The Ars Almadel is the fourth part of the familiar five-book Lemegeton. Its distinctive object is the almadel, a wax tablet inscribed with divine names and supported by candles. The text describes angelic encounters arranged through heavenly “altitudes.”[1]

The wax instrument#

The English text gives four altitudes, each with its own colors, angels, and conditions. The tablet and its supporting candles form a small ritual installation. Their materials, inscriptions, and arrangement are integral to the ceremony, rather than incidental decoration.[1]

The desired encounter involves speaking with angelic beings and making requests appropriate to their office. The operator's preparations are set within a religious understanding of purity, divine names, and authorized petition. The arrangement has more in common with an angelic devotional art than with the threatening conjurations found elsewhere in Solomonic magic.

Earlier Almadel traditions#

The Lemegeton's English form belongs to a longer history of Almadel and Almandal texts. Peterson's comparative edition distinguishes versions with different materials and numbers of altitudes. The English form's fourfold scheme should therefore not be projected onto every historical text bearing a related title.[1][2]

The Ars Almadel provides a clear example of how an instrument, a hierarchy, and a ritual timetable belong together. Reading only the names of the angels misses much of the art's structure. It also shows why a compilation called a grimoire can contain several religious modes, from commanding a spirit to petitioning an angel.

See also#

References

  1. The Art Almadel, Joseph H. Peterson edition · English texts and comparison with the older Latin traditions. (accessed 2026-10-01) ↩
  2. Joseph H. Peterson, Lemegeton: introduction and manuscript inventory (accessed 2026-10-01) ↩
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This encyclopedia covers traditions beyond the High Satanic Church. Church doctrine is identified as such when it appears.