Working with Andras: a ring with raised lettering, worn for the work

A ring is not a pendant, and that difference matters

A seal ring is worn differently from a seal pendant, and that difference changes the work. A pendant hangs, and can be tucked away, taken off, or held in the hand. A ring is on the hand itself, present in everything the hand does, visible when you gesture, when you write, when you shake a hand, and when you work. It is not a tool you pick up for a rite and put down afterwards. It is a tool you carry on your body, through the ordinary day, as well as through the working.

Those two purposes, pact and acquaintance, are different, and both suit a ring. A pact is a formal, deliberate agreement, worn as a sign of that agreement. Getting to know a spirit better is slower, quieter work, done over time, by having the seal around, wearing it, and paying attention to what changes. A ring serves both, because it stays with you in a way a pendant in a pouch does not.

Before you order a ring, ask yourself which of those you mean. Are you making a formal pact, with terms you have thought through? Or are you beginning, or deepening, an acquaintance with Andras, over time? If you cannot answer that question, you are not ready to order yet. A ring ordered without a purpose tends to become ordinary jewellery, and that helps no one, least of all the wearer.

Andras, and what working with him is for

The Grimoire Companion entry puts it in traditional terms: Andras sows discord and strife, and is traditionally called against enemies. That is the specific use for Andras work, and this article stays inside it, rather than turning Andras into a general spirit for general purposes.

It is worth sitting with that description before you do anything else. Taking care of an enemy does not mean the same thing in every situation. Sometimes it means protection. Sometimes it means a boundary being held. Sometimes it means a situation ending, cleanly, instead of dragging on. Be specific with yourself about which one you mean, because vague work tends to produce vague results, and vague results are hard to read afterwards.

If you cannot state the situation in one clear sentence, you are not ready to wear anything yet. Write it down. Leave it overnight. Come back and see if it still reads true. That pause is part of the work, not a delay in it. It is especially important with a ring, because a ring, once worn, is worn every day, and a working begun in haste will be carried, daily, until you decide otherwise.

Raised lettering, and why it is not decoration

This ring is made with raised lettering. That is a practical detail, and it matters for how the ring wears. Raised lettering can be felt, not only seen. You can run a finger over it, and know, by touch, that the seal is there, even without looking at it. That touch is part of working with a ring: a reminder, through the day, of the purpose it was made for, and of the spirit whose seal it carries.

Raised lettering also wears differently from engraved lettering. Engraving cuts into the surface. Raised lettering stands proud of it, and over time, with daily wear, it will soften at the edges, as any raised surface does against skin, clothing, and other objects. That softening is normal for a working tool, and it is not a sign that the ring has stopped working. It is a sign that it has been worn.

That is worth knowing before you order, because a ring that is worn daily will not look, after a year, exactly as it looked on the day it arrived. If you want a ring that never changes, you want a piece that is never worn. If you want a working ring, accept that wear is part of its life, and that the ring will carry the marks of the work it has done.

How a lost-wax cast ring is made

The rings offered here are lost wax cast seal rings of the Daemon Demons of the various grimoires. They are pure metal which is actually cast, starting with a wax version.

In lost-wax casting, the ring is first worked in wax, then cast in metal from that wax form. The wax is lost in the process, which is where the name comes from, and the metal that remains is a solid, cast object, not a printed shell. You can feel that difference when you hold it: a cast ring has weight, it has a surface that shows the hand work, and it does not have the layered texture of a printed object.

The ring can be made from sterling silver, bronze, or copper, with gold also available for the market price. Those are different metals, with different weight, colour, and wear, and the choice of metal is part of the order, not an afterthought. Choose the metal you will actually wear, day after day, not the metal that looks best in a photograph. A ring that is comfortable, and that suits your skin and your work, will be worn. A ring that is not will sit in a box.

That process also explains why a cast ring is made to order, and why it takes time. A ring that is already listed takes about 2 to 3 weeks while rings that are not listed, but are under the other option, take 8 weeks, because she still has not carved their waxes yet. Andras is a listed ring, so the shorter timing applies to it in principle, but timing can change with the work queue, and it should be settled at ordering, not assumed from an article.

Preparing to wear a seal ring

Preparation is most of the work, and with a ring that preparation starts before the ring arrives. Be clear about why you are working with Andras, what you are asking for, and what you are prepared to do yourself. If you cannot state the matter in one clear sentence, write it down, leave it overnight, and come back to see if it still reads true.

When the ring arrives, do not start by wearing it everywhere at once. Take time to look at it, to hold it, and to set it aside in a clean place that is used for your working tools. Check the fit, in ordinary terms, before any working use: a ring that is too tight will be a distraction, and a ring that is too loose will be a worry, and both will pull your attention away from the work itself. If your practice calls for cleansing or consecration of a new tool, follow the instructions you already follow in your system. A general article like this one is not a substitute for proper teaching in the system.

Prepare the room and yourself in the same way you would for any Goetia working: clear the space, set it aside for this purpose, bathe or wash, change into clothes you do not wear for ordinary errands, and know what you are going to say, in your own words, before you begin. A clear head is a working tool, just as much as a ring, oil, or incense is.

Wearing, anointing, and working with a ring

With a ring, wearing it is the central practice, and the others support it. Hold the ring, and the seal on it, when you are working. Put it under a candle for a working, if your practice calls for that, and take it up again afterwards. Put oil on it, deliberately, naming the purpose in your own words, when you anoint it for a working. Carry it on your hand through the day, and notice when your attention returns to it, and what was happening at that moment.

Anointing a ring is a way of marking it for a purpose, often done with a matching oil, applied deliberately, naming the purpose in your own words. Fumigating a ring is the companion practice: passing it through incense smoke, to start a working, and for fumigating the tools and talismans that will be used in it. Andras also has a matching incense and a matching oil, both for spirit work with Andras, made in small batches when you order. This article is about the ring, so it does not turn into a second article about oil or incense, but it is worth knowing that those companions exist, because a ring that is never anointed or fumigated, and is only worn as jewellery, is not being worked with in the same way as a ring that is prepared for a working and then worn.

Do not use a ring as a substitute for the rest of the working. Wearing a ring and then doing nothing else, with no petition, no attention, and no closing, is not spirit work. The ring supports the work, it does not replace it.

Do not do this work when you are angry in the moment, if you can avoid it. Anger passes, and a working done in the heat of it, especially a working sealed with a ring you will wear daily, often reads, afterwards, as something you wish you had phrased differently. Wait until you can state the matter calmly, even if the matter itself is serious.

A simple working order, to adapt to your own practice

The following is a general order, not a fixed script. Adapt it to the system you already work in. First, prepare the room and yourself, as above. Second, set out the ring, and any oil, incense, or candle you will use. Third, anoint or fumigate the ring, if your practice calls for it, deliberately, naming the purpose in your own words. Fourth, speak your petition, clearly and once, rather than repeating it until it loses its shape. Fifth, sit quietly for a time and listen, rather than filling every moment with more words. Sixth, close the working properly, in whatever way your practice requires, and keep the ring on, or put it away in its proper place, as your practice requires.

Afterwards, write down what you did, when you did it, and what you noticed. Not what you hoped would happen, but what actually happened, in plain language. Note the ring itself in that record: when you wore it, when you took it off, whether you anointed or fumigated it, and what you noticed on days when you wore it compared with days when you did not.

Care for a cast ring

Care for a cast metal ring is practical, not mystical, and it is worth stating plainly. Pure cast metal will show wear over time, especially on a ring worn every day, against skin, against clothing, and against other objects. Raised lettering will soften at the edges. That wear is normal for a working tool, and it is not a sign that the ring has stopped working. It is a sign that it has been worn.

Keep the ring in a clean, dry place when you are not wearing it, away from other metal objects that could scratch it. Clean it gently, with a soft cloth, and do not use harsh chemicals or abrasive cleaners on it, unless you know, for the specific metal involved, that such a cleaner is safe.

If the ring loosens, tightens, or shows damage, stop wearing it until it can be sized or repaired properly. A ring that does not fit is a distraction in a working, and a safety risk if it can slip off unnoticed. That is a practical point, but it is also a working point: a tool you are worried about losing is a tool you cannot focus with.

Keeping a record, and knowing when to stop

Keep a short record for each working: date, purpose in one sentence, ring and any oil or incense used, what you did, and what you noticed afterwards, over days and weeks, not just on the night itself. If nothing changes, that is also information. It may mean the petition was unclear, the timing was wrong, the work was not appropriate, or simply that the situation needs a different approach.

Do not repeat the same working endlessly in the hope that repetition alone will force a result. Do the work properly, once, observe, and then decide, calmly, whether a second working, a different approach, or no further working is the right next step. Repetition without reflection is not persistence. It is noise.

Andras Goetia ring with raised lettering

A ring for Andras should be a ring made for the work, not a piece of ordinary jewellery with a seal on it.

I make these as lost wax cast seal rings, cast from a wax version in pure metal, one at a time, and I bless each one myself before it is sent out. I make no promise about what it will do for you, only that it is cast by hand, for this work.

If you want an Andras ring made in this way, this is the one I offer: Andras Goetia ring with raised lettering, $216 CAD, in sterling silver, bronze, or copper, with gold for the market price. View the product

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