Much has been written about the planets used in astrology; but, unfortunately, each planet has often

been considered as an entity in itself radiating some sort of "influence" upon the Earth and all beings on its surface. The approach is not unlike that of old-time students of anatomy who considered each organ of the human body as an entity in itself only vaguely related to the whole organism. Such an analytical approach is still followed, even in medicine. The doctor, using very complex methods of analysis and tests, studies the heart of his patient, or his lungs, or his eyes as if each were a separate entity. f he is an ophthalmologist !eye doctor", he may tell the patient suffering from the inflammation of some eye membrane or from incipient glaucoma that the eyes are sensitive to his general condition of health# having said that, he dismisses everything except the eyes. The same applies to other organs$for instance, to the pancreas in cases of diabetes. The doctor is a "specialist." %opefully, if in an exceptional hospital one deals with many specialists, each looking at one organ, a doctor & or tomorrow a computer & may somehow add up all these analytical data and a total picture of the patient's organism may emerge. (ut the whole is not merely the sum of its parts. The situation in astrology is very similar. There was one astrologer whose specialty was )luto# another emphasi*ed +ranus, or the ,oon, or progressions, or perhaps solar returns. Such individual preferences or speciali*ed studies, statistical or not, are understandable# but the real issue reaches much deeper than the special interest of this or that practitioner. The issue is whether astrology should deal with planets as single entities and sources of energies or with the solar system as a whole & i.e., as an "organism" as a cosmically organi*ed system of interdependent activities. This is a fundamental issue, you cannot really understand the behavior of any organ of the human body unless you see it as a speciali*ed field of cellular activity through which a basic organic function is performed. This function is depending on other functions for its operation# it is usually balanced by another function having an opposite or contrasting character. The healthy operation of every function always depends on the delicate interplay between all the functions of the body $ and not only of the body, but also of the psychic and mental levels of activity. This is so evident that one should hardly have to speak of it# yet, in practice, this evidence is rarely considered as a basic factor in either medical diagnosis or astrological birth-chart interpretation. t certainly is not given the place it should have in textbooks on astrology# and nearly all astrologers are haunted by the archaic concept according to which a planet is like a god who "does something to you" and whose doings can be characteri*ed as fortunate or unfortunate. -et would it make any sense to say that the liver is good and the large intestine or kidneys bad. t is said now that astrology is the study of the "cosmic environment" of the Earth and of man# thus, the term "cosmecology" has lately been used as a scientific substitute. (ut it is not enough to speak of the solar system as our cosmic environment. The word environment does not readily tell the whole story even though today we are beginning to reali*e that the biosphere & man's environment on the Earth surface & is made up of interdependent life species and is deeply affected by the state of the air, soil, ocean, rivers, etc. The fact is that very few people do consider the Earth globe an organism because they still implicitly believe in the old religious tradition according to which man does not really belong to this planet but was sent there by /od to gain certain kinds of experiences or learn some lessons & and man was given carte blanche to so with everything in 0ature as he pleased.

1ikewise, most people today cannot think of the solar system as an "organism," even though it clearly is an organi*ed system of activities structured by cosmic principles of ordered motion. The Harmony of the Spheres 2osmic forces are active in and through the whole solar system. nterplanetary space, we now know, is not "empty." )owerful forces interplay within it# currents of energy circulate through it. f astrology means anything at all, this meaning is based on the assumption that the human organism and the entire biosphere organically operate in resonance to the rhythm of these currents. The solar system has been considered a vast "cosmic clock" to which the little "cosmic clocks" inside plants, animals, and men are attuned. The inner organic clocks of a man somehow become set at the moment of birth, and the positions of the planets & the several "hands" of the "solar-system clock" & enable us to tell the way in which this organic clock has been set. 3nowing this, we can deduce how the most basic functions in a man's total organism will operate during his individual life. A planet by itself does not do anything to anybody. t simply indicates how a particular function of the human organism !body and psyche" operates in relation to the other functions. These functions constitute a kind of hierarchy, the most fundamental one being probably the heart function, yet a function related to that of certain brain centers and glands. The astrologer's problem is, and always has been, that of identifying the functions & or basic types of activities & whose rhythms are attuned to the rhythms of each of the planets. This is what )ythagoras meant by the study of the "harmony of the spheres"# and interestingly enough, the ancient concepts of this great mind who lived 45 centuries ago are now being revived, of course in new terms, by the most progressive physicists, mathematicians, and astronomers of the day. 1ikewise, the renowned occultist, alchemist, and physician )aracelsus wrote some five centuries ago6 To understand correctly the meaning of the worlds alchemy and astrology, it is necessary to understand and reali*e the intimate relationship and the identity of the ,icrocosm and ,acrocosm and their mutual interaction. 7ll the powers of the universe are potentially contained in man and man's physical body, and all his organs are nothing else but products and representatives of the power of 0ature . . . f have "manna" in my constitution, can attract "manna" from heaven. "Saturn" is not only in the sky, but also deep in the earth and in the ocean. 8hat is "9enus" but the "7rtemisia" that grows in your garden. 8hat is "iron" but ",ars". That is to say, 9enus and 7rtemisia are both products of the same essence, and ,ars and iron are the both the manifestations of the same cause. 8hat is the human body but a constellation of the same powers that formed the stars in the sky. %e who knows what iron is knows the attributes of ,ars. %e who knows ,ars knows the :ualities of iron. 8hat would become of your heart if there were no Sun in the +niverse. 8hat would be the use of your "vasa spermatica" if there were no 9enus. !from ;ran* %artmann, aracelsus, pp. 4<=-4<<" 8hat all this means is that man is, at his own level, an organi*ed system of activities, >ust as the solar system is, and that these two systems exist in a "harmonic" kind of relationship. !t is not only that man resonates to the rhythm of the solar system, for the re"erse is also true. ,an's action and reactions can also introduce elements of discord in the solar system. t is a two-way attunement. n this sense, in however small measure it may be, every man is responsible to, or at least involved in, the welfare of the solar system. 7 birth-chart is, therefore, a two-dimensional picture of the solar system seen from the point of view of a particular locality on the surface of the Earth at a particular time. 7s such, it is also a kind of blueprint of a three-dimensional human organism. (ut ?ohn Smith's organism can also be thought of as mankind & or human nature & looked at from the point

of view of a particular set of parental and social circumstances. Every newborn emerging from the mother's womb is a particular and to a degree uni:ue example of the potentialities contained in human nature. The basic potentiality is that this baby organism will learn to talk, to think, and to became and "individual," self-reliant and expressing whatever is exactly meant by an individual soul. Each planet in the chart represents one basic set of functional potentialities inherent in human nature & >ust as every planet in the solar system represents one "tone" in the cosmic chord of the solar system, the Sun being the "fundamental tone" or "tonic" of that cosmic chord. n the following, shall attempt to define in relatively new way the functional potentiality represented by each planet. The lanets as #rganic $unctions TH% S&'( 7s most but probably not all of the energies circulating through the solar system originate in the Sun and life on Earth depends primarily, if not exclusively, on the solar radiations, the Sun in a birth-chart represents the power of organic and psycho-spiritual sustainment. The type of energy which most basically sustains you and, therefore, on which you mainly depend !and should depend" in your most primordial organic activity is defined by the position of the Sun by *odiacal sign and natal house at birth. The degree on which the Sun is located is also very important, for the symbol for this degree should reveal the nature of those experiences through which an individual can best reali*e the essential purpose of his existence. The problem, however, is what system of symbolism should be considered most valid. )ersonally, find that only the Sabian Symbols answer the main re:uirement of such a set of @AB-degree symbols# and this re:uirement is an inner structural consistency so that all degrees are seen as se:uential phases of a cyclic process of unfoldment. should add that the formulation and interpretation of these Sabian Symbols is still far from truly ade:uate. 7ttempts to characteri*e the meaning of each degree by analytical and statistical procedures seem to me futile and based on a wrong concept of astrology. TH% M##'( ;rom the archaic point of view, the ,oon is the "1ight of the night." Curing the night, man sleeps and recovers from the activities of the day. The ,oon can, therefore, be seen as the recuperative functions. f one considers dreams as very significant factors, especially at the psychological level, the ,oon can be interpreted as a power of inspiration and even revelation. t connects us with the beyond through often imprecise and confusing images or warnings. f the ,oon is seen as the one satellite of the Earth, possibly defining by its revolution the outermost boundaries of the Earth's "aura" !or astral body", then it represents more specifically the point of sensitiveness to change and opportunities for growth. t tells us, in our birth-chart, the type of energy and of experiences which will enable us best to ad>ust to the re:uirements of any life situation# thus, it symboli*es our natural capacity for adaptation to our environment. M%)*&)+( (iologically speaking, this planet represents the electric potential in the human body and the way in which it operates through the nervous system. t is that which carries messages from the senses to the brain and from the volitional centers to the organs of actions. t, therefore, links the outer and inner realms of human existence. 8ithout this ,ercury function, the ,oon capacity of adaptation to the environment could not operate. 7t the psychological level, ,ercury associates sensations, images, ideas, concepts, and values. 7s it connects repetitive events, it is the foundation for what we call "memory," which in turn is the basis of all thinking processes. The ,ercury function is, thus, involved in all mental-activity. ts potentiality of remarkable development characteri*es the human species. Dne should be careful, however, not to a associate the mind as a whole with ,ercury. The ,ercury function makes possible the operation of the mind in the human organism# it is not the mind.

,%'&S( Dn the basis of the information provided by the ,ercury function, the organism-asa-whole gives what is happening, or has happened, a "value." 9enus is the holistic planet par excellence. t gathers up all that reaches the consciousness and evaluates the situation as a whole, >udging it pleasant or dangerous, exalting and potentially fulfilling or debilitating and frustrating. Dn the basis of this >udgment of value, the organism-as-a-whole, and in more evolved and consciousness man the ego and the will center, reacts or positively responds to this situation. 9enus does not really refer to "love"# and it should not always be considered "favorable," except perhaps in horary astrology. f it can be said to refer in the body to some of the procreative organs !ovaries and testicles", it is because every living organism instinctively seeks to reproduce itself# and where there are two sexes, reproduction based upon and glamori*ed by the power of attraction we call love. 7t the psycho-spiritual level, this love function operates as the drive toward union of complementary polarities, a union necessary to bring some valuable contribution to society. Dr else 9enus refers to the love rapturously sung by mystics seeking to reach the "unitive state" & i.e., prefect union with /od. MA)S( Dn the basis of what the 9enus function has >udged to be valuable or dangerous, the ,ars function operates as motion toward or away from an experience. ,ars "rules" all muscles, all that by using which the organism acts. 7t the human level, ,ars is the capacity for creative self-pro>ection, for taking an initiative which may transform the environment. The ascetic yogi uses this ,ars function in subduing his instinctual drives. ,ore generally, speaking, where ,ars is placed in the birth-chart tells us how we can be most spontaneous or more active. This spontaneity may be blocked by Saturn or transcendentali*ed by 0eptune# and when ,ars is retrograde, this capacity for self-pro>ection may be at least partially affected by some deep complex which sends the spontaneous desire to act back to the 9enue function for reassurance or reinterpretation. " s my doing this really worthwhile or safe." ,ars need not mean "aggressiveness" in the usual sense of the word. t has this meaning in our society because we extol competition and violence# and this is a result of a culture which is based on repression, puritanism, and only at best on the desire to transcend biological drives in order to reach spiritual union. -& !T%)( ?upiter is the great alchemist who metaboli*es everything that the body or the ego-mind has absorbed, "assimilating" it. t seeks to make of every part a thoroughly integrated and soundly functioning contributor to the welfare of the whole. The keyword of the ?upiter function is "together." t is, thus, the social function in all its forms. ,ankind has made use of this potentiality of social integration in a remarkable way# but so have the bees and the ants, except that man tries hard to transcendentiali*e this ?upiter function, while the bees and ants have succumbed to Saturnian rigidity. ?upiter is the capacity to expand and to utili*e resources most efficiently for the sake of the whole. t is the managerial function# and all organi*ed religions are expressions of the ?upiterian drive for fellowship and large-scale integration. SAT&)'( This function both works with and also opposes the ?upiterian function. t limits but also focuses. t defines but in so doing allows for the transfer of knowledge. t binds the individual to a particular place, set of relationships, or way of life# but it also makes him feel secure. (y stressing what is different and uni:ue in an individual, the Saturn function builds an ego which eventually may separate, alienate, and also free*e all possibilities of spontaneous and warm responses to experience# yet it can give a sense of individual responsibility and the ability to stand alone and to resist shocks. 8here Saturn is located in a chart, there the organism !and the mind" tend to feel most vulnerable and insecure# therefore, there also the individual has the opportunity to assert

himself in his most characteristic and significant manner & provided he has endurance and inner stability, two constructive aspects of the Saturn function. &)A'&S( This is the planet of transformation, the foe of all Saturnian crystalli*ation, and also the challenger of the normal drive for security and comfort and of all types of "establishment." 8here +ranus is located, one can expect crises & and the way of crises is most often the typical human way of growth. Ego, tradition, and all kinds of institutionali*ing usually will only surrender after radical crises. The problem is always how genuine and permanent the surrender & and what comes next. '% T&'%( 0eptune symboli*es the "universal solvent" of the alchemists, that which dissolves all that remains of the structures erected by ?upiter and Saturn after +ranus has shaken them loose. 0eptune refers to that through which the lesser mind is able to merge into a vaster consciousness and a more inclusive sense of reality. 0eptune's location in a person's chart indicates the manner in which some basic conflicts can be resolved and participation in a greater community can be achieved. 7t that point in the chart, the individual may be oversensitive and vulnerable to glamour & not because of his organic weakness, but because of a too idealistic or future-oriented nature. .&T#( This planet represents whatever in an individual life tends to reduce everything to its most fundamental nature. The power it symboli*es ruthlessly destroys all superficialities, shams, or hypocrisies and lays the mind bare. -et the position of )luto in a natal house in most cases indicates the field of experience in which the individual can make his greatest contribution to society. 7t this point, the individual can reach rock bottom and on the rock build the foundation of his personality. 8hat +ranus shakes, )luto will pulveri*e. Together with 0eptune, it may produce a maelstrom that will engulf the past# but the ultimate depth can often prove to be the gates to never-before-envisioned heights. 8hat )luto above all demands of the soul is courage & and humility. )ride may reach momentary exaltation in a )lutonian situation# but it inevitably will be broken, and humiliation will be experienced by the one who had no humility.