The Seven Planetary Metals

22 January 2024

In alchemic tradition, the planets and elements form the progression of one's life path. This is the ladder of perfection: from birth to death, darkness to enlightenment. The transmutation of Lead to Gold.

Each of the seven traditional planets visible to the naked eye corresponds to an alchemic metal. Traditional pigments derived from these metals form the background colours of the Lotte Tarot cards.

Saturn — Lead

Of the seven traditional planets, Saturn is the furthest from us. It symbolises limits and lessons, fears and inhibitions, structure and stability. Heavy, slow, and unforgiving — like the metal itself.

Jupiter — Tin

The largest planet. Jupiter the gas giant represents expansion, fortune, luck and enthusiasm. Where Saturn contracts, Jupiter expands. Tin is malleable and bright — generous in a way Lead never is.

Mars — Iron

Mars the god of war, the planet of action and energy. It governs the animal soul, survival instinct, and getting what it wants. Iron is the metal of weapons and tools — functional, direct, unyielding.

Venus — Copper

Venus, seen as both the morning and the evening star, represents love, beauty and the arts. As a goddess she is the divine feminine — magnetic and seeking harmony. Copper turns green with age, which tells you something about how beauty changes but doesn't disappear.

Mercury — Quicksilver

Mercury, the closest planet to the Sun, rules commerce and communication. As the Greek god Hermes, he is the messenger — swift, playful and receptive to information. Quicksilver is the only metal that's liquid at room temperature. It won't sit still.

Moon — Silver

The Moon is feminine and receptive, ruling nourishment, the subconscious, rhythm and instinct. Silver reflects what's around it. It tarnishes when neglected but cleans up well — not unlike emotional life.

Sun — Gold

The Sun, giver of warmth, energy and light, represents the core identity and the attainment of consciousness. Gold doesn't corrode, doesn't tarnish, doesn't react. It just is what it is.

The term "Know thyself" inscribed in Apollo's temple reminds us that to attain the sought-after gold, we must focus on and develop our own intrinsic traits. The journey runs from Saturn's lead — heavy, dark, constrained — to the Sun's gold: conscious, radiant, whole.