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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. ↩︎
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. ↩︎

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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. ↩︎

Divination, Divination Master Post, Fortune-telling, Geomancy

Robert Fludd’s Geomancy – Book II Pt. 3

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Fludd explains some of the meanings of Acquisitio, Amissio, Laetitia and Tristitia in the various houses.

Of the Nature and Meaning of the Sixteen Figures in Each of the Houses of the Shield

Acquisitio

In the First house, riches, prudence, profit, good end (or aim)1 luck, receiving what one wishes, but this figure is not good for selling;2 but it is truthful.
In the Second house, wealth, gain, profit, good luck in commerce, reception of something promised, recovery of lost property, increase of all good things.
In the Third house, good luck from relatives, good relatives, siblings, neighbors, good journey, good sense (or feeling).3

In the Fourth house, good inheritance, good and useful house, in which one will acquire riches, rich father, positive solution to all things connected with inheritance.
In the Fifth house, gain from one’s children,4 good children, good letters, good clothes, happiness in the heart, delighting in women, the fruits of the inheritance.5
In the Sixth house, long illness,6 which however will be cured, good animals, good servants.

In the Seventh house, a chaste and submissive woman,7 good company, good dealings, peace, reconciliation with enemies, whether it be in litigation or in war.
In the Eighth house, redress, natural death, gain in foreign land, freedom from fear of death, the enemy is happy and rich.8
In the Ninth house, gain from death, path or travel, fear of God, positive journey, benefit, good dreams, good sense in all actions, piety and religious devotion, good in things of church.

In the Tenth house, profit from (or for) the master or king, peaceful and happy masters, obtaining one’s wish, good sentence from the judge.
In the Eleventh house, good luck, good friends, gain from commerce, immediate reception of gain.
In the Twelfth house, poverty or incarceration due to debts, profit for (or from) servants and beasts,9 long prison sentence, good in case of illness and in being paid back a debt.

In the Thirteenth house, loss and change in profits,10 good journey, acquisition in everything, receipt, implementation of the wish of the absent person.11
In the Fourteenth house, gain in everything one wishes, long life, luck, usefulness, goodness.
In the Fifteenth house, good in everything, recovery of lost things, delay in one’s journey.

Note that this figure in the first house shows a man who is handsome, with yellow or beautiful hair, mediocre build, a red face, a merchant.12

Amissio

In the First house, a bold, unstable man, full of crime and deception, receiving nothing.
in the Second house loss of merchandise and goods, no profit, loss of all goods from robbers.
In the Third house enmity between relatives, parents, brothers, neighbors full of deception, fear on the way.

In the Fourth house falsity and loss of inheritance and patrimony, bad end of the city or house.13
In the fifth house loss of fruits of the inheritance,14 bad and unstable children, bad letters,15 no pleasure in the love of unserious women.
In the Sixth house escape from disease, loss of animals, flight of slaves, likewise injury and perversity.

In the Seventh house an evil woman, a quarrel with one’s master16 or partner, an unstable and lustful woman, loss of merchandise, fugitive robbers, inimical partners, changeable and deceitful, bad change (or removal).17
In the Eighth house loss from death, loss of sense, no profit in the place where one goes, poor enemies, loss a woman’s dowry.
In the Ninth house a long journey without pleasure, no knowledge, some evil for the querent from the Church.

In the Tenth house evil lords, loss of honour, dominion or office, unstable lords, troubles of kingdoms, obstacles to honour.
In the Eleventh house loss of friends, loss of merchandise, false hope, changeable and useless friends.
In the Twelfth house loss of animals, escape from debts, bad change, escape from prison, friends full of falsehood, changeable and derisive.

In the Thirteenth house loss and change in authority or government, bad luck.
In the Fourteenth house loss of friends, much toil in every matter.18
In the Fifteenth house a reception of nothing, a bad conclusion.

note, when this figure Loss is found in the first house, it signifies a pale man, a liar, a predator, a thief.

Laetitia

In the First house judges, wise men, a good and upright life, fullness of joy and exaltation, joy to the querent in all things.
In the Second house a multitude of honors, a life full of fidelity and joy.
In the Third house good fortune through one’s brothers, no fear of God,19 good love of brothers, neighbors, parents, much joy in everything.

In the Fourth house profit from inheritances and from all things on earth,20 a happy end, happiness through real estate, happiness of parents, peaceful inheritance.
In the Fifth house profitable children, long life, happiness in all things, happy and delightful letters and news, happiness from women and all good things.
In the Sixth house servants, animals cured from disease, joyful and cheerful servants.

In the Seventh house a good marriage, profitable partners or profit from partners, victory due to a cheerful and chaste woman, cheerful company, peace and harmony, good change (or removal).
In the Eighth house profits inherited from the dead, escape from fear, profit and profits in the place where one removes to.
In the Ninth house, journeys, fear of God, knowledge, faithfulness, cheerfulness, a holy man,21 business of the church, good news, fine arts, devotion and love of the church.

In the Tenth house exaltation to great honors, bishops and prelates, help from the lords, a happy and cheerful office, beautiful temples, a good judge, a just and good opinion, a warm place.22
In the Eleventh house good fortune from associates, profitable animals,23 joyous love, good hope from a good man, cheerful and good friends, a prudent man and of good knowledge, profit in trade.
In the Twelfth house profitable beasts and slaves, coming out of prison, deliverance from debt, and from all tribulation, peace and reconciliation with enemies.

In the Thirteenth house, profit from a journey, from the king, from the lord, positive change.
In the Fourteenth house good hope of fulfilling one’s will, happy hope, the fulfillment of one’s wishes, joy and exaltation.

When this figure is found in the first house, it signifies a bishop, a prelate of the church, religious and ecclesiastical, a long beard, some evil existing in the finger,24 remaining in high places.

Tristitia

In the First house, sad thoughts, debts, poverty, hidden loss, obligations, prison, roadblocks, bad change, unbelieving and without hope.25
In the Second house fortune and commerce,26 avarice, loss of property, an unfortunate usurer, dishonor.
In the Third house bitterness with relatives, silent hatred with neighbors and relatives, a secret obstacle on the way.27

In the Fourth house loss of inheritance and in battles, loss of house, trouble, bad house, bad luck, poverty of parents, loss.
In the Fifth house bad and poor children, false letters, sadness and anguish of heart, secrets in love of sad women, poor food and clothes.
In the Sixth house evil servants, fear of captivity and poverty, timid and useless animals, long illness or death, poverty, rejection without injury and confusion.28

In the Seventh house a bad woman, a victorious man,29 a thief in the night, poor condition, loss, bad change (or removal), a sad woman.
In the Eighth house being poor from the death of another, loss in a foreign nation, damage from the absent person.30

In the Ninth house the road is unprofitable, hindrances in the journey and loss, a man without wisdom and knowledge, a crude understanding, the downfall of the church and benefits.

In the Tenth house, loss and degradation of men, the exaltation of the wicked,31 loss of duties, sad lords, fear of kings and kingdoms, wrong judgment of judges, a fall from honor.
In the Eleventh house, contemptuous friends, bad luck which will last for a long time, but still with hope, a poor friend, no failure in business.32
In the Twelfth house, debts, enemies, loss, long imprisonment or death in prison, a timid and poor enemy, trouble, fear of obligations and debts, long or incurable illness.33

In the Thirteenth house evil on the road and sadness.
In the Fourteenth house, bad luck, small journeys, anxiety and trouble, despair and irreparable evil.

When this figure is found in the first house, it signifies a dark man,34 having torn clothes, and who deals in dark, foul, and vile things.

MQS

Footnotes
  1. It is unclear to me whether he means a good end to the matter at hand or a positive aim in mind. ↩︎
  2. Because it implies receiving rather than giving away. ↩︎
  3. Probably meaning clarity of mind. ↩︎
  4. This was written in preromantic times, when children were often seen as helping hands. ↩︎
  5. Because the Fifth house is the second from the Fourth. ↩︎
  6. Because it implies not getting rid of it. ↩︎
  7. Implying the querent is a man. However, in some old Astrology handbooks, the Seventh house is assigned specifically to women. ↩︎
  8. Because it is the second from the Seventh house, which is the house opposing the first. ↩︎
  9. The Twelfth house rules larger animals. ↩︎
  10. This sentence is not clear to me, nor why Acquisitio would imply loss. ↩︎
  11. “Implementum desiderii absentis.” This is obscure to me. ↩︎
  12. Fludd attributes, like many others, physical descriptions to the figures when they are in the First House. This is typical of traditional astrology, where the first house represents the querent. Note that these descriptions are rather limiting and conform to old stereotypes. Plus, they imply that the same querent would always be represented by the same figure whenever they come to the geomancer for a consultation, which is highly unlikely. They are still useful on occasion, but one must “mix discretion with art”. ↩︎
  13. In addition to one’s home, the Fourth house indicates the city. ↩︎
  14. Again because the Fifth is the second from the Fourth. However, the Fourth house also rules orchards and lands, so the Fifth can indicate literal fruits from the lands. ↩︎
  15. There is some confusion in traditional astrology on which house rules letters. Some say the Third house, some the Fifth, some the Ninth. As far as I can rationalize this matter, the Third house represents communication and private correspondence; the Fifth house represents messengers because it is the second from the Fourth, the Fourth house being the city, and the second house from any house indicates that thing’s representatives (for instance, my Second house would indicate my lawyer, who represents me in a court of law.) ↩︎
  16. It’s unclear why the Seventh would indicate the master. ↩︎
  17. The Seventh house represents “there”, while the Firsth house is “here”. ↩︎
  18. The Thirteenth and Fourteenth houses, i.e., the Witnesses, generally receive their signification (as we have seen in Abano’s case) from the two houses they derive from on the Shield: the Right Witness from the Ninth and Tenth, the Left Witness from the Eleventh and Twelfth. ↩︎
  19. It is unclear whether this is positive or negative, as fear of God was considered the beginning of wisdom. As for why it is attributed to the Third house instead of the Ninth, in some very old Astrological texts the Third House is the house of the Goddess, and in Christian times it possibly came to represent how one’s faith affected one’s everyday life. ↩︎
  20. The Fourth house, the Imum Coeli, is the earth. ↩︎
  21. All these positive religious connotations stem from Acquisitio’s attribution to Jupiter. ↩︎
  22. The Tenth house, the M.C., represents the sky and therefore the weather. ↩︎
  23. I don’t get why. ↩︎
  24. I don’t understand why. ↩︎
  25. Probably as character traits, since it is about the First House. ↩︎
  26. I do not understand why Tristitia in the second would bode well for commerce. ↩︎
  27. Fludd’s insistence on the idea of secrecy is due to Tristitia’s association with Saturn. ↩︎
  28. “abjectionem sine vulnere et confusione”. I do not understand this sentence. ↩︎
  29. I don’t understand why “a victorious man”. ↩︎
  30. The reference to absent people is due to how common it was to ask astrologers or geomancers about people who had simply gone away or vanished. This is understandable, considering astrology was probably the only tracking device available at the time. ↩︎
  31. Because the Tenth House is the highest place in the chart and Tristitia indicates downward movement and lowly things or people, it can show the elevation of someone unworthy or the downfall of someone who is in a high place. ↩︎
  32. This last part is unclear to me. Possibly because the failure announced by Tristitia is mitigated by the positivity of the house. ↩︎
  33. Typically we assign illness to the Sixth house. However, there are old handbooks that assign illness (especially serious illness) to the Twelfth house. Some distinguish between the Illness (Sixth House) and the confinement that derives from it (Twelfth House). ↩︎
  34. From Saturn’s influence ↩︎

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

Robert Fludd’s Geomancy – Book II Pt. 2

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Fludd introduces some preliminary classifications of the houses.

Of The First Twelve Figures Of a Shield

the first twelve shields of the geomantic house refer to the 12 signs of the zodiac, as we must understand in astrology. Therefore, the first house, both in astrology and in geomancy, is given to Aries, and is always by itself a movable house,1 the second to Taurus, and is a fixed house, and the third to Gemini, and is a common house. The fourth is Cancer and is movable, the fourth is Leo and is fixed, the sixth is Virgo and is common, the seventh is Libra and is movable, the eighth is Scorpio and is fixed, the ninth is Sagittarius and is common, the tenth is Capricorn and is movable, the eleventh is Aquarius and is fixed, the twelfth is Pisces and it is common, that is, neither fixed nor movable, but intermediate between both.

And it must be noted that, when the [geomantic] figures are in these houses, nevertheless the nature of the house is not changed, but remains in itself, that is, it will not change the nature of its sign: hence the first house will be called Aries, and so forth, so that every house, whatever attribute it may have, will stay movable, fixed, or common according to its own nature.

Rule I

Bad Houses make good figures bad, and they make bad ones worse: on the contrary, good figures are better in good houses.

Rule II

A figure in a house of contrary nature, that is to say a fixed figure in a movable house, or a movable figure in a fixed house, is rendered worse in judgment. But a fixed figure in a fixed house or a mobile figure in a mobile house are fortified.2

Rule III

The first four of the twelve houses, namely, the first house, the second, and the third will always signify the season of spring, and so on in the rest, as stated in astrology.3

MQS

Footnotes

  1. Today we call the astrological signs cardinal, fixed and mutable. A more archaic way of describing them is as movable, fixed and common. Note that Fludd is equating the signs with the houses, which is natural in geomancy. In traditional astrology, however, the houses are quite distinct from the signs. ↩︎
  2. Here the reference is to the classification of the geomantic figures shown in Book II, Part 1. ↩︎
  3. In astrology (as well as in magic), the four quarters of the Heaven hold much symbolic meaning, lending themselves to the allotment of various fourfold distinctions. ↩︎

Divination, Divination Master Post, Fortune-telling, Geomancy

Robert Fludd’s Geomancy – Book II Pt. 1

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Fludd gives some basic details about the geomantic figures.

Of the Names, Forms and Natures of the Geomantic Figures

those figures which can be drawn from the series of four geomantic lines are sixteen in number, which are distinguished from one another by name and form, as follows:1

NameForm
First: Acquisitio* *
*
* *
*
Second: Amissio*
* *
*
* *
Third: Laetitia*
* *
* *
* *
Fourth: Tristitia* *
* *
* *
*
Fifth: Caput Draconis* *
*
*
*
Sixth: Cauda Draconis*
*
*
* *
Seventh: Albus* *
* *
*
* *
Eighth: Rubeus* *
*
* *
* *
Ninth: Puer2*
* *
*
*
Tenth: Puella*
*
* *
*
Eleventh: Major Fortuna (sic)* *
* *
*
*
Twelfth: Minor Fortuna (sic)*
*
* *
* *
Thirteenth: Populus* *
* *
* *
* *
Fourteenth: Via*
*
*
*
Fifteenth: Conjunctio* *
*
*
* *
Sixteenth: Carcer*
* *
* *
*

And these figures are obviously referred to the signs of the Zodiac:

FigureZodiac Sign
AcquisitioAries
Laetitia and Fortuna MinorTaurus
Rubeus and PuerGemini
Albus and PopulusCancer
ViaLeo
Caput Draconis and ConjunctioVirgo
PuellaLeo
Tristitia and AmissioScorpio
Cauda DraconisSagittarius
PopulusCapricorn
Fortuna MajorAquarius
CarcerPisces

Similarly they are given to:

PlanetFigures
MarsRubeus (D), Puella (R)3
SunMajor (fast), Minor (slow)4
VenusPuer (D)5, Amissio (R)
MercuryAlbus (D), Conjunctio (R)
MoonPopulus (D), Via (R)6
Jupiter and VenusCaput Draconis (D)
Saturn and MarsCauda Draconis (R)

These Figures are also:

ElementFigures
Fiery, assigned to the SouthRubeus
Minor
Amissio
Cauda
Airy, assigned to the EastLaetitia
Acquisitio
Puella
Conjunctio
Watery, assigned to the NorthPopulus
Via
Puer
Albus
Earthy, assigned to the WestMajor
Caput
Carcer
Tristitia

The Figures are:

ValueFigures
Always positive and fortunateMajor
Laetitia
Caput
Albus
Puer
Acquisitio
Always negative and unhappyTristitia
Rubeus
Puella
Amissio
Cauda
Minor
Carcer
Neither always good nor always evil, but middling, that is, neither exceptionally good nor exceptionally badPopulus
Via
Conjunctio

The Figures are however:

StabilityFigures
Strong and stableMajor
Acquisitio
Laetitia
Puer
Albus
Caput
Weak and moveableAmissio
Tristitia
Puella
Rubeus
Cauda
Mediocre, that is, neither strong nor weakPopulus
Via
Conjunctio
Carcer7

Rule I
Strong and firm figures make a thing stable and firm, for better or worse, depending on whether the figure is found in a good or evil house.

Rule II
Weak figures are so called, because they render a weak judgement without stability, neither are they so good and stable as much as they are mediocre,8 whether in a question of illness or incarceration or pregnancy.

Rule III
Mediocre figures are so called, because they are between strong and weak figures, and they make a situation mediocre, that is, neither totally good nor totally bad.

MQS

Footnotes
  1. Fludd was fond of using tables. I will try to make the layout of the translation as clear as possible ↩︎
  2. Fludd gives here to Puer the form we typically assign to Puella and vice versa. ↩︎
  3. ‘D’ is for ‘direct’, ‘R’ for retrograde.
    ↩︎
  4. The Sun cannot go into retrogradation, which is why some sources, like Fludd, attribute the two Fortunes to the Sun at different speeds. This is still somewhat odd, considering the Sun is always rather constant in its speed (which is probably behind the traditional symbolic view of the Sun as a source of stability, as opposed to the Moon’s changeability). ↩︎
  5. Generally, today, we would assign Venus to Puella and Mars to Puer. It is unclear to me the extent to which Fludd was making a mistake or providing a blind to challenge the reader’s thinking. He is not the only traditional authority who swaps Puer and Puella, though. ↩︎
  6. The Moon cannot go into retrogradation. Usually, Populus is assigned today to the waxing Moon, Via to the waning Moon. ↩︎
  7. There exist other lists with partially different attributions. ↩︎
  8. It is unclear to me whether Fludd means that weak figures are mediocre or that they are worse than those called mediocre. Logic would dictate that the latter interpretation is correct. ↩︎

Divination, Divination Master Post, Fortune-telling, Geomancy

Robert Fludd’s Geomancy – Book I Pt. 4

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Fludd explains how a full geomantic shield is derived from the initial four mothers.

Of the Production of the Other Figures in the Geomantic Shield

It must be noted that from the said mothers,1 who constitute the first four figures of the geomantic shield, four daughters, constituting the fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth figures, arise, taking separately the parts of all the mothers. In the previous example we take from the first figure / . / from the second / . . / from the third / . / from the fourth / . . / And thus these four parts, joined together, generate the first daughter occupying the fifth house, namely, the figure called Amissio. From the mothers’ shoulders the second daughter is born occupying the sixth house, from the legs the third, from the feet the fourth.

But first the niece is derived from the two first mothers, for her head is fused from their two heads, etc. And this is a general rule: that where two heads, shoulders, legs, or feet joined together produce an odd number, namely three, they produce a single; but when they are even, they produce two points. For example: since we find only three points in the aforesaid heads of the first and second mothers, we therefore express the head of the first niece who occupies the ninth house with a single point.

In the same way, since the mothers’ shoulders produce an equal number, therefore also the shoulders of the first niece will consist of two points. Equally, her legs must also be composed of the same number of points, and her feet will have only one point for the above reason. For this reason also, the second niece is fused from the third and fourth mother; the third niece from the first and second daughter, and the fourth and last from the two and last daughters.

In the same way, two Witnesses are produced from four nieces, just as a Judge is produced from two Witnesses. Finally, the sixteenth, the last figure in which the whole shield is summarized, is made up of the Judge and the first mother. And in this manner the whole geomantic shield and its houses must be filled, from which the judgment in this art is to be taken.

A geomantic shield, from Robert Fludd’s Geomancy handbook
Footnotes
  1. Referring to Book I, Part 3. This section requires no commentary, as it describes the usual technique of deriving the full shield from the initial four figures. ↩︎

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

Robert Fludd’s Geomancy – Book I Pt. 3

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Fludd discusses some preliminary rules.

On the projection of sixteen lines, divided into four orders, constituting the first four geomantic figures

Before proceeding to the projection of the [geomantic] lines, which are made up of points, we shall lay down certain rules to explain the reason and manner of creating them.

Rule 1

It is not for the artist to make a judgment on any question relating to a matter which he has already known and understood before, for by doing this he is trying God and his divine knowledge, and will err on that account.1

Rule 2

Do not count the number of points of any line, for by that reason the soul will somehow be disturbed in the calculation.2

Rule 3

If you want to work in this science, you must first describe the proposed problem, so that your understanding is not disturbed otherwise.

Rule 4

You must not make a double question, but form the question in such a way that it asks for the knowledge of only one thing; otherwise your figure will be so disturbed that you will not be able to judge anything correctly. For this reason the question must be rectified in such a way that it has a single and complete purpose.

It must be noted that these geomantic lines merge from equally distant points and must have the form of the four fingers of the hand, as will be seen in the following example, and the points of each line we must connect and concatenate in such a way, proceeding from right to left, that at its extremity to the left one or two points are left free from concatenation.

Example of a geomantic projection

This also must be done with all the lines of the aforesaid four series, and in this way will come forth the four first figures of the geomantic shield, representing the four elements with their natures and combinations, likewise the four winds, and the four parts of the world; for, as regards the elements, the four first lines will signify the element of fire, the second four will denote the element of air, the second three the element of water, and the last four the element of earth.3

Of course, the figures coming out of each series will represent an element of their series, just as in the previous figure Caput will represent fire, Causa will represent air, Puer will represent water, and Albus will represent earth. Now these four figures are called Mothers, because from them all the following figures are produced.

MQS

Footnotes
  1. Asking a question whose answer we know implies that the actual question is “Does this really work?” which is a question no system can answer from within itself, therefore the question implies doubt in the author of the system ↩︎
  2. Counting the points not only implies trying to cheat the system, but it also robs the divination of its random, inspired aspect. ↩︎
  3. The elemental attributions of the figures is not of major practical importance, but it serves to respect the connection between microcosm and macrocosm and to anchor the question to a cosmic mechanism. ↩︎
Divination, Divination Master Post, Fortune-telling, Geomancy

Robert Fludd’s Geomancy – Book I Pt. 2

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Fludd discusses how the diviner should prepare to a geomancy reading.

The Preparation of the Soul of the Diviner Prior to Making a Figure

Since this knowledge is founded on [an operation of] the soul,1 it is certain and manifest that no truth can be guaranteed in it, except in so far as the soul permits it.

Therefore it is required that he who wishes to be versed in this art, before he begins his operation, should have a good and clear conscience, and that his body and spirit should be governed without disturbance, and that he should not think worse of another than of himself,2 nor should his mind be spare in judgment, and not tend to negation more than to affirmation. He should be a just judge of the question proposed.

Finally, he must trust in God almighty, who is the author of all knowledge and truth,3 and pray to him that through this knowledge he will be allowed to find the truth that his heart longs to know.

All of this having been properly considered, and with a soul well established in the proposed matter, he will immediately make the projections of the points.

Hence it is that so much fallacy and uncertainty arise in this art. This is also the reason why the same art is immediately regarded as nothing, namely, because some, falsely ascribing the name of artists to themselves, neglecting God, and not being moved in the least by the pacification of their souls and of the pleasures of the body, falsely judge of the things proposed, and by this reason render this secret and very profound art so despised, that it is also commonly regarded as the most falsified of all.

The fault, then, is not in the science, but in those who profess it: the science is doubtless most truthful, but its proponents are often hindered by ambiguities and difficulties because of their vicious dispositions.

For who can doubt that the soul can direct any part of the body to the true knowledge of the future more easily than the whole body itself?4

When we perceive that she governs her whole body in such a way that she foresees the future every day and every hour, that is to say, that she will arrange such a business the next day, and ride to this or that city, and do other things the following week, or even that she will marry at this or some other time, or that he would carry out his purpose and plan at such or such an hour, etc.5

MQS

Footnotes
  1. As established in the previous chapter. ↩︎
  2. To the modern reader, these tips may seem to have a moralistic taste, but we should keep in mind that, aside from being in part a product of the times, they may be boiled down to the very sensible idea that a diviner, as intermediary between the querent and the divine, should purify himself of that which keeps him away from the divine. One cannot be a bridge between A and B without being capable of reaching both sides. Aside from being against Christian morality, “thinking worse of another than oneself” also implies being engrossed in outside world nonsense. ↩︎
  3. A fundamental truth of all divination is that its knowledge does not originate within the diviner. ↩︎
  4. That is, the soul is more capable of the body of considering the future. ↩︎
  5. This remark may appear odd, but from an occult standpoint it does make sense: our soul is capable of conceiving the future because it is integral part of an inner world (which opposes and complements the outside world, of which our body is an integral part) wherein the normal rules of time don’t unfold as they do outside. ↩︎