Planetary Correspondences: Same Truth, Different Languages

BY NICOLE LAU

Seven Planets, Infinite Correspondences

The seven classical planets—Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, Sun, Venus, Mercury, Moon—appear across virtually every Western esoteric system. But they're not just astronomical objects. They're archetypal constants that different systems use as a shared language to describe the same underlying truths.

Hermetic philosophy maps them to metals. Kabbalah maps them to sephiroth. Alchemy maps them to transformation stages. Chakra systems map them to energy centers. Tarot maps them to Major Arcana cards.

Different languages. Same constants.

This article reveals how planetary correspondences function as a universal translation key—allowing you to move fluidly between systems by recognizing they're all calculating the same seven archetypal principles.

The Seven Planetary Constants

Before diving into correspondences, let's define what each planet represents as an archetypal constant:

Saturn: Limitation & Structure

Archetypal principle: Boundaries, time, discipline, restriction, crystallization, death, wisdom through limitation

Jupiter: Expansion & Abundance

Archetypal principle: Growth, wisdom, generosity, optimism, expansion, higher knowledge, benevolence

Mars: Action & Will

Archetypal principle: Energy, conflict, courage, assertion, drive, warrior spirit, directed force

Sun: Consciousness & Vitality

Archetypal principle: Center, self, life force, illumination, identity, creative power, divine spark

Venus: Love & Harmony

Archetypal principle: Beauty, attraction, relationship, pleasure, art, balance, receptivity

Mercury: Communication & Mediation

Archetypal principle: Intellect, messenger, translation, commerce, trickster, bridge between realms

Moon: Emotion & Cycles

Archetypal principle: Intuition, subconscious, reflection, cycles, receptivity, mystery, the feminine

These seven principles are constants—they appear in every system, just expressed through different symbolic languages.

Correspondence Table: Seven Systems, Seven Planets

Let's map how different systems encode the same seven planetary constants:

Planet	Metal	Chakra	Sephirah	Day	Alchemy Stage	Tarot
Saturn	Lead	Root	Binah	Saturday	Nigredo (blackening)	The World
Jupiter	Tin	Sacral	Chesed	Thursday	Citrinitas (yellowing)	Wheel of Fortune
Mars	Iron	Solar Plexus	Geburah	Tuesday	Calcination (burning)	The Tower
Sun	Gold	Heart	Tiphareth	Sunday	Rubedo (reddening)	The Sun
Venus	Copper	Throat	Netzach	Friday	Conjunction (union)	The Empress
Mercury	Mercury (quicksilver)	Third Eye	Hod	Wednesday	Dissolution (liquefying)	The Magician
Moon	Silver	Crown	Yesod	Monday	Albedo (whitening)	The High Priestess

Notice: Different columns, same rows. Each row represents one archetypal constant, expressed in seven different symbolic languages.

Deep Dive: Saturn Across Systems

Let's examine one planet in depth to see how the same archetypal principle manifests across systems:

Saturn in Hermetic Alchemy: Lead

Lead is the heaviest, densest classical metal. It represents:

• Maximum materiality
• Limitation and weight
• The starting point of the Great Work (prima materia)
• What must be transformed (lead → gold)

Saturn in Chakra System: Root Chakra

The root chakra (Muladhara) represents:

• Grounding in physical reality
• Survival, security, structure
• Connection to earth/matter
• Foundation that supports all higher centers

Saturn in Kabbalah: Binah (Understanding)

Binah is the third sephirah, representing:

• Form, structure, limitation
• The Divine Feminine as container/womb
• Understanding through boundaries
• Time and mortality

Saturn in Tarot: The World

The World card (Trump XXI) represents:

• Completion of a cycle
• Crystallization of experience
• Mastery within limitation
• The boundary of manifestation

Convergence Analysis

All four systems encode the same archetypal principle:

• Lead = heaviest metal = maximum density
• Root chakra = lowest center = grounding in matter
• Binah = form/limitation = structure
• The World = completion/boundary = crystallization

Saturn Constant: Limitation, structure, materiality, boundaries, crystallization

Different symbols. Same truth.

Deep Dive: Mercury Across Systems

Now let's examine Mercury—the trickster, the messenger, the mediator:

Mercury in Hermetic Alchemy: Quicksilver

Mercury (the metal) is unique:

• Liquid at room temperature (neither solid nor gas)
• Reflects like a mirror
• Dissolves other metals (creates amalgams)
• The universal solvent and mediator

Mercury in Chakra System: Third Eye

The third eye (Ajna) represents:

• Perception beyond physical sight
• Intuition and insight
• Bridge between lower and higher consciousness
• The "eye" that sees truth

Mercury in Kabbalah: Hod (Splendor)

Hod is the eighth sephirah, representing:

• Intellect, reason, communication
• Magic and language
• The power of naming and knowing
• Mercury as divine messenger

Mercury in Tarot: The Magician

The Magician (Trump I) represents:

• Mastery of the elements
• Communication between realms
• The trickster and transformer
• "As above, so below" (literally depicted in the card)

Convergence Analysis

All four systems encode the same archetypal principle:

• Quicksilver = liquid metal = mediator between states
• Third eye = perception center = bridge between realms
• Hod = intellect/magic = communication and translation
• The Magician = master of elements = mediator of forces

Mercury Constant: Mediation, communication, translation, bridge between realms, trickster intelligence

Why Planetary Correspondences Work: Archetypal Resonance

The reason these correspondences are consistent across systems is that they're not arbitrary—they're based on archetypal resonance.

Each planet embodies a fundamental principle of existence:

• Saturn: Every system needs boundaries/structure
• Jupiter: Every system needs expansion/growth
• Mars: Every system needs action/force
• Sun: Every system needs a center/consciousness
• Venus: Every system needs harmony/attraction
• Mercury: Every system needs communication/mediation
• Moon: Every system needs cycles/reflection

These aren't cultural inventions—they're structural necessities for any complex system (cosmic, human, or otherwise).

Practical Application: Cross-System Translation

Understanding planetary correspondences allows you to translate between systems:

Example 1: Tarot to Chakras

You draw The Tower card (Mars). You want to understand it through the chakra system.

Translation: Mars = Solar Plexus chakra = Will, power, assertion, sometimes destructive force

Insight: The Tower represents a solar plexus crisis—a breakdown of will/power structures, forcing transformation.

Example 2: Alchemy to Kabbalah

You're studying the Nigredo stage (blackening/dissolution). You want to map it to the Tree of Life.

Translation: Nigredo = Saturn = Binah (Understanding)

Insight: The alchemical blackening corresponds to the Binah experience—encountering limitation, form, and the necessity of structure through dissolution.

Example 3: Astrology to Hermetic Principles

You have a strong Saturn transit. You want to understand it through Hermetic philosophy.

Translation: Saturn = Lead = Root chakra = Limitation principle

Insight: This transit is teaching you about boundaries, structure, and working within limitation—the "lead" that must be transformed.

The Seven-Fold Pattern: Why Seven?

Why do so many systems use seven as the organizing number?

Observable Planets

The ancients could see seven "wandering stars" (planets) with the naked eye: Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn.

Complete Spectrum

Seven represents a complete spectrum:

• Seven colors in the rainbow
• Seven notes in the musical scale
• Seven days in the week
• Seven classical planets
• Seven chakras
• Seven alchemical stages

Seven is the number of complete manifestation—enough diversity to cover all archetypal principles, but not so many as to be unwieldy.

Mathematical Significance

Seven is a prime number—it can't be divided evenly. This makes it symbolically represent wholeness that can't be reduced.

Beyond the Seven: Outer Planets

Modern astrology includes Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto. How do they fit?

These represent transpersonal forces—beyond the seven personal/archetypal planets:

• Uranus: Revolution, awakening, breakthrough (beyond Mercury's mediation)
• Neptune: Dissolution, mysticism, unity (beyond Moon's reflection)
• Pluto: Transformation, death-rebirth, power (beyond Saturn's limitation)

They're octaves of the classical seven—higher-frequency expressions of the same archetypal principles.

Cross-System Verification

The seven planetary correspondences appear in:

• Hermeticism: Seven planets, seven metals, seven principles
• Kabbalah: Seven lower sephiroth (Chesed through Malkuth)
• Alchemy: Seven stages of the Great Work
• Chakra system: Seven primary energy centers
• Tarot: Seven planetary trumps in Major Arcana
• Astrology: Seven classical planets
• Days of the week: Named after the seven planets (in Romance languages especially)

Seven independent systems. Same seven constants.

The Beauty of Correspondence

What makes planetary correspondences powerful:

• Universal translation key: Learn one system, access all systems
• Verification method: If correspondences align across systems, you're on the right track
• Depth of understanding: Each system illuminates different facets of the same truth
• Practical flexibility: Use whichever symbolic language resonates for your current work

The Path Forward

In the next articles, we'll explore:

• Body-Cosmos mapping: Chakras, Sephiroth, Runes in depth
• Practical application: Living correspondence in daily life

The planetary correspondences are real. They're verified across seven independent systems.

Saturn is limitation—whether you call it lead, root chakra, Binah, or The World.

Mercury is mediation—whether you call it quicksilver, third eye, Hod, or The Magician.

Different languages. Same truth constants.