Starting Your Journey in Planetary Magic: A Beginner’s Guide to Celestial Craft
If planetary magic is a cosmic symphony, learning to work with it is like picking up your first instrument. It might seem overwhelming at first, all those correspondences, spirits, and symbols, but don’t worry. You don’t need a telescope, a Latin degree, or a secret society to begin. You just need curiosity, a bit of structure, and the willingness to work in rhythm with the heavens.
Let’s explore how to start building a practice that’s both practical and powerful — one planet at a time.
Step One: Get to Know the Players
There are seven classical planets used in planetary magic, each with a unique energy, personality, and magical function. Before you jump into rituals or talismans, spend some time getting to know them.
Here’s a quick planetary “profile” for your magical journal:
| Planet | Day | Color | Metal | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun (☉) | Sunday | Gold | Gold | Vitality, success, clarity, health |
| Moon (☽) | Monday | Silver / White | Silver | Emotion, intuition, dreams, psychic work |
| Mars (♂) | Tuesday | Red | Iron | Courage, strength, conflict, protection |
| Mercury (☿) | Wednesday | Orange / Purple | Mercury (quicksilver) | Communication, intellect, magic |
| Jupiter (♃) | Thursday | Blue | Tin | Growth, abundance, wisdom, leadership |
| Venus (♀) | Friday | Green | Copper | Love, beauty, art, pleasure |
| Saturn (♄) | Saturday | Black | Lead | Boundaries, structure, endings, banishing |
Just reading this over a few times a week, or meditating on each energy, starts tuning your awareness. Think of it as learning to recognise the voices of the planets when they speak, not in thunder or lightning, but in the small rhythms of your life.
Step Two: Choose a Planet to Work With
Pick one to start, the one that calls to you, or the one whose qualities you need most right now. If you’re seeking structure and boundaries, Saturn might be your guide. If you’re opening your heart to love or beauty, Venus is ready to help you along your way.
Start small. One planet, one week. Get a feel for its influence in your daily life.
You might:
- Light a candle in the planet’s color on its day
- Meditate on its sigil (you’ll find many traditional versions in grimoires, and in future blog posts here)
- Journal about how that planetary energy shows up for you (or is missing)
- Carry a corresponding crystal, herb, or metal
Remember: magic isn’t just what you do, it’s also what you notice.
Step Three: Learn the Planetary Hours (Optional but Fun)
Every day is ruled by a planet, and so is every hour.
You don’t need to memorise complex tables. There are plenty of planetary hour calculators online (or apps like Time Nomad) that will tell you when, say, the Hour of Venus begins on a Friday.
Working in a planet’s day and hour amplifies your magical work or meditation, like striking a tuning fork in the perfect key.
Want to write a heartfelt letter? Try doing it in the hour of Mercury. Planning a ritual for courage? Mars hour on Tuesday will give it extra umph.
Step Four: Try a Simple Planetary Ritual
Once you feel comfortable with the energy of a planet, try a simple devotional or magical ritual.
Here’s a gentle framework to begin:
- Cleanse your space (physically and energetically, incense, sound, or intention work fine)
- Set the scene: candle of the planet’s colour, maybe an image or symbol
- State your intent clearly (e.g., “I call upon the energy of Jupiter to support me in building abundance and confidence.”)
- Read a hymn, invocation, or write your own (The Orphic Hymns are a beautiful resource here)
- Meditate or visualise the planetary energy entering your space, surrounding and filling you
- Close by thanking the planetary force and grounding your energy (a snack, a few deep breaths, or touching the earth)
Keep it simple. Planetary magic is less about ceremony and more about relationship.
Step Five: Reflect and Record
A planetary magic journal is one of your best magical tools.
- Note your rituals, observations, synchronicities
- Track how certain planets affect your mood, your dreams, or your energy
- Reflect on how each planetary archetype challenges or supports you
Over time, you’ll build a personal map of how the stars move through you as well as above you.
Final Thoughts: You’re Already Part of the Sky
The beauty of planetary magic is that it’s as complex or as simple as you need it to be. You can go full Renaissance-magus with sigils and talismans, or just light a candle each Friday and say a few heartfelt words to Venus.
The important thing is to remember that this practice isn’t about controlling the planets, it’s about working with them. Aligning yourself with their rhythms. Listening, learning, and becoming more attuned to the spiritual architecture of the cosmos.
You’re not just doing magic under the stars, you’re doing it with them.
