Influentia

Spirits celestial influences and signs · A Chymical Dictionary

At a Glance

The word. The causal action of superior bodies upon inferior bodies.

In the book. The entries on Microcosmus and Olympicus spiritus show why such vocabulary matters in accounts of the human being.

A place to read. The historical definition below, 1650 dictionary, unnumbered definition page 28; facsimile PDF page 356.

Historical Definition

Influentia is the action of higher bodies upon lower ones.

Meaning

Influence here is an action passing through a hierarchy of bodies. Higher and lower are relational terms: the definition requires an acting body and a body acted upon. It does not merely describe the transmission of an opinion or the prestige of one person over another. Nor does it restrict this action to a single named star.

Use in the Book

The entries on Microcosmus and Olympicus spiritus show why such vocabulary matters in accounts of the human being. A person can be considered a little world containing powers discussed through celestial language; Influentia supplies a general name for the downward action invoked in those accounts.

Places to Read

Microcosmus. The human being named as a little world.

Olympicus spiritus. An inward star associated with a person’s shadow.

Historical source: 1650 dictionary, unnumbered definition page 28; facsimile PDF page 356 — Facsimile

Sources. A Chymical Dictionary 1650, 1650 dictionary, facsimile PDF page 356, Influentia

See also. Microcosmus; Olympicus spiritus