Pentacles, or more precisely pantacles (the difference is explained here), are iconic ritual objects of Western occultism. Since the Middle Ages, magicians and scholars have attributed to them the ability to concentrate and direct invisible forces, whether to protect against evil, attract divine favor, or communicate with the spiritual world. A pentacle takes the form of a disc marked with symbols: it may feature a pentagram (a five-pointed star) surrounded by divine names, Hebrew inscriptions, or astrological signs, all forming a talisman charged with power. But for such an object to acquire its effectiveness, tradition requires its consecration or “magnetization”, that is, a precise ritual intended to imbue it with spiritual force. Here, we focus on the method derived from Solomonic magic in its most traditional form.
Where do ritual pantacles (not pentacles) come from?
The term pantacle appears in medieval Latin texts as early as the 11th century, notably through the translation of an ancient Arabic treatise on astral magic called Picatrix. This manuscript, which compiled ancient knowledge, describes how to capture the influences of the stars by engraving each planet with a seal filled with symbols, divine names, and intermediary spirits, all enclosed in a circle to concentrate celestial influence. Later, in the 16th century, the renowned occultist Cornelius Agrippa drew inspiration from these sources and codified the creation of planetary pentacles in his De Occulta Philosophia. He associated each planet with a specific metal, a geometric figure, and an angel, and recommended making the talisman at an astrologically favorable time. Along the same lines, an influential grimoire called the Key of Solomon (or Clavicle of Solomon) offers a collection of pentacles associated with the planets and divine Energies, in a style tinged with Christian religiosity. The best manuscripts of the Key of Solomon date from the 15th–17th centuries and bear witness to scholarly practices combining Hebrew Kabbalah and Christian liturgy.
To learn more, you can read our complete article on planetary powers.
General Principles of Ritual Magnetization
In all esoteric schools, emphasis is placed on the need to “animate” or magnetize the pentacle once it has been made. Making the talisman is not enough: it must also be infused with an influence and magically sealed so that it becomes active. Without this consecration, the pentacle would remain a simple decorative object, devoid of power. The magnetization ritual therefore serves to purify the pentacle, invoke the appropriate spiritual forces upon it, and bind these forces to the object.
The Solomonic planetary ritual
The Solomonic tradition is above all a form of high magic and is therefore demanding and precise (involving purification, sanctification, and sealing). The ritual is intentionally long and solemn. It takes approximately one hour, sometimes a little longer depending on the preparation time, because it includes the blessing of the water and salt, the fumigation with incense, the complete reading of eight biblical psalms, and finally the closing prayer.
This high magic teaches that each planetary pentacle must be consecrated at the time corresponding to it: you must therefore choose the appropriate hour in advance by consulting our planetary hours calculator. This rule applies to all planets, because the ritual’s effectiveness depends on harmony between the heavens and the object.
Purification
For this, you will need lustral water or holy water, and Dead Sea salt.
The pentacle is held in the left hand. With the right hand, sprinkle the prepared water over the pentacle three times. During the sprinkling, say:
« Be purified and sanctified, O creature, by water and salt, so that every impure influence may withdraw from you, and so that you may be worthy to receive sacred virtue. »
A thurible is prepared with glowing charcoal, on which frankincense, mastic, and aloe are placed (the Key specifically cites these aromatics). The pentacle is passed through the smoke three times while saying:
« May this fumigation drive away every impure spirit, and may the prayer of sanctification for this sign rise before God. »
The pentacle is thus purified.
Sanctification
The operator turns toward the East and reads a series of 8 sacred psalms, each in its entirety. This reading is performed in a spirit of prayer and devotion, because it is the psalms that call down divine blessing upon the sign. The traditional order transmitted by the Solomonic manuscripts is as follows (to be read in full, one after another):
Psalm 8: praise of creation and divine power
« Lord, our Lord! How majestic is your name throughout the earth!
Your majesty rises above the heavens.
From the mouths of children and infants you established your glory,
to confound your adversaries, to silence the enemy and the avenger.
When I behold the heavens, the work of your hands,
the moon and the stars that you created:
what is man, that you remember him?
And the son of man, that you should care for him?
You made him a little lower than God,
and crowned him with glory and majesty.
You gave him dominion over the works of your hands,
you have placed everything under his feet,
the sheep as well as the oxen, and the animals of the fields,
the birds of the sky and the fish of the sea,
everything that travels along the paths of the seas.
Lord, our Lord! How majestic is your name throughout the earth!»
Psalm 21: a cry for God's help in the face of the enemy
« My God! My God! Why have you forsaken me,
and do you stay far away without helping me, without hearing my complaints?
My God! I cry out by day, and you do not answer;
by night, and I find no rest.
Yet you are Holy, enthroned amid the praises of Israel.
In you our fathers trusted; they trusted, and you delivered them.
They cried out to you, and they were saved;
they trusted in you, and they were not put to shame.
Yet I am a worm and not a man,
the reproach of men and the despised of the people.
All who see me mock me,
they open their mouths, shaking their heads:
Commit yourself to the Lord! The Lord will save him,
he will deliver him, because he loves him!
Yes, you brought me out of my mother's womb,
you kept me safe at my mother's breasts;
from my mother's breast I have been in your care,
from my mother's womb you have been my God.
Do not stay far from me when distress is near,
when no one comes to my aid!
Many bulls are around me,
the bulls of Bashan surround me.
They open their mouths against me,
like a lion that tears and roars.
I am like water poured out,
and all my bones are disjointed;
my heart is like wax,
it melts within me.
My strength dries up like clay,
and my tongue clings to my palate;
you reduce me to the dust of death.
For dogs surround me,
a band of evildoers surrounds me,
they pierced my hands and my feet.
I could count all my bones.
They watch, they look at me;
they divide my garments among themselves,
they cast lots for my tunic.
And you, Lord, do not stay far away!
You who are my strength, come quickly to my aid!
Protect my soul from the sword,
my life from the power of the dogs!
Save me from the lion’s mouth,
deliver me from the horns of the buffalo!
I will proclaim your name among my brothers,
I will praise you in the midst of the assembly.
You who fear the Eternal One, praise him!
All the descendants of Jacob, glorify him!
Tremble before him, all you descendants of Israel!
For he neither despises nor scorns the suffering of the poor,
and he does not hide his face from him;
but he listens to him when he cries out to him.
You will be the subject of my praises in the great assembly;
I will fulfill my vows in the presence of those who fear you.
The afflicted will eat and be satisfied,
those who seek the Eternal One will praise him.
May your hearts live forever!
All the ends of the earth will think of the Eternal One
and turn toward him;
all the families of the nations will bow before your face.
For the kingdom belongs to the Eternal One: he rules over the nations.
All the mighty of the earth will eat and bow down as well;
before him all who descend into the dust will bow,
those who cannot preserve their lives.
His descendants will serve him;
the Lord will be spoken of to the future generation.
When she comes, she will proclaim his righteousness,
she will proclaim his work to the newborn people. »
Psalm 27: request for light and salvation
« The Eternal One is my light and my salvation: whom should I fear?
The Eternal One is the support of my life: whom should I fear?
When evildoers advance against me,
to devour my flesh, they are my persecutors and my enemies
who stumble and fall.
If an army encamped against me, my heart would have no fear;
if a war arose against me, I would nevertheless remain confident.
I ask the Eternal One for one thing, which I ardently desire:
I would like to dwell all my life in the house of the Eternal One,
to contemplate the magnificence of the Eternal One
and to admire his temple.
For he will protect me in his tabernacle on the day of trouble,
he will hide me under the shelter of his tent;
he will lift me onto a rock.
And already my head is lifted above my enemies who surround me;
I will offer sacrifices in his tent, to the sound of the trumpet;
I will sing; I will praise the Eternal One.
Eternal One! hear my voice; I call to you;
have mercy on me and answer me!
My heart says on your behalf: “Seek my face!”
I seek your face, O Eternal One!
Do not hide your face from me,
do not reject your servant in anger.
You are my help; do not leave me,
do not forsake me, God of my salvation!
For my father and mother forsake me,
but the Eternal One will receive me.
Eternal One! teach me your way,
guide me in the path of righteousness, because of my enemies.
Do not hand me over to the will of my adversaries,
for false witnesses and people who breathe nothing but violence rise up against me.
Oh! if I were not sure of seeing the goodness of the LORD
in the land of the living…
Hope in the LORD! Be strong, and let your heart take courage!
Hope in the LORD! »
Psalm 29: glorification of the God who delivers
« I exalt you, O LORD, for you have lifted me up,
you did not want my enemies to rejoice over me.
LORD, my God! I cried out to you, and you healed me.
LORD! you brought my soul up from the realm of the dead,
you brought me back to life, away from those who descend into the pit.
Sing to the LORD, you who love him,
praise his holiness with your songs of praise!
For his anger lasts only a moment,
but his grace lasts a lifetime;
in the evening come the tears,
and joy in the morning.
I said in my security:
I will never be shaken!
LORD! by your grace you had established my mountain…
You hid your face, and I was troubled.
LORD! I cried out to you,
I cried out to the LORD:
What do you gain by shedding my blood,
by making me go down into the pit?
Does the dust offer you praise?
Does it recount your faithfulness?
Hear, LORD, and have mercy on me!
LORD, help me!
And you have turned my lamentations into joy,
you have loosened my sackcloth and girded me with joy,
so that my heart may sing to you and not be silent.
LORD, my God! I will praise you forever. »
Psalm 32: gratitude for divine goodness
« Righteous ones, rejoice in the LORD!
Praise befits the upright.
Praise the LORD with the harp,
praise him on the ten-stringed lute.
Sing him a new song,
sound your instruments and your voices!
For the word of the LORD is upright,
and all his works are accomplished with faithfulness.
He loves justice and righteousness;
the goodness of the LORD fills the earth.
The heavens were made by the word of the LORD,
and all their host by the breath of his mouth.
He gathers the waters of the sea into a heap,
he places the depths in reservoirs.
Let all the earth fear the LORD!
Let all the inhabitants of the world tremble before him!
For he speaks, and it comes to pass;
he commands, and it comes into being.
The LORD overthrows the plans of the nations,
he frustrates the plans of the peoples;
the purposes of the LORD endure forever,
and the plans of his heart, from generation to generation.
Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD!
Blessed is the people he chooses as his inheritance!
The LORD looks down from heaven,
he sees all the sons of men;
from the place of his dwelling he watches
all the inhabitants of the earth,
he who shapes all their hearts,
who is attentive to all their actions.
It is not a great army that saves the king,
it is not great strength that delivers the hero;
the horse is powerless to ensure salvation,
and all his strength cannot bring deliverance.
Behold, the eye of the Eternal One is upon those who fear him,
upon those who hope in his goodness,
in order to rescue their souls from death
and to keep them alive in the midst of famine.
Our soul hopes in the Eternal One;
he is our help and our shield.
For our heart rejoices in him,
for we trust in his holy name.
Eternal One, may your grace be upon us,
as we hope in you! »
Psalm 51: request for purification
« O God! Have mercy on me in your goodness;
according to your great mercy, erase my transgressions;
wash me completely from my iniquity,
and purify me from my sin.
For I acknowledge my transgressions,
and my sin is constantly before me.
I have sinned against you alone,
and I have done what is evil in your sight,
so that you will be just in your sentence,
blameless in your judgment.
Behold, I was born in iniquity,
and my mother conceived me in sin.
But you desire truth in the innermost heart:
make wisdom penetrate deep within me!
Purify me with hyssop, and I will be clean;
wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
Announce joy and gladness to me,
and the bones you have crushed will rejoice.
Turn your face away from my sins,
erase all my iniquities.
O God! Create in me a pure heart,
renew within me a willing spirit.
Do not cast me away from your presence,
do not take your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
and may a willing spirit sustain me!
I will teach your ways to those who transgress them,
and sinners will return to you.
O God, God of my salvation! Deliver me from bloodshed,
and my tongue will celebrate your mercy.
Lord! Open my lips,
and my mouth will proclaim your praise.
If you had desired sacrifices, I would have offered them to you;
but you take no pleasure in burnt offerings.
The sacrifices that are pleasing to God,
it is a broken spirit:
O God! You do not despise a broken and contrite heart.
By your grace, pour out your blessings upon Zion,
build the walls of Jerusalem!
Then you will accept sacrifices of righteousness,
burnt offerings and whole sacrifices;
then bulls will be offered on your altar. »
Psalm 72: prayer for divine justice
« O God, give your judgments to the king,
and your justice to the king's son!
He will judge your people with justice,
and your afflicted ones with equity.
The mountains will bring peace to the people,
and the hills as well, through the effect of your justice.
He will do justice to the afflicted among the people,
He will save the poor man's children,
and he will crush the oppressor.
You will be feared as long as the sun endures,
as long as the moon shines, from generation to generation.
He shall be like rain falling on a mown field,
like showers that water the countryside.
In his days the righteous shall flourish,
and peace shall be great until there is no more moon.
He shall rule from sea to sea,
and from the river to the ends of the earth.
Before him the inhabitants of the desert shall bend the knee,
and his enemies shall lick the dust.
The kings of Tarshish and the islands shall pay tribute,
the kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts.
All kings shall bow down before him,
all nations shall serve him.
For he will deliver the poor who cry out,
and on the unfortunate who has no helper.
He will have pity on the miserable and the needy,
and he will save the lives of the poor;
he will free them from oppression and violence,
and their blood shall be precious in his sight.
They shall live, and give him gold from Sheba;
they shall pray for him continually,
they shall bless him every day.
Grain shall abound in the land,
upon the mountaintops;
the ears of grain shall sway like the trees of Lebanon,
and men shall flourish in the cities like the grass of the earth.
His name shall endure forever,
as long as the sun shines;
his name will endure from generation to generation;
through him they will bless themselves,
all nations will call him blessed.
Blessed be the Lord God, the God of Israel,
who alone performs wonders!
Blessed be His glorious name forever!
May the whole earth be filled with His glory!
Amen! Amen! »
Psalm 133: praise of brotherly unity under God
«Behold, how good and pleasant it is
for brothers to dwell together!
It is like precious oil which, poured upon the head,
descends upon the beard, the beard of Aaron,
which descends upon the edge of his garments.
It is like the dew of Hermon,
which descends upon Mount Zion;
for that is where the Lord sends the blessing,
life, for eternity. »
Sealing
After the complete reading of these psalms, the following prayer is recited to seal the consecration of the pentacle:
« O Almighty, Eternal, and Indescribable Lord, who created all things by Your Word and governs the entire universe by Your power, You who gave Solomon these pentacles to subdue spirits, we implore You to bless and sanctify this sign. May it obtain strength and power against all spirits, so that whoever bears it may find protection for soul and body, through You, Lord of Lords, King of Kings, holy and mighty God, forever and ever. Amen. »
The pentacle is magnetized according to the Solomonic tradition, in accordance with the planetary power to which it is linked. You can therefore keep this pentacle/pantacle with you and let it do its work.
Par Olivier of Aeternum
Passionate about esoteric traditions and the history of the occult from the earliest civilizations to the 18th century, I share some articles on these topics. I am also co-creator of the online esoteric shop Aeternum.
