The Anatomy of a Geomancy Figure

In the divinatory practice of Geomancy, there are sixteen figures. These sixteen figures are made up of rows of dots – both double and single. The anatomy of a geomancy figure is an important foundation for the practice of Geomancy, and a good understanding of how a figure is ‘formed’ (not created or cast, but defined) will instantly open up a realm of possible uses of geomancy for a modern day practitioner of any spiritual discipline.

As I will explain, Geomancy is innately elemental – using the classical elements of Fire, Air, Water and Earth as the building blocks of each figure. The application of this can be immensely interesting for anyone who is engaged in occultism, occult or esoteric practices, or an active member of an esoteric school of any kind. In this way, Geomancy can easily integrate with any practice that centrally holds these four elements. Let me explain!

The Anatomy of a Geomancy Figure

Each figure is made up of four rows of ‘dots’. Each of these rows has a name.

If you imagine a geomancy figure as a little person, the names of the rows will make sense:

• The top row is known as the ‘Head’
• The second row is known as the ‘Neck’
• The third row is known as the ‘Body’
• and the last, fourth row is known as the ‘Feet’.

You occasionally see each of these rows referred to as a ‘line’, so the top is the ‘head line’ of a figure.

Each of these lines can be made up of one dot or two dots.

Geomancy as a Binary System

If each of the four lines are made up of a single or double dot, then you can see how Geomancy is considered a ‘binary system’. Binary (occasionally referred to as a ‘Base-2’ system) means a system where there is only two possible values. For example, a light can be either on or off. There is no third option for a light, so it is a binary system. These two states (on/off) are the same states present in a computer, and therefore computers work on a binary system.

You will see similarities to the numbers that are present in Geomancy and the numbers that are present in computing for this very reason. For example, there are two possible states (single or double dot) for each of the 4 rows, and 16 figures in total. In computing you will frequently see the numbers 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64 etc. such as when buying computer memory or RAM.

Active and Passive Lines

In Geomancy, each row has two possible values – either a single or a double dot. Similar to a lightbulb or a ‘switch’, this tells us whether something is present or active, or whether something is absent or passive.

A single dot in Geomancy represents an ‘active’ line. This means that there is something ‘present’ there, or occasionally that there’s something changing or moving. A double dot in Geomancy is the opposite – it represents a passive line, something not there or no change.

Some of you may wonder why it’s not the opposite way around – that the greater number of dots doesn’t indicate that something is ‘more there’. Personally, I see this as linked to occult numerology. Odd numbers are considered active, they are usually numbers where some action is taking place. The number one is about ideas, thoughts, initiatives and things coming into being. Even numbers are seen as stable or passive. There is a balance there, and the energies present are stable and at rest. So our number two is the union of opposites, of balance before growth, dialogue and communication.

So see even numbers as more ‘passive’, and odd numbers as more ‘active’ in anything to do with spiritual or occult matters. I make reference to this quite a bit in my YouTube videos on the Tarot – where I use the number of the card to help understand the meaning of the card. Well worth watching if you haven’t!!

You may here see some similarities with the I Ching. Both systems started and developed independently to each other, so the similarities are accidental… perhaps incidental. I Ching is focused on Hexagrams – two trigrams joined together. This creates a total of 64 possible figures where Geomancy has only 16. The reason why Geomancy can be a competent divination system is because of the way a geomancy chart is cast – leading to 164, or 65,536, different charts.

When casting the I Ching, each line in the I Ching is cast as one of four states – Yin Stable Line, Yin Moving Line, Yang Stable Line, Yang Moving Line. Whilst Geomancy only has two possible line states when casting – active or passive, present or absent.

As such, whilst the I Ching and Geomancy are both binary systems, they differ wildly. Whilst the I Ching is based on Yin and Yang, Geomancy could be seen as based on the presents of the Four Elements of the Classical World – Earth, Air, Fire and Water.

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The Four Elements

Okay, so a little background is needed with the four elements of the classical world before we jump into how they’re represented in the figure.

The four elements are something I call an “Occult Blueprint”. An Occult Blueprint is a philosophic or occult system which simplifies the whole of creation (and uncreation) into specified categories. Everything that existed, is in existence, shall exist, or in some cases may never exist can be associated with the defined categories of a blueprint. For the four elements, we have four categories – or headings – to list everything under. If we chose the blueprint of the seven planets of classic astrology, we have seven categories. The Otz Chim of Kabbalah has ten ‘Sephiroth’ for attributions. And the zodiac has twelve. These ‘occult blueprints’ are numerous, and I imagine we all know one or two depending on what we’ve learnt so far. For example, for those that have learnt the Tarot, the major arcana could be considered another of these.

So the Four Elements are Fire, Air, Water and Earth. Of these two are considered primary (Fire and Water), meaning they were believed to have emerged first, and two are considered secondary (Air and Earth), meaning they were believed to have emerged from the interaction of the first two.

There is a belief that the four elements emerged from Aether or ‘Spirit’ – the fifth element – in order of density. As spirit is intangible and non-physical, it is unable to produce something completely solid. So out of spirit emerged Fire, being the most ethereal of the four elements. Next came Air, which can fill physical spaces but still cannot be held or touched. Then water, which has substance but is unable to be ‘grabbed’ or held. And finally Earth, which is the most stable and solid of the four elements.

So the order of the four elements, from most subtle to the most dense, is:

• Fire
• Air
• Water
• Earth

We see this order illustrated in the geomantic figure…

The Elements of a Geomantic Figure

We’ve so far mentioned that there are four, binary lines of a geomantic figure. That instead of Geomancy representing yin and yang, a geomancy figure represents the Four Elements. So the next step isn’t a hard one to make!

Each of the four lines of a geomantic figure is associated with one of the four occult elements. The top figure is ‘fire’, and each line in turn is represented with the next more dense element until we reach the ‘feet’ of the figure. So:

• The Head Line is Fire
• The Neck Line is Air
• The Body Line is Water
• The Feet Line is Earth

Each of the sixteen figures represents the presence (or absence) of the four elements. This helps us visualise a figure as an energetic glyph.

Using an Elemental Interpretation for the Geomantic Figures

Knowing this, the figure Acquisitio can now be considered as representing the state of the four elements. So the figure has a passive head line and body line, and active neck and feet. So the figure represents the presence of Air and Earth elements, but nothing else. So as Earth and Air are both ‘dry’ elements [Article on the Four Elements coming soon!], we can feel Acquisitio as quite a dry figure. There’s stability, but there’s also something moving and something exchanged with the figure. As air can represent dialogue or trading, and earth can be seen as possessions or money, Acquisitio can be an elemental representation of things being exchanged or bought. This reflects it’s traditional meaning of ‘Gain’ well.

For those that are involved in other occult studies, disciplines or traditions you can see why the elemental nature of Geomancy makes it a powerful system to learn. Not only does it become a system of divination, but to those that are students of the occult it can become a magical and spiritual system in itself.

The anatomy of a figure is part of my Introductory Course on Geomancy, held over eight weeks online at the College of Psychic Studies. We touch on how the inherent elemental nature of the figure can be incorporated into a magical and spiritual practice. When the Intermediate Course on Geomancy launches, it will contain more on the magical and manifestation aspects of geomancy. Contact the college for more information.