Working with Marchosias: true answers, strength, and mastery in contest
Marchosias, and why this article is about contest
Marchosias is a Marquis in the Goetia, and the Grimoire Companion entry for him is direct: he answers truly, and he grants strength and mastery in battle and contest. That is the point of working with Marchosias, and it is what most people will be working with him on. This article is not about spirit work in general. It is about Marchosias work in particular, and about true answers, strength, and contest as serious, specific matters, not as vague wishes.
Contest, in this context, does not only mean a physical fight, though the old description names an excellent fighter, and a cruel she-wolf with griffin's wings and a serpent's tail. Contest, in ordinary life, also means a competition, a dispute, a negotiation, a trial of skill, a matter where two sides contend, and where strength, preparation, and true judgement decide the outcome. A working for mastery in contest should be matched by preparation for the contest itself, in ordinary terms, or it will have nothing to work with.
That is why this article keeps coming back to preparation and to a clear, single-sentence purpose. With Marchosias, be specific about which contest you mean, and which question you mean, when you ask for a true answer. A petition that asks for strength in general, with no contest named, is hard to read afterwards, and a clear petition is easier to work with.
True answers, and what to do with them
Answering truly is the part of the Marchosias entry that most needs careful handling, because a true answer is not always a welcome answer. A question put to Marchosias, in the terms of the old description, is answered truly, and faithfully, and that faithfulness includes answers that are unwelcome, or incomplete in the way you hoped, or that point to a weakness in your own position that you would rather not see.
Before you ask for a true answer, be clear about the question, in plain language, and be clear about what you will do with the answer, whatever it is. Are you asking because a matter is genuinely unclear, and a true answer would change what you do? Or are you asking because you want confirmation for a course you have already chosen, and you will set the answer aside if it does not confirm it? Both motives are human, but they are not the same, and the working built on each of them will be different. Be honest with yourself about which one is yours, before you begin.
That honesty has an ordinary side that should not be skipped. If the question concerns a contest, ask yourself what you already know about it, in ordinary terms, and what you have already done, in preparation, toward it. Have you studied the matter, prepared your case, trained, practised, or sought advice from people who know the field? A working for mastery in contest that is not matched by ordinary preparation is a working built on sand. Ritual work is not a substitute for preparation, for practice, or for the work of becoming strong in the matter itself.
A ring is worn, 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, 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.
That suits Marchosias work in a particular way. Strength and mastery in contest are not matters that happen only in a ritual room, on a single night. They happen, or fail to happen, in ordinary life: in preparation, in performance, in the moment of contest itself, when the hand must be steady, and the judgement must be clear. A ring worn through that ordinary life keeps the working present in the very setting where contest is actually faced, rather than confining it to a room you visit once and leave.
Before you order a ring, ask yourself whether you want that daily presence, or whether you would rather keep the working separate from ordinary life. Both are legitimate, but they are not the same choice, and ordering one when you meant the other leads to a ring that is either worn with discomfort, or left in a box. Choose deliberately, and choose the form that fits the life you actually live. 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.
How a lost-wax cast ring is made
The rings 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 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.
That process also explains why a cast ring is made to order, and why it takes time. Marchosias 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 work with Marchosias
Preparation is most of the work, and with Marchosias that preparation starts with the contest itself. Know what contest you mean, what is at stake in it, and what preparation you have already done, in ordinary terms. Know what question you are going to ask, in your own words, and know what you are not going to ask. A petition that tries to cover every possible outcome usually covers none of them well. Keep it direct, keep it honest, and keep it to the matter at hand.
Then prepare yourself in the ordinary sense. Bathe, or at least wash your hands and face, and change into clothes you do not wear for ordinary errands, when you are doing a formal working. 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 a ring or oil is, and with Marchosias work, where true judgement is the matter itself, a clear head is the first tool of all.
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. 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.
Working with the seal, in the general way seals are worked
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. The Marchosias oil and the Marchosias incense, both offered on this site, are the matching companions for this ring, for the same work with Marchosias, and a Marchosias bath is also offered, for a bath working with the same spirit. Carry it on your hand through the day, and notice when your attention returns to it, and what was happening at that moment.
Showing the seal to the desired person is mentioned in the general seal-working guidance, and it deserves a plain word. Showing a seal is not a trick, and it is not a substitute for speaking plainly, or for preparing properly, for a contest. If your practice calls for showing the seal, do it openly, as part of a working you understand, not as a hidden gesture you hope will do the work for you.
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 be clear about the contest, and the question, you mean. 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. With Marchosias work, note the ordinary record alongside it: what you prepared, what the contest actually was, how you performed, and what answer you received, and whether you acted on it, in plain terms. If nothing changes, that is also information. 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.
Marchosias cast seal ring, and the oil and incense to go with it
If you are doing spirit work with Marchosias, for true answers, and for strength and mastery in battle and contest, the ring is for wearing and working with, not for show.
I offer this as: Marchosias Goetia cast seal ring, $216 CAD, lost wax cast, made to order. View the product
I also make the companions for the same work: Marchosias Goetia grimoire demon evocation oil, $44 CAD, and Marchosias Goetia incense, $44 CAD. View the product
I make no promise about what any of these will do for you, only that the ring is cast by hand, for this work, and not mass produced.
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