Astrology
The Liber Fructus or Centiloquim attributed to Ptolemy says, "One skillful in this Science may evade many effects of the Stars, when he knows their Natures and diligently prepares himself to receive their effects." Aphorism 5.
Thus it is not so much a question of getting whatever we want, but adjusting ourselves to the cycles of the Heavens, particularly by being psychologically prepared for their effects.
Another aphorism from the Liber Fructus, "In the election of day and hour, the two Infortunes are very useful and thou must use them as the Physician doth poison, skillfully for the cure of man." Aphorism 10. Thus we do not simply flee from Saturn and Mars, but we must understand them and make use of them when appropriate.
Finally a passage from Montulmo's On the Judgment of Nativities,
"If Saturn is fortunate and the dispositor of the soul and joined
together with a fortunate Mercury...the native will be of subtle and
acute intellect, an inquirer, an investigator of subtle matters, and he
will delight very much in these things...he will be a learned man, and
he will attempt everything which is subtle especially in which there is
immense difficulty...If both planets are unfortunate, the native will be
unhappy, envious, a deceiver and a robber...he will be solitary and will
perform the incantations of demons and always seek after diabolical
matters."
Part 2 (Arhat ed.) page 55. The benefic and malefic qualities are mixed in each planet though the benefic tends to manifest more when the planet is dignified and the malefic when it is debilitated.
So we must pay a price for knowledge of these occult and esoteric matters and that price is a certain amount of isolation and melancholy. As Ficino notes in the first book of his Three Books on Life, both Mercury and Saturn, which rule this sort of contemplative thought and study, are cold and dry, which is the nature of melancholy.
More on Saturn and Mercury
- Spirits From Above: Liber Antimaquis And Astrological Magic
I?ve posted a new translation by John Michael Greer of a passage from the Liber Antimaquis on my web site. The Liber Antimaquis is a Latin translation of the Arabic Kitab al-Istamatis, a medieval book of astrological magic and a source for Picatrix,...
- Malefics: Merely Weak Or Actually Powerful For Evil?
Generally we are doing talismans for benefic purposes and doing horaries looking for a positive result. When we are looking for a positive result it doesn't much matter to us whether a planet is simply weak or is actively and powerfully malefic,...
- Not Just Good/bad: The Nodes & Retrogradation
One of the trends that is very clear in traditional astrology and Western astrology, which incidentally is contrary to the myth of "progress" is the tendency towards loss of nuance and loss of technique beginning in the Middle Ages, accelerating into...
- Reasons For Rulership
One of the things that distinguishes traditional from modern astrology is not just additional techniques, but a much more nuanced and variant application of underlying theories. In modern, all assignment of rulerships, be it planet or sign, is on the...
- Electional Advice From Ali Aben Ragel
I have just received some very interesting material, several books from Ali Aben Ragel's Complete Book of the Judgment of the Stars. This is fascinating material, but it is in Spanish. This is one of many books of astrology translated from Arabic...
Astrology
Saturn & Mercury
The Liber Fructus or Centiloquim attributed to Ptolemy says, "One skillful in this Science may evade many effects of the Stars, when he knows their Natures and diligently prepares himself to receive their effects." Aphorism 5.
Thus it is not so much a question of getting whatever we want, but adjusting ourselves to the cycles of the Heavens, particularly by being psychologically prepared for their effects.
Another aphorism from the Liber Fructus, "In the election of day and hour, the two Infortunes are very useful and thou must use them as the Physician doth poison, skillfully for the cure of man." Aphorism 10. Thus we do not simply flee from Saturn and Mars, but we must understand them and make use of them when appropriate.
Finally a passage from Montulmo's On the Judgment of Nativities,
"If Saturn is fortunate and the dispositor of the soul and joined
together with a fortunate Mercury...the native will be of subtle and
acute intellect, an inquirer, an investigator of subtle matters, and he
will delight very much in these things...he will be a learned man, and
he will attempt everything which is subtle especially in which there is
immense difficulty...If both planets are unfortunate, the native will be
unhappy, envious, a deceiver and a robber...he will be solitary and will
perform the incantations of demons and always seek after diabolical
matters."
Part 2 (Arhat ed.) page 55. The benefic and malefic qualities are mixed in each planet though the benefic tends to manifest more when the planet is dignified and the malefic when it is debilitated.
So we must pay a price for knowledge of these occult and esoteric matters and that price is a certain amount of isolation and melancholy. As Ficino notes in the first book of his Three Books on Life, both Mercury and Saturn, which rule this sort of contemplative thought and study, are cold and dry, which is the nature of melancholy.
More on Saturn and Mercury
- Spirits From Above: Liber Antimaquis And Astrological Magic
I?ve posted a new translation by John Michael Greer of a passage from the Liber Antimaquis on my web site. The Liber Antimaquis is a Latin translation of the Arabic Kitab al-Istamatis, a medieval book of astrological magic and a source for Picatrix,...
- Malefics: Merely Weak Or Actually Powerful For Evil?
Generally we are doing talismans for benefic purposes and doing horaries looking for a positive result. When we are looking for a positive result it doesn't much matter to us whether a planet is simply weak or is actively and powerfully malefic,...
- Not Just Good/bad: The Nodes & Retrogradation
One of the trends that is very clear in traditional astrology and Western astrology, which incidentally is contrary to the myth of "progress" is the tendency towards loss of nuance and loss of technique beginning in the Middle Ages, accelerating into...
- Reasons For Rulership
One of the things that distinguishes traditional from modern astrology is not just additional techniques, but a much more nuanced and variant application of underlying theories. In modern, all assignment of rulerships, be it planet or sign, is on the...
- Electional Advice From Ali Aben Ragel
I have just received some very interesting material, several books from Ali Aben Ragel's Complete Book of the Judgment of the Stars. This is fascinating material, but it is in Spanish. This is one of many books of astrology translated from Arabic...