From the book
A Chymical Dictionary
Gerhard Dorn and John French · Diotimos Editions · 2026
Browse this book’s lexicon →Orientation
At a Glance
- The wordThe causal action of superior bodies upon inferior bodies.
- In the bookThe entries on Microcosmus and Olympicus spiritus show why such vocabulary matters in accounts of the human being.
- A place to readThe 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
- InfluentiaRead the complete historical definition and its commentary.
- MicrocosmusThe human being named as a little world.
- Olympicus spiritusAn inward star associated with a person’s shadow.
Source note
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