Book Two, chapter 11

1Chapter 11

2And the ancients among the people of this matter have, on this subject, such discourse that, were we to gather together their sayings and their doctrines, the book would become very long; but the aim is to confine [ourselves] to that which there is no doing without of, and which the seeker and investigator of this matter cannot do without. So let your study, O you who study, be for yourself; and whenever something of this art becomes clear to you, do not disclose it to anyone else. And know that the people who take the greatest delight in the sciences are those who do not resort to them for a living, but occupy themselves with them and study them only so that they may be of the elite and depart from the common people.

3For many in the world who do not know the difficulty of the aims of this science burden the astrologer, at times, with what is not within the capacity of the sphere, so how [could it be] within the capacity of the astrologer? If he is right, [such a one] does not praise him for being right, and if he errs, his standing becomes slight in his eyes. Therefore you must not tear this veil before the common people, for the sages attained these spiritual sciences only with severe hardship and toil, and they reached what they reached of them only after labour, much investigation and excellence of mind.

4For through excellence of mind comes the ability to hit upon the correct judgment in that over which conflicting opinions dispute, and the power to verify it. So it is excellence in eliciting what is correct among opinions, and this is one of the kinds of intellection. In sum, it is the purity of the rational soul and the giving of the imaginative faculty, together with the purity of its pathways and the speed of its reception of what it wants, together with the speed with which the required judgment is affected [sense uncertain].

5The mind is a strong agent, and the judgment is, in relation to it, a weak patient. The example of the strong and the weak is that the strong is affected with difficulty and the weak is affected with ease. Just so, acuity is excellence of perception of a thing quickly, without time or in an unprolonged time; so it is a grasping by the intellect with thoroughness, quickly; and likewise excellence of perception in receiving the required thing without time. It is taken from the blazing of fire, in that it acts quickly, and the blazing of the Sun, which penetrates the air quickly and illumines it on the spot [sense uncertain] because of its subtlety and purity. Likewise the acute man blazes through his purity and subtlety, and so penetrates the required thing, perceives it quickly and grasps it by encompassing it, upon a dead or a living [thing], as far as it is possible to grasp the required judgment [sense uncertain]. So know that.

6Let us return to what we were engaged in. We say also that every sign has three faces, and in each face of them is what the sages have described of images, figures and likenesses; and this is a part of a whole. They are, moreover, divided among the planets according to their succession in their spheres: when the division reaches the lowest planet, it returns and goes back to the highest, most elevated planet. They have, besides, natures and shapes agreeing with the natures of their lords and their shapes, and on that account they agree with them in signifying what [their lords] signify by their substances, in agreement and disagreement, of works.

7Of this: in the first face of Aries there rises, according to the opinion of the chief of this craft, an angry black man, red of eyes, in his hand an axe; he has girded a white garment about his middle; he is huge of body, great in himself. This face belongs to Mars, and it is a face of harshness, assault, loftiness and impudence; and it is complete, abundant in its substance, its nature and its innate disposition.

8And there rises in its second face a woman wearing green clothing, having one leg. This face belongs to Venus, and it is a face whose action is femininity, delicacy, cleanliness, gentleness, amusement, delight and adornment.

9And in the third face of it there rises a man, reddish-fair of colour, red of hair, angry, obstinate; in his hand are a sword and a rod of wood, and upon him are red garments; fine [reading uncertain: riqīq, perhaps for rafīq, 'skilled'] in the craft of iron; he wishes good and is not able [to do it]. And this face belongs to Venus.

10And the first face of Taurus: there rises in it a woman of curly hair; she has a child who has garments as though they were a live coal, and upon her are fiery garments. And this face belongs to Mercury, and it is complete in its nature; and it is a face of ploughing, sowing, building, cultivation, culture, wisdom, the partitioning of lands, and geometry.

11And in the second face of it there rises the image of a man whose face and form resemble the camel, and his fingers the hoofs of cattle; upon him is a worn cloak; he is intent on the cultivation of lands, and building, and bringing the cattle out to ploughing and sowing. And this face belongs to the Moon, and it is a face of might, nobility, rule, the ruin of countries, and harshness toward the subjects.

12And in the third face of it there rises the image of a man red of colour, very white of teeth, his teeth showing between his lips; his body resembles the body of the elephant, and he is long of legs. And there rise with him a horse, a dog and a lying-down calf. And this face belongs to Saturn, and it is a face of abasement, service, beating, hardship and contempt.

13And the first face of Gemini: there rises in it the image of a woman, fair and beautiful, skilled in sewing, and with her are two calves and two horses. And this face belongs to Jupiter, and it is complete in its nature; and it is a face of writing, reckoning, taking and giving, knowledge, and demanding.

14And in the second face of it there rises the image of a man whose face resembles the 'Anqā'; he has bound his head with a turban, wearing a coat of mail of lead, armed; on his head is a helmet of iron, and upon it a crown of silk brocade, and in his hand are a bow and arrows. And this face belongs to Mars, and it is a face of toil, urging, speed, violence and blameworthy haste.

15And in the third face of it there rises a man wearing a coat of mail, and with him are a bow in a quiver [reading uncertain: mujʿaba] and arrows. And this face belongs to the Sun, and it is a face of heedlessness, forgetfulness, play, jest and idleness.

16And the first face of Cancer: there rises in it the image of a man in whose face and fingers is crookedness, resembling a horse, white of feet; he has hung leaves of trees upon his body. And this face belongs to Venus, and it is complete in its nature; and it is a face of elegance, intellect, affection, tenderness and refinement.

17And in the second face of it there rises the image of a woman fair of face; on her head is a crown of green sweet basil, and in her hand a stem of water-lily, and she is crying out, loving joy and singing. And this face belongs to Mercury, and it is a face of amusement, delight, splendour, luxury and comfort.

18And in the third face of it there rises a man in whose hand is a snake; his foot resembles the foot of the tortoise, and with him are ornaments of gold. And this face belongs to the Moon, and it is a face of envy, pursuit, and the attaining of things by fighting, contention and opposition.

19And the first face of Leo: there rises in it the image of a man upon whom are dirty garments, and there rises with him the image of the rider of the horse, looking toward the north, whose image resembles the image of the wolf and the dog. And this face belongs to Saturn, and it is complete in form and nature; and it is a face of power, valour, endurance, vigour, assault and mastery.

20And in the second face of it there rises the image of a man on whose head is a crown of sweet basil white, and in his hand a bow. This face belongs to Jupiter, and it is a face of innovations, ignorance and perplexity, of the people of ignorance, the foolish, embarking upon ignorance, and of the overbearing of swords and of fighting. And there rises in the third face of it a man whose image is the image of the Zanj, an ugly old man, and in his mouth fruit and meat, and in his hand a jug. This face belongs to Mars, and it is a face of affection, requital, mutual love, partnership and peaceableness.

21The first face of Virgo: there rises in it a virgin girl wearing an old garment, in her hand a pomegranate. This face belongs to the Sun, and it is a face of sowing, tillage, herbage, plants, cultivation, the gathering of wealth and soundness of livelihood. And there rises in the second face of it the image of a man of fair colour, wearing a garment of skins and another garment of iron. This face belongs to Venus, and it is a face of acquisition, seeking, hoarding, avarice, stinginess and the withholding of dues.

22And there rises in the third face of it the image of a man of great build, white, wrapped in a garment, and a woman in whose hand is a black oil, and it is the oil with which the Magians seek nearness in their offerings. This face belongs to Mercury, and it is a face of old age, decrepitude, weakness, incapacity, chronic infirmity, the uprooting of trees and the ruin of cultivated land.

23The first face of Libra: there rises in it the image of a man in whose right hand is a spear and in the left the image of a bird upside down. This face belongs to the Moon, and it is a face of justice, right and equity, and of repelling the powerful and the oppressors from the people of weakness, straitness and need; and it is a face complete in form and nature.

24And there rises in the second face of it the image of a black man making for a wedding and rejoicing. This face belongs to Saturn, and it is a face of rest, comfort, good living, ease, tranquillity and calm. And there rises in the third face of it a man riding an ass, and before him a beast of prey. This face belongs to Jupiter, and it is a face of depravity, licentiousness, sodomy, singing, merriment and pleasure.

25The first face of Scorpio: there rises in it a man in whose right hand is a spear and in the left a head. This face belongs to Mars, and it is complete in form and nature, and it is a face of evil, grief, wickedness and treacherous murder. And there rises in the second face of it a man riding a camel, and in his hand a scorpion. This face belongs to the Sun, and it is a face of notoriety, infamy, disgrace, and the bringing in of affliction and ruin.

26And there rises in the third face of it the image of a horse and a snake. This face belongs to Venus, and it is a face of licentiousness, depravity, and evil coupling by coercion, overpowering and force. The first face of Sagittarius: there rise in it three bodies, one of them yellow, the second white and the third red. This face belongs to Mercury, and it is a face of boldness, vigour, cheerfulness, endurance and horsemanship.

27And there rises in the second face of it a man driving cattle, and before him an ape and a wolf. This face belongs to the Moon, and it is a face of anxiety, crying out, weeping, fright, sorrow and violence.

28And there rises in the third face of it a man on whose head is a cap of gold, and he is killing another man. This face belongs to Saturn, and it is a face of riding one's desire, of wading into what is not one's valley, and of toil and striving in shame, evil, fault, what is detested, and harm.

29The first face of Capricorn: there rises in it a man holding in his right hand a reed and in the left a hoopoe. This face belongs to Jupiter, and it is a face complete in form and nature; and it is a face of merriment and liveliness, and of coming forward and turning back, in incapacity, weakness and abasement.

30There rises in the second face of it a man before whom is half an ape. This face belongs to Mars, and it is a face of seeking what is not known, and is not attained, and to which no end is reached.

31There rises in the third face of it a man with a book which he opens and closes, and before him the tail of a fish. This face belongs to the Sun, and it is a face of hardship, desire, hoarding, seeking increase, and greed.

32The first face of Aquarius: there rises in it a man with his head cut off, holding a peacock in his hand. This face belongs to Venus, and it is a face of labour, fatigue, toil, poverty, scarcity, need and lowliness.

33There rises in the second face of it the image of a man [reading uncertain: swaying], as though he were a mighty king. This face belongs to Mercury, and it is a face of beauty, nobleness, comeliness, completeness of form, and perfection of adornment and manly virtue.

34There rises in the third face of it the image of a man with his head cut off, and before him an old woman. This face belongs to the Moon, and it is a face of disgrace, notoriety and scandal.

35The first face of Pisces: there rises in it a man who has two bodies, pointing with his fingers. This face belongs to Saturn, and it is complete in form and nature; and it is a face of little might, weakness, many journeys, restless change, toil, and seeking wealth and livelihood.

36There rises in the second face of it a man turned about, holding leather in his hand. This face belongs to Jupiter, and it is a face of greatness of soul, loftiness of aspiration, and undertaking great, awesome matters.

37There rises in the third face of it a man of evil and cunning, and before him a woman whom an ass has mounted, and in her hand a bird. This face belongs to Mars, and it is a face of copulation, embracing, lust, intercourse, sexual heat, and love of ease and rest.

38So know, O you who study [this], that in the images of these faces there is a secret which none knows but the experienced learned man, discerning in the extraction of obscure matters. That is, the planet breaks the planet, the term breaks the face, and the face breaks the domicile; and the natures enter upon one another, like water which extinguishes the heat of fire, and fire which takes away the cold of water, and water which moistens the dryness of earth, and earth which dries the moisture of water.

39That is because when the natures multiply and contend for mastery, the stronger and more abundant of them prevails; and when they are equivalent and balanced, they become moderate, and their measures, actions and works become equal. And know that the Sun is strengthened by the nature of Mars, and Mars is strengthened by the nature of the Sun. And know that excess in the natures corrupts them and diminishes their completeness and perfection: after complete health comes sickness, and at the completion of the fruit comes the harvest.

40The large in substance opposes the weak by its weight and strength, and the small works upon the large by its fineness and subtlety, like the snake which kills what is large among the creeping things; and likewise the strong reptiles, the small, contemptible ants kill them by their multitude, for all their smallness and subtlety. So understand these indications.

41And the operation, according to them, in these faces is that you know what corresponds to the planet, and corresponds also to the sign of the face, among the works; then you draw what was mentioned of those images on what corresponds to the planet among the bodies, while it is in that face; for it will bring about what was mentioned of the actions and bring them forth into existence in the world of generation and corruption. And if, together with that, it is possible that the Sun be rising in the hour of that planet, or mixing with it, the matter will be more effective. And avoid, as we have mentioned, that the Sun be with a planet that overpowers that nature.