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ORACLES by DREAMS.BUT natural things and their own commixtures do likewise belong unto magicians, and we often use such to receive oracles from a spirit by a dream; which are either by perfumes, unctions, meats, drinks, seals, rings, &c.
Now those who are desirous to receive oracles in or through a dream, let him make himself a ring of the sun or Saturn for this purpose. There are likewise images of dreams, which, being put under the head when he goes to sleep, doth effectually give true dreams of whatever the mind hath before determined or consulted upon, the practice of which is as follows:
Thou shalt make an image of the sun, the figure whereof must be, a man sleeping upon the bosom of an angel, which thou shalt make when Leo ascends, the sun being in the ninth house in Aries; thou shalt write upon the figure the name of the effect desired, and in the hand of the angel the name of the intelligence of the sun. Let the same image be made in Virgo ascending, Mercury being fortunate in Aries in the ninth; or Gemini ascending, Mercury being fortunate in the ninth house in Aquarius; and let
it be received with Saturn with a fortunate aspect, and let the name of the spirit be written upon it. Let the same likewise be made in Libra ascending, Venus being received from Mercury in Gemini in the ninth house, and write upon it the angel of Venus. Again, you may make the same image Aquarius ascending, Saturn fortunately possessing the ninth in his exaltation, which is Libra; and let there be written upon it the angel of Saturn. The same may be made Cancer ascending, the moon being received by Jupiter and Venus in Pisces, and being fortunately placed in the ninth house, and write upon it the spirit of the moon.
There are likewise made rings of dreams of wonderful efficacy; and there are rings of the sun and Saturn; and the constellation of them is when the sun or Saturn ascend in their exaltations in the ninth, and when the moon is joined to Saturn in the ninth, and in that sign which was the ninth house of the nativity; and write and engrave upon the rings the name of the spirit of the sun or Saturn; and by these rules you may know how and by what means to constitute more of thyself: but know this, that such images work nothing (as they are simply images) unless they are vivified by a spiritual and celestial virtue, and chiefly by the ardent desire and firm intent of the soul of the operator. But who can give a soul to an image, or make a stone, or metal, or clay, or wood, or wax, or paper to live? certainly no man; (for this arcanum doth not enter into an artist of a stiff neck,) he only hath it who transcends the progress of angels, and comes to the very architype himself.
The tables of numbers likewise confer to the receiving of oracles, being duly formed under their own constellations. Holy tables and papers likewise serve to this effect, being especially composed and consecrated; such as the Almutel of Solomon, and the Table of the Revolution of the name Tetragrammaton; and those things which are of this kind, and written to produce these effects, out of various figures, numbers, holy Scriptures, and pictures, with inscriptions of the divine names of God and names of holy angels; the composition whereof is taken out of diverse places of the holy Scriptures, Psalms, and versicles, and other certain promises out of the divine revelations and prophecies.
To the same effect do conduce, likewise, holy prayers and deprecations as well to God as to the blessed angels; the deprecations of which prayers are to be composed, as we have before shewn, according to some religious similitude, making mention of those things which we intend to do; as out of the Old Testament of the dream of Jacob, Joseph, Pharaoh, Daniel, and Nebuchadnezzar: if out of the New Testament, of the dream of Joseph; of the three wise men, or magi, of John the evangelist sleeping upon the breast of our Lord; and whatever of the like kind can be found in religion, miracles, and revelation. According to which the deprecation may be composed; if when he goes to sleep it be with a firm intention, and then, without doubt, they will afford a wonderful effect.
Therefore he who is desirous of receiving true oracles by dreams, let him abstain from supper, from drink, and be otherwise well disposed, so his brain will be free from turbulent vapours; let him also have his bed-chamber fair and clean, exorcised and consecrated if he will; then let him perfume the same with some convenient fumigation, and let him anoint his temples with some unguent efficacious hereunto, and put a ring of dreams upon his finger; then let him take one of the images we have spoken of, or some holy table, or paper, and place the same under his head; then, having made a devout prayer, let him address himself to sleep, meditating upon that thing which he desires to know; so shall he receive a most certain and undoubted oracle by a dream, when the moon goes through that sign which was in the ninth house of his nativity, and also when she goes through the sign of the ninth of the revolution of his nativity, and when she is in the ninth sign from the sign of perfection.
This is the way whereby we may obtain all sciences and arts whatsoever, whether alchemy, magic, or else, suddenly and perfectly with a true illumination of our intellect; although all inferior familiar spirits whatsoever conduce to this effect, and sometimes also evil spirits sensibly inform us intrinsically and extrinsically.