Astrological Talismans: What if You Could Preserve Wondrous Moments in Amber?

[This is part of a series of posts for people who are new to astrological magic and astrological talismans to support coming into relationship with the tradition and practices.]

Have you ever had a time in your life that was so powerful, so lush, so beautiful, that you wished you could bottle the moment, crystallize it, preserving it as if in amber to savor forever?

If you really could capture the essence of a lucky, lovely moment, what would stop you from leaping at the opportunity? Just imagine: having a pendant or a ring or a stone in the palm of your hand that didn’t just remind you of a wonderful time but actually carried that time from the past forward into the present and the future. Sounds like a lovely wish.

Now, what if you discovered that this wasn’t just a wish? What if you found out that a centuries-old tradition really exists that is dedicated to the knowledge of how to preserve special, potent moments in time and bring their power ever forward into our lives?

These ‘preserved in amber’ crystallizations of auspicious, powerful moments really do exist: they are called astrological talismans.

Astrological Magic: Choosing Excellent Times

Many historical and contemporary sources extol the magical virtues of gemstones and precious metals. The tradition of astrological magic handed down through medieval and Renaissance grimoires (books of magical theory and practice) takes this one step further. In the art and science of astrological magic, we aim to choose the right moments that will supercharge the right ingredients. The combination of right moments and right ingredients is what makes an astrological talisman.

When we say ‘choose the right moments,’ we work off of the basic idea that time is not a kind of blank container in which things happen. Rather, astrological magicians see time as a flowing, animated, changing aspect of how things happen. Not all times are created equal: some moments are better than others, at least for specific purposes. Time has quality: to everything there is a season.

Astrological magic works off of the principle that there are better or worse times to take specific actions. This implies that we can intentionally and by design decide on the most excellent moments we can for enhancing the power of magical workings. Astrologers call such chosen time elections, and refer to this branch of astrology as electional astrology or catarchic astrology.

Electing magical operations entails choosing precise times that the heavens correspond to our intentions for the working rather than leaving it to chance or to our own personal feelings. So, although we cannot capture our own subjective experience and memories to hold onto them forever, we can select configurations of stars and planets that are worth holding onto in the form of a talisman.

Astrological Talismans: Crystallizing Excellent Times

Once astrological mages choose an an excellent time, they choose the right ingredients and ceremonial procedures to craft an astrological talisman. Astrological magicians hold that each type of thing that exists here on earth—each plant, each animal, each stone—has a particular affinity to one or more celestial powers. These powers correspond primarily to the seven traditional planets (Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, and the two luminaries, the Sun and the Moon, which are also called planets in this tradition). Astrological mages also attend to fixed stars, constellations, and other celestial powers as well.

So, for example, the Renaissance physician, theologian, and magician Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa assigned selenite and quartz to the Moon. Beryl and carnelian belonged to Venus. And amethyst and topaz had affinity with Jupiter, and so on. Sources in the tradition also associated particular herbs with particular stars and planets.

By collecting stones, herbs, and offerings of a particular celestial entity at the right time and through the right procedures (i.e., performing the correct ritual actions during the right times), the astrological magician “imprint[s] in them wonderful gifts,” as the Renaissance magician Marsilio Ficino put it in his Three Books on Life.

This “imprinting,” as Ficino phrases it, occurs when the mage engraves or inscribes the gemstone or metal (or other material) body of the talisman with a particular image. Notably, source texts in this tradition rarely use the word ‘talisman,’ instead referring to these objects as ‘images.’ This figure of speech reveals that magical images are at the heart of the magic behind astrological talismans—so much so that the tradition sometimes gets referred to as image magic or the (magical) science of images.

Examples of Astrological Talismans

Historically, people made astrological talismans not just to carry a moment with them that feels good, but to achieve specific effects or purposes. Mages used talismans to achieve certain ambitions or as medicine to address particular illnesses and maladies. Here are some examples from the medieval grimoire Picatrix:

“Make [a talisman of Jupiter] in a clear and white stone. Those who carry [it] will have increase of riches and honor and lead a good life, and have many sons, and be able to perform good things and not be injured by enemies.”

“[Make a talismans of] the Sun in a red stone. And whomever carries this stone will not be conquered by anyone and what they begin will proceed completely to the end.”

“If, under the influence of Venus, you make [a talisman] in white stone…whoever has or carries [it] will always laugh and be cheerful.”
—Picatrix, tr. John Michael Greer & Christopher Warnock, Book II, Chapter 10

As these examples show, mages did not regard astrological talismans merely as curios to enjoy or enhance our recollection of good times, but as powerful artifacts used to improve people’s lives. Astrological talismans are not merely symbols of the heavens, but actual conduits to heavenly powers. Astrological talismans are real magic: deep and consequential magic.

We also invite you to take a look at our collections of astromagical talismanic jewelry to get a sense of the range of talismans we create at Idola Stellarum.

Talismans as a Window Into a World of Wonder

At Idola Stellarum, our experience and belief is that astrological talismans can serve not just as objects of intrigue or a magical means to help us achieve our goals, but also as a kind of medicine or balm for a world filled with anxiety and alienation. They serve as here-and-now ways for us to connect to the spirits of the celestial spheres, as windows into a world of wonder and magic that many of us have either lost or not been given access to.

We come from a perspective that values relationship. Astrological talismans can change our very relationship to time, to spirit, and to ourselves. We offer a worldview based on connection, the inherent aliveness and inspirited nature of all things, and the life-changing potential of relationships and lived, embodied experience.

Our whole purpose here at Idola Stellarum is to put people in touch with transformative magic that affords more opportunities for the kinds of relating that can make us not just feel better but more whole and connected.

Further Resources

In this brief, introductory piece we have just scratched the surface of what astrological talismans are and what astrological magic can do for our lives. For further reading, we recommend the following posts as next steps for beginners:

We also encourage you to join our mailing list below for news of more ways to connect with Idola Stellarum through education and devotional resources, as well as for news about our upcoming collections of astromagical talismanic jewelry. We also maintain links to a variety of resources on astrological magic, planetary magic, and astrological talismans, and actively strive to create new resources and writings as well. For those wishing a deeper and more intimate dive into the world of astrological magic with Idola Stellarum, we invite you to consider joining the Inner Sanctum.

As stewards of the tradition of astrological magic, it is our privilege to bring the wonder of astrological talismans to others. Sign up to our mailing list for word of our upcoming talismanic collections and workings:

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