#177 - Astrological Nigromancy of Cecco d’Ascoli with Mat Hadfield & Brian Johnson
Glitch BottleJul 8, 2026
Mat Hadfield and Brian Johnson discuss their new Hadean Press book, An Exposition upon The Sphere of the Cosmos: The Astrological Nigromancy of Cecco d'Ascoli. The conversation explores why the Inquisition burned this Italian university lecturer alive in 1327, and how his teaching on astrological fatalism collided with Church doctrine. They also explain the medieval magical system of the four Kings of the four cardinal directions and its links to the cardinal signs of the Zodiac.
