Medical Astrology | The Aim of the Sage
‘Picatrix,’ also known as “Ghayat al-Hakim,” is a significant work that explores the essence of magic, astrology, and their intricate connections to the universe, human anatomy, and numerology. Its philosophy draws from diverse traditions including those of Aristotle, Plato, Pythagoras, Greeks, Persians, Indians, and Arabs. Compiled in al-Andalus (Islamic Spain) around the 11th century, it is not an original single-author treatise but rather a vast compendium drawing on magical, astrological, and occult texts from earlier centuries. Its sources span 8th–11th century works by a variety of authors from Arabic, Persian, and earlier Hellenistic traditions, including Hermetic writings, Sabian star-worship teachings from Harran, and Greco-Roman astrological manuals. This text explores what is called medical astrology, and explains how the positions and movements of celestial bodies (planets, stars, and zodiac signs) influence human health and the body’s functions.