Ancient astro elections

In Asteria we talked about astrology being studied since ancient times. We also offered a brief history of how it evolved and changed over time, but only using broad strokes since the goal behind the book was to help people understand the importance of astrology in magical operations. Moreover, it guides people toward learning important astrological concepts and use them in spell planning, something that will increase the potency of those spells, if applied.

I also spoke of my experiments in regards to melothesia some two weeks ago. I've now come across a source that addresses this subject and, to my surprise, offers translations of early magical planning based on astrological observations. The book is called Melothesia in Babylonia, by Markham J. Geller. The section entitled "Uruk Astral Magic (BRM 4 20 and BRM 4 19)" offers translations of an Uruk text from the Hellenistic period which contains a series of spells and the "sections" of the zodiac best to be used for each particular spell.

Decan talisman - first decan of Pisces

I apologize for posting articles less often, but ever since last year my schedule has changed completely. Whereas before I was busy and yet my schedule allowed me to write something every few days, even if I wrote it in sections, now I barely have time to look up the chart to plan my own rituals let alone write about anything interesting I might come across. Even so, it's worth posting about this topic.

Saturn has entered Pisces very recently and it happens to rule the first decan of this sign. Even better, it will retrograde in this decan so people will have even more time to work with the decan itself. According to the Picatrix the first decan of Pisces "is a face of peace and humility, of weakness, of many journeys, of misery, of seeking wealth, and the lamenting of one’s manner of living". As you can see, talismans made with this decan can have quite a few purposes, some of which are not so pleasant. Thus, you can also make curse talismans. The image to be inscribed is that of "a man who has two bodies and is like he is going to salute with both hands".

Zodiacal elixirs

For quite a while now I've been using Scott's zodiacal elixirs ritual patterns as a base for my own experiments. But instead of waiting for the Sun to transit the zodiac sign I'm working with, I merely went ahead and made elixirs when the Moon was in those signs or even when the signs were on an angle. So far the results have been promising although more experimentation is needed.

We've discussed melothesia and its benefits in Asteria. It is the attribution of body parts to celestial objects, in this case zodiac signs, based on sympathy. The image above clearly depicts this attribution although this are a bit more complex. Not only the signs themselves are attributed to body parts, but their individual decans as well. This concept has been used in magical operations intent on healing for a long time, especially through talismans.

Aided Moon

The Moon is currently aided by Venus and Jupiter and will remain as such for the next few hours. Despite being peregrine, the Moon is now quite ok to work with for beneficial purposes.

You'll find more on astrological aid and its benefits in Asteria.

Simple self cleansing exercise

I've been doing this exercise for more than a few years now and it's proven very useful for me, as well as for others that have tried it (for long enough). It's not something I've invented, but something I've borrowed and adapted from others' works and experience. Come to think of it, I came across its core technique while watching Birch's videos some eight years ago. 

In time, I adapted that technique to encompass more willpower and visualization. Moreover, I focused on the intent behind the exercise and realized it can be changed depending on the goal one has in mind whenever performing it. 

However, keep in mind this exercise has its limitations and you should not expect to observe miraculous effects even after performing it for long with the same intent in mind, something I'm sure some people would do when it comes to healing. I'm not saying it's impossible to witness miracles while doing it, but that it's very much improbable.

Book review: The Sun of Knowledge

I had heard about The Sun of Knowledge as being one of the most used magical sources in the Arab world during the middle ages. I latter came across at least one talisman depicted within this book and found it interesting. This made me consider it as a possible acquisition and at some point it came into my possession through a series of fortunate coincidences.

As usual, I haven't read it cover to cover and instead read through it while focusing on the areas that attracted my attention the most. The table of contents was very helpful in that regard and I quickly came across the information I sought.

I like the fact the book focuses a great deal on the lunar mansions, to such an extent it offers more than a few astronomical details about each respective mansion. Luckily for us, we have technology on our side when it comes to astrological calculations, but I see how people would've benefited a great deal from those astronomical details up until modern times.

Saturn burning

Saturn is now combust and will continue to be for the next seventeen or eighteen days or so. I've already addressed combustion in more than a few articles by now so there's no need to tag any of them. We've also addressed combustion in Asteria. Thing is I'm posting this short article because I felt the need to remind people of this event just so they'd consider it in their practice (should they choose or care).

I for one would not be doing any beneficial Saturn work during this time frame and only resort to smiting. By extension, I wouldn't be making any Saturn talisman for purposes other than ruin and destruction and so on.