Category Archives: Geomancy

astrology, Cartomancy, Divination, Divination Master Post, Fortune-telling, Geomancy, I Ching / Yi Jing, Playing Cards, Tarot, Vera Sibilla

On Readings Without Question

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The following is an attempt at reorganizing some old notes I have taken on the subject of divinations without a specific question, adding to them some new insights,

Divination Without Questions Is Possible (With Exceptions)

There is a relatively well-known tarot reader who says that a reading without a question is basically two people talking over a bunch of colored cardboards.

This is not true. It was customary, among old-time fortune-tellers, to have the querent sit in front of them and never have them speak anything that wasn’t their name at the beginning of the consultation. I know for a fact that this is a tradition in the Italian countryside, and I believe it is the case all over the world as soon as one leaves the hipster pseudointellectual tarot community bubble and seeks the real deal.

Let’s leave aside the fact that, technically speaking, there is always a question. Even if the querent sits with their arms crossed in front of you waiting to be astounded, the implicit question is “What’s going on in my life, now and in the near future?”

Times change, and sensibilities change with the times. Many querents nowadays wish to take a more active part in the reading. Furthermore, readings without a question are obviously more difficult, and the modern diviner who doesn’t have time to waste is certainly happy to get more cooperation. I know I do. But this doesn’t mean that a reading without a question isn’t possible.

There are exceptions to this, of course. Some oracles do require a question. Horary Astrology, for instance, usually needs one, and the more specific and focused it is, the better. True, some old authorities give rules for judging “Universal Questions“, but these universal questions were asked back when many people didn’t know their birth time and often had to travel for days to see the astrologer for probably the one and only time in their life, so instead they asked the astrologer to tell them about their future in general in more than one sector of life.

Confronted with the impossibility of looking at the person’s birth chart, the astrologer erected a horary chart for the time the consultation took place, a moment that was probably significant, since the querent had gone to great trouble to visit him. Today, the astrologer is one Zoom call away, so this hardly justifies vague Horary questions.

The peculiarity that makes Horary more sensitive than other oracles is that there is no manipulation of physical counters involved: you don’t reshuffle the planets whenever the querent’s whim settles on a new fancy. Therefore, the question put to the heavens must be meaningful and at least relatively important to the person asking it. In a way, this limitation of Horary is due to Astrology’s nobility, seeking as it does answers from the heavens themselves.

Cartomancy is not noble. It spreaded like wildfire among the lower classes exactly because you didn’t need to have studied trigonometry in order to deal out a spread. Cartomancy is therefore as sturdy as the beasts of burden that the lower classes used in the fields. Like all beasts of burden, of course, cartomancy too has its limits: you can ask random questions (“Tell me about my life. Now tell me about my sweatheart. Now tell me about my job. Now about my neighbor”) but if you abuse it, it collapses to the ground exhausted.

But the fact remains that cartomancy (and tarot reading is a form of cartomancy) is a trusty, resistant beast.

Vague Questions Don’t Necessarily Yield Vague Answers

Another common myth is that if one asks a general question the reader is entitled to give them a general answer. Even worse, some readers say that, in the absence of a question, they can read “the general energies surrounding your life.” The problem is that there is no such thing as a (meaningful) general answer. “Tell me about myself.” Well, you seem to be a featherless biped with one heart, two lungs, etc.

The thing is that when the cards have been shuffled and dealt, they always tell a specific story. Sometimes this story is not what the querent secretly wishes us to talk about, but that’s not our fault–we are merely reading what’s there. Furthermore, we as readers may sometimes not be able to decipher the story in the cards, but it’s there. We may, as a result of our confusion, try to string together the cards in a looser way than usual (“There seems to be a woman next to you whom you love dearly and is going through a rough patch in life. It could be health-related, but I may be wrong. Can you help me with this?”). The cards, however, are always specific, never vague.

As a matter of fact, our life is never vague. It is always made up of details. These details may be mundane, but they are specific. In our life there is never “the general energy of the moment”. You don’t go the supermarket and find the general energy of the moment on sale. There is no such thing.

There is the coffee I’m brewing, the floor I’m sweeping, the feeling of dread I’ve been struggling with for some months, the mom I just talked to on the phone, etc. And the mom I talked to is my mom, not a general mom floating in the world of Platonic ideas. No energy. No universals. Universals are always embodied in our limited existence. I don’t talk to “momness in itself”. I talk to my mom. Therefore, the fact that our querent asks us a general question cannot embolden us to give a general answer, though it CAN justify us in being more cautious and loose in the interpretation.

Again, if we don’t have a specific question, it may be harder to interpret the cards, especially because certain cards together may appear to be open to more than one interpretation if we don’t have enough context.

And here we come to an important point. Some diviners think they need to be able to awe the querent with incredible details without missing a beat and think they should never ask them for clarification. I say that the querent exists in order to be tortured until every last bit of useful information that I need in order to interpret his damn spread has been wrung out of his writhing body, because at the end of the day it’s him who wants to know about his future, not I.

This authoritarianism is all the more justified in case of a general question. I am not going to talk for ten minutes straight without catching my breath only to be told “no that’s not me.” I’d much rather proceed cautiously and ask the querent for clarification step by step (and, if nothing makes sense, start anew).

BUT, the point remains that when we lay out the cards, the cards are going to talk about specific situations in the querent’s past, present or future. They are not going to give us “the general energy”.

MQS

Divination, Divination Master Post, Fortune-telling, Geomancy

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

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Here Abano discusses matters relating to the Ninth House and Tenth House.

Ninth House

If one shall have ecclesiastic preferment or benefit through the church.
If the first and ninth figures are entering and fortunate it means good luck in these matters, especially if the first moves to the tenth or the ninth in the second, and even more if the fifteenth is lucky and good. Judge the opposite if they aren’t.

What kind of fame one shall receive from one’s deed.1
If the first and ninth figure are good and fortunate, and also the Judge agrees, it shows honor and good fame, but if not it shows the opposite. If they are Puella or Amissio it means due to women or young people, and if Tristitia or Carcer due to evil, bestial lawless men, and if Rubeus or Puer due to bloodletting or things to do with fire, and if Cauda or Conjunctio due to theft or other lawless things; but if the figures are good, and if they are Albus and Conjunctio, it means through science and the arts; and if Acquisitio or Laetitia it will be through living a good life, accompanied by good people; and if Caput or Major through great lords or through prelates and noblemen; if Populus or Via through common folks.2

On long joureys and relocations.
Consider the first if the travel is by water or earth. If the joruney is by water and the first, ninth and tenth are good and watery or airy, it means good journey; especially if the fifteenth agrees. If it’s Tristitia, Rubeus or Carcer it shows accidents, and if Carcer is in the third it can also indicate one doesn’t complete the journey and will return with delay. If the journey is by land and the figures are good, fortunate, entering or exiting but good, it shows good journey, and with Minor in the eleventh it shows delays, and if Carcer is in the third, the person shall not complete the journey.3

If one shall have good fortune or not through travel.
The first is the traveler, the ninth is the journey, the seventh the need he has to journey and the place where he goes, and the tenth is the person to whom he travels. If these figures are good it shows everything goes well and with ease, but if the first is unfortunate it shows accidents or trouble during the journey, and depending on whether the other houses are good or bad, judge about the accident.

And if the first moves to the sixth, he shall fall ill, and you can judge the type of illness by the figure. Ad if the first and seventh are unlucky it shows harm and trouble. If the first, second, third, fourth, ninth and tenth are unfortunate, it shows illness and death and being killed.4 If Tristitia and Rubeus are in the eighth and tenth it shows drowning and loss of wealth, and if the other houses are unfortunate but the eighth good and fortunate, it shows the querent shall go adrift at sea and will lose his wealth, but will survive.

If the first four are fortunate and entering and also the ninth and tenth, it shows good journey, especially if the Judge agrees, but if the said houses are good, but the Judge evil, it means good at the beginning, but bad ending, and if the said houses are a mixed bag and the Judge good, it means various troubles with a happy ending. Always judge based on whether the figures are good or bad, and similarly depending on the meaning of the houses, and according to the querent’s intention.

Tenth House

Of abundance and dearth.5
If you want to know whether the year will be abundant or not, look at the first, tenth and eleventh.6 If the figures are earthy and good it means abundance. If they are fiery it shows dearth. If Airy, also dearth, but less. If Watery, it’s mediocre. Always consider the Judge, the fourth and the Witnesses. If you want to know the time of the year when there will be more dearth, i.e., at the beginning or at the end, judge by the first and fourth figures, and if the first is good and the fourth bad or worse than the first, it shows the end is worse than the beginning, and vice versa. Likewise one can judge the month of May,7 by giving the first to the beginning and the fourth to the end (of the month.) If you want to know what kind of plant will be abundant or will be lacking, look at the figures. Acquisitio, Puer or Laetitia show wheat. Populus or Via show small grains. Carcer and Tristitia indicate chestnuts and fava beans. The other figures are middling.

If it shall rain.
You must observe the same rules as above, and note that Watery figures portend rain, and the other figures depend on their particular signification. Keep in mind, though, that Tristitia indicates precipitations.8 And if you want to know when, look at the first and fourth, as discussed above, and also look at the Judge, and note also whether the first four figures are Watery.

To know what kind of occupation is more useful (to the querent)
Look at the tenth figure and compare it to the first, and judge their virtue and conformity, and depending on the properties and virtues of the planets. Also note whether the second and the Judge agree, but if they are contrary to one another, look at the proportion of the greater part.9

If one shall obtain a fief or lordship.10
If the first and tenth are entering and fortunate and fixed, and if they are the same figure or are conjunct, it means obtaining what one desires, especially if the Judge is Conjunctio, except if the first goes to the eighth or twelfth, or if the figures are exiting and unfortunate, for this means contrarieties. It’s especially bad if the eleventh is unfortunate, or the Judge and Witnesses. And if the figure leaves you doubtful, add up the first and tenth, and judge by what it shows.

What fortune one shall have in one’s fief.
If you want to know this, look at the tenth figure, and in what house it moves, and judge accordingly, especially if the Judge agrees with the tenth. If it moves to the second, it increases wealth peacefully, but if it is in the twelfth he shall obtain money through avarice, and the people will be inimical to him, and may be despoiled or assassinated by his officials.

If it is in the third, he shall be loved by the people for his justice and good work. If it moves to the fourth, he improves his position and patrimony with great honor. If to the fifth, he shall be glad with many children, and will be loved and honored by neighbors with messengers, gifts and friendship. If it moves to the sixth, he shall be loved by his servants and family, but may fall sick or maybe be poisoned.

If to the seventh, he shall be cruel to his people, and much hated,11 and his enemies shall wage war against him, and he shall be lascivious.12 If it moves to the eighth, he shall be a vile man, shy and fearful, and the people will rise against him. If the ninth, he shall travel a lot and with great honor, and his status shall increase. If the tenth is in the first and fourth houses, it means a terrible man, who shall subjugate other lords to himself, and be truthful and just, and if it moves to the eleventh, he shall have glory through his army, and be feared by his men, but if in the twelfth it shows ruin, disobedience of one’s subordinates, and if also to the eighth, he shall be killed or at least chased away, and if together with the eleventh, betrayed by his subjects or family or advisers.13

MQS

Footnotes
  1. This section is interesting because usually we would judge fame from the Tenth House, not the Ninth. ↩︎
  2. This section is not altogether clear, as it is not always easy to see when Abano means fame and when infamy. ↩︎
  3. The Third House shows shorter journeys, so maybe Carcer in the Third indicates the shortening of the journey. Nowadays, it is conceivable that a journey by air would be indicated by an airy figure. ↩︎
  4. The First, Second, Third, Fourth, Tenth and Eleventh are the houses on the querent’s side of the Geomantic Shield. ↩︎
  5. The Medium Coeli or Midheaven is the point where the Sun peaks during the day, and as such is related to the ideas of “high” or “up above” and therefore to the sky and to the weather. ↩︎
  6. The Eleventh House is broadly considered positive, and it is called the Good Demon, possibly indicating a gift from the Heavens. ↩︎
  7. I don’t understand why Abano is refering to the month of May, unless it has to do with agriculture. ↩︎
  8. Possibly because it points downward, or because it shows a ‘sad’ weather. ↩︎
  9. “Et quando fussino contrarie vedi la proportione della maggior parte”. This sentence is unclear, unless Abano is perhaps merely refering to judging by the most numerous testimony/figure in the chart. ↩︎
  10. These rules may just as easily be applied today to discuss questions about promotion or trophies. ↩︎
  11. Likely because the Seventh House opposes the Ascendant, which in Mundane Astrology represents the people of the country. ↩︎
  12. Because the Seventh is the house of women. ↩︎
  13. This whole section may seem useless today, but with a little fantasy it may be applied, for instance, to how a new superintendant or boss will be with the people under him. ↩︎
Divination, Divination Master Post, Fortune-telling, Geomancy

The Geomancy of Peter of Abano – Book II Pt. 4

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Here Abano discusses matters relating to the Seventh House and Eighth House.

Seventh House

Of marriage
The first and second house are for the man, the seventh and eighth for the woman.1 The first signifies the person, the second his wealth, the eighth the wife’s dowry. If these figures are good they show a positive outcome. If the third figure is conform to the first and seventh, the marriage is mediated by messenger [intermediary],2 especially if the eleventh is conform to the third. If the fourth is conform to the first and seventh, it means the marriage is arranged by one’s relatives, especially if the fifteenth figure confirms it. If the second house is bad it means the husband’s (lack of) wealth is a problem, and so judge for the wife if the eighth is unfortunate. Similarly, if the first or seventh are bad, either the husband or the wife cause problems, and if the third, the mediator, and if the fourth, the family. If the first or seventh are unfortunate and move to the sixth, it shows that the marriage won’t happen due to sickness or because one of the two has a physical defect.3

If the spouse shall be chaste and honest4
Look at the first and sixth, seventh, eighth, fourth and twelfth. If you find good figures, it shows the spouse to be chaste and honest, especially if the figures move to other houses. But if the figures are evil, it shows the contrary, especially if they move to other houses, especially if Populus is born from those houses. If Puer is in the sixth and seventh, it shows the wife to be cheating with a young(er) man, and if it is in the seventh and eighth, it means it’s common knowledge.5 If in these places you find Rubeus, and if it moved as we have said above, it means the same, and similarly if in those houses you find Rubeus and Tristitia or Puer and Laetitia. And again, the more you find Populus in the whole figure, all the more dishonest the spouse is shown to be. But if the you find that the figures add up to Carcer, it shows honesty and reserve, and if the above mentioned figures cause Tristitia in the twelfth it means dishonesty with a family member or with a vile person, or with an almost beast-like man. And if Puer or Rubeus were formed in the twelfth, it means dishonesty with young men or with strangers, especially if they are conform to the thirteenth, fourteenth and fifteenth.

If the querent shall have (the love of) the lover or girlfriend
If the first and seventh are fortunate and entering, benign and conform one to the other, it shows obtaining what he wants. If the first moves to the eighth or sixth, it means he will need to insist a little, but if the seventh moves to the second she will insist with him, but the mutation still shows a positive answer.6

Of partnerships and similar affairs
If the first, second, fifth, seventh and eleventh figures are good, fortunate, fixed, it shows the partnership is good, especially if the second and seventh are the same figure. If the figures are fixed and fortunate it will last, but if not it shows they won’t. If you want to know who will cause problems, look at which side of the chart hosts more signs of instability and ill will, and judge in the same way as with marriage.

If one’s enemy will cause one offense
If the seventh is fortunate and positive it means the enmity is of small moment, unless the enemy is a woman, because it still means ill will toward the enemy.7 But if the seventh is unfortunagte and strong and malicious, it means a great and powerful enmity, especially if the twelfth is equally evil. Look also at the fifteenth, and which planets are more fortunate, whether in the first or seventh, and in the other angles, whom they conform to. And if the first and seventh are good, fortunate, entering and the seventh conjuncts the first, or vice versa, it shows reconciliation and peace. If the figure that conjunct the other also moves to another place, it means that the reconciliation will happen through the persons signified by those houses. Always consider the fifteenth and the Witnesses. If there is no conjunction and no translation, but only conformity of the first and seventh, look at the Judge, whether it is also found in another house (of the first twelve), and the more you find it, the more the two parties shall make peace.

Whether there will be war or peace
Assign the first house to one side and the seventh to the other, and look on whose side there are more fortunate figures, and look whether the figures that signify war are in the seventh or the first, or if the figures are fortunate, entering and good. If the figures are good, there is no war, but if they are malicious and fortunate in war, they mean war from the side where they are, and it will be as bad as the figures are, and the side will win that holds the more fortunate figures. Rubeus, Tristitia, Puer, Conjunctio are fortunate in war. Carcer, Amissio, Laetitia are unfortunate in war. If Popoulus or Conjunctio are in the sixth, seventh, eighth or twelfth it means death and great loss of blood, and fleeing, and great cruelty.8 If in those places you find Rubeus and Carcer is in the eighth it means death, prison, fires and flames, and if in the seventh and eighth you find Puer it shows great victory, but always look at the tenth, fifteenth and first, whether they move.

Of litigations
The first is the querent, the seventh is the other party. The figure that is stronger and more fortunate wins, and if Amissio is found in either, that party shall lose. Laetitia and Puella signify concord, while Tristitia and Rubeus are very evil. And if the first moves to the sixth, eighth or twelfth, the person shall lose, but if the seventh moves in the same way, the other party shall lose. And if the whole figure is occupied by figures of more or less positive import, there will be agreement.

Of fled servants, prison and lost items
If the first, seventh, eighth figures are conform and are entering and fortunate, it shows retrieval, and vice versa if they aren’t. If the first is in the sixth, the servant has not fled, but has hidden, and if the figure is Carcer, he hasn’t changed place, if not very little, especially if the first, fourth and the Judge are entering and fortunate.
Acquisitio and Fortuna Major signify retrieval, but the opposite figures show the opposite.

Whether the absent party shall come back, and how soon
If the first house is fortunate and well-meaning, and similarly the seventh and ninth, it shows the absent party is well and in good state,9 and vice versa if the figures are bad, especially if the sixth is unfortunate. Also look at the fifteenth and tenth. If the first is unfortunate and moves to the eighth it means death, especially if in conjunction with Carcer, Rubeus or Conjunctio.

If the sixth is unfortunate and moves to the first or in conjunction with it, it means a deadly infirmity, and similarly when the first and seventh are unfortunate are united somewhere in the figure. But if the sixth is unfortunate (but doesn’t move) it shows an illness that shall pass, especially if the eighth is good. And if you want to know whether the absent party shall come back soon, look at the first and ninth, and if they are Cauda, Acquisitio or Laetitia he shall come back soon. If Populus or Via, very soon. If the eighth is good and is in the first, he will come back in a month, if in the second, in two, and so on. And if the said figure is in the second and in the eighth, entering, he shall come in a month.10

Eighth House

Whether one shall die within the year
If the first figure is the same as the eighth, or if it is conjunct to it, it is an indication of death, especially if it is also in the thirteenth or fifteenth house. If you want to see what kind of death one shall suffer, look at the nature and quality of the figure, and judge as follows: if it’s Rubeus, it indicates fire or steel (that is, being wounded by an arm,) if it is Puella, being beaten to death, if it is Carcer due to a long sickness, phlegm, melancholy or various health issues; and similarly judge of every other figure depending on its virtue and meaning and quality.

On who shall die first between two people
Consider the eighth and see if it is in the house of the person you are inquiring about, or if it in conjunction to it, or if it is in the first house, and judge accordingly who shall die first.

If one shall have the money back
If the eighth and the first are entering and fortunate it shows getting the money back without difficulty or problems, vice versa if they aren’t. And this is especially true if the thirteenth and the fifteenth agree, but when they don’t, and if on the side of the first house you find weak figures, it means getting back the money with great trouble. If the eighth is in the third it means one’s siblings will help, and if in the fourth, the relatives, and if in the fifth, one’s children, etc.

If the bad thing you fear shall come to pass
Consider the first, second, eighth and twelfth.11 If they are lucky it shows the thing won’t come to pass, but if some of them are unfortunate, it shows it shall partly come to pass, and if they are evil, it shall come to pass, and the bad thing will be identified by the type of figure. If the first figure is in conjunction with the eighth or the eighth with the first, it means harm to the person. If the second is in the seventh or ninth, it means harm to one’s wealth. And so judge all the other things with respect to the eighth house according to the meaning of the house and the thing inquired about. Always keep in mind the Witnesses and the Judge.

MQS

Footnotes

  1. This statement is interesting for a number of reasons. I will only mention one. Abano does not say that the First is for the querent and the Seventh for the spouse, but that the First is for the man and the Seventh for the woman. It would be easy, especially in the current cultural climate, to attribute this to Medieval sexism. I am not saying that it doesn’t play a part, but there could be more. In many Medieval astrological texts the Seventh house, as noted before, is assigned to women, and when delineating marriage from the birth chart different procedures seem to have been used to predict a man’s marriage as opposed to a woman’s, the method for the man involving the seventh house, the one for the woman being more weighed toward other considerations. ↩︎
  2. It would be easy to update this interpretation to show the influence of social media in bringing two partners together nowadays. ↩︎
  3. The modern doctrine would dictate that the marriage happens if the first figure springs to the Sixth House. ↩︎
  4. The Italian title is “if she will be chaste and honest”, again presupposing a female Seventh House. ↩︎
  5. This passage is exceedingly complex. It is not clear if Puer in the Sixth indicates a younger man because it is Puer or because it is in the Sixth (which is below the Seventh). The thing being common knowledge when it happens in the Eighth is possibly due to the fact that the Eighth house is above the horizon. ↩︎
  6. Of interest here is that the querent can obtain the lover by moving to the Eighth or Sixth House, but the Seventh can only spring to the Second, not the Twelfth. ↩︎
  7. This passage is not clear. It seems to imply that a good figure in the Seventh House still bodes ill if the enemy is a woman. ↩︎
  8. These attributes seem ill-fitting for Conjunctio. ↩︎
  9. The Ninth House is the house of journeys. ↩︎
  10. This timing method is unclear to me. ↩︎
  11. Older astrology handbooks are filled with indications on delineating the Eleventh House in a horary question to know whether what one hopes will come to pass. Abano here applies the same method to the Eighth house to delineate one’s fears. ↩︎
Divination, Divination Master Post, Fortune-telling, Geomancy

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. ↩︎
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, 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. ↩︎
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. ↩︎
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. ↩︎
astrology, Divination, Divination Master Post, Fortune-telling, Geomancy

The Geomancy of Peter of Abano – Book I Pt. 4

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

MQS

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