The election for the current chart is a talisman of the
third mansion of the Mansions of the Moon,
a 28 fold division of the monthly orbit of the Moon.
The tenth century Arabic astrologer Al-Biruni
gives the name of the third mansion as
Al-Thuraiya "The Many Little Ones". Book of Instructions Section 164 (Wright trans.) page 82.
This is the mansion of the Pleiades, the Seven Sisters, a cluster of six stars
in the shoulder of the constellation Taurus.
Here are the instructions for the image of the
Third Lunar Mansion from William Lilly's copy of
Picatrix, Sloane manuscript number 3679,
"The third [mansion] is Azor and is for the acquisition of profit and goods.
Make the figure of a seated woman with her right hand raised
over her head, and wrap [the image] in cloth, and cense
it with musk, camphor, mastic and aromatic oils.
And say: "You, Amixtiel, make it so."
Fashion this image in a silver ring with a square table,
and then place it upon your finger and it will be completed as you please."
Picatrix Sloane MS 3679, Book IV, Chapter 9 (translation by
Christopher Warnock, Esq.)
Note the differences between Sloane MS 3679 and
Pingree's Latin Picatrix, which used a wide variety of manuscripts of Picatrix,
"The third Mansion is Azoraye (which is to say, the Pleiades).
It is for the acquisition of all good [things].
When the Moon has passed into this Mansion, fashion the ]
figure of a seated woman with her right hand raised over her head,
and wrap [the image] in cloth, and cense it with musk, camphor,
mastic and aromatic oils.
And say: You, Annuncia, make such and
such [to happen]; and speak your petition here to her for whatever
good thing you wish. Fashion this image in a silver ring
with a square table, and then place it upon your finger.
When you have performed this as aforesaid, it will be
as you wish and your request will be carried out with speed.
And know that Annuncia is the name of the lord of this Mansion.
And this is its figure."
Picatrix Book IV, Chapter 9 (translation by
Robert Thomas)
The key difference is in the names of the lord of
the third mansion. For this mansion Sloane 3679 is closer to the list given
in Cornelius Agrippa's Three Books of Occult
Philosophy in which Book III, chapter 24, gives the name of the lord of the
third mansion as Amixiel, while Sloane 3679 says Amixtiel and Pingree says Annuncia.
Nigel and I have been using Agrippa's list and it appears that this derives
from Picatrix as well.
Originally the lunar mansions were sidereal, that is
their boundaries were measured against the fixed stars. Later the boundaries of the
mansions were set at approximately 12 degrees and 51 minutes beginning with the
first degree of Aries.
Under this later method known as the tropical system
the boundaries of the third mansion are from 25 Aries 42 to 8 Taurus 34.
The time chosen for
the election is November 7, 2003 at 4:21 pm EST in Cleveland Park, a neighborhood
of Washington, D.C. 38 N 56, 77 W 03.
At this time the Moon rises in the 2nd degree of
Taurus, within the third lunar mansion. The Moon is waxing and she is highly dignified
by exaltation, which is a bonus. She is not afflicted by the conjunction, square or
opposition of the malefics.