Images of the Lunar Mansions

Giordano Bruno

There is a twelfth-century Arab painting showing the Seven Sacred Planets w/ attributes. The Mansions of the Moon are shown on the blue outer wheel. Please refer to this before reading Bruno if you're not quite sure what a Lunar mansion is. Bruno's own approach is visually evocative and cannot be grasped using linear logic, anymore than we read poetry as literal. Compare this to the assignments of the Mansion according to the author of The Picatrix. Bruno was familiar with this work. Both the apparent influence and the emulation are impressive.  PJC

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1st Lunar Mansion begins with: Aries 0° 0' 0"
An Ethiopian seated on a iron bench, wearing a rope girdle and hurling a dart.

2nd Lunar Mansion begins with: Aries 12° 51' 27"
A king on a throne, holding up a sceptre; a man lying before him, prostrate on the earth.

3rd Lunar Mansion begins with: Aries 25° 42' 53"
A fully clad woman, seated on an armchair, her right hand lifted over her head; twisting her left hand through her hair like a madwoman.

4th Lunar Mansion begins with: Taurus 8° 34' 18"
A soldier seated on a horse, holding a serpent in his right hand and grasping a black dog with his left.

5th Lunar Mansion begins with: Taurus 21° 25' 44"
A prince on a silver throne; with a wand in his right hand; and embracing a girl with his left.

6th Lunar Mansion begins with: Gemini 4° 17' 11"
Two armed men, with bared heads, throwing away their swords and embracing each other.

7th Lunar Mansion begins with: Gemini 17° 8' 34"
A well-dressed man, seated on a silver bench, bowing low, with both his palms raised to the heavens.

8th Lunar Mansion begins with: Cancer 0° 0' 0"
A man riding an eagle, holding in his right hand a palm-branch; followed by two defeated enemies.

9th Lunar Mansion begins with: Cancer 12° 51' 27"
A eunuch with his hands covering his eyes; in front of him, an unwashed man is reading.

10th Lunar Mansion begins with: Cancer 25° 42' 52"
A woman giving birth; before her is a golden lion; and a man convalescing from death.

11th Lunar Mansion begins with: Leo 8° 34' 19"
Someone riding a lion, holding its mane with the left hand and lance in the right hand.

12th Lunar Mansion begins with: Leo 21° 25'43"
A seated negro and a dragon fighting with a man.

13th Lunar Mansion begins with: Virgo 4° 17' 09"
A horse subduing a mare; and a shepherd leaning on a stick with both hand, staring fixedly.

14th Lunar Mansion begins with: Virgo 17° 8' 37"
A man holding up a dog by the tail; and the dog, turning itself towards its tail, biting its own foot.

15th Lunar Mansion begins with: Libra 0° 0' 0"
A seated man reading letters, smiling at the courier.

16th Lunar Mansion begins with: Libra 12° 51' 27"
A merchant, holding a silver, two-pan scale in his hand; and another reckoning his accounts.

17th Lunar Mansion begins with: Libra 25° 42' 53"
Someone carrying a bow; followed by an ape.

18th Lunar Mansion begins with: Scorpio 8° 34' 19"
A man holding a bronze serpent in his hand; from whom many serpents are fleeing.

19th Lunar Mansion begins with: Scorpio 21° 25' 43"
A woman holding her hands over her face and giving birth.

20th Lunar Mansion begins with: Sagittarius 4° 17' 11"
A centaur hunting, wearing a quiver and holding a bow in his left hand; in his right hand is a dead fox.

21st Lunar Mansion begins with: Sagittarius 17° 08'34"
Two men, one of whom has his back turned to the other; the other is staring ahead and collecting up their hair which has been shaved off.

22nd Lunar Mansion begins with: Capricorn 0° 0' 0"
An armed man, fleeing with winged feet, withdrawing in his own defence.

23rd Lunar Mansion begins with: Capricorn 12° 51' 27"
A tomcat with the head of a dog, or a dog having the body of a cat, digging a hole in the earth; and a man falling to the ground.

24th Lunar Mansion begins with: Capricorn 25° 42' 53"
A woman holding a ram's horn and breast-feeding a boy-child; whom a great herd of beasts is accompanying.

25th Lunar Mansion begins with: Aquarius 8° 34' 17"
Someone planting a fig tree; and someone else sowing grain.

26th Lunar Mansion begins with: Aquarius 21° 25' 45"
A woman washing and combing her hair; before whom is a winged boy.

27th Lunar Mansion begins with: Pisces 4° 17' 11"
A winged man dipping an empty, holed flagon into a well.

28th Lunar Mansion begins with: Pisces 17° 8' 37"
Someone throwing a copper fish into the water; and a great shoal of live fish gathering