Small Saturns hanging from strings in various colors against a black backdrop.

Altars for planets and celestial spirits are a powerful tool in magic and in understanding the living nature of these spirits.

I had no idea, when I first created my Venus altar, that I would benefit in so many different ways from that relationship. Some readers may know that while I am an astrologer, I am also a bruja and an espiritista. Working with spirits was not new to me at the time, but the idea of working with planetary spirits felt like a new realm. I had never connected to a spirit so magnanimous as a planet. Sure, connecting to Venusian deities seemed easy enough, and many folks do work with deities who represent the planet’s energies, but I decided to connect to Venus herself.

Initially, I connected with by consecrating a small space on my working altar just for her, and almost immediately I saw shifts in my life. Little blessings began to arrive. I found my relationships quickly became more intimate and offered space for me to more fully embody my identity, and it became easier to be kind to myself. More than this, however, I was surprised at how my own practice as an astrologer shifted. It was almost as if the spirit was whispering to me in session, I understood more intimately how Venus might manifest in a transit, I began to comprehend the complexities of her mythologies.

I decided to write this blog post for anyone who was considering setting up a planetary altar. I want to share that I am still relatively new to my astromage practice and as such, I will be sharing information in a way that is meant to be accessible and not overly traditional. I am also sharing my main resources below.

Astrology comes to life quickly, the more we connect with the planetary spirits.

Often, when we study astrology, it can be easy to fall into a habit of simply gathering more and more DATA, feeling drawn to the parts of it that are more scientific and mathematical, which is beneficial for sure. In building altars for planetary spirits, however, astrology comes to life in a way that is difficult to explain. More than just understanding the singular overall celestial spirit, it’s easier to witness the shift that happens in working with Venus in Scorpio vs Venus in Libra, for example. Connecting with these celestial spirits gives added meaning to book research and foundational astrology training.

The celestial spirits’ lessons come with more clarity.

Working with celestial spirits and building planetary altars can definitely assist in strengthening delineation skills. I do also find that having an altar and a routine practice helps in making transits easier to understand or in offering clarity on a planet’s lessons, especially when it comes to working with the malefics. Alice at Celestia Materia recently wrote a blog post about working with planetary spirits that I think is very useful. After I created an altar for Saturn, I found myself having more clarity around lessons in patience, and even more so around letting go of people and relationships that needed to be severed. It is not necessarily best for everyone to work with their malefic, but I do find it can be really beneficial if a person is willing to navigate some of the more difficult aspects.

There are numerous spiritual benefits in creating planetary altars.

Creating an altar can show gratitude and respect to a specific celestial spirit. Working with something outside of the self, showing gratitude, honoring an ancient spirit, reminds us that there is so much more than what exists within ourselves and in our minds. I find that in working with celestial spirits, I am able to ground and pull myself out of moments of anxiety and high stress more than I used to prior to working with planetary spirits. This isn’t to say that building a planetary altar and working with celestial spirits is a quick-fix or a remedy to all issues, but in conjunction with other healing practices, it can be a strong tool.

For those who have a benefic in a rough spot, this is one simple way to call in that energy.

In the Celestial Realm, I will be offering mini-classes on setting up an altar to each planetary spirit over time, but I am beginning with the benefics as they are generally more welcoming as spirits and can often bring about a strong influence and major benefits fairly quickly. Those who have either Venus or Jupiter in a difficult sign or in a difficult aspect to a malefic, may especially benefit from introducing themselves to their benefic of sect to amplify that energy within the natal chart or to ease difficult transits. This also goes for retrograde seasons with each planet or for those who have the planet retrograde in their natal chart.

In the same way that we cast spells and make petitions to deities, creating an altar and forming an established routine can offer us a formal and respectful space to ask for petitions from benefics or any celestial spirit. This is made even more potent when we work with astro materia as well.

Working with malefics at an altar is one way to appreciate their difficult lessons while also easing their effects.

Recently, Kira from The Strology shared a tweet about working with malefics for protection, and other folks shared ideas and asked valuable questions so definitely check that tweet out. In general, an altar helps to call in a malefics energy for uses like protection and boundary work alongside providing space to ask questions and pray directly to the spirit for ease in their lessons.

Aside from building an altar, working with the planet in ritual can be beneficial.

As I’ve mentioned already, creating a ritual routine offers a set space for the practitioner to petition the celestial spirit for assistance in specific and broad ways. Pairing ritual with the orphic hymn or the Picatrix invocation, adds a prayer to the ritual and has an added benefit of having specific petitions embedded in the prayer as well. I find that having rituals for each planetary day genuinely aids me in developing structure and routine in other aspects of my life, especially during the pandemic when time has felt hella foggy.

Building routines in our practice can help us remain grounded and can aid us in developing our skills as a practitioner.

Many practitioners that I respect have spoken of the need for daily practice as a form to truly grow and develop and I’m 100% on board with this view. Now, I do not think ritual needs to be complex or spellwork all of the time. Some days, all I have energy for is to recite the orphic hymn and place some fruit on the altar. Other days I go through a detailed ritual and spellwork. It’s all about balance.

It's not enough to simply have an altar, there has to be an element of prayer, devotion, or offering to keep it "hot."

While having an altar is a grand commitment to specific celestial spirits, it is important to actively tend to the altar to keep it “hot” and this goes for noncelestial altars as well. Place new offerings frequently. Change out and clean the water glass. Sit at the altar and commune with the spirit. Time is one of the greatest offerings and an affordable one as well. Recently, I’ve spent time at my Saturn altar reading The Greatness of Saturn by Robert Svoboda. It’s a simple practice but it has also aided me in developing my ability to remain present and there with the spirit.

Altars don’t need to be complex or large for them to be powerful.

When folks decide to form an altar to a celestial spirit, I find that many imagine they need a large space or a good deal of additions for the altar. This is so far from the truth. While buying materia is nice, of course, it isn’t required at all. This goes for all altars, but time, water, and a simple candle or food offering is all tht is really needed. Generally, it is agreed that the more someone puts into their relationship with the planetary spirit, the more they have to gain, but that does not apply strictly to material items.

Small travel altars are just as effective as larger ones especially in the hands of a dedicated practitioner.

For those who want to work with multiple planetary spirits, they may benefit from working with travel altars. I especially like cigar boxes which can be found at a smoke shop or other retailers, but shoeboxes or small craft boxes from stores like Micheal’s also work just as well. Taking the time to paint the box, adding a blinged-out sigil, and including the planetary intelligences show how much energy a person is willing to put into their relationship as well. I recently spent time painting a small shelving unit for Saint Expedite who I also connect to as the planet Mercury. It’s also generally just fun to paint and craft an altar.

A small corner with specifically chosen tools can make a world of a difference versus no altar space.

Aside from travel altars, it’s also important to know that an altar can be placed just about anywhere. In general, ancestral or spirit altars are best outside of the bedroom, but that isn’t always possible. Altars can be built in a nook on the bookshelf, on a floating shelf, or even on the wall with the right tools if there is no flat surface available. While permanent altars are powerful and beneficial, it is also important to note that folks can have a general working altar where the specific spirit addressed is switched out depending on the day. For those who are entirely new to altar building, I offer an altar-building 101 course in the Celestial Realm and have a new Venus Altar building class as well.

Resources: The Complete Picatrix by Maslama Al-Majriti. The Seven Spheres by Rufus Opus. Sphere and Sundry. Guidance from Materia Celestia.