OF THE INFLUENCES OF THE SEVEN PLANETS
The planet Saturn is the most remote of the seven planetary orbs
recognised by the ancient writers on astrology. He is of a pale ash
colour, slow in motion, only finishing his course through the twelve
signs of the zodiac in 29 years and about 157 days. His greatest north
latitude from the ecliptic is 2 degrees 48 minutes; his south latitude
is 2 degrees 49 minutes.
Those born with this planet well-dignified[4] are studious, grave,
economical, prudent, patient and in all their actions sober and
somewhat austere. They are not much given to the love of women, but
they are persons of much depth of feeling, and, when they do love, they
are very constant. They are given to the study of occult matters,[5]
and are of a melancholic, suspicious and jealous temperament. In person
_when well-dignified_ Saturn gives a rather tall stature and long
limbs. The hair is dark, the eyebrows much marked and generally meeting
between the eyes, which are dark brown, deep set and close together.
The nose is long and generally somewhat bent over the lips and the
under jaw slightly protrudes. The complexion is sallow, the ears large
and the hands and feet are generally long, but not fleshy.
[4] The foregoing chapter explains this term.
[5] The Chaldees averred that when Saturn was powerful in a
nativity the person then born was "mystical and confederate
in secrecy."
Those born under the potent aspect of Saturn are generally slow of
speech and their voices are harsh; when Saturn rises in a horoscope
_devoid of dignities_, the native is envious, covetous, malicious,
subtle, untruthful and of a discontented disposition. In person
frequently deformed, with long and irregular features, the eyes and
hair dark and the skin yellow and harsh.
In man's body this planet rules the spleen, the right ear, the lips and
the teeth. In illness he gives ague, palsy, ruptures (especially should
he rule in the sign of Scorpio), jaundice, toothache and all affections
of the sight, of the ear, of the teeth and jaws and of the legs.
The herbs he governs are the hemlock, hellebore, burdock, sage,
henbane, rue, nightshade and mandrake.
The trees under his rule are the willow, the yew, the cypress, the
box-tree and the pine.
The beasts he governs are the elephant, the wolf, the bear, the dog,[6]
the basilisk, the crocodile, the scorpion, the serpent, the rat, the
mouse and all manner of creeping things; among birds, the crow, the
cuckoo, the raven, the owl and the bat.
[6] This animal has been probably assigned to him by reason
of its sagacity and extreme fidelity--constancy in feeling
being one of the attributes given by the planet Saturn when
well-dignified.
Of fish he rules the eel, the tortoise and all shell fish.
The minerals he governs are lead and the dross of all metals.
His stones are jet, onyx and all dark stones which are incapable of
polish. The colour he rules is black.
He rules Saturday--the first hour after sunrise, and the eighth hour of
the same day. His number is 55. In gathering the herbs under his rule
the ancients were particular to do so in his hours, as this rendered
the medicament more powerful. This is to be observed regarding the
herbs ruled by all the planets.
Saturn's orb is nine degrees before and after any aspect; that is, his
influence begins to operate when either he applies to any planet or it
applies to him within nine degrees of his perfect aspect, and his
influence continues in force until he is separated nine degrees from
the aspect. His angel is Cassiel. His friends are Jupiter, Venus,
Mercury and the Moon; his enemies are Mars and the Sun.
Jupiter is the next planet below Saturn and is of a bright, clear,
azure colour. He much exceeds Saturn in motion, as he finishes his
course through the twelve signs in twelve years. His greatest north
latitude is 1 degree 38 minutes, and his greatest south latitude 1
degree 40 minutes. When he rises at birth well-dignified he gives an
erect, tall stature, sanguine complexion, oval face, large grey eyes,
thick brown hair, full lips and good teeth. In temperament those born
under the good influence of this planet are honourable, generous and
hospitable, but loving material pleasures, kind and affectionate to
wife and family, charitable, desiring to be well thought of and hating
all mean and sordid actions. The voices of those born under Jupiter are
clear and sonorous. When this planet rises _devoid of dignities_ the
native will be gluttonous, profligate, vain, and boastful, of mean
abilities and shallow understanding, easily seduced to extravagance and
a tyrant to those of his family and household.
In man's body he rules the lungs and the blood, and of diseases he
gives apoplexy, gout, inflammation of the lungs, pleurisy and all
illnesses proceeding from corruption of the blood.
The herbs he governs are cloves, mace, nutmeg, gilliflower, marjoram,
mint, borage and saffron.
Of trees, he rules the mulberry, the olive, the vine, the fig, the
beech and the pear-tree.
Of beasts, the sheep, the hart, the ox and all those animals that are
useful to man.
Of birds, the stork, the snipe, the lark, the eagle, the pheasant, the
partridge and the peacock.
Of fishes, the whale, the dolphin and the sword-fish.
His metal is tin.
His stones are the sapphire, the amethyst and the emerald.
Of colours he rules red mixed with green.
His day is Thursday and he rules the first hour after sunrise and the
eighth hour. His number is 78.
His orb is 9 degrees before and after any aspect.
All the planets except Mars are his friends.
His angel is Zadkiel.
Mars in order succeeds Jupiter. He appears of a red colour, and
finishes his course through the zodiac in 1 year 321 days. His greatest
north latitude is 4 degrees 31 minutes. His south latitude is 6 degrees
47 minutes. When he is well-dignified in a horoscope, the native is
courageous, confident, loving war and all that belongs to it, jealous
of honour, hot-tempered and a great lover of field-sports. In person he
will be of middle stature, broad-shouldered and with big bones; the
complexion of a red fairness; the hair is crisp or curly and also red,
but this varies slightly according to the sign rising at birth; in
watery signs the hair is not so red, and in earthy signs it is more
chestnut; the eyes are grey and have a bold, fixed glance like that of
a hawk.
When he is ill-dignified at birth, the native is turbulent, cruel,
boastful, a promoter of sedition, ungracious in manners and
unscrupulous in his actions, with no fear of either God or man. He
rules the head and face, the gall, the throat and intestines; and the
diseases he gives are fevers, carbuncles, smallpox, all throat
affections, all hurts to the head and face (especially by iron), and
all diseases which arise from too much heat of blood; also accidents
from four-footed beasts.
The herbs over which he rules are the nettle, the thistle, onions,
scammony, garlic, horehound, cardamons, mustard and all herbs giving
heat.
Of trees, all those which are of a prickly nature, such as the holly,
the thorn and the chestnut.
Of beasts, all fierce animals--the tiger, the panther, the wolf, the
horse, the leopard, the wild ass and the bear.
The dog is sometimes assigned to Mars on account of its courage and
combativeness. This delightful animal is probably ruled by both Saturn
and Mars; the former giving it the quality of fidelity which it
possesses in a degree beyond all other creatures.
Of fish, the pike, the barbel and the sword-fish.
Of birds, the hawk, the vulture, the kite, the eagle, the magpie and
the cock, all of which are combative.
The metal he rules is iron. The colour he rules is red.
The stones, the carbuncle, the ruby and the blood-stone.
His orb is 7 degrees before and after any aspect.
He governs Tuesday--the first hour after sunrise, and the eighth. His
number is 39.
His friend among the planets is Venus, all the others are his enemies.
His angel is Samael.
The Sun passes through all the twelve signs of the zodiac in one year
and a few hours over the 365 days which constitute the year. He has no
latitude.
When the Sun rises at a birth well-dignified, the native is of an
honourable disposition, but always desiring to rule, loving pomp, yet
affable, speaking with gravity and without too many words and
possessing much self-reliance and dignity of manner. In person he will
be tall, well made, with golden hair, yellowish skin, large and
piercing eyes and long, straight and well-formed features.
When ill-aspected the native is arrogant, boastful, a spendthrift,
proud, yet in poverty hanging on other men's charity, very loquacious,
restless and without judgment.
He governs the heart, the brain, the right eye and the arms; and the
diseases he causes are all illnesses of the heart, such as swoons,
palpitations, cramps, also diseases of the mouth, the brain, and the
eyes.
Of colours he rules the yellow and orange colour.
The plants subject to the Sun are all those of pungent odours, such as
the marigold, heliotrope, rosemary, balsam, peony, spikenard, musk, St.
John's wort, and ginger.
Of trees he rules the palm, the laurel, the cedar, the orange-tree and
the citron-tree.
Of beasts, the lion, the ram, the goat.
Of birds, the eagle, the cock, the buzzard.
Of fish, the star-fish, the crab-fish and the sea-fox.
He governs Sunday. His number is 34.
Of metals, gold.
Of colours he rules the yellow.
Of stones, the topaz, amber, chrysolite and all yellow stones.
His orb is 15 degrees before any aspect, and as many after separation.
His friends are all the planets except Saturn and Mars.
His angel is Michael.
After the Sun the planet Venus succeeds in order; she is of a bright
shining colour. Her greatest north or south latitude is 2 degrees and 2
minutes. When she rises well-dignified in a nativity the person born
will be of middle stature, rather inclining to shortness, with a
beautiful complexion, light brown hair, the eyes large, of a blue or
grey colour and with a slow and rather languishing movement, red lips,
and dimples in the cheeks, chin and about the mouth. In disposition,
gracious, very tender, inclined to love-making; easy of belief and not
given to labour about anything; fond of music, plays, and all sorts of
merry-makings.
When ill-dignified at birth Venus causes the native to be over-fat,
with thick lips, and much flesh about the chin and cheeks. In
disposition, sensual, riotous and immoral.
Venus governs the lower parts of the body, and the illnesses she gives
are cancer and all affections of the womb.
All the herbs she governs have a sweet smell and, generally, have
smooth leaves and white flowers, such as the lily, both white and
yellow, and the lily of the valley, also the water lily, the myrtle,
maidenhair, violets and roses.
The trees she rules are the walnut, the almond, the apple-tree, the
box-tree, the sycamore, the ash and myrtle.
Of beasts, the hart, the rabbit, the calf and all small cattle.
Of birds, the dove, the sparrow, the nightingale, the swan, the pelican
and the swallow.
Her metal is copper.
Her stones, white and red coral, rubies, the beryl, turquoise and lapis
lazuli, because it expels melancholy.
Her colours are white and purple.
Her orb is 7 degrees before and after any aspect.
Her day of the week is Friday, of which she rules the first and eighth
hour after sunrise. Her number is 45.
Her friends are all the planets, but Saturn is the least sympathetic to
her.
Her angel is Anael.
Mercury is of a soft silver colour. His greatest north latitude is 3
degrees 33 minutes. His greatest south latitude is 3 degrees 33
minutes.
When he rises well-dignified at a birth the native is a person of
subtle intellect, an excellent logician, and possessing much eloquence
in his speech; sharp and witty, of admirable memory, curious in occult
knowledge, given to divination, and, if he should turn his attention to
trade, no man would exceed him in the invention of new ways to gain
wealth.
In person, when Mercury rises well-dignified, the native is of rather
small stature, but elegantly formed, very active and supple in his
limbs, and with long arms; he will have a long, narrow face, a high
forehead, rather swelling at the temples, grey eyes with brown spots in
them, delicate mouth, straight eyebrows, a skin of a pale yellow or
olive colour, the hair of a red-brown, commonly called auburn.
When ill-dignified at birth Mercury gives a person of very small
stature, with small, insignificant features and very small and
quickly-moving eyes; and in character he is shifty, a boaster,
foolishly loquacious and a great liar.
He rules the liver, the tongue and the nerves, and the illnesses he
gives are epilepsy, giddiness, dry cough, any affection of the tongue,
and all nervous affections.
The herbs attributed to him are generally those having a subtle smell,
and having effect on the tongue, brain, lungs, or memory; they are
vervain, adder's-tongue, aniseed, dragon-wort, and the reed.
The trees are the elder and the filbert-tree.
The animals are the squirrel, the weasel, the spider, the greyhound,
the fox, the ape and all cunning and quickly-moving creatures.
The birds, the parrot, the magpie, the crane, the linnet and the
swallow.
Of fish, the jack-fish and the mullet.
His metal is quicksilver.
His stones all those of divers colours, white and red carnelian and
marcasite, or fire-stone.
In colours he rules azure, and all light blue colours.
His orb is 7 degrees before and after any aspect.
He governs Wednesday--the first hour and the eighth after sunrise. His
number is 114. The Moon, Venus, Jupiter, the Sun and Saturn are his
friends; Mars is his enemy.
His angel is Raphael.
The Moon is the nearest to the earth of all the seven planets. She
finishes her course through the whole twelve signs in 27 days 7 hours
and 36 seconds. Her greatest north latitude is 5 degrees and about 17
minutes, her greatest south latitude 5 degrees and 12 minutes.
When she rises well-placed in a horoscope, she signifies a person of
soft and gentle manners, timid, imaginative, loving pleasure and ease,
yet fond of moving from place to place, rather capricious, but of a
poetic and romantic turn of mind. In person, those born under good
aspects of the Moon are of middle height, with a round head and face,
pale, soft skin, large light eyes, usually one a little larger than the
other. The whole body inclined to be fleshy, the lips full, and the
hair of a dull, light colour, but not at all inclined to gold.
When the Moon is ill-aspected at birth the native is indolent,
sometimes a drunkard and vagabond, generally a liar, and, as Lilly puts
it, "a muddling creature."
The Moon governs the left side and the bladder. She gives dropsy, all
cold and rheumatic diseases, colds or hurts in the eyes, convulsive
fits, hysteria, and feminine weaknesses.
The plants she governs are all those which have soft, juicy leaves,
such as the lettuce, the melon, the gourd, the poppy, mushroom, cabbage
and colewort. Of trees, all those which have round, spreading leaves,
such as the lime-tree and the sycamore.
The beasts she rules are those which love the water, as the otter and
the seal.
She rules all sea fowl and also the goose, the duck and the night owl.
Of fish, the oyster, the cockle and the lobster.
Her colours are light greenish-blue mixed with white.
Her metal is silver.
Her stones, pearls, diamonds, opals, crystals and selenite.
Her orb is 12 degrees before and after any aspect.
Her day is Monday; the first hour and the eighth after sunrise are
hers. Her number is 45.
Her friends are Venus, Jupiter, the Sun, Saturn and Mercury.
Her enemy among the planets is Mars.
Her angel is Gabriel.
[Illustration: _To face Chapter VI._]