The Enochian Altar Cloth: The Proper Cloth for Enochian Work

Why the cloth matters at all

An altar cloth is easy to overlook. It sits underneath everything else, it is rarely the thing a visitor notices first, and it is tempting to treat it as decoration, something to make the altar look finished. In Enochian work, that way of thinking misses the point. The cloth is part of the altar itself, not a cover for it. It defines the working surface, it marks the space as set apart, and it carries, in its own making, a part of the tradition it serves.

That is not a marketing phrase. It is a statement about source. In Enochian practice, the instructions given to Dee and Kelly are the foundation, and a tool that follows those instructions is different from a tool that merely looks Enochian. The cloth matters because it follows the description, not because it resembles it from a distance.

If you are setting up an Enochian altar, or if you already have one and are wondering whether the cloth underneath it is doing the job it should do, this article is about that question: what makes a cloth proper for this work, how it is made, and how it is used in practice.

The description given to Dee and Kelly

John Dee and Edward Kelly are the central figures in the original Enochian workings, and the instructions they received form the basis for much of later Enochian practice. When a modern tool claims to follow their description, it is claiming a line back to that original working, not just a general Enochian flavour.

The cloth described to them is not a plain cloth in a single colour. It is made of red and green flashing silk. That phrase, flashing silk, is worth pausing on, because it describes a particular way of making fabric, not just a colour choice. A flashing silk changes as it moves, as the light changes, and as you look at it from different angles. It is not flat. It shifts between red and green, and that shifting quality is part of what makes it right for the altar, where attention is meant to be held, not allowed to drift.

That shifting is also a reminder, in the room, that the altar is not ordinary furniture. Every time you set the altar, lay out the tools, and see that red and green flash, you are reminded, physically, that this space is set apart. That reminder is useful, because Enochian work asks for sustained attention, and sustained attention is easier when the space itself helps you hold it.

Alternating threads, not dyed cloth

This is not the fake dyed with two different colours sort of silk, but instead alternating silk threads are used to create this fabric.

That distinction is about making, not just appearance. A cloth dyed in two colours may look red and green from a distance, but the colour sits on the surface. A cloth woven from alternating silk threads carries the two colours in its structure, thread by thread, through the whole fabric. The red and green are not painted on. They are woven in.

That matters in practice for two reasons. First, the flashing effect is real, not printed: it comes from the threads themselves, and it changes genuinely with light and movement, rather than being a pattern that stays the same however you look at it. Second, the making itself is slower, more deliberate, and more in keeping with a tradition that asks for tools to be made properly, not quickly. A cloth made this way will not look like a mass-produced imitation, because it is not one. It will look, and feel, like silk woven for a purpose.

When you handle the cloth, that difference is something you can feel, not just see. Silk has a weight and a drape that other fabrics do not, and a woven silk, thread by thread, will sit on the altar differently from a dyed cloth. It will lie where you put it, it will hold a fold, and it will not fight you when you lay out tools on top of it. Those practical qualities matter when you are setting an altar for a long working, and you do not want to be fussing with a cloth that will not stay put.

The white silk underneath

A white silk altar cloth is also to be used underneath everything on the Enochian altar.

That layering is part of the arrangement, not an optional extra. The white silk sits underneath, as a base layer, and the red and green flashing silk sits as the working cloth for the altar. Together they form the surface on which the work is done. If you are setting up an altar for the first time, lay the white silk first, then the flashing silk on top, and then set out your tools on that surface, in the order your own practice calls for.

That order also helps with keeping the altar clean and set apart. The white silk underneath protects the surface below, and it marks the whole altar area as separate from the table or furniture it sits on. When the working is done, the cloths can be folded and put away together, in their proper place, so that the altar can be set again, in the same way, next time. Consistency in setting the altar is part of consistency in the work itself.

Setting the altar, step by step in general terms

Setting an Enochian altar is not a race. Take the time to clear the space first, physically, and set it aside for this purpose. Put away the things that pull your attention elsewhere. If you have a regular working space, use it. If you do not, choose one place and use it consistently, so the place itself starts to carry the association.

Lay the white silk underneath, then the red and green flashing silk on top, smoothing it so that it lies flat and even. Set out your tools on that surface, in the order you have been taught, or in the order you have settled on in your own practice. Do not rush this part. Setting the altar is itself a preparation, and it is where your attention begins to gather for the working ahead.

Then prepare yourself, as you would for any serious working: bathe, or at least wash your hands and face, and change into clothes you do not wear for ordinary errands. This is not about looking a certain way for anyone else. It is about marking, for yourself, that this time is set apart. Eat simply beforehand if you can, and avoid starting a working when you are exhausted, drunk, or already agitated. A clear head is a working tool, just as much as the cloth, the tools, or the books are.

Keeping the cloth, and keeping the altar

A silk altar cloth should be kept as a ritual tool, not as an ordinary household textile. Fold it carefully after each working, keep it in a clean, separate place, away from food, pets, and ordinary laundry, and bring it out only for altar work. That separation keeps the cloth clean, and it keeps the association clear: when you unfold it, you are setting an altar, not just covering a table.

Silk also asks for gentle handling. Do not wash it as you would an ordinary cloth, do not leave it in direct sunlight for long periods, and do not pile heavy tools on it carelessly between workings. Those are practical points, but they are also ritual points: a tool that is cared for will serve longer, and will carry, over time, the familiarity of many workings. A cloth that is treated carelessly will show it, and that showing will distract you when you are trying to work.

After each working, write down what you did, when you did it, and what you noticed, in plain language, over days and weeks, not just on the night itself. Note the altar itself in that record: how it was set, what was laid out, and whether anything about the setting helped or hindered your attention. Those practical details are part of learning to work well, not a distraction from it.

When the cloth is not the whole answer

A proper cloth does not, by itself, make a working. It is one part of an altar, and an altar is one part of a practice. If you are new to Enochian work, work from the teaching you already follow, and do not treat a general article as a substitute for proper teaching in the system. If you are experienced, the cloth is still worth checking: is it the proper type, made in the proper way, or has it been replaced, over time, by something that merely looks the part?

That question is worth asking honestly, because tools drift. A cloth gets stained, or torn, or put away and replaced by whatever was at hand, and before long the altar is set with something that was never meant for the work. Returning to the proper cloth, made of alternating red and green silk threads, with white silk underneath, is a way of returning the altar itself to its proper form.

The cloth offered here is sent to you to use in your own practice, in the system you already work in. What follows from that practice, in terms of magical result, is yours to observe, not mine to guarantee. That wording is about the work itself, not about delivery dates for physical items.

Enochian altar cloth

If you are setting an Enochian altar, the cloth underneath everything else should be the proper one, not a lookalike.

I offer this Enochian altar cloth, the proper type as described by the Enochian Angels to John Dee and Edward Kelly, made of red and green flashing silk, woven from alternating silk threads, not dyed in two colours. A white silk altar cloth is also to be used underneath everything on the Enochian altar. I make no promise about what it will do for you, only that it is the proper cloth, made in this way, for this work.

If you want the cloth for that work, this is the one I offer: Enochian altar cloth, $162 CAD. View the product

Confirm size and white-cloth inclusion with Athena before publishing.

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