Beginner’s Astrology: The Planets

Recently I completed my Tarot Reader endorsement over at TABI, where I was lucky enough to be assigned an amazing mentor, Mick Frankel. Apparently the student/mentor relationship doesn’t end on graduation, since a mentor is always available for advice and feedback. But I was hungry for knowledge, and decided to take our relationship further, so I signed up for Mick’s astrology course. And it is with his full blessing that I post my journey through his course here.

My Take on Astrology

I am clueless. I do know that at one stage my Mother-in-Law enquired about my date and place of birth… a few years later I was shown the astrological reading she had ordered about my relationship with my husband. I listened.  And I was awed by how accurate it was~! I still have no clue how it works, but am happy to accept that somehow the alignment of The Sun, The Moon and The Planets has an effect.

I am happy to believe that if The Moon can affect entire oceans, then it can affect people, who are themselves made up mostly of water.

And for some reason I have always had a blind belief in Horoscopes. In my school days when we used to have a newspaper delivered, I would sit down at the breakfast table, and first read the cartons on the back, and then turn to the horoscope page. Same with magazines in hairdressers… horoscopes were the only thing I was interested in!

And I can belief our star sign can affect our personality.  For example, I am a Capricorn.  I am determined, and when I set my mind on doing something, I do it well. I am organised. I am a good leader, so long as I don’t start leading when nobody wants leading!  I find solutions.  I live in the Solution. People actually come to me for advice, for some reason… But I am also a little erratic.  I like to bounce about, a bit like that goat does…! Apparently those are all Capricorn traits, and they don’t apply to my Pisces husband.

The Planets

When I met my mentor at the Hunter’s Tavern, he told me there were seven traditional planets in astrology. I was willing to accept that perhaps the ancient astrologers couldn’t see Pluto and the other one which I’ve forgotten.

But when he spoke of The Sun and The Moon as planets I started to think he was going a little nuts. Well, it seems they’re not strictly planets, but are rather ‘Lights’, or ‘Luminaries’; but it’s frankly simpler to refer to them all as planets.

But, of course, back then it was believed that The Earth was flat, and The Sun rotated around us.  This is why Earth is not on the diagram, this is looking at The Solar System as seen from Earth.

The sequence we consider the planets in is as follows. Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, The Sun, Venus, Mercury and The Moon. Effectively, this is starting at the furthest planet from the Sun, and working inwards, with the exception of the Earth, since that is our viewpoint. The Sun seems to take the place of The Earth in this diagram, and I have no clue as to why yet – watch this space and I’ll tell you when I find out!!!

Chaldean Sequence

We all know the days of the week in French, it’s probably the ONLY things we remember from those primary school lessons, except perhaps “Comment appelle tu?”(excuse spelling!) and Cava Bien!  But did we know our days are named after the planets? Some in English, and some in French, as follows:

Lundi – Lunar

Mardi – Mars

Mercredi – Mercury

Jeudi – Jupiter

Vendredi – Venus

Saturday – Saturn

Sunday – The Sun

Now, the Chalean Sequence is the order in which I have drawn the planets: Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, Sun, Venus, Mercury, Moon.  Apparently this is going to be very important to us as we move through!

Meantime, when joined in sequence (Days of the Week), these lines make a beautiful 7 pointed star. That has made my day – I already feel like I’ve had value for Monday, and I’m only on Lesson One!  Still confused, but looking forward to moving through this course!! Thanks Mick!

Mick Frankel studied astrology at the Astrological Lodge of London. He is proud to be a regular speaker at the Theosophical Society in Manchester and in Bolton, the Phoenix Rising astrology group in Altrincham and the Northern Lights astrology group in Blackpool, and he mentors readers over at the TABI. You can see more about his astrology course over at his website, and you can book a reading there too!

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Katie Horn

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