Celestial
Energies
Ancient occultists didn’t just recognize the influence of Gaia. If Gaia was alive, surely the other planets were too, and therefore they too had some effect on us. Throughout human history, people have been tracking the stars and planets and recording their influence upon us. People recognized the archetypal energy that these stars and planets held and realized that their influence could be aligned with and harnessed in magickal endeavors. The ancients held seven planets to be of strong influences, which are the Sun, Moon, Venus, Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn. You may notice that they viewed the sun and the moon as planets, which we don’t today, and refer to them as luminaries. But the definition of a planet in ancient times was different.
The word “planet” comes from the Greek word plan
ts, meaning “wanderer.” A planet was defined as one of the principal seven objects that wandered in our sky. The Greeks named the planets because of their archetypal powers and named them after their gods. It’s important not to get too hung up on or confused about the planets and their namesakes. In a lot of ways, the planets exert influences that are similar to these gods, but also differ in many ways. The celestial objects that are closer to us have a strong spiritual influence upon us, while those that are farther away have a decreasing influence upon us. While there have been more planets that have been discovered since the original Greek planets, the seven wanderers are the most powerful to work with in terms of magick and will be what we focus on.
These planetary influences are known as astral influences, the name itself referring to the celestial planetary realms. Another way to think about the planets and their influence and how they affect us, is to think of the solar system as a macrocosmic being, which each celestial object being a part of the whole.
Each planet has a glyph which is composed using combinations of the three main visual elements of the cross, the circle, and the crescent. The circle represents the spirit and is related to the Higher Self, the cross represents matter and is connected to the Middle Self, and the crescent represents the soul which is linked to the Lower Self.40
Planetary Correspondences and the Doctrine of Signatures
After the four elements, you will find that books on witchcraft will use the planetary powers as the next primary form of correspondences. You’ll see lists of many plants or crystals correspond to different planetary energies. This system of correspondences came from the Doctrine of Signatures. The Doctrine of Signatures examines the shape, color, appearance, and the number of leaves and petals on a plant to determine what it does for the body or how it interacts with its environment. A clear common example is lungwort, which medicinally helps alleviate breathing problems and has leaves shaped like lungs.
The concept of correspondences is based on the Hermetic axiom of “As above, so below. As within, so without.” In the first century Common Era, Dioscorides wrote De Materia Medica using this concept and applying it to plants. About one hundred years later the works of Galen embraced the notions presented in De Materia Medica, and Galen’s work has been one of the main historical influences on modern medicine and health.
In the 1400s, Paracelsus expanded and enhanced the idea of correspondences when he and other alchemists and occultists saw that a plant’s properties based on the Doctrine of Signatures were ruled by specific planetary powers. Therefore, the nature imbued in the spirit of the plant was thought to have the signature or correspondence with that planetary power and could assist in magickal endeavors surrounding things that needed that planetary power as they were already plugged into it.
Laurie Cabot explains this beautifully, stating that “Nature is particularly good at holding a pure light, a pure vibration. Humans are easily influenced by all of the planets and stars, and likewise everything else is too, but herbs, woods, stones, metals and animals have a very pure consciousness, a very pure aura, and are able to anchor specific vibrations from one or two different planets. We say that a magickal ingredient is ‘ruled’ by a particular planet or sign.” 41
As for the gender aspects used in older correspondence lists and charts, these ideas aren’t related to our modern understanding of gender, and grew out of favor for other traditional terms such as “hot” and “cold” which better portrayed what the terms were trying to convey without the older sexist connotations. For example, stimulating, aggressive, electric, or positive is considered “hot” (formerly masculine). If a plant or herb is relaxing, passive, magnetic, or negative it is considered “cold” (formerly feminine). Such things are used to determine the “gender” of a plant’s association. We even see this switch in the time of Cunningham; in one herbal book he uses gender and then in the next one he uses “hot” and “cold” and discusses why he’s avoiding the gender terms from then on.
Correspondences are also based on how plants interact with the body or their environment. For example, wormwood is useful for dispelling parasites in the body, so it’s also good at dispelling lesser beings outside of the body and the aura; all of this is a very Mars archetypal energy. Mugwort medicinally is calming and promotes sleep, which in turn are effects which encourage the pineal gland to produce melatonin, and in turn promotes more psychic ability; all of this is a very Moon archetypal energy. By using the Doctrine of Signatures, we can come to understand what the central archetypal planetary power of a plant or crystal is based on how it looks, which gives us insights into what it does medicinally. These medicinal properties suggest what they do magickally and spiritually.42
The main thing to take away from this is that everything upon our planet corresponds to a planetary energy, just as plants do, and that there’s reasoning behind these correspondences. By learning what that planetary power is, you can attune to that planetary power through psychic means and further activate its magickal properties and powers to work with it on a deeper level. I’ll show you how in the next two exercises in this chapter.
The Sun
The Sun is the power of the spirit and symbolic of the Higher Self represented within our solar system. Its power is linked to the sense of identity and the self. It governs well-being in every area of self, including health, wealth, happiness, and prosperity. The glyph for the Sun is a circle of spirit with a dot in the middle. Ivo Dominguez refers to this as being symbolic of the relationship between the microcosm and the macrocosm and of spirit making itself manifest.43
The glyph of the Sun can also be seen as a symbolic representation of the Sun itself. The Sun is also a star, and as such is the most divine planetary object in our solar system, being a direct manifestation of the Star Goddess. The Sun governs Sunday.
Tap in to Solar energy for magickal endeavors related to: advancement, ambition, confidence, creativity, dominance, egotism, expression, fame, fatherhood, friendship, greed, growth, happiness, healing, health, illumination, individuality, joy, leadership, life, manifestation, masculinity, motivation, personality, personal power, power, pride, prosperity, renown, self-esteem, sense of self, strength, success, vitality, wealth
Day of the Week: Sunday
The Moon
The Moon is the power of the soul and symbolic of the Lower Self represented within our solar system. Its power is linked to the realm of the hidden such as psychic ability, magickal prowess, emotions, instinct, glamoury, and illusion. The Moon is one of the celestial bodies that is most intricately connected to witchcraft, aside from the earth itself. Witches work with different phases of the moon to assist in different magickal endeavors. The waxing moon phase is used for manifestation magick and the waning moon is used for banishment magick.
The glyph for the Moon is a crescent moon, being composed of a crescent. Shocking, huh? The Moon’s energy can manifest and banish energies within ourselves and situations in our lives, through its waxing and waning.
Tap into Lunar energy for magickal endeavors related to: astral work, birth, compassion, divination, dreams, emotions, empathy, femininity, glamour, gratitude, family, home, illusions, imagination, increasing and decreasing, intuition, magickal prowess, motherhood, patience, psychic ability, shape-shifting, spirituality, subtlety, transformation
Day of the Week: Monday
Mercury
Mercury’s power is linked to the realm of thought, speed, movement, communication, processing, business, and trade. The English words mercenary and merchant are derived from the Latin Merx, which is the same root as the Latin word for Mercury, Mercurius. The word mercurial is anything that relates to the planet Mercury, but also relates to the idea of swiftly changing one’s stance, perspectives, or mind.
The glyph for the Mercury is the crescent of soul crowning the circle of spirit above the cross of matter. The glyph can also be seen as a symbolic representation of the Roman god Mercury’s caduceus staff.
Tap into Mercurial energy for magickal endeavors related to: business, communication, deception, flexibility, healing, insight, intellect, knowledge, logic, magick, memory, mental processes, music, perception, poetry, protection, processing, science, speaking, studying, technology, theft, thinking, trade, travel, trickery, writing
Day of the Week: Wednesday
Venus
Venus is the power of beauty, receptivity, attraction, and fertility. While Venus tends to be associated with love and beauty, it also is linked to the realm of fertility and nature and also has a darker side, just as nature and beauty do. Many words are derived from Venus, such as venefica, which means “poisoning” and links to the idea of poisoning through plants and herbs, and the same goes for venom, which is related to venefica. “Venereal” pertains to the concept of love and pleasure, such as venereal diseases, which are sexually transmitted diseases. When we adore, worship, and love someone, we venerate them. There’s also the link between wines and vines and Venus, deriving from a Proto-Indo-European root word wen, tying together the ideas of pleasure, intoxication, and the earth.
The glyph for Venus is the circle of spirit above the cross of matter. The glyph can also be seen as either the hand mirror of Venus or a flower.
Tap into Venusian energy for magickal endeavors related to: agreements, attraction, affection, art, beauty, cooperation, culture, emotions, fertility, friendliness, friendship, grace, glamour, inspiration, jealousy, love, luring, luxury, passion, peace, pleasure, relationships, romance, self-confidence, sensuality, sex, sexuality, sociability, valuables
Day of the Week: Friday
Mars
Mars is the power of force, raw energy, physical strength, stamina, battles, confrontations, military, fighting, self-defense, and sexual potency. Mars energy can be beneficial when you need assistance in breaking things down or breaking through them. The word “martial” pertains to anything related to planet Mars but also is used to describe things pertaining to the military, such as martial law, or the martial arts.
The glyph for Mars is the circle of spirit with an arrow of directed force, the only glyph to break the formulaic rules. The glyph for Mars can also be seen as a shield and a spear.
Tap into Martial energy for magickal endeavors related to: aggression, anger, battles, boundaries, conflicts, confrontations, courage, defense, disputes, energy, lust, motivation, passion, physical strength, protection, raw energy, releasing bondage, sex drive, sexual potency, stamina, strength, vengeance, vigor, vitality, war
Day of the Week: Tuesday
Jupiter
Jupiter is the power of higher truth and justice, leadership, wisdom, religion, faith, and expansion. The word Jupiterian pertains to anything related to ambition, leadership, and religion. Jupiter is also related to the idea of divine blessings, and as such, words like jovial (Jove being a variant of Jupiter’s name) refers to the idea of having a good nature and being amused or pleased. When we’re in alignment with our Higher Self, we are expansive, and areas of our lives begin filling with the blessings of wisdom, justice, and prosperity.
The glyph for Jupiter is the crescent of the soul and the cross of matter. It can also be seen as the throne of Jupiter.
Tap into Jupiterian energy for magickal endeavors related to: abundance, ascendancy, authority, devotion, enthusiasm, ethics, expansion, fortune, growth, higher purpose, higher consciousness, honor, humor, justice, law, legal system, life path, luck, optimism, philosophy, morality, politics, prosperity, religion, responsibility, rules, rulership, spirituality, true will, truth, wealth, wisdom
Day of the Week: Thursday
Saturn
Saturn is the power of rules, restriction, contraction, shielding, protection, boundaries, evolution, endings, and karmic lessons. The word Saturnine relates to anything dark and gloomy. While Jupiter expands areas of life, Saturn restricts them. While Jupiter grows, Saturn harvests. While Mars is more aggressive in its energy, Saturn is more defensive.
The glyph for Saturn is the cross of matter with the crescent of the soul. The glyph for Saturn can also be seen as the upside-down scythe of Saturn, indicating the scythe being used.
Tap into Saturnine energy for magickal endeavors related to: aging, agriculture, austerity, bindings, boundaries, death, destruction, duty, equilibrium, fear, formation, history, initiation, intimidation, karma, life cycle, life lessons, limitation, patience, perseverance, practicality, protection, prudence, responsibility, restriction, sacrifice, self-discipline, shadow work, teaching, time, wisdom
Day of the Week: Saturday
•
Attuning to the Planetary Energies
Begin by tuning in and performing a soul alignment. Take a deep breath and state:
“I intend to vibrate in resonance with the power
of [planet], so that I may know you.”
In the air before you, draw the glyph of that planet in blue Witch Fire and draw a clockwise circle around it. Feel the energy of that element emanating from your planetary portal. Feel the energy of the planetary power surround you. Perform the Lunar Breathing exercise, except focus only on the planet you are calling in replacement of the Moon in that exercise—unless of course, you’re calling the Moon.
Take in the planetary energy, and let it charge and fill you. Visualize the glyph appearing on your chest and your body glowing with this energy, filling your body and aura with its energy. What does it feel like? What does it look like? What does it smell like? What does it sound like? What does it taste like? Perform this for each planet, starting with the Sun, and going through the Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn, until you’ve become acquainted with them all.
•
Conjuring Planetary Energy for
Charging and Sending
Begin by tuning in. Activate your palm energy centers. Decide which planet you want to conjure. Draw the planetary glyph with the fingers of your projective hand on the palm of your receptive hand and draw a clockwise circle around it. Begin focusing on what the specific planetary energy feels like, based on your experiences from the previous exercise. Hold your hands apart. Visualize the glyph appearing on your chest and your body glowing with this energy, filling your body and aura with its power and then visualize them streaming out into each hand, creating an orb of energy formed purely of that element.
You can use this energy to charge objects with a specific planet. For example, if I wanted to charge a crystal with the planetary power of Mercury, I would take the Mercury planetary energy in my hands and place it around the crystal, visualizing all of that elemental energy filling and activating the crystal. You can also send this orb of energy to another person over distance. Solely focus on the energy orb inside of your hands, think of the recipient, and take a deep breath. Exhale forcefully, visualizing that you are blowing the sphere of elemental energy to its destination.
40. Ivo Dominguez Jr., Practical Astrology for Witches and Pagans: Using the Planets and the Stars for Effective Spellwork, Rituals, and Magickal Work (San Francisco, CA: Weiser, 2016), 27–28.
41. Laurie Cabot with Penny Cabot and Christopher Penczak, Laurie Cabot’s Book of Spells & Enchantments (Salem, NH: Copper Cauldron, 2014), 39–40.
42. Christopher Penczak, The Plant Spirit Familiar: Green Totems, Teachers & Healers On the Path of the Witch (Salem, NH: Copper Cauldron, 2011), 71–73.
43. Ivo Dominguez Jr., Practical Astrology for Witches and Pagans: Using the Planets and the Stars for Effective Spellwork, Rituals, and Magickal Work (San Francisco, CA: Weiser, 2016), 28.