Thursday, March 25, 2010

Tabula Lunarium

Ouroboros Press celebrates the Equinox with Viatorium Press by issuing the TABULA LUNARIUM being a broadside of the Table of the 28 Lunar Mansions with cognate references. Compiled by Ouroboros Press and printed letterpress on dampened paper by artist and printer Joseph Uccello on old world equipment. This printed table spearheads forthcoming collaborative work between the two presses on a grimoire of lunar praxis.



Joseph sizing up one of the prints which rests upon the Vandercook press which gave birth to it.

The imprint of the ink in the paper is distinctive due to the dampening of the paper prior to printing.


Several recently printed pieces laid out to dry.



Brief Explanation of the Lunar Mansions

The Lunar Mansions are arcs of 12 degrees, 51 minutes, which divide the ecliptic up into 28 stations and mark the motions of the moon during a lunar month.

These mansions comprise the Lunar Zodiac used in ancient times by Arab, Indian and Chinese astrologers. Each of these systems had their own names for the mansions which are; Manazil [Arabic] - Nakshatras [Indian] - Sieu [Chinese]. There are very slight variations between these 3 systems, and these are cleared up by the use of fiducials [from the latin, faith - fixed points in the sky - often fixed stars, which are used as a basis of comparative measurement].

It was the Arabic system, which had the greatest influence on the West via the Moorish-Spanish lore exchange and the Hermeticism of magicians such as Giordano Bruno and Marsilio Ficino. Of course one may find these mansions among the Three Books of Occult Philosophy of Agrippa, which is where Francis Barrett took them for use in his book the Magus.

Each mansion has its individual influence, which is transmitted to sublunar creatures by the Moon. Magical images, angels, metals or stones, suffumigations or incenses were among the correspondences applied to them.

In the astrological magic found among grimoires such as the PICATRIX, the idea was to invoke the angel of the mansion when the moon was in the correct station while burning the incense and visualizing the magical image in order to create various talismans or add specific lunar influence to other magical workings. In this same manner one may request the knowledge over those things which the angel of the mansion has jurisdiction.


TABULA LUNARIUM

The Tabula Lunarium is in the tradition of magical calendars wherein various systems of correspondence in the esoteric tradition were delineated in visually pleasing and ingenious printed broadsides. In addition to the name and number of each mansion, the table also includes the zodiacal sign and degree of occurrence as well as featuring the eidolon of Sahariel the archangel who teaches about the lunar mansions. Simultaneously a practical and magical piece of ephemera.

Measuring 12.5 x 19 inches the Table is printed letterpress on dampened Rives Heavyweight paper in an edition of 100 copies only.

$45.00 postpaid. Ordering Information

We also have letterpress printed broadsides of the Emerald Tablet of Hermes.

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