Occult symbols explained: First Pentacle of Jupiter

When most people consider pentacles they immediately think of flaming stars in a bad hair band video. Or they think about the upright five pointed star encircled and usually in silver worn as a protective and spiritual amulet. Practitioners of necromancy, Enochian magick, High magick, Kabballah, or Hermetics, or crafters of magickal amulets may recognize the pentacle in a different way and most of them will not resemble the actual pentacle at all. They will resemble more lines and symbols within a circle more than anything else. There are 44 of them in all and they are found within the Clavicula Salomonis Regis (The Greater Key of Solomon) and the Lemegeton (The Lesser Key of Solomon).

The Clavicula Salomonis Regis (Greater Key) is Book One of the two texts. Neither text can be verified as actually originating from King Solomon, however he is attributed to the Judaic mystical path of Kabballah and later inspired Hermetic orders, and occultist around the world. The word occult meaning simply hidden knowledge, the teachings within these two books are commonly found within orders that hold secrecy sacred. The first book concerns itself with invocations, curses (protective invocations) to summon spirits of the deceased, demons, and angels in order to do the sorceror's will. This does technically fall into the classification of sorcery as it relies heavily on the invocation of these beings and energies including necromantic practices of harvesting and utilizing the spirits of the deceased. Magicks worked with the first book include love, sex, power, locating stolen items, cloaking (invisibility spell that works to “thicken” the aura or otherwise shield it as to become less than noticeable), and gaining control over situations or individuals.

The Lemegeton ( also known as the Pseudomaonarchia Daemonum) describes ritual tools, how they should be properly prepared, charged, and cared for. It describes prayers, blessings, dressings, and incenses for ritual use as well as various purification rites and prayers for use in the rites found within the first book. In addition, it also details specific robes for certain rites, how one should prepare the body and mind for ritual, and procedures for animal sacrifice to the appropriate spirits. It is important to note that during this time animal sacrifice was not uncommon. Almost every culture offered one or more animals to their gods in reverence and within a sacred atmosphere. In these sacrifices every part of the animal was used. The animals were usually washed, blessed, prayed over, and then sacrificed with a ritual implement of some type. Parts of the animal most commonly used were the blood, heart, brain, where they believed the spirit resided.

As the legend goes, King Solomon wrote these texts for his son and told him to hide the texts within his tomb after his passing. The text was left there for many years until a group of Babylonian philosophers found it while reconstructing King Solomon's sepulchre. They couldn't read the text, likely because as most dialects do, it may have been written in either angelic script or a then dead language. To read the text, they prayer to God to allow them to translate it, believing it held a key to the ancient wisdom of King Solomon. What they discovered was the texts mentioned here. The text was then sealed with a charm that prevented anyone from translating the book except the very wise. They believed the magicks within the text to be too powerful and dangerous for the average person to use and entirely too powerful to be released into the world in general. The earliest historical representation of these texts are between the 4th and 6th centuries and not again until the 14th century.

The symbols within the tomes are called pentacles, although as I have mentioned, many of them do not resemble the pentacle at all. They are actually glyphs, a series of symbols placed together to form a talisman. In fact, they are comprised of an outer circle and an inner circle in which between the two circles are names of angels written in Hebrew. The inner circle holds planetary symbols and and alignments to attract and control certain types of energies and circumstances. Each one is created with a specific planetary alignment. They are given specific days, hours, and astrological points in which they can be successfully used. It's considered very unwise and unsafe to try and use them outside of those specifications as they are as much for your protection as the absolute control over the beings being invoked. The symbols are divided into sets of 7 and sets of 5, for instance Saturn has 7 pentacles and Mercury only has 5. The sun and moon are both considered planetary bodies and have their own pentacles, the moon having 5 pentacles and the sun having 7. One of the reasons behind this: the moon is attributed to the Goddess (Eloha, Sophia, Ishtar, Inana) and one of her primary numbers is 5. The sun is attributed to God energies (El, Jehovah, Ra, Apollo) and his primary number is 7.

That being said, the purpose of the first pentacle of Jupiter is used for the invocation of spirits and the obtaining of material wealth. When used on a ceremonial level, the outer ring is drawn on a ceremonially prepared clearing with colored sand that has been ritually prepared, a combination of resins, earth, and powdered charcoals, or salt. The sand is carried by one person and scooped in the hands by the person casting. The substance then is “drawn” on the earth by allowing it to fall between the hands. Everything about this glyph must be done perfectly as spirits, angels, and demons have no patience for imperfections. The slightest change in drawing the letters within the first ring and the symbols within the second ring can totally change the definition of the glyph and thus the invocation.

As noted within the Greater Key itself, “ This serveth to invoke the Spirits of Jupiter and especially those whose names are written around the Pentacle, among whom Parasiel is the Lord and Master of Treasures and teacheth how to become possessor of places wherein they are. “ The names of angels are written around the outer ring in Hebrew. Netoniel, Devachiah, Tzedichiah, Parasiel are the angels written in this space. Netoniel is the angel associated with glory, prosperity, and fame. Devachiah is said to know where all the wealth in the world is hidden. He is the angel of wealth, especially acquiring wealth. Parasiel is concerned with the acquisition of hidden knowledge and hidden treasures.

It is worth noting that one of the angels of hidden wealth, Tzedichiah, is also a base for the Hebrew word for charity, tzedakah. Boxes in synagogues set up for this purpose are known by the same names. This infers a religious obligation of the wealthy to be charitable to the poor. Ironically enough, Tzefichiah is often invoked to take the riches of one person and “donate” them to the operator of the working.

Among its uses, the First Pentacle of Jupiter (also known as the first seal of Jupiter) may be used to gain wealth, to take wealth from another, to control wealth, to remove obstacles to obtaining wealth, to arrange marriages in which wealth is the main purpose, and to protect the wealth you already have. The seal may be drawn on the ground in a cleared space or it may be drawn on paper or papyrus and used beneath a blue candle with the appropriate herbs associated with Jupiter, and the wishes of the conjuror written three times on the back of the drawing. Dispose of all aspects of the spell together when the working is done.