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

Robert Fludd’s Geomancy – Book II Pt. 7

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Fludd discusses the signification of a figure springing from one house to another.

Of the signification of the 16 figures, when they duplicate in a question, that is, when similar figures are found in different houses, such as two Via, two Populus, etc.1

The figure in the first house means, when it is duplicated in the following houses:
In the Second, especially if it fortunate and fixed, and so the opposite, which is valid for all other houses.2
In the Third, good situation between relatives, brothers, sisters or neighbors.
In the Fourth, it is a bad mutation3 but not excessively so, unless the figure is Cauda Draconis.
In the Fifth, mirth, vivacious and gluttonous companions, new clothes, music, melodies, antique things, good according to the mind’s opinion,4 so that one couldn’t wish things to be better, unless the figure is Cauda Draconis.
In the Sixth, sickness, tribulations, fears.
In the Seventh, fearful things due armies or evil women; good [signification], unless Cauda or Via are there, which denote all evil in this house, unless a question has been made for a gathering, or for marriages and enemies, for otherwise they show danger.
In the Eighth, evil, great wrath or death or injury, loss, hurtful words, evil tribulations, but if the figure is good, it signifies the acquisition of the inheritances of the dead.
In the Ninth, something good, a firm and stable change to acquire some thing for another,5 and to negotiate some religious business or of the Church, or with ecclesiastical men or people, or with messengers or those who return from a journey, unless Cauda and Rubeus come up in a question made for a journey.
In the Tenth, all good, so that the thing cannot be better, and especially for the acquisition of honor and dignity, unless Cauda or Rubeus are there.
In the Eleventh, good, so that it is not better in the question propounded; for it signifies hope, a good friend, especially if it is Major, Via or Acquisitio.
In the Twelfth, the querent will fall into some tribulation, or a serious illness, or the loss of some thing, or defiance from enemies; nor can the thing be worse if the figure is Cauda.

The figure in the second house means, when it is duplicated in the following houses:
in the Third, gain from parents, brothers, sisters or neighbors, if the figures are good, but if bad, the opposite.
In the Fourth, what the querent thinks of gaining from his father, or from some great lord [he will get], if the figure is good; if bad, [he won’t get them].
In the Fifth, what the querent thinks of gaining from food, or clothes, or news that will come to him with letters, or loss by fire.6
In the Sixth, future illness of the family, or some loss, or fear, or great tribulation, or disease, or some evil thing.
In the Seventh, marriage, loss from a woman, great enmity for the querent, or robbery, or the thoughts of women about lust, or quarrels, threatening words, change from place to place.
In the Eighth, the return of an absent person, or of some other member of the family.
In the Ninth, gain for the querent, religious or ecclesiastical, or a priest, or some other similar thing.
In the Tenth, the Necromantic arts,7 or that the querent will win the love of some woman, or Lord, or great Majesty, or sciences according to the good or evil of the figures.
In the Eleventh, fortune in that house, or in the family, or through the family, or through gain, or friends, or merchandise; for this is the force and power of the whole question.
In the Twelfth, the imprisonment of some member of the family, or a serious illness, a serious molestation, or the destruction of someone from the family, of what you have gained, great accidents, or future tribulation and anguish.

The figure in the third house means, when it is duplicated in the following houses:
In the Fourth, brothers, sisters, companions, neighbors, messengers [arriving ] to the questioner, profit or loss according to the nature of the figures.
In the Fifth, joy, gladness, speedy news from friends, letters and messengers.
In the Sixth, tribulation, diseases, some fear, loss through a servant, or machination, or evil enemies.
In the Seventh, quarrels, change of place, there will be hatred and discord between brother and sister, anger against the questioner, marriage, etc.
In the Eighth, death or danger from the past, thoughts about a woman, or about one’s enemies, or fear, and future profit from evil thoughts.
In the Ninth, an occasion for the Clergy, great journeys to be made,8 benefits of the Church, some great prelate or honor.
In the Tenth, brothers and sisters will attain to some arts,9 or great marriages, or great dominion, or they will become great prelates, or be exalted to honor.
In the Eleventh, fortune or good favor from someone.
In the Twelfth, imprisonment, long illness, occupation, or entering into [a period of] tribulation, from which there will be no easy way out.

The figure in the fourth house means, when it is duplicated in the following houses:
In the Fifth, the father will rejoice with his children, or an uncle, or a relative, or some friend, or the father will make a profit through his children.
In the Sixth, the father will soon fall ill, or he will be forced into great labor in his house, or in the town where he lives.
In the Seventh, marriage or enemies, or lascivousness, or a change of state, or a change of land.
In the Eighth, mortality will enter the land10 and inheritance of the questioner, or some tribulation, or, if he is outside his country, a return.
In the Ninth, the death of priests or their loss in the Church.
In the Tenth, the questioner’s honor, gain, riches.
In the Eleventh, the questioner will be fortunate in some profitable matter, so that he will suddenly make a profit in it, and indeed through some of his friends, or some of the querent’s friends will give letters to those living in his house, which will bring the questioner much profit.
In the Twelfth, long anguish and sadness, illness, envy, betrayal of the land of some lord, or of someone of his blood, but if the figure is good, it will not do much harm.

The figure in the fifth house means, when it is duplicated in the following houses:
In the Sixth, disease by contusion or corrosion, or in other such ways, or news of children, the capture of some small beasts.
In the Seventh, a gathering for a wedding or for trade, the joy of friends, fortune for women and children.
In the Eighth, mortality, and the danger of some evil to come, the return of an absentee, and letters of joy, profit or news.
In the Ninth, the son of the querent will be a cleric or a priest of the Church or a religious person, or he will make a great and long journey, or will have great joy through the honor of the Church, that is, through a man of the Church.
In the Tenth, the son will have dominion, and the mother and sister will rejoice or find joy, or some assistance from [those in a position of] honor, or profit from the lord, or a prelature, or he [the son] will be a judge or teacher.
In the Eleventh, the son will have dominion or fortune over his enemies, or in trade or in a similar matter or in news, or his friends will rejoice over his children.
In the Twelfth, illness, imprisonment, great enemies for children, or some loss for the querent, or strangers will rejoice.11

The figure in the sixth house means, when it is duplicated in the following houses:
In the Seventh, disease, or the servant or the woman of the querent, or his companion, will suddenly become angry or will end up among enemies, or the querent and his woman will fall into the hands of robbers, or disgrace, which they will nevertheless escape from as much as possible.
In the Eighth, the servants or the beasts of the querent will fall into danger or tribulation, pain or sadness, and he will be beaten, or he will lose some object, and he will be absent and in the company of enemies of his house, or the woman of the querent will be familiar with someone else.12
In the Ninth, the servant or the animals of the querent will make a fortunate path, diseases will befall a cleric, or will hinder his exaltation, or the servants will have the company of the clergy, and especially with good and fortunate figures, such as Acquisitio and Major.
In the Tenth, those who will remain in the place about which the question was made will be sick or oppressed by some Lord.13
In the Eleventh, fortune, and your enemies will envy you.
In the Twelfth, a disease among one’s animals, or the querent himself will fall ill or be imprisoned and suffer loss either through useless beasts or through a long journey.

The figure in the seventh house means, when it is duplicated in the following houses:
In the Eighth, the death of one’s woman, iniquities and all those things which pertain to the seventh house, namely lost merchandise, etc.
In the Ninth, the companion of the querent will return to his country, and the clergy will be enemies to the querent, or his wife will enter religious life or go on a long journey.
In the Tenth, honors to those who are represented in the seventh house, or the servant of the querent will be a familiar of his wife, or of his enemies.
In the Eleventh, a friend will immediately become an enemy, or someone will immediately become a friend to the querent,14 or he will gain in some matter, or will suffer some loss from his friends.
In the Twelfth, occupation of large animals, or the querent will fall into a serious and long illness, or imprisonment, or a long journey, or poverty, or that some letters will bring him loss in a short time, which should be kept secret as proof.15

The figure in the eighth house means, when it is duplicated in the following houses:
In the Ninth, a judge of the enemies or of the woman or of the friend of the querent will attain great exaltation in the church, or he will be absent on a journey, or death threatens someone.16
In the Tenth, loss for the querent, or the death of the lord, or a defect in good will, or an impediment in some thing, or the absence of some lord.
In the Eleventh, the death of the querent, or he will acquire some thing, or the inheritance of a dead man, or that while absent he will acquire friends, or that friends will restrain the hatred of the querent.
In the Twelfth, secret enemies of the querent, who labor mightily to oppress him, or while absent he will be imprisoned or sick, or while imprisoned he will die.

The figure in the ninth house means, when it is duplicated in the following houses:
In the Tenth, being friends with priests or clerics, or the querent will suddenly marry a wife, or messengers will come from some place, or from the querent’s mother.
In the Eleventh, the journey of women, or a cleric will be your friend, or your fortune will be in the church, or you will have possessions in the church.
In the Twelfth, sadness during a the journey for the querent, or he will have trouble with his horse, or a cleric will be imprisoned. This is a bad place for the querent.

The figure in the tenth house means, when it is duplicated in the following houses:
In the Eleventh, the house or place of some lord, the completion of his fortune and hope, or that he will be a friend to some great lord, through whom he will be fortunate.
In the Twelfth, that the questioner will be shortly in great tribulation or illness, or will be imprisoned, or his enemy will be made a priest, and that the petitioner will have great loss from beasts.

A figure existing in the eleventh house signifies, when it doubles itself in the twelfth house, imprisonment, hatred of enemies, a similar thing.

MQS

Footnotes
  1. That is, if the same figure is found in two different houses. This, as we shall see, is generally interpreted as the two houses being linked together. Some of Fludd’s interpretations are straightforward, others rather obscure. Similar chapters are often found in other handbooks of geomancy as well. Their value consists not so much in their offering interpretations that need to be memorized, but rather in the kind of mental exercise that they allow the reader to engage in. ↩︎
  2. This sentence doesn’t mean much. Fludd is simply asserting that the signification of the link between the two houses is colored by the positive or negative meaning of the geomantic figure. ↩︎
  3. Mutation in the sense that the figure in the First house moves to the Fourth. ↩︎
  4. Somewhat obscure. I think Fludd means that this connection between First and Fifth houses is good concerning whatever the querent is thinking about. ↩︎
  5. Possibly referring to a business-related journey ↩︎
  6. Unclear what fire has to do with this house. ↩︎
  7. The connection of the Tenth house with necromancy is unclear. ↩︎
  8. Probably due to the connection of Third and Ninth houses, which both pertain to journeys. ↩︎
  9. The Tenth house is the house of art in the older Aristotelean sense of poiesis, i.e., practical science, which is what allows people to gain money. In short, it is one’s learned trade. ↩︎
  10. The land is a Fourth house matter. ↩︎
  11. Joy is here brought into the equation by the Fifth house. ↩︎
  12. That is, intimate. Older astrological texts are filled with lists of testimonies to look for to establish whether the querent’s wife is faithful, or even if he is exploring herself. I suggest we leave these things in the past. Still, from a purely didactical standpoint, Fludd’s paragraph makes sense. ↩︎
  13. I have no idea what Fludd meant. ↩︎
  14. Here we see how ambiguous this type of interpretation can become if we don’t keep the question in mind: it could go either way, namely that a friend (Eleventh) becomes an enemy (Seventh) or that someone else (Seventh) becomes a friend (Eleventh). ↩︎
  15. Not very clear. ↩︎
  16. The involvement of a judge here is unclear and seemingly random. ↩︎
astrology, Card Meanings, Cartomancy, Divination, Divination Master Post, Everyday Oracle, Fortune-telling, Geomancy, I Ching / Yi Jing, Playing Cards, Tarot, Vera Sibilla

Get Out And Read!

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When it comes to divination, theory can only get you so far. The best way to improve your reading skills is to learn the basics of a *valid* system and then start reading.

For most of us, we are our own first querents, and that is a problem. I don’t have a 100% accuracy record when reading for others, but I barely reach 60% when reading for myself, especially if I’m invested in the topic. It is not just a matter of wrong interpretation, which can and does happen. I am more and more convinced that sometimes, when we read for ourselves and we are not perfectly at peace, we tend to get readings that reflect what we think rather than what is happening or will happen.

Furthermore, the tendency that many people have to start obsessively putting questions to the cards just to see if they say something vaguely understandable (which doesn’t mean true) is dangerous, and can get us in a warped frame of mind.

I know that for many, especially coming from certain societal backgrounds, reading for others can be a big step into the unknown, but I would advise anyone to start reading for some sympathetic friends or relatives (and when I say for them I mean in front of them, not asking questions about them) and then to graduate as soon as possible to readings for people we don’t know or know little about.

I don’t have too many friends, but they do a good job of talking about me to their friends and to their friends’ friends, which is how I get my supply of test anim-ehm, querents. If you start reading for your friends and ask them to spread the word the same will happen to you.

The cool thing about reading for people we don’t know is that it is so much easier than you might think. Divination DOES work! And divining for someone when there is no chance of you knowing the information in advance is very impressive for them and very satisfying for us as diviners. It will build your confidence much more quickly than torturing the cards about your own mental dramas. Plus, the oracles always seem to be much clearer and much more crisp when I divine for strangers.

One thing I would advise is to be as scientific as possible: record the question, the reading, your interpretation and the results. Don’t think you cannot build your vocabulary because the only right answer is the one offered to you by your intuition. 99% of intuitive readers are terrible, and what they call intuition is not actual intuition: it’s their stupidity echoing in the empty chambers of their mind. Be systematic and slowly you will gain experience.

MQS

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

Which House Is Next To Which?

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In astrology, the contiguity of the houses is obvious, since the houses are usually arranged either in a square or in a circle, but always forming a loop. Thus, we have that the Ascendant is always squished between the second house and the twelfth; that it always opposes the seventh, and, if we go by whole sign houses, that it has fixed relationships with all the others (inconjunct, sextile, square or trine).

This is not the case in Geomancy, where the relationship between houses is controversial, at least nowadays. First off, it is not pacific that the houses of the Shield represent astrological houses, unless we operate an equivalence with astrology, as was done at least since Geomancy reached Europe.

Those coming to Geomancy through Michael Greer, as I did, are probably used seeing the geomantic houses as equivalent to astrological houses: once the Shield is turned into a square chart, the houses follow the same astrological pattern as in an astrological chart. Those coming to Geomancy through the Golden Dawn, though using a different way of assigning the mothers to the houses (the one popularized by Agrippa), still end up dealing with a 1:1 replica of an astrological chart.

However, the idea that the Shield chart and the astrological chart are separate ways of doing Geomancy seems to be relatively new. In most old books, only the Shield is shown, and even when the astrological format is followed, this is done more to show some of the similarities with astrology.

Secondly, which house is next to which is not always clear, and sometimes varies by author. In some sources it seems that only houses that are in company are considered to be next to each other: first and second, third and fourth (but not second and third), fifth and sixth (but not fourth and fifth) and so on pair by pair. This seems to follow the order in which the Shield chart is generated.

An example shield chart. App used: Simple Geomancy

In the example above, Tristitia in the first is next to Via in the second, and Tristitia in the third is next to Conjunctio in the fourth, but not to Via in the second. This is possibly because the first and second combine to form the ninth and the third and fourth combine to form the tenth, but the second and third never combine. This approach obviously restricts the possibilities of perfecting the chart, since most houses end up losing a possible spot next to them for other figures to move to.

Another approach is the one I found while translating Abano’s work. Here Abano started by saying (or rather, implying) that the twelfth house is not next to the first. Initially, I thought this was because he was following the arrangement for the company of houses I just discussed. Yet he gives other examples where he does not follow it, for instance by implying that the eighth and ninth house are next to each other, which would contradict the company of houses (the eighth is with the seventh, the ninth with the tenth).

Then, in another one of his examples, he implies that a figure in the tenth house is next to a figure in the third. This does not make sense from an astrological standpoint, but from a sheer geomantic standpoint it does: the third house DOES border with the tenth, since it co-generates it with the fourth. This would also explain why he doesn’t consider the twelfth house to be next to the first: not because they are not in company, but because they are not close on the Shield (they are, in fact, on opposite ends of the shield).

This approach of considering the houses close on the Shield as being next to each other is certainly different from anything I’ve seen, especially in contemporary geomancy, and if it weren’t for the fact that enough readings I’ve done confirmed to me that the twelfth house CAN perfect with the first, I would find Abano’s approach extremely appealing. Unfortunately, one of my rules when dealing with divination is that practice trumps theory.

Abano goes even further, implying that the Witnesses (and possibly even the Judge) are to be treated as regular houses. This, in itself, is not unique to him, but what I find unique is that he considers the Witnesses capable of perfecting the reading, for instance if the first figure moves to the tenth and the quesited’s figure moves to the right Witness, where, by Abano’s theory, the two figures touch.

Another consequence of Abano’s approach is that not all houses are created equal: the first house, for instance, only touches with the second and the ninth, while the tenth house must be considered to be next to the ninth, eleventh, third, fourth and to the right Witness.

A possible argument, at this point, could be that this approach makes certain readings too easy (like those involving the tenth house, as I just showed). Still, we should keep in mind 1. that divination reflects reality, so a no is a no, regardless of the system 2. secondly, that Abano doesn’t always consider merely the querent and quesited. Often he considers the whole chart, and sometimes he resolves certain questions by dividing the shield into two sides (the left and the right side) and seeing which side is stronger. This is a method he has from traditional astrology, where questions of contest or war are often decided in such manner.

Ultimately, which approach we choose depends on what works, which means that the only way is to try, record and compare with what actually ends up happening.

MQS

Divination, Divination Master Post, Fortune-telling, Geomancy

Career Change (Example Reading)

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In a previous post, I talked about a friend with whom I’m doing an experiment with German Skat cards. According to the spread, he should get the job he applied for. Yesterday we did a Geomancy reading on the same topic of his change of career direction. This was the reading.

A career reading. App used: Simple Geomancy

The more I study Geomancy’s old texts, the more I am inclined to interpret the Witnesses as representations of the querent (Right Witness) and quesited (Left Witness).

In this case, the querent is represented by Via, the way, which is an appropriate symbol for someone looking to change up his career. The quesited is Fortuna Minor, sometimes called “the outside help”. It could easily be seen as an opportunity for this change to happen. The Judge resulting from the two witnesses is Fortuna Major, which is positive and offers long-term good prospects.

Within the chart itself, the querent is indicated by Tristitia. Tristitia is a symbol of sadness and stuckness. The job is indicated, once again, by Fortuna Minor. Minor springs from the Tenth to the Twelfth house. If we go by Abano’s indications, the twelfth house in the shield doesn’t touch the first, so it shouldn’t count as perfection.

Still, I have found in my practice that the two houses can be seen as contiguous to one another. Therefore, Minor moving toward the querent should repeat the testimony of the opportunity presenting itself for a change of career, in this case to relieve the stuckness of Tristitia.

Tristitia also moves toward the fifth and sixth houses. The fifth is good, the sixth is bad. However, if you read the previous post, the job is in the healthcare sector, though it would be hard to see this in the geomantic chart if I didn’t know it in advance. Tristitia’s move toward the sixth house could also indicate the querent’s stuckness is not good for him, so it might encourage him to accept the change coming from the tenth house. I am more inclined to this latter interpretation.

We still don’t know the result, but I’ll update the post when I know more.

MQS

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

Intuition – Do You Need The Gift of Prophecy?

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I received a really sweet message from a fledgling occultist who wants to pick up some form of divination, but has been put off so far because they have been convinced that they don’t have “the gift”, as they put it, by which I think they meant intuition.

It is a fact of life that a certain predisposition can give you a head start. My high school chemistry teacher could explain to me every single step of how to balance a formula, and I would sort of understand it, but then, left to my own devices, I would still get it wrong. I certainly didn’t have the gift for it. But that doesn’t make chemistry hoplessly outside of my reach. If I had persevered instead of throwing my hands up and saying “oh well, at least I can read Plato in Greek” I would have definitely made some progress. It’s just that in life you’ve got to pick your battles, and I knew I wasn’t the next Marie Curie, and I did like Plato, so Plato it was.

The same holds true for the various esoteric disciplines. The kind of gift that is required to practice them is not different from the predisposition toward high school subjects. Yet there is this widespread belief something more is needed. Well, it isn’t needed.

Oracles, i.e., the various forms of divinations, are languages, and like all languages they require study and practice. The idea that all it takes is intuition is a result of the loss of understanding for occult practices that resulted from the scientific revolution, which confined anything that wasn’t understandable in terms of the rising empiricism to the realm of irrational superstition.

This new designation was either consciously or unconsciously accepted by those practicing divination, so divination became something irrational that requires non-rational tools to be practiced. This, in spite of the fact that, wherever you look around the world, and even in the West before the Enlightenment, divination is considered to be primarily made of rules to be studied and applied with intelligence.

True divination, like all parts of magic, is hopelessly technical. It has nothing to do with following your heart, much less your intuition. Speaking of which, actual intuition is a much more sacred thing than the “I can’t prove it but I know it’s true” that many make it out to be. “I just feel this is how it is” is how cults get started, which is probably why so many people who describe themselves as intuitive are so up their own asses and so full of unconscious prejudices.

That is not intuition: it is personal bias subtracting itself from scrutiny. Actual intuition is the prerogative of the great saints, and only to a lesser extent of people who are on a spiritual/esoteric path. It is rare and cannot be commanded. It is the result of brief moments of perfect union with the source of all, and for that reason it comes from outside the limitations of the individual vessel. What many call intuition are simply personal hunches that they cannot trace back to any line of reasoning.

And mind you: hunches ARE a thing. They can work, and sometimes they can help. They can also fail. Many people seem to believe that ‘intuition’ is never wrong. And fair enough, the intuition I talked about is in fact never wrong. But personal hunches CAN indeed be wrong, in the same way that a logical inference can be wrong: hunches, like reason, the senses and all other channels humans use to gather information, are fallible. The fact that many think their hunches are never wrong is simply the result of confirmation bias: if they concentrated on how often their hunches let them down on a daily basis they’d be crushed.

Another use of the term intuition is simply a cooler way of describing the facility that comes from experience. The experienced doctor comes in, eyeballs you, listens to a couple of your complaints and knows with a high degree of probability what is wrong with you. The experienced mechanic listens to the purr of your car and knows immediately it will break down in two weeks if you don’t do something about it.

That’s also not intuition, although it is far more valuable than what average psychics do. It is simply the result of having gone through the same process so often that you can skip some of the steps, at least consciously. It is the intellectual version of muscle memory.

So, can anyone become a diviner? Let me answer with a question: can anyone become a chemist? Well, no. If we all could, the human race would go extinct. But the only thing keeping you from studying chemistry is your decision and perseverance. So is with divination.

MQS

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

Calling Other People’s Demons By Name

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In many supernatural movies about exorcism, the priest trying to free the victim needs to discover the demon’s name. This is actually founded in (part of) the real practice of exorcism and does have its roots in the magical belief of the power of names. For instance, there are certain practices in folk magic in Italy that require the magician to go to the christening of a child whose name translates to the effect he or she wants to achieve.

But belief in the power of names is not just found in Italy and it probably goes back to the most ancient and elemental relationship that humans established with the things around them in their attempt to dominate them. Traces of this fact are found in the doctrines of many Greek philosophers, sophists, poets and playwrights, and I have also found some similarities with Chinese Daoist literature. A wonderful fictionalized account of this belief is found in Ursula LeGuin’s Earthsea saga, which anyone interested in magic should read, in my humble opinion.

I am not one who seeks to psychologize occultism, although I believe that psychology is not at all a useless discovery and can be part of a modern magus’ training. I think that the attempt to reduce occultism to psychology is just as misguided as the attept to condemn anything that modernity has brought us as a deviation from an ancient splendor.

That being said, as someone who practices divination for others, there is also a certain sense in which naming works in a cathartic way. Most of the people that consult me are rather upfront about their problems, especially since I don’t ask for money and therefore feel no guilt in telling them to go sit on a cactus if they are trying to waste my time.

But people can be reticent about their issues for a variety of reasons, and malice is not always the motivation. Among the many possible reasons is the fact that people sometimes feel the need to have their demons driven out of them by someone outside of their regular field of experience.

Having someone discover our particular demon’s name without us feeding it to them can be a powerful and cathartic experience, because it smokes the demon out of the dark recesses of our subjective experience and into the light of objectivity, where it can be addressed as a definite and therefore limited issue, rather than being consumed by its overwhelming lack of contours.

Not every divination session calls forth such existential experiences, nor should we as diviners try to turn each session into a catharsis. We are not therapists and our duty is not to give people advice, although advice can certainly be given if required. Our role is to provide information, whatever that may mean in the context of each particular reading. For this reason, our language and that of our divination tool needs to be earthly, concrete and objective.

But sometimes informing the querent can mean gathering the diffuse knowledge that they already have festering inside of them and turning it into useable information by giving it its proper name.

MQS

Divination, Divination Master Post, Fortune-telling, Geomancy

Robert Fludd’s Geomancy – Book II Pt. 6

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Fludd discusses the meanings of Populus, Via, Conjunctio and Carcer in the various houses.

Populus

In the First House, a multitude of thoughts about water, journeys, peoples and nations.
In the Second House, with good (figures), a much fortune and riches; with evil much trouble.
In the Third House, multitude of relatives, neighbors, and little journeys, both good and bad, according to the nature of the figures.1

In the Fourth House, abundance of water, laboring for an inheritance, fruits, according to figures.
In the Fifth House, a multitude of children, letters and news, joy or sorrow, kisses and embraces, gathering of people for delights and joys, fruits, according to figures, and so on in the rest according to figures.
In the Sixth House, a number of animals, slaves, sickness, injuries, and other things according to the figures.

In the Seventh House, a multitude of people gathered, women, enemies, good or bad according to the nature of the figures.
In the Eighth House, a multitude of people assembled for a death, or a multitude of good or evil, according to the goodness or malice of the figures.
In the Ninth House, a multitude of journeys, dreams, knowledge, people on the way, multitudes.

In the Tenth House, a multitude of enemies, kings, of people before judges, doctrines, assembly for good or for evil, according to figures.
In the Eleventh House, a multitude of friends, good fortune, beasts, servants, children, or inconveniences, according to the nature of the figures which have been found in the vicinity.2
In the Twelfth House, a multitude of enemies, inconvenience, long imprisonment, tears, debts, beasts, and slaves.

In the Thirteenth House, much profit to him that goes to any magnate,3 of loss, change, and the like.
In the Fourteenth House, a multitude of people, assembled, either for good or for evil, according to the figures next to it.
In the Fifteenth House a multitude of good or evil, a gathering of people for good or for evil, according to the figure from which it comes, for if it comes from good figures, it denotes much good, if from bad, the opposite.

Note that this figure, found in the first house, represents a merchant of various things passing through the countryside.

Via

In the First House, a good journey, little profit, thoughts of small fruits.
In the Second House, loss or gain, according to the neighboring figures.
In the Third House, brothers, neighbors, water, a good journey, light4 business, journeys for a brother or cousin, comparison of wealth.5

In the Fourth House, parents, labors, lands, the concealment of tainted things, the end of things, poverty, poor parents, poor inheritance.
In the Fifth house, letters, messages of little importance, little fruits, poor manners, poor children, little joy.
In the Sixth House, poor animals, bad luck, unstable servants, sudden increase of disease, deliverance from disease,6 misfortune of animals.

In the Seventh House, robbers, poor women, little sense,7 poor and weak enemies, a harlot, death of robbers.
In the Eighth House, poverty in a foreign country, loss of inheritance.
In the Ninth House, a change of letters,8 messengers of little knowledge, a good journey, benefit of the church, little gain and profit

In the Tenth House, small offices, little profit from lords and noble women, an old judge, little wisdom, loss in any thing.
In the Eleventh House, poor friends, little fortune, little profit, gifts of merchandise and letters of joy.
In the Twelfth House, useless animals, poor friends, easily coming out of prison, liberation from debts or from misery, and sometimes death in prison, according to the good or bad figures around, and from whom it is generated.9

In the Thirteenth House, profitable journeys and changes.
In the Fourteenth House, loss in any matter, according to good or bad figures.
In the Fifteenth House, travel, good outcome according to the figures from which it comes.

Note that when Via is found in the First House, it means a changeable, false and poor person.

Conjunctio

In the First House, a man of good speech, eloquence, subtlety, art and goodness, and if it is combined with good figures, goodness of heart and friends.
In the Second House, the acquisition of good fortune, profits in commerce.
In the Third House, the good will of relatives, the gathering of relatives and neighbors.

In the Fourth House a good path, a good end, a good friend, a profitable inheritance and legal proceedings, letters for inheritance.
In the Fifth House, letters, news, gathering of good people.
In the Sixth House, a long illness, evil servants and robbers.10

In the Seventh House, good company, thieves and subtle and eloquent enemies, whether in litigation or in battle.
In the Eighth House, a gathering to divide the property of the dead.
In the Ninth House, knowledge, a bad journey, robbers on the road, knowledge and eloquence in clerics and ecclesiastical men.

In the Tenth House, the service of lords, kings and profits in teaching or profession.
In the Eleventh House, good luck, the gathering of all things, conjunction of love.11
In the Twelfth House, prisons, bad journey, bad assembly, bad people and bad life.

In the Thirtteenth House, goods and profits from one’s lord.
In the Fourteenth House, a lot of luck in love and work.
In the Fifteenth House, good luck in good things, bad in bad things according to the figures.

Note, when this figure is found in the First House, it signifies a prudent man, a clerk, or occupied in an office for money, of moderate build, as quickly consuming his fortunes as he is acquiring them, skilled in the liberal arts, and so on.

Carcer

In the First House, loss and imprisonment of men, timidity, sadness, sadness of heart, secret thoughts, hindrance of journey.
In the Second House, servitude in all secret things, and thoughts of love of money.12
In the Third House, love of parents and profit, the love of God, hindrance and retardation of the journey, greedy brothers and neighbors.

In the Fourth House, inheritance, hidden treasures, underground houses, hidden and dark places, good inheritance.
In the Fifth House, a few children, a pregnant woman, writing letters and news, rude people, raw food, dirty clothes, secret love affairs.
In the Sixth House, disease in prison, a pregnant woman, a useless servant, a bad man and woman, death or a long illness, disease in a man’s secret place,13 a brute.

In the Seventh House, accidents, bad company, adultery and secret fornication with another’s woman, secret enemies, a vile thief who is caught in his robbery, ships going on water.14
In the Eighth House, death, inheritance of the dead, bad profits in a foreign land, fear of death.
In the Ninth House, a road or journey from the country, death, letters and secret knowledge, secret roads, obstacles on the way, sadness in the church, sad and dangerous dreams, good sense.

In the Tenth House, good fortune, strength of dominion, a sad judge, secret opinions, dishonorable offices.
In the Eleventh House, profitable friends, little profit from lords, profitable in trade through travels, gathering of good kings.
In the Twelfth House, prisons, debts, graves, evil beasts, incurable disease, long imprisonment, long debts, secret enemies, but timid by nature.

In the Thirteenth House, profitable journeys, brothers and friends, gathering of good things, sad and secret thoughts.
In the Fourteenth House, various thoughts, imprisonment with sadness and pain and work, debts and obligations, and these especially when it doesn*t come from good figures.
In the Fifteenth House, much fire15 and destruction.

Note, when this figure is in the First House, it signifies a dark man, with a thick head, curly hair, and often ignorant carpenters, or otherwise working with wood.

General rule

It must be noted that good or evil, profit or loss, is promised through each house, according to the nature of the figures with which the figure of each house is conjoined, or from which it is generated.

MQS

Footnotes
  1. Fludd often repeats this, but it is not always clear what other figures he means. Occasionally it seems he hints at the fact that the whole shield must be looked at and judged to see if it is broadly good or bad. ↩︎
  2. It is not clear if Fludd is hinting at the doctrine of the company of houses. ↩︎
  3. Possibly meaning a lord or noble person. ↩︎
  4. “levia”. I’m unclear if Fludd means little (i.e., not enough) commerce by it. ↩︎
  5. This is unclear to me. ↩︎
  6. obviously depending on the question and the other figures. ↩︎
  7. “parum sensus”. I don’t know what it means. ↩︎
  8. I don’t know if Fludd means an exchange of letters or a mix-up, or something else. ↩︎
  9. This seems to imply that the generative order of the figures is important not just for the Judge, but for the other figures as well. ↩︎
  10. Probably due to Mercury’s influence. ↩︎
  11. Possibly a euphemism. ↩︎
  12. That is, covetous thoughts, ruled by Saturn. ↩︎
  13. Unclear. ↩︎
  14. Here Carcer is interpreted as a vessel. ↩︎
  15. This is a mystery to me. ↩︎

Divination, Divination Master Post, Fortune-telling, Geomancy

Robert Fludd’s Geomancy – Book II Pt. 5

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Fludd discusses the meanings of Puer, Puella, Fortuna Major and Fortuna Minor.

Puer

in the First House, hope, marriage, the cheerful manner of a child, who loves nothing but to sing and spend time with music and the company of women.1
In the Second House, profits in commerce, good fortune, good profit, company of women, reception of debts.
In the Third House, joy on account of brothers and neighbors, charming and cheerful neighbors, a good journey, a good dream, and delightful news.

In the Fourth House, fights, no acquisition of the desired object, refusal of the thing that one desires, water.
In the Fifth House, joy, good children, news and letters, good news, pleasures, love, delights with women, musical instruments.
In the Sixth House, good servants, foolish women, children born from fornication, good animals, and long or prolonged illnesses.

In the Seventh House, evil and foolish women,2 fornication and bad company, marriage of children.
In the Eighth House, death and disease.
In the Ninth House, a journey by land, false belief, lewdness of the church.3

In the Tenth House, litigations over women, or for servants, or children in judgment or before a judge, (being in) the service of some master.4
In the Eleventh House, joy, luck, good love, love of women and men due to lewdness.5
In the Twelfth House, victory, a bad man, dangers, prisons, the failure of that which is equired about, good animals, strong and bad enemies.

In the Thirteenth House, joy and profits come from great people, letters, news, life, joy and travels.
In the Fourteenth House, danger but later a good end, drinking well, eating well, news and love.
In the Fifteenth House, temperance, profit in all things, and the completion of goods.6
In the Sixteenth House, all good.7

Note, when this figure is in the first house, it signifies a young man, handsome, and of good looks, with a fine beard, luxurious, fond of instruments and music, monks, hypocrites, and scholars.

Puella

In the First House, happiness of friends, food, having children, lewd and licentious words, lying, full of superfluous speech.8
In the Second House, profit, a tendency to extravagance.
In the Third House, love of relatives, good company, good relatives, much talk, weariness on the journey, and sometimes robbers.

In the Fourth House, profits in works of love, from father and mother,9 from inheritances, small fruits, talk, lewdness and dishonesty in the house.
In the Fifth house, happy children, news, letters, delights, superfluous words about lewdness, love of women, liars, and cowards.
In the Sixth House, evil women, disease of slaves, profit from animals, slaves (who are) full of boastful and lustful speech, diseases, that is, ulcers, swellings, bruises and the like.

In the Seventh House, marriage, profitable partners, women’s joys, many talkative and lustful women, harlots and dishonest women who touch others without merit.
In the Eighth House, the death of parents or sisters, inheritance from the dead, many words, the death of slaves in a foreign country.
In the Ninth House, profits on the way, sagacity, a man who loves joy and cheerfulness more than prayers and divine worship, dreams, news without much merit, good understanding in one’s teaching, singing, disturbance for the church.

In the Tenth House, happiness and profits on the way of one’s lord,10 good master and duties, but much talking done before.
In the Eleventh House, good friends, profit from slaves and beasts and good fortune, much talk, lust and fornication.
In the Twelfth House, talkativeness, profits from beasts and servants, enemies full of quarrels, beasts quite good.

In the Thirteenth House, profitable journey, profits from some lords.
In the Fourteenth House, good luck, profit from danger.
Note, when this figure is found in the First House, it denotes a man having a small body, and a short neck, a large head, teeth badly arranged, a fine intellect.

Fortuna Major

In the First House, thoughts of kings, treasures, old men, a man of good life, good fortune in all matters of profit and honor of the seeker, steadfastness, good hope.
In the Second House, wealth, profit, and especially from animals, a rich man, good luck, acquisition, joy, sense of gain.
In the Third House, good journey, but a little delayed, a good brother, good and rich relatives, a good dream, good news, joy, profit.

In the Fourth House, a good estate, the acquisition of the inheritance of great lords, treasures hidden in the earth, a good house, great advantage in all things stable,11 a good end, a good father and mother.
In the Fifth House, good children, good news, good letters, good love with wife, security of heart,12 change and honours.
In the Sixth House, long illness and pain, good animals, good servants, faithful and stable.

In the Seventh House, a good marriage, a good and chaste and prudent woman, great wealth, conquering one’s enemies, both in legal proceedings and in battles, strong and stable enemies,13 good in commerce, receiving one’s desire in other countries, the gathering of men and women.
In the Eighth House, rich enemies, riches from the dead, profits in a foreign country; where it is noted that this figure is good, but the house is terrible.
In the Ninth House, good journeys, though slow, good dreams.

In the Tenth House, good judgment, good decision in the place where the figure is duplicated, peaceful kings and kingdoms; a peaceful and firm state of the lords, the acquisition of one’s desire, reward and lasting honor from the lords.
In the Eleventh House, good fortune, noble and faithful friends, profits in trade, good hope of riches from the king and prince, joy and happiness.
In the Twelfth House horses, good and useful animals, a long and dangerous imprisonment, a dangerous disease, long debts, long tribulations, strong enemies14, evil for journeying.

In the Thirteenth House, a good journey and good fortune, acquisition from the king, absence, happiness in riches and joy.
In the Fourteenth House, deliverance from diseases, escape from prison and debts, good luck, sudden riches for the absent, good company, good friends and security in hope.
In the Fifteenth House, a good judgment, a good end, a good outcome for joys, and if it comes from good Witnesses, it will give the petitioner security in all good things, and the good is witnessed in the place (in the chart) where the figure is found.

Note, when Major is in the First House, it means an old man, a merchant of precious cloths, affable, of average stature, well dressed, good hair.

Fortuna Minor

in the First House, goodness, a good journey to princes and lords, a rich and fortunate man, also a king,15 a prince, a leader, a man of great authority, knowledge, good animals, a good and humble wife.
In the Second House, the acquisition of a house by a master or a great man, and indeed without effort.
In the Third House, good brothers, and wealth and profit from them, good neighbors, good knowledge and good faith, good travels, especially by sea, a good woman.

In the Fourth House, treasures of kings or magnates, good journeys to parents, noble inheritance, and acquisition of inheritance.
In the Fifth House, good children, good news, a good journey towards children, joy and comfort, useful journeys,16 pleasures and delights of nobles.
In the Sixth House, the insults of kings and princes and their injuries from other lords,17 as well as victory from them, fear of losing their dominion or kingdom, proud servants.

In the Seventh House, a good woman, beautiful and rich, but it will be doubtful that she will be destroyed by foolish love, murder committed by a great man, denotes to one’s son a noble marriage and good travels.18
In the Eighth House, the death of kings, or the fear of kings, so that he who has become a problem may fear them, and if Rubeus is found in the Seventh House, death due to loss of blood, it is not good to go out of the country or to travel, for imprisonment or violent death are to be feared.
In the Ninth House, a good journey, a good relationship with kings or superiors to obtain favor, a faithful man, of good faith and God-fearing.

In the Tenth House, a good king and a ruler with good virtues, victory, good for migration by sea and making journeys, the acquisition of property from a prince or king, acquisition thanks to the love of judges, profit and honor.
In the Eleventh House, good hope, good friends, good fortune, good company, good fortune in beasts and servants.19
In the Twelfth House, good animals, coming out of prison, poverty for the petitioner due to that, where the figure is duplicated, and especially in the Tenth House, it denotes the loss of the kingdom to the king, either due to himself or his children.

In the Thirteenth House, profits on the way, and receiving one’s wish from some lord.
In the Fourteenth House, a long life, good fortune, and profits in the business one hopes for.
In the Fifteenth House, a good result in all good things, a good end, good company, honor and glory.

Note, Minor in the First House signifies a king or queen, a handsome and brave man, clothed in scarlet, who likes to travel often, covered with gold.

MQS

Footnotes
  1. Puer and Puella are the two most confusing figures in traditional texts. Here we find mixed together attributions that, in contemporary geomancy, have been attributed to one or the other. ↩︎
  2. Fludd seems to attribute Puer to women, and since the Seventh House is the house of enemies, it causes the women to be evil. ↩︎
  3. Here seems to emerge the typical sexual theme that some today attribute to Puer. ↩︎
  4. Possibly meaning being subservient to another. ↩︎
  5. Possibly indicating homosexuality. ↩︎
  6. Puer cannot be the judge. ↩︎
  7. This is possibly the only time that Fludd discusses the Reconciler (also knwn as Judge of the Judge) ↩︎
  8. Similar traits are assigned by others to Puer. However, let us also not forget that in those times, sometimes women were considered deceitful by default. ↩︎
  9. Note that typically the Fourth House is assigned to the father and the Tenth to the mother. However, when considering one’s parents in general, they are both Fourth House matter, since the Fourth is the house of the family and the home. ↩︎
  10. “In via de Domino”. I don’t understand what this means. ↩︎
  11. Major is considered one of the most stable figures. ↩︎
  12. The heart is often assigned to the Fifth House, and Major gives steadfastness. ↩︎
  13. In this interpretation, the power of Fortuna Major is in favor of the enemy, ruled by the Seventh House. ↩︎
  14. In the Twelfth House, Major causes prison sentences to be steadfast, that is, long. ↩︎
  15. Fludd seems to attribute worldly honors more th Minor than to Major. ↩︎
  16. I don’t understand the connection to journeys. ↩︎
  17. possibly due to the negative effect of the house. ↩︎
  18. Much of what is said here is hard to understand logically. ↩︎
  19. The connection with animals and servants is odd. ↩︎

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

Why I Don’t Do Horoscopes, Taroscopes Or Interactive Readings

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Some weeks ago I got asked why I only present readings I did for myself or others, and don’t do interactive readings which may be useful to more people. The question was asked in good faith and in good faith I answered. But I thought it made for a nice article. As usual, I will be brash and abrasive, because I’m not an easy person, but I mean no disrespect to any particular individual.

Horoscopes. In reality, horoscopes are more the invention of journalists than of astrologers: astrologers just unwittingly lent themselves to the farce. Horoscopes are predicated on the fundamental misunderstanding that the place the Sun occupies at birth automatically has something to say about us. This is a relatively modern invention in the long history of astrology, and anyone who thinks about it seriously for even five minutes must conclude that, in order to say anything at all about one twelfth of the world population purely based on their month of birth, one needs to water down everything one says to the point that nothing is said at all except playing into the belief that everyone is adorably quirky (oh those Aries boys who ram through everything, oh those Gemini girls always being nutty). That some astrologers, realizing this, feel the need to add Moon signs, Rising signs etc. into the equation does not improve matters at all: a fundamentally silly idea multiplied by itself remains silly.

Taroscopes. Taroscopes are an even more modern invention. They substitute or complement the reading of a sun sign chart with a broad card reading (usually tarot, hence the name). They started popping up on social media some ten years ago as a way of feeding the sludgeflow of nonsense that is required to keep the algorithm satisfied. I am pretty sure they started out as a silly game, then some saw that it was good for business. I am even aware of established readers who haughtily denounced taroscopes for the travesty of divination that they are, only to bend the knee once it was clear the current flowed in one direction only.

Interactive Readings. Interactive readings are the height of silliness, and the perfect exemplification of the words ‘internet slop‘. Choose between Deck One and Deck Two and listen to why he doesn’t deserve you because you are such a special, intuitive an free-minded queen. Choose between the butterfly and the butter knife and listen to why all the narcissists in your life hate you for being such an authentic empath (somehow those buying into this nonsense are always surrounded by narcissists, yet they are never narcissists themselves). That’s the essence of interactive readings as a further development from taroscopes.

The reality is that divination is already hard as it is, being an imprecise and complex art due to the amount of factors to be considered and the fallibility of humans in considering them. Trying to extend it to a whole swath of people who randomly happen to bump into your video or post is beyond ludicrous.

In attempting to justify this to themselves, some readers are eternally caught between two stances: “if you bump into it, it is meant for you” and “if it doesn’t resonate it’s not the right message”, logic being the first thing to fly out the window once someone decides to be a brave and empowered little witch. Of course you’ll always find someone who responds to an interactive saying “I chose the butterfly. That’s exactly it, that’s me to a T”. And those are the unlucky ones, because they get roped into a world of self-delusion and meaningless hype: the universe seems to be constantly cooking up something big for you, according to interactive readers, so you better stick around for the next video!

So yeah, that’s why I stick to traditional readings.

MQS

Divination, Divination Master Post, Fortune-telling, Geomancy

Robert Fludd’s Geomancy – Book II Pt. 4

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Fludd explains some of the meanings of Caput Draconis, Cauda Draconis, Albus and Rubeus.

Caput Draconis

In the First House, good and sweet fortune, a man wise, eloquent and prudent, and who keeps his affairs secret, and has firm and stable thoughts in all things. This figure is very good.1
In the Second House, profit and gain in commerce, wealth, good fortune, and secret acquisition of all things.
In the Third House, good relatives, good neighbors, good faith, slowing down the journey for something good.2

In the Fourth House, profit and the acquisition of inheritance, a good house, a good estate, a discreet father, a good end, peace in one’s work.3
In the Fifth House, love of children, good children, joy, secret letters, pregnant women, being honestly satisfied with the love of a woman, good love.
In the Sixth House, a long illness, profitability in all things, secret and discreet servants, good and useful animals, a long secret illness.

In the Seventh House, a good marriage, a good and chaste woman, good company, subtle and strong enemies, good change (or removal), good profits in trade, bad for going away.4
In the Eighth House, death or illness,5 gain of money, love and recovery of lost property, secret death, receipt of money from death, security from fear.
In the Ninth House, journeys and return of him who is abroad, letters, good faith, slowness of a journey, good faith, a holy man of the church, knowledge in all arts, good for the church, honor.

In the Tenth House, good judgment, much wealth, a wise king, great honor of dominion and office, much riches, conciliation through the grace of the judge,6 and a discreet judgment.

In the Eleventh House, good luck, happiness, good and faithful friends, good hope, good profit.
In the Twelfth House, poverty, long imprisonment, good animals, good letters.7

In the Thirteenth House, the return of one who is abroad, one’s superior’s profits, good news from the absentee, a profitable and good change.
In the Fourteenth House, good fortune, good hope, long life, and profit in everything.
Note, when this figure is in the first house, it denotes a prince or judge of good counsel, having fair hair, who is proud

Cauda Draconis

In the First House,8 bad for acquisition, poverty, bad journey, harassment and anger, no acquisition of the desired thing, a bad and angry person.
In the Second House, loss of all good and misfortune in all matters.
In the Third House, anguish of a relative and little gain, a bad brother, bad relatives and neighbors, a bad journey, a bad dream, evil in all.

In the Fourth House, a bad house, bad inheritance, and a decrease in profit.

In the Fifth House, loss due to evil (deeds) by bad children, through fruits,9 by enemies, bad tidings, bad letters, bad children, sadness of heart, vexation and anger, doubt lest the child perish in the womb, no loves or kisses, but quarrels and strife with one’s woman, and all evil according to the house.
In the Sixth House, death or illness, illness of animals, bad luck, serious illness and distress, bad servants, evil to receive dowries from women,10 injuries.

In the Seventh House, an evil woman, a thief, robbery, an evil companion, a quarrelsome woman, a lustful woman, robbers, all evil for (buying or selling) merchandise, or for all matters of travel and news, nothing but the discovery of evil in the place where one intends to go and do business.
In the Eighth House, death, loss of goods, property and inheritance, loss in a foreign country, fear, despair, loss from death, surrender, loss from the enemy of the petitioner, anger and confusion.
In the Ninth House, leaving of a high place of dominion, a bad journey and tears (if it is multiplied in the figure, it is a bad sign of treachery, whippings and wounds on the way), a bad dream, evil for the church and for the people of the church, useless skills and knowledge; teaching will bring no good or profit.

In the Tenth House, coming out of a good place and dominion,11 which someone will lose, it is also a sign that someone has been conquered, and expelled from his lands and benefits; it threatens much evil according to the nature of the house.
In the Eleventh House, the discovery of hope,12 believing enemies to be friends, friends who are lascivious, evil, traitors and liars, bad luck, loss in merchandise, a sign that the thing (sought) will be lost, the return of the absent (won’t happen), or that it will be repelled by a stronger hand,13 bad hope and being met with hatred.
In the Twelfth House, escape and flight due to debts, death of a sick person, release from prison, loss of animals, an enemy, terror, a wounded horse; rebellious and ferocious enemies, traitors and deceivers.

In the Thirteenth House, bad for recovering lost things, a change of path, the dangerous anger of the querent,14 disputes and bad luck.
In the Fourteenth House, enemies instead of friends, loss in merchandise, a bad end for what is claimed, bad in all.
Note, when this figure is found in the first house, it denotes loss and a man of average stature, a round face, a long nose, a large mouth, large teeth, a bald head, and a large beard.

Albus

In the First House, the attainment of the desired thing, happiness, good letters, a prudent man, rich, receiver of all goods, but (this figure) will delay journeys for some positive thing, white and useful things
In the Second House, money and profit in merchandise, riches in silver, reception of promised things, multiplication in all things.
In the Third House, getting one’s desire, good brothers, good relatives, good parents, good neighbors and benefactors, good faith, good news, business a little delayed.

In the Fourth House, gaining a lot from the father and mother, a good house, a good estate, a good position for the father, a good and happy end.
In the Fifth House, good children, good letters, joy, good white fish, hugs and kisses from one’s lady or beloved.
In the Sixth House, serious disease, profit from beasts and servants, comfort and good fortune in white beasts.

In the Seventh House, a good and peaceful woman, a good company, profits in trade, peace from enemies, useful marriage.15
In the Eighth House, mortality and a diseased state, security from fear, profit in a foreign country, lost wealth, good change and a good journey.
In the Ninth House, profit on the journey, faithfulness but some delay in the journey, good skills, a well-educated man, a wise man of an ecclesiastical order, a faithful man.

In the Tenth House, joy, health, good fortune, good to the king and the kingdom; if it is found in the Twelfth or Eighth house, it denotes the enemies of the king,16 a good judgment from the judge, the obtaining of what is desired from the superior, and good service.
In the Eleventh House, good luck, good friends, profits in trade, hope, peace, love.
In the Twelfth House, profitable beasts, good debtors, slow to come out of prison, weak enemies who ask for peace.

In the Thirteenth House, profits on the road and from some lord.
In the Fourteenth House, profit from friends and escape from enemies.
Note that this figure, found in the First House, represents a white man, 17well-bearded and often engaged in white things, and he stays near the water.

Rubeus

In the First House, blood, fights, wars, an angry man, full of rage, danger from fire and blood on the journey and elsewhere, enemies and bad change.18

In the Second House, poverty, loss of money through violence, harmful things.
In the Third House, wrath, bad faith, good siblings or good friends angered towards their fathers and parents and neighbors.19

In the Fourth House, blood, dryness and heat in the air, few seeds, loss of parents, loss of inheritance and patrimony and of all firm things, burning of houses, invasions and conquests of castles, shedding of blood, evil in everything, evil end.
In the Fifth House, bad children, bad life, bad letters, bad news, wild and choleric children.
In the Sixth House, diseases from red choler20 or blood, such as abscesses, ulcers, heat of the blood, evil beasts, bites from rabid dogs, injuries, dejection, armed men.

In the Seventh House, quarrels, wars, bad marriage, false company, a bad woman, hot-tempered and quarrelsome, aggressive with insulting words, robbers, murderers, quarrels with public enemies, deceptions and the like.
In the Eighth House, bloodshed, fear, loss of inheritance, loss by force, bad death by arms or by the sword, death in a foreign nation, loss of enemies, fear of death, loss to him who goes away, all evil for the absent party, hindrance of all gain to those making the journey, who will not find anything profitable in the place where they (plan to go).
In the Ninth House, falsity, a bad journey, robbers on the road, corruption on the road, a man of bad faith, little knowledge in his art or teaching, violence in the church, departure from favors and lies.

In the Tenth House, evilaction of the lord, false justice, wrath and anger of the lord, evil for the kingdom, evil for profit, departure from office by violence, refusal of dominion, bad sentence by the judge, execution.
In the Eleventh House, rigor and litigation, refusal by the master, bad luck, bad officials, bad children, bad hope, bad in dealing with friends and in having ownership.
In the Twelfth House, enemies, debts, evil thoughts, loss, death in prison, evil beasts, a vicious condition, damage by beasts, fierce and passionate enemies, evil and hellish prisons, diseases, imprisonment or death of those imprisoned, the rigor of justice.

In the Thirteenth house, loss from the superior, bad journey and change, loss for the absent party, short life for the one who hides himself from his enemies.
In the Fourteenth House, loss and anger, poverty, bad luck, accumulation of evil, reception of nothing , evil for all business; and this should be for the house of the geomantic shield, when it is generated by evil figures, or is associated with them.21
Note, when this preceding figure is in the First House, it signifies a red man, and of clever speech, longing for battles, and delighting or rejoicing in the shedding of blood, and whose work is connected with fire.

MQS

Footnotes
  1. The connection with stability comes from Caput’s entering or incoming quality. The connection with secrecy, which Fludd uses a lot, is unclear to me. ↩︎
  2. Fludd considers Caput a somewhat slow figure. ↩︎
  3. “Magisterium” ↩︎
  4. Because Caput implies arriving rather than going away. ↩︎
  5. It is unclear to me why Caput would indicate death. However, in very old texts, both lunar nodes are associated with evil things and sometimes with death. ↩︎
  6. I don’t understand this. Possibly it implies conciliation thanks to the judge’s intermediation. ↩︎
  7. I don’t understand the connection with letters. ↩︎
  8. Fludd doesn’t seem to share here the idea that finding Cauda in the First House warrants the destruction of the figure ↩︎
  9. Probably fruits from the earth, signified by the Fourth House. ↩︎
  10. Dowries are usually signified by the Eighth House, which is the second from the Seventh. Here, Fludd gives it to the Sixth which is the second from the Fifth, which rules love affairs. It doesn’t make much sense. ↩︎
  11. The same description is used for the Ninth House, but it applies more to the Tenth, which is the high place of the chart. ↩︎
  12. “spei inventionem”. It probably means making up a hope, which is therefore illusory. ↩︎
  13. I don’t understand this. ↩︎
  14. The Thirteenth House is the Right Witness, given usually to the querent. ↩︎
  15. From an economic standpoint, probably. ↩︎
  16. I don’t understand the reference to the Eighth House, but the Twelfth is quite obvious. Note that Albus is given to Mercury, which is always somewhat morally dubious. ↩︎
  17. White man doesn’t mean ‘white’ in the current ethnic or cultural sense. ↩︎
  18. As with Cauda, Fludd doesn’t seem to think Rubeus in the First House invalidates the figure. ↩︎
  19. This is very odd. Rubeus in the Third should indicate wrathful siblings or neighbors. ↩︎
  20. One of the humors of traditional Western medicine. ↩︎
  21. This sentence is a bit obscure, but it possibly means that a figure stemming from evil figures is worse than when it comes from good ones. ↩︎