"And in these twenty eight Mansions do lie hid many secrets of the wisdom of the antients, by the which they wrought wonders on all things which are under the circle of the Moon; and they attributed to every Mansion his resemblances, images, and seals, and his president intelligences, and worked by the virtue of them after different manners." ("The Magus" by Francis Barrett)
In modern astrology we all too often ignore the moon beyond it’s natal chart position, but to the ancients the moon in its 28 motions was a tool of magic, a keeper of wisdom and a guide through out life. The same can be said with those that practice the old arts in modern days, the quarters of the moon (each 7 days long – full, waning, dark, waxing) usually get reference and observance, but what about the days in which they present themselves, each mansion being a separate marker and whisper of magick, mystery and miracle.
These mansions can also be seen (controversially may I add) as subdivisions of the zodiac, equal in size and duration, which start at 0º Aries and last 12º51´26´´ each.
The monthly transit of the Moon through each of these mansions generates a different influence :
- it conduces to the finding of treasures, and to the retaining [of] captives; (12 Aries 51 to 25 Aries 42)
- it is profitable to sailors, huntsmen, and alchymists; (25 Aries 42 to 8 Taurus 34)
- it causes the destruction and hindrances of buildings, fountains, wells, gold mines, the flight of creeping things, and begets discord. (8 Taurus 34 to 21 Taurus 25)
The Moon in the 5th mansion - it confirms edifices, it gives health and good-will; (21 Taurus 25 to 4 Gemini 17)
The Moon in the 6th mansion - it conduces to hunting, and besieging of towns, and revenge of princes, it destroys harvests and fruits and hinders the operation of the physician; (4 Gemini 17 to 17 Gemini 8)
The Moon in the 7th mansion - it confers gain and friendship, its profitable to lovers, it scares flies, destroys magistracies; (17 Gemini 8 to 0 Cancer)
The Moon in the 8th mansion - it causes love, friendship, and society of fellow travellers, it drives away mice ands afflicts captives, confirming their imprisonment; (0 Cancer to 12 Cancer 51)
The Moon in the 9th mansion - it hinders harvests and travelers, and puts discord between men; (12 Cancer 51 to 25 Cancer 42)
The Moon in the 10th mansion - it strengthens buildings, yields love, benevolence and help against enemies; (25 Cancer 42 to 8 Leo 34)
The Moon in the 11th mansion - it is good for voyages, and gain by merchandise, and for redemption of captives; (8 Leo 34 to 21 Leo 25)
The Moon in the 12th mansion - it gives prosperity to harvests, and plantations, but hinders seamen, and is good for the bettering of servants, captives and companions; (21 Leo 25 to 4 Virgo 17)
The Moon in the 13th mansion - it is prevalent for benevolence, gain, voyages, harvests, and freedom of captives; (17 to 17 Virgo 8)
The Moon in the 14th mansion - it causes the love of married folks, it cures the sick, is profitable to sailors, but hinders journies by land; and in these the second quarter of Heaven is completed; (17 Virgo 8 to 0 Libra)
The Moon in the 15th mansion - its profitable for the extracting of treasures, for digging of pits, it assists divorce, discord, and the destruction of houses and enemies, and hinders travelers; (0 Libra to 12 Libra 5)
The Moon in the 16th mansion - it hinders journies and wedlock, harvests and merchandise, it prevails for redemption of captives; (12 Libra 51 to 25 Libra 42)
The Moon in the 17th mansion - it betters a bad fortune, makes love durable, strengthens buildings, and helps seamen; (25 Libra 42 to 8 Scorpio 34)
The Moon in the 18th mansion - it causes discord, sedition, conspiracy against princes and mighty ones, and revenge from enemies, but it frees captives and helps edifices; (8 Scorpio 34 to 21 Scorpio 25)
The Moon in the 19th mansion - it helps in the besieging of cities and taking of towns, and in the driving of men from their places, and for the destruction of seamen, and perdition of captives; (21 Scorpio 25 to 4 Sagittarius 17)
The Moon in the 20th mansion - it helps for the taming of wild beasts, for the strengthening of prisons, it destroys the wealth of societies, it compels a man to come to a certain place; (4 Sagittarius 17 to 17 Sagittarius 8)
The Moon in the 21st mansion - it is good for harvests, gain, buildings and travellers, and causes divorce; and in this is the third quarter of Heaven is completed; (17 Sagittarius 8 to 0 Capricorn)
The Moon in the 22nd mansion - it promotes the flight of servants and captives, that they may escape, and helps the curing of diseases; (0 Capricorn to 12 Capricorn 51)
The Moon in the 23rd mansion - it is for divorce, liberty of captives and the health of the sick; (12 Capricorn 51 to 25 Capricorn 42)
The Moon in the 24th mansion - it is prevalent for the benevolence of married people, for the victory of soldiers, it hurts the execution of government, and prevents it being exercised; (25 Capricorn 42 to 8 Aquarius 34)
The Moon in the 25th mansion - it favors besieging and revenge, it destroys enemies, causes divorce, confirms prisons and buildings, hastens messengers, it conduces to spells against copulation, and so binds every member of man, that it cannot perform its duty; (8 Aquarius 34 to 21 Aquarius 25)
The Moon in the 26th mansion - it causes union, health of captives, destroys buildings and prisons; (21 Aquarius 25 to 4 Pisces 17)
The Moon in the 27th mansion - it increases harvests, revenues, gain, and heals infirmities, but hinders buildings, prolongs prisons, causes danger to seamen, and helps to infer mischiefs on whom you shall please; (4 Pisces 17 to 17 Pisces 8)
The Moon in the 28th mansion - it increases harvests and merchandise, it secures travellers through dangerous places; it makes for the joy of married couples, but it strengths prisons, and causes loss of treasures; (17 Pisces 8 to 0 Aries)
Angels of the moon
Each mansion is said to have a ruling power, intelligence and resonance – a presence that is usually granted the title of Angel.
The 28 angels of the moon are: Geniel, Enediel, Anixiel, Azariel, Gabriel, Dirachiel, Scheliel, Amnediel, Barbiel, Ardefiel, Neciel, Abdizuel, Jazeriel, Ergediel, Atliel, Azeruel, Adriel, Egibiel, Amutiel, Kyriel, Bethnael, Geliel, Requiel, Abrinael, Agiel, Tagriel, Atheniel, Amnixiel.
Symbols of the 28 mansions
Along with there traditional meaning/effect/association and angels the mansions have symbols of alliance and seals utilised in the ways of interpretation as well as magick.
In the first, for the destruction of some one, they made, in an iron ring, the image of a black man, in a garment of hair, and girdled round, casting a small lance with his right hand: they sealed this in black wax, and perfumed it with liquid storax, and wished some evil to come.
In the second, against the wrath of the prince, and for reconciliation with him, they sealed, in white wax and mastich, the image of a king crowned, and perfumed it with lignum aloes.
In the third, they made an image in a silver ring, whose table was square; the figure of which was a woman, well clothed, sitting in a chair, her right hand being lifted up on her head; they sealed it, and perfumed it with musk, camphire, and calamus aromaticus. They affirmed that this gives happy fortune, and every good thing.
In the fourth, for revenge, separation, enmity, and ill-will, they sealed, in red wax, the image of a soldier sitting on a horse, holding a serpent in his right hand: they perfumed it with red myrrh and storax.
In the fifth, for the favour of kings and officers, and good entertainment, they sealed, in silver, the head of a man, and perfumed it with red sanders.
In the sixth, to procure love between two, they sealed, in white wax, two images, embracing one another, and perfumed them with lignum aloes and amber.
In the seventh, to obtain every good thing, they scaled, in silver, the image of a man, well clothed, holding up his hands to Heaven, as it were, praying and supplicating, and perfumed it with good odours.
In the eighth, for victory in war, they made a seal in tin, being an image of an eagle, having the face of a man, and perfumed it with brimstone.
In the ninth, to cause infirmities, they made a seal of lead, being the image of a man wanting his privy parts, covering his eyes with his hands; and they perfumed it with rosin of the pine.
In the tenth, to facilitate child bearing, and to cure the sick, they made a seal of gold, being the head of a lion, and perfumed it with amber.
In the eleventh, for fear, reverence, and worship, they made a seal of a plate of gold, being the image of a man riding on a lion, holding the ear thereof in his left hand, and in his right holding forth a bracelet of gold; and they perfumed it with good odours and saffron.
In the twelfth, for the separation of lovers, they made a seal of black lead, being the image of a dragon fighting with a man; and they perfumed it with the hairs of a lion, and assafœtida.
In the thirteenth, for the agreement of married people, and for dissolving of all the charms against copulation, they made a seal of the images of both (of the man in red wax, and the woman in white), and caused them to embrace one another; perfuming it with lignum aloes and amber.
In the fourteenth, for divorce and separation of the man from the woman, they made a seal of red copper, being the image of a dog. biting his tail; and they perfumed it with the hair of a black dog and a black cat.
In the fifteenth, to obtain friendship and good will, they made the image of a man sitting, and inditing letters, and perfumed it with frankincense and nutmegs.
In the sixteenth, for gaining much merchandising, they made a seal of silver, being the image of a man, sitting on a chair, holding a balance in his hand; and they perfumed it with well smelling spices.
In the seventeenth, against thieves and robbers, they sealed with an iron seal the image of an ape, and perfumed it with the air of an ape.
In the eighteenth, against fevers and pains of the belly, they made a seal of copper, being the image of a snake with his tail above his head; and they perfumed it with hartshorn; and said this same seal put to flight serpents, and all venomous creatures, from the place where it is buried.
In the nineteenth, for facilitating birth, and provoking the menstrues, they made a seal of copper, being the image of a woman holding her hands upon her face; and they perfumed it with liquid storax.
In the twentieth, for hunting, they made a seal of tin, being the image of Sagittary, half a man and half a horse; and they perfumed it with the head of a wolf.
In the twenty-first, for the destruction of some body, they made the image of a man, with a double countenance before and behind; and they perfumed it with brimstone and jet, and put it in a box of brass, and with it brimstone and jet, and the hair of him whom they would hurt.
In the twenty-second, for the security of runaways, they made a seal of iron, being the image of a man, with wings on his feet, bearing a helmet on his head; and they perfumed it with argent vive.
In the twenty-third, for destruction and wasting, they made a seal of iron, being the image of a cat, having a dog's head; and they perfumed it with dog's hair taken from the head, and buried it in the place where they intended the hurt.
In the twenty-fourth, for multiplying herds of cattle, they took the horn of a ram, bull, or goat, or of that sort of cattle they would increase, and sealed in it, burning, with an iron seal, the image of a woman giving suck to her son; and they hanged it on the neck of that cattle who was the leader of the flock, or they sealed it in his horn.
In the twenty-fifth, for the preservation of trees and harvest, they sealed, in the wood of a fig tree, the image of a man planting and they perfumed it with the flowers of the fig tree, and hung it on the tree.
In the twenty-sixth, for love and favour, they sealed, in white wax and mastich, the figure of a woman washing and combing her hair; and they perfumed it with good odours.
In the twenty-seventh, to destroy fountains, pits, medicinal waters, and baths, they made, of red earth, the image of a man winged, holding in his hand an empty vessel, and perforated; and the image being burnt, they put in the vessel assafœtida and liquid storax, and they buried it in the pond or fountain which they would destroy.
In the twenty-eighth, for getting fish together, they made a seal of copper, being the image of a fish; and they perfumed it with the skin of a sea fish, and cast it into the water where they would have the fish gathered.
Working with the 28 mansions of the moon List of ways to work with the mansions are:
Over the years out of interest I’ve worked with the mansions – usually with great success! Here are some of the ways I’ve weaved there presence into my life – you might want to try some, or find ways of your own to stir their well worth presence:
Meditate on the angels name.
Discover the current ruling mansion.
Discover the ruling mansion of your birth.
Celebrate your ruling mansion each time it rises.
Contemplate how a negitve association or power can be channelled for the benifit of all.
Discover the ruling mansion of your zodiac aspect.
Create the seal of your mansion.
Simple, workable and with the right mind set and intention it can be deeply magikal.
Recently over a good cuppa and a slice of homemade bread (I woo myself sometimes I tell ya!) I was asked about psychic indicators in the natal chart and from a traditional point of view; how they manifest there deeper aspects through the lives of those that possess them.
In modern Astrology the Celtic Zodiac is a thing of great debate, from the origins of it's form, the tools of its practitioners and the reasonings of it's regents of power – all have at one time or another found themselves either exposed to great question or simply overlooked.
