From the book
A Chymical Dictionary
Gerhard Dorn and John French · Diotimos Editions · 2026
Browse this book’s lexicon →Orientation
At a Glance
- The wordAn expression with stellar and spirit-related senses.
- A place to readThe historical definition below, 1650 dictionary, unnumbered definition page 7; facsimile PDF page 335.
Historical definition
Ascendentia signa are either the stars of heaven’s firmament or sidereal spirits.
Meaning
The dictionary offers alternatives: visible heavenly stars and sidereal spirits. The relation to the heavens is shared, but the categories are not identical. A passage about positions or appearances may have a different subject from one about the agency of spirits. The complete argument must determine which reading is intended.
The term also belongs near Astrum, where the dictionary records a sense involving the power acquired by preparation. That neighbouring entry is a reminder that star vocabulary can extend beyond literal celestial bodies. Its technical sense should not, however, be imposed on this entry’s expressly stated alternatives.
Places to read
- Ascendentia signaRead the complete historical definition and its commentary.
- AstrumA “star” understood as a material’s enhanced power through preparation.
- Cœli planetarumThe planets’ own orbs and spheres.
Source note
Historical source. 1650 dictionary, unnumbered definition page 7; facsimile PDF page 335 — Facsimile
Sources. A Chymicall Dictionary (1650), s.v. Ascendentia signa ; compare Astrum, Cœli planetarum