Thabit Ibn Qurra’s “De Imaginibus” (On

Images)

Study notes, reflection and personal

experiences by:

Uthman “Ken” Badat

Basic Information:

“De Imaginibus” Or “On Images” is an

incredibly influential Harranian Sabian
Grimoire on Astrological Talismans and is
the product of Neoplatonic and Hermetic
wisdom given to the Sabians of Harran.

This book is secondary to the Picatrix in

terms of being the most important text for
Medieval and Renaissance astrological
Magic and has influenced the likes of not
just the Picatrix but Agrippa’s three books
of occult philosophy as well.

We hope you enjoy reading this reflection

half as much as we did making it for you!
Talisman for banishing Malefic animals:
“Among these is a work of images for expelling scorpions. If you desire to do this,
begin the work with Scorpio rising, and make the image of a scorpion out of
copper, tin, lead, silver, or gold, as you wish. Engrave in it the name of the rising
sign and its lord, and the lord of the hour of the day in which you do this, and the
name of the Moon; and let the Moon be in Scorpio.
Make the ascendant as unfortunate as you can, and also make unfortunate the lord
of the ascendant, placing it in the house of death if you can do so, and also make
the lord of the ascendant as unfortunate as you can, or conjoin it with an infortune
in the fourth or seventh house.
When you have done this, bury it upside down, that is, with the head downward,
and say while you are burying it: “This is the sepulchre of this and all its kind, that
they shall not enter into this place.” Bury it in the middle of the place from which
you wish that kind of creature to flee, or in the house where they live or the place
where they gather. If you make four images of this sort, and bury one of them in
each of the quarters of the place from which you want that kind of creature to flee,
it will be stronger and better. You may do the same thing with any kind of noxious
animal you wish when you want them to flee, and you should begin the working
under an ascendant similar in kind to that which you wish to flee and depart”
This is a Talisman teaching you how to do Pathworking with malefic planet
signs such as Leo, Aries, Scorpio and Capricorn. It is cleverly disguised as a
talisman making of how to banish malefic animals that belong to the signs,
when in reality it is teaching you how to pathwork with the shadow aspects of
either of the three planets, The Sun, Saturn or Mars. In the appendix of this
book it teaches you how to make this talisman for Saturn’s shadow aspect,
Capricorn and banish rats.
Okay so there is a lot to unpack here with the tutorial on how to make this
Talisman. Firstly, Scorpio is a Mars and Pluto sign, yet the tutorial does not tell
you to make the image of the Scorpion out of Iron, which is the metal of Mars.

With my Scorpio Talisman, that being my Altar to Hades. I use an abundance

of Mars energy into the altar and then top it off with some Mercury frequencies.
However within this Talisman tutorial, it does not mention the usage of using
Quicksilver (Mercury) or Iron (Mars) to make the Talisman.
It makes me wonder if my pathworking with Hades has been wrong this entire
time, I’ve never personally used Venus, Saturn, Sun, Jupiter, Or moon Energy
within my Hades Altar but looking at this grimoire kind of makes sense.
As for the Sun and Moon energy I’m currently learning how it can correlate
with pathworking with Scorpio energies. However, with Jupiter I can see how
as Zeus is Hade’s brother, Venus is consorted with Mercury, which is what I
infuse with my altar and Saturn is the father of Hades.
I was once using a lot of Mars energy within my Hades pathworking as Hade’s
ancient planet that is associated with him (Not to be confused with his modern
planet that is associated with him, Pluto) is Mars.

However, many other occultists say that the ancient planet that is associated
with Hades is also Mercury as per Anubis.
I’m wondering if I should take off my Mars Archdemon sigils off my Hades
altar since there is a lack of mentioning of using Mars energy in this Talisman to
banish off the forces of Scorpio (Sex, money and death)
This information on a surface level makes De Imaginibus contradict the Quran
as well, as the image Dhul Qarnayn (Taurus) used against the forces of Scorpio
(Gog and Magog) in the Quran was an image barrier made out of Iron (Mars)
and Molten Copper (Venus)
I have made the decision that I won’t stop using the forces of Mercury and
Mars for my altar, however I have realized that I can use the forces of Venus to
fuse the two energies together. Not only is Venus a consort of Mercury but she
is a consort of Mars as well.
One thing I’ve deciphered from this tutorial as well as that it’s simply just
saying the IMAGE is to be made out of any planetary metal except Iron and
Quicksilver. Meaning to house the energy of what you’re pathworking with, you
should use any of those 5 metals.
It is worth mentioning that the image is to be buried “upside down” this could
mean that whatever planetary metal you use to house the energy, what sets the
energy is a planetary metal that opposes it.
With that being said, I think this validates using Mars energy for pathworking
the Scorpio sign.
So the biggest takeaway I’ve made from this grimoire’s tutorial is that I need to
house the energy of my Scorpio pathworking with Venus energy if I am to use
Mars and Mercury energy channeling into the altar.
I will be sure to house the altar’s energy using a Venus Magic Square and
skrying it with my pranic breathing techniques. Thank you Thabit Ibn Qurra
for the wonderful pointer. I could have eventually figured this one out myself
but I’m glad that there was a resource I could use to speed up the process of me
figuring things out on my own.
Talisman for Destroying Cities
(Trust me this isn’t what you think it is)
“You should act according to this example when you wish to destroy a certain city
or region.
Make an image under the ascendant of that city, and make unfortunate the lord of
the house of its life, that is, of its ascendant, and make the lord of the house of its
death unfortunate, and make unfortunate the lord of the ascendant and the Moon
and the lord of the Moon’s house and the lord of the house of the lord of the
ascendant, and you should impede the tenth house and its lord in any way you can.
Bury the image in the middle of the region or in a house, and you will behold
miracles.
Similarly, if you wish to make a person unfortunate, you should work in a similar
way, and he will not be fortunate in anything as long as the image remains where
he is, God most high willing. Here is another rule. When you wish to benefit a
region or city or some other place, place fortunes in its ascendant, or in the tenth,
second, or eighth houses, and make the lord of the ascendant and the lord of its
house fortunate, and make fortunate the Moon and the lord of the Moon’s house, in
the same way that you did for evil, and you will behold miracles”
This is is NOT a Talisman teaching you how to destroy cities, it is actually a
Talisman teaching how to restore the lost cities destroyed in the Quran based
off the Ascendant sign of their lesson. Here is a legend telling you each and
every destroyed nation’s ascendant sign and their ruling planet.
The Nation of Noah (Babylon) (Pisces, Jupiter)
The Nation of Lut (Sodom and Gammorah) (Scorpio, Mars)
The Nation of Aad (Virgo, Mercury)
The Nation of Thamud (Virgo, Mercury)
The Nation of Madayan (Taurus, Venus)
The Nation of Egypt (Aries, Mars)
I will be crafting these Talismans based off the destroyed nation’s ascendant
sign’s planets. The Talismans I’ll be basing them off of are the ones above
This is my Sodom and Gammorah Talisman on the Mars
Yantra, the numbers added onto it are gematrical values of
names related to Sodom and Gammorah like Lot, Sodom and

a special word that I shall keep secret 😉

The Babylon Talisman, made out of the Jupiter Yantra, additional
Numbers coming from the Gematria dissections of the Biblical
Hebrew word “Babylon” and The Quranic Name Noah
This is an A’ad Talisman, it is made out of the Mercury
Yantra and added with extra numbers of the gematrical
dissection of Aad and the Quranic name “Hud”
Retrieving Stolen Wealth Talisman:
(Again, not in the slightest what you think
this is)
“When you wish to make an image for a man who seeks wealth that was stolen or
taken away from him or denied him or contested in some other way, and you wish
it to be returned to him, make for him an image of gold, silver, copper, or whatever
substance you wish. Begin this beneath the ascendant of a horary chart you have
cast for him, and have the lord of the house of wealth joined to the lord of the
ascendant, and let there be reception between them, and let their joining be by a
trine or a sextile aspect.
If it happens that the lord of the house of wealth is in an obedient sign and the lord
of the ascendant is in a commanding sign, this is better still; the obedient signs are
those of oblique ascension, and the commanding signs those of direct ascension.
Let a fortune ascend and be the lord of the ascendant, and be careful that the lord
of the ascendant be not retrograde, combust, or cadent, nor in opposition to its own
house nor impedited by an infortune that is strong in an angle; but make fortunate
the ascendant, the lord of the house of wealth, and the Moon. When you have
finished the image according to this disposition, set it aside.
Conversely, then, make another image that will be the significator of the one who
currently has the wealth in question. If the wealth is held by the king, you should
begin this image under the tenth house from the ascendant of the first image. If it
should be held by a partner or a friend or a colleague or an accuser or some other
person, you should begin the second image under an ascendant that refers to
whomever has the wealth that was taken away, that is, if it should be with the child
of your client, under the sign in the fifth house; if it is with his father, under the
sign in the fourth house; and similarly with the other signs, according to their
reference.
Okay so the information I decoded from this specific instructions is that it is a
talisman teaching you how to usurp the riches from the land of Midian.
Midian is a lost city in the scriptures that the Hermetic’s explains has an
ascendant of Taurus due to their vast riches. Taurus is the second house and
this Talisman requires you to use the second house in the ritual.
There is a 4x4 Jupiter magic square that lines up with the 4 Arabic and Hebrew
Letters of Midian as well as the 4 Arabic letter name of the Prophet sent to
Midian, Shuaib. As for the Kings that this wealth belongs to, the Old
Testament speaks of two princes of Midian named Zalumunna and Zebah.
The synchronicity with this is insane as their battle is mentioned in Judges 8,
and their demise is invoked in Psalm 82:11, with the 11th astrological house
being the house of good fortunes. Also one thing worth nothing is both
Zalmunna and Zebahs name are one off from fitting into the square.
Zalmunna is 5 Hebrew Letters (One off from 4 in a positive way) and Zebahs
name is 3 Hebrew letters (One off 4 in a negative way)

This could possibly be a reference to the North and South Node, but I had an
idea on which number I should take away and add onto it.
Ok so on paper the reduction of Zalmunna is 93457 and the reduction of Zebah
is 728. We can figure out which number to get rid of in Zalmunna and what
number to add onto Zebah by finding the median of all the numbers.
2,3,4,5,7,7,8,9
So typically in mathematics if you want to find one median you would add the
two middle integers and divide by two. However we’re not doing that here and
we’re going to take away 7 from Zalmunna and add 5 to Zebah.

The question is where do we add the 5? Do we add it, 5728 or 7528 or 7258 or
7285? My best guess is either 7528 or 7258 as the Talisman tells us to take it
from the king from the 10th house from the ascendant. 5x2 is 10 and 8 – 7 is 1
which if you didn’t know the first house is your ascendant. I’m choosing 7258,
not only because the number 72 holds a lot of weight in religious numerology (If
you know you know) but also the number 40 (5 X 8) holds a lot of occult
meaning as well.
With that being said, heres the Midian Talisman
An image for inclining the king to certain
people or counsels, so that he will be
inclined toward them and delight in them,
that is, he will raise them up to high
position before him.
“When you wish to do this, you should first take the ascendant thereof most
precisely, with a true intention; 47 then observe whether there is a conjunction or
reception between the lord of the ascendant and the lord of the tenth. If you find
the lord of the ascendant joined to the lord of the tenth by a trine or sextile aspect,
or if there should be a perfect reception between them and both are well dignified
and free from affliction, the thing will be accomplished and the image will be true,
and the results will appear and the work will be great.
If you do not find any of the things I have described to you, but you find the
ascendant and the lord of the tenth and its lord 48 free from affliction, the thing can
be accomplished and the image will be true. If you find none of the things I have
described, but you find the ascendant and tenth houses free from affliction, the
thing can be accomplished and the effects will appear and the work will be great.”

So what I think of this Talisman is that it is meant to restore 4 great

Kings from the scriptures: Dhul Qarnayn, Solomon, Nebuchadnezzar
and Nimrod.
Dhul Qarnayn and Solomon’s Talismans are actually fused together
(I’ll get to that in a second) and I made a standalone Talisman for
Nimrod. The only person I wasn’t able to make a Talisman for but I
was able to possibly find their Ascendant of was Nebuchadnezzar. I’m
praying that one person is able to understand the ideas of this
Exegesis and is able to complete my work by making the
Nebuchadnezzar Talisman.
Now how was I able to do this?

Well many Hermetic sources claim that King Solomon’s Ascendant

sign is Leo and Dhul Qarnayn’s Ascendant sign is Taurus. This
actually places the Two in the top and bottom part of the Moon
Magic Square, with Solomon being placed at the top of the Moon
Magic Square and Dhul Qarnayn being placed at the bottom of the
Moon Magic Square.
How is this the case you’re probably wondering? This is because the
North Node’s ruling sign is Aquarius (The opposite of Leo) and the
South Node’s ruling sign is Scorpio (The opposite of Taurus)
Also the moon in Kabbalistic Numerology is associated with 9, and
Dhul Qarnayn has 9 arabic letters and “Suleiman” is 6, to make 9 out
of Solomon we add the three letters of his Father’s name “David”.
So that’s how you make the Talisman for the first two kings. The
second Talisman is Nimrod. Nimrod I’m guessing his ascendant sign
is Virgo. Reason being that Nimrod is associated with Osiris, and
Osiris’s ancient planet was Mercury, Mercury is the planet of Virgo
and Gemini, but the reason I think Nimrod is Virgo and not Gemini is
because Osiris is typically associated with the harvest and fertility,
both aspects of Virgo.
In Vedic numerology, 5 is associated with mercury (In Kabbalistic
Numerology, 5 is associated with Mars) so we’ll be using a 5x5 Magic
square to coincide with the 5 Hebrew Letters of Nimrod’s name.
Now before I show you these Talismans, I want to give you some
useful information to anyone willing to make the Nebuchadnezzar
Talisman. His Ascendant sign is Gemini, if you know you know and I
can’t really expound too much on why this is the case, but his
ascendant sign is Gemini. Happy hunting and enjoy the Talismans!
This is my Nimrod’s Talisman.
This is my Dhul Qarnayn and Solomon
Talisman.
Fellowship Talisman:
“When you wish to do a working for the aforesaid good, begin on a Thursday to
work with an image of the one whom you wish to be united, under the ascendant of
his nativity if you know it, or under the ascendant of a horary question concerning
him. You should name the image with his public name, and make the ascendant
and tenth house fortunate, and remove all debilities from the ascendant, and put a
fortunate planet in the eleventh house, joining him to the lord of the ascendant by a
trine or sextile aspect, and let the latter receive the former; according to all this,
shape the face of the image. Then cast another image, and name it with the name
of the one whom the querent wishes to have inclined toward him, or to unite with
her.
If it is to be a friend, cast the second image under an ascendant that is eleven signs
from the ascendant of the first chart; and if it is to be a husband or wife, under the
seventh from the ascendant; and similarly with any other relationship between the
lord of the matter and the sign with which you work, and put the significator of the
ascendant of the one you wish to incline joined to the significator of the ascendant
of the first chart, and let there be reception between them, equal to that which may
be found in the conditions for the first image.
When the second image is completed, join the two of them and put the face of the
second image against the back of the first, wrap them in a clean cloth, and put
them in the place where the person represented by the first image is to be found. If
there will be much commotion in his dwelling, however, going hither and thither,
have him carry the images with him. When you have done this according to the
conditions I have explained to you, you will by this working cause whomever you
wish to agree if God wills; and the images may be of lead or tin or copper or gold
or silver or wax or clay or anything else convenient to you.
The perfection of this magistery lies in the accuracy of the ascendant, and in
supporting it with the fortunes and removing the infortunes from it, in the accuracy
of the receptions and aspects and all the preceding conditions, if God wills. An
example of this is when you wish to make an image to draw a woman toward her
husband, put the significator of the tenth joined with the lord of the ascendant and
so on.”
There is a lot to unpack with this Talisman tutorial: Firstly I want to
draw the line in the sand once again that I DON’T think these
talismans are based off natal charts, but instead based on
pathworking and restoration.
This specific one I think is pathworking with the Lo Shu, the Saturn
Magic Square, I’ll explain how after showing you a photo of it:
There is 7 planets known to the ancients, and using Qabalstic
numerology, the order goes like this: 3 (Saturn) 4 (Jupiter) 5 (Mars) 6
(Sun) 7 (Venus) 8 (Mercury) and 9 (Moon) but what are one and two?

In Modern astrology, 2 is Uranus and 1 is Neptune, however let’s

throw that out the window for now and pretend those two don’t exist.

The 1 is the person seeking fellowship and the 2 is the querent,

together they form the number 12. The constant sum of the Lo Shu is
15 and it has 9 numbers in it.
12 X 15 is 180 and 12 X 9 is 108, both numbers are numerological
anagrams of each other.
If you want a “Friendship” Between numbers 1 and 2, then place the
numbers 180 and 108 differently side by side, as the tutorial says that
you should place the next natal chart’s ascendant 11 signs from the
first natal chart’s ascendant. This is calling towards the numbers 3
and 8 making 11 on the Lo Shu grid. Also one thing to understand is
that a benefic planet should be placed in the 11th house. This is believe
it or not a direct reference to the Lo Shu, as we see Jupiter (A benefic
planet) Being placed above 3 and 8 which is 11.

If you want a “Marriage” between numbers 1 and 2, then place them

top and bottom, as the tutorial says that you should place the second
natal chart 7 under the ascendant sign of the first chart. This is a
reference to the fact that 8 and 1 are on the bottom of the Lo Shu
which has a difference of 7.
The number 108 is often cited in Vedic sources to be the full mantric
cycle. IE if a mantra is recited 108 times it is a full mantric cycle.
The mantra that should be recited when channeling the information
from the Lo Shu should be any mantra that is related to Saturn and
time, through time any relationship can be formed and also Saturn is
also symbolic with the earth in many pagan traditions.
Using the Saturnian force within the workings of the Talisman, it
should amplify your surroundings. The reason you do this Saturnian
ritual on a Thursday is because Saturn is the Father of Jupiter and
the Saturnian energies that mix with the Jupiter energies help enhace
your results.

It is worth noting that the first material Thabbit Ibn Qurra lists off
in to make the image out of is Lead (Saturn) although this could just
be a coincidence as he said you can use any metal or substance that is
is convenient to you, there has to be a reason that he listed Lead first.
It is very possible that this grimoire is A Left hand path Grimoire,
with a lot of trap doors and purposefully wrong information to test
the reader if they are on their A game.

It is unknown whether De Imaginibus is made for the public or for a

specific intellect or code for people.
Although the commentators were able to make legitimate natal
charts out of the tutorials Thabit Ibn Qurra prescribed, what this has
to do with Talismans and Images is beyond me.
If the grimoire is about making images and Talismans, what does any
of that have to do with fabricating Natal Charts?

This is why I personally believe De Imaginibus is a grimoire on

pathworking and restoration, describing how to use astrological ties
towards different mythologies to make these Talismans.
Marriage and Friendship Talisman: The Pathworking of the Lo Shu
There is many Scriptural Decodes one can make out of this
numerological Talisman. The emerging of the number 70, 80 and 90
are confirmation that there is a pattern in this Talisman, and also
that is a continuation of the number 3. 7+8+9 is 24 which is also
divisible by 3.
If you want to start Pathworking with Saturnian Talismans under
the guidance of Jupiter, this is the Talisman for you
Information on what the Talismans are
used for:
“Know that these images pervade the universe so that the sons of Adam may
have it at their disposal, that is, creation and destruction, health and sickness,
love and hatred, permission and prohibition, staying and wandering, dispersing
noxious animals or gathering them together, gathering fish together or
dispersing them, if the maker of images is perceptive and skilled in the work
and has the assistance of the planets. Therefore you should preserve these,
which belong to the secrets of the planets and the hidden things of the
philosophy of the wise; and this is a great wisdom that God most high willed
to reveal to His servants for the benefit of their countries. God directs also that
this is great, exalted, and incomprehensible power”

To me, this is confirmation that these Talismanic Tutorials are made

to pathwork and restore things, Thabbit Ibn Qurra could just be
mentioning us as “The sons of Adam” as a poetic thing, however it
could be an establishment of the Saturnian frequencies that are ever
so present in many of these rituals.

In Hermetic Traditions, Adam is associated with Saturn as he is the

father of all time, we also previously used the Lo Shu in our last
Talisman, and the Lo Shu’s Sum is 15. There are three rows of the Lo
Shu, so 15 X 3 is 45. Which is coincidentally the Gematria value of
Adam in both Hebrew and Arabic. Aliph being 1, Meem being 40 and
Daal being 4.
Another interesting thing Thabit Ibn Qurra pointed out is that these
images “pervade the universe” meaning that these images are not just
made by Thabbit Ibn Qurra, but the images are universal and have
different forms.
I have to agree, the way I made these Talismans based off of what I
found in these tutorials is going to be different from how another
magician makes them.
I think that’s the beauty of grimoires like De Imaginibus, the beauty
of it is that there’s so many results you can get out of what the
Talismans are supposed to look like and do, for me personally I’ve
always been into the magic square yantras so I used those images to
create what was based off what Thabit Ibn Qurra taught.
Perhaps the people who make actual Natal Charts off the Talismanic
Tutorials are right in their own sense too. I just wanted to personally
give another unique lens as to what these Talismans could also be,
because to me they’re more than just fabricating Natal Charts to get
favorable results.
Hold Up, Wait a Minute!
Before I get into finishing De Imaginibus, what if I were to provide
some things for you?

What if I were to make some ideas like the concept of Rahu and Ketu
exist in the pathworking of De Imaginibus.
The rituals in De Imaginibus are not complete without the usage of
the Moon with the Ascendant sign correct? It is also not complete
without the usage of Caput Draconis, which the North Node of the
Moon and the head of the dragon. Also ertain rituals of De
Imaginibus also contain Cauda Draconis which is the tail of the
Dragon, South Node.What does this mean? This means that we found
the identity for our 1 and 2 in the Lo Shu!
1 would be Rahu and 2 would be Ketu. Do you know what this
means?
This means the rituals done in the Lo Shu pathworking is meant to
join the North and South Node of the Moon.
Which makes sense as to why there is so many polarizing imagery and
talk near the end of the treatise. The talk of polar opposites is a direct
reference to the North and South node. In Pure Land Buddhism,
there is a fifth cardinal point, the center. They say that place is the
home of the element of spirit. In this same system, North is Air and
South is the Earth. So a conjoining of Air and Earth to create union
between the two, which unlocks the element of spirit.
It’s worth noting that Aquarius is Air and Capricorn is Earth, both
Saturnian symbols. The only malefic planet sign that’s not an animal
is Aquarius, and De Imaginibus does not give any tutorials on how to
deal with the Malefic forces of Aquarius because it’s not an animal.
This makes me wonder what role Aquarius plays, then I realized it’s
the North Node.
I gave you guys the Kabbalsitic way to number down the planets.
But if you want this one as well then you’re free to take it:
I think there is a merit to this one as well: 47 is an important number
to many of my predecessors, the conjoining of our two lovers in this
ritual still stands if you view the numbers right. 47 is not just a code
for 4 elements and 7 chakras, it also not just a code for the 7 levels of
the 4th dimension. It is also the fellowship between the North Node
and South Node of the Moon.
This book, when you dig deep into it, is basically saying that you can
conjoin these two Malefic nodes to create one Benefic one. Isn’t that
insane?
I have the exact Talisman Thabit Ibn Qurra is talking about is the
best way to pathwork with this image he made for me. I’m not gonna
share what the Talisman is, but think about the number 47. Where
have you seen 47 in scriptures mention someone of importance? I
don’t expect you to get this but that’s basically a bonus point if you
get it. Hey man I can’t share you everything I know about this
grimoire!
But yeah when you piece it all together, it makes up the Lo Shu Grid.
This is basically a mathematical proof that the Lo Shu is a sigil that
will take you to different dimensions if used with the right keys to
open it.
I’ve found my pathways key to opening it, have you?
Keep these numbers subconsciously in mind: They are the fellowship
numbers of one of the rituals De Imaginibus teaches.
7,8,15,18,28
231 – 180 = 51
231 – 108 = 123