From the Sorcerer’s Workbench: Picatrix Image of the Moon

“The image of the moon according to the opinion of Picatrix is the form of a man who has the head of a bird, and he holds a stick above him, and he has a tree before him.” — Picatrix Bk.II Ch.10, p.105 of the Greer and Warnock translation.

Image of the Moon according to the opinion of Picatrix

This Image of the Moon was my second Picatrix image. I designed it during the Covid lockdown, at a point where I was struggling to draw at all, let alone draw magically inspired art. There are parts of it that bother me, now, but the way it actually came together in the metal is absolutely phenomenal.

It has, in fact, proven to be my second most popular planetary talisman (after Venus) and one of my best selling deigns overall. A little to my surprise, I have only had one insecure man asking me to hide the figure’s penis.

With all that said, I have to confess that, of the numerous images of the Moon presented in the Picatrix, this is only my second favorite. My actual favorite is far too complex for me to produce at my current skill level, and will surprise no one who has looked over the Picatrix images, is “…according to the opinion of Mercury is the form of a woman with a beautiful face, with a dragon about her waist, having horns on her head with two snakes encircling them, and with two more snakes above her head and a snake entwined around each of her arms, and a dragon above her head and another dragon under her feet, and both these dragons have seven heads.”

I think I’m going to have to make this poster-sized using either digital media or learn to paint. But I’m probably never going to be able cram it all into a one-inch-disk talisman.

As one would expect, Lunar talismans can be used for any lunar purpose – definitions of which, of course, vary wildly from one tradition to the next. Various Picatrix passages suggest lunar talismans to make the wearer happy, well-liked, safe, healthy, and fortunate, for protection while travelling and against evil. The invocation of the Moon (Book III, Ch 7, Para 33, pp 177-8, trans. Attrell & Porreca 2019) seems to be all-purpose, treating the luminary as an intercessor to any and all of the other planets.

For obvious reasons, silver – the metal of the moon – is the best choice for this talisman, but I also offer it in shibuichi and brass, for a more exotic look on the one hand and a more affordable purchase on the latter. As with all my pieces, this talisman is available as a coin, with an upeye for use as a pendant, or with three jump rings for use in a rosary-style necklace.

Each piece is hand-made to order in my home studio, with unique variations and defects as a result of the fabrication and casting process.

These talismans are NOT consecrated. That is your responsibility.

Astrological timing and consecration is available with a minimum of 30 days advance notice at an additional charge depending on the difficulty of the election.

Image of the moon obverse and reverse

https://www.etsy.com/listing/838534801/two-sided-picatrix-lunar-talisman