Hermetic Cosmogony and Renaissance Astrosophy: Paracelsus, Agrippa, and Cardano

of the consciousness of the Universe of which man is part. These supra-individual powers in hermetic cosmogony constitute the planet earth, first forming the minerals which represent a condensation of these cosmic powers and virtues, then these same forces constitute the trees and plants until they are assimilated by the physical organs and individual consciousness of man. Man is nothing other than the individuation of these powers in a portion of this cosmic consciousness which, in order to become conscious of itself, has separated itself from the rest of the Universe.

ASTROSOPHY OF PARACELSUS

These fundamental concepts elaborated by the sanctuaries of Ancient Egypt in the early centuries of our Era had a new diffusion precisely in the Renaissance period when they were rediscovered and retranslated throughout Europe and became the fundamental philosophical basis of the intellectuals of the time. Among these we can mention Paracelsus who, based precisely on this astrosophical philosophy, elaborated the principles of modern medicine. For example, Paracelsus was the first to think that since the virtues that had given origin to minerals and metals were the same virtues that had given origin to human organs, then it would be possible to cure an organic disease with a mineral or chemical principle. That was an inconceivable principle at the time: how is it possible to heal with something that has no life like a mineral a being endowed with life like man?

PHILOSOPHICAL ASTROLOGY OF AGRIPPA

More advanced than Paracelsus's astrology was that of Agrippa, disciple of Abbot Trithemius, who focused on soul medicine rather than physical medicine. Since the powers and virtues of the soul are nothing other than an individuated reflection of those forces and powers that live in their cosmic and supra-individuated aspect in the planets, then Agrippa divulged a type of astrology aimed exclusively at the regeneration of the soul. Through a concentration, a particular meditation performed directly on celestial bodies and a special initiation to the angelic choir corresponding to them, the soul can conform so much to the corresponding virtue as to become a true center of irradiation of that virtue. Agrippa refers, for example, to meditation on the Solar Spirit which must lead the individual to become a Sun himself, a center of spiritual irradiation capable of illuminating the doubtful and dissolving the darkness of death and ignorance.

"whoever wishes to attract the influence of the solar, must contemplate the Sun not only through external light, but also through internal light and no one can do this without ascending to the spirit of the Sun itself and without becoming similar to it and without understanding and perceiving with the eye of understanding its intelligible light as with the bodily eye one perceives its sensible light. This one will thus be filled with splendor [...] Having then attained the light of the sovereign degree, the soul will then approach perfection and become similar to solar spirits and will attain the very sources of supernatural virtue and will use its power as it pleases, if indeed the first author wills it."

To proceed in this type of Ascetic and Initiatic Astrology, Agrippa relied on a whole series of correspondences, colored breathing, seals and magical diagrams, whose sole purpose was to create a psychic current from the meditating individual to the spirit of the planet to which one wanted to assimilate. The details of this ascesis are described in this Archeosophy booklet: THE BASES OF PERSONAL INITIATIC ASTROLOGY. This type of spiritual astrology, as you can see, has nothing to do with the prediction of future events in the sense of events operated by destiny, while conversely it has to do with the acquisition of spiritual virtues whose end is the liberation of man from the phenomenal world and entry into the Kingdom of God.

GIROLAMO CARDANO

Let us now come to Girolamo Cardano. Girolamo Cardano was born in Pavia in 1501 and from his early youth dedicated himself to the study of mathematics, medicine and astrology. Cardano's life is truly the portrait of genius and licentiousness. To get an idea of the character, it may be useful to read his autobiography which, besides being the first modern autobiography, is also one of the best for its frank and non-hagiographic character. In his autobiography, in fact, Girolamo Cardano does not hesitate to confess his greatest defects, such as gambling or illnesses and neuroses of youth combined with his most interesting psychological particularities of his inner life.

For example, Cardano says he had 4 great gifts:

being able to go into ecstasy at will
being able to see everything desired through the power of his imaginative virtue
predicting the future through dreams
predicting the future by observing his own nails

Cardano is actually a genius still little understood and studied, author of thousands and thousands of pages of discoveries, inventions, philosophical reflections. Cardano's work, however, is so intricate that it can hardly be studied and generally one limits oneself to a few books of mathematical and philosophical character, neglecting the others. Among the things of which he was discoverer, popularizer and inventor we have: the idea of hygiene, the solution of third and fourth degree equations, probability, game theory, the Cardano grille for cryptography. To these are added the idea of vaccination, the Cardan joint, the idea of panpsychism and hundreds of other ideas and inventions that are difficult to catalog.

CARDANO'S ASTROLOGY

Cardano's Astrology is therefore first of all this type of Philosophical Astrology we have spoken of. Cardano in his De Rerum Varietate describes the action of stones and plants to cure diseases, indicating gems as the best resource since they constituted the most powerful possible psychic condensers being more elementary and ancient. Precious gems in Cardano's vision constituted the first condensation of psychic virtues emitted by planets and collected by the action of the earth. In his De Subtilitate instead he treats of angelic virtues and planetary spirits to which correspond true archangels that...