On Superstition and the Bonds of Demons

CHAPTER II.

Although in the present chapter we must provide a special treatise regarding the motions of Saturn, his spirits, and the operations of steganography The author uses "steganography" to refer to his system of secret communication through planetary spirits. performed through them; nevertheless, lest we be forced to repeat what has been opportunely stated once in every single chapter, we deem it necessary to advise the studious Reader to remain mindful in the following sections of those things which are said in this very chapter. There are, indeed, various motions of the individual Planets, and these are most subtly partitioned into all manner of others: the pure and proper motion is manifold, and is varied by the smallest possible divisions; whether direct, retrograde, mixed, or confused, it is changed by nearly as many points as it is separated from the circle of its motion’s beginning. What, then, should be said of the conjunction conjunction: when two or more celestial bodies appear in the same area of the sky of these Planets with one another? For, as Ptolemy says in his Centiloquium original: "gentiloquio" (an OCR error for Centiloquium, a famous collection of 100 astrological aphorisms attributed to the astronomer Claudius Ptolemy)., one hundred and twenty conjunctions occur among these Planets: namely, 21 combinations of two, 35 of three, 35 of four, 21 of five, 7 of six, and one single conjunction of seven.

Concerning the other motions, however, we cannot give a certain limit because of their infinite diversity, for they are varied daily by increasing or decreasing points of which we are ignorant. Nevertheless, to the full extent that we were able, we have discovered more than 300,000 divisions, in which all the operations of this art are frequently varied regarding their effect. Unless one is highly experienced in all these matters, or knows the mean motions mean motion: the average speed of a planet, as if it moved in a perfect circle of these Planets perfectly, and subsequently the most minute punctual divisions—which arise from fourths, thirds, seconds, minutes, and unequal degrees most subtly divided—he will easily fall into genuine errors and will scarcely escape grave danger. Furthermore, even if you understand the mean and true motion most perfectly, it will profit you nothing for the knowledge of this science unless, having recognized the divisions, progressions, and elongations, you understand entirely all the points in the motions of the planets, taken equally from unequal degrees through every individual detail. But we must now proceed to the operations.

Once all the motions are known, and those things which have been and are being said are perfectly understood, when you wish to work in this most profound speculation, it behooves you first to know the rising, the exaltation, and the setting of all the stars of the eighth sphere In the geocentric model, the eighth sphere is the firmament containing the fixed stars, located beyond the seven spheres of the planets. through which the operation is performed, and how much distance lies between one and another (22).

(22) The stars fixed to the eighth orb are called "unwandering" original: "inerrantes" by Astrologers, not because they are not moved by any motion—since indeed they are carried very slowly toward the east by their own peculiar motion—but because they do not wander relative to each other. One thousand and twenty-two stars have been considered by Astronomers: and these differ among themselves in magnitude; since some are of the first magnitude, some of the second, and others of the third, as may be seen in the works of Aratus, Hyginus original: "Eginium", and Ptolemy.