Dictionary of Occult – Hermetic and Alchemical Sigils
WARM
FRANKLYN 1627
SHELTON 17C
GESSMANN 1906
WASBOGA
Sigil and name for spirit given by HEYDON 1664 to represent the letter W in the secret writing called ‘Alphabet of Angels and Genii’
WASH IN LYE
GESSMANN 1906
WATER
The majority of the following sigils were undoubtedly originally intended to denote the element of water, the principle of liquidity, rather than the specific liquid now expressed by the word.
BERTHELOT 1885 records a sigil from the Greek alchemical tradition :
and one which, whilst appearing in the Greek forms, is probably from the Egyptian :
ALCHEMY 1650
CROLLIUS 1670
FRESNE 1650
ALCHEMICAL 17C
SIGNA 17C
SOMMERHOFF 1701
DIDEROT 1763
GEHEIME 1785
GESSMANN 1906
CARBONELLI 1925
LUEDY 1928
WELLING 1735 records three speciallised sigils, the first of which is intended to show a ‘reflection’ of the higher spiritual force (but in the same text, the sigil is used also to denote common destructive sulphur) :
The second sigil is said by WELLING 1735 to represent the ‘invisible spiritual Water’, that occult water which was supposed to have existed before the descent of Lucifer :
The third sigil given by WELLING 1735 may by confused with other sigils, for example with one of the forms for ORPIMENT :
Among other rarities, OLIVIER 1826 gives the sigil
as an ‘Ancient Egyptian symbol’ for elemental water.
For common water, DIDEROT 1763 gives two variants
GESSMANN 1906 gives three
as well as recording a sigil for hot water :
For unsavoury water, GESSMAN 1906 gives the form :
KOCH 1930 gives the sigil
which may be wrongly copied from those given for the THREE WATERS.
SHEPHERD 1971 gives one sigil if circa 1400 :
and one sigil claimed to be cabalistic ;
Besides the sigils listed for the special types of Water set out below, see also RAIN WATER and THREE WATERS.
WATER BAPTISM
See THREE BAPTISMS.
WATER BATH
GESSMANN 1906 gives the following sigils for the Balneum Mariar :
But see also GRADES OF FIRE.
WATER HAND
In modern chirognomy, the sigil is used to denote the male Water hand type, sometimes called the Sensitive hand, given in GETTINGS 1965 :
The female Water hand is accorded the sigil :
WATER OF LIFE
VALENTINE 1671
ALCHEMICAL 17C
DIDEROT 1763
LUEDY 1928
SCHNEIDER 1962
SOMMERHOFF 1701 gives various recipes, and the following sigils :
WATER OF MERCURY
ALCHEMICAL 17C
WATER TRIPLICITY
Sigil recorded by (perhaps indeed divised by) AGRIPPA 1510 to symbolise the three water signs of the zodiac (Cancer, Scorpio and Pisces) of which the sigil is merely a rather obvious amalgam :
WAX
WORLIDGE 1651
VALENTINE 1671
SIGNA 17C
SHELTON 17C
DIDEROT 1763
KOCH 1930
See also VIRGIN and YELLOW WAX.
WAXING AND WANING MOON
Sigil given (perhaps originated) by KOCH 1930 in his somewhat personal collection of sigils :
WEEK
SOMMERHOFF 1701 records a mediaeval graphic system in which ONE WEEK is
TWO WEEKS
THREE WEEKS
and FOUR WEEKS
See also MONTH
WHEEL OF FORTUNE
WIRTH 1927 relates this 10th card of the Tarot pack to the Hebraic JOD, and accords it the sigils
the first of witch is the SWATIKA, the last two of which are claimed to represent the number 10, and are thus related to the symbolism of the DECADE.
WHITE
BERTHELOT 1885 records the sigil
from the Greek
WHITE AMBER
SHELTON 17C
GESSMANN 1906
WHITE ARSENIC
SHELTON 17C
SIGNA 17C
SOMMERHOFF 1701
GESSMANN 1906
SCHNEIDER 1962
KOCH 1930
WHITE BOLE
GESSMANN 1906
WHITE COAGULATE
BERTHELOT 1885 records the sigil
from the Greek alchemical tradition.
WHITE CORAL
SHELTON 17C
WHITE LEAD
ALCHEMICAL 17C
SIGNA 17C
DIDEROT 1763
POISSON 1891
GESSMANN 1906
LUEDY 1928
KOCH 1930
SCHNEIDER 1962
SOMMERHOFF 1707 records the sigil
and records further for cerussa :
WHITE OF EGG See ALBUMEN
WHITE OXIDE OF ARSENIC See WHITE ARSENIC
WHITE PRECIPITATE OF MERCURY
GESSMANN 1906
WHITE VINEGAR
DIDEROT 1703
WHITE VITRIOL
ALCHEMY 1650
SOMMERHOFF 1701
DIDEROT 1763
GESSMANN 1906
LUEDY 1928
SCHNEIDER 1962
See also VITRIOL
WHITE WINE
SOMMERHOFF 1701
DIDEROT 1763
GESSMANN 1906
LUEDY 1928
SCHNEIDER 1962
But see also WINE
WICK
DIDEROT 1763
GESSMANN 1906
WILL
LEO 1914 gives the modern sigil for the SUN to symbolise the power of the human will :
WIND FURNACE
GESSMANN 1906 gives three sigils for the fornax portabilis :
WINE
ALCHEMICAL 17C
DIDEROT 1763
GESSMANN 1906
BERTHELOT 1885 records a sigil from the Greek tradition :
CROSLAND 1962 records the Greek sigil for sweet wine :
SOMMERHOFF 1701 gives a number of variants, as follows :
VINUM
VINUM ADUSTUM
VINUM ALBUM
VINUM CIRCULATUM
VINUM COCTUM
VINUM CORRECTUM
VINUM EMETICUM
VINUM HIPPOCRATICUM
VINUM LAXATIVIM
VINUM MEDICATUM
VINUM MORTUUM
VINUM RUBRUM
VINUM SUBLIMATUM
WINTER
ALCHEMY 1650
SHELTON 17C
SOMMERHOFF 1701
GESSMANN 1906
WISDOM
LEO 1914 gives the standard sigil for the MOON to symbolise human wisdom :
KOCH 1930 gives the sigil which is perhaps wrongly derived from the sigil hermeticum :
WITHOUT WINE
A sigil recorded by GESSMANN 1906 is no doubt a short-form for sine vino :
WOOD
SOMMERHOFF 1701
GESSMANN 1906
SCHNEIDER 1962
KOCH 1930
WOOD ASHES
GESSMANN 1906
WOOL
SOMMERHOFF 1701
WORLD ARCANUM
WIRTH 1927 relates this 21st card of the Tarot pack to the Hebrew letter SCHIN, and accords it the sigil of the CROSS, or the ‘primitive tau’
as well as the SWASTIKA :
Since the Word card has within its design the four fixed signs of the zodiac, symbolised in the FOUR EVANGELISTS, a basic cross formation may indeed be said to underlie the design : however, this card is graphically the recerse of the HANGING MAN, and should perhaps be given the sigil :
WORLD OF INTELLIGENCE
KIRCHNER 1655 gives two related sigils for the Mundum Intelligibilem :
See TERRE WORLDS
WOUND
SHELTON 17C
WRATH
Sigil given by LAW 1772 in connexion with Boehme’s occult system of symbolism
which contrasts with MEAKNESS. A sigil which is the equivalent is derived from Boehme’s One Globe :
and stands in contrast to LIGHT :
But see also EYE OF ETERNITY.
Alchemical Iconography 