The Sigil of Ameth or Sigillum Dei is a large wax disk, on which are inscribed various names of God and angels, within a design of heptagons and heptagrams. This sigil was to be placed in the center of the Holy Table, underneath the scrying-stone. Smaller versions were to be placed underneath the cup-like ends of the table’s legs, apparently to insulate the table from earthly influences
The Sigil is the only part of Dee’s work that has a direct correspondence in earlier magickal systems; versions appear in Liber Juratis and in Eodipus Aegypticus, among other tomes. Dee was initially instructed to copy the sigil from a book in his library, but found conflicting versions and could not decide between them. When he questioned the angels, they proceeded to give him the design for a new, more detailed version.
While most of the names on the Sigil are not immediately recognizable, nearly all of them are derived from two sets of familiar angelic names. The first set are the angels Agrippa lists as the "seven which stand in the presence of God". The god-names outside the hexagram in the Sigil are formed by transposition of the letters of these names, following an elaborate but consistent method. The second set are the planetary Archangels, whose names are shown at the center of the Sigil. These are used to form the four groups of seven angelic names within the hexagram, called the "Sons of Light", "Daughters of Light", "Sons of the Sons", and "Daughters of the Daughters". It is interesting to note that the derived names were given first, and only afterwards was the means of derivation shown.
The Sigil is the only part of Dee’s work that has a direct correspondence in earlier magickal systems; versions appear in Liber Juratis and in Eodipus Aegypticus, among other tomes. Dee was initially instructed to copy the sigil from a book in his library, but found conflicting versions and could not decide between them. When he questioned the angels, they proceeded to give him the design for a new, more detailed version.
While most of the names on the Sigil are not immediately recognizable, nearly all of them are derived from two sets of familiar angelic names. The first set are the angels Agrippa lists as the "seven which stand in the presence of God". The god-names outside the hexagram in the Sigil are formed by transposition of the letters of these names, following an elaborate but consistent method. The second set are the planetary Archangels, whose names are shown at the center of the Sigil. These are used to form the four groups of seven angelic names within the hexagram, called the "Sons of Light", "Daughters of Light", "Sons of the Sons", and "Daughters of the Daughters". It is interesting to note that the derived names were given first, and only afterwards was the means of derivation shown.
