So, lately I’ve been very interested in electional astrology and attempting to learn and be better at it, and coincidentally it seems like everyone I’m friends with is suddenly into Lunar Mansion magic.
Lunar Mansions are a time-keeping method that tracks the positions of the Moon as she progresses through the night sky. From https://www.medievalastrologyguide.com/lunar-mansions :
The Lunar Mansions are determined by the position of the Moon as she circles the Earth. Taking her average motion of 12° 51’ and 26" and dividing that by the 360°s of the zodiac, we arrive at the 28 distinct positions the Moon can occupy in the sky on any given night.
Via my pal Nate’s blog he pointed out that March 23rd and 24th have a particularly good election for the 3rd Lunar Mansion, also known as Al-Thuraya. You can read his post here: https://postmugglism.com/march-2023-lunar-mansion-guide/
Al-Thuraya (The Abundant Little Ones) is located between 25° Aries 42’ – 8° Taurus 34’. The talismanic properties of Al-Thuraya include the “acquisition of all good things”, which is something I think we can all appreciate. Again, from https://www.medievalastrologyguide.com/lunar-mansions
- Name: Al Thurayya (The Abundant Little Ones)
- Indicator Star: Alcyone
- Zodiacal Measurement: 25° Aries 42’ – 8° Taurus 34’
- Electional Properties: Good to purchase animals, travel (but not by sea), hunting, alchemical works, and doing good. Bad for marriage, partnerships between unequals, and planting.
- Talismanic Image: A seated woman with her right hand above her head.
- Talismanic Properties: Acquisition of all good things. Safe travel, hold individuals captive, success in hunting and alchemical experiments.
- Spirit: Amixiel or Annuncia
- Suffumigation: Musk, camphor, mastic, and aromatic oils.
While my electional window for Minneapolis is going to be 23 March from 14:25 to 15:03, the timing for your location may be significantly different. Nate’s youtube post about March’s Lunar Mansions has a handy guide for helping you to calculate the timing for where you are, which you can find here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CMx66OdZ6K4
You’ll want to find a time period where the following conditions are met:
- The Moon is applying conjunct the Midheaven (MC ) or Ascendant (ASC)
- The Moon has a beneficial aspect (conjunction, trine, sextile) to a benefic planet (Venus or Jupiter).
- The Moon is not negatively aspected (opposition, square) to a malefic planet (Mars or Saturn).
- The Moon is not combust (within 12 degrees of the Sun).
- The Moon is not in a cadent house (3rd, 6th, 9th, or 12th).
- The planet that rules the sign the Moon is in (aka the Domicile Lord) is not in a cadent house.
- The Domicile Lord is not negatively aspected to a malefic planet.
- The Domicile Lord is not combust.
- The Domicile Lord is not in a cadent house.
- The Midheaven is not in a cadent house.
Lots of conditions, right? For me, the time window when all of these line up perfectly is between 15:01 and 15:03, so that two minute window is when I want to be suffumigating and charging the talisman. It’s okay to start the ritual beforehand – perhaps when the Moon begins being conjunct Midheaven, but ideally you’d want to do the actual juicing up of the talisman during the ideal window.
My current magical working group at Leaping Laughter Lodge in Minneapolis is also starting experimentation with Lunar Mansion magic. Sister Michelle Montserrat was kind enough to provide us with a ritual template that she adapted from Nigel Jackson’s Mansion Ritual published in The Mansions of the Moon – A Lunar Zodiac for Astrology and Magic, Second Edition, pp 30-33, 2019. ISBN 978-0-359-41315-7
I wanted to repost this ritual with a few modifications for my other internet friends who might want to do this ritual and take advantage of the auspicious election. Note: Names in ALL CAPS should be vibrated.
It is as follows:
Lunar Mansion Invocation Ritual
Tools Needed:
- Appropriate lunar incense.
- Talisman to be inscribed with the image of the mansion.
- Tools to either draw or inscribe the image onto the material.
- Whatever implements you use to perform the LBRP and other rituals.
- A chime or bell.
Suggested Preparations:
- A ritual bath or cleansing before performing the rite is encouraged.
- Make sure your ritual space is clean and tidy.
- Be sure to have all materials within reach and ready to go, the creation of the image needs to happen within a small window of time, so doing a practice run to see how long it takes to complete the invocations and prayers is highly encouraged.
I. Opening
Perform the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram or Star Ruby.
JIBRAIL, MIKHAIL, ISRAFIL, AZRAIL, I call you to me here and now in this Holy Place.
Perform the Lesser Invoking Ritual of the Hexagram or Star Sapphire (with signs of NOX).
Read Invocation of Lunar Pneumata from the Picatrix:
Above me HADIS,
Below me MARANUS, On my right MALTAS,
On my left TIMAS,
Before me RABIS,
Behind me MINALUS,
I invoke you here and now in this Holy Place.
Ring bell or chime.
II. Tuning the Space
Perform the Greater Invoking Ritual of the Hexagram for Yesod (Lunar hexagram in violet, godname SHADDAI EL CHAI).
The Lunar hexagram starts at bottom point and moves clockwise. See diagram:
Ring bell or chime.
III. Invocation
Say the Oration to the Spirits of Luna, Picatrix Bk IV, ch. 9
GUERNUS: HEDUS: MARANUS: MILTAS: TAYMEX: RANIX: MEYELUS: DEGAYUS: LUNA! Come swiftly with your spirits!
Say the Mansion Prayer
Many-named Luna, grant this working be true, and successful and call forth the great angel JIBRAIL who is appointed to the Sphere of the Moon to hear my incantations. By the infinite One and the holy unutterable name of God, by the peak of Sin, the crescent crowned Monarch. By the silver horns of Selene and the might of JIBRAIL, by the 28 forms of the Moon.
Great Angel who are appointed and set over the sphere of the Moon hear our incantations: By the Infinite One and the Holy Unutterable Name of God, By the Peak of Sin, crescent-crowned Moon-monarch, And by the Silvern Hand of Ilmaqa, by the horns of Selene, And the might of Lord JIBRAIL, Peacock of the Angels ruling in the Heaven of Levanah.
Say the Prayer to Luna: Picatrix Bk III, ch.7
Luna, happy mistress, fortunate, cold and moist, even and beautiful, you are the head and the key of the planets, light in your motions, you who have a brilliant light, mistress of elation and pleasure, of good words, of good reputation, of regal fortune.
You are she who loves religion, who contemplates the things of the world, full of subtlety in your thoughts, you love and cherish pleasures, chants and pleasantries, mistress of ambassadors and envoys, able to reveal the secrets. You are free and precious, you are for us closer than all the other planets. You are the greatest of all and you are luminous for all. You are capable of good and evil, you establish the link between planets, you relay their light, by your good disposition you improve them, whatever their condition.
All in this world is beautified the instant you are beautiful, and goes to the ill the moment you go to the ill. You are the beginning of things and their end. You are pre-eminent in nobility and honour amongst all the planets. It is why I make this request of you.
And I conjure you SILIJAIL, The Angel that God has set with you to accomplish all your effects, have pity on me, to grant my request and by the humility which you have toward our Lord of Creation and His dominion, to grant me good in that which I request of you and for which I pray to you.
I invoke you by all your names:
QAMAR by the Arab,
MEHE by the Phoenician,
ZAMAHYL by the Greek,
SUMA by the Indian,
CELEZ by the Roman,So that you meet my request in this Holy Place.
IV. Conjuration
Say the Conjuration of the Spirit
By this Rite of SHADDAI EL CHAI,
In the Supreme Power of the Light of Lights,
By the Eternal Forms of Light,
In the Name beyond all Names:
Descend, O –(Say Name of Mansion Spirit)—,
Celestial intelligence of —(Say Name of Mansion)—,
Descend, we implore thee, from the perfumed Mandal of the Lamps of the Moon. Breathe thy power into this talisman and ensoul it with thy pneumata. Enlighten me and grant me insight into the true nature of your spiritual realm. So mote it be!
Vibrate the name of the mansion angel repeatedly until the spirit arrives, or you sense its presence.
Once the spirit has appeared, read out the following address:
You are holy and your name is holy. You are exalted and your name is exalted. You are mighty and your name is mighty. You are strong and your name is strong. You are honored and your name is honored. You are true and your name is true. You are ancient and your name is ancient. You are blessed and your name is blessed. You are chosen and your name is chosen. You are great and your name is great. You are praised and your name is praised. You are power and your name is power.
Gloria Patri et Matri et Filius et Filia et spiritui sancto externo et spiritui sancto interno ut erat est erit in saeculo saeculorum sex in uno per nomen septem in uno ARARITA.
Make your petition to the spirit:
O mighty angel —(Name of Mansion Spirit)—, who ruleth over the Mansion of —(Name of Mansion)—, thanks and glory be upon thee for appearing before us. To thee we present this talisman of our magical will! We ask thee, Oh Exalted One, to receive this body of our rite into the light of thy presence. As we proceed in making this image, vitalized by thy blessing, we ask that you imbue it with the powers and offices of thy Mansion, so that anyone who possesseth it receive its virtue and its boon. In partaking of this Mystery, let there be unto us vitality of soul, increase of sight, true gnosis, and complete manifestation of the wonders of thy Mansion!
Inscribe or draw the image of the mansion onto the talisman.
After the image is inscribed, fumigate the talisman by passing it through the incense smoke. Feel the spirits’ pneumata moving through the smoke and into your talisman, empowering it with their essence and imbuing it with occult virtue.
Sit in meditation with the conjured energy of the mansion for 10-20 minutes. Ask the spirit to show you the “True Image” of the mansion, which may differ from the traditional image. You may also want to scry a crystal or mirror for potential visions. Make note of all you experience – this can include sights, smells, or phrases heard in the mind.
Give license to depart
O thou —(Mansion Spirit)—, celestial intelligence of —(Name of Mansion)—,
Praise and honor be unto thee for the Splendor of thine office and the majesty of thy being!
May the blessing of thy God and Mine be upon you. Because thou hast diligently answered unto our demands, and hast been very ready and willing to come at our call, I hereby license you to depart unto your appointed place without harm or danger unto man or beast by the name SHADDAI EL CHAI.
Depart, then, I say, and be thou very ready to come at our call, being duly exorcised and conjured by these sacred rites of magic. Go forth now, and may the blessings and peace of the Almighty, Eternal, True and Living God be ever present between us.
AMEN.
Perform the Qabalistic Cross
Ring bell or chime.
Declare the rite is closed.