As I’ve mentioned in other blog posts, I took a lot of inspiration for my fantasy romance series from real life events and facts. One such fact is that of astrological magic—an ancient practice I researched thoroughly for The Mundane and the Arcane, in which astrology is the main magic system.
The major external quest that my characters go on in the first book is one to make an astrological talisman. Talismans are magical objects that are designed with a specific purpose in mind, and they’ve been used across cultures and time periods in history. During the research phase of my book writing journey, I discovered an ancient grimoire called The Picatrix which details the subject of astrological magic. Originally written in Arabic sometime in the 10th or 11th century, The Picatrix shows how to create an astrological talisman–and I took its guidance very seriously when describing the ritual within TMatA.
Without giving too much of the process away, my characters go on a journey across kingdoms to each planetary temple with a gemstone whose particular qualities are sympathetic with that planet’s energy and perform a ritual at an astrologically beneficial time according to their goals. Timing is all in the process of making a talisman, and Remo and friends replicate the process The Picatrix outlined closely. To make your own astrological talisman, you need only copy Remo & company’s steps to a realistic extent.
But how does astrological magic work? Well, to quote myself (forgive me; it’s Leo season as I’m writing this), “If you could understand it logically, it wouldn’t be magic, now would it?” But if you crave a more satisfying answer, perhaps this quote from Liz Greene’s The Astrological World of Jung’s Liber Novus: Daimons, Gods, and the Planetary Journey” will enlighten you:
“Astrological timing, like magic, works because there is sympathy between kairos–the ‘right moment’–and the unconscious emotional nature/state of the individual who knows innately the qualitative nature of a particular moment in time, and whose unconscious psyche at that moment reflects these qualities.”
In essence, Greene is saying the quality of the moment must support one’s aims. For example, if you’re attempting to make a talisman to bring you love, you’d wait until Venus was in a sign of good standing (perhaps its exalted sign of Pisces) so that the energy supports your intention.
Amulets are also worn by my main characters. The main difference between talismans and amulets is that the former are supposed to bring good luck or bring about a desired goal and are usually some sort of engraved pendant necklace, whereas the latter are used for protection against evil and can take the form of a necklace or a bag of herbs, or any other magical object. Lyra wears a lunula necklace, which was a real name for amulets given to girls in ancient Rome that were shaped like crescent moons. A girl’s lunula necklace would be taken off the night before her wedding. The equivalent of a lunalu for boys was a bulla—an amulet that would be taken off once they came of age.
If any of these topics fascinate you, I hope you’ll give my book a chance. I hope it reminds you of the lesson I set out to remind myself of while writing it: that we are mystical beings living in a magical universe.