magician cannot call Halphas into the triangle of art.
What the Seal Actually Is
The seal of Halphas is a graphic device, typically drawn on virgin parchment or engraved on a metal lamina, that represents the spirit’s essential nature. In the Ars Goetia (the first book of the Lemegeton), each of the 72 spirits has a unique seal. Halphas’s seal is one of the simpler designs: a central cross with four circles at the ends of the arms, and four smaller circles placed in the quadrants between the arms. Some manuscripts show the cross within a square, others within a circle. The version transmitted by Samuel Liddell MacGregor Mathers and Aleister Crowley in their 1904 edition of the Goetia places the cross inside a circle, with the four circles at the cardinal points.
The seal is not a decorative emblem. It is a functional tool. In the Solomonic tradition, the seal is the spirit’s “character” – a word used in the grimoires to mean a specific geometric diagram that binds the spirit to the magician’s will. The seal is drawn on the spirit’s day and hour, often with a consecrated quill and ink infused with the appropriate planetary influences. For Halphas, associated with warfare and armaments, the seal is typically made under Mars or the Sun.
History: Where the Seal Comes From
The Ars Goetia as we know it dates to the 17th century. The earliest surviving manuscript, Sloane 3824 in the British Library, was written around 1640. It contains the list of 72 spirits and their seals, including Halphas. But the tradition is older. The Lemegeton draws on earlier grimoires: the Testament of Solomon (1st–3rd century CE), the Sworn Book of Honorius (13th century), and the Heptameron of Pietro d’Abano (14th century). The seals themselves likely derive from Jewish mystical diagrams and Arabic astrological talismans.
Halphas appears in the Goetia as a great earl. He appears in the form of a stock dove (a species of pigeon) and speaks in a hoarse voice. His office is to build towers and fill them with armaments and weapons, and to send men of war to places appointed by the magician. The seal encapsulates this martial function. The cross may represent the four directions of the battlefield, the circles the fortified positions. The stock dove, a bird of peace turned to war, is the living paradox the seal locks into place.
The seal was not meant to be displayed or collected. It was a practical device, drawn on a lamina of lead or silver, worn on the magician’s lamen during the ritual. The Ars Goetia instructs that the seal must be shown to the spirit when it appears, and that the spirit will then obey. This is the core of Solomonic evocation: the seal is the contract.
Symbolism and Meaning: What the Geometry Says
The cross at the center of Halphas’s seal is not a Christian symbol in this context. In the Solomonic tradition, the cross represents the four elements, the four cardinal directions, and the four letters of the Tetragrammaton. It is a diagram of power – the intersection of the material and spiritual worlds. The circles at the ends of the arms are vessels: they contain the spirit’s energy, preventing it from dispersing. The four smaller circles in the quadrants are often interpreted as the four watchtowers of the elements, or the four angels that govern the spirit’s legions.
Halphas commands 26 legions. The number 26 in Hebrew gematria is the value of YHVH (10+5+6+5). The seal’s geometry may encode this number through the arrangement of lines and circles. Some practitioners count the circles: one central (the cross intersection), four at the ends, and four corners – nine total, which reduces to nine, the number of the moon, associated with concealment and strategy. Halphas is a spirit of war, and war is a moon’s work: ambush, fortification, supply lines.
The seal is also a map. The cross’s vertical axis is the spine of the magician, the horizontal axis the horizon of the ritual space. When the seal is placed in the triangle of art, it aligns the spirit with the magician’s own axis. The circles are gates. The spirit passes through them from the invisible world into the triangle.
Practices: How the Seal Is Used
We draw the seal of Halphas on a Friday in the hour of Mars, using a quill from a dove’s feather and ink made from burned oak gall and wine. The parchment must be virgin – never used, never cut for a different purpose. The ink is consecrated with the names of God and the angels that govern the spirit. The seal is then fumed with frankincense and myrrh.
During the evocation, the seal is placed inside the triangle of art, which is inscribed on the floor outside the magic circle. The magician stands within the circle, holding the lamina bearing the seal. When Halphas appears – as a stock dove that may or may not be visible to the physical eye – the magician shows the seal. The spirit must then obey. The Ars Goetia says that if the spirit does not obey, the seal is to be covered with a black cloth and fumigated with sulfur, and the spirit will be compelled.
The seal is not used alone. It is part of a system: the circle, the triangle, the names of power, the consecrated tools. The seal is the lock, but the ritual is the key. We have seen practitioners who discard the rest of the apparatus and expect the seal to work. It does not. The seal is a link in a chain; break the chain, and the spirit remains free.
The seals of the Ars Goetia vary widely. Some are complex, with multiple pentagrams, interlaced circles, and Hebrew letters. Bune’s seal, for example, is a dense network of lines and crosses. Vassago’s is a simple pentagram with a circle. Halphas’s seal is notable for its geometric clarity. It is one of the few seals that uses a cross as the central element without a surrounding pentagram. This makes it easier to reproduce, but also more exposed: the cross is a direct symbol of the elements, and the circles are vulnerable to misinterpretation.
Spirits of a similar rank – great earls – often have seals with crosses or stars. But Halphas’s seal is unique in its use of four equidistant circles around the cross. This pattern appears in no other Goetic seal. It is a signature.
Common Misconceptions
The seal is the spirit’s name. No. The seal is a geometric symbol of the spirit’s nature. The name is vocalized; the seal is shown. In the Ars Goetia, the spirit is called by its name, and the seal is used to confirm the bond. The two are separate.
The seal alone can summon the spirit. This is the most dangerous misunderstanding. The seal is one component of a full ritual that includes purification, consecration, the construction of the circle and triangle, and the recitation of conjurations. A seal drawn on a piece of paper and held up in a room will produce nothing but a drawing.
The seal must be destroyed after use. The Ars Goetia does not say this. The seal is stored in a silk cloth and kept for future rituals. Destroying it is a personal choice, not a requirement.
Halphas is a demon of war. He is a spirit of war, but the Goetia does not use the word “demon” consistently. The spirits are described as “evil” but are not necessarily malevolent. Halphas is a spirit that can be commanded for good or ill, depending on the magician’s intent.
FAQ
What is the seal of Halphas? The seal of Halphas is a geometric diagram used in Solomonic magic to summon the 38th spirit of the Ars Goetia, a great earl who appears as a stock dove and commands 26 legions.
How is the seal of Halphas used in evocation? The seal is drawn on virgin parchment or engraved on a metal lamina, consecrated with planetary and divine names, and placed in the triangle of art during the ritual. The magician shows it to the spirit to compel obedience.
What does the geometry of the seal symbolize? The central cross represents the four elements and the four directions; the circles are vessels for the spirit’s energy. The arrangement may encode the number 26, the gematric value of the Tetragrammaton.
The seal of Halphas is a precise instrument, not a magical trinket. It belongs to a system that demands discipline, study, and respect. If you are drawn to this work, begin with the foundational texts. Read our guide on the vertical hub of demonology and Goetia for the full context of the 72 spirits. Then explore the related glossary entry on seals and sigils to understand how these diagrams function across traditions. For a deeper look at one comparable spirit, see our guide on the seal of Bune. The path is long. The seal is only the first step.