What Makes Astrological Talismans Special

[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.]

Those who are not familiar with astrological magic might have a hard time understanding why some people make a big deal out of astrological talismans. They might wonder: what is the difference between an astrological talisman of Venus and any old pendant with the symbol of Venus on it? Why does the former cost hundreds or even thousands of dollars when the latter can be obtained for much less?

In this post, we aim to provide some context for what makes astrological talismans so special, contrasting them with symbolic spiritual jewelry and providing some background for what makes astrological talismans distinct among magical jewelry.

Symbolic Spiritual Jewelry

People sometimes wear magical symbols, such as an ankh, a pentagram, or a planetary glyph such as the symbol of Venus or the Moon. Such symbols can function as an expression of personal, aesthetic, or spiritual connection to an idea or divine entity. They can also represent certain qualities or values, and serve as social signals of affiliation.

Using more precise terminology, such spiritual jewelry can function as a sign or as a symbol. Carl Jung differentiated between the two by noting that sign functions as an abbreviated expression of something that is more or less well-known, whereas a symbol acts as the best possible expression of an essentially unknown thing (see Jung’s Psychological Types, p. 474). For example, when seen or experienced as a sign, a Venus glyph pendant might be a representation of love or beauty; when seen or experienced as a symbol, the same Venus pendant might point toward the more ineffable archetype or goddess of Venus.

Although symbols, in this sense, carry more psychological potential, we can note that whether experienced as sign or symbol, such spiritual jewelry operates at an essentially mundane, psychological, or everyday level. Symbolic spiritual jewelry may adorn or ornament someone’s life, even raise their awareness, intentions, or aesthetic embodiment; it may express a change in someone’s life or lifestyle, but has little if any power to change someone’s life on its own.

Magical Jewelry

Beyond merely symbolic jewelry, other jewelry can be more explicitly magical. Amulets, charm bags, and sigils can be constructed according to special recipes using particular ingredients or symbols, and then consecrated, whether through prayer or ritual, for certain ends.

Such magical jewelry can vary widely. From magic squares, to names of god, to sigils of angels, to charged and consecrated stones and beyond, various objects can be instilled with magical energies for a variety of purposes. Because the range of methods and traditions these objects come from are so diverse, it is difficult to say anything definite and coherent about this category as a whole. We can, however, think about a few different cases.

Most simply, some magical jewelry, for example gemstone or “crystal” pendants, might rely on the natural occult virtues of a substance, as in the case of a lodestone pendant worn for reconciliation or attracting love, or rose quartz for openness and healing of the heart. Magical jewelry of this kind carries little more power than symbolic jewelry, but as stones themselves carry their own qualities, and can provide connection to and affinity with the lively powers of the earth.

Magical jewelry can also serve profound devotional purposes. Such jewelry can be devoted to a particular deity or share in the egregore of a devotional tradition. Here, we might think of blessed rosaries, or perhaps symbolic jewelry blessed through prayer and ritual. Devotional magical jewelry definitely serves a strong purpose, and can evoke devotional feelings in the person who wears it.

At a more abstract level, we might think about magical jewelry by analogy to prayer and spellwork more generally. A psalm or banishing spell may have an immediate effect, and a magician might extend such workings by consecrating an oil, preparing a charm bag, or dressing a candle. Many pieces of magical jewelry might be thought of as akin to a magical/spiritual “battery” charged through consecration, prayer, or spellwork to perform a certain task.

Assuming that the magical power of the jewelry has been instilled by the mage, then it is natural to assume that after a while, perhaps through use, the power of the “battery” will fade just as most spells work for a time and then fade or reach completion. Magical jewelry of this kind would depend on a magician’s power, and might need to be reconsecrated or recharged over time to ensure continued effects.

Regardless of the type of magical jewelry, it behooves consumers to try to understand the nature of its power, conditions for its use, and any upkeep needs it requires (e.g., “feeding” or ongoing ritual or devotional work).

Astrological Talismans

Astrological talismans are a special kind of magical jewelry. Astrological talismans are endowed with celestial powers through the ritual use of special astrological configurations for a particular intention, for example love, wealth, success, wisdom, or protection.

What is notable is that the power of an astrological talisman derives primarily from the astrological configuration at the moment of its creation or birth. Most astrological magicians hold that although special materials that correspond to the right sphere or energies must be used to create a powerful talisman, these materials are not the source of a talisman’s power, but rather serve to enable the powers of time to become imprinted on or ensouled within matter.

In a sense, an astrological talisman condenses a special, auspicious moment in time into a physical object, as if taking one of the best occasions the magician can find and preserving it like a wondrous fossil in amber.

The analogy breaks down a little in that a fossil in amber is dead and gone, whereas an astrological talisman is very much alive. People have different views on the mechanics of astrological talismans, though many mages consider them to be something like spirit houses or conduits to celestial spirits, if not celestial spirits themselves. Some sources in the textual tradition of astrological magic equate these spirits with celestial angels.

A key difference between astrological talismans and mundane jewelry that uses astrological symbolism is that symbolic jewelry relies on the bearer’s active psychological and spiritual participation to have any effect, whereas astrological talismans are active by virtue of the participation of heavenly, celestial forces. In fact, sources in the textual tradition of astrological magic suggest that talismans operate based on proximity alone, without the intended recipient of the magic needing to even be aware of the talisman or actively participating in any way.

For this reason, whether astrological talismans are spirits themselves or are merely conduits to celestial spirits of the heavenly powers (e.g., Venus, the Sun, Jupiter), astrological talismans generally do not require “feeding” or ongoing upkeep on the part of the mage or the person who wears them.

In later medieval and Renaissance periods, scholars and magicians generally considered astrological talismans to be “natural magic” because their effects came from the operation of natural celestial, heavenly forces rather than, say, the charms of witchcraft or pacts with spirits or demons.

Thus, although astrological talismans can serve as powerful expressions and objects of devotion, they do not derive their ongoing power from acts of devotion.

Astrological Talismans: Blending Heaven and Earth

It may be useful to examine a traditional definition of astrological talismans to explain the nature of astrological talismans more carefully. The 12th century polymath Fakhr al-Dīn al-Rāzī, in a book called The Hidden Secret (al-Sirr al-Maktum), defined astrological talismans in terms of the magical process by which they are made:

“[Talismans come into existence through] the blending of heavenly active forces with elemental passive forces, for the sake of being empowered to make manifest that which runs contrary to the norm or to prevent from occurring that which is consonant with it.”
—al-Rāzī, al-Sirr al-Maktum, p. 7, quoted in Philosophizing the Occult by Michael Noble

To unpack this definition a little, “elemental” simply means earthly (or, to use a fancier astrological term, “sublunary”)—that is, belonging to the here-and-now everyday matter that exists in our world below/within the higher celestial spheres.

So, for al-Rāzī, an astrological talisman was an object, typically jewelry or a statue, that has been empowered with divine celestial powers. “Celestial powers” here can mean any one particular power belonging to the spheres of the heavens: usually, this means 1 of the 7 traditional planets (Moon, Mercury, Venus, Sun, Mars, Jupiter, or Saturn) or 1 of 15 fixed stars most often used for magic (e.g., Regulus, Antares), although other celestial powers can be used as well, such as constellations, lunar mansions, and decans.

Astrological talismans are therefore earthly material objects that bridge the material world and the wondrous powers of the celestial world. Through the “blending,” as al-Razi phrases it, of celestial and earthly forces, everyday inert (“passive”) matter becomes something more, something “active,” even something more alive. In fact, many people, ourselves included, consider talismans to be living spirits, rather than mere objects however special.

How does this “blending” occur”? Crucially, astrological talismans cannot be made on a whim at just any time. As mentioned above, astrological talismans must be crafted during rare and auspicious time periods that must be precisely calibrated for a particular purpose. The focus, devotion, and ritual preparation of the magician can then be brought to bear. Quoting al-Rāzī again:

“When strong celestial influences [i.e., an auspicious astrological election] are brought together with all the receptive sublunary bodies [i.e., the proper materials]; and when a full, powerful psychic force [i.e., the focused devotion and single-pointed concentration of the mage] is brought to bear on them; then the objective [i.e., the intention of the magical operation/talismans] will inevitably occur.”
—al-Rāzī, al-Sirr al-Maktum, p. 19, quoted in Philosophizing the Occult by Michael Noble

Astrological Talismans: Spirits of Time

Astrological talismans are a special kind of magical jewelry.

Unlike symbolic jewelry, the power of astrological talismans is independent of the bearer because they operate via celestial powers. As we wrote in Astrological Talismans: Living Stones, Living Traditions, Living Relationships, astrological talismans do not just represent or symbolize these powers, but actually, materially exist as a real, here-and-now way to be in intimate relationship with them.

Unlike some other magical jewelry, astrological talismans do not generally require upkeep or ongoing empowerment because they tap into the deep magical mechanics of the cosmos. As we wrote in Astrological Magic is Medicine for Materialism, astrological talismans can provide powerful medicine for the disconnection wrought by materialistic worldviews, helping us counteract beliefs, upbringings, and ideologies that sever us from the rest of the universe.

In a very real sense, even though astrological talismans exist here and now as physical objects, they are not of this world in that their power derives from the heavens rather than from the powers of the earthly, chthonic, sublunary world. It is for this reason that the grimoire Picatrix says that astrological talismans are “spirits of time, chosen because the works that are done with them are like miracles, and have the form of miracles” (Book II, Ch. 5, p. 83, tr. Greer & Warnock).

Coming into relationship with astrological talismanic spirits can help usher those who bear them into the inspirited world of magic.

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:

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