As a part of the Hermetic lineage, Spagyric and Alchemical work follows the basic tenet of “as above so below; as below, so above”. This simple idea has deep and profound meaning for our philosophy, as well as practical application in our work.
What this idea teaches us is that everything we see here in our physical world is a reflection of something on a higher plane, and everything on that higher plane holds archetypal patterns for what is manifest here.
These currents of influence back and forth are called sympathies, and they collect into patterns in which a plant, gem, organ, or any other natural thing is said to be under a particular planet’s rulership. Herbs that promote the body’s immune defenses are under the rulership of Mars, for example, while sedatives are ruled by the Moon.
These rulerships are part of the energetic intelligence of the plant and the real source of its healing effects, and they flow naturally from the archetypal realms into the physical as the plant grows and interacts with its environment.
Planetary rulerships can also be focused and worked with in the lab, and this is where the practice of Spagyric processing starts. By working on specific cycles of days and hours, different steps in extraction and processing open the plant when its ruling planet is most at sympathy with the moment, allowing the “above” to flow into the “below”, much as it did when the plant was alive.
This is similar to the idea of a person’s moment of birth being a reflection of a unique alignment of celestial influences- except with Spagyric processing, we are picking the birth time! For our herbs of Mars, we will work just after sunrise on Tuesday, while the Moon’s sedating plants will be processed early on Monday.
This allows the final Spagyric to carry the perfected representation of the healing qualities of the plant, along with the archetype of the planetary energy that is the source of those qualities. When used, it can act as a sort of template to re-pattern that energy and a person’s relationship with it to a more balanced state.
One of the best ways to start this type of work is to look at your personal planetary rulerships using the same Hermetic planetary time cycles that we use in our lab. The easiest level to figure and work with is the Mercury, or Spirit level of being, which aligns with the day of the week on which you were born.
The Mercury level is the level of your Spirit, your basic energy being and intelligence, connected to communication, thought, and the vital link between your body and soul. Supporting this level brings more vitality to your whole being, and so it is a good level to work with in and healing or spiritual practice.
As we explained above, finding your Mercury level rulership is simple- just find the day of the week you were born on. You can do this with a “perpetual calendar”, such as at this website.
Once you know the weekday of your birth, you can see its rulership below, as well as click on your ruling planet to see a list of Spagyrics to support you at the Mercury level:
- Monday – Moon
- Tuesday – Mars
- Wednesday – Mercury
- Thursday – Jupiter
- Friday – Venus
- Saturday – Saturn
- Sunday – Sun
There is much more to learn in this system, but we hope this brief introduction has been interesting and informative! If you’d like to dive deeper into the seven planetary archetypes, get our free ebook “Spagyrics: Herbal Alchemy for Inner Connection”, a journey through the intelligences of the seven planets. You’ll learn about the archetypal energies of each planet through its deities and divine beings, colours, crystals and altar work, and our favourite Spagyrics to support your connection to each planet’s best manifestation.
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