Theurgy

The word "theurgy" comes from the Greek words "theo" (god) and "ergasia" (work), and is typically interpreted as "divine working" or working with or through the divine. The central premise of theurgy is the ability to contact divine or superior spiritual bodies often through what would typically be thought of as ritual magic. In astral theurgy specifically, the superior spiritual entities whose connection is sought after are the planets and stars.

In medieval cosmology, the planets were thought to exist in a realm superior to our own, a realm where corruption and generation did not occur.1 As a result, the planets and stars were considered immortal, unalterable, and semi-divine. By studying or working with these semi-divine celestial spirits, humanity had access to greater understanding of divinity.2 This understanding is a natural development from the study of astrology itself, but astrological magic and the astral theurgy it works through are another method of obtaining it or a method used to deepen the connection that the practice of astrology grants us.

Our own realm of the elements beneath the sphere of the Moon, (called the sub-lunar sphere) on the other hand, is susceptible to growth and decay. Things are born, grow, diminish, and die while the planets can only do these things symbolically. Therefore, by contacting these semi-divine celestial spirits, humanity is essentially requesting divine intervention from their immortal supervisors. This intervention is not only requested in the form of theurgy and direct magical contact, but is utilized in all forms of remediation, the most common being medicine and some would argue the practice of horary and electional astrology themselves.

For all of the conflict between Pagan and Christian religion and philosophy, Iamblichus was more concerned about the clash between the older, ancient traditions that he felt came from the gods, and the newer, man-made traditions that were attempting to supplant them. His goal, then became to reinforce the bond and closeness between gods and men. This is why Iamblichus praised the Egyptians, he felt that they maintained these original connections through their traditional ritual theurgic practices while his own culture (and the up and coming Christians) had changed the rituals to suit their own needs. Iamblichus saw this time and again where a religious group would simply take over a temple, use the same rituals and prayers, but simply change the name of the deity being worshiped. Iamblichus sought to use the Egyptians as a template for his own theurgic writings applied to his Platonic philosophy.

Sunthemata

"To begin with, it is not true that the Gods dwell only in the Heavens, for all things are full of the Gods." - Iamblichus

Iamblichus used the term "sunthemata" to describe theurgic tokens in the material world. These were items that bore some mark or characteristic of their divine nature. Sunthemata were said to be sown throughout nature by the Platonic Demiurge and served as reminders of the divine will and its connection to our lower level of reality.5

Astrologers and herbalists may recognize the sunthemata theory as being very similar to the doctrine of signatures.

The sunthemata are physical manifestations of divine presence and will. Humans can ascertain the purpose or occult properties of a plant or stone by observing its form and drawing comparisons between it and a divine body. In astral theurgy, this occurred when the metals gold and silver were equated to the light of the Sun and Moon, thus gold and silver have occult properties that relate to solar and lunar powers.6 The allegiance of other material objects is determined in a similar manner.

The purpose of these tokens in theurgy is to mimic or represent the divine being they are a part of or assigned to. By examining the sunthemata of the Moon, for example, the theurgist better understands her nature. By gathering multiple lunar tokens, contact with the lunar daemons, spirits, and divinities can be established.

Each individual sunthemata is thought to be equally expressed within its ruling deity (the Sun equally expresses gold, St. John's Wort, and lions) but no one sunthemata can accurately express the multiple manifestations of its deity. This requires the theurgist to gather multiple, diverse sunthemata to adequately contact the divine being they are seeking.

An important distinction is made between worshiping the sunthemata themselves and worshiping through them. The former is regarded as idolatry and Iamblichus refers to it as sorcery. Sorcery is not theurgy. To Iamblichus, theurgy is contacting the gods, while sorcery is man imposing his will on nature. Other, later authors would regard theurgy as propitiating divine spirits and sorcery as manipulating the material world. This has some ethical implications that can be summed up with an analogy; theurgy is like asking your neighbor to move their car, sorcery is like moving it yourself.

The sunthemata of Iamblichus would have a profound impact on the Platonist writer, astrologer, doctor, and theurgist Marsilio Ficino.

Ficino's Chains

Writing in 15th century Italy, Ficino wrote many commentaries and translations of Neoplatonic texts. He applied these Neoplatonic ideas to his own Christian faith, but would disagree with other prominent Christian scholars about the efficacy and approval of natural magic7 and the utilization of images.8

In his third text of his Three Books on Life entitled On Obtaining Life From the Heavens, Ficino discusses how to use magical images and objects to prolong one's life and fight against disease. He does this based on sympathies that are very similar if not identical to Iamblichus's sunthemata.

"I have said elsewhere that down from every single star (to speak Platonically) there hangs its own series of things down to the lowest."

- On Obtaining Life From the Heavens, Chapter XIV

Just like the sunthemata, Ficino's sympathies connect the highest order of creation down to the lowest. He continues on to give us an example of such a series.

"Under the Solar star, that is Sirius, they set the Sun first of all, and the Phoebean daemons...then similar men and solar beasts, Phoebean plants then, similarly metals and gems and vapors and hot air."

-On Obtaining Life From the Heavens, Chapter XIV

We can see the logic in the ordering of this series of links; it starts with the highest order and ends in the lowest. The stars reside in the highest celestial sphere and make the first link, then the appropriate planet, followed by non-human spiritual entities, then people who exhibit planetary traits, followed by animals, plants, metals, stones, sounds, and aromas.

One of the biggest differences between Ficino's and Iamblichus's sunthemata is the former's inclusion of people. He would go on later to make his case for this more clearly and instruct individuals to stay away from malignant and unlucky people for their own spiritual, mental, and physical well being.9

For Ficino, the purpose of these chains of sympathies was to bring more of a planet's or star's influence into someone's life. Due to his background as a physician, these influences were often for a medical purpose and focused specifically on the use of Solar, Jupiterian, or Venusian items. However, with a little knowledge the chains of the other planets can be properly deduced and utilized in the same way.

It should also be noted that the chains often interlink with one another. We can see this most clearly in the nature of stars where individual stars will often be of the nature of two planets, indicating a split. It also manifests in lower levels where living beings can belong to a particular chain as a species, but as an individual can be like another. For example, humans belong to Mercury as a species, but a particularly beautiful human will be part of Venus's chain as well, or an orange cat who belongs to Saturn as a species, but to the Sun due to its coloration.

Finally, the chains do not begin at the stars. Though the stars may exist in the highest celestial sphere, they all connect into one superior link. Ficino makes this clear in a statement in chapter VIII of Book III, reminding us to "...hope for and seek the fruit of the work principally from Him who made both the celestials and those things which are contained in the heavens, who gave them their power, and who always moves and preserves them."

Conclusion

Though neither Iamblichus or Ficino were outspoken supporters of ritual magic and magical images or talismans that the Picatrix instructs how to create, they both utilize the same tools in their theurgy. Likewise, the two systems are not mutually exclusive as all three sources utilize the same techniques for similar effects.

In all three systems, the collection of appropriate natural materials is paramount to establish contact with superior spirits. Not only are these substances used to contact these spirits, but all three state they can be receptacles of the spirit's celestial powers. Where Iamblichus would use the sunthemata only in ritual and spiritual practice, the talismans of Ficino and Picatrix could have lasting effects on individuals who were near them.

Whatever the goal or end result, the central premise of the sunthemata as theurgic tokens runs strong throughout the texts of astral theurgy and traditional medicine. Meanwhile, the writings of classical astrology and the planetary associations within them give insight into the manifestations of the planets in the physical world.

Notes

1. Aristotle, On the Heavens, Book II, Part I

2. Guido Bonatti makes this claim specifically about what the purpose of astrology is, as can be seen from the quote provided from him on this site's home page.

3. Gregory Shaw, Theurgy and the Soul: The Neoplatonism of Iamblichus pg. 2

4. In Platonism, daemons were considered to govern parts of the world, but god governed the entire world. Thus, a soul that no longer identifies with a specific self but instead identifies with the collective World Soul it required another, more broad guardian.

5. Chaldean Oracles, Fragment 108

6. The seven classical metals are silver, quicksilver, copper, gold, iron, tin, and lead. Each of these is assigned to one of the seven planets due to some shared characteristic between the two. Silver is attributed to the Moon, quicksilver to Mercury, copper to Venus, gold to the Sun, iron to Mars, tin to Jupiter, and lead to Saturn. These shared characteristics can be either color (like gold and the Sun), form (like Mercury and quicksilver), purpose (like Mars and iron), or a mix of all of these and more (as is the case of Saturn and lead).

7. Natural magic would be the natural power of plants and stones to produce some result. Such as cinnamon's natural power of fighting chest congestion.

8. Most notably, Ficino disagreed with Thomas Aquinas's disapproval of image making. Aquinas argued that it was perfectly fine to use natural materials to procure seemingly occult effects, because these were natural and made by God. Images, however, were man-made and could only bring about effects if demons inhabited them.

9. "...remember to flee far away from the unbridled, the impudent, the malicious, and the unlucky. For these, being full of bad daemons or rays, are maleficent ... they harm not only by touch, but by proximity and by sight. Indeed, mere proximity of animate bodies is thought to constitute contact on account of the powerful exhalation of vapors emanating outward from the bodily heat, from spirit, and from emotions." On Obtaining Life from the Heavens, Chapter XXIV