ach fixed star was part of individual chains
comprising the Great Chain of Being. The Renaissance philosopher and astrologer
Marsilio Ficino says,
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"I have said elsewhere that down from every single star (so to speak Platonically)
there hangs its own series of things down to the lowest...Under the celestial
Serpent or the entire constellation of the Serpent-bearer, they place Saturn
and sometimes Jupiter, afterwards daemons who often take on serpent's form,
in addition men of this kind, serpents (the animals), the snake-weed, the
stone draconite which originates in the head of a dragon, and the stone
commonly called serpentine...By a similar system they think a chain of
beings descends by levels from any star of the firmament through any planet
under its dominion. If, therefore, as I said, you combine at the right time
all the Solar things through any level of that order, i.e., men of Solar
nature or something belonging to such a man, likewise animals, plants,
metals, gems and whatever pertains to these, you will drink in unconditionally
the power of the Sun and to some extent the natural powers of the Solar daemons."
Ficino, Three Books on Life, Bk. III, Chap. 14, p. 311.
Thus each of the things ruled by a
particular planet or star share certain qualities, powers and virtues embodied in a
celestial form exemplified by their planetary or stellar ruler. The planet or star,
in turn, is the instantiation of one or more Divine Forms or Ideas. Thus everything
in the Material World has its origin in the Divine World through the mediation
of the celestials.
In Horary Astrology the
fixed stars give useful additional information in delineating questions. Here are
some examples of horary delineations using the fixed
stars: Criminal Case Example,
Curse Example and
He Got the Job! Example.
In Electional Astrology they are most often used
in situations requiring permanence. John Partridge says that, "In Foundations
of Cities in the first place regard the Fixed Stars, then joyn Benevolent Planets
with them." Mikropanastron (London, 1679) Electional Aphorism #21, page 266.
For building houses, however, Partridge suggests looking to the planets and signs.
Here is an example of a Legal Election
using fixed stars, in this case, to debilitate an opponent.
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These are passive uses of the planetary rulerships, where
the astrologer merely observes the effects of the chains of correspondence and harmony.
In astrological magic the mage or astrological
magician makes use of the planetary rulerships to accomplish material effects. By
gathering many disparate examples of items under the rule of a particular star we
can intensify and focus the quality exemplified by the star, especially if we
elect a time when the planet is in strong Zodiacal state and well placed in the
horoscope. Here are four examples of astrological talismans using the fixed stars,
Talisman of Aldebaran,
Talisman of the Wing of Corvus,
Talisman of Sirius and
Talisman of Algol using the
Fixed Star Images from
Cornelius Agrippa's Three Books of Occult Philosophy.
For those that desire to delve deeper into
Astrological Magic and
Astrological Talismans
I offer an Astrological Magic Web Course.
If you are interested in discussing and learning about
Renaissance Astrology, particulary Astrological Magic, you may wish to
subscribe to Spiritus Mundi my e-group
devoted to traditional (pre-1700) astrology.
