Living at the intersection of occultism, fiction and philosophy, I travel the planes at a moderately quick pace. I read, I do magic, I cook for hubby. Confused by the number of things I talk about? Good, confusion is a nice thing ;)
The process of interpreting a Geomancy chart almost seems to split between two phases: 1. assessing the significators and their relationship (as discussed here) 2. interpreting the geomantic court. Some would even object to the order in which I give them, as, technically speaking, it’s the Judge that gives the answer.
The Geomantic Court is copmosed of the two Witnesses and the Judge. The two Witnesses represent the culmination of the process of development of the two sides of the Geomantic Shield (as discussed here)
Example of a Geomancy Shield reading, with the App Simple Geomancy
The right and left Witnesses (the right one is Albus, the left one is Caput) are the last product of the right and left sides of the Shield respectively. The Judge represents the overcoming of this duality into a final unity that takes everything into consideration.
We can easily liken the two Witnesses to the two pans of a scale, where arguments in favor and against are weighed. The fact that, from a technical standpoint, the Judge can only be a figure with an even number of points speaks to the Judge’s consideration of both sides. Keep in mind that there’s a total of 65.536 possible shields when we allow for all possible permutations of the sixteen mothers. But only 8 Judge figures are possible. Obviously, the Judge’s sentence can only be a general bird-eye view of the situation from the throne of Heaven, as it were. This is very different from the concrete and specific interrelation of the geomantic figures on the Shield.
As for the two Witnesses, as said, they are the culmination of the process of discussion that is carried out on the two sides of the Shield, the right side belonging to the querent and the left side to the quesited, or, alternatively, the right side being what pleads for the querent and the left side what speaks against his or her success.
Peter de Abano, interestingly, likens the right Witness to the planet the Moon separates from in an astrology chart, and the left Witness to the planet she applies to. This is largely in keeping with the attempt of Medieval magi to reduce everything to astrology. If you follow this school of thought, since in traditional astrology the Moon represents the flow of the chart or the flow of action in the chart, then the right Witness is the past and the left Witness the future. Personally, I tend to see the two Witnesses as belonging to the same timeframe, of which they highlight the up and down sides.
Some rules have been passed down to us for assessing the relationship between the Witnesses and the Judge. For instance, it is said that if the Witnesses are positive and the Judge negative, it shows that the matter is easier at the beginning but doesn’t end well, and vice versa if the Witnesses are bad and the Judge good.
In general, if we accept that the Judge is nothing more than the sum of the two Witnesses, and that the two Witnesses are the ‘for’ and ‘against’, then in a way the Judge is nothing more than a recapitulation of the Witnesses’ discussion, seen from a higher, more general level.
If we take the example of the Geomantic court above, where Acquisitio is the Judge and it derives from Albus as the right Witness and Caput as the left Witness, and if we suppose the question is about a business deal, then the right Witness argues that the querent has good business sense or a good plan, while the left Witness adds that it’s going to be hard at the beginning, while the Judge surmises from the discussion that, in general, the deal is going to be profitable.
Alternatively, if we take the right Witness as a symbol of the querent and the left Witness as a symbol of the quesited, the querent is still shown as a competent businessperson, while the quesited, i.e., the deal, is shown as a promising new start, while the Judge still rules in favor of the deal being good.
In the next article I will talk about how to reconcile the Judge and court with the other aspects of the reading.
Enneagram Type Two, sometimes called the Helper, belongs to the Heart triad. People of this Enneatype often seek validation, appreciation and affection from others by meeting their needs, real or perceived. Their hope is generally to find significance for themselves by becoming important (or even vital) to others. Often, Twos have a hard time trying to take care of their own needs without either feeling selfish and guilty or trying to reformulate them in such a way that they can be seen as favors to others and good for other people’s well-being.
Enneagram Type Two
Enneatype Two Grows: Move to Four
Average Twos are horrified at the prospect of being considered selfish or self-centered. Somehow they have learned that taking care of one’s needs first is wrong. As we know that the person who hasn’t secured his oxygen mask cannot help the person sitting next to him, this a wrong conviction. Still, Twos tend to irreflexively sacrifice themselves for others (which is why they feel scorned when they don’t get appreciation for it)
A Two’s growth begins by being honest with themselves about their own needs and learning to disentangle them from those of other people. There is often a painful spot right in the center of the Two’s heart, where the Two feels alone, hurt and unloved. Normally, Twos tend to stay away from this spot by being cheerful and by filling up their schedule with ‘useful activities’. Obviously, as long as this spot goes unrecognized and unelaborated it will be the one thing that drives the Two around.
By learning to accept and integrate this aspect of themselves, Twos begin to showcase some of the positive traits of Enneagram Type Four, which is definitely a more self-centered type. But healthy Fours have a remarkable emotional honesty and have great compassion for themselves and the darker side of their life, which is why they are also full of compassion for the suffering of others.
In moving to Four, Twos paradoxically learn to truly be loving, in a more humble and authentic way, as their kindness won’t stem from odd psychological gymnastics to create a bond of codependence with another, but from the true desire to help that overflows from their empathy with themselves.
Humility, the virtue of Enneagram Type Two
Enneatype Two Under Stress: Move to Eight
A Two moving to Eight is a sight to behold. Hell truly hath no fury like a Two scorned. I would go as far as to say that it is one of the great wonders of the Enneagram. Since my husband is a Two and since I am not the easiest person to live with, I know this well.
The way I would formulate it is that every Two has a raging lunatic locked in the basement of their mind, which they do all they can to keep at bay, but when the pressure becomes excessive, the monster escapes, and at that point the person you regularly know has no longer any control over the situation.
This raging lunatic is really the accumulated scorn that Twos are unable to work through in a positive way. Twos are a seductive type: they seek to besiege selected people whose appreciation they want with attentions, kindness and favors. When the strategy fails to get the Two the sort of recognition and appreciation they feel they deserve, this aggravates them, but because Twos generally have a positive, upbeat outlook, they tend to brush it off. They don’t forget about it, but they choose to ignore it for the time being.
They therefore double down on their seductive efforts. When it becomes clear that they aren’t getting anywhere, or when they feel cornered or at the end of their rope, Twos explode, and that’s when the lunatic escapes the basement. The accumulated aggravation, anger, resentment and hurt pride is let out all at once. They therefore display some of the less positive traits of Enneagram Type Eight, such as aggressiveness, rashness, authoritarianism.*
MQS
*on a personal note I may add that Twos become very sexy when they move to Eight, as they tend to emanate the type of choleric energy that is, in principle, channeled through sexual activity. Make-up sex with a Two is wonderful.
As of today, I have officially doubled the amount of single visitors that reached my blog compared to last year and almost tripled the amount of page views, and for this I thank you wholeheartedly!
Fun facts: 1) despite my Sibilla section being older and therefore better indexed online, my playing cards section has been visited more. I am not surprised, as playing cards are more popular, but I am surprised that it happened so quickly. 2) I officially have visitors from all inhabited continents! 3) The US have by far overtaken Italy as the country that visits my blog the most 4) The UK, Brazil, Greece, Peru, Canada, Japan, South Korea and Malaysia also have a strong presence 5) In total 84 countries have visited! 6) I have no statistics for this, but I have also interacted with a lot more people through private messages. It’s always fun to exchange opinions and experiences
Future Projects
This year I have been active as never before. I started branching off in various directions that interest me, and I have plans for more. In addition to adding to the sections I have already opened, I plan to start talking more about Tarot, as well as a new interest of mine, the I Ching.
I also want to open a section on magic and occultism, as well as expanding the section on spirituality. I’ve been thinking about it a lot–I usually prefer to heed the old advice to keep silent about occult endeavors, but I don’t think there’s anything wrong.
A section on philosophy is also probably going to come, as I find it hard to separate serious occultism from philosophy, but it’s unlikely to come next year (though never say never). The thing is, my PhD in philosophy makes me rather anal when it comes to philosophical topics.
As I started dabbling in video editing, a small youtube channel may be coming at some point, but I don’t want to put myself under too much stress, so that’s just a thought at the moment.
Also, in my spare time I have started editing old manuscripts on various occult topics, which I plan to make available on amazon. In one case I simply updated the English, but I am also translating a couple of books from Italian, French and Latin.
Finally, I’ve been thinking of moving the blog from wordpress.com to wordpress.org, but I’m still undecided on the matter. One thing’s for sure: I want to get rid of the ads.
Here’s a quick one. A friend of mine asked me if it was a good thing for her to join a certain rather well-known magical order. The order shall remain unnamed, as in case of a defamation lawsuit it wouldn’t be a good sight if I just waved a picture of a card spread under the judge’s nose as evidence.
Should I enter the magical order? A cartomancy spread with the Vera Sibilla oracle
The most obvious thing that caught my eye is the reversed Three of Spades (the Widower). This card represents secret sects, and it never describes them in a positive light. To be clear, a secret group is not in itself a bad thing. Nor is a magical order a bad thing in itself – I have been part of a couple and still am in one. But if the group you are enquiring about is represented by the Widower reversed it is NOT good.
That they perform less than positive acts is shown by the reversed Peacock. The Seven of Clubs indicates that they prey on people’s self-esteem and/or by promising honors. I could have added some cards to see if it also showed that they wanted some of her money – but it doesn’t really matter. The spread is clear: the querent has already had contacts with them and has been offered to join, or something else, like a ritual (I haven’t asked) but the querent would do well to stay away. This is not to say that they are charlatans, as the spread does not concentrate on this, but that they are people that are best kept at a distance.
As I have a mind to start talking about Tarot in the very near future, I wanted to start by sharing the main meanings I apply to the major trumps. These are just basic guidelines, as the majors have almost no bounds, so this list is not exhaustive. The meanings I use are not especially weird, and they tend to be very practical.
The Fool Instability, Untrustworthiness, Freedom, Unpredictability, Lack of ties or bonds, Irresponsibility, Innocence, Lack of foresight, Lack of planning, Doing things on the spur of the emoment, Surprise, Irregularity, Chaos, Things and situations that are not well-defined or that are not clearly settled, Nothing, Nothingness, Mistake, Error, Oversight, Mental issues, Originality, Creativity, Deep feelings in love that could be a flash in the pan because they are unsupported by effort, Unpreparedness, Going on foot, Walking
The Juggler / Conman / Magician Beginning, Child, Son or daughter, New, Small, Initiative, Doing, Action, Work, Job, Play, Game, Playing, Studying, Youth, Competence, Ability, Adroitness, Project, Being aware, Doing by hand, Creativity, Charm, Fascinating, Tricks, A thief or con artist, Charlatan, Lie, Things done with good or evil intent (depending on the other cards) but not by mistake, Things that are planned, Immaturity, Tantrums, A charmer
The Popess / High Priestess A mature woman, A serious woman, precise, knowledgeable, reserved, A wife, A mother, An older sister, A female boss, A female doctor or professional, A woman with a degree, Conscience, Spirituality, Study, Knowledge, Deep understanding, Faith, Someone who knows what to say and what not to say, Silence, Reserve, Secret, with bad cards a superficial floozy, A gossip, Dogmatic, Strict, Ignorant, Inimical
The Empress A younger woman, Active, Creative, Communicative, Unmarried or, if married, still very much in love, Action, Abundance, Love, A younger sister, A young mother, A daughter, A coworker, An employee, A boss that works together with her employees rather than staying shut in her office, Well-being, Sex, Fascination, Beauty, Expansion, Amplification, Increase, Growth, With bad cards can be wastefulness, etc., Spring, The Earth element
The Emperor A younger man, Active, Creative, Dynamic, Unmarried, In love, Son, Young father, Brother (younger), Action, Law, Politics, Durability, Willpower, An active boss, With great directive ability, A coworker, An Employee, Managing, Organizing (in general, he is the male counterpart to the Empress), with negative cards can be tyrannical or a young man in difficulty, etc.
The Pope / Hierophant / High Priest Broadly the male counterpart to the Popess: Older man, Father, Boss, Older brother, Religion, An interpreter, A communicator, An intermediary, Wisdom, Faithfulness, A teacher, A guide, Responsible, Knowledgeable, Trustworthy, A ritual of some kind (religious, magical, etc.), A man with a degree, A man wearing a uniform or serving some official function, An agency
Love / The Lover / The Lovers Love, Attraction, Harmony, Desire, Preference, Being attracted to one thing, one person, one option, etc. A deal, A handshake, Compromise, Commitment, Getting along, Affinity, Vocation, Inspiration, The family, A group of people, A meeting, appointment, date, etc. The public, Sociability, The social aspect of life, A partnership, Something done with other people, Beauty, Esthetics, etc.
The Chariot Movement, Activity, Advancement toward a goal, Journey, Travel, Car, Means of transport, Going, Being determined, Going in one particular direction, Career, A public uniform, Audacity, Overcoming obstacles, Moving beyond difficulties, Attacking or tackling and, with positive cards, Winning, Victory, Recognition, Ambition, Self-discipline, Doing, Acting, Enterprise, Knowing where you want to go and going, Enthusiasm, Quickness, Velocity (for good or ill)
Justice Justice, Fairness, Equilibrium, Stability, Contract, Union, Marriage or living together as an established family, Legal and bureaucratic issues, Buying and selling, The law, Tests, Evaluations, Documents, Papers, The middle way, Half, Halving, Cutting in half, Evaluating the pros and cons, Developing contacts, Creating ties with others, with negative cards it can show separations, injustice, etc.
The Hermit One, Lonely, Unique, Old, Past, A long time, Slow, An older person (60+), Difficulties, Slowing down, Lack of communication, Secret, Moving behind the scenes, away from the public eye, Serious, A master or teacher, Weakening, becoming old, weak, extinguished, Spirituality, High culture, Study, Research, Not kidding around, No sense of humor, Being dependable, Taking very small steps, Deep reflection and thought, A premeditator, Cold places, Places of retreat, Solitude, Not wanting contact, Stinginess, Marginalized, With negative cards can show not being self-reliant, and by extension also being hooked on drugs or alcohol, Inability to communicate, Winter
The Wheel of Fortune Transition, Change, The regular flow of life, Luck, Opportunity, Success, Money, Gambling, Winning, A trip, Travel, Change of place, Situations that resurface at intervals, On and off, The unblocking of a stagnant situation for better or worse, Protection from above, Fatality, Changeability, Instability, Small animals, Changing route, Opening of avenues, Partial, Sometimes, Part-time, etc.
Strength / Fortitude Strength, Power, Influence, Intelligence, Being capable of steering the situation, Overcoming, Willpower, Stability, Strengthening, Manipulation, Savoir faire, Control, A situation that is strongly desired, Self-control, Discipline, Sport, Physical movement, Materialization, The signing of papers (materializing their effect), Knowing how to resist temptation, Intelligence, Rationality, Wild animals, with negative cards it can show impotence, anger, etc.
The Hanged Man Suffering, Blockage, Stillstand, Sacrifice, Confinement, Prison, Hospital, Not acting, Being still, A bond of some kind, with good cards it can show a positive bond (e.g., being committed to someone or something), Down, South, Below, Digging, Falling, Broken, Rotten, Suffering, Impotence, Inability
Death Death, Sharp change, Mortality, Ending, A short trip, Elimination, Unavoidability, Something that cannot be walked back, Point of no return, Destruction, Fatality, Danger, Discouragement, Gloomy thoughts, Sadness, Inability to accept change, Corruption, Alteration, Sharp instruments
Temperance Temperance, Moderation, Patience, Waiting, Tolerance, Adaptability, Giving and receiving, Avoiding extremes, Meeting halfway, Purity, Clean, Cleaning, Honesty, Angels, Spirituality, Protection, Gentleness, Respect, Consideration, Sincerity, Truthfulness, Male and female together, Mixing, Two in one, Duality, Education, Health, Healing, Conciliation, Inaction, Lack of activity, Indolence, Unemployment, Autumn
The Devil Evil, Antagonist, Opposition, Obstacle, Force, Energy, Great power, Magic, Strategy, Cunning, Being in chains, Strong chemistry, Fatal attraction, Great business, Big corporations, Stress, Enmity, Being very worried, Being forced to do something, Dictatorship, Subjugation, Vice, Sin, Addiction, Excess, Darkness, Dark, Blood, Illegality, Crime, Swindle, Jealousy, Possessiveness, Sexual attraction, Sex, Betrayal, Cheating
The Tower A place, A home, A building of some kind, Explosions, Explosive energies, Fire, Crumbling down, Ending, Closure, Departure from the old, Destruction, Crisis, Loss of name, Fragility, Things that suddenly don’t seem as strong as they used to be, Boldness, Anger, Sudden onrush,
The Star / The Stars Hope, Future, Serenity, Things clearing up, Truthfulness, Honesty, Purity, Art, Beauty, Gift, The Air element, Wind, Sky, Above, Over, Up, High-mindedness, Idealism, Promises, Guidance, Inspiration, Meditation, Harmony, Solution, Positive ending close at hand, Fulfillment of wishes, Pregnancy, Generosity, Shooting for the stars, Optimism, The soul, An investment, Influx of money, Getting back dividends or money you loaned, etc.
The Moon The night, Darkness, Silence, Not talking, Disappearing, Secret, Falsehood, Lies, Keeping in the dark, Water, Lake, Sea, Ocean, Dampness, Fantasy, Intuition, Mother, Mom, Maternity, Femininity, Clairvoyance, Influence on the world or on people, Worry, Preoccupation, Sadness, Disappointment, Depression, Gloominess, Refusal, Saying no, Negativity, Changeability, Inconsistency, The realm of shadows and of the dead, Mary mother of God and other lunar entities
The Sun The day, Light, Clarity, Visibility, Intelligence, Father, Fatherhood, Manly energy, Twins, Clarity, Truth, Discovering, Discovery, Finding, Clarifying, Explaining, Reaching the truth of the matter, Rationality, Logic, Experts, Knowledgeable people, News, Novelty, Renewal, Beginning, Gold, Money, Wealth, Success, Heat, Warmth, Love, Feelings, Happiness, Faithfulness, Sincerity, Glory, Visibility, Success, Self-confidence, Summer, Summery or hot places (beaches, etc.), Poetry, Literature, The realm of the living, Life, Jesus and other solar entities
Judgement / The Angel Information, News, Letters, Calls, Communication, Emails, Sociability, Social contacts, Contacts in general, Announcements, Inspiration, Feeling called, Leaving the old life behind, Coming out of the old, Renewal, Return, Reconciliation (but with negative cards definitive ending), Healing (but with negative cards it can signal death), A definitive turning point, Family members, Music, Hearing
The World Everything, All, Total, Full, Filled, Full-time, Fat, Obese, The Whole, Complete, Large, Big, God, Totality, The Soul of the World, Paradise, A situation that is complete in itself, such as a full family, a marriage or stable partnership (usually one that already exists), A company or firm, Glory, A wreath, A ring, Completion of a project, Completion of a journey (e.g., graduating, tying the knot, etc.), The querent’s country, A country in general (with some other cards a foreign country and foreign lands in general), A city or the querent’s city, The world out there, A perfect picture, A picture or image in general, The population, Masses, Crowds
When Zachary Hartman asked her to prom, she spent the morning in the bathroom crying with happiness.
She had been talking about him on the phone just some weeks before. “Dream on, girl,” Marion had laughed. “Well, mom says thunderstorms leave strange things behind,” she’d responded, looking wistfully at the foreboding sky outside.
The day arrived, dripping with expectations, light-headed, dazzling. Zachary picked her up. They approached the venue.
Then she noticed him from a distance, entering with Jeanne Balducci slung around his arm. And her Zachary’s fingers stretched inhumanly on her shoulder. And he dragged her toward the woods.
This post is part of my Notes on Divination series.This gets somewhat philosophical and is rough and not organized, so bear with me.
I already talked about the limitations of free will in divination. Undoubtedly I will need to talk a lot more about it in the future. For now, though, I want to discuss the other side of the coin, namely predestination.
Predesination is the idea that the future is predetermined. This is already vague, because the way in which the future is supposed to be predetermined changes based on the particular view: the way in which a flower necessarily follows from a seed is not the same way as the ending of a movie necessarily follows its beginning. No matter how many times you rewind, Baby Jane always snaps. She cannot do otherwise, for her life has been scripted and it plays out from beginning to end according to the script.
In the case of the seed, although there are contingent factors at play (for instance, the quality of the soil or the amount of water it receives) we are talking about a form of internal necessity. Baby Jane’s life, though, is determined by external factors: she is nothing more than what the author of the book and those of the movie wanted her to be.
The question is: could Baby Jane understand that her life is so predetermined, if someone told her? Let us suppose that the writers had added a scene where she consults a diviner and has her fortunes told to her. The diviner is a good one, and correctly tells her what is going to happen to her, her sister, etc.
Does this change things? The answer, in this case, is no. It doesn’t change anything, because the fortune teller’s scene has also been scripted and plays out for the same reason every other scene in the movie plays out. From an external standpoint, the meeting with the diviner would be no different than any other part of the movie. It would be just another link in the chain.
The Fatalist
But this is not how divination works in real life. In real life, we don’t have the privilege of an external poit of view from which to witness our existence in the same way as when we watch a movie. We can watch a movie because we are not in any meaningful sense part of it.
But we are part of life. We are part of the flow of existence. More specifically, we are that section of existence that is capable of reflecting on existence itself, or, if we want to get trippy, we are the section of existence through which existence reflects on itself: we are existence’s self-consciousness.
This has enormous consequences on our freedom. Let us suppose someone tried to argue that our life is predetermined by a kind of external destiny that uses us like sockpuppets in the same way a character is written by a writer.
The first and most important consequence is that the very fact that they are saying that we are predetermined would itself be predetermined. That is to say, the person does not believe that we are predetermined because it is true that we are predetermined, but because he or she has been written as a fatalist.
Of course, the person in question would like to argue back that they are a fatalist because it is true that we are predetermined. But in defending this view, what they are truly saying is “everything is predetermined, except me when I argue that everything is predetermined.” This is obviously inconsistent: a theory–any theory–must be consistent with its own uttering. But fatalism cannot be truly uttered without incurring self-contradiction. The moment one says “Everything is predetermined,” they place themselves outside of the destiny they try to describe.
This happens for a subtle reason. Consciousness is inherently the place of freedom. It would take me a whole treatise to discuss this (and maybe I will write one at some point) but to be concise, we cannot be conscious of something without placing ourselves outside of it and beyond it. If I am conscious of this pen or this flower, this pen or this flower are the object of my attention, and I am the subject. No matter how strictly connected subject and object are, they are not the same, and when they are, there is no consciousness.*
If you read a few paragraphs back, I said that we are essentially existence’s self-consciousness. This means that through us existence perceives itself as its own object. Furthermore, in being conscious of itself, existence moves beyond necessity, exactly in the same way that any person (even a fatalist) places themselves outside of their own fatalism by being conscious of it.
In the next blog post I will discuss more closely how the ideas I just presented impact divination.
MQS
* I know that mystics like to argue that the subject-object distinction is artificial, but I’ll leave this for another post. My short answer is that without duality, unity is barren, while without unity, duality is inconsistent and inconceivable.
Enneagram Type One, sometimes called the Perfectionist, belongs to the Body Triad. People of this Enneatype tend to have a strong inner critic that judges everything they (and other people) do based on norms, ideals and right precedures or methods. Ultimately, Ones derive a sense of justification for their existence in the world by adhering to standards and ideas of how things ‘ought to’ go. They often feel that they have a duty to uphold these standards and to put them into practice in the world around them.
Enneagram Type One
Enneatype One Grows: Move to Seven
Ones’ sense of duty is part of their subconscious deal with themselves, which states that they are okay and are allowed to take up space in the world only if they do it the right way, usually by asserting an ideal or implementing or upholding certain standards.
It is always hard for anyone to accept the world as it is, but especially for Ones. They tend to see the world as if it were in a fallen state and needed to be amended. There is nothing wrong with changing what needs to be changed, but doing so in order to obey a harsh inner critic who will latch on to anything to demand improvement is a recipe for unhappiness, both for the One and for those around them. Remember that history is full of visionaries who tried to reform the world and ended up making it worse.
As Ones learn to let go of the resentment they feel toward the world and toward themselves for not being the perfect mirror image of an ideal, Ones move toward point Seven on the Enneagram. Sevens are a mundane type. They love finding always new ways of enjoying the world and the variety it has to offer. Even average Ones can sometimes display this childlike curiosity and sense of adventure in their best moment.
The great gift that Ones can develop by developing this sevenish side is that they learn to improve the world around them by developing its inherent promises from moment to moment rather than by trying to impose foreign ideals onto it. No longer angry at themselves and at the world, Ones learn to accept different opinions and different ways of acting, and their behavior becomes less reactive.
Serenity, the virtue of Enneagram Type One
Enneagram One Under Stress: Move to Four
I said that average Ones see the world as if it were in a fallen state. It makes sense that, under stress, Ones move to Four, the type that more than any other feels like a fallen being.
Ones have considerable faith in their ideals and in the fact that their way of doing things is the right one. They can keep beliving so under the harshest conditions and against all oppositions. Since they usually have a large reservoir of pent up anger inside of them, when challenged beyond a certain or when witnessing something they do not approve of, they may explode.
However, if Ones lose their faith in their ability to change themselves and the world around them to make them match how they ought to be, Ones may move toward their direction of stress at Four. Average to unhealthy Fours are melancholic, dramatic and reserved. They have an air of defeat about them, as though they had lost something of great value that used to make them happy, or if they had been shipwrecked in the wrong world.
Under stress, Ones tend to take on some of these less healthy characteristics of Enneatype Four, becoming pessimistic and despairing. Ones thus begin to witness a world of irredeemable lawlessness and wrongdoing around them. Since they feel that all is lost, they may start indulging unhealthy pastimes, while at the same time feeling bad about it as they alternate between their “OCD streak” and their depressive, defeatist one.
Geomancy, like astrology, sets up a system of correspondences between houses and life sectors. In all cases, we use the first house to represent the querent. If the question is asked by the querent about themselves, this is enough. If the question is asked by the querent about someone else’s life, then the first house will be irrelevant, but admittedly, in most cases people ask about themselves.
In order to divine meaningfully with geomancy, we also need a quesited, that is, a topic of discussion. This will be represented by another one of the twelve houses, as discussed here. Once we have the querent and the quesited, we need to see what happens to them.
A first indication is given by the geomantic figure that occupies the respective houses. This can shed light on the querent’s and quesited’s current state or qualities. But this is not, in itself, good enough to predict that something will or will not come to pass. Something can be very good in itself, but if it doesn’t happen to me, it is of no great consolation.
This is where geomantic perfection comes in. We call geomantic perfection the way the querent and quesited relate to each other, allowing things to come to pass. In the vast majority of questions, we desire to obtain something, which involves coming into contact with that something. Geomantic perfection allows us to come into contact with it. It is to geomancy what aspects are to traditional astrology (more or less. I’ll come back to it in the next article)
There are four forms of perfection: occupation, conjunction, mutation and translation. Not all medieval handbooks describe all four, but I have found that they all work.
Occupation
Occupation is the simplest and strongest form of perfection. It occurs when the querent and the quesited are occupied by the same figure.
Example reading. App used: Simple Geomancy
Let us suppose the querent asks whether he will manage to buy a house he has seen, or whether he will meet with his father during the holidays. The querent is symbolized by the first house figure. The quesited is symbolized by the fourth house figure. In this case, both are Puer, so we can say that the first and the fourth house are connected by Occupation. There is a strong connection. In most cases this is good. It can also signify that there is perfect union between querent and quesited.
Conjunction
Conjunction is next in line in terms of strength. Conjunction happens when the first house figure (the querent) is also found in a house adjacent to that of the quesited, or vice versa if the figure of the quesited is found in a house adjacent that of the querent. This is the standard definition that has come to be accepted. In the old manuscript there are some variations (for instance, it seems that Abano did not accept the twelfth house as adjacent to the first.) In my experience, the standard definition is good enough.
Example reading. App used: Simple Geomancy
Using the same figure as before, let us suppose that the querent asks whether he shall meet with a friend, or a brother, or whether he shall go to a party. The first house is still represented by Puer. Puer moves to the twelfth, where it is adjacent to the eleventh, the house of friends. It also moves to the fourth, where it is adjacent to the house of brothers (the third) and to the house of parties (the fifth).
Note that if the querent moves to meet the quesited, it shows effort or interest on the part of the querent, while if the quesited moves to meet the querent the opposite is true. Of course, this needs to be interpreted: if the illness moves to meet you it doesn’t mean that the virus is besotted with you–it just shows that it comes to you easily. In a relationship reading, the figure that moves to meet the other is the one who is more interested or in love.
Mutation
Mutation happens when the querent and the quesited both move and end up meeting somewhere else in the chart.
Example reading. App used: Simple Geomancy
Let us suppose that the querent asks whether he shall meet with the girl he likes. The first house figure, Puer, moves to the twelfth and the seventh house figure, Rubeus, moves to the eleventh. The two houses are adjacent, so the two shall meet. Mutation indicates meeting in a third place or, depending on the question, it can show mutual effort. The houses where the figures meet can also shed light. For instance, in this case it is likely they will meet at a friend’s house (eleventh) or in some remote hidden place (twelfth).
Translation
Translation is the last form of perfection. It happens when a third figure is found in a house adjacent that of the querent *and* that of the quesited, so as to form a bridge between them.
Example reading. App used: Simple Geomancy
In this case, we have no translation to the first house. However, if we suppose the querent asked about the relationship between his father (fourth house) and his mother (tenth house), then we find that Puella forms a translation between them, being in the fifth house (adjacent to the fourth) and in the ninth (adjacent to the tenth). Translation usually shows the involvement of a third party. In this case Puella could show the influence of a woman or girl.
Prohibition
Prohibition is the absence of perfection. This is the most common way a chart has to tell us we won’t get what we want or, more broadly, that there is no connection between querent and quesited.
Example reading. App used: Simple Geomancy
Let us suppose the querent asks about the possibility of getting a job he applied for. There is no contact between first house (querent) and tenth house (quesited): no occupation, no conjunction, no mutation and no translation. The querent is unlikely to get that job.
Final Notes
Sometimes a figure passes into an unrelated house. This can add context and information for good or ill.
Perfection shows contact. It doesn’t tell us whether the contact is good or bad. In the example about the querent’s parents, if we suppose that the querent asks whether his parents will divorce, the translation by Puella may show that someone will convince them to stay together. However, if the translation were made by Cauda, it could show a mutual agreement to end the marriage.
The Court must always be taken into account, although we will discuss it in another article.
