Tag Archives: Hermeticism

Divination, Divination Master Post, Fortune-telling, Geomancy, Occultism and Esoterism

Robert Fludd’s Geomancy – Book I Pt. 1

Leave a comment

Previous / Back to Index / Next

Fludd offers interesting anecdotes from his life to elucidate the nature of Geomancy.

The Internal Principle of Terrestrial Astrology, or Geomancy

In the penultimate year of the life and reign of Elisateth, the glorious queen of England whose fame will never die, I was forced to stay in the city of Avignon during the whole of that winter, because of the severity of the weather, which covered the mountains with a lot of snow, and completely barred the journey to Italy.

In the house of a certain captain, together with many other noble and well-educated young men, and having received board from the Jesuits, I discussed philosophy with them one evening during supper, and perceived a variety of opinions concerning geomantic astrology. Some of them denied its virtue altogether, while others, on whose side I stood, vigorously defend the power of that art, and I adduced many reasons by which I proved that I was engaged in that knowledge of fate.

When the supper was over, as soon as I had betaken myself to my apartments, one of these men followed me and asked me to try my art, which he believed to be great, regarding some important matter whose resolution, he said, greatly concerned him.

After making many excuses, at last his prayers convinced me and I made him a geomantic figure in response to the question proposed by him, which was as follows: Whether the girl, by whose love he was vehemently captivated, would redeem him more than the others from the sufferings of mind and body.1

And after making him the figure, I affirmed that I could well describe the nature and disposition of the body of his beloved and, having done so, I noticed a particular mark or a certain spot, namely a fateful wart noticeable on her body, and so also I noted its place, indicating it to be on the left eyelid.2

This, of course, he also confessed. I also said that she was very fond of vineyards. He confirmed, as if exultant, adding that it was because her mother had built her house among vineyards. In short, I answered the question in this way: his beloved was inconstant and by no means firm, so much so that she loved someone else.

To which he said that he also suspected the same, and that he now saw it as if with open eyes. He then left my room with excited haste, and he reported [to the others] with some wonder the truth and power of my art.

But some of them, who happened to know this girl well, totally denied the existence of the mark described on her eyelids, until the next day, talking with her, they themselves also became witnesses to the truth of this matter, which I had explained to them by way of geomancy, and which they had not even observed before.

From here, therefore, more than I desired it, I became renowned, so that the report of this matter was carried to the ears of the Jesuits themselves. Two of them, hurrying to the steps of the palace, told the viceconsul all these things, and, moved by envy, said that there was a certain stranger present, an Englishman, who had foretold the future by a science rejected by the Catholic Church, that is, geomancy.3

These things were reported to me in the morning by the captain of the palace, named Johannes, who also referred to me the answer given to the viceconsul to these very things, which he affirmed to have been such:

“What?” said he, “This is not such an abomination as you make of it. Is there anyone among all the Cardinals of Italy who does not have his birth astrologically or geomantically described?”4 A few days afterward, the consul himself desired to speak with me, and kindly invited me to dinner. With a certain dear friend of mine, Monsieur Malceau, the apothecary of the Papal Palace, I went to the palace, where, having paid due respect in the usual manner, the viceconsul engaged with me in dialogue:

“I understand,” said he, “that you are well versed in the geomantic art; what is your opinion of that science?” To which I replied that I had proved by experience that this knowledge was essential and established by fundamental secret principles.

“How is this possible,” said he, “that there should be any certainty in something that consists of accidental points?”5

I told him: “The principle of these points made by the human hand is internal and very essential, since it is derived from the soul itself, which is the origin by this kind of movement. Moreover, the errors of this science are not caused by the soul itself, but by a perverse and incongruous movement of the body itself, moving against the intention of the soul.

Hence the general rule in this art is that the soul should be peaceful and that the body should obey it, and similarly, neither the body nor the soul should be confused or partial in the question, but let them be like a just and fair judge, and turn to God, praying from the heart that the truth may be revealed. At the same time, turn your soul energetically to the question proposed, and don’t be seduced by extraneous thoughts.”

“What then,” he answered, “is that soul of which you speak? Perhaps you understand by that your own soul, or the genius of Plato,6 or at least some angel?”

To which I answered: “An angel could not be the origin of that knowledge, since angels are divided into good and bad: good angels were seldom granted to the Arabs, Chaldeans, and Egyptians, who were the inventors of this art, and evil angels are all authors of lies rather than the truth, as the Holy Scripture testifies.”7

“From this, then,” said he, “it is evident that you yourself are not able to give a distinct and certain account of the principle in this science.”8

To which I answered that the human body is related to its soul as a servant is related to his master. A master may send his servant hither and thither with letters, without the servants in any way perceiving the intention of his master. Even a distinguished painter can send an excellent picture to a king through his servant; yet the servant is completely ignorant of the mixtures of colors and their symmetrical proportions.

In the same way, a king can impose taxes on his people through others, although the reason for these impositions is known only to the king himself. Similarly, of course, the body itself can perform what the soul commands, while remaining ignorant of the principles of this action except through its effects alone.

After hearing these things, he called me to a table standing in the midst of some of the bishops and deacons. There, taking pen and ink, he composed a geomantic figure, and very skilfully went over it, so that I could see that he himself was far more learned and expedient in that knowledge than me. Having thus finished my meal, I departed with his blessings, and visited him often afterwards; for I perceived that he was a very inquisitive prince, skilled in the sciences, kind to strangers, and in no way tyrannical.

Among the Jesuits, one was very desirous of conversing with me as a lecturer in philosophy. Therefore, at the entreaty of my dear Rheinaud, a young man of marked genius and modesty, I went to him, and was graciously received by him. There, after some philosophical discussions, he suddenly brought up geomancy, thinking perhaps that I would answer him easily.

“How is it possible” said he, “that by means of geomancy someone might be able to foretell the danger or death imminent to this or that person on his journey towards Rome? What is the participation and communication between his soul and yours, since both are contained within the human body?”

To which I answered briefly in this way: “Because the soul of each body is that chief light, having dominion over the rest of the body, no differently than the Sun in heaven has dominion over the other stars. Since the soul is the Sun of the microcosm, directing the whole body with her life-giving rays, there is no doubt that she also casts her invisible rays invisibly through the pores of the body in no other way than that Sun transmits his heavenly ones through the sieve of the elements toward the world below.9

In the same way that one star has a relation to another by ways of aspect, so that by application to one another they create the effects to be transmitted to the lower plane, so also without a doubt between the soul of one and the soul of another, which are invisible lights, rays are emitted, and by the emission they are joined together.

Thus, since either the petitioner himself or his friend is the one to who is in danger, and since the soul is very divine, and is the keeper of the body, she can foresee the future danger (for inasmuch as she is immortal, she can know the future and the present). So the soul will reveal to the querent the future secrets of the body, which the soul could not tell the body because of the body’s thickness. In this way the soul, quiet and peaceful, and prepared for judgment, very responsive to the bodily motion,10 can prognosticate without difficulty.

Moreover, Olaus Magnus,11 in his history of Finland, tells a great story about the amazing actions of the sorcerers of that region, among which he recounts the story of a certain enchantress.

It seems that when some from a remote country came to her in order to know about the state of his friends, the mode of operation was this: the witch, with some other woman and an assistant, entered the room, where, after many words muttered in silence, she took a serpent made of air, and, holding it by the tail, struck it twice with a small hammer, and having done so, she suddenly collapsed as if dead. And the other helped by driving away flies and other small animals, so that they might not touch her. Half an hour later the witch arose from her sleep, and told the truth about the petitioner’s friends.

But what does this mean, if not that the soul of that witch had communion with the souls of the querent’s friends? And since the semi-diameter of its rays was too short to reach the extremity of the soul of the friends, in order to fulfill the desire of the querent it was necessary for the her to depart from her heart to find a place where it could have communication and its application with the rays of the souls of the friends.

Doubtless the animal rays extend themselves insensibly outside the body, far beyond the field of vision, so readily can they penetrate the thinness and purity of their essential substance, as through elementary means without hindrance.

After making some other similar similar remarks, he embraced me in a friendly manner, swearing that he would regard me as his brother, and praying that I would often visit him and his brothers. This, however, I could not do because of my sudden departure from that city to the Duke of Guyse, who at that time was living in Marseilles, who sent for me to teach him and his brother, a Knight Militant, the mathematical sciences.

In conclusion, therefore, this art is a science directly dependent on the soul, in such a way that its root is the soul itself, and therefore it is more subtle than all the other sciences which man can learn in this corruptible world.

MQS

Footnotes
  1. I am not sure I translated the question exactly. However, the gist is correct, as may be seen from Fludd’s answer. ↩︎
  2. It is common for old geomancy and astrology manuals to teach how to find peculiar marks on the querent’s or other people’s body. It was a way of convincing them of the veracity of the art. ↩︎
  3. The status of astrology has always been ambiguous in the West. However, geomancy was more unanimously rejected as dangerous. ↩︎
  4. It was important for Fludd to establish the semi-official status of geomancy as a legitimate science by mentioning the common practice of horoscopy ↩︎
  5. The objection of the viceconsul is similar to the one already discussed by Fludd in the introduction. ↩︎
  6. Possibly the Socratic Daemon ↩︎
  7. In order to conform to the Christian orthodoxy, Fludd must deny the influence of angels, since Geomancy was not invented in the Christian West. ↩︎
  8. The reason for the need to establish the principles of Geomancy as a science is twofold: on one hand, to justify it, and on the other in order to conform to the Aristotelean view of science typical of the time ↩︎
  9. This answer is typical of the Renaissance point-of-view, which always sought to establish correspondences between the inner and the outer, the higher and the lower. ↩︎
  10. probably the bodily motion of the creation of the geomantic figure ↩︎
  11. A Swedish cartographer. ↩︎
Personal Journal, Philosophy, Spirituality and Psychology

Platonic Spirituality

Leave a comment

There is a common myth that the West doesn’t have its own spiritual tradition. Although it is true that the West, in its history, is marked by a strong ideological unpredictability, there are important strands of the spiritual tradition intertwined in our history, especially if we look back at before Christianity took over (and this, by the way, is not an attempt at disparating Christianity, which actually added to the tradition).

I am planning a series of articles on Platonic spirituality. Aside from my study of philosophy, I’ve been lucky enough to find mentors and teachers throughout my life who were well within this tradition, which I consider to be part of my personal brand. It is not an easy task: Platonism is not merely a set of practices but it is, first and foremost, a philosophical tradition, so it becomes hard to write a “breviary” of Platonism, for the simple fact that the Platonic and Neoplatonic traditions were never meant to be reduced to a simple catechism (and this is part of the reason why Neoplatonism lost in its battle to Christianity and was assimilated within it).

Still, I think it has to be done, in light of the fact that we are slowly entering a post-Christian era in the West which has many similarities with the Hellenistic period in which Neoplatonism thrived as a spiritual and magical tradition. Post-Christianity can never be pre-Christianity, and history only moves on and never really goes back. Still, in the past we can often find seeds that may be planted again in new soil. In this sense, it is worth it to see which parts of Platonism are alive and which are dead.

MQS

Divination, Divination Master Post, Fortune-telling, Geomancy, Occultism and Esoterism, Spirituality and Psychology

Robert Fludd’s Geomancy – Introduction Pt. 3

Leave a comment

Previous / Back to Index / Next

Fludd discusses the mystical implications of using divination.

5. The Act of a True Geomancer Is Like a Movement of the Mind in Ecstasy, or Rather a Sort of Rapture, in Which There Is Prophecy

Rapture in general is called the abstraction, alienation, and illumination of the human mind, proceeding directly from God, through which prophecy is obtained.1

Thus also a certain kind of rapture and ecstasy is required for divination by Geomancy, which is not called the illumination of the mind directly emanating from God, but rather the act of gathering of the mind’s rays into a narrower place, that is to say, into the seat of the human body and its own home, so that through them the divining soul discerns the simple truth more clearly.2

As such, ecstasy is first of all required in this knowledge, that is, the abstraction of the rays of the mind from all external things or affairs, so that they are contracted within themselves: for in a great rapture of the mind and soul the rays are lifted up to the divine essence of God, or into the region of the mental world.3

Thus, even in this minor rapture of the human soul, the rays sent out from without, and scattered here and there, are recalled to their center, and are reflected in the mind, and thus man, who was formerly dark because of the diffusion of his own light, is now enlightened and glorious by the aggregation of the expanded rays.

In a similar manner, as we gather from the opinion of the learned men, on the third day of creation the rays created by the light scattered evenly throughout the sky, and all appeared in a dark manner, as if darkness were mixed equally with light, or night with day.4

But when, on the fourth day, all that light scattered everywhere was collected in the center of the solar body by a certain magnetic property, there was produced that glorious and worthy example of light, in which God himself is said to have had his tabernacle.5

We also see, for instance, that in a fortress equipped with a thousand soldiers, if the greater part of these soldiers, either for the purpose of preparing for defeat or for some other attempt, goes out and runs to and fro, then that fortification is rendered weak, and those who are left experience great fear.

But if those who had gone forth should return safe and sound, those who had been left in the stronghold recover their former confidence and their former hope, and putting aside all fear, they are in no way afraid of the invasions of the enemy, since that place is already well-furnished with warriors.

Here, therefore, things are in the same way with the bright rays of the human soul. For the human body is a stronghold or fortress, where the rays of the mind and the middle soul are likened to soldiers, of whom we may compare those who are sent out of the body to attend to foreign affairs, to soldiers running hither and thither outside the fortress, the absence of which renders the body less confident, and more insecure and timid, and weak in facilitating some noble and bright aim, such as divination, which is the best and highest thing.

We say, therefore, that the recollection of rays of this kind is the reduction of man’s internal nature from multitude to simplicity.6 As a result the soul, recalled from external meditations, and reflected and recollected within itself, renders a man, as it were, raptured and ecstatic, because he thinks of himself and within himself, he is only present to himself, oblivious of strangers, so that it appears to the ignorant that he is not aware of himself. when, in truth, he is now more than ever before.7

For he who neglects worldly things is sure to care for himself more, and he who withdraws himself from the multitude into himself seems to be most present to himself, since there will not be a great interval of distance between him and God.8

To such an attitude or disposition must he reduce himself, who endeavors to procure for himself the gift of future divination. For those thinking of externals divert the powers of the soul from the judgment of truth, so that the uncertainty of the geomancer is great in his judgment, or to be more precise, the truth in him will be as great as the variation of the soul from its unity.9 Indeed, in the multitude of things, tricks, vanities, and lies are concealed; in true unity and simplicity perfection, identity and unity [are found].

Let the soul therefore snatch from the Macrocosm that which is its own, given to it by the Creator in its creation, and internalize it into its own Microcosm, and let no one else enjoy what is its own.

By virtue, I say, of his own excellency, he is snatched from the world, and restored to himself and recollected, and clings to ecstasy, so that in his most refined mirror or spirit he may reflect not only worldly things, but also divine ones. For the more clarity he achieves, the more effective will be his visions and motions for prophesying the truth

6. About the Hidden Properties of Geomancy, and How the Soul or Mind Passes in Its Operation Through the Whole Nature of the Macrocosm

Nor is it right that those who are ignorant of geomancy should regard a series of points as mere lines, formed from the act of divination, since under these characters, the objects of the eye and the senses, many things, both spiritual and material, are concealed. Indeed, these series of lines comprise no less the idea of ​​the universe than the human body itself.10

In fact, although in man his body can only be seen from the outside, yet with spiritual eyes we contemplate his spirit and soul and mind inwardly. Of course, in the body we see the elements invisibly mixed in composition;11 in the spirit and soul we observe the ethereal nature, in the intellect and mind we observe the empyrean nature.

the same can be observed also in Geomancy, since readings consist of four lines of points, and we perceive that the four elements are concealed in it, that is to say, the element of fire under the first line, of air under the second, of water under the third, and of earth under the fourth. 12

Furthermore, in the figures produced by those series of points, the seven planets and the twelve heavenly signs are included, which can only be perceived by the eyes of the spirit.

Thus the figure of Carcer is attributed to Saturn direct and Tristitia retrograde: the figure Laetitia signifies Jupiter direct, Acquisitio retrograde; Rubeus denotes Mars direct, and Puella retrograde; Major indicates the Sun in a certain direction, and the Minor in retrogradation; although the astrologers deny the retrogradation of the Sun, because of its epicycle; Puer is given to Venus direct, Amissio retrograde;13 Albus is attributed to Mercury direct, Conjunctio when retrograde; the direct Moon is symbolized by Populus, the retrograde by Via;14 Caput Draconis is represented by a figure bearing the same name, and Cauda Draconis is represented by a figure bearing the same name as well.

So also those figures contain in themselves the natures of the twelve signs. For Acquisitio is of Aries in an abstract manner; Laetitia and the Minor of Taurus, Rubeus and the Puer of Gemini; Albus and Populus of Cancer; Via of Leo; Caput and Conjunctio of Virgo; Puella of Libra; Tristitia and Amissio of Scorpio; Caput of Sagittarius; Cauda of Capricorn; Major of Aquarius; Carcer of Pisces.

Furthermore, Rubeus, Minor, Amissio and Cauda denote the element of Fire and the Southern part of the world; Laetitia, Acquisitio, Puella and Conjunctio denote Air and the Eastern part of the world; Populus, Via, Puer and Albus denote Water and the Northern corner of the world; Major, Caput, Carcer and Tristitia denote Earth and the Western part of the world.

Even deeper towards the center of the sky lies the empyrean spirit,15 which is the revealer of the future and the present, that is to say, the rational or intellectual collection of these figures and the worldly things contained in them.

From all this it is evident how purely and sincerely the intellectual spirit must be preserved from the inconveniences and harms of the flesh and filth, when from it the movement to produce the Geomantic points first arises, taking with it in a secret manner the natures of the heavenly signs, the planets, and the elements, and finally hiding all these under the number and in proportion to the points, like a certain treasure in a chest.16

If, therefore, we wish to open that chest, first to the elements, then to the planets and celestial signs, and finally to the boundary from which these movements originally flowed, we shall penetrate in the sanctuary of the mind, its will, in the mythotheque of the intellect, of the will, of the signs and planets; in the closet of the ether we shall find the act or execution of the mind; and in the storehouse of the elements, we shall find the effect of the mind’s will, reason, and act (all of which are contained and hidden under figures, as if in a chest).

From the aforesaid, therefore, it is evidently clear that, just as the prophecy of the inspired is the union of the divine mind with the human mind (whence it is the most complete and greatest, this species of prophecy), so also the prophecy of the uninspired sometimes happens, when the soul is united, with its rays drawn back to itself from the multitude toward its summit, that is, with the human mind, which, without doubt, if united with the soul and collected, can perform enormous things by itself, and can lead to the summit and a happy outcome.

MQS

Footnotes
  1. The words ‘abstraction’ and ‘alienation’ must not be understood in their usually negative sense. In Neoplatonism (and mostly in Plato himself as well), the dialectical method allows the spiritual seeker to climb up the ladder of being through a process that leads from the particulars of the material world upward and inward to unity with the divine. Ecstasy, which is the goal of Neoplatonic spirituality, literally means “going out of oneself”. This is the process of abstraction and alienation. ↩︎
  2. That is, prophecy stems from direct union with the divine and is harder to control, while divination (such as Geomancy) happens by focusing inward. ↩︎
  3. See Note 1. Fludd describes the Neoplatonic method of retreating inward and upward. ↩︎
  4. If the light is evenly distributed, no difference appears and everything is as equally dark as it is equally radiant. ↩︎
  5. In the Hermetic interpretation of Astrology, the Sun is a symbol of divinity. ↩︎
  6. Broadly speaking, the path of magic in all its branches (and divination is one of these branches) require an endless attempt at simplifying one’s life and one’s external nature. ↩︎
  7. This is a common theme in mystical and occult literature, and one of the great truths of our art. As we reach what some have called ‘superconsciousness’ we appear to be less aware, while in fact we exceed regular awareness. ↩︎
  8. The phrasing here is clearly very careful to avoid scandal. As for the words “caring for himself”, this is not to be understood as being egoistic. ↩︎
  9. that is, we are capable of seing the truth in the measure that our soul is unified. This is probably part of the reason why divining for oneself is especially difficult, since divination implies doubt about an external topic. ↩︎
  10. Here lies a great and central secret about all functional systems of divination: that their symbolic vocabulary is complete in itself, so as to be able to reflect within its permutations the truth of things to come. Here, Fludd compares the language of Geomancy to the human body, which is a symbol of the completeness of the universe. ↩︎
  11. He means the four elements, which were thought to be mixed to form the material bodies. ↩︎
  12. This is a reference to the fact that in Geomancy each figure is made up of four series of points, and each series is assigned to one of the elements. ↩︎
  13. compared to the usual attributions, Fludd switches Puer and Puella ↩︎
  14. The Moon cannot go into retrogradation. Usually, Populus is assigned to the waxing Moon and Via to the waning Moon. ↩︎
  15. with reference to the Aristotelean and Ptolemaic view of the cosmos. ↩︎
  16. This comparison is very much a consequence of Fludd’s Renaissance worldview, according to which Nature is replete with symbols. ↩︎
Divination, Divination Master Post, Fortune-telling, Geomancy, Occultism and Esoterism, Spirituality and Psychology

Robert Fludd’s Geomancy – Introduction Pt. 2

Leave a comment

Previous / Back to Index / Next

Fludd describes the importance of purification, meditation and other practices in preparation to geomancy.

3. How a Geomancer Should Prepare Himself, So That the Intentions of His Mind May Be Clearly Emitted, and May Be United With the Senses by Means of Reason

It is thanks to our senses that we can see the geomantic points. Then, we compare these same points to the celestial [bodies] and the elements with our imagination.1 Finally, the hidden virtue, both of these points and of the figures arising from them proceeds from the correctness of the intellect, both active and passive,2 and consequently from the mind.

From all this follows that the human body must be regulated and governed in such a way that its more intellectual part may not be drowned by too much intercourse with the flesh, or become dulled, and that the imaginative or fantastic spirit may not be rendered dull and impure.3

Therefore, before this work is approached, let our fantastic spirit be clean, pure, unmoved and untroubled by cares, so that it may be made worthy of being trusted by the mind and intellect. Thus, such a spirit, most suitable for divination, will receive the light of the rays of the mind without any hindrance, and will depict the objects of truth in a mystical manner, as if in a mirror, and will cause the sensation and movement of the body to proceed exactly and to the degree to which the effect of the mind itself tends.4

When, therefore, we are safe and healthy in body, and not disturbed in mind, not weighed down by food or drink, not suffering from want or poverty, and not ruled by any vices of lust or anger, let us enter into this area of ​​prophecy. Let him also who wishes to use this art keep his spirit pure, both by quiet and religious meditation, and by moderate and temperate diet according to nature.5

This preparation is necessary for him who desires to foretell the truth of future things, either by the geomantic art, or by any other method, since without it no one can access true divination, for he who is languishing in a fantastical spirit6 will not attain the desired end, but will judge confusedly and indiscernibly.

Similarly, when we are filled with wine, our imaginative spirit, as if submerged in noxious vapors, hides and distorts the glory and truth of the rays of the mind, no differently than a thick cloud, or the earth raised in the middle of the air region, shields the glory of the sun from the eyes of the beholder, and produces a refraction of its rays. In this manner falsities will appear instead of truths, and in the very portion of the cloud the objects of the sun will be seen changed into an iridescent or multi-colored substance, and many phantasms will appear in the air, which are not such as they appear.7

Hence they say that the vassals of Amphariaus,8 as Philostratus testifies, ordered one who wished to divine future things, and to receive the oracles of God or of the mind, to abstain from food and wine for a whole day, or even for three days, if this could be conveniently done.

Thus we read that Ezra and Daniel, and even Moses himself, before they came to God, abstained from their wives for three days and washed their clothes: and so they did all this, at the command of God himself, of which we read Exod. 19 and Ezech. 44.9

And so also must he who desires to devote himself faithfully to this form of divination, be delighted not with carnal intercourse, but with spiritual union, not with wine, but with the light of the mind’s milk, not to be lavished with worldly riches, but with the infinite affluence of the divine intellect, not with junk, but to be filled with spiritual food.10

In an old French manuscript on occult Geomancy I found a confirmation of the above in these following words: “Before you get to the projection of the Geomantic points, I would like you to understand that they are not counted. Indeed, if you do this, nothing good or profitable will result from it, since this is knowledge based on the soul, and therefore the number of points is to be found in the will of the soul, and in no way be established according to the appetite of your senses.

It behooves him, therefore, who undertakes this work, to begin nothing, unless his heart is at peace, and his conscience is whole and healthy, and his spirit and soul are not troubled by any disturbances, so much so that he would not even wish worse for another than for himself.11

Finally, having been prepared in this way, let him trust in God, the teacher of knowledge, and beseech him with prayers, that by the power of that knowledge he may reveal to him the truth; having therefore carefully completed these things, it will be necessary to proceed immediately to the projection and arrangement of the points, etc.”

This author in no way disagrees with our opinion, but rather, on the contrary, seems to agree exactly with it.

4. It Is Not Sufficient for Divination That the Body and Flesh Should be Well Ordered. It is Also Necessary That the Rays of the Internal Soul Be Gathered Together

As concentrating a force generally increases its strength, so also it begets great weakness when it is dispersed.12 Thus we see that the rays of a candle in a confined room illuminate a place in a wonderful manner, since the narrowness of the place compresses and contracts the rays emitted by the flame to each other, so that they have a greater power in illumination. However, if that candle is placed in a larger room, its light is greatly weakened and darkened, because of the dispersion of its rays in a wide area.

In the same way, then, the soul (whose candlestick is the human body) spreads its rays in this or that business, nay, in infinite external things, for example, in lawsuits and legal affairs, in the art of medicine, in the care of family matters, in pain and sadness over a lost cause or the death of a friend, in anger or some unexpected adversity, in some art or knowledge and others of the like, or if he is also affected by the intercourse of concupiscence, the vice of drunkenness, the indulgence of gluttony, or other temptations of the flesh, he will be very weak and have little power to illuminate the body.

But truly, if all these soul-rays are reduced from external affairs to the internal economy of the Microcosm, and are drawn back to their center from the multitude, the force of the soul will be united, and that body, which was formerly dark and gloomy because of the rays, will be illuminated in a wonderful way, and thus the prophetic power in man will be far more effective than it was before.13

However, this reduction of the expanded rays of the soul into one cannot take place without the purification of the body, which is done in the manner mentioned above. As a result it is necessary above all things for him who wishes to claim the name of truth in Geomancy, that his soul should once again turn and reflect its scattered rays upon itself; since the chief virtue of this science consists in the illumination of the soul, in so far as true things are seen in its divine light, as in a mirror of truth, and are explained by the external observation of points in a mystical way through the guidance of the soul that turns its attention to this.

MQS

Footnotes
  1. By using the correspondences of the figures. ↩︎
  2. The concept of the ‘intellectus agens’ or Active Intellect is key to Neoplatonist spirituality both in Europe and in the Arab world, and has many similarities with some kabbalistic concepts. Generally, the Active Intellect was a universal form of intelligence that is not confined to one’s individual nature. Whether Fludd is referring to this or simply to the more active faculties of the human soul is unclear to me. The gist of his argument, however, is that the occult sciences, including Geomancy, rest on the highest principles, which makes them hard to access when one is not pure. ↩︎
  3. Imagination is depicted here as a valid aid to understanding, as long as it is in its pure form and not just mere fancy. ↩︎
  4. To put it simply, the body and the lower faculties of our nature must be ruled in such a way that they move in unison with the higher. Once this is accomplished, divination may take place successfully. ↩︎
  5. Old medicine was of the idea that an appropriate diet could only be prescribed based on one’s nature. There was no one-size-fit-all. As for meditation, Fludd is unlikely to refer to those forms of meditation that entered into the Western consciousness thanks to theosophy’s Eastern dabblings, and that have become commonplace today. The West used to have its forms of meditation. ↩︎
  6. possibly meaning someone who gives in to their fantasy without ruling it appropriately ↩︎
  7. It is impossible to read this passage without being reminded of Plato’s myths, especially that of the cave. ↩︎
  8. Possibly Amphiaraus, the mythological seer. ↩︎
  9. Here Fludd interprets passages from the Bible as episodes describing some higher form of divination. In a way, this is very true. ↩︎
  10. Here Fludd proposes a series of alternatives to ‘lower’ forms of pleasure that may seem rethorical at first, but on closer inspection aren’t. Such ‘substitutions’ are typical of many occult training curricula. ↩︎
  11. Ill-wishing is part of the things that weigh the soul down. ↩︎
  12. The same pressure applied on a wider surface disperses it. ↩︎
  13. This process of ‘unification’ is the same that has been typical of Neoplatonism since (at least) Plotinus, and which has been described, within a Christian context, by the German mystics (Meister Eckhart and his disciples) who described the Seelengrund (ground of the soul) as the point of contact of the individual soul with the universal presence of the divine. Fludd, living at the end of the Renaissance and its exaltation of humanity, gives us a slightly less mystical version of this idea, one geared toward increasing one’s knowledge through occult practices. ↩︎
Divination, Divination Master Post, Fortune-telling, Geomancy, Occultism and Esoterism, Spirituality and Psychology

Robert Fludd’s Geomancy, Translated and Annotated / Index

Leave a comment

Back to the Geomancy Index

My translation and comments on Robert Fludd’s Animae Intellectualis Scientia seu Geomantia (The Intellectual Science of the Soul or Geomancy). Please note that I am no professional translator of old texts and sometimes I had to paraphrase. Feel free to leave comments or contact me on how this project could be improved. The translation and commentaries are copyrighted to me, so please ask for my permission before using it.

Introduction
Part I – Geomancy is an Act of the Soul
Part II – Preparing to Divination, the Hermetic Way
Part III – The Mystical Presuppositions of Divination

Book I
Part I – Anecdotes on the veracity of Geomancy
Part II – How to Prepare to Divination
Part III – Basic rules on projecting the points
Part IV – Filling out the geomantic shield

Book II
Part I – Elemental and astrological attributes of the figures
Part II – The Houses
Part III – The First Four Geomantic Figures
Part IV – The Second Four Geomantic Figures
Part V – The Third Four Geomantic Figures
Part VI – The Final Four Geomantic Figures
Part VII – When the Same Figure is Found in Two Houses

MQS

Occultism and Esoterism, Spirituality and Psychology

Be Careful What You Worship

Leave a comment

One of my favorite books of all times is Ursula Le Guin’s second Earthsea novel, The Tombs of Atuan. Actually, I adore the whole first trilogy. It is one of the few fantasy cycles that can actually inform one’s magical practice quite a lot, if one is observant enough. But The Tombs of Atuan is my absolute favorite, and I find myself rereading it every now and then as a sort of comfort book.

In The Tombs of Atuan, the protagonist Tenar, a young priestess in a remote and almost forgotten place of worship, is tasked with guarding the dark subterranean labyrinth of the Tombs and with worshipping the Old Powers of the Earth that seem to reside there (the Old Powers are never clearly defined in the other Earthsea novels and material, as far as I know, but they seem to be a sort of mix between natural powers, pre-divine titans and incomprehensible amoral entities).

Over the course of the book Tenar comes into contact with Ged, the protagonist of the first Earthsea novel and gradually realizes, thanks to him, not only that there is no point in worshipping the Old Powers, but that her worship of them has actually made her worse. There is a lot more to the novel, but this one key point is worth thinking about.

It is one of the tenets of my devotional, philosophical and magical practice that no power comes from me as an individual. It can, at most, come through me. The way we as individuals become channels for powers greater than us is through our worship of them (whether it be devotional, theurgic or of a different kind.)

We all worship something, whether it be mystical, philosophical or mundane. And the more we worship it, the more we make space for it in our life and in the world. This has nothing to do with the manifestation or attraction nonsense that is practiced by people online and is to magic what McDonalds is to food. It is, actually, a simple, almost physical fact.

Most, if not all, magical traditions recognize this. For instance, the reciting of the rosary in certain strands of Italian witchcraft, in addition to accomplishing certain magical goals, is also meant to empty the devotee of themselves to make space for the divine. In many so-called High Magic traditions, the aim of initiation is to balance the components of the personal vessel so as to make it a better tool for something much greater than it: “Now be assured that no one can be enlightened unless he be first cleansed or purified and
stripped. So also, no one can be united with God unless he be first enlightened.” (Theologia Germanica, Ch. XIV)

(similarly, in many strands of Chinese magic, Qi Gong and other practices are used to the same effect).

A lot of people, including a lot of magicians, worship God, but this is not enough. What does God mean? How do you define the God that you worship? I feel this sort of clarification is extremely important, not because your definition changes the substance of God in a postmodern fashion, but because there are plenty of powers, objective and real, in the world that are capable of fitting the mold of your definition and seeping through the cracks of your practice, just like the Old Powers in Le Guin’s novel. Clarity, therefore, is extremely important.

Way too often do we see people who think of themselves (and are thought of) as spiritually “evolved”, whatever that means, or magically powerful who, at a second glance, have merely turned themselves into a walking collection of metaphysical parasites.

This process of clarification starts with a rational and philosophical assessment, and rationality is incredibly important (I’ve written a whole article about the importance of reason in occultism). However, keeping the lights on in your head is just the first step. What is needed is a broader cultivation of our vessel.

Can this all be taught? It is a tricky question. It is my belief that few things in life can truly be taught, or rather, most things can be taught, but the ability to be taught is harder to teach than all the rest. When I say that most branches of the occult path are for the few I do not mean to sound elitist. I mean it in the same way that I mean that math is really for few people. Not everything is for everyone.

Yet I believe that at least this one process of clarifying what we worship is important to everyone, whether they be on an occult magical path or not, simply because, as said, everyone worships something.

MQS

astrology, Occultism and Esoterism

The Esoteric Side of the Loneliness Epidemic

2 Comments

In scrolling on youtube I must have passed the third or fourth pompous video essay on the loneliness epidemic and the atomization of society. Then I had to laugh as I looked at myself from the outside, lonely in my office, my eyes glued to a stupid screen, which is usually what these videos complain about. I don’t like complaining, but I do like observing.

From an astrological standpoint, loneliness is ruled by Saturn, the greater malefic. Let me stress the word ‘malefic’. Generations of people better than us had no problem calling Saturn and Mars malefic and acknowledging the presence of evil in the world, yet the Becky’s and LaRhonda’s of the world who spend their time deluding themseves manifesting on social media think the concept of evil is beneath them.

It is, by the way, no moralistic notion of evil. Evil is simply that which is contrary to life (life being understood not vitalistically, but as outward expression of the metaphysical process of emanation).

Saturn is evil, greatly so. Even the few gifts it has for us are laced with poison: its deep wisdom, discernment and secret philosophy are often accompanied by illness, depression, poverty, general gloominess of circumstances. Saturn is not the cantankerous but loveable teacher that it is made out to be in pop astrology.

This doesn’t mean that Saturn is an unaccountable Satan like that of the exoteric tradition of many religions: Saturn does actively take part in the process of creation, but it usually does so by fulfilling the destructive and separative part of the equation. For instance, in some old hermetic and astrological texts Saturn is said to rule the first part of the pregnancy. This is the part where the soul becomes bound to the biological process of an individual body.

Through Saturn we become ‘this thing here’, before the other planets add their traits. Because we become ‘this thing here’ we also become subject to death, also ruled by Saturn, who is thus the first Planet we encounter descending and the last one we encounter ascending. Our being one thing, one individual, is the result of Saturn’s work.

As such, our existence as individual, ‘saturnian’ beings is also the basis of our loneliness, which is the presupposition of all we can do and achieve in life, all the social, political, cultural and economic structures we can weave together with other people.

It is not casual that all totalitarian ideologies seek to break down the ties that bind us to other people. All ideologies aim to push a certain image of humanity that corresponds to that ideology’s idea of good, but this image is usually the product of the ideologue’s deep delusion and would never occur by itself. The ideologue’s push becomes therefore a push for the reconstruction of humanity from the ground up.

And what is the ground? Saturn! The isolated individual, the one who has been torn from his or her social, moral, spiritual fabric is an individual who has been reduced to the Saturn phase of his conception, the phase where all we can say about them is that they are one thing, but before the other planets (let alone life experience) have added their specifications. The ideology then seeks to add its own imprint on this amorphous thing.

We do not live in times of totalitarian rule (anyone who argues the contrary has likely never experienced the horrors of totalitarianism). But we do live in times where there are people who profit from our isolation in a similar way.

So what is the conclusion? There is no conclusion. This is just a collection of notes as I observe the world around me. I am not suggesting any conspiracy or any evil master plan. I am merely observing who profits and who doesn’t from the current state of affairs. It is a simple reflection on what it means, from a magical standpoint, to isolate people.

MQS