Coming from an astrology background, many I have asked this question of before have this in mind when they answer the question so I’d be interested to know what others from various occult traditions believe.
What, in your opinion, are the planets? Do they have a power of their own? Are they deities? Are they the messengers of deities? Are they part of our ecosystem, as the roots of adjacent trees speak to each other? Are they simply planets with no connection to our world beyond the physical?
I’d love to know your thoughts.
From my perspective, the planets are several things at once, depending on the level from which we approach them.
On the physical level, they are celestial bodies with measurable properties, movements and influences. However, in many occult traditions, the visible planet is not considered identical to the spiritual power associated with it. Rather, the physical planet is the material expression, vessel or visible sign of a much broader intelligence.
I do not personally understand the planets as “gods” in the simplest sense, nor as lifeless rocks that occultists arbitrarily projected meanings onto. I see them as great cosmic principles that participate in the structure of reality. Mars, for example, is not merely the red object in the sky, but a pattern of separation, conflict, courage, heat, force and decisive action that can be observed in nature, in the human psyche and in social events. The celestial Mars is one manifestation of that principle, but the principle itself is greater than the physical planet.
In the tradition I work with, it is also important to distinguish between different levels of planetary power. The planet, the divine name associated with its sphere, the angelic ruler, the intelligence and the spirit are not necessarily interchangeable beings. They are different expressions or mediators of the same planetary current, operating at different levels of reality.
Therefore, I would say that planets possess power, but not necessarily in the sense of a human-like personality consciously deciding to reward or punish people. Their power is structural. They establish rhythms, qualities and conditions through which life unfolds. Their movements may correspond to changes in the way these patterns become active or visible in our world.
The analogy of an ecosystem is useful. Just as organisms participate in networks far larger than themselves, the Earth does not exist in isolation. We are part of a solar and cosmic environment. Even if someone rejects every metaphysical explanation, the Sun and Moon already demonstrate that celestial bodies profoundly influence life on Earth. Occult traditions extend this idea beyond physical causation and suggest that the cosmos is also connected through symbolic, spiritual and qualitative relationships.
So, for me, the planets are physical worlds, cosmic symbols and living spiritual principles simultaneously. They are not merely distant objects, but neither should their spiritual meaning be reduced to the personalities assigned to them in mythology. The myths, gods, angels and planetary spirits are different cultural and metaphysical ways of approaching forces that are ultimately larger than any single image or name.
