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CASTING A SHIELD

Doing a geomantic reading is called “Casting a Shield”. A geomantic shield is formed based on a query or a question you are asking. A geomantic figure will fill each of the 15 boxes in the shield. Geomancy is meant to prepare your mind and soul for what answers it may reveal, and to open your heart to new possibilities. Like all forms of divination, geomancy can be used incorrectly. Before you cast your question, make sure your intentions are pure and that it is something truly important.  

Geomancy uses a system of mathematical recursion to develop every figure in the shield based on the previous symbols. That means that everything in the shield is dependent on what came before it. 

In geomancy, only the first four figures are generated by the geomancer and the rest of the shield is constructed based on the beginning four figures. There are several methods that can be used for divining the first four positions in the chart. Today, most geomancers use a pen and paper, but you will also be able to use the Geomantic Visions coins.

Once you have determined your question it is important to write it down, along with the date of your query above it (you will want to look back on past shields in the future). Remember to phrase your question in the “yes or no” format so that the out.come can be determined as either favorable or unfavorable. 

Once you have your question, it is time to begin your reading. I prefer to draw the shield myself, during which I think about what I am asking and why I am asking it.

With each line of the shield I draw (pictured above) I meditate on the question more. Next to the shield, or on another sheet of paper, make sixteen rows of numbers. 

When you are ready, close your eyes and focus your intentions on the question. When it is clear in your mind, take a deep breath and with a pen or pencil begin making strokes on your sheet of paper in the 16 rows. Stop when you feel it is time to stop and move onto the next line. Clear your mind so you are not counting the strokes in each row, feel the energy of the question and focus on your connection to the pencil or pen and the paper you are scribing on. Generally you want to make 9 or more marks on each line to be sure you are not counting lines. 

Once you have completed 16 rows of strokes then you will count them off and assign each row as ODD or EVEN depending on if there are 1 or 2 strokes left. I have found the easiest method is to connect the strokes together with a line between them so that you end up something that looks like a fence with either a single “I” left or an “H”.

Now you will have 16 rows of either 1’s or 2’s. These 16 rows are what contain the essence of your geomantic shield. If the row consists of an even number, the reader will use two dots. If the row consists of an odd number of marks, the reader will read that as one dot.

These symbols are divided into four groups of four. These four groups are read to determine the first four figures of your geomantic shield, the four mothers. The four mothers are the source of the rest of the reading. They are used to create the daughters, the nieces, the witnesses, and finally, the judge. We will cover the names and significance of each of the 16 figures but for now, let's focus on building our shield.

Rows 1-4 will create the figure in the first box, rows 5-8 will form the second figure, Rows 9-12 will form the third figure and rows 13-16 will form the fourth figure. These four figures are known as “the Mothers” (this part is what is replaced by the coins).

USING THE COINS

As an alternate way to produce the four mothers, the elemental coins can be used. Each element coin has two sides that show the element singularly or in a pair. Depending on which side is facing up, the reader will see whether to use 1 dot or 2 to form the figure. Each element is represented by a symbol, fire is the flame, air is the bird in flight, water, the waterlily, and earth, the tree. The coins will always be read in this order: Fire, Air, Water, and Earth, and are shuffled and thrown 4 times in order to determine the four figures. Toss the coins then put them in order from Fire to Earth and see what figure is formed. Once aligned and ordered, we see the figure Carcer in the example shown.

BEGINNING THE SHIELD

Now it is time to place your Mothers into your shield. Everyone will draw a geomantic shield a little differently, but throughout all shields these things must remain the same:

1. The top row of the shield must consist of 8 boxes. In geomancy we move right to left, so the right 4 boxes are the Mothers. The Moth.ers are the four figures that birth the rest of the figures in the entire reading. It is crucial that you take your time when assembling the Mothers since these figures will determine the outcome.

2. The left 4 boxes next to the Mothers are called “the Daughters” and are formed from the Mothers.

3. The second row of the shield must contain 4 boxes, these are called “The Nieces” and are formed from the figures above them.

4. The third “row” must contain 2 boxes, these are “the Witnesses”

5.  The Fourth “row” or the last position must only contain 1 box, this is “the Judge.” 

On the following few pages you’ll find a more in depth breakdown on how to assemble a shield. If you get lost it’s recommended to begin again to be sure that you didn’t make an error early on.

THE MOTHERS

The Mothers are the most important four figures of the Geomantic shield and are what determine the fate of everything that follows. Place the four mothers that you generated into the boxes shown.

THE DAUGHTERS

The Daughters are made from the Mothers by taking each line of dots and creating a figure from that line. All of the heads, or the fire elements, (the top line in each Mother) are added to create the First Daughter.

Then all of the necks, the air elements, are added to form the Second Daughter, then all of the bodies, the water elements, are added to form the third Daughter and all of the feet, the earth elements form the fourth Daughter.

THE NIECES

The Nieces are the four boxes on the second row of the shield and are made from the Mothers and the Daughters. The First Niece is made from the combination of Mother 1 and Mother 2. If the number of dots is EVEN in a line then the Niece will have 2 dots in that line, if the number of dots is ODD then it becomes one dot. Then the second Niece is made from the combination of Mother 3 and Mother 4. The third Niece is made from the combination of Daughter 1 and Daughter 2. The fourth Niece is made from the combination of Daughter 3 and Daughter 4: 

THE WITNESSES

The Witnesses are then formed from the Four Nieces in the same method as the previous step. Take the first and second Niece and combine them to make the Right Witness. The third and fourth Niece are then combined to form the Left Witness. The Right Witness represents the past and the person asking the question and the Left Witness represents the situation and the future. 

THE JUDGE

The Judge is the final figure in the Geomantic Shield and rests at the bottom. It is the accumulation of all of the figures in the chart and is the figure we first look to for a favorable or unfavorable outcome. Use the Left and Right Witnesses to form the final figure. The Judge can only be formed from an even number of points, since it is the sum of both sides of the Geomantic Shield. This means that only 8 of the 16 figures can ever end up being the Judge. It’s a good way to check if you did your math right. 

The possible judges are: VIA, FORTUNA MAJOR, FORTUNA MINOR, CONJUNCTIO, ACQUISITIO, CARCER, AMISSIO, POPULUS

LOOKING AT THE WITNESSES

When you are unsure of the ruling of the Judge, or want to better understand the outcome, it is important to turn to the two witnesses. If the Judge is favorable and the two witnesses are also favorable it only makes the outcome more favorable. The opposite is also true, with an unfavorable Judge and two unfavorable Witnesses the ruling is certainly unfavorable. If the Judge is neutral and the two Witnesses are favorable it will pull the ruling in one direction. If all three are neutral then it is time to look deeper into the shield. 

Each witness affects the shield differently. When the Right Witness, a symbol of the querent and the past, is favorable it suggests that the person asking the question is in a good position. When it is unfavorable it suggests they are in an unfortunate position to begin with. The figure that takes the form of the Right Witness also weighs into the reading and describes the querents state of mind. For example, if Tristitia is the Right Witness they may already feel sad about the situation. If Albus is the Right Witness they likely are already well informed.

Similarly the Left Witness, a symbol of the future and the situation at hand, can add more understanding in the ruling. When the Left Witness is favorable, it suggests that the situation is beneficial to the querent. When it is unfavorable it may be that the situation could be detrimental to the querent. The figure that takes the form of the Left Witness also weighs into the reading and describes the energy of the situation. If Cauda Draconis shows up it may indicate that the sit.uation will end shortly, if Caput Draconis shows up it may be just beginning. If Puella arrives it will indicate something harmonious, if Puer shows up it may be something with high energy and enthusiasm. 

The relationship between the two Witnesses should also be looked at. An unfavorable Right Witness followed by a favorable Left Witness suggests the situation will improve. When the Right Witness is favorable and the Left Witness is unfavorable it may imply that the situation will worsen. 

With our example, there wasn’t a question in mind, but let’s say we were asking about taking a job offer at a big company. The Judge is Carcer, which might not be a great sign. It suggests feeling stuck in place, but it can also represent security so let’s look to the witnesses. On the right we have Rubeus, almost always unfavorable, and on the left we have Puer, sometimes favorable with love and war, but pretty neutral when regarding work (unless direct action is needed). This ruling is still unclear, it seems like it’s leaning unfavorably, but it is still quite neutral. So now it’s time to dig even deeper into the shield.

The Reconciler is an optional 16th position that is usually written to the side of the shield. The Reconciler can offer information on how the outcome will affect the querent. The Reconciler is formed by taking the figure in the position of Mother #1 and the Judge and adding them together. Using our example we would take the Judge (Carcer) and the 1st Mother (Puer) and we get Rubeus, another indicator that taking this job may not be advised as it may cause the querent to escape into their vices.

CONTINUED STUDIES

The Geomantic Visions guidebook covers reading with triplicities, understanding the way of the points, and astrological geomancy. Further your studies with the Geomantic Visions set of coins and 100-page guidebook.