Stability of Geomantic Figures

Geomancy is a method of divination that uses a set of sixteen figures of four lines of dots each. Possibly due to the similiarity between the geomantic figures and star constellations, geomancy successively borrowed an increasing amount of terms and techniques from astrology. In this post, I'd like to look at the concept of stability.

If we imagine that geomantic figures do represent star constellations, we can group them into pairs in which the same figure is shown either "right side up", as if it rising on the horizon (or entering the visible sky), or inverted, setting below the horizon. The first group of figures would be called "entering", while the second, "exiting".

A rising constellation will be visible for a long time - its influence to increase until it shows in midheaven - while a setting constellation is about to pass away. Thus, entering figures are also called "fixed"; their influence may still need to increase, but it will last for a long time. Conversely, "exiting" figures are "moveable": they represent influence that is about to disappear.

There is a simple visual mnemonic device given in Martin of Spain's De Geomancia for distinguishing between the two kinds of figures: entering figures are "sharper" below, while exiting are "sharper" above. Translating this into elemental terms, it means that "entering" figures have heavier element lines active and lighter element lines inactive. Thus, the mnemonic agrees with the previous characterisation of entering figures as slow-moving, and exiting are fast-moving.

The four vertically symmetrical figures that have no upside-down version - Via, Populus, Conjunctio, and Carcer - Martin of Spain calls medie or mean. He writes that they inherit their stability from the producing figures, although Populus "may well be called moveable" while Carcer - fixed. He also says that they represent the four elements, but doesn't expand on this point.

Interpretation

Examples of interpretation recorded in De Geomancia interpret not figure names (e.g. "Populus means a crowd"), but rather their known correspondences (Is it fixed? Is it assigned to a dry element? To what planet does it belong?) In this approach, stability could be used to answer questions about change, such as "Should I change X?" (fixed: no, mutable: yes), or "Will I gain X?" (entering: yes, exiting: no).

If we were to interpret figure names anyway, we might say this is what they represent:

  • Tristitia / Laetitia: a period of Lent; a Carnival celebration
  • Albus / Rubeus: a season of truth; a lie that ruins trust
  • Puella / Puer: a season of harmony; a rivalry that breaks the peace
  • Acquisitio / Amissio: a full root cellar; a hungry spring
  • Fortuna Major / Fortuna Minor: fertile ancestral lands; sold off for a one-time payment
  • Caput Draconis / Cauda Draconis: a season of good fortune; a stroke of bad luck

Sources

Categories: Geomancy