Part 5

The Divine Cosmos

Understanding the Macrocosm

Life is enjoyable: Once we have become aware of the roots of this Theurgic tradition—know that our body and our physical life should be enjoyable, understand how the rituals must be used, and feel the divine presence all around us—we are ready to unveil the cosmic order.

Structure of the cosmos: The first step that is unveiled in this part is the simple structure of the cosmos. This is the first structure you have to use in your Theurgic journey. There are no complicated or unrealistic notions here. The pre-Christian Theurgists always used those elements that are well-known to everyone who practices Theurgy: four elements, seven divine spheres, the Aether, and twelve divine powers.

The Occult Structure of the Cosmos

The Theurgic tradition teaches that systems such as the Qabalah, Enochian magic, the Tarot, etc. are representations, structures, or maps of an invisible reality. They do not represent the truth per se. It is for this reason that Theurgists who have been initiated into this tradition used and still use such systems only as magical tools. They never forget that the theological doctrine associated with such systems did not originate with them. Powerful energies exist in the cosmos. Theurgists believe it is possible to draw on and utilize these powers with the use of signs and sacred words. It might be surprising to hear some Hebrew Qabalists saying that the modern and Magical Qabalah are not a true expression of their tradition. Some even state that a modern magical use of Qabalah has no substance and that it is an empty body. As a matter of fact, this is totally true. Magicians, Theurgists, and Esotericists use Qabalah for their own purposes. So it is essential to remember that when we use Qabalah as Hermetists and Theurgists, that doesn’t mean we have any obligation to accept the principles of this system as the absolute and definitive truth. The Neoplatonic School has never manifested a desire to be part of the Hebrew or Christian theological doctrine. A Theurgist neither rejects nor accepts these parts of the Western tradition. As long as believers do not try to convert anyone and they remain tolerant, all is well.

The Qabalistic philosophy is not the same as the Neoplatonic system, but it is always possible to take what is good, interesting, and helpful from these traditions without being obliged to blindly accept their dogmas. It is interesting to know that a spiritual tradition such as Qabalah can generate dogmatism and “fossilization of the mind” in its believers. When I wrote a book about the French tradition called “Martinism,” 32 I began to realize the harmful effects of a dogmatic Qabalah. I met several sincere initiates who were in real pain, performing daily rituals rooted in the “Psalms,” which were excerpted from the Bible. Their whole vision of the world was based on pain, reconciliation with their divine father, and the fight between good and evil. They were taking a dangerous religious philosophy as absolute truth and this acceptance had deep consequences for their whole lives. Their feelings during their rituals were always of cold, invisible presences. The power was there, but there were also so many problems in their lives.

Many times I have seen the auras of such practitioners and their auric colors were always darkened by these invisible beings, which were building a real screen between their soul and the upper light. Of course, there is a “relatively safe” way to use the Qabalistic tools in a luminous way. This is what we were taught in the Aurum Solis in the books published in the past. The main principle for using the Qabalistic tools in a luminous way is to be aware of the egregores involved. There is a way to use a knife without hurting ourselves, and there is also a way to use these tools without creating an invisible barrier around us. In this case, the positive effect on our aura will be tremendous!

It is now time to explain the way Hermetists understood the cosmos.

Astrology has been well-known for thousands of years. This ancient science, often despised in modern times, still remains a primary reference tool all around the world. There are many controversies about using it as a tool for prediction, but the ancient Western societies didn’t use astrology in only one way. As we can see today in India, astrology is used to choose the right moment to be married, to begin a new work, to be elected as an official, etc. Some of these uses remain active in the initiatic world, but eventually they were condemned and eradicated by the monotheistic religions. Modern science generally rejects the affirmation that planets can have a physical effect on us. Of course, it is obvious that the nearest celestial bodies have an influence on earth and consequently on us. The Moon and the Sun are good examples of powerful effects we can feel and see all around us. Despite the fact that a physical influence of Mars or Saturn on our physical body has not yet been detected or proven by scientists, that does not mean that such energy doesn’t exist. By using mythology, symbolism, and Theurgy as a basis, modern psychologists have elaborated different theories that associate the deep structures of our unconscious to universal archetypes. In order to understand this interesting theory, let us visualize these relationships.

From the modern perspective we are composed of two main parts: a conscious and an unconscious mind. We can compare our unconscious to an inner world full of memories, symbols, powers, desires, etc. The ancient representation of the ocean from which we all originated and filled with things we cannot see offers us an interesting image of the mind and its layers. I love cooking and, as you will see, the process used in cooking can help us understand these difficult notions. It is always interesting to visualize the preparation of a pancake as a means of understanding our unconscious. Imagine we want to make pancakes, but instead of progressively adding the water to the flour, we accidentally add the water too fast without stirring these ingredients properly. The preparation will not be homogeneous and lumps will appear. The dough can be compared to our unconscious and these lumps to what we might call “archetypes”; so we see that lumps are not always bad. One aspect of this representation must be considered. When we cook we need to use a sound receptacle that has no holes in it, but this is not the case for our inner being. Instead, we may think of our unconscious as open to, and in a constant contact with the universal unconscious. It also contains universal archetypes, as well as the universal principles of everything we can see or imagine around us. The archetypes inside us are the images of other similar and universal archetypes. This similarity provides a kind of relationship between them, and underlines the existence of a real link. We are also in contact with the unconsciousness of other people but indirectly, by the use of certain universal principles.

Once you understand this organization, you will easily understand how astrology can be associated with this notion of archetypes. If everything visible in the cosmos possesses an invisible counterpart that is connected to a specific power, we can easily understand that Mars (for example) is the visible aspect of a particular archetype. It is not necessary to look for the potential existence of this kind of martial energy on the visible level. Since all the cosmic and inner archetypes are connected, any possible planetary influences may have an echo that can directly affect our unconscious. This martial character emerges as a wave or a tide from the deepest level of our inner self. Sometime in the future, science may discover a physical influence, but we do not have to wait for that discovery to understand and utilize this system right now.

Do not forget that even if I explain astrology by using this model of inner communication, that doesn’t mean we should eliminate the divine powers and divinities that are present in Theurgic work. A Theurgist never uses these concepts as a passive form of understanding. They are always utilized and understood to be part of a rich system we can use in our rituals to enable us to ascend to the Divine. You must understand that astrology can be used to obtain very useful and effective results in our being and daily life. This knowledge and understanding has been kept alive by the Hermetic tradition from ancient to modern times.

The use of the astrological magick as developed during the Renaissance by Marsilio Ficino was rooted in the tradition of “signatures.” This concept uses a set of invisible relationships between different elements of the cosmos. Let us take solar power as an example. Someone eager to increase his energy, self-confidence, health, etc., would naturally use the power of the sun. In order to do that, we must attract and hold this power in our aura. Different elements around us can be used for exactly that purpose. Ancient initiates drew many charts that will enable us to attract and hold any kind of energy. In this example, we might choose something that has the color gold, such as yellow plants, specific resins, oils, perfumes, liquors, sounds, days, etc. All these elements are related to the sun and will be organized in a coherent sequence of ritual practices. This Theurgic way of using astrology and signatures comes from the famous affirmation of the “Emerald Tablet” attributed to Hermes: “True, without falsehood, certain, most certain. What is above is like what is below, and what is below is like that which is above. To make the miracle of the one thing.” 33

At the time of the Florentine Academia Platonica headed by Marsilio Ficino, the members used this law of universal relations to organize powerful symbols in their rituals, enabling them to ascend to the Divine. It was a real continuation of the Theurgic tradition defined by Iamblichus. They tried to balance and harmonize their lives by using these principles and ritual practices, and they often succeeded. Happiness is really possible in this life when we harmonize our inner being with the upper levels of consciousness we can reach using rituals and worship. As I explained previously, there is a real communication between our inner cosmos and the cosmos that surround us. The balance between these inner stars and powers will give us health, success, serenity, and peace. Of course it is easy to see that this happiness of the soul and the health of the body are not always fully manifested. A loss of balance, anxiety, and sorrows are more often present in our life than the more desired states. These states of our inner being (and their regulation) are related to the order of the whole cosmos. Therefore, astrology becomes a way by which we can come to understand the powers that comprise our personality. Theurgy, which was also called “Celestial Magick,” allows us to take action instead of remaining passive so that we can recreate the harmony we have lost during this current life or in our previous existences.

The Cosmological Basis of Theurgy

The fundamental concept of these ancient traditions is a representation of the cosmos, which has been the foundation of the Western world. From its beginnings in Sumer and Egypt, astrology was structured according to a system of four elements, seven planets, the Aether (sometimes fifth element), and the zodiac.

As I already stated, these archetypal powers are simultaneously inside and outside of us. It is worth noting that most of the time the astrology we know doesn’t offer us any keys as to how to be active instead of passive. After presenting our cosmological situation, no solution is proposed. When I began to work in the Theurgic tradition, I was immediately disappointed with this lack of information describing how to manage the conclusions of astrologers. I felt as if I had gone to a doctor who gave me a diagnosis, without offering me any prescription. I realized later that Theurgy is the prescription and I clearly understood that there was room for action.

Figure 21: From its beginnings in Sumer and Egypt, this system was structured according to a system of four elements, seven planets, the Aether (sometimes fifth element), and the zodiac crowned by the Mysterious Ogdoad.

If we want to be able to do something, we must take action and consider the Theurgic options that will enable us to really work with these powers. We have to create a contact inwardly and outwardly with them in order for the divine powers to hear us. Of course we can learn about the theoretical and symbolic concepts of the planets. Without this connection, we may be able to understand and perhaps feel the martian, venusian, or saturnian character, but this is not enough to enable us to take action. The goal of the Hermetist is more ambitious. One of the goals is to feel the essence of the divine power inwardly and to create a strong and effective link to it. This connection will be established progressively, step by step. In this way we will discover the characteristics of these specific energies, these divinities, and we will be able to work more effectively on ourselves. For the founders of this tradition, this set of elements, planets, and astrological signs is the manifestation of an order we can immediately see if we raise our eyes to the heavens. When we consider the physical level, we adopt a geocentric point of view. We are looking at the visible level for the purpose of developing a cosmological and mythic consideration of the cosmos.

We are really at the center of the cosmos. Our consciousness is the foundation and the positional reference point from which we see the world that surrounds us. The place where we are standing in this world defines the way we see, feel, and understand the cosmos. If we work to understand that in the same way the Theurgists always did, we will discover that we are at the center of the six primary directions of space (East-West-North-South-Zenith-Nadir). It seems obvious to everyone that what is material and visible is under our feet, and what is invisible and aerial is above us. The planets and the stars are logically associated with a higher state of being. This observation also explains that planets are perceived in sequential order from our reference point here on earth according to their motion. These full cycles (orbits with respect to the stars) are well-known by ancient astronomers, and you will find their values in the following table. We see the planets moving as if they were in front of a fixed starry sky, which was originally, symbolically conceived of as an eighth sphere, a sphere of fixed stars that resides above the seven planets and the Aether.

Planet	Sidereal Cycle
Moon	29.5 days
Mercury	88 days
Venus	224.7 days
Sun	365.25 days
Mars	687.1 days
Jupiter	12 years
Saturn	29.5 years

Figure 22: The planets and their sidereal cycles.

To understand what is above this eighth sphere is a complex problem. The answers of the Hermetists varied, depending on who was writing the article. Some of the Hermetists talked about the Nous and Nous Pater. For Christian Qabalists such as Dante, this sky was crowned with a celestial rose composed of nine angelic choirs surrounding God itself. What you might want to consider is that what is beyond this celestial veil is yet another reality. I agree with the Theurgists, that this matter can only be decided by those who have really risen through the seven skies. An explanation of the essential nature of these spheres is easier to obtain, because they were clearly associated with the divinities everyone is familiar with: Moon-Selene, Mercury-Hermes, Venus-Aphrodite, Sun-Helios, Mars-Ares, Jupiter-Zeus, and Saturn-Kronos. Of course, in this list I am using the names from the Greek and Roman worlds, but we can easily find Sumerian or Egyptian divinities that have the same characteristics. Hermetists have always been eclectic in their work and approach. This mental attitude defines their consistent approach toward all other religions and philosophies. They maintained a strong commitment to ensure a deep moral tolerance and respect for the beliefs of others.

The Four Elements

Throughout the sixth and fifth centuries BCE, Greek philosophers began to investigate the structure of matter and the nature of life forms. Pythagoras believed that the world was the result of an admixture or combination of the four original elements: Earth ( —solid state), Fire ( —imponderable substance), Air ( —gaseous state), Water ( —liquid state). The Aether was associated sometimes as a fifth element, sometimes as a principle of animation, which is placed between the planets and the starry sky.

The importance of the Pythagorean Tetractys is well-known. The quaternary structure organized into four lines using a total of ten dots is one of the central sacred symbols used by the initiates of Pythagoras school. It is interesting to note that the oath was pronounced in front of this representation, as the initiate said: “I swear by whomever revealed to your soul the Tetractys (meaning the representation of the number ten, using four series of dots to represent the numbers 1–4), which has in it the source and the root of the eternal nature.” A text from Philolaus the Pythagorean reveals this organization into four elements very clearly: “There are five bodies in the sphere: Fire, Water, Earth, Air, and the circle of the sphere, which constitutes the fifth.” It is well-known that the pentagram or pentalpha was a sign of recognition secretly used by Pythagoreans. It is easy to combine these symbolic representations to understand how the pentagram used in the Theurgic rituals came to be associated with the five principles I just mentioned. I will speak more precisely about this topic later in this book.

Figure 23: The quaternary structure known as the Divine Tetractys.

Figure 24: The five Platonic solids.

Greek philosopher Empedocles agreed with this theory, saying that all animals’ bodies are the result of a mixture of these four elements.

Figure 25: A copy of a Gallo-Roman artifact representing one of the Platonic solids.

We can find geometrical representations as early as the Neolithic period. Plato used this ancient idea and associated geometric volumes with the four elements. Earth was associated with the cube (Timaeus, 55d), Air with the octahedron, Water with the icosahedron, and Fire with the tetrahedron. Plato linked the dodecahedron with the All, the universe (Phaedo, 110b; Timaeus, 55c), because for him it was the representation of volume that most closely approximated the sphere. In another part of the Timaeus, Plato presents four levels in nature: the Gods and the celestial order (Fire), winged animals (Air), terrestrial animals (Earth), aquatic animals (Water). Aristotle added a fifth element, Aether, which was considered to be that part of the air that is purest. He claimed that the skies were composed of this element, but he did not associate this element with the fifth solid of Plato.

Figure 26: The pentagram, the elements, and the Aether.

In the Corpus Hermeticum we will find a very interesting text34 that is related to the five elements and alchemy:

Isis said to his son Horus:

All things in this world are shaped by words and actions; the source of everything is in the ideal world, which emanates to us, through the principles of order and measure, all of manifest reality. Everything in existence came from above, and everything in existence will rise to go down once again.

From this movement, the holiest nature places in the living being the following clear sign: the breath we take in from above, we take in from the air, then we send it back to what is above, and draw another breath in again. To accomplish this, we have a pair of bellows: when we have closed our mouths, which we used to receive the breath of air, then we are no longer in this domain. We have returned to what is above us. We have other abilities that derive from a specific dosage of these elements in a corporeal mixture.

Each human body is comprised of these four elements, from which a condensation is exhaled which surrounds the soul, and then spreads throughout the body, yielding something specific for that person. This is the way psychic and corporeal modifications occur.

If there is overmuch of the element of fire in the structure of the body, then the soul, which is naturally hot, and which became even more ferociously hot as a result of the increase of heat it received, is manifested in the living being by them developing an enthusiastic nature with a strong and ardent body.

If there is overmuch of the element of air, the living being becomes lightweight and more unbalanced in his body and soul.

If there is overmuch of the element of water, then the soul of the living being vacillates, and is always ready to increase and enlarge its presence into the surrounding area. Water has the capacity for uniting with other elements; therefore these living beings will tend to develop relationships with others. When water spreads out all around in large quantity, it dissolves everything, absorbing all these things into itself and becoming what it absorbed. Due to the water they contain, it is quite impossible for the body to keep its inner agglomeration. Consequently, when disease appears, it dissolves and loses its inner principle of cohesion.

If there is overmuch of earth, then the soul of the living being becomes rigid, because, as the organs of perception thicken, the pores are not large enough for it to get out so it stays inside the body, isolated by itself, hindered by the weight and the density of the mass of the body. The body is firm but inert and heavy. It moves unwillingly under the impulse of the will.

Eventually, if all the elements in the body are well-balanced, then the living being has enough heat for action, light for movement, a temperate condition in the joints, and adequate firmness in their cohesiveness.

May the whole nature of the world hear now, because these are the words of the one who has mixed fire, air, water, earth with order and moderation and who stands at the heart of the power of the breath and Aether.

“Powers that are within me, sing in concert with my Will!

“Blessed Gnosis, by thee illumined, with your assistance I can celebrate the Light of the Divine, and rejoice in Joy of Mind.

“Ye, all Powers, sing the hymn with me!”

The following quaternary division was developed extensively by Agrippa in his book about Celestial Magick. Occultists have often used the following correspondences:

• The four letters of the name of the Hebrews’ God, called the Tetragrammaton: Yod, He, Vav, He.

• The four humors of human beings: blood, phlegm, red bile, and melancholy.

• The four parts of the year.

• The four quarters of the moon.

• The four winds (name in Greek/name in Latin): Eurus/Vulturnus (East wind), Zephyrus/Favonius (West wind), Notus/Auster (South wind), Boreas/Aquilo (North wind).

• The four rivers of heaven.

• The four terms of mathematics: dot, line, surface, and volume.

• The four terms of nature: substance, quality, quantity, and movement.

• The four terms of physics: the power of germination, natural growth, the ability to change shape, and specialization.

• The four terms of metaphysics: being, essence, potentiality, and action.

• The four moral virtues of philosophers: wisdom, equity, bravery, and temperance.

• Etc.

The occultists in the nineteenth century, such as Eliphas Levi, explained the four elements in the following way: “the subtle and the thick, the fast and the slow solvent, hot and cold things; in occult physics constitute the two positive and negative principles of the quaternary. Air and earth are the male principles; fire and water are the female principles, because the philosophical cross of the pentacles is an original hieroglyph of the lingam of the gymnosophists.

“These four simple forms are associated with the four following philosophical ideas: spirit, matter, movement, and rest.”

To summarize what I have just explained, all the traditional representations (Hermetic, astrological, alchemical, etc.) indicate that the symbol of this hierarchy is the pentagram: the set of the four traditional elements (Earth, Water, Air, and Fire) plus the Aether, which is above them.

In the ancient mythological texts several divinities were associated with the elements. The Ogdoadic tradition of the Aurum Solis, following the classical symbolism of the Renaissance, associated the elements with the figures of Ouranos, Gaia, Pontus, Eros, and Aether. You will find more about these divine powers in my book The Divine Arcana of the Aurum Solis Tarot (Llewellyn Publications).

The following table presents the main correspondences you should use in your rituals.

Elements	Earth	Water	Air	Fire	Aether (Universe for Plato)
Symbols
Platonic solids	Cube	Icosahedron	Octahedron	Tetrahedron	Dodecahedron
Description of the Platonic solids	It is composed of 6 sides, which are squares. It has 8 points and 12 edges. It has 3 edges joined at each point.	It is composed of 20 sides, which are equilateral triangles. It has 12 points and 30 edges. It has 5 edges joined at each point.	It is composed of 8 sides, which are equilateral triangles. It has 6 points and 12 edges. It has 4 edges joined at each point.	It is composed of 4 sides, which are equilateral triangles. It has 4 points and 6 edges. It has 3 edges joined at each point.	It is composed of 12 sides, which are regular pentagons. It has 20 points and 30 edges. It has 3 edges joined at each point.
Divinities	Gaia	Pontus	Ouranos	Eros	Aether
Greek letters	Gamma	Delta	Rho	Pi	Theta
Hebrew letters	No Hebrew Letter*	Mem	Aleph	Shin	No Hebrew Letter
* The Hebrew alphabet has only twenty-two letters. This is different than the Greek alphabet with twenty-four letters. Consequently, in Hebrew Qabalah there is no letter for the elements Earth and Aether. To learn more about this surprising lack of these elements in the Hebrew Qabalah, you can read my article “Did You Miss Something? Qabalah Versus Hermeticism” on the Llewellyn website at: http://www.llewellyn.com/journal/article/2230

The Seven Divine Spheres

It is always essential in the Hermetic and Pagan tradition to maintain a relationship with the cosmos, while never forgetting our body. Astrology was built up according to this principle. Following this logic, we can easily reenact what the ancient priests and initiates of Chaldea and Egypt did when they constructed astrology. They went out, considered the four axes and the eight directions, and then looked up to contemplate the divine realm of Gods and Goddesses. From our perspective on earth, we can easily see that there are a few celestial bodies (planets 35) moving with respect to the stars, which are called fixed. We can categorize these special stars, just as the ancients did. It is difficult to know precisely if they considered these celestial lights to be real planets or divinities. We have to remember that, for the ancients, the cosmos was full of Gods, and celestial phenomena were never separated from these divine presences. We will find seven such stars; if we try to order them according to their brightness and relative velocity we will find what is called the Chaldaean sequence. This is a scale you will be able to use in your Theurgic rituals to undertake the way of the return to the divine. The table below shows these correspondences.

Planets	Divinities	Greek Letters	Hebrew Letters
Saturn	Kronos	Omega	Resh
Jupiter	Zeus	Upsilon	Tav
Mars	Ares	Omicron	Gimel
Sun	Helios	Iota	Dalet
Venus	Aphrodite	Eta	Kaf
Mercury	Hermes	Epsilon	Pe
Moon	Selene	Alpha	Beth

Among those divinities associated with the planets, some of them have been closely associated with the Theurgic tradition. Of course this is also true for Hermes as well as Hekate, one of the Goddesses of the Moon. Plato associates Aphrodite with the desire of the initiate. For this reason, I will now highlight some of the main aspects of the divinities lives and symbols.

The Twelve Divine Powers

The Divinities and the Calendar

The idea of a group of twelve divine powers is very old and goes back to the earliest period of Western mythology. It is not my intention to change this book into a book about astrology; rather, I wish to give you some insight into this traditional representation of the cosmos.

The Greek astronomer Cleostratus of Tenedos (ca. 520 BCE to 432 BCE) is believed to be the first person to organize the signs of the zodiac into the sequence we recognize today. I am always amazed to see that such symbolic representations have been in use from ancient to modern times. The only explanation I can think of for this phenomenon is that these perfectly symbolic numbers and structures resonate deeply with the human unconscious. Mythologists used the symbolic number twelve on several occasions and you can easily do a search and find that there are twelve Olympic divinities in the Greek pantheon. This pantheon was represented in various ancient monuments and artifacts. The traditional list can be found in the following table, along with their Roman names.

DIVINITIES
GREEK NAMES	ROMAN NAMES
Zeus	Jupiter
Hera	Juno
Poseidon	Neptune
Demeter	Ceres
Dionysus	Bacchus
Apollo	Apollo
Artemis	Diana
Hermes	Mercury
Athena	Minerva
Ares	Mars
Aphrodite	Venus
Hephaestus	Vulcan

The Roman calendar was established during the first century and is clearly inspired by the Olympians.

ROMAN CALENDAR
MONTHS IN LATIN	MONTHS IN ENGLISH	DIVINITIES
Ianuarius	January	Juno
Februarius	February	Neptune
Martius	March	Minerva
Aprilis	April	Venus
Maius	May	Apollo
Iunius	June	Mercury
Iulius	July	Jupiter
Augustus	August	Ceres
Septembris	September	Vulcan
Octobris	October	Mars
Novembris	November	Diana
Decembris	December	Vesta

As we can see, there is a correspondence between the months of the year and specific divinities. It is important to say immediately that all the authors of the past have not always used the same attributions. It is good to keep that in mind. Different monuments and even manuscripts were preserved. These allowed us to reconstruct the calendar provided above. There is no reference to the astrological signs. As matter of fact, at this time these divinities were very much associated with the month, rather than the zodiacal signs. Remember that the Hermetic tradition was born in Egypt. It is likely that this country received the influence of Mesopotamia regarding this religious subject and used it to develop its own system. The first real zodiacal reference is found in a Ptolemaic temple in Denderah (first century BCE).

The Roman astrologer Manilius, in his astrological text “Astronomica,” which was written between 30 BCE and 37 CE, highlights the relationship between the signs and the divinities. There are some differences between these attributions and what are called the “Rustic Calendars.”36 It is important to consider the explanation given by Manilius. Instead of being a simple civil calendar that is associated with the twelve months of the year, the result of his work graphs the religious, symbolic, and magical relationships among these twelve signs.

ACCORDING TO THE ASTROLOGER MANILIUS
MONTHS IN ENGLISH	SIGNS	DIVINITIES
March	Aries	Minerva
April	Taurus	Venus
May	Gemini	Apollo
June	Cancer	Mercury
July	Leo	Jupiter
August	Virgo	Ceres
September	Libra	Vulcan
October	Scorpio	Mars
November	Sagittarius	Diana
December	Capricorn	Vesta
January	Aquarius	Juno
February	Pisces	Neptune

These correspondences are strengthened by the finding of various artifacts, and I discussed of some of these in The Divine Arcana of the Aurum Solis. Maybe the most obvious and well-preserved of these artifacts can be seen in the Louvre Museum in France. This artifact is the top of an altar found in Gabii, and was sculpted during the first century CE. Surprisingly, this artifact, which is so important to the history of astrology and Theurgy, is currently seated on the ledge of a blind corner, and it is very difficult to find37. These artifacts are important as a witness to, and an archaeological confirmation of these astrological writings.

In my work about the Aurum Solis Tarot I also underlined the relationship between the letters of the Greek and Hebrew alphabet, and the astrological signs. Obviously the astrologers and Theurgists of the Ogdoadic tradition used this precise and clear system from its inception right up to modern times. This venerable pattern provides us with a precious guideline that is congruent with the Neoplatonic and Hermetic philosophies. It was also true during the Renaissance and the so-called rebirth of Hermetic magick.

I use the Greek names of the divinities in the table on the next page and offer their associations for your information with the Alchemical steps of the Great Work.

Classic Astrological Attributions of the Signs

It has been well-known for centuries that parts of our body and different aspects of our character are associated with the astrological signs. Here are the main attributions that are generally accepted by modern astrologers. These associations will be useful in some of your ritual exercises.

Figure 27: Astrological signs on one of the traditional representations of a zodiacal chart.

Signs	Aries	Taurus	Gemini	Cancer	Leo	Virgo
Divinities	Athena	Aphrodite	Apollo	Hermes	Zeus	Demeter
Alchemical steps of the Great Work	Calcination (putrefaction, black matter)	Freezing (clotting)	Fixing (firing of the purified matter)	Dissolution (reduction of matter to its primitive form)	Digestion (preparation for distillation)	Distillation (circulation of the matter called “Rebis”)
Greek letters	Beta	Zeta	Kappa	Lambda	Mu	Nu
Hebrew letters	He	Vav	Zayin	Het	Tet	Yod
Signs	Libra	Scorpio	Sagittarius	Capricorn	Aquarius	Pisces
Divinities	Hephaestus	Ares	Artemis	Hestia	Hera	Poseidon
Alchemical steps of the Great Work	Sublimation (purification of matter)	Separation (dissolution of matter by the use of its solvent)	Burning (preparation for multiplication)	Fermentation (separation of sulphur and salt)	Multiplication (repetition of all the steps, resulting in glorified matter)	Projection (transmutation)
Greek letters	Xi	Sigma	Tau	Phi	Khi	Psi
Hebrew Letters	Lamed	Nun	Samekh	Ayin	Tsadi	Qof

Aries

Nature: Cardinal, male, angry, passionate, irritable, energetic, and vital.

Bodily structure: In the physical body, Aries governs the skull and facial bones.

Other organs: Aries governs the brain and cervical nerve centers. It governs the head, face, nose, ears, eyes, and mouth (in astrologically detailed anatomy, different parts of the head are governed by different planets).

Taurus

Nature: Fixed, female, stubborn, tends to gluttony, healthy but easily depressed by disease.

Bodily structure: In the physical body, Taurus governs the cervical vertebrae, the occipital region, and tendons and muscles of the neck.

Other organs: Taurus governs the cerebellum, pharynx and esophagus, carotid artery, jugular vein, salivary glands, larynx, vocal cords, and trachea. It governs the lower jaw, chin, neck, and throat. This sign has a close relationship with the generative organs.

Gemini

Nature: Mutable, male, irritable.

Bodily structure: In the physical body, Gemini governs the clavicles, scapulae, humerus, and arm bones in general (although a more detailed subdivision assigns the elbows to Cancer, the forearms to Leo, and the hands and fingers to Virgo).

Other organs: Gemini governs the organs of respiration, the lower part of the trachea, bronchi, bronchioles, the thorax, and upper lung. (In general, the whole lung is under the dominion of Gemini, but in a more detailed classification, pleura, and lower lobes of the lungs are associated with Cancer.) Gemini governs the shoulders, chest, and arms.

Cancer

Nature: Cardinal, female, cold, wet, sensitive, receptive, passive, strong but apparently weak.

Bodily structure: In the physical body, Cancer governs the chest, ribs, and sternum.

Other organs: Cancer regulates the mammary glands, body fluids in general, blood serum, stomach, bladder, and the matrix; it governs the chest and epigastric region.

Leo

Nature: Fixed, male, hot, electric, dry, active, constructive, and vital.

Bodily structure: In the physical body, Leo governs the spine, especially the thoracic vertebrae.

Other organs: Leo governs the heart and circulation in the arteries and liver (this organ is more governed by Jupiter than the sun, but its zodiacal sign is Leo). Bile is under the dominion of Leo and Scorpio; it governs the back and the heart region.

Virgo

Nature: Mutable, female, cold, dry, melancholy, irritable, exuberant.

Bodily structure: In the physical body, Virgo rules the lower thoracic vertebrae, but more accurately the large muscle conformation that forms the peritoneum, or the cavity that contains the intestinal organs.

Other organs: Virgo’s domain includes the intestine, pylorus, duodenum, jejunum, colon, mesenteric section, spleen, large intestine, the abdominal area, and stomach.

Libra

Nature: Cardinal, male, hot, humid, without much resistance, lethargic.

Bodily structure: In the physical body, Libra governs the lumbar vertebrae.

Other organs: Libra governs the kidneys, especially the upper and the cortical and medullary surfaces, including the work of distillation and filtration of urine but not its elimination. The renal papilla and the renal plexus are also under the dominion of Libra; the ovaries and testes are partly under this sign, in the sense of the accumulation of vital force but not its distribution.

Libra governs the lumbar region, groin, lower trunk, back around the lumbar spine, buttocks, and the area around the anus.

Scorpio

Nature: Fixed, female, hot-cold, irregular, passionate, ardent. This is the sign of life and death.

Bodily structure: In the physical body, Scorpio governs the pelvic bones.

Other organs: Scorpio governs the lower part of kidneys, eliminating urine from the kidneys and the bladder, urethra, ureter, elimination of fecal matter, rectum, anus, and the genitourinary system of both men and women. Strong influence on the glandular system; Scorpio governs the iliac and inguinal regions.

Sagittarius

Nature: Mutable, male, hot, dry, angry, fast, adventurous, honest, undisciplined but willing to listen to good advice; having a healing power because of a strong will and optimism.

Bodily structure: In the physical body, Sagittarius governs the sacrum, coccyx, and pelvis, the hip bones and the hip joints, including the muscles of locomotion and the muscular system in general.

Other organs: Sagittarius governs the iliac arteries and veins, and the sciatic nerve; it has an influence on the nervous system in general and the liver, due to the influence of Jupiter. Sagittarius governs the hips and thighs.

Capricorn

Nature: Cardinal, female, cold, anxious, and enduring.

Bodily structure: In the physical body, Capricorn directly regulates the legs and knees. The bones of the body are governed by this sign, as well as the joints, but joint movement belongs to Saturn.

Other organs: Capricorn does not have a large scope of governance, except for the bones and periosteum; it governs the entire system of the skin, hair, and teeth.

Aquarius

Nature: Fixed, male, hot, humid, strong, rational, active with good vitality.

Bodily structure: In the physical body, Aquarius governs the leg bones, especially the tibia and fibula, and talus bones of the ankles.

Other organs: Aquarius particularly governs blood and the circulatory system, as well as breathing, because it is related to the oxygenation of blood; this sign governs the calves, legs, and ankles.

Pisces

Nature: Mutable, female, cold, wet, lymphatic, helpful, sensitive, compassionate, generous, dependent, with low spiritual vitality.

Bodily structure: In the physical body, Pisces governs the feet, and directly affects these bones: the tarsus, metatarsus, and phalanges.

Other organs: Pisces particularly governs the lymphatic system, the glandular system, and the synovial fluids; their influence on health is very strong, but is almost always badly aspected.

Pisces governs the feet and toes. The influence of this sign is externally visible throughout the tissues.

Exercise Five—The Celestial Ladder

In the previous part of the book I described the simple structure of the cosmos we use in the Theurgic system. It is interesting and important to use the divine powers to connect your inner centers of energy to each level of energy of this Celestial Ladder.

In the Theurgic Qabalistic system, the Aurum Solis calls this exercise the “Rousing of the Citadels,” which works with the six archetypal centers of energy. As I already explained, this logic is also true in the Qabalistic representation of the universe.

Here you will experiment with another level of consciousness that has been defined by the Ogdoadic tradition. In order to do that, you will use the connection between your inner energetic centers and the celestial bodies that have been well-known for centuries to theurgists, alchemists, and astrologers.

You can use this powerful training daily.

In order to invoke the divine powers and to welcome them into your inner being, into your aura, stand up, visualize above your head the Glorious Star, which you can see an image of in the section about the Celestial Ladder.

Hold this glorious symbol in your mind, raise your arms up to the sky, palms up, and declaim:

En Giro Torte Sol Ciclos Et Rotor Igne38

Lower your arms, allowing them to hang naturally at your sides.

Inhale and visualize a golden light coming from the center of the star and descending in a sphere just above the top of your head.

Exhale.

Inhale while you intensify the golden light in the sphere and then exhale as you vibrate the divine name:

— Ho Krónos (Kronos)

Keep your lungs empty a few seconds without thinking about anything.

Perform this cycle two more times. Inhale, and vibrate the name once more so that you have completed three vibrations of the divine name.

Inhale and visualize the golden light descending down through the center of the spinal column from this upper sphere to a second sphere, which is situated at the level of the forehead.

Proceed as you did for the first center with the vibration of the divine name:

—Ho Zeús (Zeus)

Continue this process with the remaining five spheres, visualizing the golden light descending from one to the next until you have vibrated each divine name three times.

Throat: —Ho Arēs (Ares)

Heart: —Ho ῞Ēlios (Helios)

Belly button: —Hē Aphrodítē (Aphrodite)

Genitals (more precisely three inches above the genitals): —Ho Hermē̂s (Hermes)

Coccyx: —Hē Selḗnē (Selene)

Figure 28: The Celestial Ladder and the Bodies of Light.

Inhale and hold the air in your lungs for few seconds. Visualize the golden light in your spinal column and in each sphere.

Exhale and breathe naturally.

Cross your arms on your chest, left over right, with your palms touching your body.

As you hold these spheres in your mind, visualize a ribbon of white light coming from your coccyx and rising in a spiral movement, turning counterclockwise. This ribbon is turning around you as a bandage is wound around a mummy. The ribbon continues to rise until it reaches the sphere located at the level of your forehead.

Proceed in the same way with a second ribbon of the same color, rising in a spiral but moving clockwise.

You must continue envisioning these cycles of ribbons rising until they reach the level of your forehead.

Visualize the golden light shining throughout your entire aura.

After few seconds of visualization, open your arms in front of you, palms up, and declaim:

May the power of the Glorious Star purify my being!

May the powers of the Earth and the Starry Sky raise my soul toward the Divine Ogdoad!

So mote it be!

Lower your arms, allowing them to hang naturally at your sides.

Self-Test Five

These questions are intended to help you challenge your knowledge about the subjects you have been studying. You can use them before you read the materials or after. Try to answer the questions before checking the answers in the appendix.

1. Qabalah cannot express the only and absolute Truth. Why?

2. What is the relationship between “astrology” and “archetypes”?

3. What is one thing you can do to enjoy your life more?

4. What is the traditional representation of the cosmos that we also find in astrology?

5. What are the four elements? What relationship do they have to your body?

6. What Hebrew and Greek letters correspond to the elements?

7. What are the seven planets? Can you draw their symbols from memory?

8. What do you notice about the nature of each astrological sign?

The following questions are related to your own experience. It is good to use them as personal meditations. 39

1. Do you think a complicated explanation (about anything) is more likely true? If so, why?

2. Find four aspects of your personal nature that you associate with each element and explain how they are associated.

3. With which planetary divinity do you feel the strongest relationship? Why?

4. Do you think that your astrological sign fits you? Why?

[contents]

32. A spiritual and initiatic school originating with the French mystic, Louis Claude de Saint-Martin.

33. It seems this text was written during the sixth century. The translation provided here comes from a twelfth century Latin version.

34. Corpus Hermeticum XIII-17 and a fragment from Stobaeus XXVI–13.

35. The word “planet” comes from the Greek root “Plan” ( ) that means “to wander.” The word “planetos” ( ) means “wondering” versus “fixed stars.”

36. Calendars from the time of the reform of Julius Caesar (first century).

37. You can go to the Aurum Solis website (www.aurumsolis.info) to see the map of the museum and its locus, as well as a list of other artifacts that hold an interest for those who want to understand more about the Theurgic tradition.

38. “I am the Sun, I am the wheel moved by the fire which makes the spheres turn.”

39. You can share your thoughts about these questions on the forums of the Aurum Solis website.