What is Astrological/Talismanic Materia?
Some branches of astrology are definitely more niche than others, yet incredibly potent. Today, I’m telling you about one of the most intriguing, potent and magical of them: astrological materia! If you have no idea what I’m talking about, let me introduce you to this wonderful practice.
“Talismans”: an ancient practice
You may have heard of the word “talisman” before: a vaguely magical object, maybe? Almost! In ancient times, the concept of a talisman was that you would create an object under specific circumstances (for example, a moment in the calendar) and/or conduct precise rituals (prayers, offerings…) dedicated to a deity, a spirit, a God… The talisman was then thought to act as a receptacle, an appropriate object to “house” the spirit, therefore granting its powers to the wearer. You can see this in the image below: this Islamic talisman engraved with a quote from the Qur’an (7th or 8th century AD) was made of lapis-lazuli, a rare and precious stone considered appropriate for kings and God.
But talismans aren’t limited to one form: they can take many! While stones, rings, etc. have been popular since time immemorial for their beautiful and precious qualities — and can be carved with magical/religious symbols! — you can make a talisman out of virtually… Anything. See below a beautiful talismanic shirt from 15th-early 16th century northern India, inscribed with the entire Qur’an (yes, I promise!), and thought to protect against evil. Now, wait a minute… What, then, gives “power” to the talisman? Is it the material? What you inscribe on it? Nope! (or actually, not just that). Let me explain…
“Ensouling” a Talisman: Ritual & Timing Practices
In order to be truly called a talisman, the object has to be consecrated in accordance with proper practices. I’m going to talk more specifically about astrological talismans, because astrology is my field of expertise, although there are many other fields out there that have similar practices.
First of all, timing is of the essence: the creation of an astrological talisman aims to attract the specific spirit of a planet, a fixed star, or a mansion of the Moon. According to this principle, the moment in time you choose to create the talisman is crucial to attracting a good version of that planetary spirit who is willing to engage with you. You therefore have to choose an auspicious moment which follows appropriate rules — the rules astromagicians use come from ancient/medieval texts, such as the Picatrix, or the Three Books of Occult Philosophy by Cornelius Agrippa.
This is when electional astrology comes into play. For example, if you want to create a Venus talisman which, according to the Picatrix, is good for bringing love, fertility, harmony and beauty, you will need to choose a moment in time when Venus is dignified & unafflicted. For example, in the sign of her domicile/exaltation (Libra, Taurus or Pisces), not retrograde, on a specific angle of the chart (rising on the ascendant or culminating on the Midheaven), on Venus hour. You will also have to make sure that the Moon is in a good condition, as the Moon (the closest celestial body to us) is thought to bring down on Earth the influence of the other spheres (in our example, the Moon “transmits” the energy of dignified Venus to us).
As you can imagine, that’s quite a lot of rules to follow, so the skill of electional astrology (the art of choosing the most auspicious astrological moment in time to do something) is essential here. The astrologer will need to find a suitable election so that the criteria are met, and a benevolent avatar of the planetary spirit can descend and ensoul the talisman properly. Otherwise, the object chosen for talismanic purposes will do nothing at best, or be harmful at worst (more on that below).
Finally, the talisman must be made with the material associated with the desired planetary spirit. Ex: if you’re making a Mercury talisman, you will have to find stones associated with Mercury (ex: green agate), gather associated herbs & incense (fennel, lavender…), prepare images of Mercury and its symbols (for ex: a statue and handwritten Agrippa seals), the appropriate number of candles, but also dress the part (for Mercury, Picatrix says “in the manner of a scribe”), etc. The idea is to call down the planetary spirit by means of correspondence, gathering what the spirit likes so that it will feel compelled to you. Then comes the most important part: the ritual. On the elected time, the talisman will be created (ex: engraving a stone) and consecrated, meaning that a prayer directly addressing the spirit will be made, while steeping the talisman in an incense smoke bath, so that the spirit descends to ensoul the object.
Talisman making is an incredibly sophisticated art which requires deep knowledge of the principles of astrology (and astro magic), a connection to the spirit and its rituals, while managing a narrow time window (a talismanic election usually lasts no longer than one to two hours at most). The conditions are such that you may not have a good time window for a specific spirit more than once every other year. This guarantees that the object made is not only potent, but also benevolent (bringing you its qualities without causing harm). As I said, time is of the essence!
Talismanic Materia, Effects and Best Practice
Remember how I said that you could make a talisman out of anything? Well, the possibilities are endless! The concept of materia is to create physical objects according to the same talisman-making rules, but that will eventually wear out. Think oils, candles, body butters, tinctures… Ritually consecrated on a chosen day & time, and therefore potent and charged with a planetary energy. I offer my own talismanic materia at my shop, Materia Girl - you can check it for new launches!
The idea of materia is that because of their medium of application (wearable products, for example), their effects will be shorter in time: where a metal or stone talisman will basically hold a planetary spirit for a lifetime, materia will have effects for only a few hours. This is ideal to experiment with. Materia is “lighter” than a lifelong, and may allow you to experiment with remediation of this placement (bringing a corrective experience) in a gentler way; if the product doesn’t suit you, you can always let it wear out naturally.
Talismanic materia provides a window for interaction with a sphere of your life: by making this sphere more present in our lives, you can build a relationship with it more easily. For example, Mercury materia is ideal for those who need a mental boost, with writing or speaking more eloquently, but also those who want to become more “business savvy”, for example (a sphere governed by Mercury). Mercury is also great for those who aspire to gain secret knowledge, the researchers who aspire to explore the obscure corners of the mind. You don’t need materia or talismans to build that, as prayers and regular interaction with a deity will naturally reinforce your bonds and bring you insight & knowledge from the spirit pertaining to that sphere. The goal of materia is simply to facilitate communication.
Now, there are a host of products out there which use astrology symbols. While there’s nothing wrong with that, they do not necessarily qualify as actual talismanic product. Something called a “Venus oil” or a candle made under a specific moon phase does not abide by the same principles, and does not qualify as talismanic materia by the standards I have mentioned (note that this is not the same as talismans/curio from different traditions, which have their own set of rules; we are strictly talking about astrological materia inspired by the medieval tradition here). While some of them won’t do anything, other ones may have been consecrated under harmful premises, and bring less than desirable effects into your life. It’s always good to keep that in mind!
In short, talismanic materia is a ritually consecrated, astrologically elected object which embodies the unique qualities of a planetary alignment. Even if you make materia in stellar conditions for a planet, no two elections will be the same as the configurations will vary! Every materia is unique, and a fascinating door into a lesser-known dimension of astrology.
Sources & Useful Links:
Materia Girl, my own shop for talismans and talismanic astro materia.
Renaissance Astrology, the pioneer of astrological talismans revival: renaissanceastrology.com
Chaustrologic.com, another great place for astro materia.
An article about the talismanic shirt, by Behnaz Atighi Moghaddam (assistant curator at the V&A Museum, Middle Eastern section): https://www.vam.ac.uk/blog/fabric-of-india/guest-post-a-warriors-magic-shirt.