Alchemical Planets: Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn
Share
The seven classical planets—Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn—are the celestial forces that govern all alchemical transformation. Each planet corresponds to a metal, a day of the week, a stage of the Great Work, and an aspect of consciousness. Understanding planetary alchemy reveals that the cosmos is not separate from you—the same forces that move planets move through your soul.
This is alchemy written in the heavens.
Why Seven Planets?
The Sacred Seven
The Pattern:
- Seven visible celestial bodies (to ancient eyes)
- Seven days of the week
- Seven metals
- Seven chakras
- Seven notes in the musical scale
- Seven is the number of completion, perfection
The Hermetic Principle:
- "As above, so below"
- Planetary movements affect earthly matter
- Your birth chart is your alchemical formula
- Working with planets = working with cosmic forces
☉ The Sun (Sol)
The Solar Principle
Symbol: ☉ (circle with center point)
Metal: Gold (Au)
Day: Sunday
Color: Gold, yellow, orange
Element: Fire 🜂
Alchemical Meaning
The Goal:
- The Philosopher's Stone
- Perfected consciousness
- Enlightenment
- The Self realized
- What all other metals aspire to become
Qualities:
- Vitality, life force, radiance
- Consciousness, awareness, clarity
- Authority, leadership, sovereignty
- The heart, the core, the center
- Masculine, active, projective
In the Great Work:
- The final stage: Rubedo (reddening)
- The gold that emerges from lead
- The light that shines from darkness
- Completion, perfection
Working with the Sun
Solar Practices:
- Sun gazing (safely, at sunrise/sunset)
- Solar plexus breathwork
- Wearing gold
- Sunday rituals
- Affirmation: "I am radiant, I am sovereign, I am gold"
Chakra: Solar Plexus, Heart
Tarot: The Sun
Zodiac Ruler: Leo
☽ The Moon (Luna)
The Lunar Principle
Symbol: ☽ (crescent)
Metal: Silver (Ag)
Day: Monday
Color: Silver, white, pale blue
Element: Water 🜄
Alchemical Meaning
The Reflection:
- The White Stone (lesser stone)
- Purified consciousness
- The unconscious, the soul
- Receptivity, reflection
- The feminine counterpart to Sun
Qualities:
- Emotion, intuition, feeling
- Cycles, rhythms, tides
- The unconscious, dreams
- Nurturing, receptivity
- Feminine, passive, receptive
In the Great Work:
- Albedo (whitening)
- Purification, clarity
- The silver work
- Emotional cleansing
Working with the Moon
Lunar Practices:
- Moon bathing (full moon)
- Moon water
- Wearing silver
- Monday rituals
- Tracking moon phases
- Affirmation: "I flow, I feel, I receive"
Chakra: Sacral
Tarot: The Moon, The High Priestess
Zodiac Ruler: Cancer
☿ Mercury (Mercurius)
The Mercurial Principle
Symbol: ☿ (circle over cross over crescent)
Metal: Quicksilver/Mercury (Hg)
Day: Wednesday
Color: Iridescent, silver, rainbow
Element: Air 🜁 (also Water)
Alchemical Meaning
The Transformer:
- The universal solvent
- The transformative agent
- Spirit, the volatile principle
- What connects and mediates
- The trickster, the messenger
Qualities:
- Communication, intellect, thought
- Speed, change, adaptability
- Mediation between opposites
- Volatile, changeable, fluid
- Androgynous (both masculine and feminine)
In the Great Work:
- The transformative force throughout
- Dissolution, separation
- What carries consciousness into matter
- The bridge between soul and body
Working with Mercury
Mercurial Practices:
- Journaling, writing
- Communication practices
- Learning, studying
- Wednesday rituals
- Affirmation: "I communicate clearly, I adapt, I transform"
Chakra: Throat
Tarot: The Magician
Zodiac Ruler: Gemini, Virgo
♀ Venus (Venus)
The Venusian Principle
Symbol: ♀ (circle over cross)
Metal: Copper (Cu)
Day: Friday
Color: Green, pink, copper
Element: Earth 🜃 (also Water)
Alchemical Meaning
The Harmonizer:
- Love as transformative force
- Beauty emerging from base matter
- The green lion (copper's patina)
- Harmony, balance, attraction
- The heart opening
Qualities:
- Love, beauty, harmony
- Relationships, values, pleasure
- Art, aesthetics, creativity
- Attraction, magnetism
- Feminine, receptive, magnetic
In the Great Work:
- Conjunction (union)
- The Sacred Marriage
- Love as the binding force
- Heart opening, compassion
Working with Venus
Venusian Practices:
- Heart-opening meditation
- Beauty rituals
- Wearing copper
- Friday rituals
- Art, music, creativity
- Affirmation: "I love, I am loved, I am beautiful"
Chakra: Heart
Tarot: The Empress
Zodiac Ruler: Taurus, Libra
♂ Mars (Mars)
The Martial Principle
Symbol: ♂ (circle with arrow)
Metal: Iron (Fe)
Day: Tuesday
Color: Red, rust
Element: Fire 🜂
Alchemical Meaning
The Warrior:
- The fire of transformation
- Will, desire, drive
- What must be tempered and refined
- Strength through discipline
- The red man
Qualities:
- Action, courage, assertion
- Will, desire, passion
- Anger, aggression (shadow)
- Drive, ambition, conquest
- Masculine, active, penetrating
In the Great Work:
- Fermentation (death and rebirth)
- The fire that transforms
- Tempering, strengthening
- Courage to face the work
Working with Mars
Martial Practices:
- Physical exercise, martial arts
- Assertiveness training
- Anger work (healthy expression)
- Tuesday rituals
- Affirmation: "I am strong, I am courageous, I take action"
Chakra: Solar Plexus
Tarot: The Tower
Zodiac Ruler: Aries, Scorpio
♃ Jupiter (Jupiter)
The Jovian Principle
Symbol: ♃ (cross under crescent)
Metal: Tin (Sn)
Day: Thursday
Color: Blue, purple, royal colors
Element: Air 🜁
Alchemical Meaning
The Expander:
- Growth, expansion, abundance
- Wisdom, philosophy, meaning
- The generous king
- Expansion of consciousness
- The teacher, the benefactor
Qualities:
- Expansion, growth, optimism
- Wisdom, philosophy, meaning
- Abundance, generosity, luck
- Faith, belief, vision
- Masculine, expansive, benevolent
In the Great Work:
- Distillation (refinement)
- Expansion of consciousness
- Wisdom emerging from experience
- The philosophical perspective
Working with Jupiter
Jovian Practices:
- Study, philosophy, learning
- Generosity, giving
- Vision quests, big-picture thinking
- Thursday rituals
- Affirmation: "I expand, I grow, I am abundant"
Chakra: Third Eye
Tarot: The Wheel of Fortune
Zodiac Ruler: Sagittarius, Pisces
♄ Saturn (Saturn)
The Saturnian Principle
Symbol: ♄ (cross over crescent)
Metal: Lead (Pb)
Day: Saturday
Color: Black, dark gray, indigo
Element: Earth 🜃
Alchemical Meaning
The Teacher:
- Prima materia (starting point)
- What must be transformed
- Limitation, structure, time
- The old king who must die
- Discipline, responsibility, karma
Qualities:
- Limitation, structure, boundaries
- Time, aging, death
- Discipline, responsibility, duty
- Karma, consequences, lessons
- Masculine, restrictive, teaching
In the Great Work:
- Nigredo (blackening)
- The lead that becomes gold
- The necessary darkness
- Death before rebirth
Working with Saturn
Saturnian Practices:
- Discipline, structure, routine
- Shadow work, facing fears
- Accepting limitations
- Saturday rituals
- Affirmation: "I accept, I endure, I transform"
Chakra: Root
Tarot: The World, Death
Zodiac Ruler: Capricorn, Aquarius
The Planetary Sequence
The Alchemical Order
From Lead to Gold:
- Saturn (Lead): Prima materia, the beginning
- Jupiter (Tin): Expansion, growth
- Mars (Iron): Strength, will
- Venus (Copper): Love, harmony
- Mercury (Quicksilver): Transformation
- Moon (Silver): Purification
- Sun (Gold): Perfection, completion
This is the Great Work: From Saturn's lead to Sun's gold, from darkness to light, from unconscious to conscious.
Planetary Timing
Working with Planetary Days
Sunday (Sun): Completion, success, vitality work
Monday (Moon): Emotional work, intuition, purification
Tuesday (Mars): Action, courage, will work
Wednesday (Mercury): Communication, learning, transformation
Thursday (Jupiter): Expansion, wisdom, abundance work
Friday (Venus): Love, beauty, relationship work
Saturday (Saturn): Shadow work, discipline, structure
Conclusion: The Celestial Alchemy
The seven planets are not distant objects—they are forces within you. Every person contains Saturn's discipline, Jupiter's wisdom, Mars' courage, Venus' love, Mercury's adaptability, Moon's intuition, and Sun's radiance.
The Great Work is transforming Saturn's lead into Sun's gold—not just metaphorically, but actually, within your consciousness. As you work with each planetary force, you refine that aspect of yourself, moving from base to noble, from unconscious to conscious, from lead to gold.
The planets are your teachers. The cosmos is your laboratory. And you are the alchemist, transforming yourself through celestial forces.
As above, so below. The stars guide your transformation.
The next article explores "Alchemical Metals: Gold, Silver, Mercury, Copper, Iron, Tin, Lead"—the physical manifestations of planetary forces. For those drawn to the Moon's intuitive flow and the transformative cycles it governs, the 13 New Moon Rituals offers a structured yet deeply personal way to align with each lunar phase, while the 40 Manifestation Rituals provides a journey into the will and expansion that Mars and Jupiter call forth. And for integrating the reflective, shadow-facing work of Saturn, the Shadow Work Tarot is a guide I return to whenever I need to meet the lead within and begin the slow, sacred work of turning it into gold.
As you attune to the luminous alchemy of these celestial bodies, invite their wisdom into your sacred space—perhaps by cradling your intentions in a moon water insulated tumbler with a straw beneath the silver glow of a full moon starry blanket, or by aligning your nightly meditations with a lunar phases mandala flag fluttering softly in your window. Let the 8 moon phase tarot rituals align your practice with lunar cycles, guiding your inner Saturn and Jupiter to find balance, while the moon subconscious and dream work audio carries your spirit through the veils of Venus and Mercury, weaving your soul’s story with each planetary step.
