A figure in a black robe kneels on bare floorboards. Before them, a brass disk catches the candlelight. The symbol etched into its surface is not abstract geometry. It is a communication device. The Seal of Raum is the personalized sigil of the thirty-sixth Goetic spirit Raum, used in ceremonial magick to establish a controlled connection with the entity described in the Lemegeton as a crow that takes human form. Without the seal, the practitioner has no fixed point of contact.
What the Seal of Raum Actually Is
The seal is not decoration. It is the address. In the Ars Goetia, the first section of the Lemegeton Clavicula Salomonis (circa 1640 public domain text, with manuscripts like Sloane 3824 and Harley 6482 dating to the 17th century), each of the 72 spirits receives a specific seal. These seals are drawn on parchment made from the hide of a virgin calf or goat, or engraved on a metal disk corresponding to the planet of the hour. The seal of Raum must be visible to the spirit during evocation. The spirit sees its own signature and is compelled to appear and answer.
The seal of Raum contains geometric lines, curves, and a central cross or starburst pattern. It is not meant to be interpreted symbolically in the way a tarot card is. It is a functional key. The practitioner does not read the seal. They use it.
The History of the Seal: From Manuscripts to Modern Practice
The oldest surviving versions of the seals of the Ars Goetia appear in the Sloane manuscripts housed at the British Library. Sloane 3824, dated to the 1640s, contains the earliest known illustrations. Harley 6482 and additional manuscripts such as Wellcome MS 4630 show variations in how the seals were drawn, suggesting that copyists did not always understand what they were reproducing.
Raum is listed as the thirty-sixth spirit. The Lemegeton describes him as a great earl who appears as a crow. When he takes human form, he removes objects from hidden places and destroys cities, but he also has a gentler function: he causes love between enemies. This dual aspect matters for how the seal is used.
The seals themselves trace their design language to Renaissance ceremonial magic, particularly the works of Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa (1486-1535), whose Three Books of Occult Philosophy (1531-1533) laid out the principles of sigil construction based on planetary squares and angelic names. The Goetic seals are not arbitrary. They combine Hebrew letter ciphers, astrological glyphs, and geometric forms that resonate with the spirit’s planetary and zodiacal attributions. Raum, by most grimoire traditions, is attributed to the planet Mars and the zodiac sign Aquarius. The seal encodes this relationship.
How to Read the Seal’s Symbols
The seal of Raum is not meant for meditation in the Tibetan sense. You do not contemplate it to attain insight. You present it to compel a specific intelligence. But the lines do carry meaning.
The central cross or starburst that appears in many versions of the seal is a containment marker. It anchors the spirit to a fixed location, usually a triangle of art outside the protective circle. The surrounding curves and arcs form what occultists call a “spirit path”: a route that the entity follows from its own plane into the operator’s space. The broken lines in some manuscript versions may indicate that the path is not permanent. It must be opened by the ritual.
The circles within the seal represent spheres of influence. Raum controls hidden things. The circular enclosures bind that power to the seal. The points and angles are cryptographic. They encode the name of the spirit in a system similar to Agrippa’s Ars Notoria monastic ciphers.
We should be direct here: no living person knows exactly what every line in the seal of Raum means. The manuscripts do not include a key. Modern practitioners reconstruct intent from the grimoire tradition and from trial.
How to Use the Seal of Raum in Ritual
The seal has two uses: one for the spirit’s own base, another for the triangle of art.
On the spirit’s base. The practitioner draws the seal on parchment or engraves it on a metal disk. In full Goetic ritual as described by the Lemegeton and later by occultists like S.L. MacGregor Mathers (1854-1918) and Aleister Crowley (1875-1947), the seal is placed inside the triangle of art, an equilateral triangle drawn outside the magician’s circle. The spirit manifests within the triangle. The seal is the target. The spirit appears above or inside its own sigil.
On the practitioner’s lamen. Some traditions place the seal on a lamen, a ceremonial breastplate worn by the operator. This is controversial. The classic Goetic instruction is to wear only the name of the spirit, not its full seal. Modern groups like the Ordo Templi Orientis (founded 1902) and various Golden Dawn offshoots have adapted this point. We prefer the traditional method: the seal stays in the triangle, not on the body.
On the talisman. A smaller version of the seal can be charged and carried as a talisman for specific purposes. For Raum, these purposes are finding lost objects, reconciling estranged people, and gaining knowledge of hidden things. The talisman is consecrated during the evocation and then worn or kept in a red silk bag. Red corresponds to Raum’s Martian attribution.
Preparation sequence. The practitioner must draw the seal themselves. This is not negotiable. A printed seal from the internet lacks the personal energetic link that a hand-drawn version carries. The drawing is done in consecrated ink (traditionally a mix of ink and oil from the Eucharist lamp, though modern alternatives include Chinese stick ink ground with rainwater) on virgin parchment. The drawing is done on a Tuesday, the day of Mars, during the planetary hour of Mars. The practitioner recites Psalm 72 or the conjuration of the spirit while drawing.
Common Mistakes and Misconceptions
Raum’s seal is frequently confused with the seal of Ronove (the 27th spirit). Both contain curved lines that resemble bird wings. But Ronove’s seal incorporates a distinct triple-point crown, while Raum’s centers on a cross. A second confusion point is with Morax (the 21st spirit), who also appears as a bull-headed man with a crown. Morax’s seal uses heavy angular lines absent from Raum’s curved signature.
The seal of Raum is more compact than most Goetic seals. Compare it to the seal of Bael (the first spirit), which is elaborate and contains multiple geometric layers. Raum’s seal fits within a circle roughly half the diameter. This compactness may reflect the spirit’s nature. Raum is a great earl, but he is not among the highest ranking. The seal matches the station.
Common Misconceptions About the Seal of Raum
“The seal is a demonic summoning circle.” It is not. The seal is placed inside a separate triangle of art. The circle is for the practitioner. The seal is for the spirit. These are distinct elements.
“You can find lost objects by carrying the seal.” This is a half-truth. Carrying the seal without ritual activation does nothing. The seal must be consecrated through the full evocation process. Carrying an inert piece of parchment is carrying a piece of parchment.
“The seal protects you.” It does not. The seal compels the spirit to appear. The protective circle and the proper conjurations are what protect the operator. The seal is a tool, not a shield.
“The seal of Raum is the same in every manuscript.” It is not. The Sloane 3824 version differs slightly from the Harley 6482 version. The Wellcome manuscript shows a third variation. Modern editions by Joseph H. Peterson (the Lemegeton edition of 2001) and David Rankine (the Sourceworks of Ceremonial Magick series, 2004-2010) note these differences. The practitioner must choose a manuscript source and stay consistent.
FAQ
Can I use the seal of Raum if I am not an experienced Goetic practitioner? We do not recommend it. Goetic evocation requires knowledge of protective rituals, banishing, and spirit management. Beginners should start with the planetary seals from Agrippa before moving to the Ars Goetia.
What materials do I need to make the seal? Virgin parchment or calfskin, a fine-point pen with consecrated ink, and a compass for drawing accurate circles. Some practitioners use red ink for Martian spirits. We use black on white parchment.
How long does a Raum evocation take? The full ritual including preparation, conjuration, and dismissal runs 90 to 120 minutes. The actual contact lasts only as long as the conversation requires.
Does the seal of Raum work for love magic? Raum reconciles enemies. If the intent is to reunite estranged people, yes. If the intent is romantic obsession, look elsewhere. Raum does not make people fall in love; he removes enmity.
The Seal as a Living Key
The seal of Raum is not a static image. It is a function: a door that opens only when the right voice speaks the right words in the right arrangement. Draw it carefully. Use it with the full weight of the tradition behind you. And when you are finished, dismiss the spirit completely before the seal goes back into its box.
For more on the spirits of the Ars Goetia, see our complete guide to demonology and goetia. Understanding the structure of the hierarchy means understanding where each seal fits. For the symbols that accompany the seals, visit the glossary of ceremonial magick symbols. And for the most revered Goetic spirit, explore our guide to the seal of Bael.