Slides for geomancy class

1. The Noble Art of Geomancy

2. “Earth divination” by random draws
Raml -- Arabic “sand cutting”
Rabolion – Greek
Geomantia – Latin
Ifa – Yoruba throwing palm nuts or cowries
Sikidy – Madagascar

3. Geomancy expands

4. Classic Geomancy is based sixteen symbolic figures

5. Fortuna Major
• Supremely favorable for life and
good luck. Safety, entry, success,
protection.

6. Fortuna Minor (lesser fortune)
• The lesser benefic. It particularly
points to swiftness, subtlety,
cleverness, and all concepts
relating to elemental air

7. Via – the way
• Good with good and bad with
bad.
• Relates to movements and
transitions. Favorable for travel
and all kinds of changes.

8. Populus – the crowd
• Good with good and bad with
bad.
• Less favorable than Via. Relates
to the common background of
all things.

9. Caput Draconis – Dragon’s head
• Good for gain or the
commencement of something.
• (Note this is the Ascending Node
in astrology).

10. Cauda Draconis – Dragon’s tail
• Good for ending or disposing of
things, otherwise very
unfavorable.
• (Sign of the “Descending Node”
in astrology)
llosgwrn y ddraig

11. Puer – the boy
• Rash and impulsive energies.
Favorable for matters involving
love or conflict, unfavorable for
most others.
• (Note expansion at “loins”
denoting the concept.)
Mab

12. Puella – the maid
• A lesser benefic, focused on
passive and receptive concepts.
Favorable for most questions,
especially those relating to
women.
• (Note expansion at “breasts”
denoting the concept.)

13. Conjunctio -- joining
All means of connection between
things. Favorable for recovery of
things that have been lost.

14. Carcer – the prison
• Restriction, containment,
confinement. Very unfavorable
except concerning land, or when
the restriction is desired.

15. Laetitia -- joy
• Gladness, health, laughter,
beauty. Very favorable for almost
all things.

16. Tristitia -- sadness
• Sorrow, melancholy, ill feelings.
Unfavorable for most things,
unless planting or secrecy is
involved.

17. Albus -- white
• Pale, brightness, clarity,
intelligence. Generally favorable,
especially for questions involving
beginnings and profit.

18. Rubeus -- Red
• Passion, confusion, anger. Very
unfavorable

19. Acquisition -- gain
• The obvious: gain, expansion,
possession. It is favorable for
gaining anything, but
UNfavorable for getting rid of
something.

20. Amissio -- Loss
• The obvious: losses of all gains.
Unfavorable, except when it is
desired to get rid of something.

21. Generating the figures….
• A very attractive aspect of western geomancy is that it can be
• Employed with any method which will give odd-or-even results.
(Drawing random piles of stones, words lengths in text).
• Most current references suggest paralleling the old cutting of lines in
the sand with rapidly making 16 random lines of marks on paper and
then counting them.

22. However, we are going to use a less time-consuming means…

24. The four wands method
(analogous to the Chinese Six Wands
And you can now make your own set of four wands like these, with one mark on
one side and two on the other.
The spots should be a different elemental color for each wand.
Red– fire
Yellow – air
Blue – water
Green -- earth

26. Then, if desired, consecrate each one with the following ritual
Sprinkle each one with water three times, saying “I consecrate this divining wand with the water of the sacred
well”.
Pass each one through incense, saying “I consecrate this divining wand with the smoke of the sacred fire”.
Form a link with yourself by breathing three times upon each one, saying “I empower this divining wand with the
breath of life. Let it be sealed unto me as a sacrament of wisdom and a sign of <element>.
Wand Consecration Ritual

27. The four wands can be cast
at once to generate a figure,
using.
Fire – “Head”
Air – “Neck”
Water – “Body”
Earth – “Feet”

28. We usually do a reading using a chart like this shape:

30. The Mothers
After concentrating on the question you want to ask, cast the wands to
generate the First Mother, say….
Red –Fire – Head two spots.
Yellow – Air – Neck two spots
Blue – Water – Body one spot
Green – Earth – Feet one spot
Gives Fortuna Major
Repeat this three times for Mothers Two through Four

31. The Daughters
In this sample, the Mothers are
Via:Laetitia:Acquisitio:Rubeus
Remember those “anatomy” rows?
Because for the First Daughter, we combine the
“head” of every mother.
First head – one
Second head – one
Third head – two
Fourth head – two

32. For Second Daughter take the “Neck” of each Mother
Third Daughter “body” of each Mother.
Fourth daughter “feet” of each Mother.
The Daughters in the sample reading are
Fortuna Minor: Puella: Laetitia:Amissio

33. The Nephews/Nieces
The next four figures are generated by
combining the two above them.
Mother I + Mother 2
Mother 3 + Mother 4
Daughter 1 + Daughter 2
Daughter 3 + Daughter 4
One Mark+ One is even/two
One Mark + two is odd/one
Two Marks+two is even/two
So when the first two Mothers are Via and
Laetitia:
1+1 is two
1+2 is one
1+2 is one
1+2 is one.
Rows 2,1,1,1, is Caput Draconis for Nephew I

34. Repeating this for the other pairs gives Amissio:Caput Draconis:Albus for
the others
The two Witnesses are generated in a similar way from the
Nephews.
From Nephew I and Nephew II, we get Right Witness:
Conjunctio.
From Nephew III and Nephew IV, Left Witness is Acquisitio.

35. Here comes the Judge
The Judge is formed by combining the two
Witnesses. So here, the Judge is Fortuna Major –
good news!

36. And Now, Interpreting
Begin by considering the implications of the Judge for your question, and how they might be amplified
by the Witnesses.
Other pointers are
“A good Judge made of two good Witnesses is good.
A bad Judge made of two bad Witnesses is bad.
A good Judge made of one good Witness and one bad Witness means success, but with delay and
vexation
If the Witnesses are good and the Judge bad, the result will be obtained, but it will turn out
unfortunately in the end.
If the first Witness is good and the second bad, success will be very doubtful.
If the first Witness is bad, and the second good, an unfortunate beginning will take a good turn.

37. The example has Fortuna Major from Conjunctio and Acquisitio. This foretells great success
in whatever is being sought, and suggests in will be achieved with help from one’s associates
Stephen Skinner’s “Geomantic Print-Out Terminal” collects answers to stock questions. Here
they are such responses as “Long life”, “Sufficient money”, “The marriage will take place”,
and “Your enemy offers a settlement”, reinforcing the good interpretation.
But wait! There’s more!

38. Some practitioners call on a more detailed interpretation by using the “Triplicities”. (These have nothing to do
with the elemental triplicities in astrology. They can be used to link individual figures to particular areas.
“THE FIRST TRIPLICITY, formed of the First and Second Mothers
First Niece, represents the querent. Of these, the First Mother
the querent’s personality and nature; the Second Mother represents
childhood circumstances and background; and the First Niece
the querent’s habits, beliefs, opinions, and outlook on life.”
“THE SECOND TRIPLICITY, formed of the Third and Fourth Mothers and the
Second Niece, represents the events and influences that shape the
querent’s life. Of these, the Third Mother represents influences from the
querent’s past; the Fourth Mother represents influences from the wider
world that surround the querent’s life; and the Second Niece represents
the querent’s situation at the time of the reading.”
“THE THIRD TRIPLICITY, formed of the First and Second Daughters and the
Third Niece, represents the querent’s home and physical surroundings at
the time of the reading. Of these, the First Daughter represents the
querent’s home; the Second Daughter represents other places where the
querent spends time regularly; and the Third Niece represents the
neighborhood or surroundings in which the home and the other places
are located.”
“THE FOURTH TRIPLICITY, formed of the Third and Fourth Daughters and
the Fourth Niece, represents the other people in the querent’s life. Of
these, the Third Daughter represents the querent’s own family and
friends; the Fourth Daughter represents the querent’s spouse, lover, love
interest, or closest friend; and the Fourth Niece represents other people
with whom the querent associates, such as fellow employees, neighbors,
local businesspeople, and the like.”

39. The Way of Points
Is another extra factor which may be invoked. But this is possible only when Judge has a “head” of
one mark. In that case, we may trace to “way” to whichever Witness has a head of one point; from
the witness to the Nephew giving rise to it which has one point; and from that Nephew to a
generating Mother or Daughter starting with one point. If the Way is complete, that figure relates to
a hidden factor involved. If there is no “way”, there is no unseen factor.

40. In this example, the Judge is Fortuna Minor, and we can trace the way to the left Witness
Amissio, to the Third Nephew Laetitia, to the second Daughter Puer, suggesting there is an
overlooked factor involving places where the questioner spends his time.

41. Further References
These will deal with aspects we have not brought in today, such as the
methods for linking geomancy with astrology:
Stephen Skinner, The Oracle of Geomancy: Techniques of Earth Divination,
several editions
Stephen Skinner, Terrestrial Astrology: Divination by Geomancy, Routledge
Kegan Paul 1980
Israel Regardie, A Practical Guide to Geomantic Divination, Available from
Kindle Unlimited
Gerard of Cremona, On Astrological Geomancy,
http://paganscholarscorner.homestead.com/ON-ASTRONOMICAL-
GEOMANCY--GERARD-CREMONENSIS.html
Cornelius Agrippa, Three Books of Occult Philosophy, numerous editions.
John Michael Greer, The Art and Practice of Geomancy, Weiser 2009
John Michael Greer, The Celtic Golden Dawn: An Original and Complete
Curriculum of Druidical Study, Llewellyn 2013
And, of course
Aleister Crowley, A Handbook of Geomancy, Holmes Pub. Group 1989