The Geomantic Figures - Insights from paper divination

[anon74630111]

Here I’m going to note and interpret insights into the Geomantic figures as I go along with an experimental method.

I had this idea randomly to crumple up a paper 3 times with the geomantic figure on it and see what images arise from it when I open it up. Similiar to Geomantic Scrying, except with a tool.

So the first figure is Puer, meaning Boy, it is fire with air and earth, water being unmanifest. It’s ruling element is Air, and it’s outer element is Fire. Planet is Mars and Sign is Aries. It is also a mobile figure.

The first image that appeared to me in the lines was 2 knights in full armor standing back to back to each other. The one on the right has his hand raised upward, painting at the sky - the first idea was that he is giving a motivating speech to a group of soldiers, as the essence of Puer is tremendous energy and strong will, striving to move forward. The second idea that I saw was that he has both hands raised upwards in prayer, a prayer to Aries before entering battle. Puer is pure masculine energy and in the Renaissance men were associated with study of philosophy and religion.
The knight on the left is image of the future, as in Geomancy the witness on the right represents the past, the witness on the left represents the future. The knight has his hand pointed forward instead of upwards, signalling an army to charge the enemy. War and bravery, taking direct action.

The next image I saw was a four pointed star, like a compass. But I interpret the star to mean expanding, moving outwards in all directions, conquering. At first I saw the star as a shield.

The next image I got was an empty hourglass, representing sudden change, immediate action, no time for waiting anymore.

The next image was a man in ceremonial clothing, a priest, with both arms outstretched reaching to the heavens. Religion involved with the war, giving a blessing to the troops.

The next image was a knight riding on a horse into battle. Charging forward into battle, fast action, strength and energy.

The next image was a man climbing up a cliff, he has great motivation and determination to reach the top, failure is not an option here, the only way is to push through.

Now I got an image that was the letter V, I did not understand what this means at all, but later I realised when divining a name with Geomancy, Puer represents the letter V when it does not pass elsewhere in the chart. Very interesting.

The overall scene here is a kingdom going to war. Everything is working together, there is fire - Motivation, energy, bravery. There is air - Working together to win. Religion also representing the mind and body working together. There is earth - The kingdom has great strength and stability. But water is unmanifest, there is no emotion, there is no reflection…

I did also see another image from the V, it was a humanoid bird-like creature with extremely long wings, but this was an attempt to interpret the V as I did not understand it, so it may not have any meaning here. Although perhaps it means the darker side of Puer, as I felt great darkness and negative emotions from this creature, it was about to attack anything, being completely hostile. But that does not really fit well with the symbolism of Puer as far as I’ve seen, and my intuition says it’s not part of the scene here.

[anon74630111]

I should note that Puer is not necessarily good for getting along with others or ending conflicts between others (definitely not) but it’s very good when you can work together with someone to accomplish some goal.

Also, it’s appeared to me now that the star I saw could be a badge, as traditionally Puer is a symbol of Justice.

[anon74630111]

The next figure is Amissio, meaning ‘Loss’
It’s structure is:

Fire: Active
Air: Passive
Water: Active
Earth: Passive

Ruling Element: Fire
Outer Element: Earth

Planet: Venus
Sign: Taurus

Amissio represents loss in every sense, favorable when you want to lose something and unfavorable when you want to keep or gain something. But the figure is favorable for love, “losing your heart”.

This scene was much longer than the one for Puer and a lot harder to interpret but it was very insightful into the figure.

The first image was of a robed woman holding her infant child close to her, there’s an air of sadness.

The second image was of Puella, the other Venus figure. The connection between these two figures being that both can represent love, and Puella often represents something that is lost eventually.

The third image was a big bell. A church bell.

The fourth image was the heart symbol, symbolic of love.

Now the scene painted here seems to be of a wedding. But the next image gives the idea of a funeral, seems to be a mix of both a wedding and a funeral, one is loss of life, the other is losing one’s heart.

The fifth image was a woman dressed in black, seemingly on her way to a funeral.

The sixth image was a man, seeming angry, with his arm raised towards someone, criticising them. Idea of the groom having second thoughts and being criticised by this man. Representing the water side of Amissio. Water represents change, and self reflection. And Amissio sure has an inner world involved as well.

The seventh image is of a bishop walking with a staff in hand, seemingly to the church.

The eighth image was a ghost travelling in front of the bishop, heading to the same destination. Perhaps the bishop is close to death.

The ninth image was a bow-tie, perhaps the groom is ready.

The tenth image was a man with armor dressed in a black cloak. Perhaps kneeling in front of a grave. Paying respects.

The eleventh image was a big heart pierced by an arrow, or a spear. Love increasing, or a heart wounded. Attachment can bring great wounds, and it mostly ends with grief. Once something is gained, it can only be lost, although loss does not always mean sadness. The possessive nature of Taurus plays a big role.

The twelfth image was a woman holding her child (perhaps the same as the first) with her other hand raised, giving a speech, perhaps about the groom, and it seems to be in a positive manner, a speech giving praise.

The thirteenth image was a wise angel dressed in robes, walking down a path like a monk. Piety and self restraint comes to mind.

The fourteenth image was of a hooded person with head bowed in silent prayer. Amissio is not always a figure of action, sometimes it represents one person falling in love but doesn’t have the same feelings, nothing comes of it. It is mostly internal action.

The fifteenth image was a man with a pointy hat and green clothing like a jester, sneaking into somewhere. Possibly a thief.

The sixteenth image was a man with a cloak and a hat fashioned like an eagle, bowing his head, looking downwards at something.

The seventeenth image was a bishop with his arms raised towards the heavens, giving a speech or prayer. The marriage.

The eighteenth image was on right side of the bishop, it is the bride standing. Eyes looking forward.

The nineteenth image was someone in full robes with a large pointed hat pointing seemingly at the bishop. There is judgement.

The twentieth image was a large shield or crystal of some kind.

The twenty-first image was a man dressed in black, dressed like a thief, demanding money. Possibly the one being pointed at by the other man. This one representing loss of wealth.

The twenty-second, the last image, was the face of a man, just above where I drew the figure, smiling. He had an extremely detailed face. Loss of worries… loss is not inherently bad, losing attachment can bring true happiness. Attachment is purely mental, but physical changes can bring about a loss of mental attachment.

So, overall this focuses a lot on the love side of Amissio. And marriage here should not be looked at as a formal one, with the heavy use of religious symbols here, it is a spiritual “marriage”, it goes beyond formality, it is the loss of one’s heart to another, and action, water with fire.

Loss of life can being great grief and mourning to loved ones, to the dead great peace, loss of attachment. External changes bring internal changes.

Now Amissio may also represent physical loss, but it usually has an effect on the inner world. So this whole scene is interesting to me as I thought of Amissio as mostly representing a material kind of loss, but it’s clear that the inner world plays a large part here with Amissio, even if it’s interactions are mostly to do with the outside world with its Outer Element being Earth, and action also plays a big role, with the Ruling Element being Fire and the structure of the figure being Fire with Water.

[Alexane22]

Now that’s gonna be a very interesting and informative thread, can’t wait to learn more

I had no idea Amissio was favorable when it comes to love matters, didn’t think about it in terms of “losing your heart”.
Although it seems to me as a double edged sword figure. Especially with the scene you describe, a mix between a wedding and a funeral.
Since it’s not always a figure of action I wonder if it could also hold the meaning of someone losing himself to love.

[anon74630111]

@Alexane22

Although it seems to me as a double edged sword figure. Especially with the scene you describe, a mix between a wedding and a funeral.

In my experience, when it refers to love, for me it’s mostly just been one person who falls in love, and it does not end happily. So it can very well be a double-edged sword depending on the other person’s reaction. Of course, if it’s about what a romantic interest’s feelings towards you are, it can be a very favorable sign in that case.

@Alexane22

Since it’s not always a figure of action I wonder if it could also hold the meaning of someone losing himself to love.

Definitely, I’ve seen that happen a few times when this figure pops up.

[anon74630111]

I’m not sure if I will complete this journal with insights into all 16 figures. So much has changed since I started this thread and these divinatory insights. I’ve gained knowledge on the Qabalah, and seen what the Geomantic correspondences with the Tarot are, and gained greater insight into Astrology, and more, and I continue to do so. But I may return in the future, possibly with a new thread with a different method, if I don’t complete this.

At least I found, in a moment of inspiration, this wonderful method of crumpling up a piece of paper and using it for divination, which I also taught to someone else and we have used it on each other and there were very interesting results, so it’s a nice and practical method! And looking back at what I saw here, and what I wrote here, there were things given here that link so well to the Tarot, Qabalistic, and Astrological correspondences that I had absolutely no idea of at the time I started this, and it’s honestly amazing.

But, I did do another reading which I didn’t add here before, so while I MIGHT not finish this journal (Although, I will probably start a new thread someday), I’m going to add this reading on the figure of Albus, which I actually did last year, apparently on the 27th of January, but I never got around to adding it here. If I remember correctly, I was very lightly intoxicated when I did the reading, which helped to relax the mind for this and helped in it.

So, I present to you, Albus:

The name is Latin for “White”, and is a more spiritual figure, so as you will see, the images gained are more mystical in nature.
The structure of the Figure is:

Fire: Passive
Air: Passive
Water: Active
Earth: Passive

Ruling Element: Water
Outer Element: Air

Planet: Mercury
Sign: Gemini

Albus is a Figure of Elemental Water, being its only manifest element. It’s a very peaceful figure as opposed to its reverse figure, Rubeus (“Red”), which is a figure of intense and often times self-destructive passion. When Albus appears in divination, while it is peaceful and generally favorable, it is weak in some cases, and so strength and aid is usually needed to go further. With its planet being Mercury and its sign being Gemini, the figure is also related to the mind and interaction, but it is a figure of detachment. The rest of the meaning of the figure will be explored below.

Note: Below each image, I’ll give my current interpretation of each image:

The Images:

The First Image (Which I saw after crumpling the paper only once):
I see a pyramid or upwards pointing triangle.

Comment: My first thought was Elemental Fire but I feel it is a symbol of the mind ascending to a spiritual or “higher” way of thinking. Fire is also closest to spirit so the two don’t conflict much, but I feel this is related to the mind.

The Second Image (After crumpling the paper the second time):

I see a square, and two points radiating from the top of it, looks almost like a rabbit.

Comment: Could be the development of the triangle. I don’t much understanding of Geometry in terms of the mystical meaning of the shapes, so I’m not entirely sure about this one yet. Perhaps someone else can help with that, as this seems to have a sort of Qabalistic meaning to it.
Otherwise, I feel it could be referring to the mind being kept within the self. That is, a negative aspect of Albus, being too caught up in inner awareness.

The Third Image (After crumpling it for the third time):

I see a long legged bird in water - it might be a Gazelle, which came to mind.

Correction: I think I meant a Flamingo here. I might not have wanted to disrupt the session and my lightly altered state of mind to search for the proper name (Flamingo, possibly), so I wrote Gazelle, which is a completely different animal… Pretty damn weird and kind of embarrassing.

Comment: The water mixed with the pelican could represent the calm aspect of elemental water, which fits the figure well. Flamingos tend to be associated with love, so it might refer to a mystical love sprouting from Albus, possibly, or the calm love of gentle interaction. There may be other meanings in this, as I’m not sure entirely what the meaning of Pink and Flamingos are, but they seem to be calm.

The Fourth Image:

I see a horse with a magnificent headdress, looks Egyptian in design, royalty.

Comment: Quite an interesting image. Could have to do with ruling by peace. The Horse’s headdress may represent that it is under the rulership of a mighty power. It’s position on the head may refer to it being intellectual. The Horse may represent the power to use what has been granted. Or to present something smoothly and swiftly. Could be a symbol of intuition or divination originating from a mighty, “higher” source. Or power within, with association with divine Royalty. Possibly earthly in some cases.

The Fifth Image:

I see a cross, first appearing to be a mummy.

Comment: Interesting that it is another image that seems to be related to Egypt. I believe the Cross here was like the common image of the crucifix. But as a cross, there is an intersection, which could refer to ideas being formulated and knowledge gained or exchanged. Could also be knowledge gained originating from a higher source.

The Sixth Image:

A beautiful creature like a horse looking back on itself. Its head seems like gold and more cubic in nature. It’s admiring its beauty and looking backwards.

Comment: Well I actually still remember this image slightly. A second horse image, again with elements of royalty and here another square shape. This could be a figure of great power. The images aren’t royal figures but figures represented by royal power. In the Tarot, Albus is the Geomantic correspondence to The Lovers, called “The Children of the Voice: The Oracle of the Mighty Gods”. There’s clearly a link to that, even though this was written long before I knew the expanded meaning of the Tarot, and you’ll find the previous readings also have such meanings built into it. It’s because the meaning of this force is best shown through the Qabalah. But otherwise here, this figure obviously also has to do with the internal, being at peace at one’s self, admiring and recognizing one’s beauty, and I would say “divinity” as that came to mind but I’m not sure if that is accurate. It’s Golden head could be related to power and the rest indicating that power turned inwards, not escaping, but perhaps it has an effect on the rest of the world, or interacting with the rest of the world.

The Seventh Image:

I see a mighty eagle landing on the back of the horse-like creature, the horse is looking back at the giant eagle.

Comment: I believe this is an evolution of the previous image. Clear image linking to higher knowledge and insight being in union with the self, who moves swiftly. Intuition. Link to the spiritual world of might and royalty. The Mighty Gods.

The Eight Image:

I see another upwards pointing triangle, like previously.

Comment: Interesting that it appeared again. Might again be the link with a higher source of information, but the triangle is also associated with Binah, Sphere of Saturn, and Albus is the Path between Binah and Tiphareph, the Sphere of the Sun. That is, the force of Binah made known to the individual. Intuition from a higher source. Intuition is essentially time-bending insight, and Binah and Saturn govern time. It could be that stream made known, accessed. The triangle could be the mind flowing towards a stream of higher consciousness. As I write this I saw a vision of a man touching the bottom of his cheeks with both hands, looking up with the Sunlight falling onto his face. Relief and looking up to a higher source. Upliftment.

The Ninth Image:
I see a moth, or a butterfly hatching from its cocoon.

Comment: I associate moths with intellect and the air element. It is subtle quiet flight of the mind. When I did this reading, I didn’t realize how connected Albus is to the Intellect, so when I first saw the moth I was surprised. But this is interesting now as when you look at the moth, it is like a Watery part of Air

The Tenth Image:
I see a beautiful butterfly.

Comment: Calmness, and beauty. Again a calm air element with the gentle flight of the Butterfly. Could be a representation of the gentle nature of Albus when it comes to mind and in general, and it is very well linked to the mind with Mercury and Gemini.

The Eleventh Image:
I see a man running free in the field, he is joyous.

Comment: Stillness and joy of being alone. The openness of the mind. The joy of the internal and calm of the surroundings. Representation of the calmness of Albus. It takes joy from the atmosphere. An air of innocence and exploration. The unceasing process of the mind when it is willing to learn and be open like the mind of a child. The field could also be internal in a sense. But good surroundings lead to a good and free emotional state, as the emotions are receptive like water.

The Twelfth Image:
I see a man dressed in white robes with his arms raised upwards and forwards, a prophet.

Comment: White - Albus. Again, a communicator of the divine. Clear link to ‘The Children of the Voice, The Oracle of the Mighty Gods’. One who communicates from a source that is accessed internally. Can be one who oversees a community. They listen to him. They receive what he puts out. He connects with others.

The Thirteenth Image:
I see a T, or something with its arms spread out and body long or another cross.

Comment: Possibly another sign of the process of information being pieced together, made known.

The Fourteenth Image:
I see a bird-like creature landing, arms and legs spread out and it has a human-like face. It seems like a wise being.

Comment: The wisdom of Albus. The Air element is clear, with it having wings for greater mobility, and its human-like face linking to intellect. It reaches in every direction to gain knowledge and peace. Albus is a figure of intellect. The wisdom of the creature referring to the peaceful style of Albus

The Fifteenth Image:
I see a Phoenix like creature going into the heavens, wings spread out to show its beauty. It comes to a halt in the air for this purpose.

Comment: A symbol of Fire that is not the Upwards Pointing Triangle seen earlier. Perhaps there is fire related to this figure in some way. The Sun is obviously connected to fire. A message to me to not disregard the fire aspect of Albus. And again, a figure of swiftness and mobility, and beauty representing the calmness of Albus. When it comes to a halt, it reveals its peace and splendor to others. The rebirth aspect of the Pheonix could represent Albus’ possible openness when it comes to intellect making oneself like a child again. The fire aspect of it may be that the mind “rises/ascends”.

And that was all the images. Very interesting scene here. Much of the knowledge of these images I didn’t know until know, so it was very interesting to explore it and its links. And I may learn more from the images in the future. I will see what I shall do next when it comes to Geomancy on here. I might continue this journal or start a new one some time in the future with a different method used. But maybe I’ll add more comments and even comment on the previous figures.