174 JAMES A. WEISHEIPL 



every motion of the heaven is according to the form which is in 

 the intellect, as the artistic idea is in the mind of the artist, so 

 in the intellect of the mover there is the image to be effected by 

 its motion; otherwise its motion would be unintentional, a 

 chance result and an accident." ^'^ At times St. Albert does call 

 this conjoined mover a " soul," particularly the anima nohilis 

 of the Liher de causis (prop. 3) . But more frequently he con- 

 ceives the mover as a luminous form of intelligence and desire, 

 produced by the separated intelligence. " Since the intelligence 

 by its light produces every form in its sphere and order, and 

 since those forms are its light {lumen) and this light desires 

 to produce beings in existence {luTuen desiderans ad esse de- 

 ducere) , the proximate mover of the orb moves the orb and by 

 moving produces forms in existence." ^^ The conjoined mover, 

 therefore, is an intelligent form, but not the " soul " of the 

 sphere. " Thus it is evident that the intelligence is not an angel; 

 and if it were, it would still not be the proximate mover of any 

 celestial sphere." ^^ 



It is important to note that for St. Albert the luminous 

 forms, the conjoined movers of celestial bodies, are the true 

 causes of everything which is produced within that sphere. 

 That is to say, the luminous form, obedient to a higher intelli- 

 gence, is the active principle of such mysterious phenomena 

 as animal reproduction, and the spontaneous generation of 

 living things from inanimate matter." " Every lower motion 

 which is in the matter of generable things is reduced to the 

 motion of the heavens, which is the cause and measure of lower 

 motion by means of (i) the form of the moving intelligence, 

 (ii) the form of the celestial orb, and (iii) stellar rays." '* The 

 active powers of light, heat, conjunctions of the planets and 

 stars are, for St. Albert, instrumental causes of the celestial 

 forms whereby the natural powers of the elements can be pro- 



'» Ihid. 



'^ St. Albert, Problemata determinata, q. 2, ed. cit., p. 327. 



" Ibid. 



" St. Albert, Lib. XI Metaph., tr. I, cc. 6 & 8. 



Ibid., c. 8, ed. cit., p. 594a; cf. Problemata determinata, qq. 7-15 and qq. 34-36. 



