Planets in Ancient Astrology
Astrology is an esoteric practice with a vast number of philosophies and techniques. And while many people have heard of astrology, many do not know the long history of this practice. In this series of episodes, I'll be briefly explaining the history while providing a framework to better understand this practice.
Welcome to Exploring Esoterica, the podcast where I break down different esoteric practices and shed light on the history and truth behind them. Let's explore today's episode on astrology.
So I recently wrote a short blog post about why I revamped this podcast. At first, this was an outlet for me to just explore my interest in esoterica, and that's still the main point of this podcast, but I didn't have an outline or a roadmap for what I wanted to talk about and what exactly I wanted to study. It wasn't until I did my episode on Western Esotericism, which is episode 13, that I got a much better idea. I've also changed the name to Exploring Esoterica to give it a more straightforward direction for anyone stumbling upon this podcast, and I feel it just fits better. Plus, I do like the cover design. So things would just feel a bit more cohesive and coherent.
But on to today's topic. I feel like I've probably said this before, but I have been studying astrology for a few years now. Like most people, I had always known my sun sign, but that was about it. And when I would read horoscopes on astrology, they never seemed to resonate with my sun sign. Now, for those of you that understand astrology, you know that most of the horoscopes that you see don't take into account the rest of your chart. Your sun sign is only a small part of your chart, and hence why most of them don't seem to resonate with your sun sign. So I'd always been interested in learning more about astrology, but it wasn't until I read the book Hellenistic Astrology by Chris Brennan, that I basically had an epiphany and started to dive into more books and podcasts and videos on the topic. So that's why in these next couple of episodes, I'm going to share that knowledge and provide sources where you can learn more if you so please.
Now, like the rest of my episodes, I'm going to break down this one into three parts. Part one, we'll go over some preliminary principles as well as a brief history. Part two, I'll introduce the overall framework and then dive into the most important concepts, which are the planets. And part three, I'll relate all of this information to modern society and explain why any of this matters.
[02:34] Part 1: A Brief History
So let's go ahead to part one and start with some basic principles. I covered the idea of fate versus fortune in episode 12 on Hellenistic astrology, which was my first episode in this astrology series, technically. And while those principles of determinism and causation are important, I think we need to discuss a bit of the history of astrology, because I personally didn't realize just how far back this practice and its techniques went.
I read the book titled A History of Western Astrology by Nicholas Campion, and he filled in a lot of the blanks that I had ever since I started studying astrology many years ago on my own. Now I'm referencing the first volume in his series, which looks over the ancient world, and that's my primary source for this section. And he breaks down that book loosely in time. But mostly each chapter focuses on certain cultures that had a impact on the development of this practice. And I'll include a list of my resources in the show notes if you wanna check them out for yourself. But let's go through this rough timeline of astrology and its development in the ancient world.
[03:42] Prehistory
So first we start with prehistory and with any study of humanity before written records, we have to use educated guesses and piece together the information of archeological evidence that we do have. We know that early human beings use the moon and the sun to track not only the time, but also the months as well. There have been animal bones found with 28 notches, leading us to speculate that it represents the 28 day lunar cycle. And when we get to the Megalithic Period, which was the last Ice Age, which was about 11,500 years ago, we see stone structures being built.
Stonehenge in England, which is probably one of the most famous neolithic structures of the Stone Age, is said to have been built in stages. And the first one around 3000 BCE. Nabta Playa, which is another stone circle in the Nubian desert in modern day Egypt, is said to have been constructed about 1000 years before Stonehenge. There are other stone structures in England, which again, I didn't know until I read Campion's book and started doing a bit of outside research.
What is interesting though is that these structures correspond with the summer or spring solstice. Not only were these structures used to track the movement of the sun and the sky, but it was also used to mark rituals that would take place around those times. I believe it was the druid or Celtic cultures that there would be pilgrimages between these stone structures in England, Stonehenge just being one of the stops.
So we can see early evidence of humans making the movement of the celestial bodies across the sky, not only for timekeeping, but also as part of their spiritual rituals. In fact, on page five of Campion's book, he writes, "human beings cannot function without meaning. And this is actually the primary level of which social cohesion is created".
Basically what he's saying is that when we look at prehistoric civilizations, we cannot dismiss the notion that humans are, as he calls them, myth tellers. And that sharing stories and meanings and objects and our environment like the sky and the patterns of the celestial bodies, is something that is fundamentally human. It's not that religion and these stories are for the weak-minded, as some critical thinkers would argue, but it's again, a part of social cohesion because these stories are how we relate to one another. In fact, books and movies will never go away because it is so important to our society. These stories, especially the popular ones, are part of that modern social cohesion. Many people will talk about the latest movie. Many people will be interested in what is going on in pop culture and the stories around it. So this is just part of it.
[06:28] Mesopotamia
Now, around 2000 BCE, we start the Bronze Age, which is when humans started to develop bronze and the use of stone, and therefore the related Neolithic cultures begin to decline. Now in other areas of the world where stone wasn't so abundant, we get written records and therefore we start to see more evidence of these rituals around the celestial bodies and how they tracked across the sky. The Mesopotamian culture, which would be the Middle East, Western Asia part of the world, is where we mark the beginning of astrology, at least in written history. It is said that this area is also where writing was first developed around 3200 BCE, and most of the techniques and framework of as astrology is derived from this culture. This area was very diverse and it included the societies of the Babylonians, the Sumerians, Akkadians, along with others, and Mesopotamian is an umbrella term to include those societies in this area at that time.
Now, a thing to note in the Mesopotamian culture is that they saw the stars and these celestial bodies as omens to their gods. Therefore, their monarchs had to perform certain rituals in accordance with the planetary alignments that lined up with these omens. Astrology was used as a tool in the government, and so astrologers were seen as very important figures within the political structure of those societies. Kind of like king's advisors, and this will come very important as we continue to go through the timeline. But many of their writings included the timing of eclipses, the meanings of the planets, and these have carried on into the modern version of astrology as well.
[08:10] Egyptian
Now, at the same time, while the Mesopotamians saw the stars as omens for their gods and the events to come, the ancient Egyptians saw the stars as a final resting place for their dead. They had an astral religion just like many of the other ancient cultures did, but they didn't include omens based on the planetary alignments. They still timed their rituals with the sky and saw the sun as a supreme deity. In fact, one Pharaoh Akhenaten renamed himself after their sun god, Amun. Again, the Mesopotamians saw their monarchs tasked with assisting the gods in their messages, whereas the Egyptians, at least from my understanding, saw their monarchs as a physical embodiment of their gods.
Now, from the Egyptians came other elements that developed into Western astrology, particularly the 12 houses or places, which we learn about in later episodes. In fact, our current clocks were derived from the ancient Egyptians dividing the sky into certain segments. And this is why we have two sets of 12 hour days or 24 hours in a day. And to go further, the Mesopotamians had a counting system based on 60 increments, which is why our seconds and our minutes within an hour is broken into 60. So as you can see, even in our current time outside of astrology, we still have elements that are derived from both Mesopotamian and Egyptian cultures.
[09:38] Hebrew
Now we shift to another culture, which is the Hebrew culture, which to be transparent, I didn't really know too much about ancient Hebrew. But this area is modern day Israel and Palestine. But I did learn a lot from Campion's book and a little bit of outside research.
So within the Old Testament of the Bible, you see this struggle between monotheism and a belief in the deity Yahweh, and polytheism, which is a dominant belief system of many ancient cultures at that time. There was a struggle for dominance over which type of religion would be the national belief system. And it had a huge impact, not only of the society at the time in that area, but also the acceptance of astrology within that culture.
And it seemed to shift from the acceptance of astrology, which was influenced from the surrounding cultures around the Hebrew people. And so it seemed to shift from accepting that influence and the practice of astrology, to aligning to a single deity to the sun, much like the Egyptians did, to outright denouncing the worship of the stars under idolatry, which is a sin in Christianity.
Now this area and the ancient Hebrew people were constantly being taken over and at war with the ancient Mesopotamians and Egyptians. So it makes sense for them to denounce these outside influences from a culture that was causing them much strife. But this is a theme that we'll see again when we get to the Roman Empire thousands of years later. This push for the national spirituality and this monotheism versus polytheism, which is aligned with the divinatory practices of astrology.
[11:19] Greece
But next in Campion's book, we get to ancient Greece. Now, I thought it was just a Hellenistic Period that the Greek culture had this refinement of the other influences of the surrounding cultures, but ancient Greece seemed to be that way as well. It took a lot of influences from the Mesopotamians and Egyptians at the time. And it would make sense. No culture is formed within a vacuum. But this classical age of Greece is where we see a lot of the philosophical questions of astrology being raised. How valid is astrology and the determinism within it? Are we beholden to whatever horoscope that is cast for us, or can we change our fate? These same questions were further explored in the Hellenistic period, much like what I explored in my episode on the Hellenistic period.
But it's during this time that we're introduced to many of the great thinkers of this period that we still refer to today. Socrates, Plato, Aristotle. Their works were heavily used in the development of astrology and its techniques. Hippocrates developed the framework of the four main elements, which we'll get to. And even Pythagoras had an influence on how certain techniques and components are calculated and the philosophy around the planets.
Now much of astrology that was being developed was seen as a way to align the soul with a sense of morality and salvation. This is true for the other cultures that I just mentioned. Astrology was seen as a religious practice and can be used as a guide for living a moral and just life. You had Plato, for instance, challenge these belief through a more skeptical and theoretical lens, but even he refined the order of the planets that was laid up by the Mesopotamians to fit within a geocentric view.
Now, it's important to note that this discussion of morality and salvation and how it lines up with astrology was during a lot of war and political strife, especially during the reign of Alexander the Great, who was basically on a campaign for domination over much of the Mesopotamian world, all the way to India. So like in the Hebrew culture, the Greeks were discussing what was the right way to deal with these hardships. The Hebrew culture was fighting amongst themselves for this push for a monotheistic view. And the Greeks were discussing what was the correct way to go about these hardships to deal with the political strife that was going on. This push for thinking in a more skeptical and theoretical lens, which also affected astrology and its acceptance as well.
[13:50] Hellenistic Period
But all of this comes to a head when we get to the Hellenistic period, which is from the time of the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BCE, to the death of Cleopatra VII in 30 BCE. And this is when the Roman Empire takes over. As I said in my episode in Hellenistic astrology, this is a time where we see a lot of a development of astrology based on much of the techniques already in place from the previous cultures. It's important to note that astrology during this time wasn't a unified practice, but instead representing a vast array of different techniques and principals. In fact, some teachers at the time had techniques that conflicted with each other. Scholars and authors have been able to piece together similar threads of rationale for each of the techniques and significations.
And again, I went into more detail in the principles of philosophy in my last episode, but whereas the Mesopotamians and Egyptians contributed to the beginning threads of astrology, the Hellenistic period provided us with an almost comprehensive guide towards the framework of astrology. In fact, much of what I'll be talking about in this series is heavily derived from those taught during Hellenistic Greece, especially from the teachers Claudius Ptolemy and Vettius Valens. Both of these astrologers and authors wrote many books on the subject, which is why they are referred to as often when we talk about ancient astrology, especially during this time.
[15:17] Roman Empire & Christianity
But unfortunately, by the time the Roman Republic took over and became the Roman Empire, we started to see the decline in astrology. At first, astrology was only accepted on the basis of its use in political power, but then slowly began to be outlawed and shunned. By the time Christianity became the national religion, we saw astrologers not only being exiled but killed. In fact, much of the esoteric practices that I'll be discussing in this podcast, they seem to have the decline when Christianity became the national religion of the Roman Empire.
It made me kind of reflect on my understanding of Christianity and the history that I have seen so far and there seems to be this push of spreading the faith to as many people as possible, but also teaching that a belief in other gods and polytheism is wrong, which is why you have a lot of missionaries and evangelists converting non-Christian cultures and then deeming those native practices as demon. It kind of made me think of that.
Now the Roman Empire split in 395 CE. The western part of the empire fell apart in 476 while the eastern part, which was called the Byzantine Empire, remained until it finally fell in 1453. Now, after the split in 395, astrology continued to flourish in the Byzantine Empire where it was continued to be developed and enhanced and later would be transmitted to Eastern Asia, particularly India and China. This is why you have Chinese astrology as well as Vedic and Hindu astrology, and supposedly there is a similarity between the Eastern version of astrology and Western. However, there is still a lot that is different. In fact, in my previous episodes, I have talked about sidereal versus tropical astrology. And tropical is what we refer to in Western astrology. But part of this reason is because both versions of astrology were developed in two different times, in two different parts of the world.
[17:15] Modern Times
But as we speed up to centuries later, we see the development of modern astrology, which is what most people easily recognize today, thanks to technology and the spread of these esoteric practices. However, the development of modern astrology was only loosely based on traditional techniques and principles, which is why it can not only look different, but it also doesn't seem to fit neatly within the framework of ancient astrology. Ancient astrology has a lot of rules and techniques and a whole framework that could fit into. Modern astrology at times, to me, seems very vague , and there's not a lot of consensus, especially when you look at the modern planets and the rationale behind what they mean. Now I do plan on reading Campion's second book within this volume, which does look at the history of astrology from the medieval period into the modern time, and it'll be fun to see a scholarly take on this transition.
But another reason why modern astrology, at least from my understanding, seem to developed outside of the understanding of ancient astrology is because it wasn't until the beginning of the 20th Century when these ancient texts started to be translated and discovered, and then we started to understand the principles and take them into consideration. Admittedly, I had no idea of this ancient type of astrology until I worked on my Hellenistic Astrology episode, and this is why I think it's very important to not only learn the techniques if you want to understand them, but also learn the history, which doesn't get talked as much in my opinion, especially on social media, where you just see things regurgitated from one account to the next, again, without this understanding of these techniques or the rationale. But without further ado, let's move on to the first part of this framework, which are the planets and which is what I'll be talking about mostly in this episode.
Now if you would like to follow along with me during this journey and get a deeper understanding and look at my process and what I'm studying, you can be sure to sign up for my email newsletter. Just go to merwin mccrady.com and click on the button, Learn More. You can also click the link in my show notes to easily sign up there as well. But let's go on to part two.
[19:31] Part 2: The Planets
Now the planets are the most important part of astrology. Their placements determine the reading and meaning within a chart. And there are several branches of astrology such as medical and electional, but what I'll be using is natal astrology. It's the most popular. It is the one everyone is familiar with or most people are familiar with. And the idea is that your natal chart, which is a chart of the planetary alignments at the moment of your birth, are the influence that will affect you throughout the duration of your life in one way or another.
Now when we are discussing the planets, we'll only be talking about the five visible planets that you can see without the aid of a telescope. These are the five that the ancient people could see. When you look at the night sky, all the stars seem to be in one place, but over time, the ancient people will begin to see that five of these stars seem to wander across the sky, hence the term planet, which means wanderer in Greece. Also for ease of this discussion, I'll be considering the sun and moon calling them planets as well. This is what most astrologers do anyway. So sometimes these refer to luminaries, but there is a distinction with the sun, moon, and the rest of the actual planets that we'll be talking about, but just don't get confused.
[20:57] Elements
So first off, let's start with the very basic element. It was believed that the universe was comprised of four basic elements, which are air, fire, water, and earth. These elements were a mixture of four qualities that exist in all matter. Cold, wet, dry, and hot. Hot and cold were the primary qualities were as dry and wet were secondary qualities of matter, and they referred to behaviors and movements of this matter throughout the universe, as well as its effects on surrounding objects.
So fire is hot and dry. You need something dry to turn hot in order to burn. It's expansive in radiance, which is a hot quality while dry references something that cannot be easily manipulated. Think of wildfires, which is fire imposing itself and is hard to contain. Air is hot and wet. Water turns to gas and becomes humid like hot steam. It's changeable, adaptable, but still active and dynamic like expansive gas. Earth is dry and cold, like Cold Mountains. It's inner, solid and hard. And lastly, you have water, which is cold and wet, like cool rain. It's dense, like heavy raindrops, yet extremely malleable. You know, you think of water taking up the shape of any container. Now all of these four elements are mixed together to come up with meanings of the planets, but as well as the zodiac. And therefore combined create meanings within a chart.
[22:34] Chaldean Order
The second one is something called the Chaldean order of these planets or the celestial sphere order. I'll use them interchangeably. It was believed that each planet was seen as inhabiting a certain zone or sphere of influence around the earth. Now, all of astrology as we practice here in the west at least, is based on a geocentric view of the solar system. In other words, the earth is the center of the solar system and everything around it seems to orbit around the earth. Again, these celestial spheres of influence around the earth. We know that's not true. We understand that the heliocentric model is how our solar system is actually set up. Everything revolves around the sun. But astrology is based on this idea of how everything is affecting Earth from a earthly standpoint of view. Also the term Chaldean refers to people from the Babylonian and Mesopotamian area, but it also refers to astrologers who were well versed in Babylonian literature and practices. So that's where that term comes from.
But in order of this Chaldean order we'll start off with the moon, which is seen as a closest planet to earth. The elements is water, since it's mostly associated with the night sky. The cold and wet qualities are associated with being dark and subdued. So think a quiet night. And due to the phases of the moon, there is a transition from light to dark, so Full Moon to New Moon, and therefore the qualities change from water to fire and back again. Light, as we'll see with the sun, is associated with fire and being more dynamic and active. In fact, in popular culture, we already associate full moons with chaotic or heightened activity, danger, again chaos, even to mythological creatures like werewolves and vampires and all of that, that become more active or chaotic during a full moon. There is a similar interpretation of full moons in astrology. There's this certain of heightened activity. Now, another reason why the moon is the closest planet is because it's also the fastest. Planetary speeds and orbits factor into the designation within this framework. So the moon takes 28 days to complete an orbit, hence the phases of the moon that it goes through in a month, and it being seen as the closest planet.
Now the sun is the other luminary and has a special consideration in astrology. It's actually a little further away in Chaldean order, but the moon and the sun mark the separations of zones. So the next few planets I wanna talk about that is between the moon and the sun in order are called inferior planets. And they are seen as more dynamic and transitory and their meanings are a little bit short-lived because again, , their planetary speeds and orbits. The planets that are further away from the sun in order are a little bit slower, and therefore their effects are seen as being more drawn out.
So we just did the moon. The next one you have is Mercury, which takes about a year to complete an orbit. But the special thing about Mercury is that it's considered ambiguous. Many of the classifications and conditions that we use with the other planets are only seen as circumstantial with Mercury. Again, that sense of him being ambiguous within the framework. Since he's so close to the moon, there's an argument for the quality of being cold like the moon. Remember, the moon is cold and wet like water. But for our purposes of this discussion and future episodes, I'm going to classify Mercury as the earth element, which is cold and dry.
So the next planet, further out past Mercury is Venus, and we associate this planet with the air element, which is wet and hot, like humid air. Now these two qualities are because of the proximity to the moon in this order, but also the proximity to the sun, which is the next planet in this order. So this planet also takes a year to orbit, which brings us to the most important celestial body.
Finally, we get to the sun. So there's the moon, Mercury, Venus, and then the sun. The sun is the most important planetary body within astrology. The sun is hot and dry like fire due to its heat. The sun takes about a year in the sky to orbit, and its place within Chaldean order is another demarcation of the planets.
So now we get to the superior planets, which are the last three as well, of these five visibles that I'm talking about. The next is Mars, which is considered hot and dry due to its proximity to the sun. However, it is also a reddish color in the sky. Again, that fire element. This planet takes about two years to complete an orbit, which is another reason it's considered a superior planet.
Jupiter is between Mars and Saturn. Mars is considered excessively hot while Saturn, the next planet is considered excessively cold. So like Venus, this planet is also associated with the air element, which is again, hot and wet. Jupiter takes about 12 years to complete an orbit.
And last but not least, we have Saturn, which is cold and dry due to being the most distant planet, which again is that earth element. It's seen as dark brown in the sky and takes about 29 years to complete an orbit. So again, in order we have the Moon, Mercury, Venus, the Sun, and then Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn. But if we group each of these seven classical planets by element, we get the moon for water, air is Venus and Jupiter, fire is sun and Mars, and the earth element is Mercury and Saturn.
[28:17] Benefic-Malefic
So again, we have each element the planet is associated with. Then we have the Chaldean order, celestial sphere order. The third distinction we need to remember is this spectrum of a planet being benefic or malefic. I am sure I mentioned this in my Hellenistic astrology episode, but I'll go into a little bit more in depth here. In ancient astrology, there are certain planets that are seen as mostly beneficial in an astrological chart, and others are seen as malicious or dangerous. It is best to think of them in the context of agricultural rather than human judgment and morality. Most concepts within astrology are best understood through a agricultural lens and if it's sustainable to plant growth or not. I know that is a slight deviation from how we understand the psychological components of modern astrology. But benefic planets are seen as bringing benefits and being naturally constructive, while malefic planets represent effort, deprivation, restriction, and are seen as being naturally destructive. These are functional expressions, again, not really moralistic or human judgment.
Jupiter and Venus are the air element, again, that humid quality, humid climate. Think of a lush jungle. Plants need water in a warm environment, and thus, these two planets being benefic are seen as being favorable to life, growth, and prosperity. Saturn and Mars, on the other hand, are considered malefic due to them not only being dry, like a dry desert, devoid a plant life, but excessive. Saturn is excessively cold. Mars is excessively hot. Think of a frost that freezes planets, cold Saturn, or a drought brought on by too much heat and not enough water, hot Mars. These two planets are contrary to life and represent destruction and decline.
The sun, moon, and Mercury are not considered in this classification. The sun and the moon are luminaries that are treated completely different in astrology. And then again, remember, Mercury is very ambiguous. There's certain conditions that will designate Mercury as being benefic or malefic, but that's way too advanced for this discussion.
Now, one book that is part of my main reference is called On the Heavenly Spheres by authors Helena Avelar and Luis Ribeiro. Apologies if I mispronounce their names . In that book, I came to understand that benefic and malefic is a spectrum. Benefic planets can have a malefic expression in a certain context. Just like malefic planets can be beneficial. It is a little bit more advanced and intermediate, but I'm gonna talk about it anyway. Think of like the destruction of a disease can be beneficial when interpreted through a malefic planet, such as too much heat and humidity can lead to fungus and rotting, which is an unfavorable expression for a benefic planet. It's all about context, which a lot of astrology is all about context, and taking all those concepts together and creating a meaning.
Now this will be best understood when we take again, the other components of astrology, like the zodiac and the houses into consideration, but keep that in mind. Jupiter and Venus are benefic mostly, and Mars and Saturn are mostly malefic.
[31:45] Significations
And finally, with all of that said, we get to these significations, or the meanings, I'll probably say meaning or representation 'cause it's easier for me to say. Or basically, what does each planet mean as like on a basic level, within this idea of ancient astrology. If you're well-versed in modern astrology, you're gonna see some similarities, but also some differences. Most of these representations are in relation to external circumstances more so than the psychological ones that you do see in modern astrology. This aids in part of the discussion of determinism and fate, which again is at the heart of discourse when it comes to astrology.
The planets in a traditional sense, indicate themes that you'll encounter in your life or be motivated by, depending on how strongly they are represented in your natal chart. I'm going to present them again in this Chaldean order we just talked about with a possible rationale if I can. Most of these I got from the book, Hellenistic Astrology by Chris Brennan, which he got them, or at least he listed them mostly from the astrologer Vettius Valens, who was a Hellenistic astrologer.
So we start with the moon. Again, the second most important planet right after the sun. Its cold and wet nature represents water that we need for life. And it further represents organic life and matter. Now due to the orbits and the phases of the moon, there's the cycle of birth, growth, and decay. The new moon represents birth, waxing phase represents growth, full moon is a completion of fullness, and the waning phase is decay or decline. The cycle further represents change in variability. In contrast to the sun, the moon signifies the feminine figure, such as mothers and queens, and most likely nurturing figures as well. The moon is seen as reflecting light. There's also a association with the public and the masses, and the average person. I quite didn't understand why, but my understanding or maybe philosophy, my own philosophy could be that many times other people will reflect certain parts back to you mostly through their actions and reactions. And they can either be positive or negative. So maybe that's why I'm not sure.
But next in order we have Mercury. Now due to the variable nature and how swift Mercury orbits, Mercury signifies all forms of communication such as transportation, travel, commerce, the intellect, as well as language, writing, and education. This is also why in today's context some astrologers associate it with technology, 'cause it is the main way communicate in the digital age.
Next we have Venus, and this is the brightest planet and star in the sky, adding to that benefic nature 'cause light is seen as active and positive while darkness is seen as dangerous. Now, couple that with a mild temperament. Again, humid air. Venus signifies growth and fertility, as well as beauty, grace, delicacy and softness. Venus signifies love, sexuality, sensuality, dating and marriage, along with friendship, fraternity, sympathy. Even the playful side of life, such as games, entertainment, indulgences, and pleasure, very similar to what Venus means in modern astrology as well.
And then we get to the sun. The most important planet, you need it to sustain life. It's element is a warm fire, which is illuminating and warm in contrast to Mars, which burns and destroys. Therefore, the sun signifies radiance, power, force, and enlightenment to reveal the truth, very symbolic of sunlight. It is also associated with dignity, nobility, and authoritative figures, such as the Father figure, contrast with the moon, which represents the mother and feminine figures. It also represents vital energy and the spirit.
And now we're to the superior planets past the sun. Next we have Mars, and it has the quickest orbit of the superior planets. Again, two years as compared to the next planet, Jupiter, which is 12. It's seen as reddish orange in the sky and this represents courage and action. Again, very associated with that fire element. You have war, combat, struggle, challenge. It's another reason why it's considered a malefic planet and therefore signifies violence, conflict, aggression, destruction. These qualities are very similar to the Greek god Aries, which Mars has an association with.
Next we have Jupiter Again, its orbit is 12 years, so it's much slower in time. And therefore represents time just like the planet Saturn, the next one. Whenever we see Saturn and Jupiter conjunct in the sky, it marks some kind of important change in society. Fun fact, the last time this alignment happened as from the date of my recording, was in December 2020, which was at the end of the pandemic. So very historic. Now, since this planet is between the two extreme planets, hot Mars and cold Saturn, Jupiter represents temperance and is seen as a mediator and legislator. Therefore, it represents moderation, justice, law, and religion. Now, despite Jupiter's distance from earth, it's a very bright planet in the sky, only less bright than Venus, and it adds even further signification of being the mediator and a benefic planet with harmony, kindness, abundance, growth, and balance.
And last but not least, we have Saturn, the slowest planet of the seven classical planets. And this planet represents time and maturity, but also death and decline. It's the furthest planet away, and it represents isolation, cold and harshness, hardness, limitation, but also responsibility and seriousness. He's the least brilliant planet in the sky and therefore signifies darkness and night and all that is sinister, obscure, and evil, and what we fear. Again, that idea of darkness, representing sinister and evil versus light, which represents positivity and benefic elements. This earth element being cold and dry is again malefic to life, and therefore Saturn is seen as representing conclusions, decline, and limitations. Now, I know that was a lot of information, so let's take a break right quick.
[38:36] Part 3: A Modern Perspective
Now I know that may have seen like a lot of information in this first series, but this information is the basis of the rest of the framework that further expands the significations of the planets within a astrological chart. Now with that said, the same philosophical debates that were part of the ancient Greece and Hellenistic period are the same ones we have today. The validity of astrology is constantly being challenged as it continues to be popular, especially on social media and in certain online spaces. And honestly, the questions that surround astrology and its acceptance are very similar to those being asked about the validity of spirituality and religion. There are many parts of a religion that seems abstract and deterministic. Just like with astrology, the general public isn't really keen on looking up the history of certain esoteric practices, but part of this is due to the information being hard to find. That's where that term esotericism comes from.
People are more keen to attack something that they don't understand or find hard to justify. I've been studying astrology for years, but it wasn't until last year that I finally found resources that use archeological evidence to explain the history instead of just some speculation or conjectures that I was finding online. Now in terms of astrology, I'm referring to old texts and manuals as well as other birth charts or horoscopes that have thankfully survived after thousands of years. But the main point of studying esotericism for me is studying a part of history that has been shunned due to political control and societal changes.
I have plenty more to talk about in this series on astrology as well as the rest of the four-part framework. This is only the first part, but that's gonna be it for now. Now, if you would like a closer look at my process and this journey, be sure to sign up for my monthly newsletter and also take a look at my blog posts that are on my website.
Now, with all that said, stay tuned for the second part of this framework where I'll dive into a discussion of the Zodiac within astrology.
Thank you for listening to this episode. If you would like to learn more, be sure to check out my website where you'll find transcripts to this episode, as well as older ones and additional blog posts. For those of you watching on YouTube, be sure to subscribe and leave me a comment. Thank you so much, and I'll see you in the next one.
