Astaroth and the two-inch seal pendant: liberal sciences, past, present, and future
A seal is not a picture of a seal
A seal for Astaroth should be a seal, not a picture of one. That distinction sounds simple, and it is, but it changes how you work with the thing in your hands. A picture can be looked at. A seal can be carried, anointed, fumigated, placed on an altar, and worked with over time. It has weight, it has a surface you can touch, and it stays with you after the working is over, in a way a printed image does not.
That is why the form of a seal matters in traditional Goetia work, and why a seal that is made properly is different from a seal that is merely reproduced. The seal in this article is for traditional Goetia work with Astaroth, as a hand cast seal, in pendant form, two inches. It is made to be carried and worked with, not left in a drawer as decoration, and not filed away as a reference image.
Two inches is a substantial size for a pendant. It is large enough to read clearly, to hold comfortably, and to feel as a weight against the chest. It is not a small, discreet charm meant to be overlooked. If you want a seal you can forget you are wearing, a two-inch pendant is not that tool. If you want a seal you can hold, look at, and work with deliberately, its size is part of its use.
Astaroth, and what working with him is for
In the Grimoire Companion entry, Astaroth is a Duke who teaches the liberal sciences, answers truly of past, present, and future, and reveals hidden spiritual truths. Those three offices belong together, and they describe a particular kind of practitioner: someone who is studying seriously, who needs true answers about a matter that spans time, and who is prepared to hear a spiritual truth that may not be comfortable.
Teaching the liberal sciences means, in practice, steadiness in learning: language, number, music, reasoning, and speaking well. A practitioner working with Astaroth for study should be studying, not merely asking for knowledge to arrive. The seal supports the study, it does not replace it. Read the passage, copy the figure, work the problem, write the paragraph, and then judge, over weeks, whether your study has become clearer and steadier.
Answers truly of past, present, and future are a different discipline. A question about the past needs an honest look at what actually happened, not what you wish had happened. A question about the present needs an honest look at what is actually happening now, not what you fear or hope is happening. A question about the future needs a careful distinction between what is likely, what is possible, and what you simply want. Write the question down exactly, before you begin, and note what would count as an answer, so you can judge afterwards whether you received one.
Hidden spiritual truths are the third office, and they should be handled with the most care of all. A spiritual truth, revealed in a working, is not a piece of gossip, and it is not a weapon to use in an argument. It is something to sit with, to test against your own practice and teaching, and to act on slowly, if at all. Note it in plain language, without dressing it up, and return to it over days, before you decide what it means.
How a lost-wax cast seal is made
The seals offered here are lost wax cast seals 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 seal 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 seal has weight, it has a surface that shows the hand work, and it does not have the layered texture of a printed object.
That process also explains why a cast seal is made to order, and why it takes time. A seal that is already listed takes about two to three weeks while seals that are not listed, but are under the other option, take eight weeks, because she still has not carved their waxes yet.
That is a practical detail, and it is worth knowing before you order, because it affects how the pendant hangs and how it will wear over time.
Preparing to work with a seal
Preparation is most of the work, and with a seal that preparation starts before the seal arrives. Be clear about why you are working with Astaroth, what you are asking for, and what you are prepared to do yourself, including the study or the honest looking that the working will require of you. 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 seal 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. 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, and it should not be used to invent a consecration rite for a seal you have not been taught to consecrate.
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 seal, oil, or incense is.
Carrying, anointing, and fumigating
A pendant seal is made to be carried, and carrying it is part of the work, not an afterthought. Wear it when you are working, and put it away properly when you are not, rather than leaving it in a pocket with keys and loose change, or on a bathroom shelf. A tool that is treated carelessly tends to be worked with carelessly, and that shows in the record you keep afterwards.
Working with a seal, in Athena's general guidance, includes holding it, putting it under a candle, putting oil on it, carrying it, wearing it as a pendant, and showing it to the desired person, specific to each seal and spirit. For Astaroth, the most relevant forms are holding it while you frame a question, putting it under a candle during a working, putting oil on it with a matching oil, and carrying or wearing it during study and reflection. Each of those is a deliberate act, not a habit. Do it with the purpose in mind, once, clearly, rather than fidgeting with the seal all day and calling that a working.
Anointing a seal is a way of marking it for a purpose. Fumigating a seal 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. Astaroth also has a matching incense, for spirit work with Astaroth. This article is about the seal, so it does not turn into a second article about incense, but it is worth knowing that companion exists, because a seal that is never anointed or fumigated, and is only worn as jewellery, is not being worked with in the same way as a seal that is prepared for a working and then carried.
Do not use a seal as a substitute for the rest of the working. Carrying a seal and then doing nothing else, with no petition, no attention, and no closing, is not spirit work. The seal supports the work, it does not replace it.
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, and write the question down exactly. Second, set out the seal, and any oil, incense, or candle you will use. Third, anoint or fumigate the seal, 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 put the seal away in its proper place.
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. For study work, note what you studied, and what was clearer. For a question about past, present, or future, note the question exactly, and any answer that came, without dressing it up, and test it, in the ordinary world, where testing is possible. That record is what lets you tell, weeks later, whether anything changed, and whether that change had anything to do with the work.
Care for a cast pendant, and knowing when to stop
Care for a cast metal pendant is practical, not mystical, and it is worth stating plainly. Pure cast metal will show wear over time, especially if it is worn every day, against skin, against clothing, and against other objects. That wear is normal for a working tool, and it is not a sign that the seal has stopped working. It is a sign that it has been carried.
Keep the pendant 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 bail loosens, or if the pendant shows damage, stop wearing it until it can be repaired properly.
Keep a short record for each working, and 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.
Astaroth cast Daemon Demon seal pendant, 2 inches
A seal for Astaroth should be a seal, not a picture of one.
I make these as lost wax cast seals, cast from a wax version in pure metal, one at a time, and I bless each one myself before it is sent out. This one is Astaroth, as a pendant, two inches, made for traditional Goetia work with Astaroth, to be carried and worked with, not left in a drawer as decoration. 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 Astaroth seal made in this way, this is the one I offer: Astaroth cast Daemon Demon seal pendant, 2 inches, $216 CAD. View the product
A matching Astaroth incense is also offered on this site, for spirit work with Astaroth, for fumigating the room and tools around a working.
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