Attain your heart's desire with Planetary Magic

Saturn. Wikimedia Commons.

My life changed when I realized that the planets and the stars are not merely celestial bodies, indifferent and cold, nested in their abodes in deep space.

Rather, they are the embodiment of divine intelligences, present in everything - with whom it is possible to establish a dialectical relationship.

Deep down, I always knew this was possible. I just didn't know how.

If this is where you're at, this concise guide on how to perform a planetary ritual will show you how to get in touch with these intelligences, introduce yourself to them and make petitions, thus forming an adequate basis for beginners in astrological magic.

The model I will present below can be executed in a simplified manner for daily worship and also in a more elaborate way for special rituals.

The procedure, in summary, consists of preparing yourself and the environment through purification, invoking the celestial spirit to be addressed, presenting your prayers and requests, and then closing the ceremony.

Here's the detailed step-by-step:

1. How to use planetary days and hours

Planetary rituals should preferably be performed on the day and/or hour ruled by the planet you will invoke.

Sunday: day of the Sun

Monday: day of the Moon

Tuesday: day of Mars

Wednesday: day of Mercury

Thursday: day of Jupiter

Friday: day of Venus

Saturday: day of Saturn

The system of planetary hours, developed in the context of Hellenistic Astrology but possibly dating back to Babylon, assigns a planetary rulership to each hour of the day. This is, in fact, the origin of the planetary rulership of each day of the week, as the day belongs to the planet that rules the hour in which the Sun rises.

Planetary hours are arranged in the Chaldean order, from the slowest planet to the fastest. That is: Saturn → Jupiter → Mars → Sun → Venus → Mercury → Moon. But this is not the order of the days of the week because the day has 24 hours, which is not a multiple of seven. Thus, each day, a planet has three or four planetary hours, which explains this variation.

Moreover, the duration of planetary hours is variable, corresponding to the number of daytime hours divided by twelve during the day and, similarly, the number of nighttime hours divided by twelve during the night. What this means, in practice, is that in summer the daytime hours will last more than an hour and the nighttime hours, less. Vice versa for winter.

The ruling planet of the first hour after sunset marks the planetary night, and it operates as a co-pilot of the ruling planet of the day - only during the night. Thus, the pattern of hours varies throughout the year, but this is not a problem because you can use technology to calculate the planetary hours for you.

The simplest solution is to access planetaryhours.net, an elegant and functional site that only calculates planetary hours for your location on any date. Astro.com also shows planetary hours in the astrological events section of the day. There's the Planetary Times app, which in addition to planetary hours shows other astrological aspects, such as Moon phases, and allows input of your birth data for some automated calculations.

You can use planetary hours to fine-tune the timing of any activity you desire, for example, choosing a Mercury hour to send an email or meditate in the Moon hour. The consideration of planetary day and hour is valued by magicians in general and is fundamental to astrological magic. In fact, it is a sine qua non condition for the execution of various formulas, especially those for making planetary talismans.

Normally, one chooses the day and hour of the same planet to do operations of a nature compatible with it. If this is not possible, there is always the option of combining planetary day and hour that are conducive to your purpose. Example: Jupiter day, Sun hour for a prosperity work, as both are compatible with this goal.

Placing the Moon in a sign ruled by the planet in question and in an appropriate phase further refines the timing of the activity. In this example, it would be the waxing Moon (to attract and increase) in Sagittarius, Leo, or Pisces.

If you're really hardcore, you can even put the ruling sign of one of these planets in the ascendant. It is possible, in fact, to cast a complete election to work with a planet, but the more considerations, the fewer possible moments for this.

2. How to choose which planet to do planetary magic with

The first step of any successful magical work is clarity of purpose. What exactly do you want to get from your spell? With your goal in mind, it's time to decide which planet has the greatest affinity with it.

A quick and by no means exhaustive list:

Moon: Magic, creative writing, dreams and visions, astral projection, intuition

Mercury: Communication, acceleration, money flow, commerce, learning, studies

Venus: Love, attraction, pleasure, arts, material comforts, relationships and partnerships

Sun: Prominence, good health, wisdom, prosperity, spirituality, charisma, self-love

Mars: Strength, physical training, protection, courage, resilience, determination

Jupiter: Expansion, prosperity, good luck, generosity, spirituality, higher education

Saturn: Discipline, protection, deep wisdom, necromancy

3. Material correspondences for planetary magic

Ideally, you will light a candle of the color corresponding to the planet, as well as light an appropriate incense. The suggested colors and aromas are:

Saturn: black and dark gray; cypress, myrrh, patchouli, cannabis, tobacco

Jupiter: white, yellow, purple and blue; frankincense, benzoin, sandalwood, sage, anise, valerian, hyssop

Mars: red; dragon's blood, basil, asafoetida, coriander, garlic, pepper, wormwood

Sun: yellow and gold; frankincense, cinnamon, cedar, sandalwood, orange, lemon, bay, rosemary

Venus: white, green and pink; geranium, rose, vanilla, damar, apple, cardamom, cherry, violet, strawberry, mint

Mercury: green and orange; lavender, rosemary, frankincense, lemongrass, palmarosa, citronella, verbena

Moon: white and silver; camphor, jasmine, chamomile, artemisia, lily and damar.

Remember that if you don't have any of this on hand, a white candle and an aromatic incense are enough. On the other hand, the spirits obviously appreciate your effort to get the materials that best correspond to their spheres. My point is: if you have this availability, the extra elbow grease will be noticed - and appreciated.

4. How to prepare for planetary magic

Ideally, your hygiene should be up to date to invoke the spirits of the spheres. A shower or bath and clean clothes are recommended, especially in works with Venus and Jupiter, the benefics.

The place where you will perform the ritual will be more conducive to it if it's clean and tidy. The cleansing of oneself and the environment, however, should not only physical but also spiritual. The workspace can be purified with incense fumigation, anointing with magical oils, sounds of mantras and pin bell, among other things, according to your preference.

A widely practiced way of environmental purification is the performance of a banishing ritual, among which the most famous is the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram. A banishing consists of invoking the elemental forces, which in the aforementioned example correspond to the archangels - in short, the guardians of the cardinal directions - to expel adverse energies, in addition to providing elemental balance of the energies of the environment.

Meditation, on the other hand, is a way to purify your own mind and improve your ability to focus and concentrate. This will be very useful when performing the ritual itself, because the better your focus, the better your connection with the planetary sphere.

To meditate, just sit in silence, close your eyes and focus on your breathing. Intrusive thoughts will arise. Let them through. The point of the exercise is to remember that you are not your thoughts. As long as you remember to let go of intrusive thoughts, instead of engaging with them, you will be meditating. And if you do engage with them... Relax. Let go of them. And now, your are meditating again.

Don't aim for absolute mental silence - that takes years to achieve. And focus on breathing. Five minutes is enough, but do it for as long as you feel comfortable. If you feel any sort of discomfort, feel free to pause - don't force anything.

5. Planetary magic in practice

When the chosen moment arrives, start by lighting the candle and incense previously reserved. A little music can help with the ambiance.

Get into a comfortable position and still your mind.

When you feel it's appropriate, read, preferably aloud, the Orphic Hymn of the planet you want to invoke - they are included at the end of this article.

But don't just read. Try to connect with the words and resonate with their meaning. This will make you a better conductor of planetary energies.

Pay attention to how you feel - you may notice something confirming the presence of these energies. Sensations such as tingling, cold or heat, buzzing and emotions are possible.

When you feel it's appropriate, speak to the spirit of the planet. Starting by thanking them for the good things you already have is always good, especially in works with Jupiter.

The time has come now to make your requests - remembering that they should be compatible with the invoked planetary sphere. For example: Mars will not promote temperance in your life. For that, try Venus or Jupiter.

Manifestation tip: do it with faith and visualize what you're asking for. All the better if you can also engage your senses and feel the positive emotions related to your petition.

After the petitions, a brief meditative moment visualizing the things you wished for as if they already existed helps to sediment the mobilized energies.

6. Closing the planetary magic ritual

To close the ritual, say something like "I thank you for the presence and friendship of the spirit of [planet] and so I close this ritual."

Working with planetary spheres can affect your energy in ways it's not used to. Especially in the first few times you do it, it's recommended to take some time after the ritual to fully come back to your body - you'll understand what I'm talking about after you try.

Take care of your hydration. Drink water before, during, and after the ritual. Eating something after can also help to return to the body.

A brief grounding can be useful too. There are several different techniques, but basically, you're going to visualize the energies from the soles of your feet extending about ten feet below the ground, rooting and energizing you in the process.

A good exercise is to jot down what you can about what you felt or thought before, during, and after the ritual. The thing about keeping records is that patterns and synchronicities will become more evident to you.

7. The apex of Planetary Magic: Talismans

Have you ever looked at the night sky and felt... that? I don't think even the Germans have a word for it.

That awe in the face of the beauty of the sky. That feeling of protection under the cloak of starlight. Being able to read the legends of creation and destruction, written by the eternal dance of stars and planets.

And, above all, the melancholy of the Separation - the heart does not forget its cosmic origins.

In another time and another space, you lived in full union with your Guardian Spirit in the Ideal World. In your descent to the Kingdom of matter, you passed through the Spheres of stars and planets. Each one left its mark on you - your birth chart is living proof.

What would it be like to have a little piece of the sky for yourself? To reconnect with your cosmic origins? To channel the fundamental forces of the Universe to manifest your reality?

I present to you the apex of Astrological Magic: talismans.

The work of creating a genuine planetary talisman begins with the casting of a rare and complex election, its parameters defined by arcane tomes such as the Picatrix and the Three Books of Occult Philosophy by Agrippa.

The planet must be domiciled or exalted and culminating or ascending on its day and/or hour. Both the planet and the Moon must be free from afflictions, such as combustion and aspects with malefics.

The receptacle must be of suitable material - gems or metals under the appropriate planetary rulership. It must also receive its final Form within the astrological window of the adequate election.

And all this is done within a High Magic ceremony with specific offerings and invocations.

By means of these incredibly rare conditions, these artifacts are crafted that elevate Planetary Magic to its maximum potency.

Indeed, my life was forever changed the first time I made a talisman.

In the middle of the invocation, I felt a beam of celestial light falling on my thymus. I felt beholden by celestial consciousness - kinda like the opposite of the abys staring back.

I choked back my tears, though, and proceeded to make that paper talisman just right. In a few weeks, all my petitions had manifested better than I expected.

I never stopped making talismans. I am a talisman making junkie - the high of getting so close to celestial spirits is like nothing from this world. I love the trance of communing at this level with celestial spirits. Above all, though, the results saved my life.

But that's a different story for another day.

The thing is: talismans are too magical and beneficial to hoard them all to myself, as much as I would like to be to them like a greedy treasure dragon.

Check out the talismans I have available - one of them might be just the thing you never knew you always wanted.

8. In summary...

Planetary rituals are an excellent way to establish a relationship with the spheres of the planets. Thus, your approach to them, and consequently to your own natal chart, ceases to be passive to become dialectical.

I believe that a gradual practice of astrological magic helps the practitioner to tune in with the planetary spheres, harmonizing all aspects of their existence.

Moreover, it is an especially powerful form of magical practice, as it operates at the most basal level of manifest reality, in the Causes that motivate events in our world.

And, finally, it is a form of magic especially conducive to developing a relationship with your Daimon, or Guardian Spirit. This is because it brings sewn to the body the theoretical framework of Astrology, which reveals the astrological signature of this Daimon.

In short: it is a fun, efficient, and powerful way to practice magic, especially because it brings us closer to the numinous transcendence of the heavens and highlights what is divine in the human.

9. The Orphic Hymns of the Seven - for planetary invocation, ritual & magic

The Orphic Hymns are a collection of eighty-seven ancient Greek religious poems attributed to the legendary poet Orpheus.

Composed around the 2nd or 3rd centuries AD in Asia Minor, these brief hymns were used in the rituals of a religious community that existed in the region. Each hymn is dedicated to a specific deity or cosmic element and typically consists of a series of epithets describing the god's attributes, powers, and mythological associations.

The hymns were likely used in initiations and other religious ceremonies, serving as a means to invoke the gods and summon their powers. They were particularly important in the practice of Orphism, a mystery cult that emphasized the immortality of the soul and its journey after death.

The Orphic Hymns provide valuable insights into ancient Greek religious beliefs and practices, offering variations on pan-Hellenic traditions and preserving local religious customs.

To this day, practitioners of planetary magic employ the Orphic Hymns to connect with the Intelligences and Spirits of the planets.

The following are reproduced here for practicality. Credits and translation: theoi.com - check them out for more cool hymns!

Orphic Hymn to Chronos (Saturn)

Etherial father, mighty Titan, hear, great fire of Gods and men, whom all revere:

Endu'd with various council, pure and strong, to whom perfection and decrease belong.

Consum'd by thee all forms that hourly die, by thee restor'd, their former place supply;

The world immense in everlasting chains, strong and ineffable thy pow'r contains

Father of vast eternity, divine, O mighty Saturn [Kronos], various speech is thine:

Blossom of earth and of the starry skies, husband of Rhea, and Prometheus wife.

Obstetric Nature, venerable root, from which the various forms of being shoot;

No parts peculiar can thy pow'r enclose, diffus'd thro' all, from which the world arose,

O, best of beings, of a subtle mind, propitious hear to holy pray'rs inclin'd;

The sacred rites benevolent attend, and grant a blameless life, a blessed end.

Orphic Hymn to Zeus (Jupiter)

O Jove much-honor'd, Jove [Zeus] supremely great, to thee our holy rites we consecrate,

Our pray'rs and expiations, king divine, for all things round thy head exalted shine.

The earth is thine, and mountains swelling high, the sea profound, and all within the sky.

Saturnian [Kronion] king, descending from above, magnanimous, commanding, sceptred Jove [Zeus];

All-parent, principle and end of all, whose pow'r almighty, shakes this earthly ball;

Ev'n Nature trembles at thy mighty nod, loud-sounding, arm'd with light'ning, thund'ring God.

Source of abundance, purifying king, O various-form'd from whom all natures spring;

Propitious hear my pray'r, give blameless health, with peace divine, and necessary wealth.

Orphic Hymn to Ares (Mars)

Magnanimous, unconquer'd, boistrous Mars, in darts rejoicing, and in bloody wars

Fierce and untam'd, whose mighty pow'r can make the strongest walls from their foundations shake:

Mortal destroying king, defil'd with gore, pleas'd with war's dreadful and tumultuous roar:

Thee, human blood, and swords, and spears delight, and the dire ruin of mad savage fight.

Stay, furious contests, and avenging strife, whose works with woe, embitter human life;

To lovely Venus [Kypris], and to Bacchus [Lyaios] yield, to Ceres [Deo] give the weapons of the field;

Encourage peace, to gentle works inclin'd, and give abundance, with benignant mind.

Orphic Hymn to Helios (the Sun)

Hear golden Titan, whose eternal eye with broad survey, illumines all the sky.

Self-born, unwearied in diffusing light, and to all eyes the mirrour of delight:

Lord of the seasons, with thy fiery car and leaping coursers, beaming light from far:

With thy right hand the source of morning light, and with thy left the father of the night.

Agile and vig'rous, venerable Sun, fiery and bright around the heav'ns you run.

Foe to the wicked, but the good man's guide, o'er all his steps propitious you preside:

With various founding, golden lyre, 'tis mine to fill the world with harmony divine.

Father of ages, guide of prosp'rous deeds, the world's commander, borne by lucid steeds,

Immortal Jove [Zeus], all-searching, bearing light, source of existence, pure and fiery bright

Bearer of fruit, almighty lord of years, agil and warm, whom ev'ry pow'r reveres.

Great eye of Nature and the starry skies, doom'd with immortal flames to set and rise

Dispensing justice, lover of the stream, the world's great despot, and o'er all supreme.

Faithful defender, and the eye of right, of steeds the ruler, and of life the light:

With founding whip four fiery steeds you guide, when in the car of day you glorious ride.

Propitious on these mystic labours shine, and bless thy suppliants with a life divine.

Orphic Hymn to Aphrodite (Venus)

Heav'nly [Ourania], illustrious, laughter-loving queen, sea-born, night-loving, of an awful mien;

Crafty, from whom necessity [Ananke] first came, producing, nightly, all-connecting dame:

'Tis thine the world with harmony to join, for all things spring from thee, O pow'r divine.

The triple Fates [Moirai] are rul'd by thy decree, and all productions yield alike to thee:

Whate'er the heav'ns, encircling all contain, earth fruit-producing, and the stormy main,

Thy sway confesses, and obeys thy nod, awful attendant of the brumal God [Bakkhos]:

Goddess of marriage, charming to the sight, mother of Loves [Eortes], whom banquetings delight;

Source of persuasion [Peitho], secret, fav'ring queen, illustrious born, apparent and unseen:

Spousal, lupercal, and to men inclin'd, prolific, most-desir'd, life-giving., kind:

Great sceptre-bearer of the Gods, 'tis thine, mortals in necessary bands to join;

And ev'ry tribe of savage monsters dire in magic chains to bind, thro' mad desire.

Come, Cyprus-born, and to my pray'r incline, whether exalted in the heav'ns you shine,

Or pleas'd in Syria's temple to preside, or o'er th' Egyptian plains thy car to guide,

Fashion'd of gold; and near its sacred flood, fertile and fam'd to fix thy blest abode;

Or if rejoicing in the azure shores, near where the sea with foaming billows roars,

The circling choirs of mortals, thy delight, or beauteous nymphs, with eyes cerulean bright,

Pleas'd by the dusty banks renown'd of old, to drive thy rapid, two-yok'd car of gold;

Or if in Cyprus with thy mother fair, where married females praise thee ev'ry year,

And beauteous virgins in the chorus join, Adonis pure to sing and thee divine;

Come, all-attractive to my pray'r inclin'd, for thee, I call, with holy, reverent mind.

Orphic Hymn to Hermes (Mercury)

Hermes, draw near, and to my pray'r incline, angel of Jove [Zeus], and Maia's son divine;

Studious of contests, ruler of mankind, with heart almighty, and a prudent mind.

Celestial messenger, of various skill, whose pow'rful arts could watchful Argus kill:

With winged feet, 'tis thine thro' air to course, O friend of man, and prophet of discourse:

Great life-supporter, to rejoice is thine, in arts gymnastic, and in fraud divine:

With pow'r endu'd all language to explain, of care the loos'ner, and the source of gain.

Whose hand contains of blameless peace the rod, Corucian, blessed, profitable God;

Of various speech, whose aid in works we find, and in necessities to mortals kind:

Dire weapon of the tongue, which men revere, be present, Hermes, and thy suppliant hear;

Assist my works, conclude my life with peace, give graceful speech, and me memory's increase.

Orphic Hymn to Selene (the Moon)

Hear, Goddess queen, diffusing silver light, bull-horn'd and wand'ring thro' the gloom of Night.

With stars surrounded, and with circuit wide Night's torch extending, thro' the heav'ns you ride:

Female and Male with borrow'd rays you shine, and now full-orb'd, now tending to decline.

Mother of ages, fruit-producing Moon [Mene], whose amber orb makes Night's reflected noon:

Lover of horses, splendid, queen of Night, all-seeing pow'r bedeck'd with starry light.

Lover of vigilance, the foe of strife, in peace rejoicing, and a prudent life:

Fair lamp of Night, its ornament and friend, who giv'st to Nature's works their destin'd end.

Queen of the stars, all-wife Diana hail! Deck'd with a graceful robe and shining veil;

Come, blessed Goddess, prudent, starry, bright, come moony-lamp with chaste and splendid light,

Shine on these sacred rites with prosp'rous rays, and pleas'd accept thy suppliant's mystic praise.