Fixed Star Vega II: Peridot Ring

Of the nature of the fixed star Vega, these peridot ring talismans were created with the intent of granting the bearer protection from all ills, particularly those of a subtle or spiritual nature, through the endowment of charm, the reduction of fear, and the augmentation of creativity.

The Behenian fixed stars for which we have the greatest amount of attested magical lore constitute a bit of a grab bag. For some, such as Deneb Algedi, we possess precious little information in the textual tradition of astrological magic. For others, such as Vega, we can trace specific lore back far beyond the post-Hellenistic world of highly technical astrology that gave rise to talismanic magic. 

Indeed, evidence of Vega’s magical use predates our as-yet documented tradition of talismanic magic by about a millennium. As Erica Reiner explains in her book, Astral Magic in Babylonia, Babylonian medical texts including material from Boğazköy that dates to the thirteenth century B.C. frequently instruct the reader as follows: “you let (the preparation) spend the night under the stars” (p. 48). Although this sometimes gets prosaically translated as “let stand overnight,” genuine astrological significance is proven by occasional instructions to irradiate medicines with the light of particular stars of the night, and indeed, most often the Goat star which Reiner explains “corresponds to the constellation Lyra” and “is the celestial manifestation of the goddess Gula,” a chthonic healing goddess that bears various similarities to Hekate. Reiner goes on:

“As most specific instructions mention the constellation of Gula, the Goat, or rather She-goat, it should be evident that the aim of the procedure is irradiation by the star of the goddess of healing. The star of Gula, especially the 0.1 magnitude Vega in the constellation Lyra, the fourth brightest of all the stars, is particularly prominent in the summer sky, but can be seen at varying times any night of the year.”
—Erica Reiner, Astral Magic in Babylonia, p. 53

Some of the extant evidence suggests that even veterinary medicine invoked Gula—or the star of Vega—for the healing of animals, including a “tonic for horses” made from 23 plants and left “overnight exposed to the Goat star” (p. 55), fitting for Vega’s later astromagical association with granting “the favor of beasts to be ridden” according to Liber Enoch (De Quindecim Stellis, tr. Regulus Hess, p. 62) or “the gift of enchanting beasts” according to Liber Thebit (ibid, p. 66).

These magical significations of beguiling animals augment and expand upon the other traditional uses of Vega talismans, which are attested to “make [their bearers] magnanimous and haughty [or proud, in the Tyson translation], and give power over daemons [devils, in Tyson] and beasts” (Agrippa, Three Books of Occult Philosophy, Book II, Chapter 47, tr. Eric Purdue). The oldest Quadripertitus manuscript version of De Quindecim Stellis also says that the virtues of Vega talismans consist in “affrighting demons…[and in] repress[ing] nocturnal phantoms and fears,” with later versions giving influence over animals as described above.

These traditional sources emphasize power, favor, and protection, but as with all talismans, it is wise to inquire into exactly how—via what avenue—their virtues come to pass. It is worth emphasizing that Vega is held to be of the nature of Mercury and Venus, and that the vulture image associated with Vega is not intended as the ghoulish carrion creature that modern associations might assume, but a noble creature charged with carrying the lyre of Orpheus into the heavens (the vulture was also an animal sacred to the Egyptian pharaohs, with protective qualities associated with the Egyptian goddess Nekhbet).

The association with Orpheus via the image of the lyre, as well as the planetary associations with Mercury and Venus, underscore the connections of Vega with music and beauty. Looking at it from the other direction, the songs of Orpheus were said to calm wild beasts, stir the ghosts of the dead, and even to charm the rocks and the trees, which dovetails nicely with star lore attesting to the capacity of Vega magic to pacify and enchant spirits and beasts. 

Vega’s famed powers of protection seem to derive, then, from the ability to ingratiate oneself to and come into more positive relationship with all manner of forces that might be dangerous—even the very land itself. The keywords ‘charm’ and ‘creativity’ therefore represent a creative and modern rendering of the purposes of a Vega talisman that links up to these mythological, cultural, and textual associations, supplementing the face value description of the magical effects in our medieval and Renaissance sources.

These fixed star Vega talismans are a follow-up to our Charm & Creativity Vega talismans that sold out in a matter of days during our Solace collection launch. The ritual, offerings, and petition used to create these Charm & Creativity II talismans were substantially similar to those of our first Vega talisman release, and the talismans feel similar: with a lovely effervescent quality that makes them wonderful talismans to partner with for creative projects or to just have around to enhance relationships with land, animals, and spirits.

Although this point is an extrapolation and speculation not rooted in our personal experience, the traditionally attested suppression of nightmares and fears may also make these talismans a good choice for people struggling with doubts and uncertainties about their own creative or performance capacities.

Technical Details

The fixed star Vega Charm & Creativity II talismans were ensouled on Wednesday, February 7, 2024 between 5:12am and 5:30am EST.

Essential Features of the Election

For fixed star astromagical elections, we require that the relevant fixed star either rises on the Ascendant or culminates on the Midheaven. In this election, the fixed star Vega at 15^◦38’ Capricorn was rising on the Ascendant, and the working took place while Vega was within 2^◦30’ of the AC on either side.

Fixed star elections also require the Moon to be in sufficiently good condition and applying to the relevant fixed star. Idola Stellarum only uses lunar conjunctions to fixed stars. In this election, the Moon was within 3 degrees of a conjunction to Vega. Luna was moving with very fast speed and bonified by enclosure, separating from a trine to Jupiter and applying to a conjunction with Venus. The Moon’s ruler, Saturn, was dignified by face in the first decan of Pisces. Note that for fixed stars in Scorpio and Capricorn, the essential dignity of the Moon is not taken into account when evaluating the condition of the Moon, for otherwise, any possible election chart for talismans for such stars would be irredeemable.

Although we consider the condition of the Lord of the Ascendant to be a lesser factor in fixed star elections due to their austere nature and remoteness from the sublunary realm, we always examine the Ascendant Lord for all elections since the first house represents the bearer of the talisman. In this election, Saturn was the Lord of the Ascendant. As mentioned above, Saturn was dignified by face in the first decan of Pisces, and bore no significant accidental debilities.

Note that for fixed star talismans, planetary hour and day are not essential considerations. 

Further Magical Factors in the Election

The Moon plays a critical role in fixed star elections: “she is the mediatrix of their effects; for she receives the influences and impressions of all the stars and planets, and pours them down onto the inferior things of this world” (Picatrix, Book II, Chapter 3, tr. Greer & Warnock). Using the analogy of writing, if the rest of the chart is what gets written, the Moon’s condition represents how it gets written: a lovely sentiment can get expressed through beautiful calligraphy, utilitarian type, or illegible scrawl. The medium, in a certain sense, is the message, and the medium here is the Moon. In this election, the Moon was in beautiful condition, graced by a rare and auspicious condition called bonification by enclosure. This condition occurs when the last aspect the Moon made was to one of the benefic planets (Venus or Jupiter) and the next aspect the Moon will make is also to a benefic planet. 

When benefic enclosure happens, it is like the exact opposite of the phrase “between a rock and a hard place”: it is like the Moon having her best friends, allies, and benefactors surrounding and supporting her. In this instance, the Moon was separating from a trine to Jupiter in Taurus and applying to a conjunction with Venus in her own terms in Capricorn.

Although very much a minor factor, we also note that Jupiter anchored the chart, being within 5^◦ of the IC for all but the final few minutes of the election. For all but the first two minutes of the election, Venus was within 5^◦ of the AC. Thus, the entire span of the election was covered by angular benefic planets.

Reflection on Weaknesses of the Election

Having Mars angular in the 1st house of a talismanic chart is not ideal. This factor was counterbalanced by the copresence of Venus and the angular benefic coverage addressed above. Moreover, the Moon was out of orb of application to Mars, and the presence of Venus on the AC serves to mitigate afflictions of the Moon in any case (“[L]ook for Jupiter or Venus either in the ascendant or in the tenth place, for so they compensate for the debilities of the Moon,” Ficino, Three Books on Life, Book III, Ch. VI, p. 271, tr. Kaske & Clark).

While the Moon being in detriment in Capricorn is often seen as a negative, for certain fixed star elections (those for stars in Capricorn and Scorpio), this is not seen as an affliction because it is in fact a necessary condition of the working.

Recommendations

These talismans should be fairly beginner friendly, and we do not issue any specific cautions about their use.

Ceremonial Details

Gemstone & Talismanic Image

The stone attributed to Vega is ‘chrysolite,’ also known as peridot. An old epithet for Orpheus shares the same root: Khrysolyris means ‘of the golden lyre,’ just as ‘chrysolite’ means ‘of golden light.’ The peridot is a beautiful pale green-gold stone also attributed to Venus, which is sensible, since Vega is of the nature of Mercury and Venus. The stones for this election were very high quality eye-clear 8×10 peridot gem cabochons, since peridot is rare enough to not often appear in larger, lower quality stones.

As with many fixed star talismans, the effects of the talisman usually correlate with the attested magical properties of the stones with which they are associated. Albertus Magnus notes that a certain charm made of chrysolitus “drives away terrors and melancholy,” that “when set in a gold setting [as these talismans are], it drives away phantasms,” and that this stone “expels stupidity and confers wisdom” (De Mineralibus, tr. Dorothy Wyckoff, p. 83). The Peterborough Lapidary notes of chrysolite that “whoever is not in mortal sin and is of good judgment may enter into many courts and countries without any gainsaying; and all men will bear grace to him” (tr. Francis Young, p. 19), and also that “whoever bears this stone will keep his body truly” (p. 20).

The peridot cabochons were engraved with the image of a vulture, with the glyph of Vega carved on the back side of the stone. Agrippa says of Vega talismans that they “maketh a man magnanimous and proud, [and] giveth power over devils and beasts,” while De Quindecim Stellis says that such a talisman “grants favor with beasts, protects from scabies, that is, against demons, nocturnal phantoms, and fears.” De Quindecim Stellis also calls for the use of savory and the herb fumitory, and so a blend of fumitory herb mixed with winter savory was affixed to the back of the talismans to augment its effect.

Ritual Setup

An altar adorned with a clean gold and silver cloth was established prior to the working. Offerings stayed largely within a gold-green color scheme, including offerings of fresh flowers, bread, eggs, figs, olives, cheese, honey, olive oil, Wandering Poet sake, and spirits. Foremost among the offerings were objects native to the imagery of the constellation: a small tortoise shell (to represent the tortoise shell that Hermes used to construct the lyre for Orpheus) and a lyre stood as the centerpiece of the altar, surrounded by candles. A bespoke invocation of the spirits and angel of Vega and petition for the ensoulment of the talismans was intoned at the outset of the ritual before carving, affixation of herbs, and suffumigation.

Suffumigation

Suffumigation consisted of the finest Sultan’s grade royal green Hojari frankincense added to the herbal mixture used to augment the talismans, namely fumitory and winter savory, the herbs of Vega attested in De Quindecim Stellis: “The fourteenth herb [i.e., that of Vega] is called Savory. Take thou a small part of this and an equal amount of the herb called Fumitory…” (tr. Regulus Hess).