correspondences: outer planets ✧
correspondences for the outer planets are a bit more limited and less refined than that of the inner planets simply because we haven't known about them for nearly as long. while we have ages of information on the inner planets, we only have a few hundred for the outer planets. commonly, the traits assigned to the outer planets has much to do with the timing of their discovery - more on that in a second.
early writings on correspondences for uranus and neptune can be attributed to english astrologer alan leo, who wrote about the traits of uranus and neptune in his works the art of synthesis and esoteric astrology in the 1910s prior to the discovery of pluto (1930).
an excerpt from the art of synthesis:
"It may be safely stated that astrologers are quite familiar with all the temperaments coming under the various planets, save those which belong to the Uranian and Neptunian group. Of these two much more is known of the former than the latter, but so far as experience goes up to the present, Uranus and Neptune appear to represent the two extremes of a certain temperament which may be termed, for want of a better word, the spiritual." - Alan Leo (1912)
in regards to the names of these planets, it might be worth noting that while the inner planets were named by ancient astrologers, uranus and neptune were named by the astronomers that discovered them, continuing the tradition of using the names of roman deities, and pluto's name has an interesting and kinda cute background of its own.
uranus - originally named "georgium sidus" after king george III but was later changed to uranus for no reason other than tradition, not even myth.
neptune - named for the roman god of the sea because of its deep blue/green color.
pluto - per nasa, "in 1930, 11 year old venetia burney of oxford, england, suggested to her grandfather that the new discovery be named for the roman god of the underworld. he forwarded the name to the lowell observatory and it was selected" as it was deemed fitting for the cold, distant planet.
another aspect to outer planet correspondences are octaves. higher octave planets are said to have a more vivid and dramatic expression of traits and qualities versus their lower octave counterparts so they tend to share correspondences as well.
correspondences for uranus and neptune as per the art of synthesis
discovery: during the industrial revolution and on the cusp of both the american and french revolutionary war
associations: revolution, rebellion, freedom, independence, electricity, technology, genius, disruption, unconventionality
metals: uranium and radium
rules people and places associated with: inventors, discoverers, pioneers, antiquarians, electricians, railways; occulists [eye doctors], mesmerists, physical researchers, and new and uncommon occupations
colors: blue, violet, maybe orange in some cases
regarding the body: the brain and nervous system
discovery: within weeks of the first successful use of surgical anesthesia
associations: illusions, dreams, the sea, emotions, imagination, psychic abilities, intuition, beauty, sympathy, sensation
rules people and places associated with: "democratic and popular movements, mobs, the common people; mystics, dreamers, visionaries, psychics, mediums; perhaps [places such as] hospitals and charities"
regarding the body: similar to that of the moon
no colors or metals mentioned here, but blue/green and platinum are common
correspondences for pluto, in this context, are separate from uranus and neptune (like i said before, pluto hadn't been discovered when these works were published) but i plan to delve more into content about the outer planets.
widely accepted correspondences for pluto
discovery: near the beginning of the great depression
info: named for the roman god of the underworld; has a very erratic orbit
associations: death, the underworld, radical transformation, crisis, chaos, regeneration
metal: plutonium (its namesake)
traditional colors: black and grey
i'm sure this has been a little all over the place so far, but i hope it provided a brief rundown of the origin of these planetary correspondences. i could write about this all day, but i think up next i'll cover traditional correspondences for ingredients and items for all the planets and my thoughts on them. stay tuned! :)
