St. Gallen, Stiftsbibliothek, Cod. Sang. 756

Geomancy original: "geomancia" [comes] from ge in Greek, as ageos which is interpreted in Latin as "earth," and from magos which is "divination." Thus, geomancy is "earthly divination." It is a science that deals with the natural elements in four figures the basic patterns of dots used in this system—namely air, earth, water, and fire—whose virtues provide a clear doctrine for many sciences concerning the dispositions of the past and the future. For this reason, it is one of [four] equal branches: namely pyromancy divination by fire from fire, aeromancy divination by air from air, hydromancy divination by water from water, and geomancy from earth.

Concerning the figures mentioned before, what they are and of what kind they are, it will suffice to run through them all in the table placed above. Their names are found there, along with other qualities: such as some being good, some bad, and some middling; those that are mobile changeable and fixed; those that are "joined" and those that are "light"; those that are fast and those that are slow; entering and exiting; strong and weak; eastern, southern, and northern; as well as those that act as signs of the ecliptic the Zodiac and those that act as planets. These things are named so that the differences between them may be thoroughly known, for reasons found within the figures. Some figures represent only an element, some represent goodness or malice, some lightness, speed or slowness throughout the world. Some represent signs [of the zodiac] and others represent planets.

the figure

And the reason why some of the figures are "strong," such as the twelve, and some are "weak," such as the four, is said to be because the twelve figures represent the twelve signs of the heavens the twelve signs of the Zodiac, which do not move from their position for any reason of increase or decrease, like the earth depicted upon the circle of the sphere. The other four, however, are called "weak" because they change themselves and are mixed in a twofold manner of increase and decrease, just as the elements do when they are mixed with one another. These follow a middle path so that this knowledge may be useful for the judgment of questions the final interpretation of the divination which are figured and judged as declared above.

the figure

Anyone wishing to inquire in this art with honor and utility ought to observe this method which I set down here: he ought to live honestly and cleanly in his house and entryways, which should be places well-disposed to receive the people who come to him. He should have at hand whatever is necessary for his work. He ought to hear the questions kindly [and for a fair] price. Having heard the question—which is the matter at hand—he ought to "raise" the figure in an orderly way, first upon paper with ink, or upon a plaster board, or even in clean sand in a well-polished place. And in raising it, he ought to "sow" lines of points by chance, following the method of geomancy according to a certain quantity of their number, which he must arrange into four lines.