Seal of Jupiter - Book of the Treasure of Alexander
- Description
Seal of Jupiter (Book of the Treasure of Alexander)
“How to make the seal of Jupiter which diminishes weakness and beating of the heart at the time of its use, and ends physical discomfort and colic of the stomach.
He who uses it will be loved by all people, who will praise and compliment him. If you have a dispute with an adversary you will be able to dominate him and yet also be on good terms with him. It is powerful in controlling judges and religious men. Whoever uses it will conquer anything he is confronted with, be saved from any danger and even in transactions of great risk he will gain. When Jupiter is in the fifteenth degree of the sign of Cancer and the Moon aspects him from Pisces, take six mithqals of tin and make a seal whose signet is square and engrave on it the figure. And if the Moon is in conjunction with Jupiter in Cancer in this degree or close to it is even better. "
(Book of the Treasure of Alexander, The Sixth Art, Poison Edition, Warnock)
Top left: Seal of Jupiter from Book of the Treasure of Alexander: Poison Edition published by Christopher Warnock. Top right and bottom are illustrations from Persian manuscripts.
For Healing Stomach Ailments, Promoting Heart Health, Success in Disputes, Prosperity
NOT INTENDED TO SUBSTITUTE FOR LICENSED MEDICAL CARE. USE AS A COMPLIMENTARY THERAPY ONLY.
This talisman’s purported effects are especially interesting. The author says that it not only helps to heal stomach ailments and certain types of heart ailments (rapid heartbeat) but exerts considerable positive effects on the owner’s surrounding as well.
“If you have a dispute with an adversary you will be able to dominate him and yet also be on good terms with him. It is powerful in controlling judges and religious men. Whoever uses it will conquer anything he is confronted with, be saved from any danger and even in transactions of great risk he will gain.”
In disputes, the talisman’s owner will not only prevail but also make peace with their adversary. It also exerts immense positive effects on judges and “religious men” probably meaning priests. There are also monetary gains that come from it. “Transactions of great risk” can be interpreted as investments or business opportunities in modern times. These are effects of Jupiter that later sources like Heinrich Agrippa consistently claimed over six centuries later.
The image is simple: a goat eating from a small tree or shrub. This may seem odd, but the goat or ram is consistently found in the Jupiter imagery of later sources, such as the robed figure with a ram’s head in Picatrix and Agrippa’s Book 2.
Book of the Treasure of Alexander (BTOA) or Kitab Thakhirat al-Iksander in Arabic, is an overlooked grimoire. Picatrix and Agrippa’s Three Books of Occult Philosophy are the most popular and well known, but BTOA is unfortunately overlooked and underutilized, partially due to the unusually stringent astrological configurations it requires and its very limited circulation. Many of its astrological talismans can only be made once or twice in a lifetime, and some are difficult to find once in a century. I’ve found that they are often extremely effective if the instructions are followed carefully.
The mysterious history of this grimoire is fascinating. A bit older than Picatrix, the oldest known manuscripts originate in Arabic around 900 CE. The text itself claims to have been discovered hidden in a Byzantine monastery vault by the Abbasid Caliph Al-Mu’tasim during a military expedition against the Eastern Roman Empire. The story says that the original was engraved on sheets of gold leaf in Greek letters by Alexander the Great, containing secret teachings from his tutor Aristotle passed down from Hermes Trismegistus. In the ancient world it was common to attribute occult writings to a revered historical figure, and Greek philosophy was highly prized by Arab thinkers.
Academics largely attribute the book’s authorship to the Sabeans of Harran, who had been an intellectual hub of the region for millennia. A copy of this grimoire was kept in the private library of the Ottoman royalty, possibly even utilized by the seemingly invincible Sultan Mehmet II in his legendary battles.
For an excellent study on the history of the text, this article is highly recommended:
Election
Book of the Treasure of Alexander states the astrological requirements to make the Seal of Jupiter:
“When Jupiter is in the fifteenth degree of the sign of Cancer and the Moon aspects him from Pisces, make a seal whose signet is square and engrave on it the figure...And if the Moon is in conjunction with Jupiter in Cancer in this degree or close to it is even better.”
One of the most striking features of BTOA’s talismans are the prohibitively specific and complicated astrological configurations, making the opportunities extremely rare. For this talisman, Jupiter must be in Cancer, his Exaltation, and the Moon must also be in Pisces, applying to trine Jupiter and neither of them aspecting Mars or Saturn. These are conditions that only occur for a few days every twelve years in the best of cases. This planetary configuration is impossible to replicate for many decades and is among the most rare of all.
In short, everything about this brief window of time is perfect.
How They Were Made
While Cancer was rising, I used sterling silver, silver plated brass, and tin discs and engraved the images by hand. I made the images as close as possible to the drawings from the original manuscript, no small feat on such tiny surfaces. Although I don’t prioritize the art style as the election is what makes or breaks it, I’m very proud of the artistic quality of these talismans. They were suffumigated with Jupiter incense made per Liber Razielis, a 16th century Solomonic grimoire.
The Chart
11 May 2026, 09:30 am, Aiken SC
