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For Hermes, that wily devil, curiosity is King. The mark of their children is the eagerness of their curio, which darts about, much like their progenitor. We find it in the eye of the stellar witch, the hands of the celestial wizard, the voice of the seraphic conjurer, the perception of the astral diviner, and the intellect of the heavenly sage. Their powers are keen, skilled, and erudite when cultivated. For if curiosity is King, its cultivation is Key.

Turning to a relevant set of linguistic inheritances, we can interrogate the following. The work of astrologia, stars signs, and astromanteía, star divination, when applied, asks that ample data be taken in and synthesised into a clear, and somewhat conconcise, or cryptic, oracle. Similarly, the knowledge of astronomia, star melody, requires keen discernment and esoteric insight. Its employment demands capacity and virtuosity. To be effective in the practice of astromageia, astral magic, aptitudes both prosaic and poetic, both technical and imaginative, both interpretive and prescriptive are encouraged. All are fortified by persistent inquisitiveness, intelligence, and erudition. However, the history of such knowledge defies these classifications, and as such, like ‘science’, ‘astrology’, ‘astronomy’, and ‘magic’,  have been applied variously and conceived of differently over time and place. Such variations and their specificities are of great value in our quest.

ASTRAL KNOWLEDGE IS THAT OF CELESTIAL DIVINATION, OMEN, PROGNOSTICATION, ASTROLOGY, ASTRONOMY, AND MAGIC, AS WELL AS THEIR MANY APPLICATIONS. SUCH KNOWLEDGE INCORPORATES PARTICULAR THEORETICAL AND PRACTICAL UNDERSTANDING. IT IS ACQUIRED THROUGH A MIX OF SPECIFIC LEARNING AND EXPERIENCE.

Transmission of celestial knowledge, be it the exchange between teacher and student or between spirit, god, and practitioner, plays a significant role in both the origin and the ongoing life of such knowledge. The orality of transmissions are as important today as they were in the past, though much remains to be considered here that is frequently overlooked. However, both within its literate history and in the revival of western astrological magic and related esoteric knowledge, the textual has played and continues to play a vital role. Equally, celestial knowledge consists of ‘reading’ the heavens; those learned in such communications are receptive to the intentions and portents of the gods. Furthermore, many processes, such as investigation, translation, distribution, collaboration, and education, are essential to its dissemination. 

Astral technologies, both historically and contemporarily, are cleverly developed and devised to gain knowledge of, to seek solutions or answers from, to perform function of or by the influence of the lunar, solar, planetary, and stellar. Such knowledge is made applicable in the hands of the artful, skilled, cunning practitioner. And, while innovation comes frequently, and along with perspective changes, we also find ourselves both enabled and limited by our technological inheritances. 

For those among us, curious to the above and about, the dance of heaven and earth is at once myriad, particular, complex, harmonised, and mysterious and it constitutes various knowledge. 

Our knowledge is astral and it is celestially formed, informed, and transformed. Now as before, there is much to be done and much to be shared. There are stellar litanies to write, heavenly orations to compose, astral figures to draw, empyrean data to tabulate, and celestial curios to cultivate.

You are invited to join us in this fourth Astro Magia as we survey, inspect, search, and traverse with fresh eyes Astral Knowledge: Transmissions, Technologies, & Texts.