Page:Three Books of Occult Philosophy (De Occulta Philosophia) (1651).djvu/93

 it, some particular Seal, or Character stampt upon it, which is the significator of that Star, or harmony, conteining in it a peculiar vertue, differing from other vertues of the same matter, both generically, specifically, and numerically. Every thing therefore hath its Character pressed upon it by its Star for some particular effect, especially by that Star which doth principally govern it: And these Characters contain, and retain in them the peculiar natures, vertues, and roots of their Stars, and produce the like operations upon other things, on which they are reflected, and stir up, and help the influencies of their Stars, whether they be Planets, or fixed Stars, and figures, and Celestiall signs, viz. as oft as they shall be made in a fit matter, and in their due, and accustomed times. Which ancient wise men considering, such as laboured much in the finding out of the occult properties of things, did set down in writing the images of the Stars, their figures, Seals, Marks, Characters, such as nature her self did describe by the rayes of the Stars, in these inferiour bodies, some in stones, some in Plants, and joynts, and knots of boughs, and some in divers members of Animals. For the Bay-tree, the Lote-tree, and the Marygold are Solary Plants, and in their roots, and knots being cut off, shew the Characters of the Sun, so also in the bone, and shoulderblades in Animals: whence there arose a spatulary kind of divining (i.e.) by the shoulder-blades, and in stones, and stony things the Characters, and images of Celestiall things are often found. But seeing that in so great a diversity of things there is not a traditionall knowledge, only in a few things, which humane understanding is able to reach: Therefore leaving those things which are to be found out in Plants, and Stones, and other things, as also, in the members of divers Animals, we shall limit our selves to mans nature only, which seeing it is the compleatest image of the whole universe, containing in it self the whole heavenly harmony, will without all doubt abundantly afford us the Seals, and Characters of all the Stars, and Celestiall Influencies, and those as the more efficacious, which are less differing from the Celestiall nature. But as the number of the Stars is known to God alone, so also their effects, and Seals upon these inferiour things: