Venus – Taboo Sex (Book of the Treasure of Alexander)

“Talisman for making the hearts of women or beardless youths uniquely well disposed towards whomever wears it, and cause beauty and brilliance to shine from the eyes, in such a way that people will be inclined towards obedience, protection and desire the company of its wearer…..Whomever uses it and seeks to have intercourse with a women in the presence of other people, will find her obedient.” (Book of the Treasure of Alexander, Poison Edition, page 75)

To the best of my knowledge, these unique talismans are the first of their kind to be made in centuries, due to the obscurity of the source book and the relatively recent revival of crafting astrological talismans.

The Book of the Treasure of Alexander, translated by Christopher Warnock is a lesser-known astrological grimoire of somewhat vague origins, probably first put into writing around 800 AD and whose namesake is attributed to Alexander the Great, who himself was revered in medieval esoteric circles. The preface of the book claims it was originally written in Greek and Latin on gold leaf parchment and sealed inside a Byzantine monastery until it was discovered by the 9th century Abbasid Caliph Al-Mutasim, who discovered its secret location through a dream and was subsequently translated into Arabic.

It is part of the Jabirian Corpus, a large collection of medieval Islamic writings that contained important treatises on science, mathematics, philosophy and also the oldest known copy of The Emerald Tablet of Hermes, which remains well-known today (the source of the famous saying "As Above, So Below"). Most scholars believe the book's main source to have been the Sabeans of Harran, who were also responsible for large portions of what later became the Picatrix, and was circulated among small groups in the Islamic Golden Age. Many groups in the medieval Muslim world studied and practiced Neoplatonism and Hermetic writings, which were highly venerated at the time. Greek philosophers like Plato and Aristotle were highly venerated, as was the world conqueror Alexander the Great, himself widely believed in the ancient world to have been heavily involved in an older form of astrological magic.

The introduction to the book claims its origins to have been the possession of Alexander himself, originally written in Greek and Latin and translated into Arabic upon its discovery in a Byzantine monastery vault.  A copy of this book was also part of the royal library of the Ottoman Empire, whose rulers were known to practice astrological magic during the lightning-fast rise of the empire and at its height.

The talismans are distinctly different than the majority of the images in Picatrix in that the astrological configurations are far more complex. There are also large and numerous sections with instructions for alchemy, medieval chemistry and pharmacology. Many of the instructions are also distinctly different and contradict many rules which Picatrix emphasizes, such as creating talismans with the moon aspecting Mars and Saturn. Many, if not most, of the talismans in this grimoire require astrological configurations that would only be feasible once or twice in a lifetime, and some could only be made once every century or more if all the instructions were followed. It is a unique grimoire that has quickly become my personal favorite.

Who Is This For?

This talisman is ideal for those living a lifestyle free from most religious constraints, both modern and medieval and want to take it further. Taking its historical context into account, it can be surmised that this talisman was intended to influence women to willingly break sexual taboos in addition to making the owner more attractive to both sexes. The talisman’s effects are said to influence women so that they are much more adventurous sexually, specifically voyeuristic or exhibitionist sex. This is not so uncommon in modern times but in the medieval Islamic (and Christian) world with its sexual prohibitions, was likely a much more difficult goal to achieve. Women especially were under extreme social pressure to conform and any woman who was not a concubine or slave would probably not willingly engage in strongly prohibited activities.

“Take seven mithqals of Isfid-ruwiyah in the form of a bead and engrave on one side of this figures to right. The work must be done when Venus is in the beginning of Libra or in her exaltation, in the sign Pisces, and the Moon being in conjunction with Venus in Pisces or Libra or in Gemini and trine Venus. And if Venus is in Pisces and the Moon in Taurus and sextile with or in Cancer and trine Venus, it will be an even better choice for making this talisman to which Hermes gave his praise. Once the bead is engraved make a hole that goes completely through the it and place there a thread of yellow silk. Whomever uses it and seeks to have intercourse with a woman in the presence of other people, will find her obedient.”

(image source: Book of the Treasure of Alexander, Christopher Warnock)

Election Standard

As I’ve already described, the astrological elections in the Book of the Treasure of Alexander are notoriously difficult and a chance to make any talismans are very rare. For this talisman, Venus must be in the early degrees of Libra or Pisces and the moon either conjoining Venus or making a sextile or trine from certain other signs.

I found a brief time window in Venus’s hour where she was rising on the Ascendant in 1 Libra, and the Moon was tightly conjoining her from 0 Libra, meeting the requirements. The Moon is slow but is speeding up, in sect, oriental of the Sun and rising at night, adding an excellent boost of strength.

Out of curiosity, I examined this chart with much more stringent factors than I normally use, using Lots or “Arabic Parts”.

Picatrix states, “Look also to the part of the petition, for this shows the nature of the petition, and also consider its lord, and the lord of the house where the lord of the part is placed.” (Book 2, Chapter 3, page 73)

The use of Lots or Parts faded into obscurity many centuries ago, but in medieval texts they were considered to be a secondary or tertiary factors that could provide an extra stroke of luck if well placed with its dispositor and especially if conjoined with a significator planet. The Parts of Passion and Chastity of Women are conjoined with Venus (itself signifying sex and passion), which is highly dignified in its sign of rulership, and the Part of Unchastity of Women is conjoining Mars in Scorpio, also heavily dignified in its sign of rulership and face, with the Part of Fortune as well. Mars is also the Lord of the 7th house, which is the house that governs intimate relationships and significant others. The Lots are not a “make or break” condition I normally use but I do consider them a welcome bonus. This election has every desirable factor, from the most critical to the smallest, present in it.

The Book of the Treasure of Alexander differs from Picatrix in that it rarely instructs for talismans be engraved on gemstones, but instead emphasizes using the metals which correspond to planets in alchemy. The book says this talisman should be engraved on a bead made of Isfid-ruwiyah. The term “Isfid-ruwiyah” likely refers to a type of silver, which is widely used for Venus talismans in most astrological grimoires.

I chose to use high quality quartz crystals, which are frequently recommended in Picatrix for Venus talismans and especially for those that are intended to influence sex and attraction. The image is intricate and complicated, along with the set of symbols. I was able to engrave only three in the short time period.

The crystals have a hole drilled through the top and a thread of yellow silk was threaded through each one after the engraving was complete to make a necklace.

November 9, 2023 Hour of Venus 0315-0330