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Astrological Chart of the Week
Christopher Warnock, Esq.
Astrological Chart of the Week
For the Week of August 20-27, 2001
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Chart of the Week Archive
Week of August 13-19, 2001:
Picatrix Talisman:
Mercury in 1st Face of Virgo
The Mansions of the Moon
Astrology, Magical Talismans &
Mansions of the Moon in Picatrix
Listing of the Mansions of the
Moon in Picatrix
Electional Astrology
Magical Elections
Astrological Talisman
Introduction to Talismans
Astrological Magic
Introduction to
Astrological Magic
Information on Picatrix
from Twilight Grotto
Web Site Search
Web Site Search
Renaissance Depiction of Friendship
An Astrological Election of the Fifteenth Mansion of the Moon for Friendship from Picatrix

Ceremony was but devis’d at first
To set a gloss on faint deeds, hollow welcomes,
Recanting goodness, sorry ere ’tis shown;
But where there is true friendship, there needs none.
Timon of Athens
Act I, Scene II
William Shakespeare


The occult philosophers and mages of the Renaissance, heirs to the Neoplatonic/Hermetic worldview, saw the entire Cosmos as a great web of sympathy and correspondence. Cornelius Agrippa writes that,
...all things have a friendliness, and enmity among themselves, and everything hath something it fears and dreads, that is an enemy and destructive to it; and on the contrary something it rejoiceth, and delighteth in, and is strengthened by. So in the elements, Fire is an enemy to Water, and Air to Earth, but yet they agree among themselves."
Three Books of Occult Philosophy Bk. I, Chapter 17 (Tyson ed.) page 52.
This key attribute of friendship is the basis for this week's election. The medieval Italian astrologer Guido Bonatti says that the eleventh house is the house of friends. Liber Astronomiae Tractate I, Chapter 44 (Spica ed.) page 74. The Key of Solomon, a Renaissance book of magic or grimoire, says that the planetary days and hours of Jupiter are for "...contracting friendship..." Key of Solomon the King Bk. I, Chapter Two (Mathers trans.) page 12.
Medieval King
This week's talisman comes from David Pingree's Latin version of Picatrix, an encyclopedic work of medieval Arabic astrology and magic,
The fifteenth Mansion [of the Moon] is Algafra, and it is for the acquisition of friendship and all good things that may be desired. When the Moon has passed into this Mansion, fashion from enque (?) the figure of a seated man, holding scrolls in his hand as if they had been collected together . Cense it with frankincense and nutmeg and say: You, Achalich, do such and such for me, and make things comply with my wishes. You may ask him for the joining together of friends and lovers, and any thing which pertains to them, and this image should then be carried with you. And know that Achalich is the name of the lord of this Mansion.
Picatrix Book IV, Chapter 9 (translation by Robert Thomas).
For more information on Picatrix, see Picatrix at Twilight Grotto. Two more selections from Picatrix, untranslated elsewhere and dealing with the magical uses of the lunar mansions can be found at Astrology, Magical Talismans & Mansions of the Moon in Picatrix and Listing of the Mansions of the Moon in Picatrix.
The election also uses the Mansions of the Moon, a 28 fold division of the monthly orbit of the Moon. Here is more information on the Mansions of the Moon. The tenth century Arabic astrologer Al-Biruni gives the name of the fifteenth mansion as Al-Ghafr "the Covering" which corresponds to the name given in our Picatrix election. Book of Instructions Section 164 (Wright trans.) page 83.
Originally the lunar mansions were sidereal, that is their boundaries were measured against the fixed stars. Vivian Robson, following Al-Biruni's instructions, gives the indicator stars for the fifteenth mansion as Iota Virginis, known as Syrma, whose position for 2000 3 Scorpio 38, and Kappa Virginis, whose position for 2000 is 4 Scorpio 30. The Fixed Stars and Constellations in Astrology (Sun Books 1995) page 72. The next mansion, precessed for 2000 begins at 15 degrees of Scorpio, so the current boundaries for the Mansion Al-Ghafr extend from 4 to 15 Scorpio.
A much later version of this election is found in A Treatise on Angel Magic circa 1700, "In the Fifteenth Mansion, for gaining friendship and good will, they made the Image of a man in a seal sitting and reading letters and fumigated it with Frankincense and Nutmeg." A Treatise on Angel Magic (Phanes Press, 1990) page 132.
Chart produced by Solar Fire 5

The time chosen for the election is August 23, 2001 at 3:22 pm EDT in Washington, D.C. 38 N 55, 77 W 03. At this time the Moon is at 5 degrees of Scorpio. Thus at our elected date and time the Moon is in her fifteenth Mansion.
In addition, the Moon is in the 11th house of friendship and it is the planetary hour and day of Jupiter. Finally, though we don't like seeing the Moon in Scorpio, it is necessary for this election and she is applying to a trine of Jupiter, ruler of the 1st house and the Greater Fortune, in his exaltation. We note also that Mars, ruler of the 11th, is in the 1st house.
Here is further information on Astrological Talismans and Astrological Magic. If you wish to delve even deeper into this fascinating area I offer an Astrological Magic Web Course.




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Specializing in Horary Astrology, Electional Astrology Astrological Magic and Astrological Talismans.

Copyright 2001 Christopher Warnock, All Rights Reserved.