Glossary
Glossary
Arabic, Latin, and technical terms used throughout this repository.
Arabic Terms
Al-Andalus (الأندلس) — The Iberian Peninsula under Muslim rule (711-1492 CE). The crucible where the Picatrix was written and where Greek, Arabic, Persian, and Indian knowledge was synthesized.
Ghayat al-Hakim (غاية الحكيم) — "The Goal/Aim of the Sage." The original Arabic title of the Picatrix.
Ilm al-Nujum (علم النجوم) — "Science of the stars." Arabic term encompassing both astronomy and astrology, which were not separated in the medieval period.
Ilm al-Raml (علم الرمل) — "Science of the sand." Arabic geomancy, related to African divination systems and transmitted to Europe through Moorish Spain.
Ikhwan al-Safa (إخوان الصفاء) — "Brethren of Purity." Anonymous 10th-century Isma'ili collective in Basra whose 52 epistles provided the Neoplatonic framework for the Picatrix.
Manzil (منزل, pl. Manāzil منازل) — "Mansion" or "resting place." Each of the 28 lunar stations through which the Moon passes during its sidereal month. The full term is Manāzil al-Qamar (منازل القمر) — "Mansions of the Moon."
Ruh (روح) — "Spirit" or "breath." Root of ruhaniyyat.
Ruhaniyyat (روحانيّات, sing. ruhaniyya) — "Spiritual forces." Neutral intermediary entities in the Picatrix's cosmology that mediate between the celestial and terrestrial realms. NOT equivalent to Western angels or demons. Drawn from Isma'ili cosmology.
Talisman (طلسم, tilasm) — An object inscribed with images and/or names during specific astrological conditions to attract celestial influences. From the Greek telesma ("consecrated object").
Latin Terms
De Radiis — "On Rays." Al-Kindi's treatise proposing that all celestial bodies emit rays influencing terrestrial events. The philosophical justification for talismanic magic.
De Vita Coelitus Comparanda — "On Obtaining Life from the Heavens." Book III of Ficino's De Vita (1489), which bridged Picatrix astral magic into Renaissance Europe.
Picatrix — Latinized title of the Ghayat al-Hakim. Origin of the name is debated; possibly a corruption of "Hippocrates" (Buqratis in Arabic).
Astrological Terms
Decan (also Face) — One-third of a zodiac sign (10 degrees). 36 total across the zodiac. The Picatrix provides detailed iconographic images for each.
Electional astrology — Choosing astrologically favorable times for specific activities. The primary practical application of the mansion system.
Ephemeris — A table showing the positions of celestial bodies at regular intervals. The Warnock book includes a mansion ephemeris for 2019-2033.
Sidereal month — The Moon's orbital period relative to the stars (~27.3 days), divided into the 28 mansions.
Tropical zodiac — The zodiac based on the vernal equinox (0 Aries = spring equinox), as used in Western astrology and in the mansion positions given in this repository.
Cross-Cultural Terms
Nakshatra (Sanskrit, नक्षत्र) — "Star" or "lunar station." The Indian system of 27 (or 28) lunar mansions, structurally parallel to the Arabic manāzil.
Xiu (Chinese, 宿) — "Lodge" or "mansion." The Chinese system of 28 lunar lodges, divided into four groups of seven aligned with the Four Celestial Animals.
Historical Terms
Batini (باطني) — "Esotericist." One who seeks hidden (batin) meaning behind the apparent (zahir). Al-Qurtubi, the Picatrix author, was described as a Batini traditionist.
Convivencia — Spanish term for the period of relative coexistence among Muslims, Christians, and Jews in medieval Iberia, which facilitated the cross-cultural knowledge exchange that produced works like the Picatrix.
Moors (المور) — Term used in European languages for the Muslim inhabitants of the Iberian Peninsula and North Africa. Encompasses diverse ethnic groups including Berbers/Amazigh, Arabs, and sub-Saharan Africans.
Sabian (صابئون) — Member of the Sabian community of Harran, pagan star-worshippers who preserved Hellenistic astral religion into the Islamic era and served as a major conduit for astro-magical knowledge.