Divination / Guided practice

Cast a geomantic chart.

Adapted from Franz Hartmann’s
The Principles of Astrological Geomancy

Witnesses → Judge

The purpose

Geomancy is a form of divination used to seek an answer to a question. In Hartmann’s method, the figures are read for signs of success, difficulty or change. This practice teaches you how to cast those figures and understand a first reading of them.

The practice

Choose a question, then tap out sixteen rows of dots without counting. The guide turns them into figures and shows how they combine. You’ll finish with the two Witnesses and the Judge, followed by a reading based on Hartmann’s meanings.

Time to allow: 10–15 minutes
Difficulty: 4/10
What you’ll use: The on-screen dot pad

Your question · optional

Before you begin

The book behind the practice

The Principles of Astrological Geomancy

Franz Hartmann · London, 1889

A manual of divination by dots, with the sixteen figures, instructions for constructing a judgement, and astrological interpretations. This guide follows its short casting method.

“In this way four figures have been obtained; they are called the Mothers.”

“The Practice of Geomancy” · pp. 35–39

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Hartmann’s Geomancy

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The short casting method

Hartmann describes four Mothers made from dot rows. Their rows form the Daughters; adding pairs produces the Nephews, then the Witnesses and the Judge. The steps and figure patterns here follow the printed diagrams on pp. 31 and 35–38.

Preparation in the book

On p. 34, Hartmann asks for a tranquil mind and advises against repeatedly asking the same question. He quotes Agrippa’s restrictions concerning weather and a disturbed mind, and recommends an appropriate planetary day and hour. You can read those conditions on the original page before choosing how to practise.

This introduction teaches construction through the Judge. Planetary-hour calculation, the optional Supreme Judge and the astrological house method remain in the book for further study.

What we have added

The interface, estimated duration, difficulty rating, digital dot pad, animated construction, diagrams showing each calculation, and saving/export controls are modern additions. Hartmann uses paper and pencil. Our on-screen dot pad adapts his method, keeping the same odd/even calculations.

How the reading is written

Figure meanings and the Witness and origin rules are drawn from pp. 32–33. Linking them into a readable explanation is our editorial work. When rules disagree or leave a figure conditional, the guide states that openly. A saved casting keeps the reading and source-rule version used at that time.

A note on the worked example

The diagram on p. 38 gives Mother III as Fortuna minor (one, one, two, two). The text on p. 39 calls it Fortuna major. Our example follows the drawn figure, which reproduces the printed Witnesses and Judge.

The edition

Franz Hartmann, M.D. The Principles of Astrological Geomancy: The Art of Divining by Punctuation, According to Cornelius Agrippa and Others. Theosophical Publishing Company, Limited, London, 1889.

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Your casting

This is the book’s worked example, not a generated casting. We follow the figures drawn on p. 38; the Mother III naming discrepancy is explained in About this guide.

Keep your casting?

Your question or dot rows have not been saved. Stay here, or leave without saving them.