Priscilla Costello is a teacher, writer, and counseling astrologer based in Toronto. She frequently travels to the U.S. to see clients and lecture. She has been instrumental in the organization of Canadian astrology and currently serves on the Advisory Board of NCGR. Her Master's thesis on Gnosticism and Jungian psychology (1993) won the Master's Scholar Award from the NE Association of Graduate Schools. She is founder and Director of the New Alexandria, a center for spiritual and esoteric studies.

James Wasserman is a lifelong student of esotericism. His writings include The Mystery Traditions: Secret Symbols and Sacred Art, and Aleister Crowley and the Practice of the Magical Diary. His Chronicle Books edition of The Egyptian Book of the Dead: The Book of Going Forth by Day features the fullcolor Papyrus of Ani with integrated English translation. The Templars and the Assassins: The Militia of Heaven has thus far been published in six languages. His controversial The Slaves Shall Serve: Meditations on Liberty defines political freedom as a spiritual value. His newest book is An Illustrated History of the Knights Templar. He is currently editing a series on Western occultism known as The Weiser Concise Guides. You can find him online at www.studio31.com. He lives in New York City with his wife Nancy.

CHAPTER 1

The Planets: The First Piece

Astrology consists of groups of symbols, all having numerological andphilosophical, as well as psychological and literal, meanings. The sevenclassical planets, plus the three more recently discovered Uranus, Neptune, andPluto, are the main letters of the astrological alphabet. (The word "planets" isused throughout to apply to the Sun and Moon, though technically the Sun is aminor star and the Moon a satellite of Earth. To indicate that the Sun and Moonare considered as astrological archetypes, they are capitalized.) Planets arethe factors that transmit energy in steps from the Godhead into the createdworld. Each is named for a Roman god or goddess whose character and history islargely borrowed from the Greek mythological tradition.

In psychological terms, the planets are carriers of psychic energy, responsiblefor the uniqueness and dynamism of each individual. They are motivators,impelling you to seek experiences and passively attracting them. Inpsychological language, they are equivalent to "needs" or "drives."

The number seven may be considered sacred precisely because there wereoriginally believed to be seven planets (including Sun and Moon). The seven-dayweek was created with each day corresponding to one of them. A host of otherassociations also arose—metals, colors, rocks and precious gems, perfumes andincense, herbs, trees and plants, animals, emblems, and deities of variouscultures. Whatever idea was associated with a planet was thought to have anaffinity with its nature, on its own particular level. Astrological correlationsderive in part from specific observations of physical reality. Because physicalreality reflects inner essence, shape, appearance, taste, and behavior, allreveal planetary connections. Birthstones linked to the months of the year are asimplified example of astrological correspondence.

Given the archetypal nature of astrological symbols, the traditional way tolearn about them is to memorize and ponder lists of key words. But you cannotgrasp their significance with the intellect alone. You must circles the symbols,musing on a cluster of associated concepts to penetrate their essence. This isthe method I use in the sections that follow: a circumambulation of each symbolthat explores the concepts associated with it. At some point, with study andreflection on a given symbol, you may have an "aha!" moment of insight when youintuitively comprehend its inner meaning.

We will study the planets' basic principles and explore some literalmanifestations, psychological meanings, and connections to various esoteric,religious, or spiritual disciplines. The discussion moves freely, referring tothe essential planetary principle, the god or goddess that embodies it, or themany possible associated externalizations in our time-space dimension.

It is sometimes difficult in talking about astrology to find language that doesnot sound causal. Even though the planets represent pure abstract essences,astrologers as a shorthand always end up saying "it" or "he" or "she" "does"that or "influences" this or "rules" such-and-such. You must understand,however, that the planets are not causing anything—that astrology works becausethere is a greater organizing principle behind the appearance—synchronicity,that includes both the planets and us. We talk as if it were causal forconvenience. But the planets (or any other factor) don't make you do anything,any more than the clock makes you put down your work at 5:00 and go home, orturn on the TV at 8:00 to see your favorite show.

The following ideas are intended to be suggestive and not definitive; you willbenefit from reading other astrology books, consulting symbol dictionaries, andresearching esoteric references to further open each symbol's inner meaning.Because a symbol's expression may be multivarious and not entirely predictable,one fascinating aspect of learning the astrological language is to observe howthe universe plays with possibilities in manifesting planetary potential.

Some planets, like the Sun and Moon, or Venus and Mars, are obviouscomplementary opposites. According to some esoteric theories, at the moment ofcreation, the invisible One broke into a visible two, appearing as oppositesthat characterize our world: light and dark, up and down, good and bad,masculine and feminine, and so on. Some planetary pairs perfectly representthese polarized extremes.

Each astrological symbol also reflects this duality by containing within itselfboth an up side and a down side. In the old days (before the 20th century!),some of the symbols (like Saturn) were thought to be exclusively negative, andothers (like Jupiter) exclusively positive. This interpretive bias has changedin the modern period, as greater psychological sophistication and awareness ofesoteric ideas has led to the realization that symbols inherently contain theiropposites.

The "Lights": The Sun and the Moon

The Sun ([??])

The Sun has received most attention in popular culture, because people knowtheir birthdate (which immediately reveals the Sun's position in the zodiac). Itcan thus be isolated and commercially exploited. However, the Sun truly is theessential symbol. In fact, "essence" or "essential nature" are solar keywords.

The Sun is the paramount symbol of life, since its energy makes all livingthings active. The east, where the Sun rises with increasing splendor, is theplace of birth or the first emergence of life. The Sun's reappearance eachmorning means that dark night is vanquished once more and that life willcontinue. The very predictability of sunrise each day lends human life order andstability.

Like the Sun, the solar hero or savior delivers his people from dark andmonstrous terrors—even death itself. One such semi-divine hero is the GreekPerseus, whose mother conceived him in a shower of gold, the metal of the Sun.Perseus freed his people from tyrannical rule and destroyed the snake-hairedMedusa, whose glance literally petrified anyone who gazed upon her. In myth,solar heroes like Perseus break free from the influence of parents and cultureand overcome inner fears to reveal the individual's most glorious possibilities.These heroes, like the Sun itself, embody the elemental masculine principle.

But too much solar energy is destructive; it burns, dries, and dessicates,destroying crops and threatening life. The Chinese shot arrows at the Sun tochallenge its deadly rays, which can magically transform invisible heat intovisible fire.

Because of the Sun's prominence in the sky and the power of its rays, itrepresents divinity—the...