What is Venus but the artemesia that
grows in your garden? And what is iron but the planet Mars?
Venus and the artemesia are
both of the same essence, while Mars and iron are manifestations of the same cause.
Paracelsus
The word planet comes from the Greek, planetos,
or wanderer. This name comes from the fact that the planets move independently of each
other and their movement is from West to East, opposite to the rotation of the fixed
stars. The seven traditional planets are Saturn,
Jupiter, Mars,
the Sun, Venus,
Mercury and the Moon.
For Renaissance philosophers and astrologers the planets
were a key part of the Celestial World, itself the essential link between the Divine
World of Angels and Intelligences and the Material World. The pages provided for each
of the planets come from William Lilly'sChristian
Astrology published in 1642. Each of the planets rules a myriad of things here in
the Material World. Lilly states, for example, that Saturn rules old men,
brick makers, the spleen, hemp, crows and lead.
What this means is that each of the things ruled by a
particular planet share certain qualities, powers and virtues embodied in a celestial
form exemplified by their planetary ruler. The planet, in turn, is the instantiation
of one or more Divine Forms or Ideas. Thus everything in the Material World has its
origin in the Divine World through the mediation of the celestials.
It is the characteristic of matter that it
resists the imposition of Forms and Ideas. This quality of matter means that all
material things will lose their forms through decay and death. In addition, the
Heavens are constantly pursuing their ordered orbits, endlessly imposing change
on material things. Thus birth, corruption, death and rebirth endlessly cycle in
the Material World in unceasing obedience to the Celestial and ultimately to the
Divine Worlds.
Astrologers find knowledge of the natures of the planets
to be of considerable practical use. This knowledge is key for the interpretation
of all types of horoscopes, particularly in the choice of significators.
In horary astrology, for example, we can obtain
physical descriptions of suspected witches or thieves. In
electional astrology we can use planetary rulerships to determine whether a particular
time is appropriate for a marriage that will
result in children or a harmonious relationship.
These are passive uses of the planetary rulerships, where
the astrologer merely observes the effects of the chains of correspondence and harmony.
In astrological magic the mage or astrological
magician makes use of the planetary rulerships to accomplish material effects. By
gathering many disparate examples of items under the rule of a particular planet we
can intensify and focus the quality exemplified by the planet, especially if we
elect a time when the planet is in strong Zodiacal state and well placed in the
horoscope.