The
Theatre of Terrestrial Astronomy
Edward Kelly
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The Theater of Terrestrial Astronomy
Of the Inventors
and Restorers of this Art
All Sages agree that
the knowledge of this Art was first imparted to Adam by the Holy Spirit, and He
prophesied, both before and after the Fall, that the world must be renewed, or,
rather, purged with water. Therefore his successors erected two stone tables,
on which they engraved a summary of all physical arts, in order that this arcanum
might become known to posterity. After the Flood, Noah found one of these tables
at the foot of Mount Ararat. Others say that the knowledge of the Art was restored
by Hermes Trismegistus, whose mind was a treasury of all arts and sciences; and
alchemists are still called sons of Hermes. Bernard of Trevisa states that the
said Hermes came to the valley of Hebron, and there found seven stone tables,
on which a summary of the seven liberal Arts had been inscribed before the Flood;
for this same Hermes flourished both before and after the Flood, and is identified
with Noah. Then this Art found its way into Persia, Egypt, and Chaldaea. The Hebrews
called it the Cabbala, the Persians Magia, and the Egyptians Sophia, and it was
taught in the schools together with Theology; it was known to Moses, Abraham,
Solomon, and the Magi who came to Christ from the East. Magia derived its origin
from the doctrine of the Divine Ternary and the Trinity of God. For God has stamped
and sealed all created things with this character of Trinity, as a kind of hieroglyphical
writing, whereby His own nature might be known. For the number 3 and the magic
number 4 make up the perfect number 7, the seat of many mysteries. And seeing
that the Quaternary rests in the Ternary, it is a number which stands on the horizon
of eternity, and doth exhibit everything bound with God in us, thus including
God, men, and all created things, with all their mysterious powers. Adding three,
you get ten, which marks the return to unity. In this arcanum is concluded all
knowledge of hidden things which God, by His word, has made known to the men of
His good pleasure, so that they might have a true conception of Him. And this
is the figure which is called the sphere of Heaven. The said sphere consists of
a circle, which circle represents the Trinity of the Deity in unity, God with
three heads and one crown, surmounted by a triangle, encircled with a rainbow,
and above the sun and moon.
The first colour
of the rainbow, on which God sits, is black; with the sign of Saturn; the second,
dark brown, with the sign of Jupiter; the third, red, with the sign of Mars;
the fourth, green and yellow, with the Sign of the Sun; the fifth, green, with
the sign of Venus; the sixth, yellow, green, white, and red, with the sign of
Mercury; the seventh, a silver grey, with the sign of the Moon, and yellow beneath.
His feet are placed
on the terrestrial globe, in which are animals and hills, with a white and brown
man, whose eyes are bandaged, and an egg is between his feet.
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