ANCIENT ASTROLOGY SECRETS OF

In case you didn’t already know, my name is Matthew

Kenney, and I’m a traditional astrologer. THE SEVEN
I have dedicated myself and my astrological practice to the
restoration and application of ancient wisdom.
Each day, I do my spiritual practices and guide my clients
STARS
with the hope of awakening the knowledge and power that Your guide to meeting and
is inherent within all of us. communicating with your ancient allies
It is my hope that through reading these lessons you will
and guardians
receive the profound awakening that I did when I first
discovered these insights.
If you feel inspired to learn more or work with me more
closely, I am currently offering a 15% discount on Natal
readings if you use the code ASTRO15 at the store page!

Have any questions? Contact me here:

www.ancientastrology.org/contact LESSON IV - RITUAL

Merlin@ancientastrology.org
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All the preliminary work is done. You’ve set up your altar, with a beautiful space, an evocative image, and some
other materia magica around the altar to help supercharge your spell. You’ve also got your offerings all set up and
ready to go.
One final note: it is especially helpful to do ritual in the planetary day and planetary hour of your chosen deity.
You may have already figured out that the seven days of the week correspond to the seven planets:
- Sunday is the Sun’s day
- Monday is the Moon’s day
- Tuesday is Mars’ day (from the Old English Tyr, Anglo-Saxon God of War and Justice)
- Wednesday is Mercury’s day (Wednes is a possessive form of Wodan, Anglo-Saxon God of Knowledge)
- Thursday is Jupiter’s day (Thor, it’s pretty obvious. God of Thunder.)
- Friday is Venus’ day (Frigg, Anglo-Saxon Goddess of the marriage and the home)
- Saturday is Saturn’s day
You can find a calculator online to give you the planetary hours. The sunrise hour each day corresponds to that
Deity, and that’s the preferred hour for casting.
NOW it is time to actually do the ritual. In this the final installment of the lessons I am offering you, I will walk you
through the actual ritual with both a detailed description and then a general summary for easier reference later on.
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THE RITUAL
Before you do any ritual work, it is necessary to cleanse your space. This should happen on a physical level by
making sure everything in the area is clear and clean – ideally the entire room. Make sure you’re presenting yourself
well to the spirit. Most people will also burn some smudge or copal after things have been cleaned and tidied up.
For additional oomph, you can burn a smudge related to one of the deities as outlined in the ritual objects PDF I
sent you alongside the previous lesson.
Once you’ve cleared the space and blessed it with some kind of smudge, it’s time to cleanse and center yourself as
well. There are many ways to do this –visualizations, breathwork, simple meditation, candle-gazing, or all the above.
You want yourself feeling calm, centered, and open. If you try to talk to a planetary spirit when you are feeling anxious or
upset or angry, that is all they will feel. And they don’t want to feel that – nobody wants to feel that. Do yourself
and the power of your spellwork a favor and don’t start until you’re feeling calm and at least moderately hopeful.
Once both you and your space have been cleansed and centered, it’s time to start the ritual proper. This is when
most people would do a zone rite to protect and call in higher powers to watch over the ritual. If you know one,
feel free to do it, but it’s not necessary by any means.
If you’re not doing a zone rite, it’s time to light the candle and incense. The candle functions to activate the
planetary energy and let them know that you want to talk. The fragrance of the incense makes the atmosphere
around you much more conducive to their own energy, making it easier for them to come down. Remember, once
the candle is lit, the telephone is on – you’ve dialed in, and the spirit of the planet can hear you.
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At this point, you want to use your voice to formally invoke the planet.
This can be something that you make up on the spot, or something that
you wrote down beforehand. You can also use a traditional invocation or
hymn from a religious tradition.
I personally use the orphic hymns to the Greek deities associated with each
Planet, and this is my first choice for all my students too. There’s a long
tradition of astrological magicians using the orphic hymns. Since I am a
super nerd, I also read them in classical Greek, with the original dactylic
hexameter cadence. If you are also a super nerd and know what I am
talking about, you will probably find it a lot of fun to do the same thing! But this is by no means necessary, you can
read something intuitively, or just make something up as you go along.
So now the candle is lit, and you’ve read your invocation. Take a brief second now to meditate and feel into any
differences. You may see some flashing lights and colors, you may feel like something is watching you. If you don’t
feel anything, that’s okay too – with practice you definitely will.
Now that the spirit has come, I personally always start the conversation by expressing gratitude for the ways in
which they have helped me before. This is easier for me to do because I have been working with them for a long
time, but you can also find some ways that each of the planets has helped you in your life, even if you have to think
about it a while beforehand.
Once you’ve expressed gratitude and said thanks, then you ask for what it is that you want. Be as explicit and
concise as possible. They will understand you better that way. Some people like to have it written down and placed
on the altar, but it’s not necessary.
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Once you’ve made your requests, you can give the offerings. Two of them are already on the table – the candle and
incense. Now you offer the food, the water, and the alcohol. You can do this in whatever way feels right. Some
people lift them up to the sky or to the image and then place them down. Some people bless the food with the
hands after they place it on the altar. Just do something to make it explicit that the food now belongs to them. Do
NOT eat the food!
Now you meditate. The formalities of the ritual are basically over, but the spirit is still there quite strongly, and this
is your opportunity to connect with its energy. Being still and settling into the moment can provide a lot of insights
onto the nature of your requests. Some people stare at the image, and find that it has come to life, and may even
move and talk to you. Other people chant the name of the planet, or a Vedic mantra to the planet. Do whatever
feels best and works for you.
There’s no time limit on this – normally you will be able to feel when the energy of the ritual is starting to wrap
itself up. Once that happens, you re-express gratitude. Some people use the phrase “stay if you will, go if you must”
which has no basis in tradition or history, but that I personally really like. You leave it up to the spirit to stay, but
you’re done and off to do something else. Most of the times they stay – spirits generally like people and like to be
around them.
And that’s it! It may seem like a lot right now, but it’s really not. Once you do this a few times it will seem very
simple, and the whole thing generally doesn’t take more than 15-20 minutes, with half of that being meditation.
For future reference, here’s a stepwise version of this ritual for you to consult.
1. Cleanse your space
2. Purify and center yourself
3. (optional zone rites)
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4. Light Candle and Incense

5. Read Invocation
6. Express Gratitude
7. Make requests (written down or not)
8. Give offerings
9. Meditate
10. Close out

Concluding Words
So there you have it, and for a basic series of lessons I would say we've covered quite a bit. At this point, I feel
comfortable ending this series because I have shown you how to contact that planets yourself. In a sense, you don’t
really need me to explain the functions of the planets anymore, now you can just ask them yourself.
Of course, you may find it helpful to talk to me or other astrologers about the planets, and especially how they
show up in your own natal chart, but with this ritual you have the ability (with enough practice) to eventually find all
the answers on your own. It’s a complete path to knowing the stars.
What I am hoping you have gained from this mini-course is an understanding of the planets in the system of
astrology. They are not just points that we examine in star charts. They have deeply mythic and esoteric origins, and
a vast body of literature exists recounting how they were formed at the beginning of time. And far from being a
series of keywords, all the planet's significations inform each other and work together to form a complete,
integrated whole.
Moreover, we've seen how the planets aren't just "up there." Your spirit already has a relationship with them, and
can continue to form an even deeper relationship with them through ritual and dedicated practice. Not only that,
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but you can also ask them for help both for spiritual growth and for help in the material world, emotional, financial,
etc. They can be your biggest allies.
In sum, I've tried to give you a much fuller picture of what the Planets are, and how you can actually work with
them as well.
You have come to understand an aspect of the planets that 99% of people who study astrology will never
understand – they are not just pieces of your psychology or little tools for understanding yourself. They are vast
beings, capable of offering you tremendous help and very willing to do so.
If you choose to work closely with them, they will provide you with priceless aid and insight for the rest of your life.
They will bless you beyond belief, and show you the way to complete and total enlightenment.
I am excited for what you discover and receive in your magical journey. Thank you for taking this journey with me!
-Matthew