Mansions of the moon came up in passing in an astrology class I’m taking with Austin Coppock. We were discussing a planet’s placement in a chart, what sign the planet is in and what dignity it has with the placement. He mentioned mansions of the moon could be considered as well.
I decided to research this a little more, because in Vedic astrology nakshatras are a parallel concept. The nakshatras are an important piece of Vedic astrology and are widely used.
One of the first places I check when I want to find out something about astrology is YouTube. Not the best source but it’s getting better! I found this video by Christopher Warnock that gives a very digestible overview of the mansions of the moon.
What are the Mansions of the Moon?
The mansions of the moon are essentially a “lunar zodiac” which trace the moons path across the sky. The moon has an orbit which takes 27.3 days to complete. It is from this orbit that we get the concept of a calendar month.
The Vedic nakshatras consist of 27 divisions and use the fixed stars.
While the Arabic mansions consist of 28 divisions and use the tropical zodiac. Arabic astrology is one of the major influences of what we now call Western Astrology.
In both Vedic and Western the divisions are of equal size.
The video goes into the sidereal vs the tropical zodiac and the use or non use of fixed stars as well as constellations. If you are curious about the technical aspects of the lunar mansions, watch the video.
The Mansions of the Moon and Astrological Magic
In Western Astrology one of the prime uses of the mansions of the moon has been for astrological magic through the use of talismans.
Each of the Mansions has a name and a spirit and these are used in the making of a talisman. The main source in regard to making talismans using the lunar mansions is the Picatrix.
The Picatrix was written in 8,100 by an Arabic astrologer. It was later translated into Spanish and then Latin. Until 1920, the Spanish and Latin versions were the only known versions.
Using the Mansions of the Moon to Make an Astrological Talisman
Making a talisman using the mansions of the moon is a fairly simple and straight forward process. The Picatrix mentioned earlier has specific information on which materials to use and how to fashion a talisman.
As modern people we can harness technology to quickly make a talisman — and that’s what we all want as modern people, right? Also, many of the materials mentioned in the picatrix are difficult to obtain or work with, and as modern people we want results quickly.
The modern work around to create a talisman quickly and with no special materials or skills is to make a paper talisman.
Using Mansions of the Moon: A Lunar Zodiac for Astrology and Magic by Christopher Warnock follow the instructions given which I will outline here. The book is very straight forward and easy to read, free from confusing jargon and academic language. As well it includes beautiful images from the Picatrix which you can use to make your talisman.
The Process of Making an Astrological Talisman
First choose the desired effect or outcome. Some of the possible classes outcomes listed in Warnock’s book include:
- Sex and love
- reconciliation
- wealth and business
- health and medicine
- protection from theft
Choose an appropriate Mansion of the Moon for the desired outcome and print out the image.
Next, find when the moon will be in the chosen mansion. The book lists days and times through 2018.
You will have to convert the UTC time given to your time zone. The book lists how many hours you must add or subtract from UTC to arrive at your local time. Or you can use this online time zone converter.
When you use the online time zone converter you want to enter the UTC time from the book in the first line of dates and times. UTC is the first one listed in the drop down under locations. Enter your current location in the second line which is labeled Location 1.
Next we must check the phase of the moon. The moon must be waxing, that is between new and full. Do not create a talisman when the moon is waning (between full and new) because the moon is losing light at that time. There are enough mansions with similar outcomes that you will be able to find one for the next phase of the moon when her light is increasing.
Set up an altar. Warnock recommends an altar at least 24 inches by 24 inches and covered with a white or silver cloth. You will also need white or silver candles 4,7, or 9 in number. 9 is the number of the moon, 4 and 7 are divisions of 28 also associated with the moon. And lastly incense appropriate to the outcome. More details are given in the book.
At the appropriate time create the talisman. Light the candles and incense. Color the paper image. Write the goal and the name of the Lord associated with the mansion on the paper talisman.
Place the talisman where you want the effect to manifest. For example place the talisman in your place of business for increased business or in your car or suitcase for travel outcomes.
The ritual can be repeated every time the moon returns to the particular mansion, thus increasing the power of the talisman.
About Christopher Warnock:
Astrology Podcast Episode with Chris Brennan
I will be creating a talisman myself in the next couple of weeks and will be posting links to further posts about it below.