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Abano quickly summarises the meanings of the planets in traditional Western astrology, so that the geomancer may better understand the meanings of the corresponding figures.

In order to make it even easier to make a judgment, we shall now consider the planet of every figure, and conveniently we shall list the virtue and meaning of every planet.¹

Saturn is always evil, wherever it is, and it means sick or vile people, malady, poverty, blind or maimed people, laborers, problems and toil, prison and prisoners. Adversities and obstacles, loss of wealth. It is only good for building and in agriculture and in things that need to last. Its two figures are Tristitia and Carcer.

Jupiter is always good, wherever it is, and it means Church people, prelates, noblemen, rich people, merchants, captains, courtesans and friendly people. It is good and pleasurable, useful in every thing. It is only bad for the sick and the prisoner, whose trouble it prolongs. Its figures are Acquisitio and Laetitia. Acquisitio is the better one.

Mars is sometimes good and sometimes bad, depending on the question, but inclining to evil, and it means malicious people, wrongdoers, traitors, thieves, ruffians, harlots, murderers. It is only good in things of wars and when blood is concerned. Its figures are Puer and Rubeus, and Puer is the worse one.²

Venus is good, but its goodness is minor, for good or ill, depending on the question asked. It means people who are friendly, happy, young, with little troubles in life. But also harlots. Its figures are Puella and Amissio. Puella is the more noxious for travel and sickness and prison. Amissio is the better one.³

Mercury is a mixed planet in terms of good and evil. It means servants, messengers, letters, embassies, writers, scholars and painters, science and doctrine. Its figures are Albus and Conjunctio. Conjunctio is the worse one, as it always shows malicious intention or duplicity, and hexes.

The Sun and Moon are mixed planets in their good and evil import depending on the question, but the Sun is the better of the two,⁴ and it means nobles, kings, emperors and people of high station, who have dominion. Its figures are Fortuna Major and Fortuna Minor. Minor means more trouble than prosperity.

The Moon is also a mixed planet, but mostly bad, and its figures are Via and Populus. Via is only good for travel, Populus is good for dealing with people, and it means abundance and lots of water.

Caput and Cauda are associated with the planets Jupiter and Venus (Caput) and Mars and Saturn (Cauda).⁵

MQS

Footnotes

1. The elaborate psychological attributes that modern astrology assigns to the twelve zodiac signs are virtually unknown to premodern Astrology, having been invented relatively recently to make up for modern astrology’s inability to make verifiable predictions. Instead, traditional astrology relies much more heavily on the planets as celestial actors. ↩︎
2. This is not the first time Abano alludes to Puer being worse than Rubeus, although in other places he seems to contradict this statement. ↩︎
3. This statement is also odd, and it reeks of either mistake or blind. ↩︎
4. In Medieval Astrology the Sun was often considered a benefic when aspecting other planets, but a malefic in conjunction (planets conjunct to the Sun are said to be combust or burned up, except when they are very close, in which case they are said to be in the heart of the Sun and strengthened). The Moon’s evaluation, quite ironically, fluctuated depending on the author, but in general she was believed to be a benefic when waxing and a malefic when waning. ↩︎
5. The practice of assigning the two Nodes to the benefics and malefics seems to have started possibly with Medieval Muslim philosophers, or at least in the Latin West. In the original Western tradition, the Hellenistic one, there doesn’t seem to have been much talk of the Nodes except in negative terms. ↩︎