Planet (in astrology)
HellenisticModern WesternIndian JyotishaEditorial synthesisTraditional doctrine
Definition
In traditional astrology, one of the seven visible 'wandering stars': Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn. Modern Western practice usually adds Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto. The astrological usage differs from the modern astronomical definition.
Also called: Wandering star (historical) · Luminaries (Sun and Moon)
In more depth
Classical sources such as Ptolemy's Tetrabiblos work with the seven celestial bodies visible to the naked eye that move against the fixed stars, including the Sun and Moon, which astronomy does not class as planets. Traditional doctrine assigns each of the seven a distinct symbolic character.[1][2]
After the telescopic discoveries of Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto, most modern Western astrologers incorporated the new bodies, while many traditional and Jyotisha practitioners retain the classical seven (Jyotisha additionally uses the lunar nodes Rahu and Ketu). Which set a system uses is part of its stated parameters.[3][4]
References
Numbered citations in the text link to the records below; each record links to the full source registry.
- Claudius Ptolemy. Ptolemy's Tetrabiblos, or Quadripartite: Being Four Books of the Influence of the Stars. J. M. Ashmand (translator). W. Foulsham & Co. Ltd, London. 1900. Historical primary source View source record
- Nicholas Campion. A History of Western Astrology, Volume I: The Ancient and Classical Worlds. Continuum. 2009. Historical scholarship View source record
- Chris Brennan. Hellenistic Astrology: The Study of Fate and Fortune. Amor Fati Publications. 2017. Modern practitioner interpretation View source record
- Varāhamihira. The Brihat Jataka of Varaha Mihira. N. Chidambaram Iyer (translator). 1885. Historical primary source View source record