What do you think?
Rate this book
Planetary Magick: Invoking and Directing the Powers of the Planets
Llewellyn is pleased to bring back into print Planetary Magick, one of the most respected and sought-after magick books ever written on the topic of planetary spellwork, and now the fourth book in Denning and Phillips's renowned Magical Philosophy series.
Planetary magick lies at the root of all astrological, alchemical, and Qabalistic lore. Although the planetary powers of the cosmos are far beyond our intervention, their correspondences in the depths of the psyche are within our reach through certain special meditative and ritual methods.
The complete system of planetary magick is set forth here, and is designed for both the beginner and the established mage. This book includes 65 classic magical rites in full detail and provides the reader with a thorough understanding of the foundation of Western Magick. Osborne Phillips and the late Melita Denning were internationally recognized authorities on the Western Mysteries and two of the foremost exponents of the Ogdoadic Tradition, the premier hermetic school whose influence and works are historically traceable for the past one thousand years. The authors received their esoteric training in the magical order Aurum Solis, which was founded in 1897 and is still active today.
Planetary magick lies at the root of all astrological, alchemical, and Qabalistic lore. Although the planetary powers of the cosmos are far beyond our intervention, their correspondences in the depths of the psyche are within our reach through certain special meditative and ritual methods.
The complete system of planetary magick is set forth here, and is designed for both the beginner and the established mage. This book includes 65 classic magical rites in full detail and provides the reader with a thorough understanding of the foundation of Western Magick. Osborne Phillips and the late Melita Denning were internationally recognized authorities on the Western Mysteries and two of the foremost exponents of the Ogdoadic Tradition, the premier hermetic school whose influence and works are historically traceable for the past one thousand years. The authors received their esoteric training in the magical order Aurum Solis, which was founded in 1897 and is still active today.
480 pages, Paperback
First published January 8, 1982
3 people are currently reading
220 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
March 9, 2017
This is a wonderful reference book for anyone interested in planetary workings and I highly recommend it. Contains complete correspondences and solo and group ritual examples that can easily be tailored for your needs. However, best for those with a solid base in Qabala to get the most out of it. Not for the beginner.
August 31, 2018
“Planetary Magick” is a resource that I will be recommending highly to peers, students, anyone who’ll listen. It contains its own well-developed liturgical/ceremonial system that is easy to understand and practice, or even adapt. A background in the liturgies of other Hermetic orders is not required. The practitioner can focus on (intellectual) learning and (spiritual) practice.
I will especially be recommending this book to solitary practitioners of Wicca and/or Witchcraft who’ve diligently practiced and integrated their elemental work. Planetary work (plus meditation) is where they can take things to “the next level” in their personal and spiritual development.
In this book you’ll find:
- a throrough collection of planetary correspondances that introduces the reader to different resources and origins of Planetary Magic
- a lesson in calculating appropriate dates and times
- descriptions of Gods and Goddesses from multiple pantheons
- introduction to hermetic practice methods and tools
A significant conflict I have with this book is its classification of saturnian deities and divine images. It presents the qualities of Saturn as an amalgamation the qualities of the Supernal Triangle of the Tree of Life, made up of the sephiroth Kether + Chokmah + Binah. I must insist that the qualities of “stellar” or “celestial” are distinctly Chokmah. I believe this was done because invoking true saturnian Binah energies, primordial and mysterious, can be quite harsh, disturbing and even dangerous. I appreciate and even agree with the substitution but wish there was a better explanation. The correspondences that are ‘low magick” are saturnian, and “high magick” are more stellar, and I don’t feel they’re quite right together.
Indirectly, for those of us who DO have experience with other hermetic traditions, this book offers excellent ideas of what we could add to, or how to adapt our practice. The rituals described are, in my opinion, are much more ornate than necessary, but they’ll probably excellently stimulate someone newer to planetary work.
I will especially be recommending this book to solitary practitioners of Wicca and/or Witchcraft who’ve diligently practiced and integrated their elemental work. Planetary work (plus meditation) is where they can take things to “the next level” in their personal and spiritual development.
In this book you’ll find:
- a throrough collection of planetary correspondances that introduces the reader to different resources and origins of Planetary Magic
- a lesson in calculating appropriate dates and times
- descriptions of Gods and Goddesses from multiple pantheons
- introduction to hermetic practice methods and tools
A significant conflict I have with this book is its classification of saturnian deities and divine images. It presents the qualities of Saturn as an amalgamation the qualities of the Supernal Triangle of the Tree of Life, made up of the sephiroth Kether + Chokmah + Binah. I must insist that the qualities of “stellar” or “celestial” are distinctly Chokmah. I believe this was done because invoking true saturnian Binah energies, primordial and mysterious, can be quite harsh, disturbing and even dangerous. I appreciate and even agree with the substitution but wish there was a better explanation. The correspondences that are ‘low magick” are saturnian, and “high magick” are more stellar, and I don’t feel they’re quite right together.
Indirectly, for those of us who DO have experience with other hermetic traditions, this book offers excellent ideas of what we could add to, or how to adapt our practice. The rituals described are, in my opinion, are much more ornate than necessary, but they’ll probably excellently stimulate someone newer to planetary work.
January 4, 2010
I used this book extensively and had excellent results.
July 11, 2020
Pretty interesting, but I always have to chuckle when I read anything involving non-Jewish "Quabalah" (I'm Jewish). There's the inevitable moment where I put the book down because I realized, "oh THAT'S the word they're trying to transliterate." I'm interested in looking at Jewish sources to back up their correspondences. But oof wading into Kabbalah that's in conversation with other Jewish texts is a little like going from kiddie pool to middle of ocean, no floaties. Maybe someday I'll have the chutzpah. Anyways, interesting book as a jumping off point of interest.
January 13, 2022
Very good simple for beginners.
February 19, 2022
It is quite a dense book and some people may balk at it from that. That is not what I did and I was able to find many excellent ideas for rituals and connecting to planetary energies.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews