 A bit of history and how to make a pentacle talisman of your own... In the great historical magical pantheon King Solomon is a notable figure whose Ars Goetia and Grimore has fascinated Magicians, Adepts, Witches and Initiates for many generations. King Solomon and his great wisdom is noted in the King James version of The Bible and by a number of writers who have contributed much to the study of esoteric magick and hermeticism. Most notably Eliphas Levi, Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa, Manly P. Hall, Rudolph Steiner, Paracelsus, Francis Barrett, Israel Regardie, E.A. Waite, Adolf Jacoby, Samuel Liddell MacGregor Mathers, Johannes Trithemius, and St Albertus Magus to name a few. Many modern writers on the subject of magic have also referenced Solomon and his 'Keys' in their books and online blogs including; Stephen Skinner, Scott Cunningham, Gerald & Betty Schueler PhD, Chic & Sandra Ciscero, Raymond Buckley, Aaron Leitch, Nick Farrell, Jason Miller, Amber K, Melita Denning and Osborn Phillips, David Conway and Migene Gonzalez-Wippler who has written the quintessential book on talismans and amulets. At one time or another everyone eventually comes across the translations of King Solomon's mysterious 'keys' and marvel over the fascinating claims that are made. Wikipedia gives us an interesting reference to King Solomon... "Solomon (/ˈsɒləmən/; Hebrew: שְׁלֹמֹה, Shlomoh),also called Jedidiah (Hebrew יְדִידְיָהּ Yedidyah), was, according to the Hebrew Bible, Quran, and Hadiths, a fabulously wealthy and wise king of Israel who succeeded his father, King David. The conventional dates of Solomon's reign are circa 970 to 931 BCE, normally given in alignment with the dates of David's reign. He is described as the third king of the United Monarchy, which would break apart into the northern Kingdom of Israel and the southern Kingdom of Judah shortly after his death. Following the split, his patrilineal descendants ruled over Judah alone. According to theTalmud, Solomon is one of the 48 prophets. In the Quran, he is considered a major prophet, and Muslims generally refer to him by the Arabic variant Sulayman, son of David.” In addition to this pedigree wikipedia further states “The Hebrew Bible credits him as the builder of the First Temple in Jerusalem, beginning in the fourth year of his reign, using the vast wealth he and his father had accumulated. He dedicated the temple to Yahweh, the God of Israel. He is portrayed as great in wisdom, wealth and power beyond either of the previous kings of the country, but also as a king who sinned. His sins included idolatry, marrying foreign women and, ultimately, turning away from Yahweh, and they led to the kingdom's being torn in two during the reign of his son Rehoboam." Solomon's sins in the western world today would be considered marginal if notable at all, but in his time it resulted in the fall of his kingdom and his Temple. King Solomon always claimed his gifts were from God. In the Wisdom of Solomon 7:17-21, Solomon writes:
It is written that this temple was constructed with the assistance of 72 Demons (some report Djinn) who were under Solomon's control by means of a magical ring given to him by Archangel Gabriel. At one point these demons became prideful and Solomon banished them by capturing them in a brass urn which he capped with magical sigils and then thrown into the sea. (King Solomon and his demon slaves) Many who wanted to control these demons believing them to be the source of his power and wealth, searched for the brass urn. When it was found and opened it inadvertently released the 72 demons back into the world. This story is reminiscent of the Genie in the bottle and the opening of Pandora's box. Another interesting story is one of King's Solomon's love for the Queen of Sheba, a reported half human, half demon, some said she was half Djinn in some Middle Eastern Sihr texts. In the story, she brings a caravan of valuable gifts and spices for King Solomon. All to ask him several riddles which he answers to her satisfaction, and she returns to her home. But Solomon is so taken by her great beauty that he kidnaps her with the aid of a demon and marries her giving her his magical ring, and power over the Demons. This legendary 'forbidden love' was the subject of several movies including “Solomon & Sheba'. Modern historians identify Sheba with the South Arabian kingdom of Saba in present-day Yemen.  Here is the tin plate shaped and with the pentacle drawn on it with a sharpie. The queen's existence is disputed and not confirmed by historians. Back to King Solomon's Pentacles... There are several books that need to be mentioned. The Lesser Key of Solomon, also known as Clavicula Salomonis Regis or Lemegeton, is an anonymous grimoire (or spell book) on demonology. It was compiled in the mid-17th century, mostly from materials a couple of centuries older. It is divided into five books—the Ars Goetia, Ars Theurgia-Goetia, Ars Paulina, Ars Almadel, and Ars Notoria. The Greater Key of Solomon (Latin: Clavicula Salomonis, Hebrew: Mafteah Shelomoh [מפתח שלמה]) is a pseudepigraphical grimoire attributed to King Solomon. It probably dates back to the 14th- or 15th-century Italian Renaissance. It presents a somewhat typical example of Renaissance magic. It is possible that the Keys of Solomon inspired later works, particularly the 17th-century grimoire also known as the Lesser Key of Solomon or Lemegeton, although there are differences between the books. The Greater Key of Solomon that most people are familiar with is the translation by Samuel Liddell MacGregor Mathers of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn and is comprised of three books. Book One: Covers secret procedures, prayers, magical rites, seals, charms, schedules, and talismans. Book Two: Tools of the trade, consecrations, magical circles, wands, weapons, and conjurations. Book Three: “Here follow the holy pentacles, expressed in their proper figures and characters, together with their especial virtues; for the use of the master of art”-Introduction from the book And Book Three is the book where we find Solomon's holy pentacles. Using them as Talismans and medals is the information that I would like to share with you. King Solomon's Pentacles, for lack of a better word, are paper charms with configured symbols, holy names and sigils written as spells that are enhanced by the planetary personified energies. This form of 'high magic' is what the Magician aspires to. The ability to cast spells in the form of visual imagery that facilitates the Magician's mental will inducted upon matter. To be proficient in this ability requires rigorous mental and physical training, many join fraternal Orders such as the Golden Dawn, Builders of the Adytum or Rosicrucian AMORC to learn the practices of ceremonial high magic. King Solomon's Pentacles are as follows: THE ORDER OF THE PENTACLES. Seven Pentacles consecrated to Saturn –Black. Seven Pentacles consecrated to Jupiter –Blue. Seven Pentacles consecrated to Mars –Red. Seven Pentacles consecrated to the Sun –Yellow. Five Pentacles consecrated to Venus –Green. Five Pentacles consecrated to Mercury –Mixed Colors. Six Pentacles consecrated to the Moon –Silver. In additional to having a specific color assigned each of the seven original planets, in magickal and alchemical operations these planets also have an Archangel, day of the week, and metals ascribed to them. Saturn – Saturday-Tzaphquiel - Lead Jupiter – Thursday-Tzadiqel - Tin Mars – Tuesday- Khamael- Iron Sun – Sunday – Raphael- Gold Venus – Friday-Haniel - Copper Moon – Monday- Gabriel - Silver Mercury – Wednesday – Michael - Mercury (Mercury is poisonous and very dangerous, so pewter is substituted ) I get a lot of questions about how to make the Pentacles as Talismans, as there is a lot of information about their construction and use as talismans. You can never go wrong by reading the source material about how the Pentacles are made which is available in the public domain on the internet. Solomon was very specific in how to prepare and use the pentacles in Solomonic tradition. For an example, the pentacles are made of paper but Solomon is referring to the paper of his day which is vellum, made of lamb's skin and papyrus made from reeds. When Solomon's pentacle instructions calls for paper, use a high end parchment paper, remember these are tools so expense should not be a factor if you are going through the trouble of making the pentacles exactly as written. In his 'instructions' Solomon tells us in Book One pages 39-41, that his recipes must be followed to the letter. “I order thee to read and reread my testament, not only once but many times so that being perfectly instructed in the several ceremonies thou mayest in no way fail, and that thus what shall have previously appeared to thee difficult and lengthy, may become in process of time easy and of very great use.” When I discovered that the pentacles can be highly effective as Talismans when made of their proper metals on their corresponding celestial day, I began making them for myself and friends as medals for protection. In making them as Talismans you also want to respect high magical traditions and be as exact as possible to make them on the appointed day and in the hour ascribed to that planet. This activates the Celestial and planetary energies associated with them, and gives your Talismans power. This is not an uncommon practice as the great Magician and philosopher Paracelsus gives instructions in his work on making astrological Talismans to harness the power of the zodiac and planets. The tools you use to make them should be new and consecrated to the work. Fortunately in my own work as a wand maker I have many tools available to me. I consecrate them in ritual after they are purchased and use them only in the art of making magical tools and weapons. Speaking of tools, I recently purchased a small CNC router engraver & mill and consecrated it for use in making wands. I wonder what the Holy Spirits thought when I presented the router motor, drill bits, and motherboard at my altar for their blessing! In a pinch, cleansing the tools thoroughly using soap and water and letting them air dry in the Sun should be sufficient to cleanse and purify them. Then ask Spirit or Deity in your preferred method, at your altar to bless them to perform their work well. I will be showing you how to make these talismans cost effectively, so buying a few new tools and blessing them in ceremony is recommended. Here are some of the tools that you will need to make the Talismans easily out of their metal counterparts: *Dremel with engraving bits *Chase Hammer *Small rubber mallet *Anvil or hard level surface *Portable handheld torch*Sponge sander with multiple graded sides *Pliers *Fine point Sharpie *Metal cutting Scissors For illustration purposes I choose the 3rd Pentacle of Jupiter to make as a Talisman. This pentacle gives its maker protection from any Spirit he may summon. Solomon writes that the Adept need only to display the pentacle and they will obey him. So we will be 'intending' to use it to protect from evil spirits, Djinn, and Drogas (possessing Spirits) Each pentacle has its own particular benefit to the Magician or Witch, and many examples can be found on Google or purchased on etsy but it is much more rewarding to make them yourself, as part of the learning process in magic is to discover your artistic skills and patience. Now each pentacle must be made on a specific day as indicated, they must also be made within a specific hour. On each specified day there occurs three auspicious opportunities to create your pentacle: 6am, 1pm, 8pm, I suggest preparing your talisman base metal prior to the appointed hour and then be ready to draw and engrave it in the recommended hour. Preparing your metals means to cut and shape your Talisman, in some cases forging the metal is necessary. I have hammered many metals to shape and replicated the forging process by searing them with a portable torch that you can pick up from eBay, home depot or even a cooking supply store. These torches can reach 1,200 degrees Fahrenheit so take the necessary safety precautions and have a metal bowl of cool water nearby. The pentacle of Jupiter is metal of tin, so I easily cut this from a tin can and scorched it with a hand torch to purify it. Next you will want to hammer the metal flat and sand it into the shape of about a half dollar, and smooth the surface with a fine grade sandpaper or buffer. You can make the Talisman any size but for wearing a half dollar is a good size for a pendant. After your metal is shaped and smoothed, print a copy of your selected talisman so you can see it clearly. All of them use Hebrew letters and after some practice you will be able to draw them easily.  At the appointed hour get ready to copy with your sharpie the design exactly onto your metal plate. Once it is copied use your dremel and the supplied engraving nubs. Choose the nub with as fine a point as available and set the dremel on a high speed to get better control. This is something you can practice before actually engraving the metal. Begin engraving the pentacle following your sharpie marks. I work the interior symbols before the circular lines, this way if I need to make an adjustment I have the space to do it. Keep checking your time, to be traditionally compliant it must be finished before the hour is over. After it is engraved you can wipe any excess sharpie ink off with alcohol or nail polish remover. And now you have a finished Pentacle!  Pentacles should be consecrated on their appointed day and hour, and Solomon's Greater Key Book One pages 40-41, covers consecration rituals and the oration said to activate the Pentacles, you can perform a similar ceremony for your Talisman, or one of your spiritual choosing. When consecrating remember to always keep in mind their intended use, and project this onto your finished piece. The Pentacles can be used alone as Talismans, or to empower another tools, book of shadows, worn as a necklace or keychain.  I use the pentacle Talismans in rituals, planetary magic, to summon the planetary angels, and Olympic spirits, to offer protection, thwart evil, enrich the family, focus my will and concentrate my spell casting.
When made correctly they are highly effective! Meaning in my experience, they work! One last thing... King Solomon's Goetia; The Lemegeton lists the Talismans for the 72 demons that he had banished. I caution you oh dearest reader, from my experience and as wise old King Solomon himself had done. Do not make these talismans or suffer the magical consequences. When using those Talismans in Necromancy or Sorcery they can bring negative intention and the energies personified as demons. While I am a Minister I am not going to preach but I beseech you to consider bringing positive into the world it is a much more fulfilling objective. Remember the Wicca Law of Three; what goes around, comes around returning to source 3 times as powerful. Wouldn't you agree a three fold blessing is better than a three fold curse? Many blessings to your and yours. Author: Soror Seshat N. Aubi of Silfren Circle Binghamton, New York
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