Secondary Causalities

The planet as a principle expresses the character of the Flow of Power embodied in the force of the very septenary manifestation. In other words, the ancient magi noticed that the Great Flow of Power, ternary in itself, when it pours into our world, divides into seven rivers that carry its influence.

Seven planets, seven Creative deities — these are the forces forming active blocks of energy which we perceive as the objects and phenomena of our world.

God of the Sun gives intellect, the power of differentiation; the Goddess Moon gives emotions as the principle of unity; the God Jupiter gives the capacity for outward transformation; the God Saturn — the capacity for inner development; the God Mars — the power of overcoming; the Goddess Venus — the power of attraction; the God Mercury — the capacity to adapt.

The Body of the Planet provides a habitat to bodies that accord with it, while the Sphere of the planet constitutes the aggregate of spirits that harmonize with it. For example, the Sun as a body forms the planetary system; as a differentiating element it singles out distinct units from the world’s uniformity, and Shemesh as a Sphere is the aggregate of differentiating agents.

The Archangel of the Planet expresses the Principle in a “ministering” sense as an individualizing influence — for example, the Sun’s role in maintaining the world’s differentiation is expressed in the image of the Archangel Michael, while the Moon’s influence in maintaining universal connection is embodied in the Archangel Gabriel. The Angelic Choir expresses the same influence, not on the cosmos as a whole, but on each individual element: for instance, the Choir of Powers (Malachim) brings the force of self-determination to each object, while the Choir of Angels (Cherubim) brings the force of Unity-in-All into those objects.

Archons (the Olympian Spirits) “embody” the Planetary influence, translating it from a “virtual” state into material reality. For example, Okh rules over Gold as an expression of Solar Power and as corresponding manifestations, while Ful, correspondingly, — over Silver, the growth of roots, and so on.

Gatekeepers, the “Liminal” spirits — express the reactions that arise in an object in response to planetary influence; for example, Sorat expresses the object’s “reaction” — both positive and negative — to the action of the Sun’s force. In other words, when an object is affected by the differentiating force of the Sun, it forms its own “attitude” toward that action. That attitude — to accept or to resist — is the Liminal spirit.

The planetary Genius is the individualization of an object’s perceptive capacity, the action of planetary power that produces certain forms in response to planetary influence. For example, Nakiel is the expression of the Sun Principle’s capacity to produce certain forms — “solar” plants (for instance, the sunflower), animals (for instance, the deer), and also gold as a mineral, and so on.

Finally, the Angel of the planet is the ideal aspect of that resistance which the internal nature of an object exerts to the impulses of planetary power. For example, Ol expresses the force of resistance that arises in an object in response to solar influences.

This circle of correspondences was founded on observations over many centuries (and perhaps millennia), which established a link between the angular positions of the planets on the celestial sphere and the predominance of particular planetary influences of a given “planetary” sphere in earthly life. For the Magus, it is very important to take these influences into account — including planetary colours, metals, incense, and so on — not only during special Rituals but also in “ordinary” life, since this brings him into harmony with the flow of forces in the cosmos and therefore increases the effectiveness of his work.