The Seal of God (Sigillum Dei) is a seven-pointed heptagram enclosed in concentric circles bearing Hebrew divine names, used in Western ceremonial magic to invoke angels and protect the magician during ritual operations. It appears in grimoires from the 14th century onward, most famously in the Clavicula Salomonis and the Lesser Key of Solomon, where it crowns the hierarchy of protective seals.
Origins in Jewish Merkabah Mysticism
The seal’s earliest known predecessor appears in the Sefer Raziel HaMalakh (Book of Raziel), a 13th-century compilation of angelic lore attributed to the angel Raziel. Jewish mystics of the Merkabah tradition used similar diagrams to ascend through the seven heavenly palaces (hekhalot) and behold the divine chariot. These diagrams combined Hebrew divine names with geometric patterns that mapped the celestial hierarchy. By the 14th century, Latin translations of Jewish angelological texts entered European courts and monastic libraries. The Key of Solomon (Clavicula Salomonis), a grimoire falsely attributed to King Solomon, codified the Seal of God as a mandatory ritual tool. The earliest known Latin manuscript, MS 2430 from the University of Florence (c. 1400), contains the seal with detailed instructions for its preparation. The magician was required to draw it on virgin parchment or lambskin during a specific lunar hour, using ink made from gall nuts and gum arabic. A single error in the names could nullify the operation and, according to the text, invite spiritual harm. In the 16th and 17th centuries, the seal spread through printed grimoires. The Heptameron (1496, attributed to Pietro d’Abano) included a simplified version. The Lesser Key of Solomon (compiled 1641) placed the Seal of God at the center of its system, calling it the “great seal” that the magician must stand upon during conjuration.
What Does the Seal of God Actually Depict?
The diagram consists of two structural elements: concentric circles and a seven-pointed star (heptagram). The outermost ring bears the names of the seven archangels: Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, Uriel, Camael, Zadkiel, and Haniel. The next rings hold the seven names of God in Hebrew script: - El (God)
- Elohim (Gods, the plural form denoting majesty)
- Ehyeh (I Am, from Exodus 3:14)
- Adonai (Lord)
- Shaddai (Almighty)
- Tzabaoth (Hosts)
- Elohim Tzabaoth (God of Hosts)
The innermost ring contains the secret name Agla, an acrostic formed from the Hebrew phrase Ata Gibor Leolam Adonai (“You are mighty forever, Lord”). This name appears frequently in medieval amulets and exorcism formulas. The heptagram at the center is a seven-pointed star. In occult symbolism, the number seven governs the planets, the days of the week, and the seven metals of alchemy. Each point of the star corresponds to one divine name. The geometry itself functions as a map: the circles represent the spheres of heaven, and the star represents the intersection of divine will with the material world. A practitioner drawing the seal was constructing a miniature cosmos.
How Was the Seal Used in Ritual Practice?
In the Ars Goetia (the first book of the Lesser Key of Solomon), the magician is instructed to draw the Seal of God on a square of lambskin and either stand upon it or wear it as a pectoral. During invocation, the magician would recite the seven divine names aloud while standing within a circle that also contained the seal. The seal’s function was twofold: to protect the operator from hostile spirits that appeared and to assert the operator’s authority over them. The Clavicula Salomonis provides a concrete procedure: the magician must first wash the lambskin with holy water, then trace the seal with a pen of iron during the hour of Mercury. The ink must be made from oak galls and rainwater, never soot. After the seal is drawn, it is consecrated by reading the names while facing east. The text warns that any crack in the lambskin will break the seal’s power. The seal also appeared on talismans intended for protection and healing. In Renaissance magical medicine, a Seal of God drawn on silver leaf was worn against epilepsy and demonic possession. The underlying logic was that the divine names overwhelmed any lower spirit through their inherent holiness.
The Seal of God vs. the Seal of Solomon
A common confusion concerns the Seal of God and the Seal of Solomon. The Seal of Solomon is the hexagram, a six-pointed star often associated with the binding of demonic forces. The Seal of God is the seven-pointed heptagram. The two symbols share a common Solomonic legend, but their functions differ. The Seal of Solomon commands demons; the Seal of God invokes angels. Some grimoires use both: the magician stands on the Seal of God and wears a Seal of Solomon as a ring. The Clavicula Salomonis prescribes this combination for the most dangerous operations, such as the conjuration of the four demon kings of the cardinal directions. Another confusion involves the Shield of David. The Magen David (hexagram) became a national Jewish symbol only in the 19th century, but medieval Jewish manuscripts used the hexagram as a decorative motif, not as a magical seal. The Seal of God had no connection to Jewish national identity; it was purely a magician’s tool.
Is the Seal of God an Evil Symbol?
Some assume the Seal of God is a satanic or demonic symbol. This is an anachronism. Medieval and Renaissance magicians considered the seal holy. It was prepared with rites of purification and consecration. The names it contains are those of the God of Abraham. Using it to command spirits was seen as an act of piety, not blasphemy. The seal’s association with “black magic” emerged only in the 19th century, when writers like Éliphas Lévi and the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn reinterpreted Solomonic magic through a Christian occult lens. Even then, the seal was treated as a tool of divine authority, not demonic worship.
FAQ
Is the Seal of God the same as the Seal of Solomon? No. The Seal of Solomon is the six-pointed star (hexagram), used primarily to command demons. The Seal of God is a seven-pointed star (heptagram) within concentric circles, used for angelic invocation and protection. Can I draw the Seal of God today? Yes, but the classic grimoires require ritual purity, specific materials (virgin parchment or lambskin, iron pen, oak gall ink), and awareness of the lunar hour. Most modern practitioners simplify the process or use the seal as a meditation tool. Why does the seal have seven names? The seven names correspond to the seven planets of classical astrology and the seven days of creation. In Jewish angelology, these names govern the ranks of angels and the spheres of heaven.
The Seal in Contemporary Practice
The Seal of God continues to appear in the working libraries of contemporary ceremonial magicians. It is studied for its geometry, its divine names, and the discipline it demands of the person who draws it. Modern practitioners often reproduce the seal as a digital image or print, though traditionalists insist on hand-drawing it with the prescribed materials. The seal’s influence extends beyond ritual magic. It appears in the artwork of occult publishers, in the sigils of modern magical orders, and in the iconography of esoteric Christianity. Its seven-pointed star has become a recognizable symbol of the Western magical tradition. For those ready to explore the broader system, our guide to the Ars Goetia places the seal in its proper context within Solomonic magic. The glossary of occult symbols explains the heptagram and other planetary figures. And in our examination of the Lesser Key of Solomon, you will find the full instructions for the seal’s consecration and use.