Name of the Figure: Rubeus (Red)
Element: Fire
Planet: Mars (retrograde)
Sign: Gemini
Quality: Exiting
Fortune: Bad

Rubeus is so infamous that sometimes even those who know nothing of Geomancy have heard of it. The common instruction that has been passed down to us from our medieval forebears is that if Rubeus occupies the First Mother, then we ought to “break the figure” and start anew, possibly after waiting some time. But then again, this should also be true for Cauda Draconis and, if I don’t misremember, according to some even for Populus, meaning that you basically never get to do divination if you follow these rules. The general idea is that, since the first figure represents the querent, and Rubeus represents danger, you don’t want a dangerous querent. However, this is a rather limiting view.

Rubeus is the only figure with only the Air line “active”, if we buy into the “one point = active” theory. Air was traditionally seen in many premodern European accounts as the middleman between Fire and Water, due to sharing Fire’s heat and Water’s moisture. However, exactly because it is the middleman, Air requires direction from outside of itself. But here Air is left to its own devices, so what it does is expand chaotically. This also justifies the attribution to Mars, which is an excessive planet. Symbolically, the figure represents an uptruned chalice or goblet.

Note that heat represents the ability to shape things, while moisture is the ability to receive shape. Therefore, pure Air in Rubeus represents its receiving every impulse and acting immediately on it. This is pretty much the gist of Rubeus: it represents chaos, disorder, lack of restraint. Rubeus is a figure mad with passion, leading a sinful life, running after whatever catches its fancy without a second’s hesitation. It represents people you should not trust, who are either unwell or unhinged. Sometimes, they are simply unable to see the full picture because their mind is clouded.

Rubeus is traditionally described as “good in all things bad” which is quite the statement. If you want to take away someone’s spouse, Rubeus is good. If you want to experiment with drugs, Rubeus is good. If you want to steal, murder, pirate, attack, cause suffering, Rubeus is good. Good means you’ll be able to do it, it doesn’t mean the outcome will be pleasing.

Common Keywords: Excess, Lying, Deceit, Lack of guidance, Lack of principles, Great confusion, Sin, Mad passion, Blood, Imbalance, Chaos, Loss, Danger, Evil, Devilry, Black magic, Untrustworthy

Rubeus in the Geomantic Houses (these are only examples. Use context to guide your interpretation)

House	Possible Meanings
First	Person is evil, want to do something evil, their mind is clouded, they can’t see straight (traditionally, an invitation to abandon the divination)
Second	Loss, Wasteful behavior, Mismanagement, Not getting money
Third	Neighborhood fights, Neighborhood riots, Fights with siblings, Bad news, False rumors, Gossip
Fourth	Angry father, Dangerous father, Suffering father, Loss of inheritance
Fifth	Sex outside of marriage, secret affairs, Dangerous pastimes, Bad kids, Loss of pregnancy
Sixth	Illnesses of the blood, loss of blood, bloodletting, Bad servants, Slaughtering small animals
Seventh	Thieves, untrustworthy individuals, Won’t marry, Dangerous marriage or partnership proposal
Eighth	Loss through other people’s money, bleeding out, Fear, Danger
Ninth	Cults, Dark doctrines, False doctrines, False books, Untrustworthy teachers
Tenth	Loss of employment, Anarchy, Danger through superiors
Eleventh	Dangerous friends, Illusions, Loss of government assistance
Twelfth	Black magic, Dangerous enemies, Sickness of large animals, slaughterings, Prison, Crime
Thirteenth	Querent is coming from a difficult period, Questionable past, The querent is unscrupulous enough to go after anything
Fourteenth	Danger through getting what you want, Great obstacles, Future problems, Future debauchery, Querent acts without thinking
Fifteenth	Rubeus cannot be Judge

MQS