Magic squares are ancient mathematical arrangements where numbers are placed in a square grid so that each row, column, and diagonal add up to the same sum. Paracelsus, a 16th-century physician and alchemist, incorporated these mystical squares into his work on natural magic and healing.
The magic squares of Paracelsus were believed to have special properties and were associated with planetary energies. Each square was connected to a specific celestial body and was thought to channel its particular influences:
These squares were used in talismans and medicinal practices, combining mathematical precision with esoteric symbolism. Paracelsus believed that understanding these numerical patterns could help unlock the secrets of nature and healing.
“By casting up each column of these squares, you will obtain invariably the characteristic number of the planet, and, finding the explanation of this number by the hieroglyphs of the Tarot, you proceed to seek the sense of all figures, whether triangular, square or cruciform, which you find to be formed by the numbers. The result of this operation will be a complete and profound acquaintance with all allegories and mysteries concealed by the ancients under the symbol of each planet, or rather of each personification of influences, celestial or human, upon all events of life.” - Eliphas Levi, Dogma et Ritual of High Magic Part 2, Chapter 22
In practical terms, this passage suggests that by studying the numerical patterns in planetary magic squares, one can: