Astrological magick pdf

The text is published in vol. For an English translation, see Judith V. For example, from Aries through Taurus and Gemini and thence to Libra is the same distance as from Libra through Scorpio and Sagittarius and so thence to Aries. And therefore, if the period of growth periodus profectus of a human being is 35 or 40 years, as the physicians medici say, the periodus defectus will be the same, and the age of a person will be 70 or 80 years. Nev- ertheless, this can be impeded per accidens, by bad food or a violent death or in some such other manner.

Aristotle calls this the inequality [or imbalance] of matter inaequalitas materiae , namely, because by many accidents it is disposed otherwise than it would be by the [celestial] circle. The astrological dimension can no longer be denied or explained away.

The eighth not the seventh house is normally con- sidered the house of death. Also, the ages of all things exist in this manner, because the planets located in the periodic circle in circulo periodali, sc. And in this manner it comes to be known, since he who knows the strengths of the signs and of the stars placed among them in the periodic circle when some thing is born can prognosticate about the entire life of the generated thing, as much as there is from the influence of the heavens.

Thus, the stark dichotomy Grant postulated between Aristotelian natural philosophy and astrology appears, on closer examination, to reveal a rather diffferent and far more integrated relationship, at least in this important case.

In Tetrabiblos 1. Albert also discusses this in De fato below. We will recall that elections are the astrological choosing of propitious times: Moreover, on the diffferent efffects of the stars [i. When and where do they take place?

What is generated and what happens to it after it begins to exist are both considered by these astrologers. My apologies for the stilted English in the translation of eventus and its dependent genitives here and in what follows. These events are great, such as changes of kingdoms from one people to another, and the movements translationes of sects [religions] and new religious doctrines and such things.

Ptolemy treated these small particular outcomes or events in discussing nativities in Tetrabiblos Books 3 and 4. It is unclear what the following title refers to. Keiji Yamamoto and Charles Burnett, 2 vols Leiden: Astrological practices and prognostications at several levels are thus explicitly provided with their natural-philosophical foundations.

For there it was proved that place is an active principle of generation, like the father is. These are fundamental themes that will be further developed. In another passage, we get more detailed information, particularly on the importance of place and its qualitative nature for a full natural- philosophical analysis of generation: [W]e ought to know the diversities of places in particular and the cause of their diversity and the accidents of diverse places, for then we would com- pletely know what is generated and corrupted in places.

Because of which, those err who treat scientia naturalis and do not bring in anything about the diversity of places. Jer- emiah M. I discuss this matter in detail in Chapter 2 of my dissertation and in part one of my monograph. In Chapter 5, Albert develops his analysis by discussing the particulari- ties of places and how they should be analyzed, emphasizing the impor- tance of this knowledge for a full understanding of generation: If anyone wished to understand all the natures and properties of particular places, he would know that there is not a point in them which does not have a special property from the virtue of the stars gazing upon the middle habi- tation of mixed things [sc.

And this is reasonable because it has been learned that the heavens pour forth formative virtues into everything that exists caelum difffundere virtutes formativas in omne quod est. Moreover, it mostly pours them forth by means of rays emitted by the lights of the stars per radios emissos a luminibus stel- larum , and therefore it follows that each pattern and angle of rays causes diffferent virtues in things below.

He uses the horizon to individuate each place on earth in relation to the celestial situation, thus sharpen- ing and mathematizing the analysis in De generatione et corruptione. Therefore, no generated thing is found to be completely similar to something else in every [detail]. This is locus properly, about which Por- phyry says that it is one of the individuating [features]. With this qualitative knowledge, then, the fully equipped astrologizing natural philosopher can more fully under- stand what is generated in any given place, and thus what makes each individual unique.

John H. Bridges, 3 vols Oxford: — For Book 5, see David C. And this is the cause why generated things are transformed by what contains them. The richness and complexity of this system is starting to come into focus. And by means of these two they come to the matter of the generated thing, which the flowed-in virtues form and delimit.

And this varies the virtues of places and what is generated there; therefore it is necessary that a natural philosopher know these variations. De nat. I do not know of a text where Albert does so. Loris Sturlese zum Geburtstag gewidmet, ed. Beccarisi, R. Imbach, and P. Porro Hamburg, , pp. Texte—Quellen—Interpretationen, ed. Honnefelder, H. Assuming this framework, Albert characterizes the type of form fate is, and in the process offfers insight into deeper causal structures, this time at the metaphysical level, treating form, matter, and their deep relationship.

Generation is still utterly central: This form, moreover, is not the form which gives existence non forma dans esse ,85 but, rather, it is the form of a universal order of existence and life, simple in essentia, multifold in virtute.

It has the simplicity of essence from the simplicity of the circulation of the common circle [the zodiac], but it has its multiplicity of power virtus from the multitude of what is contained in the circle. This is precisely the com- plex celestial situation represented in a horoscope. In De fato, then, this it strongly resonates.

It was also sometimes attributed to Thomas Aquinas, as we will see below in Part 2. This passage also more fully and precisely represents the system Albert adumbrated in De natura loci. To provide a fuller explanation, Albert also relates the form in itself to its instantiation in an actually existing thing with its material nature, thus diffferentiating two fundamental ontological moments: Moreover, such a form is in the middle between the necessary and the pos- sible; for whatever is in the motion of the celestial circle is necessary; but whatever is in the matter of generable and corruptible things is possible and changeable.

But this form [1] caused by the celestial circle and [2] inhering in generable and corruptible things is in the middle between each. These exist necessarily. These are possible and changeable possibile et mutabile , that is, they do not exist necessarily as the celestial bodies do; they may or may not exist and they are subject to change.

Between these two extremes are the forms, which participate in both, that is, they are 1 caused by the celestial circle which neces- sarily exists , and 2 inhere in actual generable and corruptible things, thus providing an essential link between the heavens and the earth in the overall economy of nature.

Next Albert reveals an underlying metaphysical principle relevant to the scale of causality and its concomitant hierarchy of being, which also further relates the two levels of existence mediated by forms: For everything which proceeds from a noble cause [sc.

Albert develops this analysis further with reference to Ptolemy. Albert produced commentaries for all of his major works. One can easily see how valuable access to such insider information would be in a range of circumstances, medical, political, and otherwise. Albert then turns to Ptolemy for an explanation: Ptolemy in the Tetrabiblos assigns the cause of this excellently, saying that the powers of the stars come to be in what is below per aliud and per accidens, through something else per aliud because through the sphere of actives and passives [i.

Therefore, it has mutability from [these] two, namely, [1] from the qualities of the elements, through which it is brought down to what is generated, and [2] from the existence of what is generated, in which it exists as in a subject. Therefore, this is fate. Although celestial influences and the poten- tial for the practice of nativities are woven deeply into this analysis, then, necessity and its concomitant determinism are fully undermined at the deepest levels of analysis, a conclusion Albert states explicitly in Article 3, and which he uses to good efffect in what follows.

He then turns to discuss the logical structure of conjecture The making of conjectures coniecturatio , moreover, since it is from muta- ble signs, generates a condition of less certainty than either knowledge sci- entia or opinion opinio does.

And there- fore, an astrologer astronomus often says something true and, nevertheless, what he says does not come to pass, because his statement was extremely true verissimum with respect to the disposition of the celestial [bodies], but this disposition was excluded by the mutability of things below.

He does, however, explicitly mention elections. These ontological structures, then, provide the basis for the knowledge-oriented practices of interpretation and understanding. I have studied it particularly in Book 3, Chapters 1—6, in Chapter 5 of my dissertation, to which I may refer the interested reader.

This is, indeed, the vera causa, whose discovery Ernst Cassirer attributes to Pico; see his Individual and Cosmos in Renaissance Philosophy, trans. Mario Domandi New York: The Speculum astronomiae and the Problem of Magical Images In the questionably authentic Speculum astronomiae, the text was com- posed primarily to describe and defend legitimate astrological practices, and to articulate clear boundaries and criteria for distinguishing them from illegitimate ones.

In the second part 12—17 , he discussed controversial areas as quaestiones to be investigated; in particular, the more problematic areas where astrology touches on theological and moral issues, such as determinism, freedom of the will, and demons. He offfered his opinions, but not as authoritative determinations. The most controversial prac- tice for the Magister Speculi was elections, because astrological images or talismans, a particular type of magical object, were subsumed under this rubric, which he discusses at some length.

I modify the trans- lation at times. Astrological images are kosher, if you will, because they act naturally and, in particular, not through demonic inter- ventions themes to be developed below. The Magister Speculi sharply contrasts these natural and thus legitimate imagines astronomicae with what he calls necromantic images imagines necromanticae , which he considers to be abominable or detestable, and whose manufacture and use he emphatically rejects.

Boudet also discusses this distinction at 92— There is an increasing body of excellent scholarship in this murky domain, including works by Pin- gree, Burnett, Kieckhefer, Weill-Parot, and Boudet, some of which will be cited below. Chapter 10 is very brief, describing the practice of elections as the choosing of pro- pitious times to begin any sort of venture, which is then related to both nativities and interrogations.

Chapter 11, on the other hand, is very long and addresses the issue of imagines with respect to astrology, which I will translate here indiffferently as talismans or astrological images, depending on emphasis.

These sorts of improper rites and practices he calls the worst sort of idolatry, that is, exhibiting to a creature i. These con- cern the writing of characters inscriptio characterorum , and they are suspect because the content hidden in an unknown language could sur- reptitiously or inadvertently harm the Catholic faith.

Don C. See below and volume one of my book for further discussion. Walker makes the point that such characters could only be understood by an intel- ligent being, hence they are to be altogether avoided, in order to rule out the possibility that the intelligences addressed were demons 48, Sunflowers for example correspond symbolically with the Sun because they look like the Sun.

Not every correspondence is immediately obvious which is why a deeper understanding of planetary associations is recommended. The table below is not extensive by any means.

If you want to add to this table please refer to the resources at the end of this post. I have purposefully shared the correspondences that have worked and continue to work for me. Use these correspondences in your daily devotional practice. For example lighting a yellow candle and burning frankincense on Sundays in honour of Sol. Create planetary altars. A planetary altar for Venus for example, can include a vase of roses or any pink flowers and rose quartz.

Wear an appropriate scent on specific days. For example spicy scents on Tuesdays and cool, ocean-inspired scents on Mondays. Crowley, Aleister. Magick in Theory and Practice. New York: Magickal Childe Publishing, Daniels, Estelle. York Beach, ME: Weiser, Denning, Melita, and Osborne Phillips.

Paul, MN: Llewellyn, Newburyport, MA: Weiser Books, Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs. Paul, MN: Llewellyn, Dalai Lama. New York: Harmony Books, Estelle has a small select private astrological practice and Estelle has a small select private astrological practice and travels to festivals and conferences in the U.

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