A picture of the five gemstone talismans included in the first Idola Stellarum collection, Sanctuary

Astrological Talismans: Questions & Answers from Idola Stellarum (FAQ)

At Idola Stellarum, we are committed to making astrological magic more accessible. One of the things this means for us is being transparent about our ideas, practices, and lineages, and providing information openly about the tradition of talismanic astrological magic. To that end, we have provided answers to some common questions about astrological magic, our talismans, our shop, and more. If there is a question you would like to see us include here or on our blog, please write to us via our contact form.

Questions about Talismanic Astrological Magic:

Questions about Idola Stellarum’s Talismans:

Questions about the Idola Stellarum shop:

Questions about Idola Stellarum’s membership program, the Inner Sanctum:

General questions about Idola Stellarum:

TALISMANIC ASTROLOGICAL MAGIC

What is an astrological talisman?

Most basically, in the tradition we work within, an astrological talisman is a magical object empowered by precise astrological timing, created with a specific ritual and magical intention.

At a general level, astrological talismans are one of the pinnacle achievements of astrological magic. Using precise astrological timing to tap into the power of rare and auspicious celestial conditions, the mage combines traditional materials into specially crafted, long-lasting, powerful astromagical artifacts created using methods of ceremonial magic. Astrological talismans are usually pieces of jewelry (e.g., pendants and rings), but can also be statues, mirrors, and all kinds of other objects—up to and including entire cities, if our sources are to be believed!

More specifically, a given astrological talisman will be of the nature of a specific celestial entity or power—for example, a planet (e.g., Venus, Jupiter), a fixed star (e.g., Regulus, Antares), or a lunar mansion (e.g., the 7th Lunar Mansion)—and often made with a particular purpose, such as supporting financial stability, honors and achievements, or wisdom and spiritual insight.

Bottom line: astrological talismans are the living fruits of deep and consequential magic, existing as tangible links to the celestial spirits.

The tradition of talismanic astrological magic as we have inherited it traces back to medieval Islamic astrological magic documented in the grimoire Picatrix. These teachers were preserved and filtered through European Renaissance sources such as Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa and Marsilio Ficino. In recent times, the tradition was revived primarily by Christopher Warnock via the teachings of Robert Zoller, which he built upon and made widely accessible through his astrological magic course. For more about our practice and lineage, please consult our about page.

For more on the question of ‘what are astrological talismans?’, we encourage you to read our blog post on the nature of astrological talismans.

How do astrological talismans work?

In our view, astrological magic uses ceremonial magical rituals to invite an angelic spirit operating under the authority of a particular celestial power to reside with(in) astrological talismans to bring about certain effects, whether through the influence and agency of the spirit directly, or through gifts, qualities, or protections upon the bearer of the talisman bestowed by the spirit and its hierarchy. 

There are other theories and ideas about how talismans work exist and we do not discount or invalidate them, of course, but we come from and endorse a relational spirit model of astrological talismans. We encourage you to read more about our perspective on our blog if you are curious, and in particular our post on astrological talismans as a vehicle of self-transformation.

What’s the difference between different astrological talismans?

The nature and potency of a given talisman is determined by a number of different factors, including (1) the nature of the celestial power invoked and astrological images used; (2) the quality of the astrological election; (3) the type and occult virtues of the materials used; (4) the ritual methods employed; (5) the devotion and celestial relationship of the mage; and (6) the celestial relationships, lived experience, and natal chart of the bearer of the talisman.

Because the power and nature of astrological talismans primarily derives from the astrological timing of the magical election, it is of paramount importance that creators of talismanic jewelry and materia be transparent about their methods and timing. Afflictions in the electional chart of an astrological talisman can cause the talisman to be inert or even harmful. We speak more about this in the context of the safety of astrological talismans in a recent blog post series.

For these reasons, at Idola Stellarum, we aspire to transparency about our methods, intentions, and talismans. For each Idola Stellarum talisman made available to the public, our website will clearly publicize the magical election used including an image of the chart, the specific image and/or inscriptions made on the stone, the intentions of the petition, the materials used, and so forth. Each purchased talisman includes an extensive information packet with even greater detail, including instructions on how to attune to your talisman, as well as a signed certificate of authenticity attesting to the details of its creation. For more information, we encourage you to read more about our guarantees.

Are spirits trapped inside astrological talismans? Do they like being there?

In our understanding and extensive experience, talismanic spirits are not trapped within astrological talismans. Like the disclaimers that come at the end of some movies, we can attest that no spirits were harmed in the making of these talismans!

We take the ethics of astrological magic so seriously that we wrote a three part series on this very topic, which you can dig into here: Part I, Part II, and Part III.

How can I learn to make astrological talismans? Do you offer classes or workshops?

We consider ourselves practitioners, not teachers of the art. For those interested in exploring this practice for themselves, we encourage you to check out our resources page and list of recommended books for paths to explore.

IDOLA STELLARUM TALISMANS

Can you guarantee that your astrological talismans will have specific effects for me?

For many reasons, we cannot guarantee specific effects for all people or any specific person. Astrological talismans, like all living beings, cannot be entirely predicted or controlled. Although traditional sources and experience point toward specific talismans having specific effects, the extent or magnitude of these effects can vary quite widely, as can the “side effects” of talismans, particularly during the period of adjusting to a new talisman.

Also, although nothing definitive and universal can be asserted on these issues, some people also believe that one’s natal chart and/or relationship with the celestial hierarchy can have a big impact. For more information, we encourage you to read more about our guarantees (and our disclaimers). We also have an extensive article on the question of how talismans interact with natal charts that we recommend as well.

Can you guarantee that your astrological talismans are safe?

The short answer is no. Real magic is alive and astrological talismans are sentient beings, and therefore unpredictable because they operate under their own agency and authority. Generally speaking, spirit relationships are in many ways like human relationships: they can be immensely rewarding, gratifying, and healing, and the vulnerability inherent to relatedness means that the possibility for hurt and harm always coexists with more beneficial potentials. 

More specifically, effects can vary widely depending on various factors. Some people believe a person’s natal chart can have a significant effect, although this is not widely attested in traditional sources that are available to us in translation. Other things to consider would be magical experience, spirit allies, and relationship with the celestial hierarchy. For people with less experience with astrological talismans, we recommend avoiding talismans of planets that have serious afflictions in your natal chart (e.g., in signs of detriment or fall, retrograde, combust, in hard aspect or conjunction to a malefic planet, etc.) primarily because such talismans are more likely to come along with challenging adjustment periods. If you are not sure or do not understand this recommendation, we encourage you to consult with a natal astrologer who is familiar with traditional astrology and preferably with astrological magic.

All of that said, we take a many-layered approach to ensuring that our astrological talismans are as safe as possible. Firstly, we triple-check our elections, spend significant time contemplating and discussing them, and always seek to validate their safety and efficacy through divination prior to committing to any particular working. Secondly, we keep all talismans in house for a minimum of six months before even considering releasing a batch of astrological talismans in a collection. This is to allow time for any defects in the election or side effects of the talismans to come to light. Thirdly, at least one astrological talisman from each and every Idola Stellarum working gets personally tested by one of our mages. These safeguards are attested in our page describing our guarantees and disclaimers.

Our bottom line is that we never release astromagical talismanic jewelry to the public that we would not wear ourselves.

You can read more about these issues and our approach to safety in a series of blog posts on the safety of astrological talismans: Part I, Part II. We also recommend our article on trauma-informed astrological magic.

How do you go about making astrological talismans at Idola Stellarum?

Our process at Idola Stellarum for making astrological talismans involves many stages grounded in traditional methods:

  1. Sifting Time. First, we pore over astrological charts, sifting through time (sometimes minute by minute) to discern that an election meets the high standards for talismanic quality. 
  2. Verification. In addition to double and triple checking our evaluation of electional charts, we spend significant time contemplating and discussing them, and all Idola Stellarum elections require confirmation via divination supported by our spirit allies that talismans made during a specific temporal window will be safe and effective.
  3. Devotional Preparation. Prior to the election, we sit with the celestial powers, determine the specific intentions for the working, author devotional petitions, gather appropriate offerings, and construct the ritual space.
  4. Ensoulment. Within a brief temporal window, we ensoul the talismanic gemstones through traditional ritual methods all completed within the window: we hand-engrave the gemstones, issue our petitions, use appropriate suffumigations, and frequently, we affix herbs to the back side of talisman gemstones as a supporting factor.
  5. Jewelry setting. During elected times verified through divination, we set the ensouled gems within their settings and prepare them for their future homes. Note that we are not professionally trained jewelers, and all talismanic jewelry from Idola Stellarum may have minor cosmetic defects.

We encourage you to read more about our philosophy and about our guarantees for more information. Our blog is also a wealth of resources for learning about Idola Stellarum’s approach to astrological talismans, and we also collect resources for learning about the tradition as well as recommended books to help people learn more.

Why do you attach your herbs to stones? How do you attach them?

We liken our talismanic materials approach to the meticulous gathering and collection of magical practices such as charm bags. We gather like materials in prayer and petition to the celestial spirits we are working with, and bring them together in the ritual of talismanic creation. Affixing herbs of the relevant celestial hierarchy to a talisman can enhance the potency of a talisman. Since we view the gemstones and talismans through a spirit model, we also think of the herbs within the same spirit model. The spirits of the herbs serve as friends and allies, if you like, to the talismanic spirit ensouled into the gemstone during talismanic creation. We encourage you to read more about how we think about materials in astrological magic on our blog.

For a more technical answer, we note that some of our main sources for this art that explicitly describe the construction of talismans state that a particular herb corresponding to the celestial entity being invoked be placed under a stone in a ring. The principle reference for this would be De Quindecim Stellis, which associates a stone and an herb to each of the 15 Behenian stars.

We always explicitly mark when herbs are affixed to stones. We do not always affix herbs, but when we do, we use a very small amount of Gorilla Glue, a polyurethane adhesive. While surprising to us from an environmental standpoint, our own tests, divination, spirit experience, and reports from fellow magicians speak to the magical neutrality of this glue, able to participate and contribute with a net positive impact on the working. A side effect of this modern technique is that the herbs become part of the talisman, rather than simply an accoutrement. For this reason, we recommend against picking at or removing herbs from talismanic gemstones.

IDOLA STELLARUM SHOP

Which astrological talismans do you offer? When will you offer Venus, Jupiter, etc. talismans?

Please visit our shop page to see which astrological talismans we currently offer, if any, as well as information on past releases. Our collection releases vary according to what astrological conditions have allowed for, and we cannot guarantee when any particular (type of) talisman will be released.

The talisman I want is sold out! What can I do?

If a talisman is sold out, with certain rare exceptions, that specific talisman will not be available again through Idola Stellarum. Similar talismans using different elections may be available in the future. If you are looking for a talisman for a particular purpose and we do not have anything available at Idola Stellarum, we recommend the talismans of Christopher Warnock, which are generally offered at accessible prices. For people interested in artisinal jeweler-quality talismans using more precious materials and executed with exquisite artistry, we recommend the talismans of Tony Mack (typically but not only offered through releases from Sphere + Sundry) and those of Genie Desert through her brand Tides of Tethys.

At this time, we do not take commissions, special orders, or talisman reservations.

When will you next release talismans? How can I find out about talisman collection releases?

Idola Stellarum releases collections of talismanic jewelry quarterly on or around the solstices and equinoxes (i.e., when the Sun ingresses into cardinal signs). Advance news of talismanic collection releases are currently only available to people who have subscribed to our mailing list.

This release schedule allows us to direct our focus wholeheartedly on specific tasks that follow natural rhythms: during cardinal seasons we focus outwardly on getting our talismans out into the world; during fixed seasons we focus inwardly on the planning, logistics, and upkeep that serves as the foundation of our work; and during mutable seasons we focus on translating the inner to the outer, communicating what we have been up to and what is on the horizon to our mailing list and social media followings.

Members of the Inner Sanctum also receive early information and first access to talisman collection releases.

What’s the best way to get access to an Idola Stellarum talisman?

During our first two collection releases, Sanctuary and Summit, all talismans went to people on our mailing list (in the case of Sanctuary) or to our Inner Sanctum members and mailing list subscribers (in the case of Summit). For the Summit release, about 60% of talismans went to members of the Inner Sanctum.

Joining the Inner Sanctum is the only way to get early access to Idola Stellarum talismans. Remaining talismans are then offered to mailing list subscribers. Only then, and only if any talismans have not been sold and if those talismans are appropriate for general release, will talismans be made available to the general public.

Does Idola Stellarum sell talismanic materia (e.g., talismanic oils, powders, etc.)?

No. Occasionally we do make talismanic incense with particular elections. When we do, this will be offered as included with or an optional add-on to the astromagical talismanic jewelry from that election. At this time we do not currently offer and do not have future plans to offer talismanic incense or other materia for sale on a standalone basis.

For talismanic materia, we recommend the astromagical goods of Kaitlin Coppock at Sphere + Sundry.

Where do you source your gems and findings?

We procure gems mostly through online networks, such as Etsy and Ebay, which have given small international jewelers access to markets previously only available through middle buyers. We source from both US-based wholesalers and directly with dealers in gems’ countries of origin. Through our continued trade, we are developing relationships with shops more likely to know and share knowledge of the gems’ places of origin, since it is an unfortunately uncommon practice in the gem world to obscure or ignore the origins of these precious objects. We always make every effort to source natural gemstones (i.e., not treated, dyed, heated, etc.), and you can read more about why we focus exclusively on natural gemstones on our blog.

As of 2024, the majority of our pendant findings come from an Indian jeweler with whom we have a direct relationship, and our ring settings come from a small business in Texas that uses 100% of profits to benefit animal rescues and various charities. Less frequently, we source findings from various jewelry retailers and wholesalers, some in the United States and Canada, and some from small businesses in China and India. The chains for our pendant talismans are fabricated in Italy and sourced from relatively local small businesses whenever possible.

THE INNER SANCTUM

Enter the Inner Sanctum

What is the Inner Sanctum?

The Inner Sanctum is a membership offering from Idola Stellarum for people who want to go deeper with their astromagical and talismanic relationships and practice. The Inner Sanctum offers a secure container and trustworthy astrological magic resources to help you cultivate your relationships—corporeal and otherwise—and refine your ritual practices to gain more confidence, connection, and capacity for real magic.

What benefits does Inner Sanctum membership provide?

Idola Stellarum hosts live monthly Inspirit Salons where we gather to answer Inner Sanctum member questions, converse together, expand upon our approaches to astromagic and stellar devotion, and above all else, normalize talking about spirits and spirit work from a thoughtful, critical, empathic, supportive perspective. We also host quarterly guest teachers in the Salons.

Inner Sanctum membership is also the only avenue to gain early access to quarterly releases of astromagical talismanic jewelry from Idola Stellarum before they are released to the public mailing list and to social media. Members also enjoy a 15% discount on all Idola Stellarum talismans.

In addition to the above offerings, members also have access to exclusive member resources, including members-only blog posts, astromagical & stellar devotional resources, mini-courses, and ebooks, and have priority Q&A access to Rain & Pallas.

How do I join the Inner Sanctum?

In order to provide a container for learning and connection for current members, the Inner Sanctum is not open to new members year round. Instead, Inner Sanctum membership typically opens once a quarter, prior to our talisman collection releases that occur around the solstices and equinoxes.

We encourage anyone interested in Inner Sanctum membership to join our wait list and keep an eye out for opportunities to sign up. New members are able to join on a quarterly or yearly basis.

IDOLA STELLARUM ITSELF

Who is Idola Stellarum? Where can I find out more about your experience and values?

That said, we also value transparency, and are happy to tell you that Idola Stellarum is a small family business tended and maintained by Rain Mason Olbert and Pallas K. Augustine. Please read more about our experience, practice, and values on our about page. The Idola Stellarum blog is also a great repository for learning more about our thoughts in greater depth.

Is Idola Stellarum open to collaborations and/or fundraising efforts within the astromagical community?

Maybe! Feel free to get in touch with us and share your thoughts. Note that since we are both very busy and our practice is founded on relational values, we are necessarily selective about how to distribute our time and energy. People and projects that have some personal or ideological relationship to us or the work we are already doing will always be granted higher priority.

Where do the images on the website come from? Can I use them for my site/artwork/etc.?

The vast majority of images on our website are photographs of Idola Stellarum’s ritual altars, magical materials, and astromagical talismanic jewelry. Since the images on our website are a personal expression of our particular devotional and ritual magical practice, we do not grant anyone permission to use them for their own purposes.

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