Of Finding Out The Names Of Spirits And Genii, From The Disposition Of The Celestial Bodies

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CHAP. XIII.

OF FINDING OUT THE NAMES OF SPIRITS AND GENII, FROM THE DISPOSITION OF THE CELESTIAL BODIES.

THE ancient magicians taught an art of finding out the name of a spirit to any desired effect, drawing it from the disposition of the heavens; as, for example, any celestial harmony being proposed to thee, to make an image or a ring, or any other work to be done under any constellation, if thou wilt find out the spirit that is the ruler of that work, the figure of the heaven being erected, cast forth letters in their number and order, from the degree of the ascendant, according to the succession of signs through each degree, by filling the whole circle of the heavens; then those letters which fall into the places of the stars, the aid of which you would use, being according to the number and power of those stars marked without into number and order, make the name of a good spirit. But if thou wilt do so from the beginning of a degree falling against the progress of the signs, the resulting spirit shall be evil. By this art some of the Hebrews and Chaldean masters teach that the, nature and name of any genius may be found out; as for example, the degree of the ascendant of any one's nativity being known, and the other corners of the heaven being co-equated, then let that which has the most dignities of planets in those four corners, which the Arabians call Almutez, be first observed among the rest; and according to that in the second place, that which shall be next to it in the number of dignities, and so in order the rest of them, which obtain any dignity in the aforesaid corners.

This order being used, you may know the true place and degree of them in the heavens, beginning from the degree of the ascendant through each degree, according to the order of signs, to cast twenty-two of the letters of the Hebrews; then what letters shall fall into the places of the aforesaid stars, being marked and disposed according to the order found out above in the stars, and

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rightly joined together according to the rules of the Hebrew tongue, make the name of a genius; to which, according to the custom, some monosyllable name of Divine Omnipotence, viz. El or Jah, is subjoined. But if the casting of the letters be made from an angle of the falling, and against the succession of the signs, and the letters which shall fall in the Nadir (that is the opposite point) of the aforesaid stars be after that order, as are said, joined together, shall make the name of an evil genius.

But the Chaldeans proceed another way, for they take not the Almutez of the angles but the Almutez of the eleventh house, and do all things as has been said. Now they find out an evil genius from the Almutez of the angle of the twelfth house, which they call an evil spirit, casting from the degree of the falling against the progress of the signs.