Where were we? We’re in the middle of discussing the obscure Telescope of Zoroaster (ZT), a manual of divination and spirituality originally published in French in 1796 (FZT) at the close of the French Revolution, which was later translated into German in 1797 (GZT) and then again in an abridged form as part of Johann Scheible’s 1846 Das Kloster (vol. 3, part II, chapter VII) (KZT), with Scheible’s work then translated into English in 2013 as released by Ouroboros Press (OZT). Although OZT is how most people nowadays tend to encounter this system, I put out my own English translation of FZT out a bit ago as part of my research, and while that translation was just part of the work I’ve been up to, there’s so much more to review, consider, and discover when it comes to this fascinating form of divination. Last time, we talked about how ZT considers its own notion of the “Great Cabala” and why it’s not what people think at first glance. If you need a refresher on what we talked about last time, go read the last post!
※ For those following along with their own copy of ZT (get yours here!), the relevant chapters from ZT are the “Third Step”, “First Supplement”, and “Third Supplement”.
We’ve covered enough of the preliminary big things in these first few posts that clear up (at least some of) the literary and contextual concerns about ZT. While there’s certainly plenty more to discuss the overall cosmology and spirituality of ZT, we need to talk technique first to make any sense of it. We’ll start with the actual method and system of ZT today, beginning with the basic symbol set that we use for our tools. If you’ll recall from back in the first post of this series, dear reader, I mentioned how I consider a good description of ZT to be “numerological sortilege with an astrological flair”. This wasn’t an exaggeration: every form of divination that involves sortilege (i.e. some variation on casting lots, obtaining random symbols from some store of such symbols), like Tarot or geomancy, requires some symbol set, and for ZT, the symbols used are the nine planets and the numbers 1 through 99.
And yup, it’s nine planets, at least in a sense. ZT makes use of a nine-planet model based on the traditional seven from the usual Western esoteric systems we all know and love. In ZT, there are still the planets Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn (just as we’d expect normally), but the Sun and Moon get treated a little differently: while astronomically there is just one of each luminary, in the Great Cabala of ZT there are two: a material Sun and a spiritual Sun as well as a material Moon and a spiritual Moon. For this reason, ZT draws a distinction between planets and planetary intelligences, and for the purposes of divination, it’s the planetary intelligences that form part of our symbol set. (I know, I know, I’m upset that ZT doesn’t make use of the North and South Nodes of the Moon, which would be more traditional for Western astrological practice, but then, ZT is very much dead set against astrology and how Western esotericism does stuff anyway, so whatever.) It’s important to note that ZT makes use of the term “intelligences”, which those who are familiar with grimoiric or more “high church”-kinds of magic are familiar with for being another term for a spiritual entity. In some texts, though, “intelligence” is not representative of all kinds of spiritual entities. In his Three Books of Occult Philosophy, for instance, Cornelius Agrippa draws a distinction between planetary intelligences and planetary spirits, the former being in charge of the direction, throttling, and manifestation of the power of a planet, while the latter is more in charge of the actual flow, presence, and activity of a planet. In the case of ZT, however, where “intelligence” is a super common term encountered in general, it may be assumed that when ZT talks about “intelligences” it’s talking about celestial or heavenly entities in general.
Also, a small side-point of clarification here about the ZT text in general: the author of ZT likes using the terms “physical” and “moral” to distinguish between different aspects of things. The former makes sense to us as-is, but the latter doesn’t mean something like “pertaining to matters of correct or acceptable behavior”. Rather, the author of ZT uses “moral” to refer to all things spiritual and ethereal, just as “physical” also refers to all things of matter and corporeality. Maybe this is just a trend in how people spoke back then, so I might be making a mountain out of a molehill, but I at least find it notable from a translator’s perspective.
So, nine planetary intelligences, alright. Each of them has one or two names; in all cases, at least one name for the intelligences is based on some sort of Greek-like name (which is the name used throughout ZT). For seven of these nine intelligences, an alternative name derived from Greco-Latin is also given for some of the intelligences (these latter names being claimed to come from “another work, probably more modern than the one which guides us”, which may well be a literary deceit). As with the ZT text itself, we’ll stick to using the primarily Greek-like names given first (and given below in bold) for our study.
- Genhelia (matter-Sun ☉), whose name can be derived from Greek γενηλια genēlia “sun-born”. Alternate name is “Physia” (variant of Greek φυσις phusis “nature”).
- Seleno (matter-Moon ☾), whose name can be derived from Greek σεληνος variant of σεληνη selēnē “moon”. Alternate name is “Hydrogaeo” (male variant of a combination of Greek words for “Water-Earth”).
- Erosia (Venus ♀︎), whose name can be derived from Greek ερωσια erōsia variant of ερως erōs “love”. No alternate name given.
- Panurgio (Mercury ☿), whose name can be derived from Greek πανουργιος panourgios “knave, ruffian”. Alternate name is “Ruffieno” (“ruffian” or, more literally, “pimp”).
- Lethophoro (Saturn ♄), whose name can be derived from Greek ληθηφορος lēthēphoros “Lethe-bringing” or “forgetful-bringing”. No alternate name given.
- Aglaé (Jupiter ♃), whose name can be derived from Greek αγλαια aglaia “splendor, shining”. Alternate name is “Fulgida” (Latin for “shining, flashing”).
- Adamasto (Mars ♂︎), whose name can be derived from Greek αδαμαστος adamastos “unsubdued, unconquerable”. Alternate name is “Gorgonio” (a play off of the Greek Gorgon and a name used for several Christian martyrs).
- Psykomena (spirit-Moon ☽), whose name can be derived from Greek ψυχομηνη psychomēnē “soul-moon”. Alternate name is “Phosphorina” (variant of Greek φωσφορος phōsphoros “light-bringer”).
- Psykelia (spirit-Sun ◎), whose name can be derived from Greek ψυχηλια psychēlia “soul-sun”. Alternate name is “Celsina” (variant of Latin celsus “tall, high, prominent”).
Before we continue, a note on the symbols used for the planets. As with usual astrological tradition, the glyphs used to represent the non-luminary planets of Venus, Mercury, Saturn, Jupiter, and Mars are the same as expected in any text. Genhelia (matter-Sun) is represented by the usual solar glyph of a circle with a dot in the middle, while Psykelia (spirit-Sun) is represented with a circle with another circle inside (which may or may not have a dot in the middle of its inner circle). Seleno (matter-Moon) and Psykomena (spirit-Moon) are both represented with crescent moon glyphs, but Seleno has the points of its crescent pointed towards the right and Psykomena’s towards the left.
ZT doesn’t just stop at giving the high-level information there, however. A description of the domain, nature, and activity of each intelligence is also provided:
Genhelia ☉
This Intelligence presides over birth, growth, and the formation of the organs; over health and all good natural affections; and over family ties, from parenthood to the most remote affinity. She is sympathetic, serene, gentle, active, and willingly favorable.Seleno ☾
This Intelligence presides over all the same things as Genhelia, but is an Intelligence that is filthy, selfish, temperamental, and lazy. He disputes with his rival over all the habits of the body which contract through the concurrence of secondary causes. What Genhelia strives to improve or change through education, Seleno willingly corrupts.Erosia ♀︎
This Intelligence exclusively governs love, either as a passion of the soul or as a universal mode of reproduction. She knows all the joys and all the sorrows that love involves, all its pleasures and all its pains, and of all its moral and physical excesses. She is a burning Intelligence, but a good, magnetic, and vital one all the same.Panurgio ☿
This Intelligence presides over the agility of the body, its tricks of skill and strength, and the finesse of the mind and spirit. He governs and protects all kinds of industries, is prodigiously active, and his most commendable qualities are in interpersonal skills and eloquence in language. However, he is selfish, insensitive, cunning, prone to deceit, and humanity is directed through him towards the earning of wealth, illicit or otherwise, than towards success which results from thoughtfulness.Lethophoro ♄
This is the only essentially evil Intelligence, who presides over all the afflictions of humanity from melancholy to despair and from discomfort to death. He distributes all causes of failure, ruin, disease, and dying; he is weak, unfeeling, jealous, and resentful; he hinders all virtues and serves all the disorganizing passions of the social order.Aglaé ♃
This Intelligence has essentially the same field as that of Panurgio, but purifies and ennobles everything of which its rival makes ill use. She fertilizes all virtues and all useful or estimable talents, restores what is proper to the arts and sciences, and inspires in humanity a disinterested ambition which directs one towards public esteem and fame than towards opulence. Aglaé is frank, fair, and noble, and she distributes literary success, honors, dignities, and all rewards of true merit.Adamasto ♂︎
This Intelligence presides over any violence, whether merely intended or actually done. He governs war in general and quarrels in particular, and causes the shedding of blood; however, he is generous, open-minded, and incapable of resentment. Adamasto willingly submits to the influence of Erosia who tempers and tames him, as well as to the influence of Aglaé who constantly shows to Adamasto the danger of disgrace, as well as to the influence of Psykelia who spurs Adamasto on to glory. Adamasto’s faultless work is tireless, and his crimes are of his primary movement, but without any stain of baseness or betrayal. Adamasto is, in short, more tempestuous than dangerous, and is only incidentally destructive.Psykomena ☽
This Intelligence can be called the “Overseer of the Whirlwind of the Immoral World”, who presides over all errors and follies, and who distributes to all indiscriminately all shortcomings, ridiculous non-issues, and all the innumerable strivings for trivial perfections that result in no real use in the final result of a thing. She inspires false steps, dictates frivolous productions, draws up vain projects, and constantly excites humanity into the chasing of some chimera or other. Though libertine and insensitive, she is without gall, a night without malice, serving as she does without generosity. She is especially influential over very young men, old people, and the female sex in general.Psykelia ◎
This Intelligence is as transcendent in good as Lethophoro is in evil, and sows happiness on all careers open to humanity. She increases the influence of auspicious Intelligences and corrects the malignity of harmful malicious ones; she prepares all great fortunes and unexpected illustriousness. Opulence, victory, and triumph attach themselves to wherever she looks. She renders sublime all good sentiments; she exalts fidelity, constancy, friendship, love, and courage. She maintains the fire of genius, pulling humans out of their worst steps and purifying them to be able to reach for the highest degree of perfection allowable by human nature.
All in all, the natures of the intelligences are about what one would expect for their respective planets, though with a much dimmer view of the lunar intelligences and of Saturn than I would have expected, and a much more realistic and frank one of Mercury than is often encountered or appreciated.
It is on the basis of these nine planetary intelligences (hereafter just “Intelligences”) that we can then proceed to the Numbers. In the system of ZT, each of the numbers from 1 to 99 is given a set of significations that build up numerologically from simple principles. Those principles are themselves the Intelligences, each of which is given to one of the “primitive Numbers”, or the single digits 1 through 9, in the same order as the Intelligences are shown above: 1 to Genhelia, 2 to Seleno, 3 to Erosia, 4 to Panurgio, 5 to Lethophoro, 6 to Aglaé, 7 to Adamasto, 8 to Psykomena, and 9 to Psykelia. It should be stressed that the Intelligences are not numbers themselves, but receive these numbers as a lord does a vassal; in other words, the Intelligences are on a higher ontological level than the primitive Numbers, and the primitive Numbers act as representatives of the Intelligences.
After the primitive Numbers come the compound Numbers, which are double-digit numbers that are themselves composed of the primitive numbers plus the null digit (0). Each compound number falls into a group of numbers established by the primitive Number it reduces to: the standard numerological procedure of “adding up all the digits until you get a single digit number” is the process here, such that 45 → 4 + 5 = 9, 66 → 6 + 6 = 12 → 1 + 2 = 3, and so forth (or, more mathematically, take the number modulo 9, i.e. divide the number by 9 and take the remainder, replacing a 0 result with 9). To keep track of all this, ZT provides a table of numbers which maps the 99 numbers to the planetary intelligences. What’s neat about this, though is that because there are 99 numbers and we add another 9 to them (the Intelligences), if we plot out each series of 9 on separate rows, we get twelve rows total (because 99 + 9 = 108 and 108 ÷ 9 = 12). What ZT does with that fact is that it allots each consecutive set of nine symbols to one of the twelve signs of the Zodiac in order, as below:
Aries | ☉ | ☾ | ♀︎ | ☿ | ♄ | ♃ | ♂︎ | ☽ | ◎ |
Taurus | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
Gemini | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 |
Cancer | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 |
Leo | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 |
Virgo | 37 | 38 | 39 | 40 | 41 | 42 | 43 | 44 | 45 |
Libra | 46 | 47 | 48 | 49 | 50 | 51 | 52 | 53 | 54 |
Scorpio | 55 | 56 | 57 | 58 | 59 | 60 | 61 | 62 | 63 |
Sagittarius | 64 | 65 | 66 | 67 | 68 | 69 | 70 | 71 | 72 |
Capricorn | 73 | 74 | 75 | 76 | 77 | 78 | 79 | 80 | 81 |
Aquarius | 82 | 83 | 84 | 85 | 86 | 87 | 88 | 89 | 90 |
Pisces | 91 | 92 | 93 | 94 | 95 | 96 | 97 | 98 | 99 |
This table is originally given (and far more beautifully rendered) in ZT as “Plate 2”. While there are a bunch of other elements on this illustration which we’ll get around to covering, let’s just take a look at the table of numbers itself:
When we take a step back and look at all the Numbers, we can divide up the Numbers into several groups:
- Primitive Numbers: numbers composed of single digits (9 total)
- Compound Numbers: numbers composed of two digits (90 total)
- Simple Compound Numbers: numbers composed of two digits where both digits are different and nonzero (72 total)
- Double Compound Numbers: numbers composed of the same digit twice, i.e. a primitive number multiplied by 11 (9 total)
- Tenfold Compound Numbers: numbers composed of one primitive digit and one zero digit, i.e. a primitive number multiplied by 10 (9 total)
As I said earlier, each of these 9 Intelligences and 99 Numbers has their own set of significations and meanings. That said, we don’t have to memorize meanings for them all, because there’s a trick to it: you only really need to learn the meanings of the Intelligences and the primitive Numbers, and the rest all fall along in a nice, convenient pattern.
As an example, consider the primitive numbers 3 and 7. 3 is the number of Erosia (Venus), and has the meaning of “object of the heart, fecundity, fertility” (under Erosia’s general signification of “love, the universal magnet”). 7, likewise, is the number of Adamasto (Mars), and has the meaning of “military status, chiefs, sometimes competitors” (under Adamasto’s own general signification of “the strength of soul and body, violence, the element of fire”). Now, if we take 3 and 7 and combine them into a compound number, we get either 37 or 73. In both cases, these numbers reduce to 1 (3 + 7 = 10 and 3 + 7 = 10 , but 10 → 1 + 0 = 1), which is the number of Genhelia (matter-Sun). Because of this, both 37 and 73 have something to do with Genhelia’s general domain. In the case of 37, the meaning is “burning senses, amorous passion”; in the case of 73, “rapt in love, romantic/novelesque adventures” (with “romantic” used in the older sense of fantastic stories of chivalry and nobility”). Note how both 37 and 73 retain their basic Venereal and Martian qualities (their single digits), but permuted in different ways within the general contextual scope of matter-Sun (their reductions to a primitive number).
To hammer in the lesson, let’s also consider the numbers 5 and 8. 5 is the number of Lethophoro (Saturn), and has the meaning of “ruin, fatal illness, secret enemy” (under Lethophoros’s general signification of “death, darkness, the element of water”); 8 is the number of Psykomena (spirit-Moon), and has the meaning of “the feminine being, the social whirlwind” (under Psykomena’s general signification of “mistake, vanities, inconstancy, foreign countries”). The compound numbers 58 and 85 both reduce to 4 (5 + 8 = 13 and 8 + 5 = 13, and 13 → 1 + 3 = 4), putting both these numbers under the domain of Panurgio (Mercury). 58 has the meaning of “deceived wife, sometimes her death”; 85 has the meaning of “treacherous woman, sometimes testament”. Again, note how the compound numbers retain their basic qualities of Saturn and spirit-Moon (according to their single digits) but play out in different ways according to the context of Mercury (their reduction).
We see these things touched on in the list of advice and considerations given towards the end of ZT:
- Let us never tire of reflecting on the attributes assigned to each Intelligence, and what about these attributes are respectively analogous to each other or incompatible with each other.
- Let us deeply penetrate into the primitive quality that each simple number has, inasmuch as it is often the representative of its own planet and recalls it everywhere it may be.
- Let it be ingrained that whenever a simple number appears joined with another to form a compound number, each of the two digits still preserves something that is primitively proper to them, wherever it may fall in some mirror or in some orbit, even one most foreign to its planet or angel.
In general, if we look at the meanings of the compound Numbers, we see a pattern arising: the basic planetary concept expressed by the tens digit acts upon or makes use of the basic planetary concept of the ones digit (e.g. 85 = spirit-Moon on Saturn = woman making use of ruin, but 58 = Saturn on spirit-Moon = ruin falling upon woman). We just have to remember that each compound Number is bound by three things: the two separate digits it is composed of and the single digit it reduces to. Thus, although one could conceivably come up with any number of things that 37 might resolve to being “Venus acting upon/making use of Mars” for weal or for woe, we have to remember that we are bound by the semantic limitations of these things falling in line with the general field of matter-Sun (because 37 reduces to 1).
At least, that’s the general idea for understanding the compound Numbers in general, but that works especially for the “simple compound Numbers” (e.g. 78, 29, 32), where a compound Number has two nonzero digits that are different from each other. What about the other two kinds of compound numbers?
- For the double compound numbers (aka “doublets” where both digits are the same, i.e. a primitive number multiplied by 11 like 22, 33, 44, etc.), it’s a similar deal as before: take the single digit, compound it upon itself, and interpret it in the context of the primitive number it reduces to. For instance, consider 6, the primitive number of Aglaé (Jupiter), which has the meaning of “prudence, wisdom, great magistracy” (under Aglaé’s general signification of “fame, arts and sciences, the element of air”). If we double the number (or, more accurately, multiply it by 11) to get 66, then this number reduces to 66 → 6 + 6 = 12 → 1 + 2 = 3, the number of Erosia (Venus). As a result, 66 has the indication of “legal marriage, social concord” (Jupiter acting on Jupiter within the context of Venus). Likewise, using numbers we’ve already encountered before, if we take the number 7 of Adamasto (Mars) and double it, then we get the number 77 which reduces to 77 → 7 + 7 = 14 → 1 + 4 = 5, the number of Lethophoro (Saturn); 77 has the indication of “severe physical accident, violent death”. It’s the same process as before.
- For the tenfold compound numbers (aka “nilled numbers” where the ones digit is 0, i.e. a primitive number multiplied by 10 like 20, 30, 40, etc.), the result is a little different. In the system of ZT, even though zero is a digit, it is not a primitive Number, and so has no Intelligence associated with it. In this case, a nilled number will always appear in the same column as the primitive number of its corresponding tens digit (e.g. 70 will always appear in the column of Adamasto/Mars because 70 → 7 + 0 = 7). Such a compound Number has a general indication of the privation, diminution, or depletion of its primitive Number’s general idea. Thus, 70 can be read as “weakening of Mars”, and thus has the meaning of “weakness, discouragement, cowardice”; 30 can be read as “weakening of Venus” → “celibacy, chastity, monasteries, insensitivity”; 40 can be read as “weakening of Mercury” → “aborted wealth, empty plans or intrigues”. This is a slightly different pattern than the rest of the compound numbers.
That’s all there is to it: by understanding what the basic meanings of the digits 1 through 9 are, we can permute them and reduce them to come up with a rather specific set of meanings in a well-defined semantic field. In this way, ZT has its own sort of “astrological numerology”, and rather than having to memorize a set of indications for every Number from 1 through 99 in addition to the nine Intelligences themselves, one really just needs to learn the nine Intelligences and the nine primitive Numbers and then how they can all fit together. It’s actually a really neat way to generate meanings—which is why we see warnings throughout the ZT that the tables of indications provided for meanings and significations like this are inherently limited and limiting, given that they’re only a few words long and are only meant to illustrate possible meanings that fit the tens digit/ones digit/reduction digit trifecta of symbols, rather than trying to flesh out all possible meanings. ZT, after all, “is only a key, not a treatise”.
All the same, to fill out the understanding of how the basic symbols of the numbers come together, here’s the list of indications for each of the Intelligences and the Numbers given in ZT (according to my translation of FZT). The following list of indications comes from the “First Supplement” in ZT, but note that, due to HTML/blog platform restrictions, I’m not able to put in the Unicode glyph for the list element representing the Intelligence itself; instead, the Intelligence is represented by a negative single-digit number, e.g. “-2” represents the intelligence of Seleno, while 2 is the primitive Number that pertains to Seleno.
Genhelia ☉
- Existence. Physical soul. The homeland.
- The male being. The people. Birth.
- (The male child will live only for a short time.) Short duration.
- Noble origin. Ascent of the individual.
- (A girl will be born.) Acquaintance with a woman.
- Burning senses. Amorous passion.
- Great profits. Acquisitions. Tutors. Education.
- Natural death. (Sometimes bankruptcy.)
- Losses. Trials. Legal practitioners.
- Rapt in love. Romantic adventures.
- Maternity. The mother. Productive causes.
- Great age for a man. Experience. Consideration.
Seleno ☾
- Kinship. Common interest. The Earth.
- Second causes. Society. Clubs.
- Sympathy. Dependencies. Twins.
- Breakups. Solutions of interests. Hearths.
- Whirlwinds of the Great. Courtiers. Falsehood.
- Woman giving in. Seduction. Adultery.
- Passive attacks. Debates. Outrage.
- Happiness crossed. Aborted success. Widowhood.
- The Savior. The Avenger. The Peace.
- Advantages by strength or skill.
- Woman in love. Hysterical passions.
- Powerful help. Protectors.
Erosia ♀︎
- Love. The universal magnet.
- Object of the heart. Fecundity. Fertility.
- Reproduction. Amorous enjoyment. Success.
- (A son will be born.) Nascent bond.
- Celibacy. Chastity. Monasteries. The insensitive object.
- Illustrious gallantries. Fortune through love.
- Illicit unions. Theatrical overreactors. Wanderers.
- Jealousy. Disasters by love.
- Legal marriage. (Sometimes social concord.)
- Unlucky passion. Corrosive feelings.
- Insidious woman. Perverted young man.
- Circle of delights. Fortune of chance.
Panurgio ☿
- Wealth. Trade. Travels. The seas.
- Discoveries. Intrigues. The opposing party.
- Aspirant. Talents to be treasured and cherished.
- Happy association. Friendship. Letters.
- Good fortune for a clever man. Chickens.
- Aborted wealth. Empty plans or null intrigues.
- Eloquence. Orators. Ascending.
- Deceived wife. (Sometimes her death.)
- Great success by talent. Enterprises.
- Works for glory. Monuments.
- Treacherous woman. (Sometimes testament.)
- Sublime talents. Mechanical virtuosos.
Lethophoro ♄
- Death. The night.The element water.
- Ruin. Fatal illness. Secret enemy.
- Bad faith, people thereof. (Sometimes doctors.)
- Orphans. Bastards. Those bound to misfortune.
- Incestuous passions. Shunned pleasures. Vices.
- End of a man. Violent thieves. Lawsuit lost.
- End of a loved one. (Sometimes ruin avoided.)
- Death of a great person. Public disaster.
- Dangerous enemy. Hypocrisy.
- Severe physical accident. (Sometimes violent death.)
- Hospitals. Women dedicated to the service of the sick.
- Perversity. Powerful enemies. Great crimes.
Aglaé ♃
- Fame. Arts and sciences. The air.
- Prudence. Wisdom. Great magistracy. Embassies.
- Skillful chemists. Friends of humanity.
- Family of merit. Grand establishments.
- Virtuous and constant love. Meeting of lovers.
- Social utility. All honest professions.
- Death of a sage or a friend. To be condemned.
- Desertion of good ways. Dangerous actors.
- Illustriousnesses. Titles and orders of merit.
- Passion for women. Poetic enthusiasm.
- Great virtues of women. Heroines.
- Great protectors. Virtuous path.
Adamasto ♂︎
- The strength of soul and body. Any violence. The element fire.
- Military status. Chiefs. (Sometimes competitors.)
- Great courage. Obstinacy. War.
- Family in discord. Tasks. Civil unrest.
- Careful and firm conduct in love. (Success.)
- Ascending through feelings. Beloved superiors.
- Loss of a parent or associate. To be gone.
- Father. Benefactor. Blessings. Favor.
- Weakness. Discouragement. Cowardice.
- High ranks. Military honors. Generalship.
- Pairs. (Sometimes feminine discord.)
- Strength and power. States. Armies. Public wealth.
Psykomena ☽
- Mistake. Vanities. Inconstancy. Foreign countries.
- The feminine being. The social whirlwind.
- Nonsensical passions. Punishable enthusiasm.
- Public criticism. Gossip.
- Quarrels between lovers. Absence.
- Maladministration. Shame. Correction.
- Loss of the most cherished being.
- Family authority. Prohibition. Poverty.
- Disturbed brain. (Sometimes an effeminate man.)
- Short life for a female being. (Sometimes murderers.)
- Great lady. Sovereign woman. Influential woman.
- Remarkable extravagance. Crazy and mad people.
Psykelia ◎
- Perfection. Heavenly soul. The light.
- Nobility. Elevation. All kinds of success.
- Household protected by fortune. Fortunate lineage.
- Authority over the nation. Public respect.
- Conjugal love. Happiness and virtue.
- Legacies. Success on critical occasions.
- Death of an enemy. Triumph. Lawsuit won.
- Loves favored by public opinion. Religion.
- Family strength. Federations.
- Extreme old age for a woman. Prejudices.
- Abdication. Retreat from the whirlwind. (Sometimes degradation.)
- The height of prosperity. Sovereignty. Papacy.
If this all seems like a lot, it’s because it is—but at least we know what’s generally going on. Rather than having to memorize each of the 108 indications given above as being something fixed and immutable, we just need to recognize the pattern and learn from these indications as being more like illustrative examples.
To wrap up this discussion, there are just two big questions on this topic left that we should consider. First: if you recall that Table of Numbers from before (given in Plate II), there’s not just the Intelligences and Numbers on the table, but also the signs of the Zodiac. What role do they play in establishing or fleshing out meanings of the Intelligences or Numbers? Bluntly speaking, I can’t see that they do; if we read the numbers across the table, there doesn’t seem to be a whole lot that ties in the significations to any given Zodiac sign, and ZT never brings these up at all when discussing their meanings. While it’s not outside the realm of possibility that one could involve the Zodiac signs as an extra consideration or another semantic boundary to establishing the meaning of a given Number or Intelligence, and while the relatively free approach to generating meanings might well be permitted by ZT, I don’t think ZT actually does this. In short, based on my understanding of ZT, I don’t think the Zodiac signs matter (or should matter) at all for the purpose of establishing, generating, or understanding their meanings. The signs of the Zodiac, rather, have a different function which we’ll get to later on in describing periods of life of humans and illustrating some temporal concepts, but don’t have a strong symbolic presence in the system of ZT. While one could feasibly work in the meanings of the signs of the Zodiac somehow into the overall meanings of the Intelligences or Numbers, I don’t think ZT actually implies that this should be done, rather sticking to a purely numerological approach to develop meanings.
The second (and more historically interesting) question: where is ZT getting its system of numerology from? That is a great question, frankly, and one which I struggled with for quite some time. There are many systems of numerology that involve the planets in one form or another, but it’s not as common to find one that doubles the Sun and Moon, and less common still to find any set of numerological meanings like what ZT uses. Either ZT is literally making its own system of numerology up (in the sense of giving certain numbers to certain planets), or it’s taking inspiration from some other obscure source. I have my suspicions about where it’s coming from, but it requires more context to justify and explain, and we’re not quite there yet; we’ll cover that in a future post. On the other hand, if you, dear reader, are familiar at all with similar systems, do say so down in the comments; you might be helping everyone trace the development of the system of ZT here in the process (and helping to make up for my own limited research), or at least spurring people on to research more leads to that end!
Thank you for all this valuable information!
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