In this guide

Aleister Crowley’s method for obtaining talismans is a ceremonial process of charging an inert object with a specific magical intention through invocation, consecration, and the formal establishment of a “link” between the talisman and its operator. The central technique, detailed in Magick in Theory and Practice (1929), requires the magician to perform a single act of invocation of the appropriate deity or force, transfer that energy into the talisman, and then ritually “kill” the link so the object becomes independent.

The incense hangs thick in the temple. The magician has fasted since sunrise. On the altar sits a disc of virgin parchment, a single sigil drawn in vermilion and gold. This is not yet a talisman. It is a blank. What transforms it — what makes it a vessel for a specific force — is a procedure Crowley called “the art of the link.” And that procedure rests on a logic that is rarely taught outside the temple room.

What Is a Talisman in Crowley’s System?

What Is a Talisman in Crowley’s System

A talisman, in Crowley’s system, is a material object charged with a single magical purpose. Unlike an amulet (which is worn for general protection or luck), a talisman is a focused device. It exists to produce one specific effect: healing, attraction, destruction, or contact with a particular spiritual intelligence. And it must be manufactured, consecrated, and activated in strict accordance with the principles of ceremonial magic.

Where Did Crowley’s Talisman Technique Come From?

Crowley’s talisman technique comes from the Golden Dawn, the Hermetic order he entered in 1898, and from the older grimoire tradition that the Order systematized. A talisman, in Crowley’s system, is a material object charged with a specific force — the visible body of an invisible current. The technique combines the old grimoire elements — the planetary correspondences, the consecration, the timing — with Crowley’s own psychology: the talisman as the focus of the will, the object that carries the intention into the world. The technique is a synthesis, and the synthesis is the method.

Where Did Crowley’s Talismanic Method Come From?

Crowley drew his method from three primary sources. The first was the Goetia, the first book of the Lemegeton (circa 17th century), which he edited and translated in 1904. The Goetia contains detailed instructions for creating “seals” of the 72 spirits, metal discs inscribed with specific sigils, used to compel or contain the spirit.

The second source was the Greater Key of Solomon (probably 14th century, first printed 1572), a grimoire that devotes an entire book to the preparation of planetary talismans. It specifies materials (the appropriate metal, parchment from a virgin animal, consecrated inks), timing (the hour and day of the planet), and purification rites that could last seven days.

The third source was the work of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn (1888–1903), the secret society Crowley joined in 1898. The Golden Dawn developed an elaborate system of talisman-making that combined Solomonic magic, Enochian angelic invocations, and Egyptian iconography. It was from this body of practice that Crowley extracted what he considered the essential mechanism.

What Crowley rejected was superstition. He dismissed the notion that the material itself, the metal, the parchment, the ink, contained inherent magical properties. “The talisman,” he wrote, “is a symbolic representation of the force you intend to invoke.” Its power comes entirely from the ceremony that charges it.

The link is Crowley’s core principle: the connection established between the talisman and the force it carries, and between the talisman and the practitioner. The link is forged in the consecration — the object is dedicated, the force is invoked, and the two are bound. The link is maintained by the charge — the practitioner’s will, fed into the object at the moment of the working. And the link is severed at the completion — the talisman is ritually separated from its charge, so that the force is released and the object returns to its ordinary state. What Crowley rejected was superstition: he dismissed the notion that the object works by itself, insisting that the link — and the will that makes it — is the whole of the operation.

The critical step in Crowley’s method is the creation of a “link” between the magician and the talisman, followed by the deliberate severing of that link. This is the point where most casual practitioners go wrong.

In Magick in Theory and Practice (Chapter 14), Crowley explains that the talisman must be consecrated by a single act of pure invocation. The magician invokes the appropriate deity or force, say, Jupiter for expansion and prosperity, until he becomes united with that force. At the peak of this union, he transfers the force into the talisman by touching it, breathing on it, or tracing a sign upon it.

But if the link remains, the magician is still connected to the talisman. Any energy it gathers will affect him. Worse, the talisman is not truly independent; it cannot act on its own. So Crowley insists on a ritual severance: the magician must formally declare the talisman “dead” to him, a self-contained device.

This severance is often performed by wrapping the talisman in silk (which is non-conductive, magically speaking) and storing it in a dedicated box. The magician does not wear it. He does not handle it. He lets it work at a distance.

Step by Step: The Crowley Talisman Procedure

The procedure is a fixed sequence. Step one: determine the force to be embodied and its correspondences — the planet, the color, the metal, the hour. Step two: prepare the material — the virgin surface, the appropriate metal or paper. Step three: draw the symbols — the planetary seal, the names, the intention in its symbolic form. Step four: consecrate the object — the ritual of the charge, the invocation of the force. Step five: charge the talisman — the will fed into the object at the peak of the working. Step six: sever the link — the release of the charge, the completion of the operation. The severance is often performed by wrapping the talisman in a cloth and setting it apart; the force is released, and the object keeps only the memory of the work.

How to Make a Talisman: Crowley’s 9-Step Procedure

We describe the procedure as Crowley gave it in his “Notes on the Art of the Link” (published posthumously in The Magical Link, 1978) and scattered across his diaries. It assumes the magician has completed the basic training of the A∴A∴ (the Ascendant and Abiding): Assumption of the God-form, Banishing rituals, and the memorization of the appropriate invocations.

Step 1: Define the purpose. Write a clear, single-sentence statement of what the talisman is to do. Crowley warned against vague intentions. “To bring me luck” is not a purpose. “To win the contract with X company by December 1” is a purpose.

Step 2: Choose the correspondences. From the table of planetary and zodiacal correspondences (as given in 777, Crowley’s dictionary of magical symbols, first published 1909), select the following:

  • Metal or material: gold for Sun talismans, silver for Moon, lead for Saturn, tin for Jupiter, iron for Mars, copper for Venus, mercury (or alloys) for Mercury. For talismans of the zodiac or fixed stars, use virgin parchment.
  • Color: vermilion and gold for Sun, silver and black for Moon, blue and white for Jupiter, red and black for Mars, green and pink for Venus, yellow and purple for Mercury, black and indigo for Saturn.
  • Sigil: design a sigil from the appropriate magical square (kamea), or use the sigil of a specific spirit or intelligence.
  • Incense and perfume: choose according to the correspondences table.

Step 3: Prepare the materials. All materials must be new, unused, and consecrated. The parchment must come from an animal that has not been killed for this purpose. The inks must be mixed by the magician with consecrated water and gum arabic. The brushes are new and have never been used for profane work.

Step 4: Purify the magician. A full ritual bath, a 12-hour fast (or longer), and seven days of sexual abstinence are typical. Crowley, characteristically, varied the requirements depending on the nature of the talisman. For Saturnine work (binding, destruction, severance), the purification was severe. For Venusian work (love, attraction, pleasure), it was minimal.

Step 5: Purify the temple. Perform the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram. Then perform the Greater Banishing Ritual of the appropriate element (usually Earth, since talismans are material objects). Perform the Opening by Watchtower (an Enochian practice from the Golden Dawn) to establish the temple as a microcosm.

Step 6: Invoke the force. Assume the God-form of the appropriate deity. For Jupiter, this might be the form of Zeus or the Egyptian god Amun. Vibrate the divine name. Recite the appropriate psalm or hymn (Crowley used the Orphic Hymns, the Homeric Hymns, or his own Liber 65). Work yourself into a state of gnosis, a singular, focused, wordless intent.

Step 7: Consecrate the talisman. At the peak of invocation, take the talisman in your hands. Breathe upon it four times (the number of the material world). Trace the invoking pentagram of the appropriate element over it. Speak the consecration formula: “I invoke the force of [name] to manifest through this talisman for the purpose of [purpose]. Let it be a vessel. Let it be a weapon. Let it work.”

Step 8: Seal the talisman. Perform the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram around the talisman to lock the force inside. Then wrap it in silk of the appropriate color (white silk for all purposes, unless the talisman is for a baneful aim, in which case black silk). Place it in a consecrated box.

Step 9: Sever the link. This is the step that distinguishes Crowley’s method from grimoire magic. The magician must now ritually declare the talisman no longer part of himself. He does not carry it. He does not charge it again. He may store it in the temple or bury it in the earth, depending on the goal. The severance formula: “This talisman is dead to me. It is a child of its own purpose. I am free of it. It is free of me.”

The Materials Crowley Specified

The materials are specified by the correspondence. For the planetary work, the metal of the planet — the gold of the sun, the silver of the moon, the copper of Venus, the iron of Mars, the tin of Jupiter, the lead of Saturn, the mixed metals of Mercury. For the talisman of the spirit, the paper or the parchment of the appropriate color, inscribed with the appropriate ink. The traditional planetary hours — the first or the eighth hour of the day or night, assigned to the planet — govern the timing of the consecration. The material is the body of the force, and the correspondence is the bond.

What Materials and Correspondences Did Crowley Use?

Crowley was exacting about materials but not superstitious about them. What mattered was the symbolic correspondence.

ForceMetalColorIncenseDayHour
Sun (active, vital)GoldYellow/goldOlibanumSunday1st or 8th
Moon (responsive, psychic)SilverWhite/blackCamphorMonday1st or 8th
Mars (force, war)IronRedDragon’s bloodTuesday1st or 8th
Mercury (intellect, communication)Mercury/alliagesYellow/purpleMasticWednesday1st or 8th
Jupiter (expansion, wealth)TinBlue/whiteCedarThursday1st or 8th
Venus (love, beauty)CopperGreen/pinkMyrtleFriday1st or 8th
Saturn (bind, restriction)LeadBlack/indigoAsafoetidaSaturday1st or 8th

The traditional planetary hours (1st or 8th of the day or night) were observed, though Crowley argued that the magician’s own soul-state mattered more than the clock.

The Dangers Crowley Warned Against

Crowley warned against three dangers. The first is the force itself: the current invoked without the preparation to handle it — the practitioner who charges a force they cannot contain. The second is the attachment: the practitioner who binds themselves to the talisman, feeding it beyond the completion, until the object drains instead of serving. The third is the superstition: the practitioner who forgets the will and trusts the object — the talisman becomes a charm, and the operation fails at the level of the link. The dangers are the dangers of power: preparation, discipline, and the honest handling of the force.

What Are the Common Errors in Talisman Making?

Crowley described two major errors. The first was overcharging. He called it “the inflation of the talisman.” If the magician invokes a force that is too powerful for the talisman’s material to contain, the talisman can shatter (physically crack or chemically corrode) or, worse, become a kind of magical “loose cannon” that attracts chaotic energy.

The second error was failure to sever the link. The magician who keeps carrying a talisman in his pocket, charging it again each morning, sentimentalizing it as a lucky charm, is actually building a feedback loop. The talisman begins to reflect the magician’s own fluctuating states, not the pure force it was meant to embody. Over time, it becomes inert, then actively harmful, a drain on the magician’s energy.

A third danger, common among beginners, is what Crowley called “idolatry.” The magician begins to worship the talisman itself, treating the material object as sacred rather than as a device. This was, in Crowley’s view, the great error of the grimoires: they encouraged a superstitious veneration of the object rather than an understanding of the force.

FAQ

Could Crowley’s method be used for protection talismans? Yes. A protection talisman in Crowley’s system would typically be governed by Mars (active defense) or Saturn (binding of hostile forces). The procedure is identical; only the correspondences and the invocation change.

Did Crowley believe the talisman worked by itself? No. He taught that the talisman opens a “channel” for the force, but the magician must still direct his will toward the goal. “The talisman is a gun,” he said. “You still have to aim it.”

How long should the consecration ritual take? Crowley’s own sessions lasted between forty minutes and three hours, from the opening banishing to the severance. The work should not be rushed, but it should not be drawn out into fatigue either.

Can a woman perform this ritual? Crowley’s system is gender-inclusive at the Adept level, though conservatively derived from patriarchal grimoires. He instructed one of his female students, Leah Hirsig, in talisman-making, and she recorded successful results in her diary (1924).

Why Crowley’s Method Survives

The method survives because it is precise, testable, and grounded in a coherent theory of magic. You do not need to believe in spirits to work it. You need only accept that concentrated will, symbolically encoded into a material object, can produce measurable effects. Crowley himself kept a talisman case in his room at the Abbey of Thelema in Cefalù (1920–1923). When asked why, he answered: “It is the art of making one’s will permanent.”

The blank disc on the altar, after the ceremony, is no longer blank. It carries a force that will act independently, without further attention from the magician. That independence is the mark of true talisman work.

Related: Talismans and Amulets: A Guide to Magical Objects, the vertical hub. For the symbolism of the materials, see the Seven Planetary Metals. For the specific invocation formulas Crowley used, see The Art of the Link (Practical Guide).