One of the books I’m reading lately is King, Warrior, Magician, Lover by Robert Moore and Doug Gillette. It’s a fascinating book that explores the archetypes of the mature and sacred masculine. This is currently part of the spiritual work that I’m engaged in as I explore my own relationship with masculinity and heal the ancestoral and contemporary wounds that I’m becoming aware of as it relates to how masculinity is treated and perceived in modern times.
One of the aspects I’m exploring in particular is related to sacred kingship and the land. I am in the process of exploring the new city and surrounding areas that I live in. While I’ve lived here for a year, I didn’t have much opportunity until recently to really begin exploring the area and developing a relationship with the land. I find it fitting and useful that part of the process has also involved cultivating a relationship with the land, particularly on the basis of the relationship has with their home and how that relationship plays out in sacromagical work one does in connecting with the land.
Have you ever wondered what the benefits of working with a given astrological system could be for your magical work? Or have you wanted to do more work with celestial magic but asked how you could do it?
In this episode I share some of my own experiences with Celestial magic, including how I work with astrological currents, as well as the magic of the planets and stars.
Photo by Tara Winstead: https://www.pexels.com/photo/saturn-spelled-out-in-scrabble-tiles-7666410/
Saturn recently went retrograde and will be retrograde through November. When a planet goes retrograde it essentially seems to be moving backwards. From an astrological perspective, a planet going retrograde is an opportunity to work with the particular influence of that planet in a different way. For example, when Mercury goes retrograde, it provides an opportunity to work with your communication and recognize where your communication skills need work. In the case of Saturn retrograde, the opportunity is around examining what you have built in your life with your career, home, relationships and the boundaries you have around each of these areas of your life.
I’ve entered into this Saturn Retrograde with a sense of quiet awareness as I’ve turned inward to examine my current life circumstances. I am getting ready to make some major transitions in the next couple of months and I’m doing a lot of existential kink work around the patterns I’ve observed in my life. While Saturn is known for boundaries, Saturn is also about separating the chaff from the wheat and in the process culling out what isn’t working. One specific example I’ll use is around my career/work and what it means to be of service.
In the last 6 or so years I have worked at jobs I haven’t found to be very fulfilling. They have allowed me to pay the bills, but what they have also emphasized is how much I settle for doing work I don’t like doing because it feels like that’s the work I can find. As a magician, this doesn’t strike me as a very magical attitude…instead it is egoic, wrapped up in a sense of fatalism around the work I am doing. I have been doing a lot of work in the last couple of years to challenge this perspective, and most recently the EK work has helped me see how an unconscious part of myself has continually gotten off on being unhappy because of how it has validated deeper wounds. As I’ve examined those wounds and done the healing work on them, I’m finding that the power of this pattern is falling away.
Saturn retrograde, as a period of reflection is allowing me to continue this process of transformation. I am embracing an opportunity to let go of the fears and insecurities which have acted as boundaries and limitations that have held me back from stepping into my truest self. I am recognizing that these fears and insecurities have held me back because I’ve clung to them as a form of justification for my circumstances. I no longer can hold onto them because they don’t serve me in any way that is useful.
I am using Saturn retrograde to help me dismantle the boundaries and limits I have raised in my life from a place of fear and a drive for safety. I am realizing that clinging to illusory safety hurts me and the people in my life because it keeps me small and holds me back from living and speaking my truth. I have done it in certain areas of my life and the cost is significant. It also hasn’t kept me safe. Saturn retrograde, as an astrological current gives me a chance to take a specific momentum to this work and use it to propel me toward the deeper changes that need to happen if I’m going to live my authentic life.
How is Saturn retrograde showing up in your life?
I’m reading Retrograde Planets by Erin Sullivan (affiliate link) and she makes a very intriguing point about the nature of the sun as it relates to astrology. She claims that the sun is ultimately a reflection of the other planets that mediates those energies in our lives, through the sun sign. I found this commentary relevant because of ongoing magical work I’m doing that involves creating a specific space where you phase out sublunar energies, because of how they interfere with magical work. I also found it relevant for another reason, because when you are working with specific materials you don’t want direct sunlight to tamper with the energies. The commentary filled in a gap for me around the work I’m doing.
If we consider that the solar energy is essentially a mediation of other planetary energies as they show up in your life, then there exists the possibility that we can change our relationships with a given planetary energy by changing how the solar energy mediates that planetary energy. For example my Saturn is in Leo. My sun is in Libra and mediates that Saturn energy around relationships and my ability to love myself versus seeking love with other people. The result is that I’ve necessarily had to do a lot of self love work around myself because of the Saturnian influence as mediated by Libra, but in doing that work, one of the aspects I’ve explored is how to change my relationship with Saturn. This necessarily has involved changing how I approach setting boundaries and healthy relationships in my life, but it also of late involving working on self-responsibility and applying a Saturnian approach to relationships that redefines them in favor of healthy self-awareness and taking responsibility in a way that empowers me, instead of punishing myself.
This new perspective also has helped me see how retrogrades can actually be powerful and positive experiences that open us to awareness around the areas of our lives where change is needed and opportunities are available. For example, when Mercury goes into retrograde, the opportunity is revealed around the area of communication and what you take for granted about communication that could be worked on. Or apply this to Venus or Jupiter, with whatever meanings are associated with those energies. What could you discover about yourself in a retrograde period that could be worked on and developed in a meaningful way?
The application to inner alchemical work is clear when you apply this lens to planetary magic, but you can also apply it practically to your life. For example in the case of relationships, you can engage in magical work that’s designed to help you improve your communication and relationships skills. This ay mean you work with mercury to call up situations where you can practice your communication skills or that you approach a specific situation with an aim of enhancing your communication using mercurial magic…and at the same time you’ll factor in the solar influence and how that shapes your approach to communication. In my case, the solar influence is Libra/Scorpio cusp so I have to consider how that communication might be really intense and also a balancing of different perspectives, in a way that might work against me. The solar mediation of mercurial energy is an essential aspect to consider in terms of how I might apply magic to communication.
Taking this perspective on around planetary magic has shifted my overall approach with a consideration of how to factor in the planetary influences on the sun, as well as how the sun also plays a role in the other planets. It is a two way street and meditation on this idea can be helpful, especially as you develop planetary magic workings further, or apply them holistically to other endeavors. I’m applying this awareness to my daily work as well, in consideration of how to best direct the given planetary influences and also be more aware of them in terms of how they show up in my personality so that I can apply them in a way that is helpful to my efforts.
A nuanced approach to planetary magic factors in the way the planets influence each other, instead of treating them as siloed entities. Ideally you’ll get the various influences to play off each other, but even if you don’t learning how to plan for them can help you get better results with your planetary magic. Applying this understand may provide an additional key that opens doors for you with the respective planetary forces you are working with.
Picture copyright Taylor Ellwood 2023
One of the ongoing magical experiments I am exploring involves integrating astrological currents into my magical work so I can optimally draw on those experiences to help me with my magical processes and work. Recently there was a new moon and Saturn was going retrograde. It seemed like the perfect time to do a magical working to capture the essence of the experience and apply it to my life.
For the working itself, I created a painting, where I painted the Astrological symbol for Saturn, the moon, and then painted the sign for Leo. I picked Leo because Leo is where my Saturn sign shows up in my natal chart and because Saturn in Leo represents the need to work on self love, specifically applying it to your life.
You can apply a similar approach to your own life, by taking the time to learn about the astrological currents that are currently happening and may apply to you. Working with an astrologer can be helpful for getting this information, but applying it magically is ultimately up to you.
One of the themes of my inner work this year has been around Saturn, in terms of sacred masculinity, but also in terms of space/time magic. I've lately been reading the book Saturn in Transit by Erin Sullivan which explores the astrological influence of Saturn on the transits. One of the more intriguing points she makes is the following:
"The need to castrate our old oppressor in order to install a new order, then swallow out creative issue so as to preserve the status quo, is quite normal in the various stages of development. When we recognize that this is a process, and one, moreso, which repeats itself, we are freed to re-enact this scenario over and over again without reserve. Saturn is the planet that establishes our rites of passage from the one status quo to another and, as that functionary, should be regarded with respect and not with fear and dread. Furthermore, once we recognize that the revolution is originating from within, we are then more capable of conspiring and cooperating with the timing of the events precipitated by the transit."
What I've observed in my own work with Saturn is that there are cyclical aspects of the work that need to recognized in order to get the most out of the work. Once I recognized these cycles and started employing them, I was able to get a lout of the work that I had previously missed out on. So what are the cycles?
The cycle of Fear - Saturn connects us with our fears, because the fears we feel often play a role in the limitations and boundaries we experience. However the real depth of Saturn with fear is that Saturn shows us how we sabotage ourselves with our fears. The mythos of Saturn demonstrates this because of how Saturn sabotages himself with his fear off being overthrown. We can either allow our fears to control us and sabotage our possibilities or we can learn to be present with those fears and discover how to work with them in an intentional way that allows us to liberate ourselves and achieve our potential. Saturn challenges us to do the latter by causing us to experience the former.
I explore the significance of planetary hours in magic and share an experiment I’m currently engaged in and what some of my thoughts are on the experiment and how its allowing me to explore my process of magic from a different perspective.
Recently I created a magical painting dedicated to Saturn. when I created it I worked with the wet and dry alchemical essences of lead. It was a powerful magical working, but what happened as a result of that working was even more intriguing and powerful in its own right. I was given the opportunity to take a peek behind the curtains and I got a very different perspective of the interweaving of reality and possibility.
When many people think of Saturn as a planetary energy to work with they think of it in terms of limitations and specifically how obstacles, boundaries, and limitations can get in the way of a person’s journey to achieving specific results. Or perhaps they consider the artful application of limitations and how those limitations can actually be used to create a refined and focused magical work that gets specific results. Certainly these aspects of Saturnic work are true and the planetary energy of Saturn can be worked with in that way.
I recently acquired two planetary pentacles, The Second Pentacle of Jupiter and The Second Pentacle of Mercury from Alison Chicosky, of Practical Occult. I acquired because I was curious about how I could apply them to my own ongoing with planetary magic, as well as for other purposes and so far I’ve been very pleased with the pentacles. I want to share here how I’ve applied them to my magical work, but I also recommend and vouch for Alison’s work.
When I first got these pentacles, I spent a few days just working with them. I kept them on my person during the day and put them under my pillow at night. I had vivid dreams the first couple nights, where the spirits of the pentacles came and instructed me in the basics of how to activate and work with them. During the day I’d touch them and soak in the experience, not just of the metal, but also of the planetary powers the pentacles represent.
I finished the last of the drawings. The one pictured above is Neptune's. Once I finished the drawings I did consecrations on each of them which involved asking them how I could work with them as well as asking for them to imbue the drawings with the requisite planetary energies.
Since doing that I've employed particular planets for particular tasks. For example, I've utilized Saturn to help me end a business relationship (so far so good). The other day I worked with Mars, asking to be kept on track while working on projects and found myself very focused, with very few distractions. On Friday I worked with Venus and Jupiter in terms of setting up the energy of the day to enjoy love and wealth respectively. I worked with Uranus to promote creativity.
In each case I noticed that after picking a theme or themes for the day via the planets that the energy of the day shifted to fit the planetary energy being worked with. It's something I'll continue to work with, but I'm rather pleased with how this experiment has worked out so far.
Book Review Financial Sorcery by Jason Miller
This is a practical guide to wealth magic, and just as importantly mundane measures a person can take to grow and sustain his/her monetary wealth. What I like best is how Jason Miller mixes magic with practical advice and shows why mundane measures must be employed along with magical efforts to succeed in wealth magic. He presents a variety of ideas on topics ranging from money management and investments to finding a job and getting a promotion to running your own business. I also like that he includes suggested reading with other books you can read to improve your financial knowledge. This is definitely a book you want to read if you are looking to employ wealth magic in your life.
The drawing you see in this post is for Jupiter. You can see all the drawings I've done thus far on my Facebook page. At the time of this writing I still have a few more drawings to complete. I chose to use colored pencils as opposed to water color paints, just to try a different medium out, instead of the same old, same old. In each case, what I chose to do was first look at the sigil I'd been given and use it to invoke the planetary energy into me. Then I started drawing letting the planetary energy guide my hands in the drawing. As you'll likely note the drawings aren't overly complex, nor are they meant to be. They are meant to act as gateways for the planetary energy, and represent the movement of that energy as I worked with it.
My next step is to place each gateway at appropriate places in my house, to capitalize on and direct the planetary energy toward specific areas of life that the drawings would be related to.
A while back I'd written about my work to connect with Jupiter and its planetary energy. Since that working I've done similar connection workings with the other planets, including Neptune, Uranus, and Pluto. I didn't stick with the "classical" model of planets because its outdated and inaccurate, but it also meant I had to do some research to find the correspondences for the other planets.
At this point I've gotten symbols for each of the planets from the archangels. My encounters with the various archangels was interesting because of how focused they were on their own functions as it related to the planets, so they didn't provide much information, instead encouraging me to make my connection with the planets via the symbols.
I debated a bit on my next step, but I decided to settle on creating individual paintings for each symbol. I'll use the paintings as gateways that use the symbols to open up or shut down access to the planetary energies. The act of painting the symbols will be a good exercise for connecting with the planetary energies and learning more about them and how I can work with them. But I'm also going to experiment with specific placements of the paintings in specific rooms of the house, with the idea being to enhance specific characteristics of those rooms with planetary energy. I'll post more information once I've proceeded to the next step.
I've never worked with planetary magic. I got wrapped up into elemental hermeticism and didn't really explore the planets. But I'm taking the Strategic Sorcery course and one of the homework assignments involved possibly working with planetary magic so I thought I'd stretch myself. Jason thoughtfully provided symbols he'd gotten in his own work, but I decided it was better if I went straight to the source, and the other day in How to Meet and Work with Spirit Guides by Ted Andrews, I found pertinent information on contacting the archangel associated with each planet. I decided to work with one planet: Jupiter, which is associated with wealth magic. The archangel associated with Jupiter is Tzadkiel.
The first step was to contact Tzadkiel. I meditated on the astrological symbol of Jupiter and Tzadkiel's sigil, as well as vocalizing Tzadkiel's name. It took a little while to make contact, but eventually I did. I asked him, if I could get a symbol for Jupiter that represented the planetary energy and associations with wealth and other areas. He was happy to provide it to me, but then we got into a discussion about the associations. I asked him about the association of wealth with Jupiter and what made Jupiter as a planet have anything to do with wealth. He replied it was less about the planet and more about how people perceived the planet (and associated God) with wealth. That what made it powerful had more to do with the perceptions that people invested in the planet. What I'm really tapping into are those perceptions of the power, the perceptions about the associations and how those associations can be worked with.
Since then I've taken the symbol and put it on my whiteboard and each time I've done anything associated with my business or a financial transaction, I've mentally imprinted the symbol on the business or financial transaction, with the idea of drawing on those associations to provide a favorable outcome for me. I plan on doing work with the other planets (and their archangels )and also with Tzadkiel, but it is an interesting thought, to look at the planetary energy in terms of the perceptions invested into it.
I'm starting to learn about planetary magic. I've done some work with the planets years ago, but not enough to feel really informed about it. One of my magical brothers who has some background on planetary magic told me about some of his work and instructed me a bit about some of the correspondences. So I decided to take that learning and start applying it by spending some time with each planet. I'm going with the traditional seven for now, but could easily expand it further. A couple nights ago I spent some time with a friend and helped her create a servitor to find a roommate. When we started the process, she first constructed a magical circle/sphere and called the quarters and also above, below, and center, as well as the spirit of the house. I was really impressed by the spirit of the house and how clearly it came through. It has inspired me to continue working with the spirit of my magical room, but also to consider what I will do, when I eventually buy a home, to tune into the entity of the home. What also stood out to me is how different individual styles of magic can be. I never cast a circle when I do magical work (except when working with the Dehara). My reason for not casting a circle is that I have already constructed a very specific space for magical work and part of that space is my body. When I go to perform magic, my body is the circle. However, I definitely could feel the intention and energy that my friend put into her circle and I recognized again, how different methods of practicing magic are valid. Just because I don't do something, doesn't make it less valid or efficacious...and perhaps by occasionally doing what she did, I can also keep myself flexible in my approach to magical work.
Review of the Analects by Confucius
I found this to be a fascinating book because it presents a perspective on social morality and the obligations constructed around having a family and a duty to the society you live in. I'm not sure if the translation is as accurate as it could be and there were times where the subtlety of the subject matter escaped me, likely because I'm not from china nor do I really have an accurate understanding of the culture in Confucius's time, let alone present time. Still, I found this book fascinating because it presents a different perspective on social responsibility and morality toward the people we interact with. I highly recommend reading it as an opportunity to expand your horizons both culturally and for social responsibility.
4 out of 5