Semiphoras and Schemhamphoras
(1686)

Of the Movement of the Heavenly Powers

The first course in Mundo Ceolesti watches day and night -- Primum Mobile Rechet Hagallalim -- it continues from morning until night. From these the Heathens divided the angels into thirty-three orders. The first great light communicates light, life, and station out of the first course, and opposes others in the Saphaera Zodiaci, causes summer and winter, [and] the spring of all the things of the elements. Hebrew Masloth goes from evening to morning according to the twelve signs of the heavens.

But even if all things have their existence from God, the great First Cause, we should not despise other causes, according to changes in time, in the year, in the month, day, and hour. Neither should we regard these causes exclusively and forget God, for in this manner heathen idoltry was instituted. For this reason God does not regard time because it robs him of his honor. For the heathens experienced that the heavenly spirits were not united with their bodies, as our souls are united with our bodies, but they could rejoice in the presence of God and prepare their bodies without much labor to work with the lower creatures of God. They regarded the celestial spirits as gods and conferred divine honors upon them. Very often [certain] Jews turned away from God and worshipped the host of heaven and, therefore, the wrath of God was kindled against them. But on account of the order of all things, God has set them before us as his instruments and which we, on account of their honorable office, are to regard as the noblert creation of God and that we should honor them, next to God. according to their station, not as gods but as creatures, which he has appointed as twelves princes over the twelve gates of heaven, that they may admit what they received from the divine name, transposed twelve times.

Ezekiel writes: "The laws of the twelve tribes of Israel were thus written, and God Tetragrammaton rules over them." Thus it is written in Revelations that the stones in our heavenly city are planted in the ground, or that the Church of Christ is represented by the twelve names of the Apostles, including twelve angels and of them the name of Jesus, who received all the power of the Father so that the heavens will receive what the angels give to them, according to the will of God.

If, then, an Intelligentia is ascribed to each heaven, each Star and department of heaven must have a distinct and separate power and influence and, therefore, must also have a distinct Intelligentiam. Therefore, there are twelve princes of angels, who represent the twelve signs of the Zodiac; thirty-six, who represent so many Decuriis; and seventy-two angels, who represent so many Quinariis of heaven, of the seventy-two nations and languages of man. Likewise, seven angels of the hosts for the seven heavens of the seven planets to rule the world, etc. Also, four angels who represent the Triplicitatibus of the twelve signs of the Zodiac and the four elements.¹

All of these have their names and signs which the philosophers used in their works, signs, images, clothes, mirrors, rings, cards, [and] wax-figures, as if they had a sun-work before them, and they called them the names of the sun and his angels, and likewise of others, etc.

In the third place they designated the lowest angels as servants. These they distributed over the world and named them after the seven planets, and these have their special course after the four elements and after the four parts of the air and earth -- of the daytime several Diurnos, several Nocturnos, [and] several Merailianos, not that they are subordinate to the influence of the stars as the body which they represent, but that they are more nearly related to the star-body-kind-time than others, otherwise they might be everywhere, as each human being has three angels, for God has ordained that each human being shall have his good angel as a protector, who also strengthens the spirit and urges and exhorts us to what is good and commendable, that we may fly from what is fati malignitatem. And so every man has also an evil spirit, who controls the desires of the flesh and awakens the lusts of the heart.

Between these two angels there is a constant struggle for supremacy, and to whichever man gives the preference, he will receive the victory. If the evil angel triumphs, then man becomes his servant; should the good angel prove the stronger, then he will cleanse the soul and save man from destruction. The angel and his impulses come from the stars.

In the third place are the Genii of man who govern birth and are joined to each perfection in man. These are recognized from the star, which is the Lord of the births. The Chaldeans seek this Genium in the sun and moon. Astronomers would have the good Genium out of the eleventh house which, on this account, they call bonum Genium (the evil one [comes] out of the sixth house), but each one will learn to know him through natural inclination, to which everyone was inclined from his youth. On this account he is called the birth-angel, who is sent into the world by God. Of this the Psalmist says, "Thou hast made the spirit of man as a flame of fire," for experience teaches us that the flame of fire and the spirit of birth may be separated without injury to man, that we can learn hidden things from him if he is good and true. But he is powerless over the members of birth if, however, a virgin or a companion becomes marriageable, he may be liberated from the glass and our time of life will be extended.

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¹See also Precession as it Relates to the Sophia of Jesus.