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determine which parts of the experience relate to the natal planets,
signs, and houses, and which parts are due solely to the effects of the
transiting planet.
In the early stages, it is almost impossible to determine by observation
alone which planets are involved. So the use of the traditional meanings
of the astrological elements is permissible as a starting point. But
they should not be given very much weight, since every published
description of these effects is strongly influenced by their author's
prejudices and perceptual limits. What seems true for one may not be
true for another.
But after we have experienced several transits of a natal planet, by
several different transiting planets, we can begin to perceive the
nature of that planet within our own personal symbologies. At this
point, the work becomes much easier, and nearly every transit adds
something to our understanding.
At the same time, seemingly as a side-effect, we find ourselves having
perceptions of what the corresponding forces do in the macrocosm.
Similar understandings might appear in our work with other
symbol-systems, and our magickal work is stimulated as well.
Eventually, we are able to abstract from our experiences a perception of
what the energy of a planet is in itself. We have refined our perception
of events, and can perceive those forces operating on their own planes,
as well as their manifestations in daily life.
The visualized horoscope that is the main tool of this work meets the
exact magickal definition of a lamen, which is "a sign or sigil that
exactly describes the character and powers of the wearer". In "charging"
this lamen, forming a magickal link between the perceived forces of the
planets and their symbolic representations, we accomplish two things:
a) We bring these powers out into the open, where they can be
controlled directly by the will of the magician.
b) We train our consciousness to perceive itself as something which
is separate from, albeit intimately connected with, these forces.
The first of these two points has some paradoxical effects. The action
of those parts of the being that are influenced by the horoscope becomes
completely predictable to the magician. Given a set of conditions, he
can always tell exactly how he will react if he allows the pattern to
manifest naturally. But at the same time, he is more free to act as he
chooses, because he understands the basis of his manifestation. He
becomes less subject to the pushes and pulls of his environment, the
conflicts generated by his friction with other manifest beings.
Shortly after beginning to form the magickal links between the forces
and the horoscope, the person finds that certain transits of the planets
become less powerful. Eventually, they have no effect on the magician at
all. This is true for all of the planets nearer to the sun than Saturn.
The magician finds himself no longer bothered by the minor shifts of
mood and perception the transits of the inner planets cause. His
perception becomes more fixed, and at the same time more powerful.
The outer planets, which symbolize forces of change, continue to have an
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