Symmetries on 67r1.

While the Voynich ms. appears to be a mess of contradictions, there are patterns and symmetries that we can discern. The mysterious chart on page 67r1 is an example. Rubricated, this is obviously a significant page, and yet it is altogether unclear what astrological system it depicts. We have a circle divided into twelve, each sector marked with a moon, some as a red crescent and some a golden crescent. Seven of these moons are also marked with words or labels:

On the face of it, there do not seem to be familiar patterns. No satisfactory account of the chart has been forthcoming. Most often, people are confused by the moons, expecting that they depict a sequence of lunar phases, but this is not the case. Every moon is the same phase in what is probably a generic young crescent rather than an exact depiction of a particular lunation. In short: the chart is not about lunar phases.

Instead, it appears to be about lunar months marked from one moon to the same phase next month. The moons might depict the crescent of the NEW MOON, for example, in which case the circle depicts a year of twelve months, New Moon to New Moon, twelve New Moons. (This is a more likely reading than twelve Full Moons. The moons seem to be young, not full.)

And yet, some are coloured red and some golden and - confoundingly - not entirely in sequence. The pattern is alternating moons of red-gold-red-gold-red-gold, but the pattern is broken by two golden moons in a row followed by two red moons in a row. Why this deviation from a simple binary alternation? What astronomical reality or astrological symbolism might account for this very deliberate asymmetry?

That seven of the moons are labelled is a matter of interest because it suggests, as many have noted, the seven planets. The planets are conspicuously absent from the Voynich cosmology, but this might be a planetary motif; i.e. seven of the moons might each be ascribed to one of the seven planets. One moon would be ruled by or correspond to Mars, one to Venus, and so on. Possible, but certainty not established. The moons could just as easily be labelled with the Seven Virtues or any other system of seven habitual to the late medieval mind, although these all run in parallel and have astrological models.

Nevertheless, there is a pattern. There is symmetry. The seven labels, at least, are not arbitrary but follow a discernible system. The distribution of the labels is as follows:

As we see, there is a right hand group and a left hand group. In the right hand group, four moons are labelled with the two adjacent golden moons in the centre. In the left hand group the three alternating red moons are labelled but not the golden moons. All of this is evidence of system. It is also evidence that the system of seven being used is inherently made of two sub-systems according to the equation: 7 = 4 + 3. That is, within this system of seven labels there is evidently a system of three and a system of four.

* * *

This structure (3 + 4) is found in traditional planetary symbolism in two arrangements:

The seven planets can be arranged in order of celestial velocity: Moon, Mercury, Venus, Sun, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn. This produces a natural division between the intra-Solar and extra-Solar planets - those faster or slower than the Sun. In that case, the seven planets are often divided with Moon, Mercury, Venus, and Sun as a group, and the so-called 'superior' planets, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn as another group.

Or

 

The seven planets can be arranged as we find them in the days of the week. Saturn's day, Sun's day, Moon's day and so on. The planets are: Saturn, Sun, Moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus. In that case, there is a natural division between Saturn, Sun, Moon as one group and Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus as the other. We find the grouping Saturn, Sun, Moon in the zodiac: Leo (Sun) and Cancer (Moon) are both polarized by Saturn (Capricorn and Aquarius). Note: a symbolism lost in modern astrology.

These two orders - intrinsic to Western planetary astrology - would then yield correspondences in the chart on 67r1 such as the following:

Planets in order of velocity.

Or:

Planets by days of the week.

In either case, the distribution of the seven labels we find in this chart - though perplexing at first - does make astrological sense. Either order could explain the uneven distribution of the seven labels into two groups, one of three and one of four. Yet neither explains why there are two golden moons in a row followed by two red moons.

A possible explanation for the clustering of the moons like this would be that it depicts some adjustment needed to square twelve lunations with the year.

As for the labels themselves, two of them in the right hand group of four consist of two words, while all the others are only one.

Only two words are common. The others only appear once in the manuscript, i.e. they are unique to this page. (This must count against the notion they are the names of the planets.)

The other notable thing about the text on this page is that it does not neatly conform to either of the "dialects" found in the manuscript, so-called Currier A and B, but elements and features of both are present.

* * *

This is the only page in the manuscript with red inked text. We can assume this signals that it is of some particular importance. It is an important page to understand. To reiterate:

*It is not a chart about moon phases but about lunar months.
*Seven of the months are labelled.
*If the seven labels are planetary attributions, then the division into a group of three and a group of four is symbolically coherent.

There is much of a codicological nature that can be said about the fact this page is marked in red ink. It is poorly done, for instance. So even though it seems several (or many?) scribes worked on the codex, it seems none of them was trained in manuscript rubrication.  The scribe struggled with the red ink but proceeded anyway.

R. B.