One of the greatest gifts of working with astrology is that it is a tradition that honors the innate complexity of ourselves and our lives. Contrary to the more popular fixations on “sun-sign astrology” that categorize all of us into one of twelve archetypes, the richness of the astrological tradition is that it provides us with a map for examining ourselves in relation to the whole sky—all twelve signs, all the planets, the luminaries, asteroids, and so on—and all of it matters. The particular composition of the sky at the moment of your birth is as unique as you are. 

​As a queer person, as a genderqueer person, this has opened up so many pathways for my own healing, for recognizing and appreciating all the ways in which I am not simply one of two possibilities (binary gender) or even one of twelve possible archetypes. Rather, studying my birth chart invites me again and again into my own complexity, my own processes of unfolding and becoming. It introduces me to perspectives of myself that I had not yet considered. In doing so, it brings me into relation and connection to more of myself and more possibilities for who I might be(come). And that is not only profoundly liberating, but also healing—to have more and more of myself recognized and affirmed in this ongoing relationship between myself, the Earth, and the sky.

This is why I believe astrology can be a practice of healing, a practice of bringing us into connection at a time when many of us feel deeply isolated, separated, and disconnected. The entire system is predicated on the realization that our lives have meaning in relation to the sky, in relation to the movements of the planets above. One of my favorite experiences in consultations with people is introducing them to the opportunity to know themselves in these expansive relationships—with the sky, with time, with this tradition and all those astrologers past and present from whom we receive this wisdom.

If you would like support in your own processes of healing or making meaning of your life, I am currently booking consultations for October, November, and December. You can contact me with inquiries or books a session here.

As we enter this new lunation cycle, the Moon in Libra carries what is just beginning into a series of aspects. The Moon squares Saturn in Capricorn, and we may feel resistance to the deep, slow processes of building a different world to come. But a few degrees later, the Moon moves into a sextile with Jupiter then a conjunction to Venus. The influence of the benefics may bring a sense of expansive possibility, warmth, and affection to our social time today. What if you don’t yet know where these relationships could go, where they could lead, or how they could feel? Listen to the sensation of YES in your body and soften into the places that your desires and theirs meet—even if those places are new or unexpected. As the Moon squares Pluto, we may feel the pull of old wounds or harmful patterns. The Moon’s conjunction to Mercury invites us to share what we’re experiencing, risk the vulnerability of speaking from the truth of our experiences, and allow others to be with us in our processes.
 
If you’re looking for a more personal approach to the astrology in your life or you would like someone to be with you in the processes of healing and making meaning of your life, I am currently booking consultations for October, November, and December. You can contact me with questions or book a session here.

​Today is the New Moon in Libra, the cardinal air sign, associated with balance and harmony, the capacity to connect to different perspectives, needs, and desires and to hold them together in union and solidarity. The New Moon is a time of endings and beginnings, completing cycles and planting the seeds for that which is yet to come. In Libra, this New Moon has particular support because it has reception from Venus—the ruler of Libra—with whom it is co-present. Venus—the planet of love, relationships, beauty, and pleasure—is at home in its domicile of Libra. With even more support from a sextile to Jupiter in Sagittarius, Venus gives this New Moon an expansive scope, the potential to cultivate collaborations, coalitions, collectives, alliances, and great loves within the cauldron of our differences. With the support of Venus and Jupiter, this New Moon offers fertile soil for justice that grows not from singularity but irreducible multiplicity.
 
This New Moon reminds me of Audre Lorde’s writing about difference. She describes difference as “that raw and powerful connection from which our personal power is forged.” Difference then is not separation; it connects and holds us together. Whatever we might think of as our personal power is forged through the connection across our differences. Lorde writes: “Difference must not merely be tolerated, but seen as a fund of necessary polarities between which our creativity can spark like a dialectic. Only then does the necessity for interdependency become unthreatening. Only within that interdependency of different strengths, acknowledged and equal, can the power to seek new ways of being in the world generate, as well as the courage and sustenance to act where there are no charters.” As we pass into this new lunation cycle, may we recognize our differences as that which binds us to one another in a world that we are not only sharing but bringing into being together—always together—not in spite of our differences, but rooting into the deep creative potential that sparks within them. May we seek new ways of being in this world we are making, and feel into the courage to proceed into uncharted territories.

​As the Moon moves through Virgo, it passes through the cluster of aspects that have been activated repeatedly by the Sun, Mercury, Venus, and Mars over the last several weeks: trine Saturn in Capricorn, opposing Neptune in Pisces, square Jupiter in Sagittarius, then trine Pluto in Capricorn. We’ve been through a lot in this transition from one season to the next. Have you felt it in your body? What and how are the reverberations and residues of the last three weeks moving through your system? Your body holds the wisdom of your basic instinctual needs; are you listening and responding to what your body is telling you? Right at midnight (eastern), the Moon makes a conjunction to Mars in Virgo. Mars severs and separates, but also stirs us to action. As you listen to the wisdom of body, what needs to stay and what needs to go? What is stirring you and motivating you to action?

​Today the Moon in Leo makes a series of easy and supportive aspects before entering its balsamic phase of the lunation cycle. Starting with a sextile to Venus in Libra, then a trine to Jupiter in Sagittarius, followed by a sextile to Mercury in Libra, cooperation, collaboration, communication, and expanding our view of the world become prominent themes for the day. With whom are you in dialogue? Whose voices are you inviting into your worldview? With whom are you cultivating practices of mutual love and care? What are the relationships and contexts in which you feel most fully seen and appreciated? Allow the support of these aspects to guide your day, because come early afternoon, Venus in Libra will square Saturn in Capricorn. Both in their domiciles, both are strong, but Venus is in the superior position. Nevertheless, we may feel challenged in our relationships and connections to others. We may be asked to answer: what does love in the long term mean for us? What boundaries need to be in place in order to support us in loving well? What old patterns are we bringing to our relationships that not serving or supporting our practices of mutual care?

​Today is the Autumnal Equinox, Mabon to the witches, the midpoint between the summer and winter solstice when the hours of daylight and nighttime are in balance. It’s a time for celebrating the harvest, for cultivating gratitude for the work we have done and the fruits of our labor, as well as for letting go of that which we no longer need. As the Sun moves into Libra, in the northern hemisphere, the leaves are already beginning to turn colors and fall away. The crops are coming into their final fullness as longer days depart for longer nights. This is also a time for reconnecting to balance, for noticing what is out of balance in our lives, and for engaging in the dynamic process of making the changes necessary in order to feel stable in responding to the shifting forces of our lives.
 
Surrounding the Sun’s ingress into Libra marking the equinox, the Moon in Cancer will oppose Saturn in Capricorn. Now direct, Saturn has an agenda, steadily moving forward on long-term plans for the future. As Saturn demands these new directions, notice where you feel resistance or opposition in your body. The Moon then makes a square to Mercury in Libra and a sextile to Mars in Virgo. News, messages, or correspondences may challenge our sense safety or security—as if that’s not simply a daily reality in our current political climate—and we may in turn feel empowered to take action in order to support meaningful change.
 
As we embark on this new season and celebrate the turning of the wheel of the year, I hope that you can feel all the ways that you are of this place, constituted with and from this earth. It is not only that the world around us is changing; the worlds within us are changing as well—if we let them. Magic is what happens when we recognize this vital, necessary relationship between the worlds within and without, and allow ourselves to be moved by this changing earth to which we belong.

​Today the Moon enters Cancer, its domicile. The Moon signifies the emotional body, our felt sense of fluctuation throughout our daily rhythms, and in Cancer it can return to its own sources of safety, security, nourishment, and care. As the Moon moves through its waning quarter phase, it makes a sextile to Uranus in Taurus, reminding us that some of our comfortable patterns may need to be disrupted in order for us to feel more emotional connection to ourselves and others. Mercury in Libra perfects its square to Saturn finally moving direct in Capricorn. The messenger’s connection to the keeper of time could feel like pressure to speak difficult truths. Saturn square Mercury can feel like restriction in the voice, barriers to communication, or demands that we give our word toward long-term commitments. Breathe space into your throat, connect your voice down into your own center and to the voices of your ancestors, and be ready to say what needs to be said, in spite of pressure, resistance, or fear. As the Moon in Cancer squares Venus in Libra, there is potential for conflict with loved ones and collaborators, so soften into your care for one another and know that this will pass.

​Today we come to the final day of our journey through the days of planetary magic: Saturday, the day of Saturn. Attuning with Saturn can sometimes bring up difficult feelings—of limitation, constraint, scarcity, or even fear. But in my practice, I’ve found that even these difficult feelings have important lessons to teach us, and Saturn is one of our great teachers.
 
In Hellenistic astrology, Saturn is described as the malefic of the diurnal (day) sect. Saturn rejects and excludes. It is the planet associated with limits, boundaries, structures, the passage of time, and the wisdom that comes from age and solitude. Saturn teaches us discipline and patience. If you’ve heard of—or been through—your “Saturn return,” this is when Saturn returns to the place it was in the sky at the time you were born. This happens approximately every 29 years or so, and each cycle, Saturn comes back around to hold us accountable to difficult, life-long lessons. Saturn rules the signs of Capricorn and Aquarius, and is exalted in the sign of Libra.
 
For today—or any Saturday—you might make a small altar for Saturn with the things you have available. You can look to the list of correspondences below for the kinds of colors, stones, numbers, and tarot cards you might incorporate. Add things that you associate with Saturn—maybe a clock or an hour glass, perhaps photos or objects that have been handed down to you from your ancestors, things that are old or antique, or things that intimate solitude. Once you build your altar, take some time to be with it as an aesthetic experience. Notice how being with this altar makes you feel. Drop your attention down into your body and observe what sensations arise as you spend time with the objects that you’ve gathered for Saturn.
 
Saturn is currently visible in the night sky. It has a dull, brownish/yellowish glow. I usually locate it in relation to Jupiter—Jupiter is bright and shining in Sagittarius, and Saturn is around 30º to the east of Jupiter. If it’s a clear night, perhaps you might go for a walk and try to spot Saturn, observing what it feels like to stare into its light.

Whether you’re working with or without an altar, whether you go out to see Saturn in the sky, I invite you to take some time to meditate with Saturn. It could be five minutes, ten minutes, or longer. Visualize Saturn in your mind’s eye (you can look up pictures of the planet if you don’t know what it looks like), or visualize the glyph for Saturn. Notice what your body feels like as you imagine Saturn. Remember or call up experiences in which you felt acutely aware of the passage of time. Remember experiences in which you felt challenged to take responsibility, to act with maturity, and to be disciplined in your choices. Recall times when you have felt limited or restricted by circumstances you couldn’t control, structures that resisted any attempt to change them. Notice what these memories feel like in your body, not just as thoughts in your mind.

In meditations like this, I also work with mantras coming from the yoga tradition. For working with Saturn, I use the mantra: “Om Sri Shanaishwaraya Namaha.” I use a mala and repeat the mantra 108 times. I also sometimes use mudra, described below.
 
However you spend your time meditating with Saturn—repeating a mantra, recalling experiences that you associate with Saturn’s significations, gazing at Saturn in the night sky, or sitting at your alter—tune in to the sensations that begin to accumulate. These could be physical, emotional, or more subtle energetic shifts in your awareness. The practice is for Saturn to become more than just an abstract symbol or something that you think of as “out there” in space. As you begin to notice what Saturn feels like within your body, this becomes a state that you can return to and work with in your magic, and how you understand Saturn astrologically—in your birth chart or in its transits—will begin to take on more embodied significance as well.
 
Saturn
Day: Saturday
Number: 3
Colors: black and grey
Metals: “Iron and part of gold” (Picatrix)
Stones: “diamond, onyx, cameo, and azebehe that is black and clear, and iron ore and magnesia and ruby in part, and yellow mascasite, and also hematite” (Picatrix)
Chakra: Muladhara, the Root Chakra
Mantra: Om Sri Shanaishwaraya Namaha
Mudra: The middle finger is associated with Saturn, so I use Shunya Mudra—folding the middle finger toward the center of the palm, bringing tip of thumb to the top of the middle finger together, with other fingers extended.
Tarot: The Hermit (In the Golden Dawn tradition, Saturn was associated with The World card.)

On our journey through the days of planetary magic, Friday brings us to the day of Venus.
 
Venus is the benefic of the nocturnal sect. Venus unifies and reconciles. It is the planet associated with love and relationships, beauty, attraction, the arts, aesthetic harmony, and our values. It is a planet that draws us together and connects us, puts us in touch with our tastes and our pleasures, and offers us the joy of being held in supportive and life-affirming relations. Venus rules the signs of Taurus and Libra, and is exalted in the sign of Pisces.
 
For today—or any Friday—you might make a small altar for Venus with the things you have available. You can look to the list of correspondences below for the kinds of colors, stones, numbers, and tarot cards you might incorporate. Add things that you associate with Venus—maybe love letters or objects you associate with loved ones and lovers, adornments like perfume and jewelry, artworks, or objects that bring you pleasure. Flowers are always appropriate for Venus. Once you build your altar, take some time to be with it as an aesthetic experience. Notice how being with your altar to Venus makes you feel. Drop your attention down into your body and observe what sensations arise as you spend time with the objects you’ve gathered for Venus.
 
Venus is currently too close to the Sun to be visible in the night sky, but she will return to the western sky around dusk from October 10 through December 31. When the time comes, I hope you take an evening walk to witness the sparkling beauty of Venus as the Sun sets.

Whether you’re working with or without an altar, I invite you to take some time to meditate with Venus. It could be five minutes, ten minutes, or longer. Visualize Venus in your mind’s eye (you can look up pictures of the planet if you don’t know what it looks like), or visualize the glyph for Venus. Notice what your body feels like as you imagine Venus. Remember or call up experiences in which you felt truly loved and connected to sources of love and care. Remember experiences when you felt so moved by beauty that you were transported into a world that was more like the world in which you want to live. Recall times where you felt intimately attuned to your own pleasure. Notice what these memories feel like in your body, not just as thoughts in your mind.

In meditations like this, I also work with mantras coming from the yoga tradition. For working with Venus, I use the mantra: “Om Sri Shukraya Namaha.” I use a mala and repeat the mantra 108 times. I also sometimes use mudra, described below.
 
However you spend your time meditating with Venus—repeating a mantra, recalling experiences that you associated with Venus’ significations—tune in to the sensations that begin to accumulate. These could be physical or they could be more subtle energetic shifts in your awareness. The practice here is for Venus to become more than just an abstract symbol or something that you think of as “out there” in space. As you begin to notice what Venus feels like within your body, this becomes a state that you can return to and work with in your magic, and how you understand Venus astrologically—in your birth chart or in its transits—will begin to take on more embodied significance as well.
 
Venus
Day: Friday
Number: 7
Colors: Emerald green and pastels
Metals and Stones: “ruby and part of silver and glass and blue stones and coral and malachite and has part of quarts and lodestone” (Picatrix)
Chakra: Anahata, the Heart Chakra
Mantra: Om Sri Shukraya Namaha
Mudra: For Venus, I use Padma Mudra (Lotus Mudra) because of its association with anahata—the heart chakra. I also sometimes use Shukra Mudra, which comes from Indian dance traditions (pictured below). Form a fist with both hands with the thumb on the outside of the fingers, palm-side of the hands facing the heart with the left hand higher than the right.
Tarot: The Empress—although The Lovers would make sense to me as well.
 
Kaitlin Coppock of Sphere + Sundry also has several beautiful series of talismanic offerings dedicated to Venus: 
Venus in Libra: https://sphereandsundry.com/product-category/series/venus-in-libra/
Exalted Venus: https://sphereandsundry.com/product-category/series/exalted-venus/
Venus in Taurus:​ https://sphereandsundry.com/product-category/series/venus-in-taurus/
I work with offerings from all three of these series, and I highly recommend them as companions in your journey with Venus.

I also recommend Dori Midnight’s Pleasure Activist Potion as a companion to support you in connecting to your own pleasures: https://dorimidnight.com/apothecary/pleasure-activist/

​The Moon in Gemini makes two trines, first to Venus in its domicile in Libra, then to Mercury—the ruler of Gemini—who is also in Libra. As you approach conversations and collaborations today, let cooperation, harmony, grace, and even love be your guides. In her book All About Love, bell hooks describes love as “the will to nurture our own and another’s spiritual growth.” Brené Brown defines spirituality as “recognizing and celebrating that we are all inextricably connected to each other by a power greater than all of us, and that our connection to that power and to one another is grounded in love and compassion.” Taken together, what if all of your communication today was motivated by the desire to nurture your own and other’s experiences of our inextricable connection to something greater than all of us?

​Today our journey through the days of planetary magic brings us to Thursday, the day of Jupiter.
 
Jupiter is the great benefic of the diurnal sect. Jupiter stabilizes and affirms. It is a planet associated with abundance, expansion, and growth, as well as faith, belief, wisdom, good fortune, and justice. It is a profoundly optimistic and supportive planet. Jupiter rules the signs of Sagittarius and Pisces, and is exalted in the sign of Cancer.
 
For today—or any Thursday—you might make a small—or maybe large—altar for Jupiter with the things you have available. You can look to the list of correspondences below for the kinds of colors, stones, numbers, and tarot cards you might incorporate. Add things that you associate with Jupiter—maybe objects you associate with your teachers and sources of wisdom, plants that grow, or objects of spiritual and religious significance. Once you build your altar, take some time to be with it as an aesthetic experience. Notice how being with this altar makes you feel. Drop your attention down into your body and observe what sensations arise as you spend time with the objects you’ve gathered for Jupiter.
 
Jupiter is currently visible each night, a bright diamond in the dark of the night sky. You may consider going for a walk just after sunset to catch a glimpse of the great benefic.

Whether you’re working with or without an altar, whether you go outside to see Jupiter in the sky, I invite you to take some time to meditate with Jupiter. It could be five minutes, ten minutes, or longer. Visualize Jupiter in your mind’s eye (you can look up pictures of the planet if you don’t know what it looks like), or visualize the glyph for Jupiter. Notice what your body feels like as you imagine Jupiter. Remember or call up experiences in which you felt abundance and more-than-enough. You may feel into experiences when you felt a wide open expanse of possibilities or when you felt connected to a reliable source of wisdom or enlightenment. Notice what these memories feel like in your body, not just as thoughts in your mind.

In meditations like this, I also work with mantras coming from the yoga tradition. For working with Jupiter, I use the mantra: “Om Sri Gurave Namaha.” I use a mala and repeat the mantra 108 times. I also sometimes use mudra, described below.
 
However you spend your time meditating with Jupiter—repeating a mantra, visualizing the planet or glyph, recalling experiences that you associate with Jupiter’s significations—tune in to the sensations that begin to accumulate. These could be physical or they could be more subtle energetic shifts in your awareness. The practice here is for Jupiter to become more than just an abstract symbol or something that you think of as “out there” in space. As you begin to notice what Jupiter feels like within your body, this becomes a state that you can return to and work with in your magic, and how you understand Jupiter astrologically—in your birth chart or in its transits—will begin to take on more embodied significance as well.
 
Jupiter
Day: Thursday
Number: 4
Colors: Yellow, indigo, purple, and white
Metals: Lead (Picatrix)
Stones: “precious stones that are white and golden and part of carnelian and emerald and quarts and crystal and all stones that are white and clear and shining, and also gold” (Picatrix)
Chakra: Swadisthana, the Sacral Chakra
Mantra: Om Sri Gurave Namaha
Mudra: The index finger is associated with Jupiter, so I work with Jnana Mudra (Seal of Wisdom) or Chin Mudra (Gesture of Consciousness)—bringing the tip of the thumb and index finger together, with other fingers extended. There is also Guru Mudra, which is used to signify Jupiter in Indian dance traditions (pictured below).
Tarot: Because of Jupiter’s many significations—abundance, expansion, growth, faith, wisdom, justice, good fortune, fertility, etc.—I find that depending on the deck I’m working with, different cards feelmore like Jupiter. So, for example, when working with some decks, the High Priestess card resonates with Jupiter’s significations of faith and wisdom. In other decks, the Teacher feels more like Jupiter’s wisdom and growth. In other decks, Justice stands out more for me. (In the Golden Dawn tradition, Jupiter was associated with the Wheel of Fortune card.)

Kaitlin Coppock of Sphere + Sundry also has a beautiful series of Jupiter's Bounty talismanic offerings that provide "a classically uplifting, benefic and juicy Jupiterian charge, ideal for prosperity magic, luck increase, Jupiter remediation, and the promotion and preservation of All Good Things": https://sphereandsundry.com/product-category/series/jupiters-bounty/​
I love Kaitlin's work, which has been a huge support to me as I have developed my own astrological magic practices. I work with Kaitlin's Water of Jupiter's Bounty each week.

​As we move through our days of planetary magic, we come to Wednesday, the day of Mercury.
 
Mercury is a planet of ambiguity and ambivalence. It belongs to neither the day nor the night, but can belong to either. It is the fastest moving planet other than the Moon, and it changes speeds and directions more than any other. It is associated with argumentation and destabilization, but also the precise, detailed work of critical thinking and communication. Mercury is also associated with travel, commerce, and trade. Mercury was the messenger of the gods, moving between the upper world and the underworld, and as such, is associated with in-between-ness, crossing over, changing directions, and sharing information. Mercury rules the signs of Gemini and Virgo, and is exalted in Virgo.
 
For today—or any Wednesday—you might make a small altar for Mercury with the things you have available. You can look to the list of correspondences below for the kinds of colors, stones, numbers, and tarot cards you might incorporate. Add things that you associate with Mercury—maybe coins or notebooks, letters and correspondences or postcards. Once you build your altar, take some time to be with it as an aesthetic experience. Notice how being with this altar makes you feel. Drop your attention down into your body and observe what sensations arise as you observe the objects you’ve gathered for Mercury.
 
Sometimes, Mercury is visible in the night sky. Sometimes it rises before the Sun as a morning star, sometimes it sets after the Sun as an evening star. Right now, because of how close it is to the Sun, it is not currently visible, but around September 23 through November 3, it may be visible in the evening sky after the Sun sets. After Mercury’s retrograde period this fall, it will be at its brightest in the morning sky before the Sun rises, from November 19-December 13.

Whether you are working with or without an altar, I invite you to take some time to meditate with Mercury. It could be five minutes, ten minutes, or longer. Visualize Mercury in your mind’s eye (you can look up pictures of the planet if you don’t know what it looks like), or visualize the glyph for Mercury. Notice what your body feels like as you imagine Mercury. Remember or call up experiences in which you felt in-between places, in liminal spaces, moving between one world and another. You might call up what being in transit feels like for you—on planes or trains, commutes or relocations. Consider returning to experiences in which you received good news or messages from afar. Feel into experiences where you felt like you were communicating clearly and being understood. Notice what these memories feel like in your body, not just as thoughts in your mind.

In meditations like this, I also work with mantras coming from the yoga tradition. For working with Mercury, I use the mantra: “Om Sri Budhaya Namaha.” I use a mala and repeat the mantra 108 times. I also sometimes use mudra, described below.
 
However you spend your time meditating with Mercury—repeating a mantra, recalling experiences that you associated with Mercury’s significations—tune in to the sensations that begin to accumulate. These could be physical, emotional, or they could be more subtle energetic shifts in your awareness. The practice is for Mercury to become more than just an abstract symbol or something that you think of as “out there” in space. As you begin to notice what Mercury feels like within your body, this becomes a state that you can return to and work with in your magic, and how you understand Mercury astrologically—in your birth chart or in its transits—will begin to take on more embodied significance as well.
 
Mercury
Day: Wednesday
Number: 8, and also 2 and 3
Colors: Orange and multi-colored
Metals: “quicksilver and part of tin and glass” (Picatrix)
Stones: “emerald and all stones of this type and has part of asumbedich” (Picatrix)
Chakra: Vishudha, the Throat Chakra
Mantra: Om Sri Budhaya Namaha
Mudra: The little finger is associated with Mercury, so I use Bhudi Mudra—bringing the tip of the thumb and little finger together, with other fingers extended. There is also a mudra from Indian dance traditions used to signify Mercury—Budha Mudra, illustrated below.
Tarot: The Magician

Kaitlin Coppock of Sphere + Sundry also has a beautiful series of Exalted Mercury Cazimi talismanic offerings to "aid in the forms of productivity which rely on mental rigor and analytical processing": https://sphereandsundry.com/product-category/series/exalted-mercury-cazimi/
I love Kaitlin's work, which has been a huge support to me as I have developed my own astrological magic practices.

Sources:
 
Kaitlin Coppock, “Planetary Magic: A Beginner’s Guide,” WellBeing Astrology 2020, editor Kelly Surtees, Universal Media Co, 2019: 92-95.
 
Austin Coppock, “Intro to Planetary Magic,” https://austincoppock.com/shop/intro-to-planetary-magic-course/[online course].
 
Richard Fish and Ryan Kurczak, The Art and Science of Vedic Astrology: The Foundation Course (Asheville Vedic Astrology, 2012).
 
Cain Carroll and Revital Carroll, Mudras of India (London: Singing Dragon, 2013).
 
Gertrud Hirschi, Mudras: Yoga in your Hands (York Beach, Maine: Samuel Weiser, Inc, 2000).
 
Thomas Ashley-Farrand, Healing Mantras: Using Sound Affirmations for Personal Power, Creativity, and Healing (New York: Ballantine Books, 1999).
 
Richard Palmer, “Delving Into Tarot and Astrology in the Golden Dawn Tradition,” Biddy Tarot, https://www.biddytarot.com/tarot-astrology-golden-dawn/.
 
Joe Rao, “When, Where and How to See the Planets in the 2019 Night Sky,” December 27, 2018, https://www.space.com/39240-when-to-see-planets-in-the-sky.html.

If you missed the previous posts in this series, you can find them here:
The Sun
The Moon
​Mars

​Today we continue with our series of short practices for connecting to each of the traditional planets on each of the days that they rule. Tuesday is the day of Mars. Attuning to Mars can be energizing and activating, and also sometimes challenging. It can bring up harm, frustration, or rage, which are difficult emotions—but those are places that we need to feel in order to heal.
 
Mars is considered the malefic of the nocturnal sect in Hellenistic astrology. Mars severs and separates, the planet of action and taking charge. It is associated with aggression, conflict, and war. As a malefic planet, it can present difficulties, specifically denying, refusing, or challenging the significations of the other planets. It is associated with the warrior. Mars rules the signs of Aries and Scorpio, and is exalted in Capricorn.
 
For today—or any Tuesday—you might make a small altar for Mars with the things you have available. You can look to the list of correspondences below for the kinds of colors, stones, numbers, and tarot cards you might incorporate. Add things that you associate with Mars—maybe red candles or things made of iron or steel, like nails or knives, even miniature soldier action figures. Once you build your altar, take some time to be with it as an aesthetic experience. Notice how being with this altar makes you feel. Drop your attention down into your body and observe what sensations arise as you observe the objects you’ve gathered for Mars.
 
Sometimes, Mars is visible in the night sky. It has a dull, red-ish glow. Right now, because of how close Mars is to the Sun, it is not currently visible, but later in the year, you might consider taking time to go outside and see Mars in the sky. It will be visible in the morning before sunrise from October 16 through the end of the year.

Whether you’re working with or without an altar, I invite you to take some time to meditate with Mars. It could be five minutes, ten minutes, or longer. Visualize Mars in your mind’s eye (you can look up pictures of the planet if you don’t know what it looks like), or visualize the glyph for Mars. Notice what your body feels like as you imagine Mars. Remember or call up experiences in which you have felt stirred to action, motivated to charge ahead, even if that meant conflict or separation. Consider returning to experiences in which what you wanted was denied, and it felt like the only way forward was a fight. Notice what these memories feel like in your body, not just as thoughts in your mind.

In meditations like this, I also work with mantras coming from the yoga tradition. For working with Mars, I use the mantra: “Om Sri Angarakaya Namaha.” I use a mala and repeat the mantra 108 times. I also sometimes use mudra, described below.
 
However you spend your time meditating on Mars—repeating a mantra, recalling experiences that you associated with Mars’ significations—tune in to the sensations that begin to accumulate. These could be physical, emotional, or they could be more subtle energetic shifts. The practice here is for Mars to become more than just an abstract symbol or something that you think of as “out there” in space. As you begin to notice what Mars feels like within your body, this becomes a state that you can return to and work with in your magic, and how you understand Mars astrologically—in your birth chart or in its transits—will begin to take on more embodied significance as well.
 
Mars
Day: Tuesday
Number: 5
Colors: Red
Metals: “red copper and all kinds of sulphur” (Picatrix)
Stones: “part of glass and premonada, and bloodstone and part of carnelian and onyx and in all stones that are red and tawny or speckled” (Picatrix)
Chakra: Manipura, the Solar Plexus Chakra
Mantra: Om Sri Angarakaya Namaha
Mudra: Because the thumb is associated with Mars, and because of Mars’ active quality, I use prana mudra for stimulating and focusing energy, bringing the tip of the thumb to the tips of the ring and little finger, with the index and middle finger extended. There is also a mudra called angaraka mudra which is used to depict Mars in Indian dance traditions, pictured below. 
Tarot: Knights, especially the Knight of Swords, but I will often meditate on different Knight cards depending on what triplicity Mars is located in. So, for example, as I write this, Mars is in Virgo—and earth sign—so I might spend time meditating with the Knight of Pentacles. (In the Golden Dawn tradition, Mars was associated with The Tower card.)