The Gnostic Church of L.V.X.

Heaven Meets Earth—Geomancy and Astrology

 

Imagine yourself a poor camel driver in a middle eastern desert. The sky reigns above you and the earth swells at your feet. Your living in an ancient time when it is said that the people were closer to the gods. Or at the very least, you're certainly closer to the earthbound energies. But the night sky holds its own mysteries.

Should you want to practice some form of divination as an answer to a question, the sand might have become your drawing board. Maybe you would count the camel tracks in the sand; tabulating the number of foot steps found and using them as markers in a similar way as a tea reader might use tea leaves. You are now practicing the art of what has become known as Geomancy.

As with most methods of divination, the marks are random and would need to be counted and organized in some fashion. Perhaps you marched with your camel over a sacred spot to create these marks. Or maybe even, you used a staff that you were carrying to plant them in the ground with your own hands. No matter what the technique, its the organizing of these random markings that comprises your art -- and of course, the interpretation of these marks.

Now, as you are pondering, perhaps you are an ancient sage with a knowledge of the stars in the sky. And you see the vast connection between the cosmos and earth related events. Further, you are aware that the sky is divided into twelve astrological houses. And so you organize the dots in the sand into twelve sets of patterns. You will assign one pattern to each of the twelve houses.

Remember, you are poor and have no access to an ephemeris. Neither do you have the skills to make the tedious calculations necessary for construction of an horary chart as an answer to your question. Fortunately, this method fills that gap with a greater expediency than if you would have had access to all those skills and delineations.

What you do have is a knowledge of the sixteen symbols that comprise the geomantic system. Further, you know that they are ruled by the seven sacred planets in collective groups and they are individually associated with the twelve astrological signs to be found in the night sky. They are listed here as follows:

Sun ruled:

o o o

o o o

o o o

o o o

Fortuna Major Fortuna Minor

(Aquarius) (Taurus)

Moon ruled:

o o o

o o o

o o o

o o o

Populus Via

(Capricorn) (Leo)

Mercury ruled:

o o o o

o o o

o o

o o o o

Albus Conjunctio

(Cancer) (Virgo)

Venus ruled:

o o

o o o o

o o

o o o

Puella Amissio

(Libra) (Scorpio)

Mars ruled:

o o o

o o

o o o o

o o o

Puer Rubeus

(Aries) (Gemini)

Jupiter ruled:

o o o

o o o

o o o o

o o o

Acquisitio Laetitia

(Aries) (Taurus)

Saturn ruled:

o o o

o o o o

o o o o

o o

Carcer Tristitia

(Pisces) (Scorpio)

Cauda Draconis:

o

o

o

o o

(Sagittarius)

Caput Draconis:

o o

o

o

o

(Virgo)

The following is a list of these same geomantical patterns their meanings and additional keywords that will aid you in interpretation:

Geomantical Sign Translation Additional Keyword

Fortuna Major Greater Fortune Success

Fortuna Minor Lesser Fortune Self-preservation

Via Pathway Planning

Populus People Gatherings

Conjunctio Union Partnership

Albus Wisdom Knowledge

Puella Female Affection

Amissio Loss Need

Puer Male Courage

Rubeus Anger Danger

Acqusitio Success Gain

Laetitia Joy & Happiness Abundance

Carcer Bondage Realization

Tristitia Sorrow Inhibition

Caput Draconis Head of the Dragon Reward

Cauda Draconis Tail of the Dragon Punishment

The only thing that you now need to know is how to create the geomantical figures and how to place them in the twelve astrological houses. And, of course, this chart can also be drawn in the sand.

However, in order to bring this into modern times, I recommend you use a piece of lined paper. On the left side, number sixteen lines. Next, ask a question that you are seeking an answer to and randomly stab at the paper with your pen until you have a bunch of dots on each of the sixteen lines.

You will then count the number of dots that appeared on each of the lines. If the dots are even in number, place two small circles at the right of that line. And if they are odd in number, then place one small circle on the right. Each group of four lines will then represent one geomantical figure.

At this point, you will have four sets of circles or four geomantical figures of four lines each. These first four figures are known as the mothers. There are only eight more figures that we need, and these will be derived from the four that we have already created.

Notice that as I have said, each geomantical figure is organized into four rows of circles. The top row is called the head. The second row is called the neck. The third row is called the body with the last being the feet.

Examine the heads of these four figures and place them, in order, into your fifth symbol. The head of figure I becomes the head of figure V. The head of figure II becomes the neck of figure V; and so on. And in like fashion, use the necks of each of the first four figures to create figure VI; use the bodies of each of the first four figures to create figure VII; and use the feet of each of the first four figures to create figure VIII. These four new figures are known as the daughters.

We now have eight of the twelve figures needed to fill the houses of our astrological chart. The last four can be discovered by combining I and II together for figure IX; III and IV for X; V and VI for XI; and VII and VIII for XII. To do this, count the circles in the two figures you are combining; for example if the number of circles in the head of figures I and II are even in number, then the head of figure IX will have two dots. Carry this through to the feet. And when you are done, you will have created the nephews.

Finally, the symbols are placed into the twelve houses of your chart in the following order:

Astrological House Geomantic Figure

Angular Houses: I Mothers: I

X II

VII III

IV IV

Succeedent Houses: II Daughters: V

XI VI

VIII VII

V VIII

Cadent Houses: III Nephews: IX

XII X

IX XI

VI XII

Notice that each of the groups of geomantical figures are placed counter-clockwise into each of the groups of houses known as the quadruplicities. The mothers are in the angular houses as the daughters are in the succeedent houses with the nephews in the cadent houses.

You will of course, need to know which area of your life is associated with each particular house. And upon placing the geomantic symbols into their respective house, look at which symbols are in the house or houses that may pertain to your question. Then look up the name, translation, and keyword of that symbol to begin interpreting your answer.

That's it. The technique is really simple and an answer can be quickly derived without the need for calculating an horary chart. And if you want, it shouldn't take too long to memorize the geomantic symbols -- and of course, by reading this magazine, you should already be familiar with the areas of life covered by the astrological houses.

This method can then be used anywhere, at anytime, and under almost any circumstance. If you don't have access to a pen and paper, try a tree branch and the dirt on the ground. You can even get creative by spilling water on a piece of grainy wood or splashing ink onto canvass. Whatever your methodology, the art is in uniting the earth with the heavens above.