The current astrological chart begins with an
insight gleaned from the Harranian Sabian mage
Thabit Ibn Qurra's treatise on
astrological magic entitled
De Imaginibus "On Images", the first English translation
of which is now available from Renaissance Astrology.
The Harranian Sabians continued their planetary religion
and Neoplatonic and Hermetic philosophy well into the medieval period. They were
renowned for their mastery of the Hermetic arts of astrology, alchemy and magic and
Thabit Ibn Qurra was their most famous sage. His masterwork,
De Imaginibus, contains some of the most sophisticated
astrological magic ever practiced and was a model for subsequent medieval and Renaissance
mages like Marsilio Ficino and
Cornelius Agrippa. De Imaginibus also figures prominently as a source in
Picatrix, an encyclopedic work famous as the
most authoritative exemplar of astrological magic.
In De Imaginibus Thabit Ibn Qurra repeatedly insists
that a talisman must be based on the chart of a horary question
or on a birth or natal chart. This tunes the talisman specifically to the user or the
person whom the user seeks to affect.
I realized that this magical insight could be combined the
arcane learning of another rare traditional astrology text, Johannes Angelus'
Astrological Optics, available only on the
Renaissance Astrology Library CD III. Angelus' focus is on natal astrology
and he not only provides images for the faces, which we are familiar with from such
sources as Agrippa's Three Books of Occult Philosophy
and Picatrix, but Angelus goes on to provide an image for
every degree of the Zodiac, 360 in all!
While Angelus uses these images to describe people born
with a particular degree rising, I realized that like the images of faces, these degree
images were also appropriate for talismans.
Our example is for a client who was born under 8 degrees
and 30 minutes of Cancer rising. Since from 0 degrees 1 minute to 0 degrees
59 minutes is the first degree of Cancer, 8 degrees and 30 is in the 9th degree of
Cancer, just as 1789 is in the 18th century.
On page 20 of
Astrological Optics Angelus says,
In the [9th degree of Cancer there arises the image of] a woman holding a distaff
in her right hand. It imports a laborious person." A distaff is a tool used in
spinning. This is the image for our client and an example of an appropriate image
can be seen above.
In our election chart, for 10:16 pm EDT, on
October 22, 2005 at Cleveland Park, a Washington, D.C. neighborhood, 8 Cancer 30 or
the 9th degree of Cancer rises.
The Moon, ruler of Cancer is in the 9th degree of Cancer.
This is the time when we would make our talisman using the image of a woman
with a distaff in her hand.
These elections are much more complex and sophisticated
than simply doing planetary talismans. They are specifically tuned to the natal
charts of the person using them or that the mage seeks to affect. They make use
of the full range of technique available to the advanced Harranian Sabians.
I am pleased to have been able to make the first English translation of
De Imaginibus and to be able to make it available
in this new Hermetic Renaissance.
Here is further information on
Astrological Talismans
and Astrological Magic.
You might also be interested in my
Renaissance Astrology CD Library Series,
with 52 rare astrology and magic books as well as my Facsimile Editions of unique
Astrology and Magic Books and
my discussion group Spiritus Mundi.
If you
wish to delve even deeper into this fascinating area I offer my
Planetary Magic Mini-Course
and
Mansions of the Moon Mini-Course,
which allow students to immediately start making talismans and elections and are
a great introduction to my longer
Electional Astrology Course,
Horary Astrology Course
and
Astrological Magic Course.