Millions of years old, from ancient Babylon to modern times, the planets have always symbolized the essential forces of the universe. Equated with the gods, endowed with magickal attributes, and viewed as lights of influence, then and now the planets affect all aspects of daily life.
The sun and the moon, which dominated the daylight hours and night skies, were the first “planets” to be associated with the life-giving forces of the elements, seasons, and man’s day-to-day struggle to survive. These two luminaries were credited with the power to control the cyclic process and deified as the source of life itself.
As mythology and storytelling evolved, so did the godlike qualities of the celestial bodies, and their ability to control human existence.
Besides the sun and moon, the father and mother of the universe, other planetary gods and goddesses began to emerge, each with his or her own individual identity and domain of influence.
The sun, moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, and Saturn (the sun and moon are regarded as planets in this sense) formed the original pantheon of heavenly powers that ruled over the affairs of humans. Each planet was assigned an area of influence that controlled the human endeavors within that realm.
For example, the Sun was equated with the Greek god Apollo, and governed strength, self-expression, and vitality, which were associated with leadership, royalty, and government.
Learning to use planetary energy makes magickal work easier, since each planet relates to everyday life in some way.
Basically, just about everything we do or seek to achieve is subordinate to a planetary force. Magickally, this means that everything in creation responds to a specific planetary energy. Therefore, if you know which energy rules or governs a certain object or event, then you can use the corresponding planetary power to influence it. The more you know about the planets and their corresponding attributes and symbols,
the more precise you can be in designing magickal rites.
