The Geomancy of Christopher Cattan: A Medieval Divination Manual is the definitive English edition of one of Europe's most powerful yet long-neglected magical texts. Translated directly from the original 1550 French and carefully edited into modern English, this edition revives a masterpiece that shaped occult thought for generations.
First published in France during the mid-sixteenth century and later released in English in 1591, Cattan's treatise on the ancient art of geomancy vanished from circulation for centuries. Yet its echoes can be found in the works of esoteric giants such as Robert Fludd, John Heydon, Francis Barrett, and Samuel Mathers of the Golden Dawn. The influence of this manual can be traced in the diaries and working notes of cunning folk across Britain, where it was once considered as indispensable as astrology. In fact, during the Middle Ages, kings and generals were known to consult geomancers before going to war.
Christopher Cattan, a soldier of Italian descent serving in the French crown's army, was a scholar of natural philosophy and divination whose practical knowledge of geomancy made this manual a standard reference throughout Europe. Drawing from both Arabic sources and Renaissance innovations, his work brings together method, meaning, and spiritual insight in a system once considered a cornerstone of magical practice.
This new edition restores the power and clarity of Cattan's text, offering seasoned practitioners and curious readers a gateway into one of the most significant divinatory traditions of the Western World.