The 7 Card Planetary Spread
Background
This is a planetary spread I made in early 2021. It is based on the seven classical planets, or seven sacred luminaries, each governing a particular aspect of life. Though the concept of this spread is by no means original, I devised this particular one independently and have a few tips on how to get the most out of using it. The way that I read this spread is heavily inspired by the practice of geomancy, because I wanted a divination method that combines cartomancy, geomancy and astrology.
(I created the image using tarotspreader and befunky)
The Luminaries
For meanings and correspondences I mostly referenced John Michael Greer’s ‘Encyclopedia of Natural Magic’, but planetary associations are very easy to search for. Note that domiciles are according to ancient, not modern, rulerships.
(IME = in my experience)
Sun
Leo
Fire element -- can also resonate with Air
The Sun sheds light on the truth, hence this is the ‘core card’
Represents the overall theme of the reading
Governs the querent’s ego, sense of self, identity, as well as their overall mental and physical state
Immediate circumstances
Rules over matters of leadership, power, authority, self-expression, and any ‘outward going’ actions
IME this usually shows what is primarily on the querent’s mind regarding their question, and how they are expressing themselves
Moon
Cancer
Water element -- can also resonate with Earth
Emotions, dreams, fears, hopes, wishes
Comfort zone, home, personal space, personal happiness
Hidden things, unasked questions
Platonic love, intrapersonal desires
Any water-related activities; sea travel, fishing, etc
Spirituality, psychic abilities, visions, the unconscious
Reproduction, childbirth, biological cycles
Can also represent a mother figure
Mercury
Virgo, Gemini
Air element
Communication, mental state, thought process, ideas, plans
Friendships & acquaintances
Any intellectual pursuits e.g. puzzles, language learning, public speaking
Gambling, trickery, deception, theft
Medicine and healing
Marketing, commerce
IME Mercury also rules over the workplace and work colleagues, specifically the interactions at work, not necessarily the querent’s career path & aspirations (that is more under Jupiter)
Non-binary and gender nonconforming individuals can be represented by Mercury
Venus
Libra, Taurus
Earth element -- can also resonate with Water
Love: romantic, sexual, self-love, interpersonal relationships (IME platonic and familial love falls under the Moon)
Sex, attraction, lust, desires, pleasures
Can refer to the spouse or romantic interest/partner of the querent
Rules over all forms of luxury: music, dance, the arts
Can also indicate general social affairs
Traditionally corresponds to femininity and female sexuality
Mars
Aries, Scorpio
Fire element -- can also resonate with Water
Motivation, willpower, drive, ambitions
Conflict, aggression, violence, destruction
Activities such as hunting, archery, martial arts
Funnily, Mars is also connected with livestock
Traditionally corresponds to masculinity and male sexuality
Jupiter
Sagittarius, Pisces
Fire element -- can also resonate with Water
Accumulation, expansion, growth: anything in the querent’s life that is likely to increase
Formal ceremonies, rites of passage, feasting
Charity, good fortune
Career aspirations & ambitions (workplace & colleagues falls under Mercury)
IME can refer to family members, education, teachers
Can also refer to property, savings, finance, the accumulation of money (whereas Mercury is how you use & spend money)
Also governs learning, as in the accumulation of knowledge (whereas Mercury is more about communication & use of knowledge)
Can also represent a father figure
Saturn
Capricorn, Aquarius
Earth element -- can also resonate with Air
Restrictions, limitations, boundaries, foundations, stability
Sorrow, old age, the past, death, disease
Associated with agriculture -- ‘you reap what you sow’
IME Saturn is both the poison and the cure, it represents things you need to remove from your life in order to progress/be stable, or it represents something that could help you but is being restricted
Saturn also represents influences that are likely to decrease with time
The reason why Saturn is associated with foundations and stability is because Saturn is the rock bottom, the lowest you can go. Saturn is about what is absolutely necessary, anything superficial is discarded and does not survive the passage of time
Hence, when reading this card, compare it with Mars (determination, the will to persist) and Jupiter (expansion)
Tips, Advice, FAQ
Golden rule: Look for corresponding themes
This spread encourages you to find links between the luminaries:
Are there suits dominating or absent in the spread?
Ex.1 if the spread is full of Swords, look to the luminary corresponding to Air, the Mercury card
Ex.2 if there are a lot of Pentacles (i.e. Earth element) in the spread, study the cards under Venus and Saturn
Ex.3 if there is a noticeable absence of Wands, is there anything happening with the Sun, Mars and Jupiter cards (i.e. the Fire luminaries)?
Link the theme of individual cards with the cards under a luminary associated with that theme.
Ex.1 if a card associated with love (such as The Lovers, 2 of Cups) appears under the Moon, link this to the card under Venus
Ex.2 if card associated with family and the home appears under Mercury (such as 6 of cups), link this to the card under Jupiter to understand family communication
Ex.3 if there are cards associated with conflict & arguments, under which luminary are there also cards with this theme? What is the card under Mars?
Draw multiple cards / use multiple tools for each luminary
If you really want to hone in on the details, I highly recommend this. For example, draw 3 cards for each luminary, or: draw one tarot card, one oracle card, one rune for each, etc.
How to know what correspondences to focus on
For example, does the card under Mars refer to the querent’s motivations (internal), or does it refer to potential conflict they might encounter (external)?
This would depend on what card(s) you draw for the luminary, so this is an intuitive process. You would also look at the other cards in the spread and which luminaries they fall under. See the Golden Rule.
This rough guideline might also help when deciding, with ‘immaterial’ referring to thoughts, emotions, internal forces etc:
Pentacles -- material realm Cups -- material, but based in the immaterial Wands -- immaterial, but based in the material Swords -- immaterial
The cards and luminaries can indicate personality traits
Especially in 3rd party readings, for example if the 3rd party is a family member (Jupiter), work colleague (Mercury), lover/spouse (Venus) -- look at the card and luminary, this can give you a clue what personality traits and zodiac signs might dominate their chart
Read movements/directions
This is not that important with the planetary spread, but you can always check to see if the figures in your cards appear to be facing a certain direction, which indicates where the card is focusing, whether they are collaborating with another card or ignoring them.
Divine assistance
If you wish, you can pray and offer to deities associated with the luminaries if the situation/question falls under their domain.
