Astrology & Spiritual Alignment

I was recently asked about how one would time an astrological painting. The question appeared to be a reference to Marsilio Ficino's discussion of creating an image of the Cosmos or universal image in Three Books on Life, Bk III, ch 19. This image, says Ficino, should be done when the Sun enters the first minute of Aries as this is the moment of the rebirth of the world.

Now how would we go about this in practical terms? Ficino speaks of sculpting an archetypal form of the world in bronze or imprinting the image on a thin gilded plate of silver. TBOL, Bk III, ch 19. Thus this could be done with a stamp, which is what Hiebner recommends in Mysterium Sigillorum, at 163-4.

We also use the casting process or acid etching glass, both of which can be done in a relatively short time, thus allowing for the actual image to be created and for the talisman to take on its definitive form at the elected time.

Now when we are dealing with slower methods we have to adapt somewhat. We can, for example, begin a painting at an elected time. We can, using modern giclee printing technology, print out the finished painting on canvas or just on paper using a standard printer at an elected time.

We can also work only in particular planetary hours. Simon Forman, the 17th century astrological magician, describes how a jeweler engraved a Jupiter talisman for him in just this fashion, working only in the hours of Jupiter. Notorious Astrological Physician of London, Traister at 100-1.

These are all practical considerations having to do with astrological timing. What is useful to realize, however, is the deeper process that we are engaged in. Traditional astrology is a way to bring ourselves into alignment with the cycles of the Heavens, and thus with the Cosmos and ultimately with the One. It has a significant temporal focus, but is also a universal language, capable of describing and classifying everything in the Cosmos.

Take, for example, planetary rulership. Every material thing is ruled by one or more planets, which is to say that we consider a particular Divine Idea mediated through a planet to predominate in that thing. For example, Venus rules roses when we consider that beauty and a beautiful aroma is the main quality of the rose. Of course, all planets are in all things in differing quantities. In the rose, the thorns are ruled by Mars, for example.

Thus while we can see how timing comes to the fore, traditional astrology points us to a much more comprehensive alignment which has both material and spiritual significance.

An astrological painting, therefore, could also be one that is based on astrological themes and is used as part of ritual, one that graces a building sited and designed astrologically, in a city, as Hermes was reputed to have done,

"It was he who in the east of Egypt constructed a City 12 miles long within which he constructed a castle which had four gates in each of its four parts. On the eastern gate he placed the form of an Eagle; on the western gate, the form of a Bull; on the southern gate, the form of a Lion, and on the northern gate, the form of a Dog. Into these images he introduced spirits that spoke with voices, nor could anyone enter the gates of the City except by their permission.

There he planted trees in the midst of which was a great tree which bore the fruit of all generation. On the summit of the Castle he caused to be built a tower 30 cubits high on the top of which he ordered to be placed a lighthouse the color of which changed every 7th day...Around the circumference of the City he placed engraved images and ordered them in such a manner that by their virtue the inhabitants were made virtuous and withdrawn from all wickedness and harm. And the name of the City was Adocentyn."

Picatrix, Bk IV, ch.3

Christopher Warnock

Natal is not Horary is not Astrological Magic

One of the things that is hard, even for experienced traditional astrologers to recognize, is that different areas of astrology apply significantly different rules and methodologies. I have seen traditional natal astrologers denigrate horary as simplistic, as the technique is not as complex as traditional natal, but then utterly fail to make accurate horary predictions because they tried to judge the horary using natal techniques. Horary may have simpler technique, but the level of precision and accuracy required is much higher.

We need to understand that every area of astrology has its own methods and even its own underlying principles.

This is true with regard to astrological magic. It is somewhat confusing, I realize, but in a fixed star talisman election, everything other than than the fixed star being well placed and unafflicted and the Moon applying to the fixed star and being unafflicted is basically irrelevant to the election. In other words, if they are not aspecting or otherwise actively interacting with the Moon or the fixed star, the other planets, house rulers, houses, etc., need not be considered. The focus really is on getting the fixed star powerfully positioned and aspected by the Moon.

The problem comes from porting over the standard natal approach in which the entire chart is important. In a birth chart every house and every planet is meaningful since it relates to a different facet of the life of the native (person whose natal chart is being examined).

Contrast this with horary astrology, looking at the chart of a question, in which only a limited number of houses, house rulers and astrological factors are relevant to the analysis.

Similarly, in horary's sister science, electional astrology, which is used to choose astrologically auspicious times, only a limited portion of the chart is relevant.

Our focus narrows even further in astrological magic with non-house based talismans, i.e. planetary, fixed star and Mansion talismans. With regard to fixed star talismans Agrippa says,

"...when any star ascends fortunately, with the fortunate aspect or conjunction of the Moon, we must take a stone, and herb that is under that star, and make a ring of that metal that is suitable to this star and fasten the stone, putting the herb, or root under it; not omitting the inscriptions of images, names and characters, also the proper suffumigations..."

Three Books of Occult Philosophy Bk. I, Chapter 47

Since culminating is almost as powerful as rising, we also use culminating for fixed stars. What we are doing is putting the fixed star in the most powerful position, ie either rising or culminating.

We then make sure the Moon is applying to a sextile or trine, or best yet a conjunction of the fixed star. As Picatrix says,

"And draw your attention to the Moon in all works [of magic] as if it were the chief of all the other planets because it brings about evident manifestations and judgments [?] in all things in the world and it pertains to the power of generation and corruption and she is the mediatrix [female intermediary] in the advance of your work, receiving the influences and impressions of the stars and planets and pouring them out to the inferiors of this world. "

Picatrix, Bk II, ch 3.

Thus the Moon gathers the power of the fixed star and brings it from the 8th sphere to the sublunary realm and to the user of the talisman. We focus on the placement of the fixed star, the applying positive aspect of the Moon and finally making sure neither the Moon nor the fixed star are afflicted. We do not, however, start roaming all over the chart, worrying about the Sun in the 8th house, the affliction of Saturn by the South Node and mostly certainly not the progressed Black Lilith conjunct the Galactic Vertex! We have our electional methodology as explained in our traditional sources and this is what we apply. If we use the methods of our illustrious predecessors applied using their philosophy and world view, then we can achieve their amazing results!

So, it is important to take each area of astrology, even traditional astrology, on its own terms and not apply techniques and principles willy nilly from one area to another.

Using a Natal Chart to Pick Talismans

I've had a number of e-mails following on the latest set of e-mails asking how talismans relate to the birth chart.

First of all it appears that in traditional Western astrologer the choice of talismans was more task than natal chart oriented. In other words clients or the mage themselves were thinking more about what they wanted to accomplish, eg wealth, love, success, rather than starting with their birth chart. That being said, Picatrix says that planetary invocations and by extension, planetary talismans are stronger when the planet itself is strong in the birth chart of the user. Picatrix, Bk I, ch 5, trans Greer & Warnock at 42.

So it makes sense to take a look at the natal chart of the user and see what planets are strong, weak and afflicted and use that as an aid in choosing talismans. Let's look at a specific chart as an example. Here's a chart from my
example Full Natal Reading for 11:51 am MST September 17, 1936 Boise, Idaho

Jupiter, the natural ruler of wealth, is quite strong in this chart being dignified by sign and triplicity

Venus, natural ruler of love, is also well dignified by sign

Mars, natural ruler of strength, determination and success, is dignified by face

The Sun, natural ruler of health, fame and promotion & the Moon, natural ruler of growth, safety and prophecy, are peregrine and thus weak

Mercury, natural ruler of memory, intelligence, communications and business, is dignified by triplicity, but retrograde.

Saturn, natural ruler of discipline and occult wisdom, is peregrine and retrograde.

This native (person whose natal chart is being examined) would get a strong effect from Jupiter and Venus. Mars, the Sun and the Moon would all benefit from talismans, though the effect would not be as noticeable as Jupiter and Venus. Mercury is mixed in dignity and debility and could benefit from a talisman. Saturn, being a malefic and retrograde without dignity, is probably best avoided.

Now this chart has an interesting feature. Normally fixed stars or Mansions are compatible with everyone, unless they are afflicted or negatively affected in the natal chart which is unusual. In this chart, Spica, the most benefic of fixed stars, is conjunct the Moon! This makes Spica a good choice for a talisman for this native.

So, interesting example. I include a full Talismanic Prescription
with all my natal readings including
the Astrological Checkup
Spiritual Path Reading
and Full Natal Reading .

Also if you are seriously interested in buying a talisman, I am happy to see if it is compatible with your birth chart. Just e-mail me at chriswarnock@renaissanceastrology.com with the talisman or talismans you are interested and your date and place of birth, plus time if you know it, though time is necessary for testing talisman compatibility.

Astrology & the Fractal Nature of Reality

I recently had a series of posts on my discussion group Spiritus Mundi regarding the question of timing in horary questions.

I agree that philosophically "As Above, So Below" that the timing SHOULD be in the chart, but my experience is that it is clearly there maybe 40%-60% of the time. Clear enough that is, that you can see it and predict it in advance, not look back and twist the chart around to fit the known results.

Part of the problem is some confusion, I think, over what it is we are doing when we look at a chart. The standard way to approach the chart is an analytical method: we break the chart down into its component parts and try to determine what each component means. "Moon in the 1st means X" "Part of Fortune conjunct the Ascendant means Y"

Analytical chart delineation basically involves the application of more or less strict and invariant rules to the chart at hand. Meaning comes from the individual factors in the chart and eventually one could create a expert software program to replicate this type of analysis.

However, my view is that the process of chart delineation is synthetic, not analytic, which is to say that ultimately we try to see through the chart to grasp the underlying holistic pattern that it is expressing.

Ok, what do I mean by synthetic? This is a process, not of breaking down, but of observing all of the relevant factors in the chart and seeing how they fit together. The meaning derives from the interaction of all of the parts, not from each part having its own invariant meaning. The Moon in the 1st, for example, can mean 15 different things, depending on the context, that is to say depending on the other factors in the chart. This is one of trickier parts of traditional astrology to master, for example being retrograde is considered an affliction, except in a lost item question if the quesited significantor (significator of the lost item) is retrograde this is positive because it is an indication that the item will be returned.

This synthetic process is why we look at multiple chart factors, why we do not rely on a single factor for our prediction. Each chart reflects a situation and each situation as we know from Hermetic philosophy is a ordered patterning. It is this connected pattern that we seek, that we try to glimpse through the chart.

Our search for timing rules that are invariably applicable to every chart, therefore, may well be fruitless. It may simply be that the factors that combine to produce the exact timing are so complex that they are frequently unpredictable as a practical matter. This may be a result of the dual existence of Fate and Free Will. It is indeed odd that the overall patterning or patterning at certain levels is highly obvious and predictable, but the patterning at intermediate levels is so complex as to defy exact prediction. This is reminiscent of fractal patterning as you zoom in or out on a particular part. Ultimately this combination of highly patterned events and unpredictability plus Fate and Free Will is the nature of Reality. Trippy indeed!

Picatrix on the Decans or Faces

One of the more intriguing parts of the ancient astrological magic grimoire Picatrix are the sections on the talismans of the faces/decans. These are ancient 10 degree subdivision of the signs, with 3 decan/faces in each sign and 36 total. We have a variety of different traditional sources that list talisman image descriptions for each face. Agrippa, for example, lists his face images at Three Books of Occult Philosophy, Bk II, ch. 37. Very odd and interesting they are, too!

I decided to take a closer look at what the Picatrix had to say about the faces in Book II, chapter 11. After listing the images of the faces (clearly Agrippa's list derives from these) Picatrix says,

"And know that what has been said before [concerning] the faces of the signs is a great secret of great benefit that cannot be understood by many students of astronomy unless they are intelligent, acute and subtle at extracting the root of [what is] profound.

And this is because one planet has the power to impede the effects of another planet, and the power of a term is more powerful than the power of a face and the power of a face is more powerful than the power of a sign."

Picatrix Bk II, ch. 11

This seems rather odd. The usual ranking of essential dignities in traditional astrology is sign (+5), then exaltation (+4), triplicity (+3), term (+2) and then face (+1). One of my favorite essential dignity cites is from Lilly on the face which he says, "..is almost like a man ready to be turned out of doors, having much adoe to maintaine himself in credit and reputation: and in Genealogies it represents a Family at the last gasp, even as good as quite decayed, barely able to support it self." Christian Astrology, 103.

However, when we look at Al-Biruni, the 10th century Islamic astrologer he notes the usual arrangement, but says,

"It is related than an authority in this subject assigns 30 to the lordship of the ascendant, 20 to exaltation, 10 to lordship of face, 5 to that of term, 3 1/2 to that of triplicity, 4 1/2 to that of the hour, and finally to the Sun or Moon whichever is the lord of time, as much as the lord of the ascendant...This is the practice of the Astrologers of Babylon and Persia, who regard the lordship of the face as very important."

Book of Instruction, section 494.

Picatrix continues,

"And this is because it is natural for one to advance over another, as water extinguishes the heat of fire, and fire carries off the coldness of water, and water moistens the dryness of earth, and earth dries up the moistness of air.

And this is, because of their qualities when they in turn unite and are pure, the strongest will conquer and prevail, and if many qualities join in turn, the strongest will be able to conquer entirely. And if they are equal in their powers and effects, their work and effect will have a mixed nature.

And if there is one quality that is very abundant in its own remote place, its perfection is diminished and consumed in the same way that that health, after it is most strong, produces illness, and at the time when fruits are ripe and ready to be harvested they fall off of the tree, and the little snake destroys and kills the great snakes, and small and tiny worms when they join together kill a serpent, and the powerful is weakened by the weak according to his nature. You should carefully consider what we have said."

Picatrix Bk II, ch. 11.

Now this passage is even more intriguing. One chain of thought that it sets off in me is that of the rhythm of the cycles that are constantly occurring in the Heavens. We can see these patterns in the stars fairly clearly if we cast off the modern world view that looks upon astrology as illogical and irrelevant. It is harder to see the reflection of the Heavens in earthly events because Matter resists the imposition of the Divine and Celestial forms and because, if the cycles are unfolding in our own lives, they often go in patterns that our ego dislikes. It seems unfair, it shouldn't be this way, how can this be happening to me? But as Seneca puts it, Ducunt volentem Fata, nolentem trahunt. "Fate guides the willing and drags the unwilling."

So our task is first to see the cycles occuring, then to go with them.

The passages about the weak weakening the strong are even more intriguing. It sounds very Taoist to me.

"Nothing in the world is softer and weaker than water; But for attacking the hard and strong, there is nothing like it! For nothing can take its place. That the weak overcomes the strong, and the soft overcomes the hard, This is something known by all, but practiced by few"

Tao teh ching, Stanza 78

This next Picatrix series seems to me to give us a way to work with
the cycles, while still accepting them. We do not oppose the strong as it strengthens, but wait until the strong exhausts itself. We exhaust the strong with the weak.

"What is in the end to be shrunken, begins by first being stretched out. What is in the end to be weakened, begins by first being made strong. What is in the end to be thrown down, begins by first being set on high. What is in the end to be despoiled, begins by first being richly endowed. Herein is the subtle wisdom of life: the soft and weak overcomes the hard and strong."

Tao teh ching, Stanza 36.

More on Picatrix

Primary versus Zodiacal Motion: An Example

I recently had a question from a student that I wanted to post since I thought it touched on some useful astronomical/astrological concepts.

The question had to do with the upcoming election for the fixed star Alkaid, which is at 27 Virgo.

At the student's location the Moon on May 31, 2009 at at 17 Virgo and on June 1, 2009 at around 1 Libra. They knew that the Moon needed to apply to Alkaid and Alkaid had to be rising, ie on the Ascendant. They felt that because the Moon was rising in June 1 and would pass over the Ascendant as she rose that this was applying.

However, in fact, the May 31 election was the proper one! Why is this?

What we need to keep in mind is that there are two types of motion involved here, primary motion and Zodiacal motion.

The primary motion of the whole Heavens which causes the Sun and Moon to rise and the fixed stars to move, making a complete rotation in 24 hours. This is caused by the rotation of the Earth, from a heliocentric perspective and by the motion of the sphere of the fixed stars in the geocentric perspective. This makes the Moon move in a clockwise motion on the chart. Primary motion changes the location of planets, stars, etc., in terms of their house position because the house position is based on local space, that is looking from the position of the observer, wherever they may be located on Earth.

At the same time the Moon is orbiting the Earth and moving through the Zodiac, so while she has risen into the 12th house due to primary motion, she is also moving counterclockwise, in the order of the signs. Thus she is also moving from 17 Virgo where she is now towards 27 Virgo where Alkaid is. Zodiacal motion does not depend local space and is the same for all observers, no matter what their location. We do not measure aspects by primary motion, the motion produced by the Earth's rotation, but by the motion of the planets in their orbit, their motion through the Zodiac.

The Moon will not reach the Ascendant and perfect her conjunction with Alkaid with Alkaid on the Ascendant. But that is not necessary! The power of the conjunction is effective so long as she is within orb of an applying aspect. She aspects, literally beholds or sees the Ascendant and Alkaid, because she is within orb and therefore has an effect on them.

Again, think of the requirements of the election at one particular time or time range we have:

1. Alkaid rising, ie conjunct the Ascendant, so 27 Virgo is on the Ascendant.

2. The Moon is at 17 Virgo, applying to a conjunction of the Ascendant
and Alkaid.

We need not have the Moon at 27 Virgo and 27 Virgo rising! All we need is 27 Virgo rising and the Moon within her orb, say about 12 degrees. She could be at 15 Virgo and it would be usable.

More on Fixed Stars

Cazimi Moon Protection Talismans

Just today I stopped by the post office and picked up Wade's newest shipment, the Cazimi Moon talisman for invisibility and protection against enemies, the government and those in authority.

This is a very cool combination of a Cazimi Moon and house based protection talisman. The Moon is exalted and cazimi, within 17 minutes of the Sun, in fact for these talismans the Moon is exactly, to the minute conjunct the Sun! This dramatically punches up the power of the Moon and since the Moon is united with the Sun, is perfect for invisibility.

Then we have a very nice election to strengthen the user of the talisman and weaken their enemies and the government. Scorpio rises and Mars rules the 1st house, signifying the user of the talisman. Mars is well dignified by sign and face. The 2nd house of money is ruled by the natural ruler of wealth, Jupiter, who is dignified by term. The 7th house of open enemies is ruled by Venus, who is afflicted by being in detriment. Mercury, ruler of the 10th house of government is peregrine (also pretty close to nasty Algol) and thus weak and Saturn, the Greater Malefic, retrograde, afflicts the 10th house. Nice, very nice!

The design is inspired by an invisibility talisman from the Black Pullet, an 18th century grimoire. Nice looking designs, but so late and decadent that the symbols don't even mean anything anymore. We used the symbols of the planets involved as recommended by Agrippa and Thabit Ibn Qurra and changed the nonsensical squiggles for an appropriate Psalm in Hebrew.

This is a very special talisman since while it is entirely inspired by traditional methods, for the first time both the design and election are by the Renaissance Astrology team and not directly from a traditional source. We are not departing from traditional methods, we are not changing to fit the times, but we are also not afraid to create new talismans within the tradition!

The cost of the Cazimi Moon protection talisman is just $199.95 plus $12.95 US priority mail shipping or $35.95 insured non-US global express mail or US express mail shipping. Here is order and further info.