Practical Planetary Magick : Working the Magick of the Classical Planets in the Western Mystery Tradition

by Sorita d'Este, David Rankine

The influence of the Seven Wandering Stars or Deathless Powers - the Sun, the Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter & Saturn - has shaped the development of magick for many thousands of years. Their influence can be seen permeating many of the modern Western Esoteric Traditions, which are the inheritors of the wisdom & knowledge passed down through the ages. From Ancient Sumeria, to the Greeks, Romans, early Qabalists, Medieval & Renaissance Grimoire Magickians through to the Victorian Occult Societies, the influence of the planets is clearly present in the symbolism of their ceremonies, practices & beliefs. In this practical sourcebook, the authors bring together old & new techniques which they hope will inspire others to explore the multi-faceted world of planetary magick. There are simple planetary contemplations, hymns & meditation journeys, ideal for the novice who wants to explore the symbolism of the planets & in doing so learn to focus the different planetary energies. Information is provided on the many spiritual beings associated with the planets - The Gods & Goddesses who give their names to the planets, the Olympic Spirits, Archangels, Orders of Angels, Planetary Intelligences & Planetary Spirits. Essential techniques for creating planetary sigils using the magick number squares, calculating planetary hours, making & consecrating amulets & talismans are given with practical examples. Drawing from their experience & knowledge gained working in a number of Western Esoteric Traditions, the authors also present original planetary techniques & ceremonies, including the Ritual of the Heptagram, Planetary Pyramids, Planetary Magick Circles & Angle Webs. The rich symbolism & influence of the magick of the Wandering Stars underlies the spiritual & magickal heritage of Western Esotericism. Through exploring & working with the Deathless Powers, the reader can come to a greater understanding of the transformative powers they offer every true seeker of the Mysteries.

Genres: Witchcraft, Occult, Astrology, Magick, Magic, Spirituality, Nonfiction

220 pages, Paperback

First published September 23, 2014

About the author

Sorita d’Este is an author, researcher and priestess who has devoted her life to the Mysteries. She is the author of around 20 books exploring subjects related to the practice and history of magic, mythology, religion, folklore and witchcraft. Her previous books include titles such as Hekate Liminal Rites, Practical Elemental Magick, Visions of the Cailleach, Wicca: Magickal Beginnings and The Isles of the Many Gods. Her latest release is Circle For Hekate: Vol I. She lives on a hill in Glastonbury (Somerset, UK) from where she works as a publisher and writer. She is frequently distracted from her work by her love of gardening, exciting visitors and the promise of interesting esoteric knowledge.

Reviews

[Steve Cran · Rating 4 out of 5]

Before Wicca and even before the advent of monotheism thee ancient ones worked with and even worshipped the seven wandering stars. Actually only one of them was a star, the sun, the other five were planets and the one was our moon. For each of these planets , depending on the culture a different God was assigned. Later on as monotheism became vogue different angels would be assigned to the planets. Each planet or star could be worked with or asked for a difference things or item you needed in life. ALong with a purpose for working with the planet there were various different scents, herbs and numbers associated with the planet. This book priced cheaply enough in the kindle version gives you the tools you need in order to incorporate planetary magic into you practice.

The planets and their magic is based primarily on what we learned from the Greeks and Romans. They in turn learned their material from the Ancient Babylonians and Egyptians. THE babylonians were the first to works with planet magic . THe books tells you what the planets were used for and then goes into the various deities from different cultures that were associated with the planets. The next section gives over some meditative journeys for each ot the planets which you can read into a tape recorder along with some music and do some meditation . THe next section deals with times and days associated with the planets. This could be crucials for enhancing your work and helping you meet your goals. THis pertains to making your preparations , combining stellar power and actual working times. THE book also discusses invoking and evoking different spiritual creatures associated with the planet and this is done with a series of charts. So  yo will get the deities associated with the planet, the arch angel, demon and orders of angels that go with the planet.

THere is some very practical  hands on stuff in this book as well.There are some basic instructions on how to to make a kamea, amulet and talisman. Again preparation times are needed. Later on there are pyramid mediations  and finally the book tells you about the further planets in our solar system and how they can be worked with.

This nice little book gives the reader plenty of tools to work with. However, I would not recommend it to the novice practitioner.  I think for this book to be of maximum value you need to know how to construct a ritual for a working and then slowly implement the material of the book into your practice. Beginners need to see the whole thing put together as a model or example. Having tools in a tool box can be confusing, Thanksfully there are plenty of other books referenced in the back for further reading. I would suggest reading them as they are classic. 

[Ivonne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Un buen libro introductorio a los rituales básicos de magia planetaria. Me gustaron mucho las descripciones y bibliografía utilizadas al escribirlo. Este libro tiene fuertes componentes del Picatrix pero también habla de elementos rituales de Hygromanteia.
Sugiero tomarlo como complemento a la bibliografía de Christopher Warnock en astromagia.

[Amber · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn't expect the delve into archangels and "planetary spiritual creatures" and sigils and Kabbalah stuff, so much of this book was new for me. I generally avoid archangels (or any of the related), so that surprise was pretty unwanted. (But can I really complain? I'm using Kindle Unlimited's free trial and reading every remotely interesting book on magic)

A lot of research on the planet's names, their counterparts, and all the, er, Kabbalah stuff. Lots of meditations, interesting rituals (the updated Heptagram in particular as well as Angle Webs) and lots and lots of correspondences for practitioners. Really good explanation for how planetary hours work as well. If planet magic is your jam (or even astrology adjacent), pick up this resource guide. (And in print if possible!)

[Ragaraja · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolute gem of a practical book of magick.
I usually annotate and highlight the books I read of this nature so I can get back to the good stuff, but this one is so jam packed with useful information, I didn’t bother.

Every part of this is useful to me

[Παλλαδία Σόρια · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's a fantastic book, with a fantastic chapter about the Olympic' Spirits and with a fantastic meditations. I love it.

[Onur · Rating 2 out of 5]

Found it quite complicated in terms of its theories (there is not much theories explained behind the majicks though) and practices. I simply suggest readers of it to have a healthy solid minds.

[Lusete · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a wonderful book. A thorough study of the planets and I must for anyone wanting to learn more about them.

[Mitchell Stern · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very clear and organized guide to planetary workings that achieves an often-challenging goal of making ceremonial workings approachable and understandable.

[Heidi’s Zee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a clear resource guide! Om op voort te bouwen en geesten mee te bezweren:)