Creating Places of Power: Geomancy, Builders' Rites, and Electional Astrology in the Hermetic Tradition

An exploration of the traditional rites of auspicious building and crafting

• Explains the ceremonial beginnings and Hermetic principles in the laying out of foundations not only for sacred buildings like temples but also for homes and barns

• Examines the principles and ceremonies of electional astrology and details how to compute natural time, as opposed to clock time

• Shares examples from ancient Egypt, Iran, India, and Europe that range from the Stone Age to the Renaissance and include secret societies

When we make things–whether a building, a sacred space, or a magical object–there is a precise moment when the artifact comes into being as a separate entity. That moment in time possesses its own unique quality, and because of this, there is a right time to do something and a wrong time. And, as Nigel Pennick reveals, we have the power to select favorable moments for our creations, just as our ancestors did.