A Picatrix Election for Enduring Love

This is a pretty fortunate month for the ambitious astrological magician with both Mercury, planet of traders, scholars and astrologers, and Venus, planet of all the other fun things you do when you are not working or studying, dignified by domicile.  Mercury is in Gemini from 7 June to 22 June, and Venus is in Taurus from 6 June to July 4.

Below is an interesting election from the Picatrix for enduring love.

An image for enduring love

“Make two images, and put one of the Fortunes at the ascendant and the Moon in Taurus conjunct Venus. Write on on one image a number, that is, a figure of al-Khwarismi, the sort that begin with 0 – for 220 in the proper place, and on the other image write the same kind of figure for 284 in the proper place. Join the two figures together in an embrace, and then there will be perfect love between the two” – Picatrix, Book 1, Chapter 5. Greer and Warnock translation

The footnotes for this paragraph of the Greer and Warnock translation tells us that the author intends for the numbers to be written in “Arabic” numerals, i.e., the numerals we use today. The numbers themselves are known in mathematics as amicable numbers as each is the sum of the proper divisors of the other. 220 and 284 are the smallest such pair of an amicable 2-tuple or pair:

Sum of proper divisors of 284 = 1+2+4+71+142 = 220
Sum of proper divisors of 220 = 1+2+4+5+10+20+22+44+55+110 =284

Pythagoras considered such numbers “friendly” as one arose from the other, that is, its uniquely individual parts (its unique divisors) when considered together were identical to the other number.  It’s this intimate relationship between the pair of numbers that the author of the Picatrix makes use of in this Image. How can there not be enduring love between two people who see their deepest nature reflected in the other?

Incidentally, amicable numbers are known to exist in n-tuple forms – there are amicable triples, quadruples, and so on. So, if you are in a polyamorous relationship, or have your own harem, or merely want to increase the love, bond or harmony between a larger group of people, you may wish to use the appropriate amicable n-tuple. You can find amicable triples, quadruples and quintuples in the On-line Encyclopedia of Integer Sequences. If your harem is any larger than that, well, you are just going to have to work the numbers out yourself, you lucky sod.

As an interesting mathematical aside, although they were first discovered by the Greeks, amicable numbers were studied by the Sabian mage and mathematician Thabit Ibn Qurra, who most here will be familiar with from Christopher Warnock’s translation of his work on astrological magic De Imaginibus. Ibn Qurra discovered a means to generate amicable number pairs, a generalised form of which (via Euler) is still used in Number Theory today.

Timing, Timing, Timing

We require a Fortune to be rising and the Moon conjunct Venus in Taurus. Although the author of the Picatrix does not mention it, we want the Moon, the Fortune and Venus to be unafflicted and preferably dignified. In this election, Venus is rising, conjunct the ascendant, and it is applying by conjunction to the Moon. Venus, natural ruler of love and friendship, is dignified by domicile and it is not afflicted. The Moon is dignified by exaltation and triplicity and is unafflicted by harsh aspects to the malefics.  In addition, both the Moon and Venus are in hayz.

For London this occurs on 20 June at 2:28am.  The chart for this election is below:

The Work

1. Create the images at the time elected. You can make wax images or simply print out a photograph of the people you want to join together.
2. Write the amicable numbers over the heart area of each person in the photograph, one number for each person. Cense with a Venus or love incense, anoint with a Venus or love oil.
3. Invoke the Angel or other Spirits of Venus as you join the figures together face to face (I like to use honey to do this).
4. Either carry this prepared talisman with you, or, if it is more appropriate, bury or place it in a significant place. e.g., in your zenana, or a bedroom, or in your front or back yard.