orrery

AS ABOVE, SO BELOW

astrology is a relational science, used to reflect upon cosmic cycles and their relevance in our daily lives. however, it is often a one-sided analysis. have you ever wanted to be in a more reciprocal relationship with the cosmic sphere, working as co-conspirators?

we are currently living during the beginning of a renaissance of planetary magic, the first instances of which were recorded around 2,000 years ago. about 1,000 years after that, the next major updates were recorded. now, in 2021, nearly another thousand years have gone by… what can we add to the conversation?

planetary magic sets up a framework for contacting and working with gods & energy. each planet has an order of influence, likes & dislikes, archetypal correspondences, and rulerships. by engaging with these energies in a recurring devotional way, we can develop a relationship with the planets that enriches our own lives & deepens our spiritual practice.

the foundational works (picatrix, etc.) were written before the invention of the telescope, so the only planets available were visible to the naked eye. therefore, planetary magic as we know it is practiced using seven classical planets (sun through saturn).

this aligns well for many reasons – seven days of the week makes for a well-proportioned practice of planetary worship! still, society, culture, and inventions have expanded rapidly since the 10th century.

in viewing time as non-linear, the opportunity arises to have conversations with practitioners, scholars, and living people thousands of years into the past and future. by engaging with their practices & adding our own, we are writing history.

so i’m curious…

  • what day of the week might pluto like to be venerated?
  • who might you petition when starting hormones to transition?
  • what do the asteroids have to say?

  • which planet rules over social media?
  • what snacks & offerings does neptune like?
  • does uranus have any wisdom to offer when dealing with climate crisis & late stage capitalism?
  • what questions do you have for the celestial bodies?
magic as i practice it is somatic, collaborative, and best formed by many perspectives.

the goal of ORRERY is to create a living grimoire, a collective, ever-changing guidebook for planetary magic workings. i aim to honor the traditions & expand upon them. magic is a living thing, it deserves to be kept with us as we move through our current reality. it deserves to evolve, be digitized, re-imagined, queered, be with us at work, in cities, in urban areas. to ground us during climate catastrophe, isolation, and digital anxiety. together we can bring the old texts into a visceral, bodily, felt, present experience.

ORRERY includes

  • custom made planetary essences in a dropper bottle, paired with ritual material & paper instruction, shipped once per month
  • monthly collaborative workshops, held over zoom – each will include a ritual, meditative journey, and sharing our experiences.
  • optional weekly rituals to strengthen our relationship with the planets prior to our meeting
  • a link to download the monthly meeting if you can’t attend live, with suggestions for timing your own ritual
  • access to private group research/notes – our collective reference book
  • a private group to chat with co-conspirators & compare how our workings evolve over time
  • add-on feature: a monthly 45-minute private birth chart reading to discuss where the featured planet sits in your chart, how to work with it, and to integrate what came through for you during our ritual
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the group will be facilitated by myself, courtney riddle. i have been studying astrology for the past decade, however planetary magic is much newer to me. i definitely consider myself a student, and in fact, that’s part of the point of the group. i am not an expert above any of you, and through our presence together & a willingness to meet the unknown, we will be co-creating our lessons. think of it as an experiential study group.

what i do bring is my work as an active consulting astrologer, experience guiding meditation/ritual, my personal devotional practice & relationship to the planets, and the ability to hold space, create structure, and nurture enthusiasm.

please note: one thing that is important to me is the sanctity of our space together. all materials inside our group are explicitly for personal use, and not to be published elsewhere, screenshot, or quoted directly outside of our group. if any text from inside our group is found elsewhere (i.e. twitter, patreon, etc) you will be banned from participating. this is because the nature of our group is intimate and rooted in mutual trust, and some shares can be personal or sensitive. thank you for understanding.

here’s to studying together!

weekly

  • weekly zoom calls, hosted in pst
  • four times per month – during focus planet’s day/hour
  • more frequent, shorter rituals to develop a relationship with planets
  • invitation card sent in the mail with all upcoming times and dates, plus information about planetary correspondences & suggested materials
  • digital reminders

monthly

  • monthly zoom calls, hosted in pacific time
  • once per month, at a date/time to properly highlight the focus planet
  • approx. 2 hours long
  • planetary essence tincture & other ritual material provided in the mail
  • digital reminders
  • upcoming dates TBD

our first meeting will be dec 19, 2021!

sign up by december 5th to join us!

the curriculum is still in development – now through february 2021 are at a discounted rate as a thank you for trusting the process & jumping into it with me!

SIGN UP

FAQs

  • what is a planetary essence?
    essences are tincture-style, an encapsulation of a certain material vibration in a water/alcohol base. the most well-known are flower essences. these will be created in advance in an attuned ritual setting/timing & mailed to group members. essences are a gentle but powerful way to tune into & experience a specific energy.
  • is this psychedelic, am i actually taking something?
    people are used to the idea of tinctures made from plants, which extract the physical properties to create medicine. an essence is an energetic imprint on a base of water and/or alcohol, and they can be made using plants, minerals, sounds, emotions… or planets!
  • can i participate if i’m in a different time zone than pacific?
    yes! my working theory is that since i am the one leading the ritual, it should follow the planetary hours that i’m currently in. however, i recommend additionally working with the material calculated for your local planetary hour, if you aren’t in pacific time.
  • how do i figure out planetary hours in my time zone?
    there are a few websites & apps that make this easy. my favorite app is time nomad. or you can use astro-seek or planetaryhours.net.
  • do i need to attend the live zoom calls?
    not at all! it’s an amazing experience to create a virtual ritual space together, but it’s not a requirement. you can always watch the recording later, or just subscribe for the monthly essence/materials & work with them on your own, how you please.
  • do you offer any sort of financial assistance?
    scholarships will be made available to bipoc, trans, and queer astrologers, anyone who is underrepresented in the field of astrology, disabled folks, and those experiencing temporary or acute financial difficulty. just contact me here & mention “orrery scholarship.”
  • what inspired this project?
    ORRERY has been inspired by a confluence of magic in my life over this past year. some foundational knowledge of planetary magic came from nina gryphon’s NORWAC 2021 lectures. i’ve been inspired by my workings with the high-quality materia provided by kaitlin coppock’s sphere + sundry. and i have endless gratitude for being a part of saewon oh’s SSEER program, which inspired the structure of this work.