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The Geomancy of Peter of Abano – Book II Pt. 3

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Here Abano discusses matters relating to the Fifth House and Sixth House.

Fifth House

If one shall have children.
If the question is about having children, look at the first, fifth and seventh figures.1 If they are entering and fortunate and the fifth is united or conjunct to the first or seventh house, the querent shall have children, especially if if the figures are Albus, Populus, Conjunctio or Laetitia. And depending on how many figures are on the side of the first figure,2 it means this is thanks to the husband’s inclination, and if the on the side of the seventh, of the wife’s, and if in said places you find exiting and unfortunate figures, it means the opposite, and if the fifth moves to the eighth or twelfth it means miscarriage and death of one’s children.3

If a woman is pregnant, and if the child is a boy or a girl.
And if you want to know if a woman is pregnant and whether she will give birth to a boy or a girl, look at the aforementioned figures, to wit, the first, fifth and seventh, and also the fourth. If they are entering and fortunate, and if the fifth joins the seventh, then the woman is pregnant, especially if the figure is Major, Caput or Carcer. And this is especially true if the same is found in the fifteenth house. But if in those houses you find Puella, Cauda or Amissio, she is not pregnant. If the majority of the figures in those places, but also in the rest of the chart (and especially the angles and the fifteenth) are masculine, she will give birth to a boy, and if they are mostly feminine to a girl. If you find Populus or Conjunctio, she will give birth to twins. And if there are still doubts, form a figure from the fourth and seventh, and if the resulting figure is more consonant to the fourth the baby is a boy, if to the seventh, a girl.4

If the children shall be good or evil.
If one wishes to know whether his children will be good or evil, look at the first, fourth, fifth and seventh and also the sixth figure, and if all these figures are good, entering, fortunate, then the children shall be good, and vice versa. And if the picture is mixed, you ought to form a figure from the fourth and fifth figure, and judge by the goodness or malice of the result. But you should never neglect to keep in mind the tenth and fifteenth figure.5

Sixth House

If one shall fall ill.
If you want to know whether you shall fall ill during the year, look at the first and sixth figures, whether the first figure is good and the sixth shows good health, and judge accordingly. And especially if the first is unfortunate and it moves to the sixth, or if the first is bad and the sixth moves to the seventh, or if the sixth should come into contact with the first by falling in the second house, and if the fifteenth figure is unfortunate, and if you want to know the quality of the illness look at the sixth, of what nature and complexion, and whether it is malicious or unfortunate.

If they are earthy and unfortunate it means a grave illness, long and melancholic, and if they are fiery and unfortunate, it means a choleric illness, sudden and strong and acute; and if they are airy and more unfortunate than fortunate, it means a light illness, but bothersome and long, and maybe accompanied by another illness; and if they are watery and more unfortunate than fortunate, it means the illness is troublesome, whether long or short depending ont he nature and property of the figure.6

And if you are afraid of dying of said illness, if the sixth is in the eighth or in the ninth, judge the illness very serious. Similarly, if the sixth shows an illness and the first, being unfortunate, moves to the eighth it shows death. Always judge with diligence and in everything consider the nature and condition of the planets, and judge the great secrets and admirable things always keeping into account the angles and the fifteenth.7

Whether the sick person shall die.
Look at the first, sixth, eighth, tenth and fifteenth figures. If you find Caput, Puella, Major, Acquisitio or Laetitia, it shows liberation from illness. If it is Albus, Tristitia, Cauda, Rubeus, Populus, Conjunctio or Pure, it shows a deadly illness and especially if the first, being one of these figures, goes to the eighth or ninth, and similarly if the sixth goes to the seventh or fifteenth. And if this figure is Carcer, by as much as it multiplies itself in these places, so much the more it shows the illness to be deadly, and if Tristitia moves to the eleventh figure it indicates healing and then relapsing and dying, especially if you find it in the thirteenth or fourteenth or fifteenth.8 And if it’s Rubeus in the first and it agrees with the sixth, it shows long infirmity.

Whether the doctor will help the patient.
The seventh is attributed to the doctor. If the first, sixth and seventh are good, fortunate and in agreement with each other, it means the doctor shall heal the sick person, and vice versa. If the first, sixth and eleventh are good and fortunate, it shows a quick recovery because the eleventh indicates goodness and the perfection of one’s nature and complexion.9

Of a lost or stolen item
The first figure is the querent, the sixth the thief, the second, the tenth, the eleventh and seventh are the thing inquired about. If the tenth is in the second, third or fourth, the thing lost or stolen is in the house of the querent or nearby. If it is in the seventh it shows it to be in the house of the thief, if in the ninth, eleventh or twelfth it means it is far from home, and according to the fortune or malice of the figure, judge whether it shall be gotten back or not, and the condition and identity of the thief, and where.

Whether the servant is good or bad.
If the sixth is good, fortunate and in agreement with the first it means a good servant, and similarly if it is in conjunction with the first, especially if it is fixed and fortunate. Look also at the angles and the ninth figure.10

If it is good to buy a small animal.
Look at the first, sixth, ninth and tenth.11 If they are good, entering and fortunate, it means it is good to buy, and vice versa if they aren’t. If the first, sixth and tenth are bad but the Witnesses and Judge good, it means it is good to buy, but not at the time you thought was ideal, and you must delay by as many days as are the points in the first figure.12 If you want to know what kind of animal it is good to buy, look at the figure in the sixth and thirteenth and fourteenth, and if you find Rubeus it means pigs, Albus sheep, Minor and Major horses, Tristitia and Laetitia oxen. If you find Caput, Acquisitio or Cauda, other small animals. Look also if the second house is fortunate.

MQS

Footnotes
  1. The Seventh House is the spouse. ↩︎
  2. I believe Abano means the two sides of the Geomantic Shield. Abano says “how many figures”, but in reality, of course, the number of figures is always the same. What he means is how good they are. ↩︎
  3. Note that the Eighth house, aside from indicating death, is also conjunct the Seventh, so it seems Abano is giving us contradictory indications. However, the chart must be read as a whole. A bad figure in the Fifth house springing to the Eighth is a bad omen. ↩︎
  4. We are accustomed to calling the Seventh the house of the spouse, but in many older texts it is called the house of women, and it is not at all clear that this is just due to the old bias against women. There may be something to it. Similarly, the Fourth house is generally considered a house mostly of men. ↩︎
  5. The rationale behind the choice of house is not always clear, but I believe the First House is to show the child’s attitude toward the querent, the Seventh to judge their attitude toward the spouse, the Fourth is the end of the matter, the Sixth is in Company with the Fifth, the Tenth has to do with one’s actions. Furthermore, the angles are always important, regardless of their meaning. ↩︎
  6. This paragraph offers insight into the old theory of humors as applied to matters of health. Though this theory is thoroughly alien to us now, Abano’s description is eminently practical and worth exploring. ↩︎
  7. Abano is not the poetic kind of writer, but here he is clearly intimating that there is more to judging and treating illnesses than merely interpreting an oracle. ↩︎
  8. Many of these indications are somewhat obscure. Furthermore, Tristitia cannot be the judge. ↩︎
  9. The Eleventh House was known as the “Good demon” of the person. It is also connected with the Guardian Angel. ↩︎
  10. I don’t understand why the Ninth ought to be involved into this kind of judgment. ↩︎
  11. Again, it is not clear why the Ninth and Tenth ought to be involved. However, they are the first two Nieces, and are on the querent’s side of the chart. This might be the connection. ↩︎
  12. This timing technique is especially interesting. I do not believe I have seen it anywhere else. ↩︎
Card Meanings, Cartomancy, Divination, Divination Master Post, Fortune-telling, Tarot

Tarot Encyclopedia – The Ace of Wands

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(Note: this is a collection of the meanings attributed to the cards by some occultists in the past centuries. It does not reflect my own study or opinion of the cards. It is only meant as a quick comparative reference as I develop my own take.)

The Ace of Wands from the Builders of the Adytum (BOTA) Tarot deck

Paul Foster Case (and Ann Davies)

In Tarot Divination the Ace of Wands has these key meanings: natural as opposed to invoked force; strength; force; vigor; vitality; particularly the force of concentrated will; the principle of beginning; initiation or inception of any enterprise or activity; concentration of power; involution of force.
Keyword: Initiative
(From the Oracle of Tarot course)

A. E. Waite

A hand issuing from a cloud grasps a stout wand or club. Divinatory Meanings: Creation, invention, enterprise, the powers which result in these; principle, beginning, source; birth, family, origin, and in a sense the virility which is behind them; the starting point of enterprises; according to another account, money, fortune, inheritance. Reversed: Fall, decadence, ruin, perdition, to perish also a certain clouded joy.
(From The Pictorial Key to the Tarot)

Aleister Crowley

This card represents the essence of the element of Fire in its inception. It is a solar-phallic outburst of flame from which spring lightnings in every direction. These flames are Yods, arranged in the form of the Tree of Life. (For Yod, see Atu IX supra.) It is the primordial Energy of the Divine manifesting in Matter, at so early a stage that it is not yet definitely formulated as Will.

Important: although these “small cards” are sympathetic with their Sephirotic origin, they are not identical; nor are they Divine Persons. These (and the Court Cards also) are primarily sub-Elements, parts of the “Blind Forces” under the Demiourgos, Tetragrammaton. Their rulers are the Intelligences, in the Yetziratic world, who go to form the Schemhamphorasch. Nor is even this Name, “Lord of the Universe” though it be, truly Divine, as are the Lords of the Atu in the Element of Spirit. Each Atu possesses its own private, personal and particular Universe, with Demiourgos (and all the rest) complete, just as every man and every woman does.

For example II’s or VI’s Three of Disks might represent the establishment of such an oracle as that of Delphi, or VIII’s might be the first formula of a Code such as Manu gave to Hindustan; V’s, a cathedral, XVI’s, a standing army; and so on. The great point is that all the Elemental Forces, however sublime, powerful, or intelligent, are Blind Forces and no more.
(From The Book of Thoth)

Golden Dawn’s Book T

A WHITE Radiating Angelic Hand, issuing from clouds, and grasping a heavy club, which has three branches in the colours, and with the sigils, of the scales. The Right-and Left-hand branches end respectively in three Flames, and the Centre one in four Flames: thus yielding Ten: the Number of the Sephiroth. Twoand-twenty leaping Flames, or Yodh, surround it, answering to the Paths; of these, three fall below the Right branch for Aleph, Men, and Shin, seven above the Central branch for the double letters; and between it and that of the Right twelve: six above and six below about the Left-hand branch. The whole is a great and flaming Torch. It symbolizes Force — strength, rush, vigour, energy, and it governs, according to its nature, various works and questions. It implies Natural, as opposed to Invoked, Force.

Etteilla

Birth
Upright. This card means, in its natural position, as far as the medicine of the spirit is concerned: Birth, Beginning. – Nativity, Origin, Creation. – Source, Beginning, Primacy. – Extraction, Race, Family, Condition, House, Lineage, Posterity, Occasion, Cause, Reason, First, First fruits.
Reversed. Fall, Decadence, Decay, Decline, Decay, Decay, Dissipation, Failure, Bankruptcy, Ruin, Destruction, Demolition, Damage, Devastation. – Guilt, Error, Contempt, Abatement, Depression, Discouragement. – Perdition, Abyss, Chasm, Precipice. – Dying, Falling, Decay, Derogation. – Depth.

MQS

Divination, Divination Master Post, Fortune-telling, Geomancy

The Geomancy of Peter of Abano – Book II, Pt. 2

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Here Abano discusses matters relating to the Third House and Fourth House.

Third House

Of whether a messenger brings good news.
If you want to know about a messenger or letter you’ve sent out, and about what effect they will have, and whether the messenger will come back with good news, then the first house is the querent, the third is the messenger or letter. When the first figure is good and the third one is exiting, or at least if it is entering or mixed but good, this is positive.

This is especially the case if the fourth house is conform to the first, and the third to the ninth. If the first or second figure1 moves to the house of the quesited, that is, of the person you send the message or messenger to, this augments the positivity of the message you get in return. The same is true if the first or second figure are conjunct to the house of the quesited or the person. Whether the message comes soon or late is known by whether the figures are mobile and exiting or fixed and entering, and also by the fifteenth and fourth figures.

The figures representing letters or messengers are Albus and Conjunctio. If Rubeus or Puer are in the second, it means airy words2 and talking inappropriately, and rumors or gossip, and discord, unless the message is about war. And if it’s Tristitia or Carcer, it means obstacles and lateness in what you inquire about. The other positive figures have a good meaning.

Which among one’s siblings or relatives will die sooner. 3
The first house is the querent . If it moves to the eighth, or if the eighth moves to the second, it means the querent will die before his siblings, and all the sooner if the figure moves to the angles.4 On the other hand, if the second figure5 were in the eighth or the ninth, and if the eighth were unfortunate, it means the sibling or relative will die sooner, especially if it is also found in the fourteenth or fifteenth. The death is good or bad depending on whether the figure is positive or negative.

If one is loved by their relatives.
Look at the first house, whether it is good or bad, and similarly the third, and if they are conform or not, and in this way you judge whether they love each other. If they are not conform, but if the third is in the second, or the first in the fourth,6 and if the third figure is good, similarly they are friends and love each other. If the first figure is unfortunate and malicious and the third good, the querent doesn’t love the relative, but the relative loves them, and vice versa.

Fourth House

Paternal Inheritance.
If you want to know about paternal inheritance, or from an older relative, or father-in-law, look at the fourth figure, if it moves to the second and if it is fortunate and entering, of fixed, judge that the querent will have what he wishes for, but if it is unfortunate and exiting, it means not obtaining it. Similarly, if the fourth does not move to the second, and if the first does not move to the fifth or eleventh.7 If the first and fourth were contrary to one another, it means not obtaining it, and similarly if the first is unfortunate and the second is contrary to the fourth. If the fourth moves to the seventh or ninth or tenth or twelfth, it means the inheritance goes toward other people, and this according to the properties of the figures, as explained before.

If one is loved by the father or uncle or partner.8
Look if the fourth figure is good and entering and if it is conjunct to the first, that is in the second, or if the first is in the fifth.9 If the first is good and is united to the fourth in the second, it means that affection is reciprocal, and all the more if the fifth or eleventh are conform to the first or the fourth. And if the first or fourth are in the fifth, it means the same, especially if the eleventh is conform to the aforesaid figures. When the first is good and the fourth bad, even if the fourth moves to the fifth, it means that the father or uncle doesn’t love the querent, although the querent loves him. On the other hand, if the fourth is in the second and is good, but the first is bad, it means the querent is well-liked, but the querent doesn’t like him. And even if the two figures are contrary to one another and there is no conjunction between them and there is no mutation of place it has a similar [negative] effect, as it shows lack of affection, and whichever of the figures is more unfortunate shows who is more at fault, and if the first and fourth are both evil, it means one is bad and the other worse.

Whether it’s good to build
If you want to erect a building, look whether the fourth is good, entering and fixed, which means it’s good to build, especially if the tenth figure is conform to the fourth, and the first is good and fortunate. If the fourth is good but not fixed, the building is good but won’t last. If the fourth is mobile and exiting, and the seventh is contrary to it and unfortunate, it means the building will be ruined by an enemy, especially if the twelfth is unfortunate and contrary. And if the tenth is contrary to the fourth, it means ruin through one’s lord. If the fifth is contrary to the fourth, it will be ruined soon. However, note that if the fourth is exiting and the three other angles are fixed, the building will still last, especially if the fifteenth figure is fixed or entering and fortunate.

Whether there will be abundance or a famine.
If the fourth figure is entering and fixed and fortunate, it means the year is abundant and the soil fertile, especially if the figure is earthy, and similarly if the angles are so, and also the fifteenth figure. But if the figure is unfortunate and exiting it means dearth, especially if the figure is fiery, and if the angles and the fifteenth are similar. Furthermore, add up the fourth and fifth,10 and judge if the result is good or bad or mediocre.

If a besieged fortress will be taken.
The first and second figures are attributed to the fortress and those inside, the fourth means the fortress, the seventh and tenth the enemies. If the first and second houses are good, fortunate, entering and better than the seventh and tenth, it means those in the fortress will win. So also if the fourth is fixed and fortunate and earthy, and vice versa if the seventh and tenth are better. Similarly, if the fourth figure goes to the tenth or if it is conjunct to it, it means the enemies will come inside.

And if both are good and benign, they will conquer it peacefully, and if the fourth and tenth are are evil, but the first and second are strong and entering, there will be a battle, and the fortress will be taken by force, especially if the tenth figure is fortunate and powerful in virtue, and if the seventh and tenth are weak and the first and second are fortunate and entering, those in the fortress will win.

And if the third and fourth are fixed and fortunate and entering or earthy, those in the fortress will also win, and vice versa. When the first and the second are evil and unfortunate, and the seventh and tenth are likewise evil, and the fourth is fixed, it means the fortress will be conquered through betrayal.11 And if only the second is exiting and unfortunate and the first and fourth are good and fixed, money will be used [illeggibile] those of the third.

Of buried treasures and hidden things
The fourth means the buried treasure and the hidden thing. If the figure is entering and fixed and fortunate, it means the question is valid, and if the first and fifteenth are conform it means the querent will get the treasure, especially if the fourth is in the second, or any other positive, entering figure is in the second, and vice versa if the figure is exiting and unfortunate and evil, and the first and fifteenth are unfortunate.
And if the treasure or hidden thing is in a house it is shown by the figure in the fourth being fiery,12 and if it is airy it means in the attic, and if it is watery it is below, and if earthy it is buried.

What end the question shall have.
If you want to know what effect any question will have, consider the fourth, if it is good and fixed, or exiting according to the querent’s wish, whether it is good or bad, or unfortunte, and if it is conjunct to the first or to its opposite, and if it is good according to the querent’s intention, and fortunate, it means a good end, especially if the tenth and fifteenth are conform to the querent’s intention, and similarly look at the other angles and see [if the majority of them is good]. If you want to know the cause or means of reaching this end, look at the angles and the second, fifth, eighth and eleventh,13 and the one that is best or worst will cause the greatest good or evil.

MQS

Footnotes
  1. It is not clear why Abano refers to the second figure instead of the third in this passage. If it is not an oversight, then it could be a reference to the Company of Houses. ↩︎
  2. “Parole in aere” ↩︎
  3. This may sound a rather grim topic to ask about, but it was by no means uncommon in Abano’s times. Death was much more frequent and much more in the nose of people than it is today, and therefore something to prepare adequately for. I had a woman once ask me who would die first between her, her sister and her brother. ↩︎
  4. The Angles (First, Tenth, Seventh and Fourth House) were generally considered quick. ↩︎
  5. This reference to the Second House instead of the Third is difficult to explain. ↩︎
  6. Notice, once again, that Abano refers to the First and Second Houses as pertaining to the querent (but not the Twelfth) and the Third and Fourth to the sibling or relative (but not the Second). ↩︎
  7. The Fifth house is the second from the Fourth and thus represents the father’s wealth. The Eleventh house is harder to justify, except that it is considered a lucky house and, on the Geomantic Shield, it falls right underneath the Fifth. ↩︎
  8. “Compagno”. I don’t know what this should imply here, in reference to the Fourth House. ↩︎
  9. Interestingly, Abano refers to the Fifth house here in connection to the father’s or uncle’s love, but not to the third. This cannot be a reference to the Company of Houses, since by that doctrine the Fourth is in company with the Third, not with the Fifth. The Fifth house aspects the First by trine, so maybe that is an explanation. ↩︎
  10. the Fifth house represents wealth derived from the Fourth, including the fruits of the earth. ↩︎
  11. Possibly this is because the Fourth house, being strong, wouldn’t have been conquered without help from the First and Second. ↩︎
  12. Traditionally, in some old Astrology handbooks, fiery signs were symbolic of the walls of a house, because bricks were made with fire. ↩︎
  13. These are the succedent houses. ↩︎
astrology, Divination, Divination Master Post, Fortune-telling

It’s The Economy, Stupid! (Example Reading)

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This is a quick one. My husband comes from a particular family background, and as a consequence of it is often afraid of not being left with enough money despite his hard work (and he is a hard worker). As I said elsewhere, we are moving, and so expenses are popping up left and right, and I’ve noticed a certain anxiety in his eyes. Consequently, I asked the Heavens a bank statement.

My husband’s finances, Horary Astrology reading

Since I didn’t tell my husband I was doing a reading, I am the querent, and he is my husband, and therefore Seventh House ruler, Jupiter. His money is represented by the second house from the Seventh, therefore the radical Eighth House, ruled by Mars.

Jupiter is peregrine in Taurus, and conjunct Caput Algol, a malefic star that, some say, is connected metaphorically to losing one’s head. Furthermore, Jupiter is combust and approaching the Sun. Therefore, my husband is under great stress.

How are his finances? Well, Mars is its sign and face, angular and inside the Seventh House, which represents my husband. So his finances are good, and they remain in his possession. This may sound silly. After all, if they are his money, of course they are his possession. Still, it is comforting to see his money in his house: he retains control over it.

I believe this wonderful Mars testimony shows that, as it were, the fundamentals of his finances are solid, i.e., there is no risk of dejection, poverty, major adversity, etc.

That being said, this does nothing to alleviate his stress. The Moon is cadent, possibly indicating that the economy is going to be slow for a while, and it separates from a positive sextile of Mars, showing a positive financial recent past, and applies to a square of Saturn. Saturn shows restriction. In other words, while there is nothing to fundamentally worry about, the next period isn’t going to be the most prosperous.

I already have a partial outcome for this reading, which was done some weeks ago. As soon as we entered the house, after a couple of days, some household utensils gave up the ghost, including the fridge, and we had to buy new ones. Since Saturn rules the Fifth house, the house’s possessions, I’m wondering if that was what it was referring to, though this is stretching it quite a bit (they are our possessions, not the house’s). Alternatively, Capricorn is the second sign on the Fourth cusp, so Saturn would generally show the house.

MQS

astrology, Cartomancy, Divination, Divination Master Post, Fortune-telling, Geomancy, I Ching / Yi Jing, Occultism and Esoterism, Philosophy, Playing Cards, Spirituality and Psychology, Tarot

Divination vs Fortune-Telling: History of a False Dichotomy

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The founder of BOTA, Paul Foster Case, proudly started his short book “Oracle of the Tarot” with the assertion that Tarot divination is not fortune-telling. The reason, he explains, is that fortune-telling is grounded in the belief in luck, chance or fate, while divination understands that everything is about our personality. The same statement is found at the beginning of the advanced BOTA course on tarot divination (Oracle of Tarot, without the ‘the’). Ann Davies clearly had a hand in rewriting it, considering how verbose the course is, but the substance was similar.

Paul Case was tapping into the spirit of the times when he made that statement. Since Tarot had the (mis)fortune of attracting the attention of XVIII and XIX century occultists, it hasn’t enjoyed a moment of peace: everyone wants to believe it to be not an obvious masterpiece of Renaissance art and Medieval philosophy, but an occult device made to transmit mystical knowledge unknown to most people (even though most people prior to the Enlightenment and the French revolution would have been able to tell you what the Tarot was about).

The same has happened to Astrology. Once a practical art for foretelling the ups and downs of actual life, it became the victim of the occult intelligentsia of the last couple of centuries and was turned into a hodgepodge of pseudomysticism, ill-digested psychoanalytic concepts and “it’s true if you believe it” New Thought crap.1

But this is not the whole story. If one takes the time to study, say, the Golden Dawn system, one quickly finds out that their traditional way of reading the Tarot is grounded in fortune-telling (just read MacGregor Mathers’ example of the Opening of the Key spread). Even the BOTA system, which derives from it, preserves very concrete meanings to be strung together into sentences, despite Ann Davies’ attempt to turn divination into a form of Kabbalistic meditation.

In other words, the occultist attempt at reappropriating the Tarot and Astrology (which in part continues to this day with some bogus theories about the so-called Tarot of Marseille, but more on this in another post) is only partly responsible for the divination/fortune-telling dichotomy. Much of contemporary occultism is grounded in the psychoanalyzation of magic and spirituality, which, in turn, is a defense mechanism against the death of the classical spiritual worldview. Yet, for all its shortcomings, it at least preserves some core tenets of the magical worldview.

But the problem with this is that while it does preseve in some ways the roots of the worldview in which divination can flourish, it has lost the intellectual basis for defending it. Intellectually speaking, even today occultism is largely stuck in the pre-WWII era, with its myths of scientific positivism, of constant historical progress and of magic as misunderstood technology (while I would argue the opposite, namely that technology is misunderstood magic).

Essentially, what has gone lost is the philosophical framework that allows us to keep together divination as spiritual practice and divination as uttering of concrete, verifiable truths.2 That’s largely because spirituality, in the post-XVIII-century Western world, was only allowed to survive as private indulgence in irrational behavior, a weakness to be tolerated.

Thus the split was born: 1) on one hand divination: a ‘serious’, and therefore unverifiable endeavor, a tool for vague self-reflection, cheap catharsis and shallow instagrammable aha moments. In other words, something that the small judgmental scientist constantly perched on most people’s shoulder could smile upon as at least benign, if not really true; 2) on the other hand fortune-telling: a crass or quaint superstition that is just a scam when it gets things wrong and just a coincidence when it gets them right. The little scientist can be free to frown on it. In other words, the distinction was born out of the guilty conscience of “spiritual” people, i.e., out of their subconscious scientism, as a way of telling themselves and society “I indulge in this silliness, but I am just quirky, not stupid.”

The occultists of yore were at least intelligent men and women who actually had something to say. They may have worked in an intellectually hostile environment, but they at least gave it their best shot, and for this they deserve leniency. What happened next is worse: that the already battered art of divination fell into the hands of stoned hippies and people with degrees in the most useless branches of socially acceptable knowledge. Then along came the Liz Greene’s and the Rachel Pollack’s (to make just two examples) who destroyed Astrology and Tarot even further. From then on it could only go in one direction: past life readings, divine feminine, empty motivationalism and strategizing, healing of generational traumas and all the attendant nonsense.3

Interestingly, the more contemporary divination’s fake husk rots, the more one needs to be intellectually dead to practice it, the more it becomes reintegrated in the higher spheres of society. I believe I already talked about a friend of mine who works for Google and has to endure meaningless meetings with tarot readers and astrologers because her boss is the manifestation-obsessed boss babe type. Nor are tarot readers a rarity in corporate America. This probably says something about how brain-damaged this kind of environments is. The nicest thing we can say about this part of society and this strand of divination is that they deserve each other.

MQS

  1. This is not to say that Astrology or divination were unanimously accepted, but the debate was much more complex. ↩︎
  2. This, by the way, is not a call to “go back” to some long lost good old times. I am no reactionary. Nor am I a progressive. I am a realist. ↩︎
  3. By which, of course, I do not mean that there is not a feminine side of the divine, nor that trauma cannot be a real thing. I only mean that these words correspond to nothing but the most vapid pseudointellectual nonsense when coming out of most people’s mouths nowadays. ↩︎
Card Reading, Cartomancy, Divination, Divination Master Post, Fortune-telling, Playing Cards, Spirituality and Psychology

Is He An Atheist? (Card Reading Example)

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Traditional cartomancy, like all traditional divination systems, is full of tips on how to handle spiritual topics. The difference with contemporary psychobabble is that in traditional cartomancy we deal with a spirituality that is rooted in the earth and in everyday life rather than in Mind/Body/Spirit section poppycock. As I often remark, in such systems spirituality is seen as the logical next step for someone who is acquainted with real life, not as a consolation prize for someone who is trying to avoid it.

The querent asked if her boyfriend believes in “a superior being”, by which I assume she meant God (“being” is probably a more reassuring term compared to “bearded guy holding a lightning bolt”). She places great importance on the topic, but he seems to avoid talking about it. This is a playing card reading. In the next days I will also post a Vera Sibilla reading done on a similar question by a different person some time ago.

A♥ – 8♣ – 9♣ – K♥ – 7♣

Seeing this, I asked the querent to draw three more cards to open the reading on the Ace of Hearts, which yielded the 2♠, the 2♣ and the 6♣.

The first thing I noticed was the complete absence of Spades (except in opening the spread, but that’s a very weak Spade). This generally bodes well for spirituality. However, there is also a majority of Clubs, which indicate struggles and difficulties. There is no need to interpret the spread card by card. The spread indicates a slow or difficult relation with the divine. Belief is not denied, but it is rendered heavy, problematic.

The first card is the Ace of Hearts, which can indicate “inner” issues, but because the first card in a spread can also represent the cause of a situation described by the following cards, I ventured to interpret it as issues relating to the home causing the querent’s boyfriend to falter in his faith. The three additional cards with which I opened the spread on the Ace of Hearts reinforced my idea that there must have been a difficult atmosphere at home surrounding the topic.

What about the King of Hearts? Is it the dad? Well, no. Traditionally, in spiritual readings the King of Hearts is God himself (just like in the Sibilla): he is the lord (King) of your inner life (Hearts). Surrounded by all those Clubs, the God-side of the boyfriend’s life suffers, is stifled. Yet it is there, since the King of Hearts comes up and is not surrounded by Spades.

I asked the querent to give another three cards to open the spread on the King of Hearts. These were the 10♠, the 4♣ and the 10♥. At night (Ten of Spades) he speaks (Four of Clubs) spiritually/finding consolation (Ten of Hearts). He prays to God at night.

MQS

Divination, Divination Master Post, Fortune-telling, Geomancy

The Geomancy of Peter of Abano – Book II Pt. 1

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Abano discusses matters related to the First House. and Second House

Having shown in the first book how one may know and judge (questions), we must now show some practical examples of this science according to the twelve houses of the chart, so that everyone may more easily understand what they wish to know. And this always according to the above described rule of giving the first house to the querent and the appropriate one to the quesited.

First House

Of the life of the man or woman.1
Having made the chart and the fifteenth figure, and wanting to know one’s fortune or misfortune,2 consider the figure in the first house and, depending on its meaning and the virtue of the planet ruling this figure, judge whether it is good or bad.

And if you want further clues, look whether the figure moves toward one of the angles or in more than one of them.3 And the life is all the more long and better and fortunate depending on how good the angle is, as said before.4 And if the figure doesn’t move, but it is still good and fortunate, it means one still has a long time to live, but is lonely.5 And if it moves to the second, it causes gain through one’s industriousness and solicitude. And if it moves to the third, it means getting along with younger relatives and siblings, and if to the fourth, it indicates increase of patrimony and wealth of the father or of the older relatives.

If to the fifth, it means happiness through children, and usefulness, but if to the sixth, misfortune, tragedy, accidents, but also other people’s service (to the querent), depending on whether the figure is fortunate or not. If it moves to the seventh, it means good things from the wife or girlfriend, and good deals, or gain through war or gambling, and maybe in a foreign country, depending on the quality and condition of the figure. If it moves to the eighth, the life is short, unless one is a butcher or deals in dead animals, that is, skin, wool, or if one is a loan shark.6

If it moves to the ninth, it means much journeying, and being a knight or a wayfarer or a churchman, and the person’s luck is better if the figure is good. If it moves to the tenth, it means honors and public office and receiving dignity from people up high, or through them, depending as the figure is fortunate or not. If it moves to the eleventh, it shows good luck with friends and from people who are noble or from the Roman Curia. If it moves to the twelfth, the person will meet his end in prison, or through long infirmity, or it shows being kidnapped or being in a remote place like some religious people do.

If the figure shows up as a Witness or as the Judge, the person’s fortune depends on how good the figure is. And what we have said of the first figure, whether it is good, mediocre or bad depends on its nature.

Second House

Of wealth, possessions and gain.
If you want to know about merchandise, one must judge the first house, whether it is good or bad, and then the second, depending on its virtue, and judge thus: if it contains one figure among Acquisitio, Major, Conjunctio, Caput and Albus, it means that gain will come from things that are easily movable from place to place, or from things that change, or that are sold by approximation (that is, without carefully weighing them).

If it were Puer it signifies gain through things sold after careful weighing. If it were Puella, it means gain through things that are easily obtained. If it were Rubeus, it means in things that cause fire or that have to do with blood. If it were Amissio, Cauda or Via, it shows little gain, and if it were Tristitia or Carcer, it means ups and downs of fortune or possessions. And if it is Laetitia or Minor, it means being able to keep one’s possessions. If it is Populus, then it depends on how good the first figure is, however by its own nature it means abundance.
Note that every entering figure indicates gain or buying, and exiting indicates loss or selling.7

Whether one will retrieve the lost possession.
If the question is about lost items, or stolen items, and we want to know whether we will get them back, look at the first figure, whether it is good or not, and then the second, and if they are entering or exiting. Afterwards, if you are looking for the thing, look at the tenth figure, if it is entering and good it means retrieval of the lost thing, especially if the same figure is in the second, or if here is another figure that is entering.8 Also look at the eleventh and the fifteenth. If instead the figures are exiting or bad, it means the opposite.

If you are looking for a stolen item, look at the seventh house, if it is entering and fortunate, and if it moves to the second or first house, which means retrieval.9 Similarly in the tenth, eleventh of fifteenth. And if the seventh [figure] is in the third, it means that the lost or stolen item is in the house of a sibling or relatives; if in the fourth, in or around the house of the father or of the older relatives, or near the house or place were it was originally. If it is in the fifth or sixth or eighth it means it is far away. If it is entering, however, you still will get it back.

If one will get back the money they lent to someone else.
The first figure is he who must receive back the money, the second is the thing that he wants to get back, and the seventh is the borrower. If the first and second figure, or at least one of them (especially the second) are entering, and if the seventh is exiting, it means getting it all back easily. Similarly, if the second and seventh are the same, that is, entering. But if they aren’t, it means the opposite.

MQS

Footnotes
  1. The First House was often called “Life, Body and Wit/Talent” ↩︎
  2. This type of question may sound vague nowadays, but it must have been common in the premodern era, as Astrology and Geomancy handbooks are full of tips on how to handle it. This was especially true at a time when one couldn’t just arrange an online meeting with the diviner and when one’s time of birth was unknown, so that one may have looked at other possible alternatives to know about their general fortune in life that didn’t involve the birth chart. ↩︎
  3. the angles, i.e., the First, Tenth, Seventh and Fourth houses, are considered strong and highly performant, so they endow the figure with strength. ↩︎
  4. I am not sure what Abano means here. The angles are traditionally arranged as stronger (First and Tenth) and weaker (Seventh and Fourth) though all are generally strong. He may be referring to this. Or he may be referring to the practice of assigning the angles to the four phases of life, so that maybe a good figure passing, say, in the Seventh, shows good midlife. ↩︎
  5. Probably because he remains by himself. ↩︎
  6. Because the eighth represents other people’s money (being the second from the seventh). ↩︎
  7. “Every entering figure” probably implies “to the exception of Tristitia”. ↩︎
  8. It is not clear why Abano mentions the Tenth House. It is possible that this is because the Tenth House opposes the Fourth House of buried and invisible things, and thus shows visibility and coming to light. ↩︎
  9. Abano does not seem to count the Twelfth house as being next to the First. He is not the only authority to do so. Possibly this has to do with the doctrine of the Company of Houses, or simply with the fact that, on the Geomantic Shield, the First and Twelfth houses are visually distant. ↩︎
Card Meanings, Cartomancy, Divination, Divination Master Post, Fortune-telling, Occultism and Esoterism, Tarot

Tarot Encyclopedia – Index

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Back to the Tarot Index

This is intended as a collection of meanings attributed by some sources to the Major Arcana and Minor Arcana of the Tarot. I will add sources as I study them. If you have sources to recommend, hit me up.

If you are interested in a (partial) list of the meanings I attribute to the Major arcana in my reading examples and case studies, click here.

Court Cards

Kings – Wands, Cups, Swords, Coins/Pentacles
Queens – Wands, Cups, Swords, Coins/Pentacles
Knights – Wands, Cups, Swords, Coins/Pentacles
Pages – Wands, Cups, Swords, Coins/Pentacles

Small Cards

Aces – Wands, Cups, Swords, Coins/Pentacles
Twos – Wands, Cups, Swords, Coins/Pentacles
Threes – Wands, Cups, Swords,Coins/Pentacles
Fours – Wands, Cups, Swords, Coins/Pentacles
Fives – Wands, Cups, Swords,Coins/Pentacles
Sixes – Wands, Cups, Swords, Coins/Pentacles
Sevens – Wands, Cups, Swords, Coins/Pentacles
Eights – Wands, Cups, Swords, Coins/Pentacles
Nines – Wands, Cups, Swords, Coins/Pentacles
Tens – Wands, Cups, Swords, Coins/Pentacles

MQS

Divination, Divination Master Post, Fortune-telling, Geomancy

The Geomancy of Peter of Abano – Book I Pt. 6

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Abano explains how to judge the figures in the houses.

Furthermore you must know that when the question is asked by a person, it is not always the case that the first house goes to the questioner, according to the universal rule, but there are eight cases of people who have a special house assigned, and one must judge the question according to said houses. These are the Pope and cardinals, a prelate, the Emperor or King, a great Lord, an absent party, a bandit or thief, a servant, one who’s been chased off the home and an imprisoned thief. These you must judge according to the house that is assigned to them.1

Similarly you ought to know that those figures that are called entering are better than those called exiting, except Tristitia, which is unfortunate, and they have great positive power against the opposite figures, if they happen to fall in good houses depending on the question asked. All exiting figures are weak and don’t promise much good, except when one wants things to happen quickly. However, they are strong in evil things and when one wishes for evil things. Entering figures are those who have more points in the upper half than in the lower half, and exiting figures have more points in the lower half than in the upper half.

And if in a chart you find an entering, fortunate figure in a good house, but the opposite, exiting figure is in a bad house, the entering figure is said accidentally exiting and unfortunate. For instance, suppose that Acquisitio is in the First and Amissio in the Second. If this is the case, Acquisitio is said to be exiting and unfortunate, but only accidentally. And if it’s the opposite, i.e., Amissio in the First and Acquisitio in the Second, we have the opposite case. In the same way you must understand every other figure with respect to its opposite.2

Similarly, every exiting, unfortunate figure is strong in evil things, and every entering figure is weak against evil, except when one seeks things to be firm and late, although Laetitia, though exiting, is good and fortunate.

One must also in every chart and question see what is the first figure and that of the quesited, i.e., what qualities they possess, e.g., fiery, airy, earthy or watery, cold or hot, wet or dry, and what’s the planet of each. And according to their conformity (to one another) or their difference, so one may judge them together with the other figures depending on which is better and has the better planet, always keeping in mind the question and the querent’s desire. And every time that a figure opposite to that of the first house falls in that of the quesited, it couldn’t get any worse.3 And this same effect have Populus and Via, although both are figures of the Moon, and Minor and Major, although both are figures of the Sun.4

Additionally, one must keep in mind, in every figure and question, the geomantic figures that are assigned to each side, and see which is better and which is worse, and thus judge. The figures of the first side, i.e., of the querent, are the first, second, third, fourth, ninth, tenth and thirteenth. Those of the second side, that is, of the quesited, are the fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, eleventh, twelfth and fourteenth. If the two parts were equally good or bad, judge by the fifteenth figure, and according to the comformity of the four angles.5

And if in any question a geomantic figure that is appropriate to that question falls in the house of the quesited, this is excellent, and if the opposite happens, this must also be judged. For instance, if the question is about travel and and Via falls in the third house it means well, and good journey. If the question is about gain and Acquisitio falls in the second it means good things and usefulness, but if it were the opposite [that is, Amissio in the second] it means the opposite. The reason for this is that the third and ninth house have, among their attributions, journeys and roads and mobility; and the second house is a good place for Acquisitio, which means gain and usefulness; and if there were a geomantic figure which means damage of delay, it means these two things. As such, we call opposite figures those whose fortune is the opposite one of the other, that is, Amissio/Acquisitio or Albus/Rubeus, and so on. And so also Via and Populus, both being mobile, but Via is quicker and good for travel by road, while Populus is slower and bodes well for travel by water.

The example we have discussed can be applied to any other question, looking for appropriate figures and houses in the way we have explained. In the example of a question of gain, if there was Amissio [in the second], it signifies what its name promises, i.e., damage and loss, and whenever you seek to obtain anything or if you ask about an absent party or a messenger or any other similar issue, and if Laetitia was in the second house, or in the house of the quesited, it means happiness and pleasure, and the obtaining of what one wishes, and good outcome. But if there was Tristitia it means the opposite, because Tristitia means problems, except in earthy and fixed things that don’t move, and these (negative) effects will be so much the more true when in the second house (or in the house of the quesited) we find this figure, or a similar figure.

End of the first book.

MQS

Footnotes
  1. There seems to have been considerable debate in the Middle Ages concerning whether the querent in horary questions was always represented by the First House or if certain people, such as kings or priests, ought to be considered according to their particular house (for instance, kings from the Tenth, priests from the Ninth). I advise against Abano’s practice. The querent is the querent, and as such is the First House. If the querent asks about the king, then the house of the quesited is the Tenth. Besides, but if the king asks about something, he is represented by the Ascendant, Abano does not explain how an absent party might ask a question without ceasing to be absent. ↩︎
  2. This passage is exceedingly obscure. It is not clear how we are supposed to distinguish good from bad houses. The second house may have been considered bad by some Hellenistic astrology due to the fact that it doesn’t behold the ascendant, but I am wondering if what Abano is referring to here is the company of houses. Alternatively, it seems that whenever a bad figure is in a bad house and said figure is the opposite of a the good one, then the bad hurts the good even if there is no contact between them. Abano says that the opposite is also true, but this seems to lead to a regressus ad infinitum. ↩︎
  3. I believe Abano is referring, as before, to figures that are the opposite in terms of points, such as Acquisitio and Amissio. However, later Abano says opposite figures are opposite in terms of fortune. ↩︎
  4. I do not understand this. Does this mean that it is bad if the said figures are in the house of the quesited? This seems hardly likely. ↩︎
  5. This passage is very interesting, as it shows the geomantic shield to be a sort of soccer field with two contenders. However, it is hard to reconcile what Abano says here with what he said before, for instance that it is better to have the fourteenth figure good than the thirteenth, because the former signifies the future. That being said, a certain digree of ambiguity about this issue is to be found in most texts on Geomancy. ↩︎
Divination, Divination Master Post, Fortune-telling, Geomancy

The Geomancy of Peter of Abano – Book I Pt. 5

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Here Abano describes the meaning and function of the Geomantic Court.

In order to have better cognition of all that one wishes to know, one must consider the thirteenth and fourteenth figure, which are called the Witnesses, because they unveil many secrets, depending on the good or evil nature of the figures they contain. And one must also consider the fifteenth figure, called the Judge, which shows the end of the matter for good or ill, together with the figure in the fourth house.1

The thirteenth figure signifies the past, but also the present, depending on the question, while the fourteenth the future.2 When the thirteenth and fourteenth figures are good, it means the question asked is positively answered, especially if the Judge is also good, but when the thirteenth figure is evil and the fourteenth good there is some trouble, and if the thirteenth is good and the fourteenth evil, then the question has a negative answer, especially if the Judge is evil. 3

If both Witnesses are evil and the Judge good, one must refer to the fourth house and judge from it what shall come to pass. Similarly, if the Right Witness is good and the Judge evil, one must look at the fourth to consider whether the matter will end in joy or sorrow.

If, after all this, there were still doubts, take the fifteenth and the first figures and add them to create another figure, and judge depending on the nature of this figure. And if this figure happens to fall in any of the houses, good or evil will come from a person or thing signified by that house. This sixteenth figure is called the Judge of the Judge [Sopraiudice].

Furthermore, this sixteenth figure is produced also from the Judge and from the figure in the house of the quesited, according to the properties of the houses as described before, and according as said figure is conform or not conform to the fifteenth or sixteenth figure, so one judges the chart of the question.4 And when they are good, all the better, and when they are bad, all the worse. And when they contradict each other it is also somewhat bad. But when they are in everything opposed to the fifteenth and sixteenth, the chart is null and void, and the chart is called anomalous, without order or rule. 5

MQS

Footnotes
  1. Here Abano seems to put the Judge and the Fourth house on the same plane. ↩︎
  2. This idea seems to stem from astrology, where the Moon’s previous aspect indicates the present or the past, and the one she makes immediately after shows the future. ↩︎
  3. The way Abano describes the interrelation of the Witnesses with the Judge almost seems to make the Witnesses more important than the Judge. ↩︎
  4. This additional technique begs a couple of questions. First off, why does Abano call both figures ‘the sixteenth figure’? Are they on the same plane? Secondly, is this technique always employed whenever the traditional Judge of the Judge (from the Judge and the First Mother) is used? ↩︎
  5. In other words, this seems to have been taken as a sign that the chart didn’t answer the question. Personally, I am skeptical of this technique. It is my experience that charts are always radical, whether they are astrological charts or geomantic shields. They always answer, or at the very least they are always meaningful. Clearly, if we keep making up new figures, the chances of them contradicting each other increase accordingly. But contradiction is not a sign that a chart is not valid: only that it mirrors a complex, contradictory reality. Maybe I am wrong. ↩︎