16 figures
The sixteen geomantic figures: each consists of four lines of one or two points, which gives 2⁴ = 16 possible combinations. Not one too many, not one missing.
Table of figures
| Figure | Latin | Points, top to bottom | Ruling Planet | Personality |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Via | Via | 1·1·1·1 | Moon | movement |
| Populus | Populus | 2·2·2·2 | Moon | neutral |
| Conjunctio | Conjunctio | 2·1·1·2 | Mercury | neutral |
| Carcer | Carcer | 1·2·2·1 | Saturn | bad |
| Fortuna Major | Fortuna Major | 2·2·1·1 | Sun | very good |
| Fortuna Minor | Fortuna Minor | 1·1·2·2 | Sun | good, short-lived |
| Acquisitio | Acquisitio | 2·1·2·1 | Jupiter | very good |
| Amissio | Amissio | 1·2·1·2 | Venus | bad |
| Laetitia | Laetitia | 1·2·2·2 | Jupiter | good |
| Tristitia | Tristitia | 2·2·2·1 | Saturn | bad |
| Puella | Puella | 1·2·1·1 | Venus | good |
| Puer | Puer | 1·1·2·1 | Mars | mixed |
| Albus | Albus | 2·2·1·2 | Mercury | good |
| Rubeus | Rubeus | 2·1·2·2 | Mars | bad |
| Caput Draconis | Caput Draconis | 2·1·1·1 | N. Node | beginning |
| Cauda Draconis | Cauda Draconis | 1·1·1·2 | S. Node | end |
In the points column, 1 means a single point (active element) and 2 a double point (resting element). The lines run from top to bottom: Fire, Air, Water, Earth.
Pairs of opposites
The figures form pairs when flipped upside down: Laetitia and Tristitia, Albus and Rubeus, Acquisitio and Amissio, Puella and Puer, Fortuna Major and Fortuna Minor, Caput Draconis and Cauda Draconis.
Four figures are symmetrical and are their own opposites: Via, Populus, Conjunctio, Carcer.
How the figures come up
In the geomantic shield chart the probabilities are not equal: the Mothers are random, while the Daughters, Nieces, Witnesses, and Judge are calculated from them. Hence the well-known rule: the Judge can only be one of the eight figures with an even number of single points — Populus, Via, Conjunctio, Carcer, Fortuna Major and Fortuna Minor, Acquisitio, Amissio.
This is pure arithmetic. Adding lines works like “exclusive or”: the result is single if the lines differ. Under this kind of addition the overall parity of all the points in the shield is preserved, and the Judge always ends up with an even number of single lines. If the Judge in your shield isn't one of these eight, there's a mistake somewhere in the addition.