A ninth-century astrologer in Baghdad once calculated that the moon passes through twenty-eight mansions in a single cycle, each one a house where something waits. The first of those houses is Al Awwal. Al Awwal (Arabic: الأول, “the First”) is the first lunar mansion in the Arabic system of manazil al-qamar, spanning 0° to 12°51’ of Aries and governed by Mars. It is also called Al Sharatan, “the Two Signs,” referring to the stars Beta and Gamma Arietis that mark its boundary. In the traditional grimoire tradition, this mansion opens the gate of beginnings, conflict, and the raw force that precedes form.
The first lunar mansion governs beginnings, conflict, and the raw force that precedes form. Learn its symbolism, history, and practical use in Arabic and Western occult traditions.
What the First Lunar Mansion Actually Is
Al Awwal is the opening station of the moon’s twenty-eight-night journey across the fixed stars. In the Arabic system, each mansion (manzil, plural manazil) occupies roughly 12°51’ of the ecliptic, and the moon spends one night in each. The first begins at the vernal equinox point, 0° Aries, and extends to 12°51’ Aries.
The mansion takes its name from the Arabic word awwal, meaning “first” or “beginning.” Its alternative name, Al Sharatan, comes from the Arabic al-sharatayn, “the two signs,” referring to the pair of stars Beta Arietis (Sheratan) and Gamma Arietis (Mesarthim) that mark its head. These stars sit at the ram’s horns in the constellation Aries, and their position near the equinox point gave them particular weight in medieval astrology.
The mansion is associated with Mars, the planet of war, iron, and division. In the Picatrix, the eleventh-century grimoire translated from Arabic into Latin, Al Awwal is described as a mansion of “discord, travel, and destruction.” The text instructs that operations begun under this mansion should concern separation, enmity, and the breaking of bonds. Not a gentle start. A necessary one.
Where the Mansion System Comes From
The lunar mansion system predates Islam. It appears in pre-Islamic Arabic poetry, where the moon’s stations were used for navigation and weather prediction. The Bedouin knew the stars by their positions relative to the moon’s nightly passage, and they named the mansions for the star groups or weather phenomena they marked.
The system was formalized in the early Abbasid period. By the ninth century, astrologers like Abu Ma’shar al-Balkhi (787–886 CE) had integrated the lunar mansions into the full apparatus of Hellenistic astrology. Abu Ma’shar’s Great Introduction to Astrology treats the mansions as active agents in electional and horary work. He writes that the first mansion governs “the beginning of every matter, the raising of armies, and the sowing of seed.”
The Picatrix, compiled in Arabic around 1050 CE and translated into Latin in 1256 for King Alfonso X of Castile, gives the most complete Western grimoire treatment of the mansions. It assigns each mansion a planetary ruler, a set of talismanic images, and specific operations. For Al Awwal, the Picatrix prescribes an image of “a black man riding a lion, holding a sword in his right hand” — a figure of martial authority and separation.
What Al Awwal Represents in Practice
The first mansion is not about creation in the gentle sense. It is about the cut that makes creation possible. Al Awwal governs beginnings that require separation: the first stroke of a blade, the first word of a dispute, the first step away from what was.
In electional astrology, this mansion is chosen for operations that demand rupture. Breaking a siege. Ending a partnership. Sowing discord between enemies. Starting a journey into hostile territory. The Picatrix warns against using this mansion for any operation that seeks union, peace, or healing. The energy is Martian: hot, dry, and divisive.
But the mansion also governs the kind of beginning that clears ground. A farmer who burns a field before planting is working with Al Awwal’s force. A surgeon who cuts to save a limb. A writer who destroys a draft to start again. The mansion does not discriminate between destruction and liberation. It only cares that something ends so something else can begin.
How the Mansion Was Used in Talismanic Magic
The Picatrix gives specific instructions for making a talisman under Al Awwal. The operation requires the moon to be in the mansion and the ascendant to be in Aries or Scorpio, the two houses of Mars. The talisman is made of iron or red copper, and the image is engraved at the hour of Mars.
The image described is a figure “riding a lion, holding a sword, with a spear in his hand.” The talisman is consecrated with the smoke of red sandalwood and dragon’s blood, and the operator recites the names of the mansion’s spirits. The purpose is to “cause separation between two persons, to send a messenger swiftly, and to destroy the power of an enemy.”
In the Arabic tradition, the mansion’s spirits are invoked by name. The Shams al-Ma’arif, a thirteenth-century Arabic grimoire by Ahmad al-Buni, lists the spirits of Al Awwal as Al-Mudhhib and Al-Mudhill — “the Giver of Gold” and “the Abaser.” These names reflect the mansion’s dual capacity to elevate and to cast down.
How Al Awwal Differs from the Other Mansions
The lunar mansions are not interchangeable. Each has a distinct character, and the sequence matters. Al Awwal is the only mansion that governs pure beginning. The second mansion, Al Butain (the Belly), governs storage and accumulation. The third, Al Thurayya (the Pleiades), governs fertility and increase.
Al Awwal stands apart because it has no predecessor. It is the gate. In the Arabic system, the mansions are divided into three groups of seven, with the first seven considered “lunar” in nature — changeable, moist, and receptive. But Al Awwal is the exception. Its Martian rulership makes it the most aggressive of the lunar mansions, and the only one that is openly destructive in its primary use.
In the Western hermetic tradition, the mansions were sometimes mapped to the twenty-eight letters of the Arabic alphabet. Al Awwal corresponds to Alif, the first letter, which in Sufi cosmology represents the divine unity before manifestation. The mansion is the point where that unity breaks into duality, hence the “two signs” of its name.
Common Misconceptions About Al Awwal
It is not a “good” or “bad” mansion. The lunar mansions are not moral categories. Al Awwal is useful for specific operations and harmful for others. Calling it evil misunderstands how electional astrology works. The mansion is sharp. You do not blame the knife for cutting.
It is not the same as the Hindu nakshatra Ashwini. Ashwini, the first nakshatra in the Indian system, occupies a similar range (0°–13°20’ Aries) and shares the theme of beginnings. But Ashwini is ruled by the Ashwini Kumaras, the twin horsemen of healing and speed, and its energy is restorative rather than divisive. The two systems diverged in their symbolism centuries ago.
It is not a mansion for love magic. A common error in online occult writing is to treat all lunar mansions as suitable for love operations. Al Awwal is specifically contraindicated for love, marriage, or any binding work. Use it for that and you will get separation, not union.
FAQ
What is the difference between Al Awwal and Al Sharatan? They are the same mansion. Al Awwal means “the First” and refers to its position. Al Sharatan means “the Two Signs” and refers to the two stars that mark it.
Which planet rules Al Awwal? Mars. The mansion takes its hot, dry, divisive character from Mars’s influence.
Can I use Al Awwal for protection magic? Not directly. The mansion governs separation and destruction, which can be protective in a tactical sense, breaking an enemy’s power, but it is not a shielding or warding mansion.
What stars are in Al Awwal? The primary stars are Beta Arietis (Sheratan) and Gamma Arietis (Mesarthim). Both are in the head of Aries.
The Gate That Opens
Al Awwal is not a mansion to approach casually. It demands clarity of intent. You do not enter it to ask for peace. You enter it to ask for the force that makes peace possible, the willingness to cut what no longer serves. That is what the first mansion teaches. Not how to begin gently. How to begin at all.
For a deeper understanding of the full cycle, explore our guide to the lunar mansions. See how Al Awwal compares to the other mansions in our glossary of lunar terms. And for practical electional work, read our guide on working with the mansions in ritual.