UNDERSTANDING THE ASTRAL REALMS

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Planetary Talismans

“Angel, mine angel, draw thee nigh!
Making the Sign of Magistry
With wand of lapis lazuli.”
(Aleister Crowley, AHA!)

Since Astrological Talismans were first introduced many centuries ago, they have built an important link between the mundane world and higher planes, and have heavily influenced the shape of the occult stratum of the Western world.

One of the oldest and at the same time certainly one of the most famous sources dealing with talismans is the book Picatrix.
It was compiled in roughly 1000 AD and was translated into Latin in 1256 for Alfonso the Wise.
It offers a strange mix between philosophical insights and down to earth advice on how to put magic into practice.

Later, in the Renaissance, many important books on talismanic magic were published. Magicians like Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa or Marsilio Ficino wrote extensively about the creation and use of Astrological Talismans.
Agrippa’s book with the title Three Books on Occult Philosophy, for example,was published in 1531 and offers a combination of Hermetic and Neoplatonic philosophy and Cabbala and is an encyclopaedic work of astrology and magic. It is highly recommended as a standard work for everybody who is interested in these topics.

Planetary Talismans, a subcategory of Astrological Talismans, are talismans of the traditional seven planets.
These are Sun, Moon, Mars, Venus, Mercury, Jupiter and Saturn.
Certain sigils are engraved into the gemstone or the metal that corresponds with the chosen planet.
The construction of such talismans has to take place according to the principles of Astrological Magic.
The most important factor for the successful creation of a Planetary Talisman is to find the right moment in time.
Electional astrology makes it possible to determine the exact time needed to ritually create and consecrate the talisman. Without that knowledge, the gemstone or talisman would only be a piece of fancy jewellery without any inherent ability to act. I will come back to this a bit later.

In this article I want to take a closer look at two different ways of using Planetary Talismans.
The first use of a Planetary Talisman is to create a balancing influence to bring more harmony into one’s life.
If we look at the nativity of a person, we can clearly see that the seven planets are located in different signs and houses.
According to the rules of Traditional Astrology the astrologer can determine, how much influence each planet will have on the life of the individual.
With the help of the table of essential dignity one can find out if a planet is in the position of being a ruler, in exaltation, triplicity, term or face. This means the planet has a greater or lesser amount of beneficial influence.
If a planet is in its detriment or fall, debilitating effects can be expected.
All in all, essential dignities show if a planet will have a positive or negative effect on the native’s life.
The strength of the influence can be measured from what astrologers call the accidental dignity of a planet. Again, many factors like house placement, closeness to fixed stars and so forth, have to be taken into consideration.
After having taken all these factors into account, the astrologer will have a clear picture of the strengths and weaknesses the planets have in the native’s birth chart.

Let us assume, to give a simplified example, that a person has problems in communicating with the opposite sex. The desire is there, but the romance, the emotional expression is lacking.
A look at the birth chart shows that Venus is not in good shape. She may be accidentally debilitated; for example she might be in Virgo and have other weakening influences, say for example being retrograde or in a cadent house.
We may find that Mercury, in whose sign Venus is positioned, is very strong in the chart. The conclusion is that the influence of Mercury (intellect, rational thinking, etc) is much stronger than what Venus can offer (emotions, romantic feelings, etc).

Having located this imbalance, the immediate advice would be to wear a Venus talisman. This could be a gemstone corresponding to Venus such as white sapphire, green jasper or carneol. Engraved on the talisman should be the seal of Venus and the character of the Intelligence of Venus, Haniel.

When worn, this talisman heightens the influence of Venus and balances it so with the strong Mercury influence in the native’s life. This can be the key to unlock a more emotional part of the personality, without diminishing the intellectual, rational capacity of the person wearing this Planetary Talisman.

Let us now have a look at a second way to use the magical powers of a Planetary Talisman.
Traditional Astrology, unlike Sun Sign Astrology, which is the undeserving darling of the papers, does not acknowledge the Sun to be the most important planet in the birth chart. According to some of the old masters it is the Lord of the Ascendant, who shows us how our life will be shaped in this incarnation. In other books we can find references to the “Ruler of the Chart” as well. In modern astrology this seems to be pretty interchangeable, but if we are dealing with Planetary Talismans we have to make an important distinction between the two. Whereas the Lord of the Ascendant gives an indication of how one’s life will be on a mundane level, the Ruler of the Chart tells us, how it could be if we would follow our spiritual path.
When Aleister Crowley speaks of people finding their True Will, he is referring to the potential state of well balanced and joyful existence that can be achieved by getting into contact with the Ruler of the Chart or Lord (Lady) of the Geniture.

Over time different approaches to determine the Lord of the Geniture have been handed down to us, but generally it includes determining the planet with most dignity in places of the Ascendant, Sun, Moon, Part of Fortune and prenatal syzygy.
An astrologer who is trained in Traditional Astrology will have no difficulties in working out which planet in the native’s chart would volunteer to be Lord or Lady of the Geniture.
Let us again assume, for example, that the Lord of the Geniture in a native’s chart would be Mercury which would be located in the 10th house. If the ruler of the ascendant and the general configuration of the chart suggest that this person will have a mundane life lacking of any intellectual fulfilment, a Mercury talisman would be appropriate to change that.
A gemstone like emerald, agate or red marble could be used; again it would have to be inscribed with the seal of Mercury and the character of the Intelligence of Mercury, Tiriel.
Once created and consecrated, this Planetary Talisman can be used to get into contact with one’s Holy Guardian Angel, which in this case would be Raphael. Through meditation or working on a dream level, excellent results can be expected. People wearing such a talisman should be guided on their spiritual path and find their true will.
Angels have a long history and do not belong to Christianity alone. The oldest depiction of a winged figure dates from 3000 BC, and in the Egyptian Book of the Dead guardian angels are mentioned.
In the 17th century we can find angels and astrology mentioned together in a book called Lemegeton or Clavicula Salomonis, Book III, The Pauline Art, second part.
It says there: “[…..] he that knows the minute of his birth, he may know the name of the Angel that governs him, & thereby he may attain to all Arts & yea, to all the wisdom & knowledge that any mortal man can desire in this world.”
Many famous occultists worked extensively with their Holy Guardian Angel, we only need to think of John Dee or Aleister Crowley.

The tricky part of creating and consecrating a talisman is the timing. A good astrological knowledge is imperative as we can learn from this quote out of Agrippa’s Three Books of occult Philosophy:” […..] and if it be with Mercury being fortunate engraven in Silver […..] it renders the bearer thereof gratefull and fortunate to do what he pleaseth: it bringeth gain and prevents poverty, [….] and if it be an unfortunate Mercury doth all things contrary to these.”
An election has to be made, preferably by a professional astrologer, to find the right time to consecrate the talisman.
This means that the talisman has to be made in a small window of time, which can be in the middle of the night or at any other inconvenient time.
Amongst other factors it should be the day, and hour of the planet and most importantly the planet should not be afflicted in any way. If he is afflicted, we will find the effect our talisman has to be reversed and this is the last thing we want.

© P.S. 2008

Bibliography:

Ars Paulina, Book III of the Lemegeton, transcribed from Sloane MS. 2731 and converted to Acrobat formant by Benjamin Rowe, June 1999.

Crowley, Aleister: AHA! In The Equinox, Volume 2, Nr 3, 1910

Greenbaum, Gieseler Dorian: Temperament, Astrology’s Forgotten Key, Bornemouth 2005
Nettesheim, Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa von: Three books on Occult Philosophy, London 1651

Essay on angels: http://www.feedback.nildram.co.uk/richardebbs/essays/angels.htm

Astrological gemstones: http://www.stars-and-stones.co.uk/ planets and gemstones

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Peter Stockinger is the residential astrologer of Deosil Dance Magazine.

He has studied Astrology in the German and English schools for 20 years and is a practicing Traditional Astrologer and an Astrological Magician.

You can contact Peter via Peter@stars-and-stones.co.uk or visit his website at www.stars-and-stones.co.uk