The Pentacles

The 2nd Pentacle of the Sun

Solar spirits are described as proud and arrogant; this pentacle is intended to bring that pride under command. Eight differently tipped spokes lie inside a band naming four angels. [1]

Mathers 1889 · Book I, chapter XVIII; printed p. 65; figure 33, Plate VII; plate PDF page 83

Pentacle profile

Tradition and Group: Mathers 1889 · Sun [1]
Position within the Set: Pentacle 2 · figure 33 · plate VII [1]
Attributed Purpose: To restrain the pride and arrogance of solar spirits; the notice shares this purpose with the first and third Sun pentacles. [1]
Design: Eight spokes meet at a common centre, each ending in a different solar character; four angelic names occupy the outer band. [1]

Eight straight spokes radiate from one point to different hooked, barred, looped, triangular and circular characters. Four groups of Hebrew lettering run around the outer band. — **Source reproduction** The 2nd Pentacle of the Sun: solar characters within a band of angelic names. Mathers 1889, Plate VII, figure 33; notice on p. 65.

Command over proud spirits

The Key describes the Sun’s spirits as proud and arrogant by nature. The second pentacle is intended to repress those qualities, a task its notice expressly shares with the figures immediately before and after it. The first makes obedience visible through a commanding face; the third adds kingdom, empire and renown to the same work of restraint. [1]

Eight signs and four angelic names

Four straight lines meet centrally to form eight spokes. Their ends carry unlike signs: bars and hooks, a curved horn-like form, a loop, a triangle and circular marks. Some signs occupy the space beyond the line’s end, while others straddle it. The surrounding band holds four Hebrew name groups. [1]

Mathers identifies these as Shemeshiel, Paimoniah, Rekhodiah and Malkhiel, and classifies the interior forms as mystical characters of the Sun. The inscription is a company of named angels, set around the solar signs. [1]

Sources and editions

The Key of Solomon the King · The 2nd Pentacle of the Sun
S. L. MacGregor Mathers, 1889; printed edition, including editorial restoration of Hebrew characters. Book I, chapter XVIII; printed p. 65; figure 33, Plate VII; plate PDF page 83; relevant solar notices, printed pp. 65–66; construction context, chapter VIII pp. 39–41 and chapter XVIII pp. 56–57

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