Renaissance Magic: Paracelsus' Planetary Seals and Agrippa's Occult Philosophy

His irascible character certainly did not contribute to general goodwill toward the German scientist; however, despite this, Paracelsus nevertheless managed to have numerous followers and disciples who spread his doctrines, making him one of the founding fathers of Modern Medicine.

Paracelsus' Planetary Seals

Paracelsus is one of the most striking examples of the astrosophical revolution launched by Pico and Ficino. While dedicating most of his writings to correspondences and notions of a profoundly and intrinsically astrological character, Paracelsus completely rejects judicial astrology.

"It is an old saying that 'The Wise man dominates the stars' and I believe in this saying. The stars do not force us into anything we do not wish to accept; they do not incline us toward anything we do not desire [...] Whatever the stars can do, we can do ourselves, because the Wisdom we obtain from God surpasses the heavens in power and reigns over the stars."

How does the Wise man dominate the stars? Certainly not by denying the influence of the heavens or opposing them in a sterile way, but by condensing at the opportune moment a celestial influence that will then be re-expressed one day at the appropriate moment. Talismans and pentacles are therefore seen as condensers of astral influences.

"It is certain that the seals of the planets, if they are made and worn at the proper hour and time, have great inherent virtues. No one could indeed deny the great power of the superior stars and celestial influences on perishable and mortal things. If the superior stars and planets can moderate, direct and oblige the animal man at their pleasure, although made in God's image and endowed with life and reason, much more can they govern lesser things, such as metals, stones and images, on which they impress or which they occupy with all their virtue, efficacy and force according to their properties, as if they penetrated them with all their substance, in the same way they occupy the firmament."

It is important to note that in Paracelsus' view, these seals are still used to obtain effects and reactions of an indicatively material character, for example: "Therefore on Jupiter's day when the Moon enters the 1st degree of Libra and the planet Jupiter is in good aspect, open the punches and mint the seal that you will keep wrapped in turquoise silk. This seal, if worn, conciliates benevolence, affection and favor from all, will prolong the life of the wearer, ensure the success of his affairs and keep all fears and worries away from him."

Paracelsus does not deal with typically spiritual aspects in his teachings. Very different will be the situation of Agrippa who will unite this natural magic to the Kabbalah and will use these seals not only to condense the astral influences of the planets, but with the purpose of establishing resonance and contacting the intelligences themselves that preside over the planets, thus with typically spiritual purposes.

Agrippa

Another disciple of Abbot Trithemius who became perhaps one of the most famous magicians of the Renaissance era is Cornelius Agrippa, author of a book that became crucial for the history of natural magic: the Occult Philosophy. Agrippa represents one of the closest links between Magic and Astrology. In Agrippa, these two disciplines are considered inseparable, as inseparable and inconceivable one separated from the other.

"Magic is strictly conjoined with astrology so that whoever professes magic without astrology has completely lost his way."

Various Renaissance influences and tendencies meet in Agrippa: a natural magic coming from Ficino; an attention toward Christian Kabbalah coming from the study of Pico, Reuchlin and the teaching of Abbot Trithemius; to all this is added a strong astrological connotation coming from his family formation.

Agrippa is an extremely interesting and adventurous character. He learns astrology from his father from a young age, then moves to Paris for University where with some student friends he joins a circle of students founded on Hermetic doctrines. After going to Spain under the military service of King Ferdinand and earning the title of knight for acts of courage, he travels to various cities such as Lyon, Dole and obviously to Würzburg where Abbot Trithemius was at that moment.

"Reverend Father, when recently I was with you at your convent in Würzburg, where our conversations took place on chemistry, magic, the Kabbalah and other mysterious subjects in the field of occult sciences and arts, we wondered why magic, so esteemed by the ancients and venerated in antiquity by the Wise and priests, became in the early times of our religion, so suspect and hateful to the Church Fathers [...]"

The Witch of Woippy

Agrippa proves to be an energetic and dynamic character, always traveling throughout Europe, never disdaining a verbal dispute, even when he risks paying personally, as in the case of the alleged witch of Woippy.

This poor woman whose only fault was being the daughter of a woman burned for witchcraft, was kidnapped by "four notorious scoundrels" who had segregated her; when they had come to ask news of the woman, they had decided to denounce her as a witch to justify their own actions. She then ended up in the hands of an inquisitor whom Agrippa defines as "an animal more cruel than the executioner" who tortures her to obtain some confession.

Agrippa, finding himself near the town for other reasons and noticing the absurd injustice of the Inquisitor, decided to act as the woman's lawyer adopting as a defensive strategy that of accusing the Inquisitor of heresy: "What proof does he give that this woman is really a witch? He says that her mother..."