Royal Persian Star Aldebaran: Riches & Honors

Ruby Talisman Photos

Garnet Talisman Photos

Aldebaran Riches & Honors Talisman Description

The Left Eye of the Bull in the Taurus constellation, Aldebaran is one of the four Royal Persian Stars (alongside Regulus, Antares, and Fomalhaut). These four Guardians or Watchers of the Heavens were markers of the seasons at the time of the Persian empire and were thought to herald world changing events—on the sides of both generation and corruption.

As with many of the Behenian fixed stars, while Aldebaran’s mundane significations are mixed and sometimes calamitous, its attested magical effects are uniformly positive. The Quadripertitus manuscript of Hermes on the Fixed Stars says that Aldebaran’s “virtue is to increase the wealth of [those] that beareth it, and to bestow great honor upon [them]” (De Quindecim Stellis, tr. Regulus Black).

Beyond these traditional magical significations we would add that Aldebaran—and these talismans are no exception—seems to convey a propulsion to the bearers of Aldebaran’s magic: the kind of Spark that sets off a locomotive force that, although it can be somewhat challenging to steer, can push us toward our goals with an almost unstoppable potence.

On this point, it’s worth bearing in mind that the Watcher of the East, alongside the other Archangelic stars, was most commonly put to practical effect as a navigational touchstone. Aldebaran’s strong connection to the imagery of the eye—the Eye of the Bull, God’s Eye, Eye of Illumination, Eye of Revelation—invites us to look closely at the symbolism of the eye, the gaze, and therefore vision in its literal and metaphorical senses.

In ancient optics, following Euclid’s postulates, the eye was thought not to receive the photons emitted from external sources as our contemporary physics would have it, but to emit rays that would grasp or comprehend what they struck or touched. This image invites us to conceptualize the eye as an active agent of intention. Just as an arrow flies where it points, the eye directs the body according to its aim, its vision, and hence its intention.

Etymologically, to intend means to stretch or tend toward. Ultimately, we stretch toward either what we desire or, if we are out of touch with our desires, what draws us in. We are put in mind here of The Chariot in the Tarot deck (a card that came up during divination in support of this working, in fact), which invites us to reflect on whether we are in the driver’s seat or being driven by forces outside of our control.

The ancient astromagical text De Quindecim Stellis highlights the Martial nature of Aldebaran, but notes that when the Moon conjoins Aldebaran while beholding Venus, its Martial fury is tempered by mildness “as if Venus were conjoined to Mars within one degree and minute” (as you can read about below, this particular election features the Moon and Aldebaran enclosed by benefics, with the Moon separating from Jupiter and applying to sextile Venus). While the Martial nature cannot be overridden—the Eye of the Bull gazes out and charges at what it intends to charge at—it can be and is here tempered by Venus. The Spark of our desire determines our aim: we see according to what we want, and we stretch toward what we see.  

This imagery dovetails with our personal experience of the sheer vigor of these Aldebaran talismans, which resonates with what Manilius wrote in the Astronomica about the constellation Taurus: “It bows its neck amid the stars and of itself demands a yoke for its shoulders” (Book IV, p. 233). Those who would bond with such talismans ought to possess clarity of purpose and a capacity to aim resolutely for the proverbial Bull’s Eye, for the raw power of the Taurean bull demands clear intention, steadfast determination, and a sturdy hand to direct its awesome musculature toward profitable ends.

Absent a solid psychic architecture for channeling the passions of Aldebaran, we can risk a misfire or casual discharge of the Bull’s propulsive force toward the proverbial china shop. When we set our sights on something we can get carried away or swept along with the tide of our impulses. When we lock in to a project with full focus and charge straight ahead, we can risk becoming short-sighted or myopic (literally: ‘closing the eye’ and thus being unable to see), missing out on the bigger picture beyond our laser focus. As with the running of the bulls, one does not convince the bulls to stop or slow down: one gets out of the way. In short, when considering whether to invite such a potent Spark into one’s life, it would be prudent to ensure there won’t be any stray powder kegs about, or at least that one has a (metaphorical) fire extinguisher on deck.

Aldebaran wants what it wants and forges ahead. This gives these talismans a won’t stop until the job is done quality. The benefits that come from Aldebaran are not the kind of riches that are easily enjoyed from the lap of luxury, but rather the hard-earned goods that come from a get rich or die trying attitude, from the tilling of hard earth.

Notably, the magical image of Aldebaran is not a bull as one might expect (which is in fact one of the magical images of the fixed star Alkaid), but “the likeness of God or of a man flying” (Agrippa, Three Books of Occult Philosophy, Book II, Chapter 47). These images suggest the need for a “higher” governing of the raw animal power of this Martial star, befitting its stature as not merely angelic but archangelic, associated with the archangel Michael in particular. When we possess the rational-spiritual fortitude to harness, refine, and direct our desires according to more authentic and noble aims, however, we can invite the Bull to stretch toward the Riches & Honors that ultimately better suit us.

Finally, we highlight that the languid speed of the Moon in this election (about which more below) and the fixedness of the Taurean image might lead one to make assumptions about this talisman operating at a measured or even slow pace. It is worth noting, however, that bulls can run upwards of 35 miles per hour (56 km/h), and in actual fact, this turned out for us to be one of the fastest acting talismans ever produced by Idola Stellarum: the day after ensouling and attuning to one of these talismans, one of the Idola mages was unexpectedly lavished with numerous expensive gifts (as with all talismans: your mileage may vary!).

Technical Details

The fixed star Aldebaran Riches & Honors talismans were ensouled on the very end of the night of Friday, August 19, 2022 into the very early morning on August 20, 2022 between 11:59pm and 12:15am EDT.

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 Aldebaran at 10^◦06’ Gemini was rising on the Ascendant and the working took place while Aldebaran was within 2^◦30’ of the AC.

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 making a close conjunction to Aldebaran, just over 2^◦ away. The Moon was not within either orb of either malefic planet and was not making a hard aspect to any planet. The Moon’s condition in this election is quite complex, however, and a detailed analysis can be found in the next section below.

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, Mercury, the Lord of the Ascendant, Gemini, was in excellent shape: dignified by domicile, exaltation, and face, in a fortunate house (the Fifth House), and not in hard aspect to any planet.

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

The Condition of the Moon in this Election

We do not normally include an entire section on the condition of the Moon, but this particular talisman uniquely warrants such explanation.

This was an experimental election that took a significant risk, as the Picatrix warns that mages “should take care that [the Moon] not be of lessened course and slow, that is, when she moves less than 12 degrees in a day” (Book I, Chapter 5). Luna in this election was moving just under 12 degrees in a day. That said, Moon speed is only one of many factors to consider in an election. Two primary factors serve to stabilize and fortify the Moon against this affliction.

First and foremost, the Moon was 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, supporting her, seeing her off, and welcoming her. In this instance, the Moon was separating from a sextile to Jupiter in Aries and applying to a sextile to Venus in Leo. The fortuitous soft aspects also contribute to the strength of this fortitude.

Second, the Lord of the Moon is also in excellent condition. As noted above, Mercury was dignified by domicile, exaltation, and face; was in a fortunate house (the Fifth House); and was not subject to any serious affliction. Mercury and the Moon were also in mutual reception by triplicity rulership.

Because of the slow Moon, we kept these talismans in testing for well over a year before deciding to release them despite the strength of divination for this election. This was to ensure that the very slow Moon did not result in either a fizzling out of the talisman’s potential, or a malefic turn for the worse in their effects.

Further Magical Factors in the Election

In addition to the benefic enclosure noted above and the excellent condition of Mercury (Lord of the Ascendant and the Moon), both benefic planets were in close sextile to the AC during this election, offering a lovely positive and stabilizing influence to this working. The strong influence of the benefic planets in this election tempers and sweetens some of the fiery ebullience of the Sovereign Bull. 

Reflection on Weaknesses of the Election

Aside from the slowness of the Moon, as noted above, the other weakness of the election was Saturn angular in the 10th quadrant house. To exercise caution around this issue, we ended the electional window while Aldebaran was only about 2 degrees past the AC in order to keep Saturn more than 5 degrees away from the MC.

We also note for completeness that some mages consider the Moon on the Ascendant to be an affliction. However, we emphasize that both Picatrix and De Quindecim Stellis list copious electional recipes that include the Moon rising on the Ascendant, and we therefore conclude that the tradition clearly licenses proceeding with astromagical elections that include this condition when divination supports doing so.

Recommendations

The high-octane nature, sheer intensity, and single-mindedness that can come from the influence of Aldebaran suggest that this talisman may be unsuited for people who consistently struggle to intentionally direct their emotional energies or attend to their essential needs. For such folks, we recommend having firmly in place personal/ritual/devotional practices or spirit relationships that furnish equanimity and prudence toward their instinctual life and desires.

People whose natal charts feature malefic planets (Mars or Saturn) within a few degrees of 10^◦ Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, or Pisces are encouraged to divine on how well this talisman would fit for them at this time.

Ceremonial Details

Gemstone & Talismanic Image

The ruby and the ‘carbuncle,’ a term that once referred to any red stone but most often to garnets, are the traditional stones of Aldebaran and were used for this election. Albertus Magnus, in his lapidary text De Mineralibus, says that these stones are “said to have more powers than all other stones.”

The gemstones were engraved on the front with the image of “a flying man” fashioned after imagery of the angel of the Lord. The sigil of Aldebaran from Agrippa was carved on the back of the stone. Powdered milky thistle seed, an herb associated with Aldebaran, was also affixed to the back of the stone.

Ritual Setup

Befitting the Martial nature of Aldebaran, a very red altar adorned with a red and gold cloth and a red velvet cross cloth was established prior to the working, emblazoned with eight red candles, four of which were ritually consecrated to Mars. Food and spirit offerings appropriate to the occasion were offered, and a dozen red roses fleshed out the color scheme. Finally, a 16oz can of—what else?—Red Bull was poured in two heavy goblets, echoing both the wings of the flying man image of the talisman and the nature of the star itself. 

Suffumigation

Suffumigation and incense offerings consisted of a combination of milky thistle seed and the highest quality Sumatran Gold Seal Dragon’s Blood resin.