Witchcraft has long been associated with celestial spheres, a concept that connects witches and their practices to the celestial bodies that exist in the cosmos. The celestial sphere refers to an imaginary sphere that surrounds the Earth, on which the stars, planets, and other celestial objects appear to be located. In witchcraft, the celestial sphere holds significant meaning and is often used as a tool for divination, spellcasting, and understanding the movement of energy in the universe. Witches believe that the celestial bodies, such as the moon, sun, and planets, emit different energies that can be harnessed and utilized in various magical practices. The moon, for example, is believed to have a strong influence on witchcraft, and its different phases are often used as a guide for spellcasting and ritual work. The full moon is considered a powerful time for performing spells related to abundance, manifestation, and psychic development, while the new moon is seen as a time for setting intentions and planting seeds of intention for future growth.
Yet there was a deep ambivalence surrounding the figure of the Tudor witch, for even occult powers had their uses. A Christian-Cabalist, Dr John Dee suggested the date for Elizabeth I’s coronation and enjoyed her patronage as court astrologer most of his life, despite openly conjuring ‘spirits’ from the ‘super-celestial sphere’ using rituals found in ancient magical grimoires. Dee’s abilities as an astrologer and his potentially lucrative experiments with alchemy kept him above the law, despite Elizabeth I’s punitive statute in 1563, enforcing the death sentence for the practice of witchcraft. All witches were equal under Tudor law, it seemed, but some were more equal than others. Indeed, it was not until after James I came to the throne in 1603, with his treatise Daemonologie and his fear of the supernatural, that the witch-hunting craze in England really took off.
In terms of books, I recommend the Weiser Concise Guide to Practical Astrology for a general overview of astrology, as well as Llewellyn s Complete Book of Astrology. If I ve a problem or issue I d like to address magically, chances are that I ll be able to pinpoint my need or desire as falling under the domain of one of the seven.
The full moon is considered a powerful time for performing spells related to abundance, manifestation, and psychic development, while the new moon is seen as a time for setting intentions and planting seeds of intention for future growth. Similarly, the sun is associated with vitality, success, and personal power in witchcraft. Witches may perform rituals and spells during specific times of the day, such as sunrise or sunset, to align with the energy of the sun and harness its power for their magical work.
The Seven Celestial Spheres: A Theoretical Introduction
The ancient Greeks, Babylonians, and Romans, as well as many other cultures and civilizations, conceived of the planets as gods. Though, from our modern perspective, there’s a tendency to snort at the idea of worshiping a cold rock or ball of gas out in space, it is easy to understand why the ancients believed the planets to be symbolic of godforms and representative of their qualities. In a world where much of life was uncertain, the certainty observed in the heavens by our forebears must have seemed a thing of great beauty, and thus, to them, was worthy of association with divinity. Realize, though, that ancient peoples didn’t venerate the lights themselves, and would likely have been amenable to understanding the physical reality of the planets, had the information been available to them. One must realize that ancient pagan religions varied immensely from place to place, even within the same culture, and that they were incredibly complex. For the most part, the planet named (for example) Mercury was so-called because it exhibited qualities (in this case, chiefly speed) associated with the godform of Mercury, not because the ancients believed the light in the sky to actually be the totality of Mercury himself. The ancient Greeks and Romans (who gave the planets names that we still use today) had a religious system that blended intense poetic metaphor with, at times, what might today be derided superstition. It is for this reason that, for example, the notion of Olympus as a sacred abode of the gods persisted throughout the ancient period despite that selfsame mountaintop being clearly visible. Similarly, while these cultures were often on the very cusp of understanding the planet’s physical nature, they remained of great spiritual and social import. This might perhaps be because of how important the then-merged disciplines of astronomy and astrology would have been to ancient lifestyles on a practical level. It is indeed difficult for us in the 21st century to conceptualize the role the celestial bodies played in the lives of the ancients, but suffice to say that in nearly every ancient culture, they were of some importance, likely owing to the fact that they allowed for complex mechanisms of timekeeping and therefore aided in planning and decision-making. Through observation, our forebears could conclude that the appearance of certain stars or planets in certain configurations heralded the best time for planting. If you read much about astrology, you’ll come across the term “Chaldean” fairly often. The word “Chaldea” was often used to refer to the ancient Babylonians, who were in particular known for having an astute understanding of astronomy and astrology. At times, knowledge of the stars was merely referred to as “Chaldean wisdom,” immortalizing the massive strides made by the ancient Babylonians in understanding the universe on both a scientific and occult level. They developed a working theory of the five visible planets, to whom they ascribed the names of their gods, and the predictive, divinatory astrology of the Chaldeans was said to operate based on the idea that the movements of the planets mirrored the impulses of the divinities. Hence, it was here that we saw the birth of classical occidental astrology.
The Sumerians identified the five “stars” that wandered through the night sky, which we know today as the planets Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn. Together with the two luminaries of the Sun and Moon, they attributed these seven “wandering stars” to some of their most important deities, and the connection between the heavenly gods and their influence on the earthly realm of man was laid out as a template for future cultures to learn from and refine. d'Este, Sorita. Practical Planetary Magick: Working the Magick of the Classical Planets in the Western Esoteric Tradition (Kindle Locations 289-292). Avalonia. Kindle Edition.
The ancient Greeks had a similar notion of “planetes asteres,” or “wandering stars,” a category that included the five visible bodies we now consider planets (Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, Venus, and Mercury) as well as the Sun and Moon. Each corresponded to a divinity for which it was named. As time progressed and older beliefs about the divine were supplanted with new ones, the conceptual association remained. Though by the Renaissance, almost all veneration of the Greco-Roman godforms had ceased, the notions associated with the planets named for them (Venus as a purveyor of love, Mercury as messenger) persisted in the domain of astrology and the occult, as well as many other areas of life throughout history following the fall of the Roman Empire. We mostly see works on astrology becoming mainstream once more during the period known as the Renaissance, and many are surprised to learn that a great number of famous mathematicians and astronomers from that period also exhibited a mastery of astrology. Individuals such as Tycho Brahe and Johannes Kepler, for example, were known to have studied this art in tandem with their astronomical studies, as was customary at a time when significant overlap between the two existed.
Thus Hermes Trismegistus, whose philosophy may be termed the wellspring of the Western Mystery Tradition, declares in one of the surviving “Excerpts” of his work: “Seven wandering stars are there which move in spheres before Olympus’ gate…. To these stars the human race is committed: we have within us Mene, Zeus, Ares, Paphie, Kronos, Helios, Hermes. By this means are we destined to draw from the living aether of the Kosmos our tears, mirth, anger, our parenthood, our converse, our sleep and every desire.” (Excerpt 29, from the book Isis to Horus.) Osborne Phillips, Melita Denning. Planetary Magick: The Heart of Western Magick (Llewellyn’s High Magick Series) (Kindle Locations 368-371). Kindle Edition.
The planets also play a significant role in witchcraft, with each planet being associated with different magical properties and energies. For example, Mars is linked to power, passion, and courage, making it a favorable planet to work with for spells related to personal strength and empowerment. In contrast, Venus is associated with love, beauty, and harmony, making it ideal for spells and rituals focused on romantic relationships and self-care. Overall, the witchcraft celestial sphere is a complex and intricate aspect of magical practice, connecting witches to the energies of the celestial bodies and allowing them to tap into the power of the universe. By understanding and working with the celestial sphere, witches can enhance their magical abilities and manifest their desires more effectively..
Reviews for "The Celestial Sphere in Witchcraft: Tapping into the Stargate of Power"
1. Samantha - 2 stars - I was really disappointed with "Witchcraft celestial sphere". The plot was all over the place and it felt like the author was just throwing in random elements without any cohesion. I also found the characters to be extremely one-dimensional, with no depth or development. Overall, it was a lackluster read and I wouldn't recommend it.
2. Mark - 1 star - "Witchcraft celestial sphere" was by far one of the worst books I've ever read. The writing was atrocious, filled with grammatical errors and typos. I couldn't get past the first few chapters because the dialogue was so cringe-worthy and the pacing was incredibly slow. Save your time and money and steer clear of this disaster of a novel.
3. Emily - 2 stars - I had high hopes for "Witchcraft celestial sphere" but it fell flat for me. The world-building was confusing and inconsistent, making it difficult to understand the magical rules and how everything fit together. The romance subplot also felt forced and unnecessary, taking away from the main plot. I struggled to stay engaged and ended up feeling let down by the end.
4. Jason - 2 stars - "Witchcraft celestial sphere" had so much potential, but it failed to deliver. The writing style was dry and lacked any sort of excitement, making it difficult for me to stay invested in the story. The plot had potential, but it was executed poorly, with predictable twists and turns. Overall, I found it to be a forgettable read that didn't live up to the hype.