Western Occult Tradition Symbols

These are supplementary images for the article on the construction and meaning of John Dee's Sigillum Dei Aemeth.

The Sigillum Dei Aemeth, or Seal of the Truth of God, is most widely known through the writings and artifacts of John Dee, a 16th century occultist and astrologer in the court of Elizabeth I. While the sigil does appear in older texts of which Dee was probably familiar, he was not happy with them and ultimately gained guidance from angels to construct his version.

Renaissance occult writer Robert Fludd illustrates the basic correspondences between the macrocosm of the three realms and the microcosm of the human body.

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Deciphering Eliphas Levi's Baphomet of Mendes, a popular 19th century occult image still used by a variety of occult traditions today.

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Symbols commonly associated with occult beliefs, particularly Western occult beliefs.

This illustration from 1617 by Robert Fludd reflects the common earth-centric cosmology of the time and the cosmology that strongly influenced contemporary occult thought. Besides dividing the universe into three realms, this illustration also includes the concept of the World Soul, which assists in the ordering of the universe.

The ouroboros is a snake or dragon (often described as a "serpent") eating it's own tail. It is present in a variety of different cultures, going back as far as the ancient Egyptians. Today, it is most associated with Gnosticism, alchemy and hermeticism.

The Greeks proposed the existence of five basic elements. Of these, four were the physical elements – fire, air, water and earth – of which the entire world is composed. Alchemists eventually associated four triangular symbols to represent these elements. In traditional Western occult theory, the elements are hierarchical - spirit, fire, air,...

The pentagram, or five-pointed star, has been in existence for thousands of years. Over that time, it has had many meanings, uses, and depictions associated with it.

The hexagram has possessed a variety of meanings over the last several thousand years. It shows up in Hindu artwork, occult works, Kabbalistic sources, and it is the modern symbol of the Jewish faith. There are two forms of the hexagram. The first is of two interlocking triangles. The second is a unicursal figure.