Category: Elections

Powerful Petition to Mars

Posted on by Clifford Hartleigh Low

Ascendant ruler applying to trine Mars, with elaborate garb and suffumigations

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What Celestial Petitions Are

A significant part of the tradition Scholastic Image Magic is based upon includes celestial petitions. These are not technically image magic, because talismans are usually not involved. Nor are they properly scholastic, because they go beyond the boundaries of natural magic and invoke spirits directly, albeit ones who govern aspects of the natural world. They are prominently featured in Picatrix, but belong to the tradition of theurgy going back to at least Iamblichus. The more unsavory variations of it can sometimes be classified as necromancy, by the medieval definitions of the term.

Nobody agrees what the nature of the spirits invoked are; some believe them to be angels, others djinn, others demons. Those informed by gnostic thought sometimes believe them to be archons. All agree that they are one of the principal origins of the legends of wish-granting spirits, such as in the story of Aladdin and the djinn. I believe them to be angels, in the sense that they are honorable servants of cosmic order; they are not always benevolent in action, but absolutely serve the greater good.

The celestial petition is a supplicatory appeal for aid in a sphere the hierarchy in question has authority over. The timing is elected, the petitional text is very formal in structure, the suffumigations are very complex, ritual postures are used, and ritualized garb or costume is required. Sacrifices were also traditionally made, though this is seldom practical today. Planetary dieting is of great benefit to petitions, in addition to regimens of meditation and abstinence preceding the ceremony.

Though the type of elections used in celestial petitions differ from those used in the creation of talismans, they have enough similarity that formalized petitional texts are often used in the process of talismanic creation (abbreviated versions may be used if the electional window is brief).

Making talismans is hard work, from the election to their initial usage. Petitions are harder. Active preparation for a petition can sometimes be longer than a week. That is why when I do petitions for clients I usually charge more. To my knowledge I am the only magician commercially offering celestial petitions in the manner described in Picatrix.

Asking a talisman for a wish is effective and can be done many times, but their function is usually passive. Asking powerful governors of large portions of the cosmos for a boon is more effective—if the ritual is performed correctly—and what is asked for is granted in a very active way. An imperfect talisman may work, sometimes with side effects. If sufficiently flawed, they may do nothing, or could even curse the user. However, an imperfect petition may insult the hierarchy and cause the magician’s prompt death. Petitions are high risk, and less forgiving of error.

For me, that makes it all the more exciting.

Electing A Petition to Mars

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To elect a planetary petition, the planet of the hierarchy one is petitioning must be dignified and unafflicted in a way similar familiar to those who make planetary talismans, with some additional requirements and preferences as specified in Picatrix. The planet ruling the Ascendant must make a benevolent applying aspect to the petitioned planet. When possible, the Moon should also be dignified, unafflicted and forming a meaningful connection between the planet of the Ascendant and that of the petitioned planet. Ideally, none of the relevant planetary bodies will be cadent.

In the above election, the ruler of the Ascendant is the Moon, which simplifies a lot. The Ascendant and Moon are significators of the petitioner, and when they are in agreement the working is stronger; when they are the same body there are fewer factors to weigh.

The Moon is slow, but not prohibitively. When the Moon is slow but above twelve degrees of diurnal motion it is ideal for curses and malevolence, and so it is in harmony with at least part of the petition– it is of a destructive or disruptive nature. The Moon has some dignity within Pisces, being of the watery triplicity. The Moon exactly culminates while making a very tight applying trine with Mars. Mars is in domicile towards the end of Scorpio; he is not in the final two degrees of the Sign which could have been a problem. Mars is succedent in the 5th House. Mars is unfortunate in this House, but the other factors supersede this. Saturn is safely past opposition to the Ascendant, but is in the 6th House. The ruler of the Moon’s Sign is itself the Moon, so it cannot be cadent; the beginning will be fulfilled and the end will be fulfilled. The Ascendant ruler is less essentially dignified than the Descendant ruler, but much more accidentally dignified. The largest shortcoming of the election is that Mars neither has the Hour or Day of the election; but Picatrix does not require this.

This is not a perfect election for a petition, but a solidly good one.

The Petition to Mars

When you wish to ask Mars for something, and speak to him and honor him, put him in a good condition as we have said… Dress yourself in red garments, and put a red linen or silk cloth on your head as well as a red skullcap, and hang a sword from your neck, and arm yourself with all the weapons you can carry; and dress yourself in the manner of a soldier or a fighter, and put a bronze ring on your finger. Take a bronze thurible with burning charcoal, in which you should put the following suffumigation. –Picatrix

One of my clients asked for a boon which was of a Martial nature, and so I sought a petitional election. After months of searching, this is the best one I found, and so I got to work.

I already had a cylindrical red chef cap for ritual purposes. It was neither a skullcap nor linen nor silk, but fulfilled the conditions acceptably.

My thurible was iron, which is a suitable substitute as the metal of Mars.

I could not figure out how to hang my sword comfortably from my neck; it’s pretty heavy. Instead I found a pendant online in the shape of a winged sword, in steel—especially appropriate for Mars.

Similarly, I found a bronze ring in the shape of a crow’s skull. Crows are birds of Mars according to both Lilly and Agrippa.

I purchased military-style camouflage print pants in red, and wore a rather spectacular polyester shirt with a flame print.

Finally, I slung a black bowie knife and sheath on a cord about my neck, tucked my hunting rifle under one arm, and held my Smith & Wesson revolver in my right hand. Both were loaded.

I probably looked completely terrifying, which is exactly what you should go for when petitioning the cruel lord of violence and dread.

Take wormwood, aloes, squill, spurge, long pepper, and watercress in equal amounts. Grind them up and mix them with human blood. Make pills of this, which you may set aside for use. When you wish to begin working, put one of them into the thurible, which you have brought with you to a remote place specially set aside for this working. When you have arrived there, stand upright on your feet and speak secretly, boldly, and without any fear, facing the south… As the smoke rises, say the following. –Picatrix

I obtained all of the ingredients, but somehow misplaced the long pepper. Rather than make pills, I mixed the wormwood, aloe, squill, spurge and watercress in a cup and drizzled human blood over them.

At the appointed time, I stood facing south and somberly and loudly intoned the petitional text, rising in volume to a crescendo.

O Mars, you who are an honored lord and are hot and dry, mighty, weighty, firm of heart, spiller of blood and giver of illnesses thereto! You are strong, hardy, acute, daring, shining, agile, and the lord of battles, pains, miseries, wounds, prisons, sorrows, and mixed and separated things, who has no fear or contemplation of anything, sole helper in all your effects and in investigations thereof, strong in calculation and will to conquer and to seek after fortune, cause of lawsuits and battles, doer of evil to the weak and the strong, lover of the sons of battle, vindicator of wicked people and those who do evil in the world. I ask of you and conjure you by your names and your qualities that exist in heaven, and by your slayings, and also by your petitions to the Lord God who placed power and strength in you, gathering them in you and separating them from other planets that you might have strength and power, victory over all and great vigor… –Picatrix

I can’t tell you what the boon was for the client; it’s confidential, and knowledge of the specifics may interfere with their outcomes.

I will say that Mars provides boons in many areas other than violence and misfortune; and while his hierarchy is Malefic, they often do great good. Challenging injustice, obliteration of disease, removing obstacles to love and sex, surgery, alchemy, and vanquishing pestilence are all within the sphere of Mars’ influence.

Mars is a mighty ally and a terrible foe.

Forget neither.

mars

Prosperity Candle

Posted on by Clifford Hartleigh Low

Powerful Spell for Success in Business and Investments

I recently received a commission for spellwork to advance a client’s investment opportunities in cryptocurrencies, but he could not afford a petition or a talisman. We negotiated a fair price and I got to work.

I particularly enjoy magic where I can incorporate my ongoing fascinations; the blend of African-American Hoodoo and medieval astrological magic has been extremely successful for me in numerous experiments and advanced projects. I wanted to do more for him than what he could get from another conjure doctor. I upscaled some of the ingredients, did a “soft election” for the timing, and added some more Scholastic Image Magic to give it even greater punch.

A “soft election” in my nomenclature is simply one where the most egregious of afflictions to relevant significators are removed, moreso than any attempt to particularly strengthen them. This means the power of the ritual comes from the conjurer and his spiritual helpers rather than the celestial hierarchies, but at least they are not substantial impediments.

prosperity-candle

Here we have a fortune on the Ascendant and the Moon applying a tight trine to a benefic and then the Sun. The Moon is extremely fast and the ruler of her Sign is not cadent. The Moon is cadent, however.

Again, our goal here isn’t to do a petition or make a talisman but simply to remove as many afflictions as possible and let the Hoodoo do the heavy lifting.

CMB - 1

Here’s the natal chart of the client printed out, not the chart of the event. This will serve as a very strong personal concern or relic in tandem with the petition paper. I have anonymized the client’s personal information.

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One of the new variations I used in this operation is to write out the petition request on the flat wick as a supplement to the conventional petition paper. It was difficult; next time I’ll use a different kind of pen, but I was pleased by its addition overall.

This is only possible because I used a beeswax sheet for the body of the candle this time. I find that natural materials are better conduits for magic, and while paraffin candles are effective, I will use beeswax occasionally. Beeswax also has a delightful natural scent which is a pleasure in itself; I imagine some of that is passed on to the success of the operation.

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Here’s the petition paper, written out on green card stock and torn into a rough circle. I prefer circular petition papers when possible, in part because of its relevance to Scholastic Image Magic as a perfect repository for spirit. I tend not to use woven lines of text simply because my handwriting is bad but my ability to draw is fairly good. I replace it most often with pictorial depictions of the goal, similar to those sometimes used on talismanic iconography. Here we have a pot of gold with the Bitcoin symbol on it. The clockwise line is just an embellishment dictated by my intuition.

The dish is covered by aluminum foil for cleanup convenience.

herbs

The candle was loaded with herbs at the core, around the flat wick. Alkanet removes money jinxes and generally is good for prosperity, alfalfa is a strong wealth herb, and I included one more special ingredient (trade secret). Three is a fortunate number, and I didn’t want to overload the candle and risk it going out.

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After loading in the herbs next to the wick, I rolled up the beeswax towards me and trimmed the wick at the bottom (where there was no petitional text.)

 

I then added a bit of iron pyrite into the mouth of the candle to give it an even stronger association with gold and riches.

CMB - 12

I anointed the natal chart of the client with Wealthy Way Oil in a quincunx pattern and folded it towards me, placing it below the green petition paper. I then dressed the candle lightly with the same oil. I placed the papers below the saucer and candle, and set the work in motion.

CMB - 16

It burned quickly, albeit with some excess smoke. Good signs so far, and I’m very optimistic about the outcome.

Magic Rings of Seduction

Posted on by Clifford Hartleigh Low

Creation of Powerful Carnelian and Gold Venus Talisman Rings

 

2017-10-14-venus-good

Electional Configuration

This was a particularly superb election for Venus; so excellent in fact, that I went through some extraordinary efforts and even a few personal sacrifices. What was so good about it to make me jump through flaming hoops?

First, we have Venus in her Rulership in Libra culminating. Not just in Libra, but the first degree of Libra—which is an accidental fortunation in the same way that the final two degrees of any Sign are unfortunate.

Second, the Moon is in a phenomenal state. She is fast, and applying a benevolent aspect to the Ruler of the Sign she is in; something Picatrix says is fantastic for any election. She is also applying to conjoin the North Node of the Moon. That’s spectacular.

Third, the Ruler of the Ascendant is Jupiter, who while peregrine is in the House of his Joy (the 11th) and in the 1st degree of a Sign. Great accidental dignifications!

There are a few negatives which deserve attention, but no election is perfect.

Venus is making no applying aspects.

Saturn is in the 1st House and in a malefic decan; but he’s not on the Ascendant and Lilly like most Renaissance astrologers deem Saturn to be acceptable in the 1st House generally. It is also Saturn’s day, which I feel pays the ferryman off, to an extent.

The Moon is also making a trine to Saturn, and she is waning; something Picatrix says reduces the afflictions of the Moon by Saturn. Any aspect to Saturn generally weakens a planet, however. At least Saturn is not retrograde!

The waning here is overall positive, because it diminishes the influences of Saturn; especially over time. Lunar phase alone never makes or breaks an election, in my estimation.

Jupiter is under the Sun’s Beams but not in combustion. I tend to think this is a moderate affliction.

The uncommon positives easily outweigh the less impressive negatives. This election is a juggernaut of sexy. Nothing’s gonna stop that lady!

The Powers of Venus

Picatrix describes the natural rulership of Venus in this way:

Venus is the source of the power of flavor. And she rules grammar and the art of measuring sound and song. Among languages she has Arabic; among the internal organs, the right nostril, and among internal organs, those that meet in sexual intercourse and project sperm, and the stomach, and those from which come the virtue and flavor in eating and drinking; among religion, Islam; among clothing, all painted clothing; and of professions, all professions of painting and shaping, selling things that smell good, playing instruments that are good to listen to, singing, dancing and making stringed instruments; among flavors, all sweet things that taste good; and of places, place of vice, places in which men seek healing, and in which men dance, and places of cheerfulness where there is singing and speech, and places of ladies and beautiful women, and also places of eating and drinking; and of precious stones, pearls, and of rocks, lapis lazuli and almartach; and of plants, all plants with a good odor like saffron and arhenda, roses and all flowers with a good odor and smell and are pleasant to look at; among medicines balsam and grains of julep, and those that emit a strong smell, such as nutmeg and amber; among animals, females, camels that are beautiful and all beautiful animals with symmetrical bodies such as gazelles, sheep, gazelles, hares, partridges, calandras and the like. Among small animals, she has those that are colorful and beautiful; among colors, sky blue and gold tending a little to green.

One of the emphases in Picatrix which is often less clear elsewhere is that Venus governs music and song in particular. This is why sometimes on talismanic ymages, Venus is depicted as having the head of a bird, because birds sing.

A similar but perhaps more interesting section appears elsewhere in the text:

Venus is cold and moist, and a fortune. She signifies cleanliness, splendor, preciousness, word games, delight in music, joy, adornments, laughter, pictures, beauty, loveliness, playing music by the voice or stringed instruments; delighting in marriage, desiring spices and things that have good odors; sending dreams; provoking games of chess and dice; desiring to lie with women and to fall in love with them and receiving promises from them; desiring to appear beautiful, loving liberty, magnanimity of heart, and joy. She abhors anger, brawling, vengeance, and lawsuits; she desires to serve the desires and wills of friends concerning the world’s opinion; tends toward false promises; is inclined to cupidity; desires to drink much; incessantly desires much copulation, and of shameful kinds, and to do it in inappropriate places, as women are accustomed to do with one another; delighting in animals and children and in making them good; making things equal; delighting in merchants and living with them and being loved by their women; and that they may be delighted by men. When she is well received, she plays a part in the making of crowns, building stables and working in stone, having sweet speech, disdaining the world and having no fear of it; sustaining people so that neither anger, strife, or discord can be felt by them; it designates a weak heart and a weak will in lawsuits and combat, and signifies desire for all beautiful combinations of things which may be in conformity with the will; making colors and laboring diligently in skills involving them; selling merchandise, spices, and prayers; those who observe the religious law; and those who adhere to sciences and philosophies of forbidden kinds.

One of the differences in the latter section is that it includes several negative attributes, or attributes which we today might considered not complimentary. This is at least partially because this is a description of Venus in general, and not solely when she is essentially dignified; the state which is a common requirement for the production of her talismans.

However, there is a distinction made between what a celestial hierarchy governs and what it is most suited for in talismans and petitions.

Picatrix on Venus Talismans

Picatrix gives a fairly wide range of recipes for Venus talismans, including one to make the wearer well-liked by all, one to be always cheerful and happy (basically magical Prozac), one which cures venomous snake bites, one to seduce young men, one which provides immunity from harm, one for general luck and profit, one to drive away mice, one to drive away flies, one to drive away leeches, one to attract the love of women, one to cure children of boils, and one to cure all stomach ailments; and that’s just in Book II chapter 10!

What we can derive from this is that Venus is one of the most versatile of planets, capable of bringing many of the pleasures of life and relieving many of the dangers and annoyances. Venus is always about pleasures and comforts. The only reason why she’s deemed the Lesser Benefic is that the Platonists tended toward Stoicism and favored intellectual joys over the worldly ones.

One of the reasons why we have so many recipes for Venus configurations is that they do help focus the power on particular goals, to the diminishment of other powers. But Picatrix does say that if one must choose between a generalized power or a particular power, the former is better. It can be used for many more things, and improve life overall. This is why in the end I used a talismanic design inspired more by Cornelius Agrippa’s work than that of Picatrix, though there is clear influence from the latter.

Picatrix says in Book III:7:

Seek from Venus all things that pertain to her, such as petitions of women, boys, and girls, daughters, and generally everything pertaining to the love of women and carnal copulation with them, art, vocal and instrumental music, telling jokes, and all those who give themselves over to worldly pleasures, those who engage in vices, male and female servants, brides and grooms, mothers, friends, sisters, and all those similar to them, and in these petitions you may also help yourself with Mars.

I would identify these as the main properties of generalized Venus talismans, as well as guidelines for the optimal requests in Venus petitions.

Design of the Rings of Seduction

When indecisive about what to put on a talisman I often inquire with tarot.

Sometimes the size and shape of the material limit the choices, and sometimes time restricts options when you’re creating several talismans in a narrow electional window.

Since this project was a series of rings in varying band sizes and gemstone sizes, it would be necessary to use sigils for the smallest only because it is hard to engrave elaborate tableaus on a small cabochon.

There also needs to be enough time during the full electional window to recite at least an abbreviated petitional text, engrave, suffumigate repeatedly, and affix the herbs with glue on all talismans before the time window ends.

The gemstone chosen was carnelian. One of the more unexpected Venereal stones, the gem looks a little like raw meat and even the name is suggestive of carnality and carnivorous; it is not surprising that it is co-ruled by Mars. The band was gold wire wound around a core of gold-filled wire to strengthen it. Gold and bronze are both suitable metals for Venus.

The herbs under the ring were thyme and vervain—both Venereal. Thyme is a love herb, and vervain has associations with bewitchment and in particular the power of fascination.

All in all, it’s a material expression of sexual desire in the language of herbs and stones.

The suffumigation was storax. I almost went with balsam, which is also a good choice. I used that in another recent election. I really do love the sexy scent of storax. (I get mine from Alchemy Works .)

The ymage was as depicted; the sigil of the Intelligence of Venus, Hagiel, at the center. Below was the word Venus, and at the top was the Venus sigil variant from the Arabic Picatrix (the Ouroboros Press version). The Latin Picatrix sigil is taller and the triangle is smaller, but is otherwise the same. I like it because it’s a little mysterious and weird, and not recognizable to people who haven’t studied SIM.

The planetary Intelligence is often used in tandem with a planetary Spirit. Unfortunately, there is some ambiguity whether planetary Spirits are simply lower order daimones, or actual evil demons. Agrippa is a bit confusing on the matter. In any case, I do not work with demonic beings for any reason, and my Venus talismans seem to work fantastically without the sigil of Kedemel (the Venereal planetary Spirit).

I believe that the planetary Intelligences are a class of beings not from the planetary spheres, but who control the affairs of those realms from afar in the uppermost cosmic sphere (either the 9th or 10th, depending on the model you use). This gives them lofty power, but will behave in a somewhat fickle and arbitrary manner at times, because they are quite alien and godlike. There are many interesting things to be learned about them when you compare what Agrippa writes and their origins in the work of Pseudo-Dionysius the Aeropagite. If I am correct, planetary Intelligences are supercelestial and thus they can magnify the power of any elections which fall under their governance.

venus_carnelian

Seven rings were created, one of which has already been delivered to a client. I will surely keep at least a couple for myself. This was a great project to work on.

The Talismans of Turmantis

Posted on by Clifford Hartleigh Low

The Talismans of the Second Decan of Scorpio

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Electional Configuration

The Sun rises in the Second Face of Scorpio in the Hour of the Sun, the Moon is fast and applying to a square of the Sun and then the North Node of the Moon. The North Node is conjunct the Midheaven. The Moon is waning, but this is suitable for the purpose of the talismans. The Descendant is weak, potentially giving more relative power to the Sun on the Ascendant. Since putting fortunes or any dignified planets on the Ascendant and Midheaven require a quartile aspect, I consider this configuration beneficent; this is especially so with the aspects of the quarters of the Moon, with the exception of the combustion of the Moon. The Sun himself applies to a wide conjunction with a benefic, strengthening him a tiny bit. The Moon is applying an aspect to the Ruler of the Sign she is in; this would be better if it were a sextile or trine, but it does add power. It’s a good, solid configuration, if not absolutely perfect.

Picatrix on Face Talismans

For those of you who need a refresher, this is what Picatrix has to say about Faces, also known as Decans:

“Note that each of the twelve signs is divided into three equal parts, and these divisions are called faces. Each of these faces has its own images, forms and figures, as the sages of India have recounted, and to each of the faces is assigned one of the seven planets. These faces are divided and distributed according to the position and order of the planets, beginning at the highest and proceeding in order all the way to the lowest, and then returning to the highest as we will explain. Beginning with Aries, the first face is assigned to Mars, the second to the Sun which follows him in order, the third to Venus who follows the Sun, and the first face of Taurus to Mercury; it proceeds in this way through the order of the planets until the end of the signs. Each of these faces has a nature and image that is appropriate to its lord; and we will present each of the images that arise in each of the faces in the following pages.” –Picatrix II:11

At the end of the section, Picatrix details the somewhat unique requirements for the election of a Face talisman.

“When you make any of images of the faces described above, make them in a material appropriate to the planet that rules the face; then the work will be as we have said– that is, if you make the image when the corresponding planet is present in that face, then that work will be perfect and it will manifest in the world. If it happens that the Sun is rising in the hour of the planet or combines its force with it in a way that you desire, the work will be stable and strong. In what we have said above, beware that the quality of the planet be not overcome by the Sun. If, on the other hand, you understand the reasons for everything that has already been said, the images of the faces we have given will bring about the effects you wish powerfully and completely.” –Picatrix II:11

I have a particular love for Face talismans. I think the greatest secrets of Scholastic Image Magic are hidden within them, and have lectured about some of what I have discovered elsewhere. Although the Second Face of Scorpio is not one which most would leap at; I think it has hidden excellences and is worth another look.

Turmantis, the Second Face of Scorpio

“There rises in the second face of Scorpio a man riding a camel, holding a scorpion in his hand. This is a face of knowledge, modesty, settlement, and of speaking evil of one another. This is its form.” –Picatrix II:11

The ymages of the Faces are constructed by the planetary rulerships of the Signs, sometimes proximal Decans, and the activating planet. The scorpion in the ymage iconography represents the Sign of Scorpio. Camels in general are ruled by the Sun, and so the camel here is the representation of the Sun in the middle of Scorpio. The man may represent the user or may represent Mars, the ruler of Scorpio; this is why in my design I gave him a pointed helmet. The properties of the Face talisman rarely relate directly to the ymage, but instead the interactions of the properties of the activating planet, the Sign ruler, and even the triplicity of the Sign in parallel with the pictorial symbols. So is the case here.

The name Turmantis comes from the Liber Hermetis of the 1st Century. That text largely ascribes each of the 36 Faces to regions of the known world at the time and a series of ymages whose purpose is not described, though one may assume they are for the purpose of gaining benefits in each region. They are one of the few sources which give names to the Faces, and function as the name of the Face’s lord. The spirits of the Faces like it, and it’s more memorable and usually shorter than saying or inscribing or writing X Face of Y.

So, what does it do? Scorpio is probably the least pleasant of all the Decanic triads. The 1st Face is about suffering and anger, and the 3rd is for rape (and should never be used.) The 2nd Face is a mix of good and bad, but there’s definitely bad. Or at least dark.

  • Knowledge
  • Modesty
  • Settlement
  • Speaking evil against another

I chose this election largely because of the first attribute; knowledge. Scorpio often is associated with secrets and the presence of the Greater Luminary, the Sun is the revelation of hidden knowledge.

However, I admit that the fourth attribute is also intriguing. In this era of outrage and memetic warfare, an enhanced capacity for imprecation might not be unhelpful. Or maybe I’ll get some juicy gossip. Here the sting of the scorpion is set ablaze by the fire of the Sun, and a victim’s fame is poisoned into infamy.

Modesty is something we all could benefit from a little. I’m not yet sure why it is an attribute of this Face.

Settlement perhaps suggests peacemaking, or perhaps settling for less? Setting down roots? I’m not sure what that means in this context; Picatrix can sometimes be elusive in this context. It also appears in the attributes of the 1st Face of Scorpio, so perhaps this has more to do with the nature of Scorpio than the particular interaction with the Sun.

Nevertheless, when a Face talisman’s electional configuration is benevolent those qualities will predominate, and when it is malevolent the latter will.

Design of the Talismans of Turmantis

Two talismans were created using large and medium bloodstone cabochons. I placed one on my Sun altar and the other in a black flannel mojo-style bag along with the Solar herbs cinnamon, calamus, and lemongrass. The colors of Turmantis are black, yellow and tan; so I chose a black bag. I wore gold and black during the election; the former representing the Sun and something approximating the yellow for the Face’s second color. The suffumigation was frankincense resin.

turmantis

Talismans don’t have to be pretty, especially their inscriptions which tend to be invisible if they are scratches on the surface of a gemstone; and this is perfectly functional, and often usefully sneaky. But I drew this using my iPad with my fingertip, an acceptable representation of the marks my stylus made on the slippery gemstone surface. I kind of feel sorry for the camel and the poor guy holding a giant mutant lobster too.

At the top is the name of the Face, Turmantis. At the bottom is the power I most desired, knowledge. It is fairly standard practice to inscribe the purpose of a talisman in this manner as noted in Picatrix if there is space, especially if some of the other powers are less desirable. In the center is a helmeted warrior riding a bactrian camel; he holds a scorpion in his right hand. On the back of the gemstone is an X, normally this is used when the ymage of a celestial hierarchy is unknown, but my goal was to use this to overcome any defects of design. There almost was one.

The sigil I intended to inscribe which appears in purple was intented to be the sigil of Turmantis, which is exactly like what I engraved except it has a third circle at the apex. The sigils of the Faces we derive from charakteres on a Syrian defixio from the 5th or 6th century. Instead, I inscribed the Latin Picatrix sigil of the Sun, which is very similar and easy to confuse at 6 am sans coffee. This might have been a problem in a different configuration, but fortunately placing the sigil of a Face activator on the talisman of a Face is quite appropriate, and even deemed mandatory by Renaissance writers such as Cornelius Agrippa. Close call, but still good. I’m glad I made these for myself.

In any case, let’s see how this project turns out.

The Rings of the Diplomat

Posted on by Clifford Hartleigh Low

sirius

THE RINGS OF THE DIPLOMAT: Sirius culminating, with a tightly applying conjunction of the Moon; the very fast Moon applying to both Benefics, and the Greater Benefic on the Ascendant.

While Jupiter is somewhat afflicted, overall this is a superb election for Sirius. The speed of the Moon, the Benefic on the Ascendant, and the amazing tightness of the conjunction of the Moon with Sirius on the Midheaven were all great fortitudes that together provided an election that is quite powerful and proportionately rare.

For the time being I don’t believe the solar eclipse of August 21 will have had a significant impact upon these elections; they ought to be fully out of orb.

This is an election that I’ve been eager to try out for an exceptionally long time.

Under the Greater Dog Star, they made an image of a hound and a little virgin; it bestoweth honour and good will, and the favor of men, and aerial spirits, and giveth the power to pacify and reconcile kings, princes, and other men. –Cornelius Agrippa

And elsewhere:

sirius

One part savine juniper juice with wormwood and bistort and a little serpent’s tongue put under a golden beryl, etc., grants the favor of the spirits of the air and the peoples of the earth, and brings peace and concord between kings and other potentates, and between husbands and wives. –Qundecim Stellis

The oldest obtainable coverage is more general and possibly is confused with the listing for Procyon which follows it in the text, and has no listed powers:

And Canis Major in his like
The fifte sterre is of magique,
The whos kinde is Venerien,
As seith this astronomien.
His propre ston is seid berille,
Bot for to worche and to fulfille
Thing which to this science falleth,
Ther is an herbe which men calleth
Saveine, and that behoveth nede
To him that wole his pourpos spede.

–The Confessio Amantis of John Gower

All things being equal, I lean towards the Quindecim Stellis as canonical over Agrippa’s fixed star sections; particularly the sigils. The Confessio Amantis material is valuable too, but mostly to reduce ambiguities and illustrate the evolution of the text.

To clarify this, talismans of Sirius:

  • Make people like and obey the wearer.
  • Make spirits like and obey the wearer.
  • Allows the wearer to resolve disputes between lovers.
  • Allows the wearer to resolve disputes between people of leadership and renown.

I’ve long said that the Ring of the Pleiades is the most important in the Quindecim Stellis; the most fundamental in plying one’s trade as an itinerant magician in the Early Modern Period. The Rings of either the Greater or Lesser Dog Stars and the Ring of Alkaid would be the ones to follow it; but considering that Sirius is the brightest star of all, it probably takes the lead. A magician with a Sirius ring would be able to be a supreme counselor for his liege or patron, and assist him or her in the governance of their fiefdom or estate. In exchange for generous payment.

On a personal level, I’m close to finally completing the full set of fifteen Behenian talismans as described in the Quindecim Stellis. Though a few of these I no longer have in my possession, the process of creating thirteen of these over the past decade have been as powerful an initiation as anything I can imagine. It hasn’t been easy, and when the fifteenth is completed I’m going to enjoy a nice bottle of champagne to celebrate.

Four rings were ensouled. The gemstones were golden beryl (with heavy inclusions) in silver bands. I would have prepared more, but golden beryl is very hard to obtain right now. I was indecisive about the suffumigation, and tarot suggested pine resin—not an obvious choice, but there’s little canonical guidance on this matter.

Obtaining the wormwood was easy. Obtaining the savine juniper was slightly more challenging. Bistort was difficult, and the chunks were hard to secure under the ring.

But serpent’s tongue is not for the squeamish. I ordered preserved constrictors from a educational supply house and dissected half. The process of rooting for the tongue was disgusting, and finding it inside a dead snake challenging. I have done some graduate-level work in Biology, and I don’t envy anybody with less training doing something like this. Just nasty.

The serpent’s tongue, just to be clear, is not a euphemism for an herb. It’s an organ cut from the body of a dead snake. There are no substitutions on this one. And it’s arguably the most important of the ingredients after the beryl itself, because of the associations between the persuasiveness and deceptiveness of a serpent, and its mythical speech.

I haven’t seen any effects from the one I’m currently wearing, but it clearly emanates power. I can hardly wait to see what this one will do.

 

The Rings of Memory

Posted on by Clifford Hartleigh Low

moon

THE RINGS OF MEMORY: Fast Moon in Domicile culminating, applying to both Benefics with fortunated Ascendant Benefic Ruler and Benefic in the 1st House.

Scholastic Image Magic arose in medieval monestaries but reached its greatest popularity among medieval and Renaissance physicians, according to contemporary research. It should be little surprise that a great deal of priority was placed on medicinal talismans as well as those which benefit study.

This is a talisman I’ve wanted to make for quite a while; it’s one of several configurations to enhance memory. As someone who optimally burns through about five hundred pages per day, it does me little good if I can’t recall it. Furthermore, I’m just about done wasting hours looking for that missing pen or sock or passage in Cervantes.

memorymoon

If, under the influence of the Moon, you make this sign in the hour of the Moon, with the Moon rising, in emerald, with this stone make a seal in incense and give it to a man for good memory, and to retain knowledge. –Picatrix Book II:10

Recently Chris Warnock was ruminating about the nebulous functions for standard Moon talismans, as opposed to Lunar Mansion talismans. He’s correct that the texts are a bit evasive, but I think it’s because the authors were assuming it was obvious and familiar to all readers. I’ve dug through the canonical literature at length, and I’ve come to some conclusions.

Moon talismans:

  • Improve memory, and in some configurations cause forgetfulness. The waxing and waning of the Moon signifies the transitory nature of memory. Other planets co-rule memory to a lesser degree, but it is primarily an attribute of the Moon. (One would be mistaken to assume waxing is always the retention of memory and waning is its loss, however.)
  • Cure the illnesses of infants, and sometimes older children. A very useful talisman if you’re a parent or a physician, but I’m neither so this is of limited interest to me.
  • Increase alertness and endurance, especially while traveling. The Moon signifies speed because it is the most rapid planet; it also signifies journeys. Before modernity, a Moon talisman would be used by a traveler to walk many miles without ever becoming tired. It would also be valuable for students who want to immerse themselves in lore deep into the night without forgetfulness.
  • Impart influence over mobs and riots, to gather and disperse them. The group consciousness of rioters is well known to be associated with the Moon; a social lunacy.
  • Improve likeability and influence over others, especially when the Moon is very essentially dignified. The Moon is always the cosignificator of the Self, and by adding essential dignity to any significator one gains influence, authority, and trust.

It’s very hard to find standard Lunar talisman elections because the rapidity of the Moon gives only one real chance daily for any configuration. Furthermore, Picatrix seems to indicate that the Moon should not be configured on the Ascendant, leaving only the Midheaven as the only reasonable alternative.

The difficulty of finding a valid Lunar election is why I was willing to produce these four rings during an extremely narrow eight minute electional window when the Moon was between 8 and 6 degrees of the Midheaven, never quite breaking into the 5 degrees that Ptolemy mentions before the arrival of Saturn Hour. I’ve already noticed its effects, so I know it’s working.

As noted before, the Moon was making loose aspects to the Benefics, the Ascendant Ruler was essentially dignified, and a benefic was in the 1st House. I particularly liked the high speed of the Moon, which I’ve come to believe is more impactful than Lunar phase in most instances. I believe this will contribute to the strength of the memory enhancement.

Four talismanic rings were ensouled, for the time window was short. The gemstones were emerald as required, and the band was silver—the metal of the Moon. I consulted with tarot for advice on the herb matrix under the gemstone and the suffumigation. The herb beneath the ring was black poppy seed—a Lunar herb—which has associations with the mind and mental states. The suffumigation was amber, which I believe signified the preservation of memory, like an insect preserved in amber.

Rather than use the primary talismans to create secondary talismans out of incense, as the instructions suggest, my goal was simply to make rings. This is partially because I was not casting in silver to make a negative talismanic mold for the incense, and because that seems to me a project best saved for when the Moon is within five degrees of the Midheaven. I may choose to make memory incense with these, but that is not my intention now.

There are many unusual talismanic recipes in Picatrix and other canonical texts of SIM. Some may puzzle you, but rather than dismiss them as aberrations I believe they have much to teach us about the nature of the spiritual universe. They also frequently have powers which you may think are irrelevant to your needs today, but will reveal their value tomorrow.

That’s advice you’ll definitely benefit from remembering.

Talismans of Trust

Posted on by Clifford Hartleigh Low

TALISMANS OF TRUST: Extremely dignified Mercury Ascending in Virgo with the North Node, with the Moon applying to a conjunction of Jupiter.

2017-07-28-mercury-rising2

This project was full of all kinds of surprises, great and slightly bad.

My lost emerald cabochon which popped out of its ring at ConVocation and I’d deemed lost forever was found right before the election taped to the side of a box with packing tape. I’ve observe that I often lose a talisman when the planet it’s based upon is in Fall, and I recover it when it is Exalted. That’s seemingly what happened here. My lost Mercury spirit came back home, right on schedule.

And then, about 4/5ths of the way through the electional window– after I’d engraved the ymages but right before I added the vegetal component– my street had an hour long blackout. So I had to finish the project by candlelight. I did end up adding the herbs to the rings after the planetary hour had ended, but thinking quickly I dipped the rings in a tea of the herb and finished the whole thing before Mercury was fully off the Ascendant. I think it should be fine. Other than that, this was a pretty great election.

Mercury was greatly essentially dignified. In Domicile, Exaltation, and Term. Mercury was making a loose sextile to a Benefic and moving reasonably fast. The Moon was slow but waxing and applying to conjoin with Jupiter (finally Direct and gaining speed.) For the early part of the election, the North Node was on the Ascendant, adding much good fortune. The Moon’s Sign Ruler was succedent, which is good. The Moon’s Mansion is suitable for works of love and friendship, which seems compatible as well. The electional window was about thirty minutes for engraving, cut off a bit by the end of the planetary hour.

For the larger talismans I chose the Picatrix frog acceptability talisman in Picatrix II:10.

If, under the influence of Mercury, you make the figure of a single frog on the hour of Mercury, with Mercury rising, in an emerald stone, whoever carries it will offend no one. To the contrary, everyone you meet will speak well of you and say good things about your works.

“MERCURY” was engraved across the middle of the frog, though in one instance the word was placed on the back.

For the smaller, I used the Latin Picatrix Mercury sigil, which resembles the standard Mercury symbol but has a stem between the “horns” and circle, and the lower cruciform portion is slightly squashed.

For the herb below the rings I used aniseed. For suffumigation I used gum arabic, cloves and myrtle. It did not burn terribly easily, but it worked after a few tries.

The incantation was the standard long version of the Picatrix Mercury petition.

Six emerald ring talismans in gold wire were made. One additional green agate ring talisman with gold-filled wire was made. One moss agate tie clip talisman was made. Two loose brown agate cabochon talismans were made– brown agates protect against injuries, especially if made into talismans. A pair of very unusual lodestone/magnetite talismanic cufflinks were made. And finally, one large emerald cabochon talisman was made.

Ultimately only the cufflinks got the sigil. The remainder all got the Mercury frog, even the brown agates.

 

Secrets of the 36 Zodiacal Faces @ PantheaCon 2015

Posted on by Clifford Hartleigh Low

Secrets of the 36 Zodiacal Faces at PantheaCon 2015:

 

Clifford Hartleigh Low’s lecture on the “Secrets of the 36 Zodiacal Faces” at PantheaCon 2015. This class analyzes in detail Book II, Chapter 11 of the Latin Picatrix. This text instructs the student in the creation of thirty-six talismans of supreme power ascribed to the Zodiacal Faces (also known as Decans), while also containing some of the most mysterious passages ever written. This lecture describes many of these talismans and how to create them, and the discovery of the hidden meanings of the more cryptic passages which until now have not been revealed elsewhere. Discover why Cornelius Agrippa, Giordano Bruno, Abraham Ibn Ezra, and many others have found this chapter one of the most fascinating in all of magical and astrological literature.

This class is similar in content, but not identical, to the ConVocation 2015 lecture of a similar name.

If you find this video useful, please subscribe to http://sorcerer.blog and http://www.youtube.com/GrimoireTV , give thumbs up and Like posts. Your feedback matters.

Secrets of the 36 Zodiacal Faces @ ConVocation 2015

Posted on by Clifford Hartleigh Low

Secrets of the 36 Zodiacal Faces at ConVocation 2015

 

 

Clifford Hartleigh Low’s lecture on the “Secrets of the 36 Zodiacal Faces” at ConVocation 2015. This class analyzes in detail Book II, Chapter 11 of the Latin Picatrix. This text instructs the student in the creation of thirty-six talismans of supreme power ascribed to the Zodiacal Faces (also known as Decans), while also containing some of the most mysterious passages ever written. This lecture describes many of these talismans and how to create them, and the discovery of the hidden meanings of the more cryptic passages which until now have not been revealed elsewhere. Discover why Cornelius Agrippa, Giordano Bruno, Abraham Ibn Ezra, and many others have found this chapter one of the most fascinating in all of magical and astrological literature.

If you find this video useful, please subscribe to http://sorcerer.blog and http://www.youtube.com/GrimoireTV , give thumbs up and Like posts. Your feedback matters.

Some Notes On Planetary Fragrances

Posted on by Clifford Hartleigh Low

 

Intersections of Scholastic Image Magic and Hoodoo

There are only the most circumstantial and speculative historical connections between Scholastic Image Magic and African-American Conjure, or Hoodoo, yet I have seldom seen two very different traditions create such amazing synergy when properly combined.

The most frequent implementations of this synergy I have used are the feeding of SIM talismans with Hoodoo condition oils in a manner similar to feeding mojo bags, the magnification of the power of Hoodoo oils, powders, baths and natural curios by placing them temporarily in the proximity of compatible SIM talismans, and the creation of Hoodoo formulae and mojos which incorporate astrological talismans.

To me, these are fairly straightforward combinations which make a lot of sense in the context of Al Kindi’s theory of stellar and terrestrial rays, and the odd fusions of celestial and natural magics which appear in the writings of Cornelius Agrippa.

But going beyond relatively fundamental research into further optimization of these hybrids is what I have begun to explore. These explorations include the usage of magical fragrances on the body as supplementation for suffumigations used in astral petitions which appear in Picatrix, and the selection of fragrances to extend and maximize the potency of SIM talismans one may wear or carry.

 

Planetary Flavors and Odors

Picatrix advises preparing for a planetary petition or talisman by consuming foods associated with that planetary hierarchy for as long as is manageable prior to the ritual. One manner of doing this in the case of Venus is by eating the animals of that planet such as goat, rabbit, deer or veal calf. Another is by using sweet and savory sauces. By consuming things that resonate with a particular planetary hierarchy, one harmonizes with it and, in a sense, one’s body gradually becomes similarly composed.

This process can be enhanced by using fragrances compatible with the planetary hierarchy in question, either by association through the incenses used in the suffumigation of the planet, like frankincense essential oil in place of frankincense grains for Solar rites, or the sensory similarity between the scent and the associated flavors, thus an intensely sweet and grass-spicy blend of scents for Venus.

For example, as William Lilly says of Venus:

In Savours she delightes in that which is pleasant and toothsome; usually in moyst and sweet, or what is very delectable; in smels what is unctious and Aromatical, and incites to wantonnesse.

Scent is associated with the Air Element and will help the magician both receive and project planetary power of the associated type. Suffumigations, and thus scents of all kinds, are a foundational pillar of SIM. The complexity and potential for their ritual usage is almost inexhaustible, as the many recipes for such in Picatrix reveal.

 

Hoodoo Considerations

This can be complicated by the fact that Hoodoo formulae have specific associations with olfactory signatures as well as sets of herbs and curios in the bottles. Hoodoo condition oil formulas have their own grammar and poetry, combining the meaning of scents and curios to produce unique variations of effect. It is my belief that the roots and curios produce terrestrial rays which are projected into the fragrances and impregnate them with signatures. When utilized, the Air element carries the scent and the signature of the curios into the wider universe to cause change.

When combining planetary work with Hoodoo, one can find some marvelous Hoodoo formulae which are entirely compatible with planetary work. For example, Commanding Oil and many of its cousins have strong Solar associations by scent, by function, by label imagery, and by curio. Placing a bottle of this near Solar talismans and then anointing yourself with it will not only give you a regal bearing that will accrue respect, but also make spirits of the Solar hierarchy find affinity with you and enhance the power of any Solar talismans you may be wearing.

 

Coherence Is Power

It is not an uncommon practice to use more than one Hoodoo fragrance at once. I use at least three daily: for protection, for prosperity, and for love or authority. Some Hoodoo products can be used for numerous purposes, like Van Van Oil and Fast Luck.

This can create problems with regard to planetary work.

When working in SIM styles of planetary magic, one needs to utilize objects or contexts where the particular planet or star’s rays can fully permeate and ensoul an object, person, situation or even idea. Much like X-rays pass through flesh with ease, bone more difficultly, and metallic lead hardly at all, everything has a different capacity to receive or absorb animating power from one or more stellar hierarchies. Gold receives the rays of the Sun and Saturn very well, and Mars poorly. A soldier receives the rays of Mars well, the Sun moderately, and the Moon and Jupiter poorly. An idea for a novel receives the rays of Mercury and the Moon well, and Mars and Saturn poorly.

This concept of “reception” permeates Picatrix’s theoretical discourses and causes confusion because the same term in English is used to describe certain planetary configurations. Reception is often understood to be (at least partially) a function of elemental qualities; so that things which fall under the power of the Sun have some affinity with those of Mars because both are hot and dry, and less so with the Moon which is cold and wet. Reception is a concept which replaces correspondence, so that every material or situation can become a vehicle for (or storage for) spiritual power, but to extremely variable degrees based on what flavor of celestial power is being utilized. It’s hardly ever a 1:1 association; that notion was borrowed somewhat sloppily from alchemy, which functions quite differently.

Another bottleneck on reception is whether any particular thing is a combination of two or more components together, and whether each fall under the same or differing celestial hierarchies. The more pure a specific planet’s associations are in any particular context, the stronger its hold over things in our world.

When planetary forces are mixed up too much, the power becomes muted and suppressed. It is the exact opposite of the notion of hybrid vigor. It is why magicians have done rituals to planets using consistent associations. The reason we don’t dress in blood red for Mars, use a Venereal incense, wear a brass crown of the mind for Mercury and black snakeskin boots for Saturn during a ritual to Jupiter and thereby gain the benefits of five planets rather than one is that this doesn’t work at all. It’s like riding a chariot with the horses running in completely different directions; you go nowhere fast.

When planetary forces are coherent and particularly pure, they have a greater ability to express themselves, much like a planet on the cusp of an Angular Mundane House. This is of course independent of Essential Dignity, so having Saturn in Leo expressing itself with maximal freedom is usually a terrible idea. One of the essential goals of celestial magic in SIM is to maximize this purity, or coherency. The effects become concentrated like a laser beam, and vastly more powerful.

This has relevance to the use of fragrances with planetary associations. If you use multiple fragrances, they should all have close associations with the planetary hierarchy you are working with. When you use scents that fall under two or more hierarchies, you will gain the benefits of each, but they will all produce muted results. If you instead use several magical scents that fall under a single planetary hierarchy, each will have greater power. Furthermore, any magics you perform when you have been using scents connected to a consistent singular hierarchy for days will be greatly enhanced.

 

Potentials

Scholastic Image Magic is a tradition which cannot exist in modernity without modification. While we practitioners aspire to be maximally Traditional, we all have necessary adaptions and minor heresies. Not many people are following Picatrix’s instructions on how to create an oracular head by waylaying a traveler and pickling their corpse, alchemical oil of feces sounds highly unpalatable, bullock sacrifices are expensive and challenging in an urban environment, and preserved antelope marrow is impossible to find, even on eBay. (I know. I’ve tried.)

Hoodoo has two qualities that make it useful to act as a plaster in the missing spaces where we cannot replicate what medieval and Renaissance men had access to. It is generally quite inexpensive; its most exotic ingredients are even less challenging than obtaining high quality lignum aloes. It is also a very successful adaption of traditional sorceries to the flora and fauna of North America, with reasonably well developed understandings of the signatures and properties of local resources.

But beyond this, magics of various traditions must to some extent exist in the same reality. Perhaps some operate on different planes of existence or operate on different principles rather than simply quirks of history, but there cannot be an infinitude of variants of magic which all function completely independently. Some must be capable of interacting, and interacting in a helpful manner.

I believe SIM and Hoodoo are among the most compatible in their interactions; an elegant collaboration of High Magic and Low Magic which wildly transcends the definitions and limitations of each.